| I know this is a bit late, but this is it: the big, reflective, evaluative, end-of-my-high-school-career post, reminiscent of Andrew Tsai's old Xanga entries. Read at your own risk.
I really can't believe it. Didn't believe it on the last day of classes, didn't believe it at Graduation, and didn't believe it on the last day of school, even when we got our Caps and Gowns, even when we walked across that stage and shook Mr. Teitel's hands, even when we got our yearbooks, and even when we spent up to 6 hours signing them. It still hasn't sunk in, and I don't think it ever will. But maybe it's the type of guy I am. When I went to Pittsburgh to visit CMU, or Michigan, to visit UMich, I wasn't like "Woah, WOW I'm in Michigan/Pittsburgh." To me it just felt like any other place. Just like the end of high school feels like the end of any other year, and this summer feels just like any other summer. It's surreal.
I didn't see as much emotion on the last day of school as I would've expected, for the last day of high school. I only saw one or two people in tears, but everyone else was busy signing yearbooks, and acting quite normal. I guess they didn't believe it either. It sucks, though, because I didn't get all the people I wanted to sign my yearbook. And I'll never see them again...
I can't believe I'm leaving for Taiwan tomorrow, and I won't be back until the end of July. That means I will only have a few weeks before I have to move off to college, and only a short amount of time to hang out with my friends. Everyone's moving to different states, some even to different countries, and there are some people I haven't seen in a while (and possibly won't see again), and others who owe me a hangout. So pay up, guys.
There's really so much I remember, and also much that I don't. I remember the past 3 SING!s I've been in, the faces of all my friends, and the crazy things that our grade has been through. But I don't remember what school was like without all the free periods and Spades playing, where and when I met all my friends, and what happened when I first entered Stuy.
Our grade, the Class of 2006, has really been through a lot. I've always said that, and I feel that we're a very special class. We've been through SSR changes (including SSR outsourcing, revamping of the Guidance department and system of writing SSRs, and a lot of other SSR controversy), the new SAT, a new SING! scoring system, a new method of entering the school via scanners, and the coming and going of a ton of teachers, just to name a few off the top of my head. We're the first class in 15 years to not have the Starr Foundation Scholarship, $500-$1000 each for a dozen or so kids with financial difficulty going off to college. We've witnessed the April and Kevin tragedy, and the deaths of several teachers throughout the years (starting with Mr. Celestin, and most recently Ms. Bierig), as well as a huge change in faculty between our sophomore and junior year (anyone remember Mr. Floersch? Mr. Granovskiy? Mr. Angel Colon for English?).
And as we have witnessed so many events, and been the first to experience so many things, I think our class is truly special. I think this all signifies something, that we are the beginning of a new generation of some sort, and will be the first to pave a new way for the future. We've been the first in a lot of things, so we're bound to give the world something new.
I barely remember my freshman year. I remember joining the Chinese Chess Club and Key Club (second semester), meeting my first girlfriend, and doing pretty well in classes (although I totally bombed the MQ3 final, with a 74, I think, and Dr. Fitzgerald didn't like me and gave me an 88). I remember joining the band, but being put into the Advanced Band (UWTA) second period instead of the Intermediate one fourth period, because of a scheduling conflict, and thus meeting a lot of juniors and seniors instead of hanging out with my fellow freshmen and sophomores. I remember not really knowing how to adjust from junior high school to high school, and being such a poser, talking with tons of abbreviations and attempting to be really ghetto. I remember attempting to stuff a huge binder in a red nike bag, proving that you can't mix something nerdy with something ghetto. I remember writing a Xanga entry almost every day, and tons of poetry. I remember wanting to join the Poetry club, StuyPoets, but being too shy to speak out, and simply walking past them pretending to go somewhere else for one of their meetings.
