Seniors: Class of 2000

Hello and welcome to all those who stop by. Thanks for coming to this page, maybe you will remember some things, and perhaps even give me your own two cents to post. This is my Senior Farewell, a place where I say "see 'ya!" to all of my classmates. The Class of 1994 from EMPS, and the Class of 2000 from DAHS. This is where you will find my actual "Farewell Speech" that I had to do for English class. I think it was the only assignment I worked on where I actually had to stop myself from putting in more memories. I hope that you have a good read, and that when you're finished, you can visit my Senior Gallery and remember the "days of our youth". I guess we could say that! ^_^;

Best Wishes,

K Johnston


Senior Farewell
It's sad and nice at the same time to listen to my classmates here reminisce about their years in middle school and elementary school. It's nice because it reminds me of the things that I did a little and I like to hear what happened to everyone. It's sad because it makes me feel so out of place, and disappointed that I can't partake in some of their plans too. Like getting your picture taken in front of your elementary school or watching as your time capsule is unearthed. God, I wish I could do that. But thinking just now, I have my own little time capsules. Various things and memories that I've salvaged from elementary school. So, I write this not to you, but to my friends, and elementary, middle school and high school classmates.
Elementary school seemed to be the hardest thing for me to remember offhand in detail. I went to Ellwood Memorial Public School in Bolton, Ontario, and I went to pre-school at F.X. O'Reily P.S. in Tottenham in the very same province. The odd thing is, at one point in my life, I remember going to kindergarten in Brampton of Bramlea? I'm not too clear, but I think I was 5 or 6. The time I spent at that school passes by me like a dream. I don't remember much at all, save for three things. 1.) An activity day when I was playing with a scoop and ball with a friend. I wasn't very good with it. 2.) When I was called down to the office when my class was speaking French… I think that the Principal was making his rounds or something that day. 3.) A day in music class where I had to listen to the sound of a cymbal and tell the teacher when the sound stopped. I got it wrong, according to her. I'm not completely sure how old I was. I remember more of the things that happened outside of school at that point in my life, especially my friend, Barrie Fulton.
Anyway, I attended Ellwood for grades 1-6. I'm sure now that I did not go to kindergarten there. Elementary school is never a complete smash for anyone, and I used to always be so pessimistic about it. Now I look back on those years with a smile. There's still half a cheeseburger left to eat (I'll get back to that.). Most people from elementary schools around us, Palgrave and James Bolton went to the public high school, Humberview. At Humberview, there is a 7th and 8th grade wing, just for those students. Then there were the senior students (those in grades 9-12). We were kept pretty separate, I think. By this time, my immediate family was getting sick of Canadian taxes and their workplace, so we came to the US. I was happy because I got all of those kids who annoyed me and teased me off my back. (They wouldn't intimidate me now.) I was happy about that. I passed through eighth grade in Asheville, NC. I attended Valley Springs Middle School and was looking forward to attending T.C. Robertson High School. However, the company that my Dad was working for had troubles, and he had to look for work elsewhere. So, we ended up in PA, 'cause we wanted to be closer to home (I didn't want to leave NC). Somehow, I wound up in this little township of Dover. The one question that I got all the time was, "Why did you come to Dover?" "It wasn't my choice," I'd respond. Everywhere I've gone I've been in a small town. I'll probably be a small town girl all my life, and I probably wouldn't want it any other way.
Before Dover came Asheville, and before that came Bolton and Elwood Memorial P.S. When I was just a little kid, I used to sound like I whispered when I talked. Other kids would pick on me for that. So, at recess, I'd go play by myself, and let my imagination take me where no one else could find me. I liked to go for long walks in our huge field and pretend I was somewhere else. I do remember other times when I played with my classmates jumping rope, swinging, playing pole tag, red light-green light, four square, Red Rover (that was fun), chicken fighting and LARPing. LARPing stands for Live Action Role-Playing, like pretending we were the Power Rangers and couldn't control our "zords" (these huge robots that looked like ancient animals). Some of the most fun times that I remember came with food days. Do you remember Beach Day? That was a lot of fun, and the food from Mc Donald's was great, especially the cheeseburgers (see? I got back to that)! Play days were also fun. Remember the silly obstacle courses we had to go through? The Popsicle at the end was the best part, though. The plays we did were a lot of fun and also the skits that the teachers put on for Beach Day were funny. Remember Mr. Grahm and "Love Potion No. 9"? And Mr. McGill in that silly wig. He really was a sight for sore eyes, and the shades didn't help him. I could never really understand the "Sight for sore eyes" sign that he had taped to his back (even now). Oh well. At least he tried. I still laugh at him for that.
