Last night was quite a fun and interesting night. It was the night of my high school class's 10 year reunion. I along with my former classmate Gary planned the event from start to finish and it couldn't have turned out better I'm proud to report.
We knew from the get-go that even though we were a small graduating class of only 66, it would be challenging to get everyone together. Luckily, through the law of six degrees of separation, we were able to track down about 2/3 of the class. We utilized sites like MySpace, Friendster, Facebook and good ol' networking to obtain email address so I could send out an Evite. Can't beat technology I tell ya. I even emailed some old teachers who were all touched to be thought of but, unfortunately, none made it out. Perhaps they were skeptical as was I that this would actually happen. But it did, and it was great.
Our class was one for the record books. The Park Ridge High School class of 1997 didn't have the most gleaming reputation and rightly so. We had a bomb scare, made teachers cry and threw stools, books, and reams of paper out of the front windows on the second floor. I of course did not partake in any of these antics myself, but we were all in it together. Looking back, it was fun, stupid, and nothing short of memorable.
A lot's happened in 10 years it seems. Everyone's either married or engaged. Some have children or are expecting. Some are doctors, some own their own business, and many now teach themselves!
While I wasn't the most popular and I wasn't the least. I was picked on by the "cool kids" often enough that it stung. But last night, it felt like we were all on a level playing field and there were no grudges. I thinkit took 10 years for everyone to grow up and learn how to be respectful. It's so much nicer to be nice than to be outright cruel.
Apparently, one fellow classmate has yet to grow up. Probably the worst offender of bullying, "the" bad-ass of the grade is still the same. He showed up last night and old fearful memories returned as he looked exactly the same to me. However, he did not stay long. The manager told him to get out and that he was not allowed there. Wow. I have to say, I relished that moment. He got his come-uppance. The sympathetic side of me feels sad for him though. It's a shame that 10 years later, nothing's changed for the positive.
"Close to hell and far from heaven, we're the class of '97!" -our senior year pep rally chant!