Then, wow, sophomore year. I remember having problems with and finally breaking up with my first girlfriend, after dating for over a year. I remember doubling up in Chemistry and Biology (and doing well in both!), attempting to make it so I could take AP Biology with a corequisite junior year, and I remember meeting a lot of freshmen because of that. I remember joining Chorus because of my ex, and wanting to quit it when we broke up, but not being allowed to by Ms. Hall. I remember singing and staying in the advanced band, where more of my peers entered, but I still felt isolated, though not completely because I had at least one friend who was with me in that band for both years. I remember having a slew of teachers, most of whom no longer teach here anymore (Mr. Floersch, Mr. Colon, Ms. Munyampeta, etc.), and having my average grow steadily higher (can you believe it? 93.8 average freshman year first term, to a 95, to a 95.something, and then to a 96 second term sophomore year!). I remember finally adjusting to my life at Stuyvesant, and realizing "Hey, I'm going to have a good time here."
And then, disaster strikes, junior year. I remember my average plummeting both terms, falling from a 96 to a 90 first term, and then to an 84 second term. I remember having tons of drama in my life due to family and relationships. I remember engaging in a relationship with the wrong person, and being threatened and heckled as a result. I remember being clueless on what to do for college, and losing some devotion to Key Club. I remember joining the Ultimate Frisbee team, which is one of the best things I ever did in my life. I remember bonding with the other members of the Junior Varsity team, and getting closer to the other juniors on the team in general. I remember staying out late and doing some crazy things, and hanging out a lot. I remember not getting home until past 8 PM every day. For junior year, I remember struggle and toil.
Finally, though, I caught a break in senior year. I remember having free periods for the first time in all my four years. First two (including lunch), then three. I remember having 8th lunch, then 9th and 10th free second term. I remember still oversleeping and coming to school and missing first and sometimes second period during the first term, just like throughout junior year. I remember oversleeping and sometimes missing and cutting school entirely. I remember not knowing what to do with all my free time, and feeling like I was wasting it. I remember learning a great card game, Spades, and hanging out with people in the Indicator office and hidden hallway second term. I remember really losing my devotion and commitment to Key Club, and seeing the virtual nonexistence of any clubs during that year. I remember playing the best Ultimate in my life throughout that year, and getting my first layout D blocks. I remember dating a girl in New Jersey, with that occupying the whole of my first term and distracting me greatly from my school and schoolwork. I remember not being able to pick up my grades first term, in time for college. I remember not getting into too many colleges, getting deferred and rejected from my dream ones, and getting disappointing financial aid packages. I remember drifting from people, and losing some great friends. I remember sadness and tragedy.
But then second term, things really pulled up. I started hanging out with people more, and became close to some people again. I had an awesome time in Senior SING! 2006, finally achieving my goal of joining Boys Hip Hop, and being on three different crews. I had a good time finally enjoying the life of a senior: partaking in Pajamas Day, Caribbean Day, Twin Day, and very importantly, Crush List Day. I remember having a blast at Senior Prom 2006, and finally renting a tuxedo and limo. Quite importantly, I remember pulling up my grades, back to those of my sophomore year. My final average of the third marking period was a 96, and I was so happy to see that (although a bit disappointed not to get a 100 in band). Although it was too late to affect my admissions decisions from college, it proved to both me and my family what I really was capable of, and set a good precedent for college. I hope I can continue those grades, and I hope I can continue to work hard, but play hard and have fun as well.
A quote that comes to mind, when I think about the past four years at Stuy, is "No matter how old you are, you will always feel like a child." My past four years at Stuyvesant have truly been the best years of my life, hands down. Maybe it's because I can't really remember anything before then (the lack of sleep has caused me to have really bad short term memory), or maybe it's because four years is a really long time (a little more than one fourth of our lives!), but I believe that I'll remember my Stuyvesant career as one of the best times in my life. One where I experienced a lot, met a lot of new people, and changed and matured a lot. Although I still feel like a kid, I'm sure others may not see me that way. Like I looked up to the seniors and juniors when I was younger, I'm sure (well, hoping) that other people look up to me too, and see me as mature and older. But still, we've a long way to go. College, after all, is the next step.
Have a great summer, Class of 2006. And everyone else, too. I'll miss you all.
P.S. Anyone want anything from Taiwan? Just tell me (you have to be specific, though).
P.P.S. Does anyone know what we chose to put in our "2006" Box at Stuy? It's outside the Spark Office, but I don't know if we ever voted for what to put in it. |