I had two close friends in Elementary school, Bryan Farquharson, and Nicole Pendleton. To this day, I am still friends with them and keep in touch. I remember spending time with them before and after school at the YMCA in the school gym, and the huge fight that they had. I hated that because Nikki and Bryan wouldn't get along, and I had to do some manipulating. Nikki was pretty vicious and threw stones at Bryan and I one day when we were playing together. I won't mention the one thing she did when Pam had to walk her and Billy (her brother) home. I also remember our Christmas skit that Nikki and I did with Jennifer Griffith, and the silly Santa Traffic jam that my brother and all of the rest of the boys did with Geoff Nixion. I also remember playing the piano beside the stage when we weren't supposed to, and building forts from all of the blue gymnastic mats in the gym. There were a lot of fights over who got what, and who could enter. And if someone knocked down someone else's fort, you'd better duck for cover! I remember… that sometimes we made forts that were like huge mazes. The other memorable thing was our 6th grade trip to Ottawa that lasted for three days. I still remember the cursed bed in the dorms that we had to room in because everybody always hit their knee on it on the way out. I still remember who I roomed with, even though I got a room all to myself (I shared a bathroom with 2 other people). That trip was also where I first heard of an inside joke (and the concept of it) and felt left out not being allowed to be a part of it.
When I entered 7th grade, I made quite a few more new friends (and acquaintances), James Norrie, Crystal Peckford, Kristin Webb, Leslie and Meghan. Kristin and I are still good friends and James and Crystal moved away. Leslie and Kristin and Megan also had a huge fight and I tried to stay out of the way. I think that they're all friends now. I remember French and Science class with Kristin, Meghan and Leslie, and our conversations were typical of 13 yearolds, and all of the things we were going through. We once had a phone code so we would know if there were any prank callers calling us. I can also remember eating lunch with Bryan and Co. in the rec room where we watched Stephen King's IT. (Remember Bryan?) That room was also where I learned to play butt-hole (a card game) and where most of the kids went to hang out during their lunch hour. Seventh grade was where I also grew up a little more (and learned to swear [you didn't read that, Mrs. Heyer!]) and learned about more complicated subjects.
When I moved to North Carolina, everything seemed to be just hunky-dory, and it was. I was excited to be there. I thought that the middle school was weird because there was only one middle school in the whole Peel Region when I was in Canada. I went to the middle school a few days before it started to get my schedule and I nearly freaked. Actually, I think I did freak out. It had 14 classes on it! I found out that it just listed both semesters. Each one had seven classes. I was only used to four classes a day. I usually got a ton of homework. I didn't like that and I remember complaining about that a lot to my friends. Also we had these shrimpy lockers that we couldn't use our own locks for. We had to use the ones that were attached to them. That was annoying as not being allowed to carry our bookbags around. They said it was a fire hazard
Also, I had this really boring science teacher, and I'd almost fallen asleep in his class a few times. I just know that I didn't particularly care for him that much. One of the most memorable things about that class was my friend Amy Mahoney and the trick most of the class played on the teacher on April Fool's day. At about five after twelve, we all dropped some of our belongings on the floor and made a big ruckus. Then Mr. Phillips walked around with detention slips. I stayed perfectly quiet and he missed me. His primary reaction was hilarious (Awesome idea, Trevor Stoia!). The only thing I liked about that class was the day we got to spread much over the school grounds. I got to eat third lunch (I think) with my best friend Jennifer Roshong because of that class. It was cool because we got to sit right across from each other, and we had math class together. The only thing I didn't like about lunch at VSMS was that we had arranged tables and they served instant potatoes. I only ate those once & hated them. Band was also memorable, especially my friend Jennifer Elliott, who plays the French horn (it's a hard instrument to play!). She had a tough time with it, and I always tried to comfort her (I sat near to her) when she got embarrassed in class and cried. I wanted to be nice to her because I didn't like to see her get all flustered like that by Mr. Poole (I thought he was mean for it). She told me that one time Mr. Poole got so mad that he slammed the band room door off its hinges! I'd only seen him slam the door once. I also made a few other friends in band, Melanie Kanupp ("Keep this, one day I will be famous" Remember?), Brandon Scupider (no comment), and Tommy Greenwood (we had health class together). The one thing I remember about Mr. Poole was his analogies, and they were pretty funny. He once made one about sticking your feet through the holes in an afghan and music… but I can't remember the rest. I also remember the band trip to Charlotte where we visited a science center and provided background music for a huge teacher's conference. Plus the fact that I didn't bring anything to do with me for the whole trip, so I played with some Starbursts candy and molded them into various shapes. Also I remember we had the bus with the yellow TVs and watching Jury Duty on the way home.
Another close friend that I met at VSMS was Renee Komodowski. I thought that she was shy when I first met her, and she thought the same of me. However, we soon learned very different. When I tell my High School friends that I had a weeklong trip to Florida for my eighth grade graduation, they get a little jealous. All they got was a day trip to Gettysburg! Renee and I got to know each other very well on that trip. When we got to our first hotel, the AC was broken, and I said that the Okeefenokee swamp had followed us into our room (we stopped in Ga. to visit that infamous swamp). Then when we paid a visit to Sea World, Jenny R split from our group of four (Jenny R, Jenny E, Renee and I) for reasons that will stay unmentioned. Jenny E went after her, and Renee and I were left to fend for ourselves. We both bought matching bracelets at the gift shop, which I still have. We all were back together by that evening, though. The Jennies had resolved the problem. When I had found out that I had to move away close to the end of the school year, I was really upset about it, and so were all of my new friends. I had a huge sleep over for my friends before I had to move. I've meant to keep in touch with all my friends, but I'm such a slacker (Sorry Amy & Melanie!). I still meet with the Jennies and Renee each summer. I also visit Bryan and Nikki in the summer when I can.
