The Reunion Review

We came.  We saw.  We kicked ass(es), namely our own.  We Partied like it was 1992(ouch)!  The George Washington High School Class of 1992, 20 year Reunion.  I think everyone had a good time.  It was great to see all the old faces from our collective past, and catch up on where life has taken everyone.
    I chatted with several people that I now have many things in common with, that in high school, I did not.  I reminisced with my old school Kenna Elementary kids, about old times and growing up together.   I chatted with good friends about seeing everyone.  I had a few drinks, a little food, and watched the slide show full of pictures from then to now.  It was nice to see how much everyone has grown, and how far we have all come.  It was nice to hear of accomplishments and families.  It was nice to hear that people actually read and like this blog! I am just kidding...but not really.
    When I began anticipating my reunion attendance, I wondered what to expect.  I mainly wanted to go to see my friends and people I grew up with.  I, as were we all, a little excited and a little nervous about seeing all of the people from high school.  I wondered if  "the popular crowd" would still act like "the popular crowd" 20 years later, or if they had evolved into caring, welcoming, human beings as grown ups.  I wondered if the "keg party" good old boys would be the same.  I wondered if all the success that our graduating class has generated went to their heads, or made them humble and thankful. I think we had a little bit of all of the above.

     One thing I did not have to think twice about was my friends and the people I grew up with since we were in the second grade.  Angie, Lesley, Shannon, Jeff, and Michael.  You guys were exactly the same! Good people.  Friendly people.  People that I grew up with. We shared chubby cheeks and bad perms, zits and tits, romances and bromances. From nursing management and pharmaceutical sales, to eye surgery,  and from local businesses to stay at home moms, we have become a diversified group.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and talking to each and every one of you!  I enjoyed meeting all of the signifigant others as well, except for Mike, you cougar, you!  Jeff had an excellent point, that I am still left wondering about.  All of you Kenna Kids will enjoy this, why in elementary school, did they segregate lunch time? Do you remember the "cold-lunch" kids being forced to sit on one side of the cafeteria, and the "hot lunch" kids being forced to sit on the other side? Yeah, right.  I cannot figure it out either!  Maybe if someone has Ms. Wounaris on their friends list, she could shed some light! Thanks Jeff for the now ever present question.  Precisely how long has it been driving you nuts?

    I also had a ball catching up with my girls! Angie and Debbie I had a ball at lunch! I miss seeing you guys since I moved to Kentucky! It was also great seeing Randy, Missy, Wendy, Kristi, Laura, Tara, Jerry, Donn, Sherrie, Amy, Alison and Ken, Eric, Rob, and chatting with you all! Eric and Jeff, I absolutely loved your girlfriend and wife respectively! They were both dolls!  I know I missed some people, so do forgive me in advance!

    My husband's question was, having went to a different high school, who regarded us the "snobs", the rich kids, the uppity bunch, why in the world did we have to share lockers?  I suppose all around the Kanawha Valley of W Va, kids had their own lockers.  I guess this question came up when I introduced him to my locker partner, Missy. Another interesting question.  I am assuming that there weren't enough lockers for each their own.

    I want to thank my spouse, and all of the spouses and significant others that put up with us this weekend.  Thank you for humoring us!  Many of you did and or do not understand the pull for us to go to our reunion.  We went to high school in a very special place.  We shared a very special time in our lives. GWHS was a high school like no other.  It bred excellence.  Patriot Pride is special.  I still get a warm fuzzy feeling when I think about how special it is to be a GWHS graduate.  Whether you were a popular kid, on the track and cross country teams, a softball kid, a tennis or soccer kid, an art kid, a band geek, a baseball or football player, on the volleyball team, or academic decathlon team member, we all had the pride.  We had an exceptional principal who cared about each and every one of us.  I know I was proud when Mr. Lohan always showed up to every band concert, competition, and football game.We had a teacher staff who cared about our success.  We had a special schedule that matured us and prepared us for college from the tenth grade forward, and for life.  GWHS was a special place for us.  We also witnessed the pointless murder of a classmate together, at our senior skip day celebration.  That is something that changes you.  We all went through the National Enquirer scandal together.  Especially the band kids. "Band Director Arrested for Bank Robbery at Lunchtime."  We also have all had the question at one time or another,"Did you go to school with Jennifer Garner?" Yes, but she was two years older.  So we have all been through some extraordinary events together, as well as a shared high school history.  We all have common memories, as well as our own.  I can ramble on about memories all day long, but I can tell you we had an exceptional school and staff.  My oldest went to Nitro High School, and she did not have the caliber of teachers that I had.  There was not a school pride or the camaraderie that we had at GWHS.  I mean seriously, we had one of the worst football teams around(sorry guys), but we all still showed up every Friday night, to cheer on our fellow classmates!  The players still held up there #1 fingers in pictures, and we were proud as heck of our boys.  We were proud to be from the Hill! One of cheerleader cheers was, "We are the Hill, and your not!" When we told someone where we went to school, you could stand back and watch their reaction.  It was THE high school to attend.  I am trying to explain why we all felt the pull to go to reunion, but I cannot explain.  If you were a part of it, then you understand.  If you weren't one of us, it is hard to explain.
    My husband was talking to someone and jokingly said, "I see you don't have a badge, so your not one of them?"  that pretty much sums it up.  As my hilarious father put it, there are two kinds of people. The wine and cheese crowd and the keg party crowd.  GWHS was the wine and cheese crowd versus the keg party crowd, that are most high schools. I found this too funny as well as true. My best friend from college, Julie, had her Woodrow Wilson 20 year High School Reunion the same night.  They rented a bar the first night. And had a live band with dancing at a country club the second night.  They actually danced!  We had a mini-sternwheeler ride the first night, and a cocktail party on the Charleston Tennis Club lawn and in the clubhouse the second night.  Okay, I give up! Daddy, your right!  We are the wine and cheese crowd.  I personally like both! I can put on my refined, sophisticated, lady panties when I need to, and party like a rockstar at the good old country boy get togethers too!
  In review, I think everybody had a great time.  I was most impressed with a few quiet shy people that grew up and came out of their shells.  Several former shy people, made everyone feel quite welcome! Me included! I chatted with quite a few people who I was not particularly close to in high school.  Everybody grows up and most of us lose the people "comfort zone."  Some people actually tried to step outside the box with me, but had a little difficulty.  Props to them for trying, I have faith that by 25 or 30 year reunion, you might master the art of conversation with everybody.  Then you had the same old people that hung out with the same old people.  I was a sometimes quiet, shy good girl in high school. (At least for those who did not know me well...hah!) Although I cannot to seem to ever remember myself shutting up for long.  I have grown into a people person, and can make conversation with anybody, about anything.  Even if I do not care for them.  Some people I am sad to say, as reported by several friends, have never come out of their shell.  Some still cannot step outside their "clique-y" high school comfort zones, or just are elitist enough to just not want to, or care.  I guess some things or people never change. Didn't bother me, I had a ball!  I did not get a chance to say hello to and chat with everybody that was in attendance.  If I missed you, I apologize! Hope everybody has recuperated by now! We are not as young as we once were!

    In closing I would like to thank those that worked so hard on our 20 year reunion. Kristy, Wendy, Debbie, Lee, Maryclaire, silent donors for the open bar, anyone on the reunion committee that I may have missed, Thank you! You gave up hours away from your families to plan our reunion, and we all appreciate you and all your hard work!