A trip to the past

This past weekend was the 20th reunion for my high school class. I wrote a while back about why I wanted to go. So Chris and I spent a whirlwind weekend in my old stomping grounds.

My high school is somewhat unique: it has two campuses. The older north campus, dating to 1928, houses juniors and seniors while the newer south campus, built in the 1950s, houses freshmen and sophomores.

North Campus

Part of the homecoming festivities included tours of both campuses, starting with a presentation on the history of North Campus in honor of the 125th anniversary (the school began in a different building in 1888). Parts of the 1928 building still exist, so it was very interesting having those areas pointed out. I was able to show Chris the tunnel under the street connecting the main academic building to the building with the gyms and music rooms. Other highlights of the tour included the campus radio and tv stations, a classroom with original cabinetry, and the panels outside the auditorium which are replicas of the frieze in the Acropolis.

Noil and Nessie, the mascots.

South Campus has seen a lot of changes in the last 20 years, especially in the last 10. There is a new pool (there has always been a pool at North Campus, but the diving well was not deep enough for competition; the new pool at South is) and field house. And, of note to a band geek who performed on the stage in the old gym, there is a new performing arts center.

A new lion sculpture at South Campus. Yes, I lettered... in band.

Having decided to go to the reunion, I wanted to have the full reunion experience, so we walked along with the Homecoming parade, which winds its way from North Campus, in La Grange, to South Campus, in Western Springs. Oh, did I forget to mention the campuses are in different towns, about a mile apart? If you've never been to the suburbs of Chicago, moving from town to town and even county to county is a matter of crossing a street.

The marching band, lining up for the parade.

As a former band geek, I was happy to see the band actually marching and in better uniforms than we had. A few years after I graduated, the band was marching in sweatshirts and the halftime shows were done standing still, no marching, no figures. It was sad to see a really good band go downhill. We stayed at the football game, the only one now played on Saturday although all games were on Saturday afternoon 20 years ago, through the halftime show. By then, we were soaked. The rain that had so far held off poured down about two minutes before halftime.

The old uniforms, puffy shirts, ascots and all. Pet Parade 1992

We drove past the house I grew up in. Which is no longer the same house. My parents sold the house 10 years ago, and the new owners completely changed it. The white stucco is gone. There's now a wraparound porch and bay window. I wouldn't have recognized it if not for the address and the surrounding houses. It's ok, though. La Grange isn't home anymore. 

The house I grew up in, sort of.

Saturday night was the official class reunion, a cocktail party. There are a few people from high school that I'm still in contact with, but I haven't seen most of the 700+ in my graduating class in 20 years. Some people looked so different I had to read their name tags; others I recognized from across the room. I reconnected with several people, even friending one old classmate on Facebook right then. There were several people I was very glad to see again, a few a was disappointed couldn't come, and a lot that I just didn't really remember. And, very much like high school, Chris and I ended up talking and dancing with Pete, the only one of the small group I used to hang with who was there. 

My senior picture.

I'm glad I went. I don't look back very often, and I most certainly do not want to go back to high school. But I wanted to show Chris some of my past, see some old friends, and just have the experience. And I did all that. 

I've found in my life that the things I regret are the ones I don't do. There won't be any would've, should've, could've about this reunion. We went; we did the whole experience. I think Chris enjoyed the school tours, at the very least. And we had a kid-free weekend. Will I go to another reunion? I don't know. 

Has it really been 20 years?

My 20 year high school reunion is in the fall.

I had to let that sink in. 20 years. Since high school.

That means it's been 17 years since I graduated college.

And I've been driving for 22, more than half my life. (That half-my-life anniversary was a whopping 6 years ago. Gulp.)

When I mention that my 20 year high school reunion is happening, the first question I get asked is "Are you going?"

And I can understand that. There are a lot of people who are eager and enthusiastic to relive high school. And there are even more people who just don't care. Most of us move on. We get better, more interesting lives. We find out who we are. Looking back on who we were isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it's sad. Sometimes it's sad because we don't like what we see. Sometimes it's sad because of where we ended up.

20 years is a long time.

20 years is the blink of an eye.

A lot can change in 20 years. A lot can stay the same.

So am I going? Well, yes.

It surprised me a little when I found myself curious. I didn't like a lot of high school. I wasn't popular (probably a good thing). I was a band geek, a math nerd, a shy kid.

So why do I want to go back? I had no desire to return for the 10 year. That was just way too close to the torture that was high school.

But at 20 years? It's been a long time. And I'm curious to see how the school has changed and how the kids I knew have grown up. Because we've all grown up (I hope).

I'd like to show Chris a little of the past. I went to a high school with two campuses: the old North campus for the juniors and seniors and the newer (1950s) South campus for the freshmen and sophomores. That's pretty amazing and unusual.

There's a lot of history there. Some of those awful teenage years helped form the person I am today. And going back to see that is... interesting.

It wasn't all bad. I had a few good friends. There are people from high school that I keep in contact with on Facebook.

Am I into football? No. I had to sit through every home game in high school as part of the marching band. But the Homecoming game is part of the festivities, so we'll go. And see what the band is doing these days. And it'll be a chance to remember Mr. Pressler, Mr. Murray, and even Mr. Jirousek.

I'll get to see some people I went to high school with. I'm not sure if my good friends will be there, but I'll know most of my old classmates either way. While my graduating class was big, I had classes with a large portion of the kids. Who aren't kids anymore.

And many of us have kids of our own. Some of whom are graduating high school themselves. Gulp.

Something I've discovered in my life is that the only things I really regret are the lost opportunities, the things I didn't do. When I've done something and it hasn't worked out, I've been disappointed. But the few things I've regretted are the ones I missed.

So, yes, I'll be going to my 20 year high school reunion. Because high school is a part of my past. It was four years of my life. The tough parts made me stronger. That's where I started to speak out over injustices, even when they were tiny things. It's part of who I was and who I am.

20 years ago this month, June 1993