Note: I went to Jarvis C.I. in Toronto.
- Sometimes, a high school needs to hire security guards to ensure student safety. We had Carlos and Ramon (AKA Mini Carlos). They ensured student safety by selling counterfeit jeans out of a locker and hitting on high school girls.
- There was a time when everybody at Jarvis was pretty smart. Even the jocks.
- I was a social floater. I had friends in the following “cliques”: Chinese kids who play cards in the hallway, gangster kids who like smoking in the back, the front steps mostly white English-lit crew, hip-hop Muslims, cafeteria nerds who played bridge, student council keeners.
- When you go to a public high school downtown, you walk by a lot of poverty on your way to and from school.
- Everybody is different, everybody is weird, everybody is a bit awkward sometimes.
- Asking women out on dates when you are (were) unattractive, smell unshowered, and dress poorly is a tough proposition. But if you’re gonna do it, a free ticket to a “Garbage” concert isn’t a half-bad way to go.
- The talent people show in high school can take them to amazing places. It can also be squandered 10 years later.
- A rhyming speech can be a fun, gimmicky way to run for a position on student council. It’s all good until your opposition goes up and can actually rap.
- High school dances (or, as we called them, “formals” and “semi-formals”) are great places to drink coolers or beer and be dumb with your friends. I don’t know why you would go to a high school dance sober (teachers included).
- Being tired + sitting in class + boobs + wearing sweatpants = embarrassing accidental boner.
Neil and I have a list of rules for dating #1: never date anyone who thinks they were cool in high school
I went to Leaside. Can we say …”not quite as interesting”?
Number Five is great prep for the rest of your life which is just like this. Also, the poverty bit, depending where you choose to live.
I was bullied terribly in high school. It continues today in my field, journalism. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, but damned if I know what it is.
Hey, being an outsider in high school is the best because it means you are unique or interesting.
Being bullied is shitty. But like The Game says “the people who mind don’t matter, and the people who matter don’t mind.” Find those people who support you, and avoid the energy vampires. 🙂