The Ups and Downs of an Average High Schooler

High school's weird.

I think we can all admit that.

While i think my high school experience has been extremely weird, tiring, frustrating, confusing as all heck, i still had a pretty okay time and have created some of the best memories that i will cherish till the end of all time. 

With only two months left until i leave this school for good, I started thinking back about experiences that i've had since starting here, almost three years ago. 

It's almost sad to think, that in a few short months, i won't be having these silly, naive, high-school thoughts anymore; i will be having silly, naive, university thoughts instead. 

It's not that i want high school to last forever, since i don't. but it's still sad that these happy moments are ending soon, and that we are all going our separate ways thereafter.

(Although if the school will stop being so cheap and give us some decent food and furniture, i might reconsider my statement of "i can't wait to graduate!") 

Without further ado, here are some of the sillier situations and flawed logic of today's generation of high schoolers! 

DISCLAIMER: this is not all inclusive and i can't speak for ALL high school students. these are just things i've seen our students stress over, or have stressed over myself.

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GRADE 8

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* somehow i was THAT KID who never used a locker so i always wound up carrying my backpack around and holding a jacket on top of it all, since i was so stupid that i couldn't figure out what locker was mine. 

* grade 8 camp! i remember feeling cold and awful throughout the whole thing. and i had to share a room with 6 or 8 girls. (can't remember which). and we had to sleep in bunk beds! the heck? 0.0 oh yeah, and the washrooms were communal! EVEN MORE WTF! the only good thing was the endless supply of fries during mealtimes. 

* once, i had (whispers) GIRL ISSUES during class and i had to have my buddies make excuses and make a racket so i could escape from class without being seen. 

* feeling frustrated with my classmates (somehow i wound up in a tiny humanities class) for not having the basic abilities to spell properly. (can't say i'm the best speller in the world, but… if you're having trouble with four letter words then i have some bad news for ya…) 

* failed science 

* getting 100% on a project that i completely BS'd. (docked marks for handing it in late) 

CONCLUSION: grade 8 was a pretty standard, boring year. It's my first year in high school, and my first time attending a neighbourhood school, at that. I had a pretty rough time adjusting to it. i guess in a way i can say i'm not used to being forced to study. the one memory that stuck with me the most is grade 8 camp because it made me feel miserable. i couldn't help but to feel nostalgia because we used to go camping every year in grade school, except it was usually 4 to a room, we had a balcony, a view, personal bathroom, fluffy beds, dimmable lights, sofas, TV's, and all that good stuff. except we didn't get to eat fries. we had jacket potatoes. … i think fries are better. 

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GRADE 9

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* made my own niche of friends for the first time, and often stayed after school to just chat with them. 

* childishly cycled through about 5 different phones in half a year since i kept dropping and breaking them. but after that i consistantly took good care of them and have only changed phones 3 times in the last 3 years. 

* nearly failed art (how is that even possible…?)

* had a crush on a few 'badboiz' and somehow made it TOTALLY obvious.

* lost a diary at school that was found, read, and then returned to me. the boy that i talked about liking in my diary approached me just to act all stuck up about it, as if it was some big deal that i liked him. (for the matter i only liked him because he was a 'badboi' and did recreational drugs and was all swaggy and stuff. yeah i do still like that sort of boy, mostly because i am most attracted to boys that contrast me the most) 

* sassed my PE teachers. // "So what if i sit down? I'm tired, so shouldn't i get to sit? It's my body! If you don't like it, complain to my parents!" 

* wormed my way out of a detention (it was for being late. well excuuuuuuuuuuuse me for being human and making mistakes and needing more sleep sometimes…) 

CONCLUSION: grade 9 was definitely better than grade 8 and more interesting, especially with cuter boys to crush on! It was great to have my own group of friends, even though it meant that i had more enemies as well. i transferred schools at the end of grade 9. 

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GRADE 10 

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* Duke of Edinburgh trip to the USA! Involved a lot of tiresome hiking and needing to (gasp) live in a tent! 

• Being unable to undo the tent, dragging it across the field, asking if we can just leave it there and buy the school a new one, or burn it. got refused and was forced to undo it and carry it anyway

• Friend claiming that her feather jacket is waterproof "BECAUSE I STOOD UNDER A SHOWER AND I DIDN'T GET SOAKED." yeah, sure, and that's why you got soaked after 5 minutes in the rain and the teacher had to give you a rainjacket…? 

• Being too scared to light our stove, so we decided to just eat a cold dinner and sleep. but the supervisor forced us to get out and eat a hot dinner. and made me do jumping jacks because i couldn't stop shivering. 

* A Project Discover trip to a marine research facility! 

• was not as miserable as gr8 camp. yes, we had bunk beds, AGAIN. but it was 4 to a room this time and while the showers weren't in our room, at least they are individual rooms in the bathroom hallway. 

