I’ve just come back from my ten-year high school reunion. It’s hard to believe that the class of 1999 is already looking back at a decade since graduation, and honestly a little jolting to think the next ten will likely buzz by just as quickly. My reunion went better than I ever expected, and I genuinely enjoyed catching up with everyone who attended. Out of a class of 150 graduates, we had about 30 or so show. A little disappointing in that respect, but it did allow for more time with everyone. Here are my tips for successfully surviving your high school reunion, no matter which decade you’re celebrating.

DO review your yearbook before going. It can’t hurt to familiarize yourself with names and faces.

DO politely ask for an introduction if you’re drawing blank on a name.

DON’T ignore people simply to save face because you can’t remember. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of us would rather leave our yearbook photos buried in a dusty box in our basements. But if you’re a celebrity, you don’t enjoy that luxury. Thanks to the folks over at MTV, we’re peeking inside the yearbooks of some big celebs to see what they looked like then.

The most surprising transformations are probably those of class of 2000’s Adam Lambert, of American Idol fame, and class of 1993’s Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas.

Watch now and see for yourself how Tyra Banks, Kate Gosselin, Megan Fox, Kanye West and others looked for their senior pictures.

I woke up Tuesday morning, knowing that it was a particularly exciting day. Not only because I was IB test free that day, but also because it was senior’s last day! I put on my white (but not all white! all white wouldn’t work well with me….) dress and blue cardigan and headed to school.

That day was probably my favorite day throughout all of high school. We took pictures, said goodbye to teachers and younger students, and gave a few speeches about what is to come. My English teacher, Mr. Maack, wrote us a poem and read it aloud to us. It made the analogy of us, the students, being tigers who had dealt with the rules and regulations of our ring master (teachers, parents, authority figures) and this time marked a new beginning for us. Read the rest of this entry »

I checked my grades the other day, just to make sure I would be ending my high school career on a strong note, and I realized that I had a few missing assignments. I realized some of these assignments effected my grades by quite a bit and that it is important I get these assignments turned in soon.

While I’m lucky many of my teachers understand it’s been an extremely hectic time with IB testing starting, some teachers may not be the same. Before the school year draws to a close, be sure to check with your teachers about any incomplete/missing assignments you may have. You may be surprised at how much your grade can be affected by a 20 point assignment. Also, if you have slacked and your grades aren’t want you thought they would be, ask your teacher about any extra credit options they may offer. Some teachers may offer some extra credit while some teachers may not offer any because they may feel waiting until the last minute is not what you are supposed to do. Read the rest of this entry »

You don’t need any more pressure, right? Well kids, the clock is ticking. May 1 is Decision Day for high school seniors to notify the college they’ve chosen to attend. For some it can be a complicated choice, having received several acceptance letters. For others, checking the box might be one of the simplest choices they’ve ever made. But they have to make it. Today!

For parents of these indecisive college-bound students, be supportive. You might have a personal bias toward or against one college or university, but the choice should ultimately lie in their hands. This is where they will prepare themselves for the real world and really test and learn who they are as a person. They’ll no doubt thrive if it’s a place they love. Read the rest of this entry »

Just this last week, Josten’s came to East High to deliver our caps and gowns. Upon receiving the graduation attire, it made graduation so much more tangible for the anxious senior class. We have been counting down the days to Senior’s Last Day for nearly two weeks now and getting the cap, gown, and graduation announcements made it seem like graduation and our last day as students in the halls of East High are that much closer.

It seems that all of this is rather bitter-sweet. Sweet in the sense that we have less than 30 days until Seniors Last Day. Almost a month until graduation. Bitter then considering it may be the last time we see some of our friends, knowing we are going to part ways and go down our own paths. All of us say we are ready for last day and graduation, but it makes me, and I’m sure a lot of other people, wonder about what the future holds for us. Considering the next step in the college process is letting our schools know where we plan to attend, makes everything also so much more tangible since it comes before Senior’s Last Day and graduation. Read the rest of this entry »

Just because April 1 has slipped by on the calendar, does not mean that you are necessarily stuck.

If you did not get accepted to your choice college, one possibility to consider is the wait list. If you got wait listed at a school you would love to go to, there is still a chance! Be sure to send in the notice you get with your decision letter and also try to send something in that will set you apart. Send in a picture of yourself doing something you love, send multiple pictures, or have another teacher write you a recommendation letter. Another great way to show interest, is by writing the school a letter yourself explaining why you are still interested in the school and why you should be considered to be taken off the wait list. Just don’t be too pleading or whining in this letter, because it may come across badly. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my last posts, I discussed dealing with rejection from colleges. Now, things are brightening up some as I look forward to deciding between the two colleges I have finally narrowed my list down to. I was wait-listed at one school and plan to put my name on their active wait list because it is a school I would love to attend. This, of course, is probably the biggest decision I will be making my senior year.

One of the things I decided was putting my name on that wait list. Putting your name on the wait list at a school is not something you should take lightly. If you really desire to attend the school, then by all means put your name on the wait list. But, if you get the letter in the mail and have no desire to put more effort into the process, then turn in the wait list response with the box checked ‘no, I do not wish to be put on your wait list’ because this will then open up a slot for another student you may have been behind you on the list who really wants to attend. Read the rest of this entry »

April is by far, the worst month for college-bound high school seniors. Twelfth-graders are among my best sources, so I sense their pain and want to help ease it.

Everything piles up in April. The month starts with often frightful news about which colleges accepted you and your friends, and which didn’t. By the end of the month you have to decide which school should get your non-refundable deposit to reserve a place in its freshman class. Your favorite school may have wait-listed you, and you have to figure out what to do about that.

Learn more about how you can survive these final weeks of high school and prepare to enter college at WashingtonPost.com. Some of their advice includes:

• How to help grieving friends who may not have gotten the college acceptance letters they’d hoped for.

• How to finally narrow in on the right college choice for yourself.

• Taking advantage of colleges’ “welcome weekends.”

• Get off of your choice college’s waiting list.

• Manage a poor financial aid offer.

Another one of those “lasts” happened today. My last parent-teacher conferences. The funny thing is, I was never present for my parent-teacher conferences, so its not exactly one of the “lasts” I’ll miss next year.

Recently East High School has moved to parent-teacher conferences that are more student lead. In our “Ace Time” class (a class we have every Wednesday to do things that relate to grades and school) we filled out a sheet with not only our grades, but also ways to better grades and goals we have the final semester. Our parents picked these sheets up and carried them around during conferences to help see the student’s views and goals for the semester. This is the only input my mom received from me the last two conferences. I actually haven’t gone to conferences since the first round my junior year. Read the rest of this entry »