5.11.09

High school memories.

Forgive me, I've got high school on my brain. This month, I am participating in NaNoWriMo. And my story has some scenes from high school.

Here are some of my favourite embarrassing memories from high school:
  1. There were over 800 students in my ninth grade class. We were all housed in one building. On Halloween, I didn't know we were now too cool to dress up. I was the ONLY student in my class to wear a costume. I went as a French maid, a hand-me-down costume from my mother, who was a French teacher (not at my school). I didn't understand the greater implications of being a French maid. I don’t think anyone else did either. The embarrassing part was just showing up in my costume.
  2. In ninth grade, I ran for President of the Student Council. The candidates got to make speeches to the student body. The class clown was also running. So I made my speech, and I said that (unlike the class clown) I wasn’t running as a joke. I was going to enact social change and make the world a better place for all of us. I made the class clown cry, and I lost the election (The class clown didn’t win either. But people felt sorry for him, and I was that mean girl. My speech teacher said he would have voted for me. That would have been two votes).
  3. Trying out for cheerleader. I went through this traumatizing experience twice. It almost deserves two spots on my list. I could not remember the cheers or the routines (done to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”). I could not do the jumps, or the required back-handspring. And my cheering voice was so weak. But I was still crushed when I didn’t make it. I didn’t give a shit about football (American for gridiron), but I really wanted to wear that cute uniform.
  4. My audition for the musical. I sang U2’s “MLK”. My brother accompanied me on his electric keyboard. I made the chorus (so did everyone else who tried out).
  5. Writing a poem about my unrequited high school love, and publishing it in the high school literary magazine. There were only 100 students in my senior class. Almost everyone knew who the poem was about.

What is your most embarrassing memory from high school? And don’t tell me you don’t remember. These memories are burned into our brains.

Photo credit: asunners

13 comments:

Amie said...

I have too many!

Age 6 - Being told I couldn't got to toilet and I was so busting I wet myself while sitting at my desk and had to wear adult granny bloomers for rest of day.

Age 10 - having my knickers stolen by mean girls from the changing room during swimming sports - was wearing a skirt that day.

Age all of high school - uniform was a straight knee length skirt with small side splits, mother said it was immodest so I had to wear a full gathered skirt to the mid calf - yip amie no mates.

V-Grrrl @ Compost Studios said...

I SO admire the way you put yourself out there, Juli. Trying out for cheerleading, the school musical, and running for student council president. You GO! Seriously, you were brave and bold.

Painful memories:
Receiving an anonymous note from someone telling me I was too loud and not funny, and then learning the person who wrote it was a "friend."

Being the target of a practical joke where a student who had all his classes with me went into the classrooms before I did and instructed those sitting around me to make vague references about something smelling off or someone having body odor. By the end of the day, I was in tears, convinced I stunk. I dashed into the shower as soon as I got home, and then my pal called me and 'fessed up to his mean prank. He's a surgeon today. We're still friends. Next time I see him, I'm going to pretend he smells.

During middle school and parts of high school, I was teased about my looks by both girls and boys. To this DAY, I have deep seated insecurities related to that.

Twonetweet said...

All too horrific - blocked out the whole experience.

Juli said...

V-Grrrl, OMG, there's a pattern to my trying out for things. I love rejection!

harmzie said...

Getting twitchy just thinking about high school!

Anonymous said...

Well, there was this four-year period during high school where I....oh...wait. That was all of it!

Annie said...

Among the top five for me: I decided that getting a perm would be a great way to get a new look - you know, to transform from ho-hum to gorgeous in one day. A neighbor did the perm for cheap (never get a perm and if you do, never, ever get one "for cheap.") She left the chemicals on too long so instead of gentle curls I ended up with crispy-curly giant hair and earned myself the nickname "Mushroom" due to the unique shape of my "do" for two solid years (that's how long it took the perm to grow out).

You have a *great* sense of humor! Thank you for sharing, and for asking your readers to participate.

Chris Mancini said...

I once had a hickey so large on my neck that even the teachers were laughing at me. It wasn't worth it.

Will Ryan said...

I don't know if I was embarrassed at the time, but I am now completely mortified to be reminded of a choir tryout accompaniment I performed on my Yamaha keyboard. (Did I freestyle some Herbie Hancock for good measure?) Had been pefectly content with all the happenings in my life up until this very moment. Thanks, Juli! ;-)

Anonymous said...

My most embarrassing moment was when I was in a choir and we were singing 'We are the world.' (That dates me, I know.) I got up to sing my tiny solo part - just like all those celebrities in the video - and I promptly forgot the words, turned around and went back to the risers without singing a note. Of course it's captured on video and my loving sister got years of mileage out of it, pulling that video out to show all my friends who'd missed it live.

Kori said...

Great post! I am participating in NaNaWriMo too...how are you coming along? I'm trying to get it done! Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting on my Emily Blunt post. I appreciate it! I love your blog and will be back! Kori xoxo

The One and Owenly said...

I know that this does not mean anything now but ... I voted for you back in ninth grade. Thus began my relatively consistent track record of voting for the underdog.

Juli said...

The other night, I watched "Election," and I had the sinking feeling that in high school, I may have been like Reese Witherspoon's character.