• froze to death boating because it was raining 

• took a forest hike but it was muddy and cold and my boots were too small and i nearly slipped and fell flat on my face 

• but the food was DELICIOUS! it was legit, not like camp food, more like grade school camp food. rice and pasta and scones and bacon and hash browns and muffins and soup and fruits and stuff like that! yum~ <3 

• went on two cave tours! cool! although i nearly slipped off the edge inside a cliff once, but a dude grabbed me before i fell into the dark abyss. twice. #clumsy

* moved to a new school! (the old school was like, a rented inn or something. a new school was built and i guess i transferred at the perfect time because we moved in after a superlong winter break! 

* bought my first laptop computer! Because apparntly the school "required" it. Or maybe i just made that up. I can't particularily remember anymore, heehee~ ^_^

* a language trip to France and Spain! I was part of the France group. It was the only reason i suffered through French class. (although, a second language was a requirement so it isn't as if i could have refused. although i took both Spanish and French as a kid, i don't believe i have an affinity for languages and neither stuck. Also i learned Latin. that stuck even less.) 

• First trip abroad without parents! Although in attempting to catch our connecting flight we had to run through the airport waving our arms wildly like a bunch of chickens.

• "NOOOO MY HOMESTAY DOESN'T SPEAK EVEN ESL LEVEL ENGLISH MY LIFE IS ENDING"

• Set off a fire alarm in Paris by accident because i didn't know i had to close the door when showering. (didn't know there was a smoke detector thing, and i was too scared to be in an enclosed space by myself). had to run downstairs in a towel… 

• "I WANNA SHOP ON CHAMPS ELYSEES FOR THE ENTIRE DAY!" "NO!!! I WANT TO GO TO ARC DU TRIOMPHE!!!" "NO!! THAT'S STUPID! I DON'T WANT TO!!" "YES!! I INSIST!! RIGHT NOW!" //real conversation with my buddy 

• visited the original Louis Vuitton shop. 

• Played badminton 

• Paris Disneyland! 

* Had a  PE unit consisting of volleyball. on the beach. #sand in my shoes 

*  Believed i could get into Harvard. //Newsflash, just because the neighbour's kid got in doesn't automatically mean that you can, too. 

* Nearly failed French. 

* Math teacher got so fed up with me and my inability to do math that he got me a private tutor to teach me in a seminar room instead of having me in class. (she was a MUCH better teacher, by far) 

CONCLUSION: grade 10 was a blissful, happy year full of new experiences, new friends, and a new life. there were a lot of silly moments and yes, we were just a bunch of naive high schoolers who dreamed dreams and believed in themselves. 

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GRADE 11

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* All hell broke loose when i was separated from my best buddy for just about all my classes. 

* Had to retake my French 10 final test, but was able to opt out of taking a language because my Mum talked to the Headmaster for me. 

* China Global Trip 

• I didn't go because apparntly the air pollution is bad for me. Me and Mum took our own little trip during winter holidays to make up for that. 

• Kids that didn't go Global got the oppertunity to go visit local attractions, courtesty of the school. ^_^ 

* Best buddy became worst enemy. 

* Was a fairy in "midsummer night's dream" for a school production. 

• got to blow bubbles and wear a cute, lacy dress! 

• had a crush on Puck. ;D … As did pretty much every other girl in the play. 

* Tutored a 2nd grade. 

• she once kicked my phone down the hallway for reasons unknown… 

* had a LOT of spare blocks (often together), so i'd sleep in the quiet area. (since there are couches there and there is a no talking rule) 

* "WHY IS THE SOCIALS' ROOM THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A CEILING MOUNTED PROJECTER. IT'S NOT FAAAAAAAIR!!!!" - Everybody. (except me. I don't really care whether the projector is mounted on a ceiling or put on the table. Honestly. What does it matter?) 

* Became so used to automated everything in the washroom that i forget to turn the tap off when i'm not at school, or stand there waiting for it to turn on by itself, when i'm not at school. (and yes, people stop and stare as if i've gone batty) 

* Did a speech on "why school is unimportant and is not actually preparing us for the future". got a lot of praise on it, and did not win merely because i looked as if i was about to faint the entire time. (I was. i hate public speaking) 

* teachers tried to join a union and it caused a huge controversy in the school. resulted in several teachers being fired and/or resigning. parents caused a huge uproar over the issue. i can't remember any of it because me and my family just didn't really care. Let them do as they please! 

* some boy broke his leg during school hours, on a skateboard. 

* everyone hid when a teacher left the room.

* Accidently dropped my buddy's phone down 3 stories of stairs and it completely shattered. somehow, she was not at all pissed at me, just a little shocked. it was instareplaced, and her only comment was, "dude, stop apologising. it's okay. we're among friends, aren't we? so its okay."

• i would've understood the nonchalance better if it was some old school or crappy phone but it was a flipping new iPhone. I really gotta commend her on her calmness in that situation. I think i would've started crying.

