As the 2008-2009 school year approaches there is an excitement among the ranks of the class of ‘09 to be seniors. While leading the school will undoubtedly be sweet, who really would like to rule a school that’s half institution, half construction site?
Senior year, “the greatest year of our lives”, will be back-dropped against the constant noise and inconvenience of construction. Our best year will be spent in portables, temporary classrooms, and unfinished hallways. The noise of jackhammers will interrupt the sweet enjoyment of completion, accomplishment, and perhaps a little slacking.
The unlucky circumstances of our senior year remodel bring to mind the countless occasions that the class of ‘09 has been shorted. We as a class know the meaning of getting swindled all too well.
Who can forget the “privilege” we enjoyed by being the inaugural class at PCFC. While PCFC did end up being well stocked and staffed, we were still treated like middle schoolers for a year that was supposed to be high school. Not only were we shielded from great moments in Skyline history, like a state championship for the football team, but we were limited in the academic options we could explore. Oh, and who could forget about the Issaquah-bound kids that were taken away from us after just ten months of friendship.
Once arriving at Skyline, the class of ‘09 just barely got a taste of the greatness that was Ed Young before he resigned and we were stuck with an interim principle who we barely saw. Though we’d take that in a heartbeat now, as our class has witnessed the fall of great Skyline establishments with Ms. Hecthman’s Reign of Terror all while having the continued pressures of junior year on our backs, like Frenchmen trying to establish a new government with the fear of the guillotine shrouding an open mind.
We as a class seem to always get a fleeting idea, the aftertaste of the way things were in the past, before that sweet image is ripped away from us and we are left facing the cold, barren realities of life as it is now.
This brings to mind the unforgettably fundamental ways that we are screwed. For one, the class of ‘10 may be the most insolent brats ever to comprise a class of students: no respect for their elders or tradition. And we are the second largest class to ever apply to college: while I wish all of my peers good luck, it is a dog-eat-dog fight for education and there is nothing we can do about it.
At least the class of ‘10 is the largest class to apply to college, which they thoroughly deserve.
Comments
Sam hates young people.
I always hear about how Hecthman is such a horrible principal, but I don’t actually know what she has done to get this reputation. Can you elaborate on her “Reign of Terror”?
senior year is definately not the best year of your life. It gets way better.
to respond to andrea:
Trying to shut down tv pro and fire j, Never addressing the student body, Ripping on the seniors at graduation, Cracking down at sporting events, etc.
While she isn’t quite as bloodthirsty as robspierre I still felt she treated the students unfairly.
I respect the way that Hechtman has cut through some of the clutter at Skyline. She isn’t exactly the most-friendly or liberal principal, but I certainly haven’t felt oppressed by her.
I didn’t go to graduation so I can’t comment there, but shutting down TV Pro and cracking down on drunkards/keeping a level of respect at Skyline football games isn’t a terrible idea. Then again I will admit that this was probably my first year in which I have not talked to my principal, which might not be the best move on her part.
Cracking down on drunks and crazies at football games is horrible! Where would the rivalry be without a little bloodshed? Besides, I think there’s bigger issues than football games and TV-Production (the all-time “slacker class”).
All I can say is…get ready for change. I’m spearheading the student activities next year and I want all your ideas. Bill - can you make something on this site where people can suggest ideas for assemblies/activities and whatever? Seriously I am devoting all my time next year to it (forget the rest of my classes!!!) and I want to kick some ass.
Eh, I’m not so sure we didn’t come out on top in the end. Yeah, the football game cutbacks are annoying, especially the no gum/facepaint level of things that seems a stretch to me. Maybe its just because I don’t drink, but I’ve never heard of anyone wearing facepaint to cover up the smell of alcohol. Call me ignorant if it happens, whatever.
From the nerd perspective, I know Hechtman is making it a lot easier to get credits waived for students who don’t have space in their schedules, we were the first class to get an additional .5 added to each grade in IB classes for class rank, and the standards for the IB diploma starting with the class of 2010 are about to become far more rigorous.
As far as the construction, class of 2010 has it far worse because seniors will still get guaranteed spots, but there will be barely any for juniors due to the construction throughout the year.
Not to mention, we’re the last class with a cool chant (zero nine, zero nine, zero zero zero nine). 2010 is going to sound like a binary code (zero one, zero one, zero zero zero one), and 2011 will be all ones unless they change it. Oh yeah, and we were Olson’s last class.
good points all.
while ‘reign of terror’ may have been a case of sensationalism on my part , the main thing that bothers me about hechtman is the impersonal manner with which she interacts with her students.
good nerd perspective jeff. u rock my socks. olson forever!
Mikey: We might be able to pull something like that off. Talk to us when school is closer to starting.
Jeff: If you convert 01010001 to ASCII (or UTF-8, I guess—same thing for Latin characters), it is the letter “Q”.
Sam: Please login to make comments so it fills your name out with a snazzy link.
werent they supposed to finish the renovation like this summer?
Hate to break it to you, Sam, but over the course of three years I’ve heard (and made) plenty of the same complaints against the Class of ‘09 that you’re now making about this year’s juniors.
Jeff cleared a lot of the points I was about to make about how good you guys actually had it last year - on top of not having to be the bottom of the class for two years running, or the guinea pigs for either the WASL graduation requirement or the Culminating Project.
Yeah, I could whine about how it was really the Class of ‘08 that got shortchanged, but that’s kind of pointless now. (heh) Besides, you guys have plenty of great opportunities to succeed where we failed and really make Skyline a better place than any of us found it. This forum would be an excellent start.
Happy senior year.