CONCLUSION: boring year, but at the same time, daily life was okay and not too bad. the most major part was a fall out with a former friend. yeah, we continued being besties, but i resented her secretly. this was more of a year of politics than anything else. 

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GRADE 12

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* School issued email accounts to the students so we can receive notes instead of needing to type them. 

* nobody can agree on what we need to do for grad.

*Grad retreat! 

• Friend - *tries to microwave a ready made chicken*
• Friend - *tries to microwave a bottle of milk* 

• "32$ budget per person! remember you are staying overnight!" *buys junk food, pies, and basically a feast. since we had 5 to a room = 160$ budget* 

• Zip-lining! Superfun but also very scary! gorgeous scenery by the way 

* Gala plate option sells for over 1500$. Yes, because a 6$ plate that all the grads sign suddenly means that it is worth over 1.5k. what, did we sign our names in gold? #WTFlogic

* Had a relatively clean and cutely decorated locker for once in my life. 

* Attended several Model UN conferences. Hotels are supposedly "really good" but i can't help feeling as if they are haunted because the hallways are not light enough.

• // made a mess and called in the maid to clean it. literally. called the front desk to say, "can you send someone up to clean up?" and running out of the room because no one wants to admit being the one tacky enough to ask such a question. 

• stacked cups and ate mints and didn't pay attention during the conference. 

• bought a lot of Happy Meals to collect all the tiny stuffed bears. (yes we did end up getting them all) 

* Received an award and an assembly, but it just so happened i forgot to wear shoes during the assembly. // went up with only socks on 

* "WE DON'T WANT TO GO TO EUROPE WE WANNA GO TO CUBA!! WHY WON'T THE SCHOOL APPROVE IT!!!! WAAAAAAAAAA!!! I DONT CARE IF THE EUROPE TRIP IS A LONGSTANDING TRADITION!!!" - brats. 

* Parent offers to pay 4k for a party hall for the grad afterparty but somehow still cannot placate all the students because "WE WANNA HAVE IT IN A HOUSE!! WAAA!! OUR LIVES ARE OVER!!!" 

• Also apparantly all the parents insist on having security and a team of medicare staff there. … well, okay… if you really don't trust us, even for just one night… 

* Socials' room finally got a ceiling mounted projector. 

* New Chromebooks and Macbooks for the students! <3 

* New Microwave! Fridge and Oven installed and open for regular student use for the first time! 

• ice cream, cake, and condiments are staples in the fridge. cups and silverware and provided. so are kettles and coffee machines. well, okay… if you wanna spoil the students THAT much… whew, i wonder how everyone'll survive in university…  

* "sleeping area" moved downstairs into the main library because too many people abuse the right and just sit there and talk when people are trying to sleep or study. 

* rules slacken; nail polish now allowed. 

* bleachers become automated 

* "well, since SHE has a headache and left, HE has a headache, SHE is asleep, SHE is almost asleep, HE isn't paying attention, and SHE is stressed as all hell… let's just take a break and sleep for this class." - History teacher. *everyone is given a sweet and a pat on the back* 

* "this is RIDICULOUS! since spring break, HALF of you are late, and the OTHER HALF don't show up at all! this is unacceptable behaviour!" - Headmaster (yes, truly, that is ridiculous…)

* Began keeping a blanket in my locker so i can nap a little if i have a free block. 

* "it's cold in here…" "why don't we turn the thermostat up?" "yeah, good idea!" *turns it up to 24 degrees* - Me and my buddy (yes, because leaving every room's thermostat within easy reach of the students is SUCH a good idea. not) 

* "THE FURNITURE SUCKS WE NEED NEW ONES" - ??? 

~COMING UP~ 

* 1 week long biking trip 

* grad ball/commencement/events

* AP exams

* Maylong grad retreat? 

CONCLUSION: it's been great fun so far, even if the students become more and more outrageous every year. the things i wrote aren't even the half of it. the comments i hear on a daily basis feel normal to me, until i really think about it, then i realise just how silly and self riteous they sound. but it's been a fabulous (albeit stressful and frustrating) year! 

I feel as though i've been in and out of this sort of rut so much that i forget what high schools truly are like. 

Is every high school like this?

I don't know. Maybe, maybe not.

But at my old school, we had old desks that are starting to come apart, cracked plastic chairs, minimal heating and cooling, a canteen if you wanted food, an old timey projector where you write on a plastic sheet and put it onto a lighted surface for projection, and the lockers are tiny. (whereas here, i can literally stand comfortably inside my locker). 

thinking back, "that life" and "this life" is just so drastically different. 

Either way, it's been a great great ride and high school, while not my golden years, are definitely the providers of some of my most cherished and amusing memories. 

**NOTE**

this entry was originally written for extended family members that otherwise do not have the ability to know about me or my school life, and therefore some points may seem too personal. 

Hope ya'll are having a good, fun, high school life. :) 

~Rena~