When I came to Dover, I wasn't too thrilled about it. I was pretty quiet and didn't really want to talk to anyone. I just spent most of my time drawing my friends and characters from Sailor Moon (a TV show). I also earned the nicknames "Chun-Li" and "Sailor Moon" that year from my classmates. "Chun-Li" is mine on account that I put my hair up in two buns one day, and "Sailor Moon" because I drew her so much. I did make friends with Melissa Wherley in gym class and Fundamentals. I remember that the day we met I was just sitting in gym class and I said to her, "This sucks. I hate gym class." Right there we knew we'd be good friends. I also met Carrie Chronister that year; she was a friend of Melissa's.
Our band trip to New Orleans will always a memorable experience for us. Melissa and I were pretty tired because we didn't get much sleep the night before we left. I tried to sleep and Melissa decided to stay up since we had to be at the school by 1:30 in the morning. When we got in our room, we unpacked and fell asleep before bedcheck. Bradshaw, P and I think Mr. Long were knocking on our door at about 10:00 p.m. trying to see if we were in there. They had tried to call us, but we left the phone off the hook (we'd been talking to our other friends). I remember waking up to someone banging on our door and looking Sir and them in the face. He tried to wake Melissa up, but that's an impossible feat. I also remember when the maids left the skeleton key in our room and Melissa and Amy Rittle wanted to take the key and go into other people's rooms. I wanted to give it back. Well, we ended up returning it and got free disgusting pizza and a pitcher of cola. At least the pop was good. The pizza was so greasy that the cheese slid off when Amy picked up a slice. I also remember when I had to chase Amy around the hotel to get the picture of my "un-photogenic" ex-boyfriend back from her. Band in 9th grade was also where I learned to play some more card games, like BS and I learned how to play spoons in study hall with Mike Rosenberry and Derrick Snook.
Melissa and I did have a big fight during the second semester of school (near the end of the year) and we didn't talk for a few months. She got all her friends (who are probably now acquaintances to her) to say some pretty mean stuff to me. We made up before Band Camp though.
To start off out sophomore year "Grease" was our next big show, and we will never forget it. It was my first year at band camp, and I couldn't guide well at all. I can remember always asking Melissa for tips to help me out. We also were singing the Grease songs on the bus. The one most memorable thing about all the bus rides was Don Schrade's and Dan Bupp's "sermons" It was fun to listen to them have mock sermons and watch Charlie Eisenhart participate. Pep band was also memorable for creating some inside jokes. Melissa and I also started to play bass clarinet in 10th grade, and had quite a few songs with solos in them, like "An American in Paris" and the "March of the Belgian Paratroopers". Another great and funny musical feat was playing Gustav Holst's "The Planets Suite". That's inside stuff. Only Melissa and I know the inside joke to that one.
In my junior year, I made more friends. Liz Graser, Kari McCleaf and Amanda Smith. They're all in band. I went with the band to Florida that year, and my Mom came and spent some of that time with me. The trip to Florida will also be memorable. We were the only band with a field show, Luke Peeling dived in the sandbox before he got his award and we were the most spirited band at the awards ceremony. (We were pretty wild!) Our hotel room was a total mess because the maid kept on missing our breakfast plates, our pizza box and our Chinese take-out leftovers. We also lost Liz's garment bag and it had 3 marching band uniforms in it! It was found though. We also had some other memorable experiences in Florida, but those are private. Band was also funny that year because all of us thought that nothing could top our Grease show. But we did an excellent job with our WWII show because it brought back a lot of memories for those in the audience. We received a lot of positive feedback for that show. Another memorable thing was playing "IN THE SPRING AT THE TIME WHEN THE KINGS GO OFF TO WAR" (it was in all caps on the music!) because it was such a huge piece (a 12 pager) and all of the things that inspired it ("Mars" and the Bible) and all of the practice we put into it. It was just an awesome song. Nothing could take the place of it.

When this year started, it didn't feel any different that the start of the years before. Melissa and I both agreed that it didn't feel much like that we were seniors except for the fact that the underclassmen are (still) lacking in senior respect. We gave it to our seniors and we'd like a little of it ourselves. That's when we long for the good old days. We find that we remember a lot of the things that happen in the past and find a way to continue our inside jokes. We're very nostalgic. Our year in marching band still continues to be funny and inspiring to us. We'll always remember the turkey dinner at Allegheny and the awesome job we did at the Delone Catholic show. And of course, we'll keep on singing "Henry the VIII" thanks to Don Schrade. Our senior year has yet to be finished, so this paragraph will still remain unfinished even though I'm going to put a period at the end of this sentence.
As for changing my school experience, I wouldn't want to change it at all except for the fact that I should have joined Marching Band my freshman year. I really didn't know what I was missing! All of the things that I have been through, hardships and joyous times alike have helped me to become the person that I am. There's no way that I would try to stuff every single memory that I have (because there are things that I've left out) because this essay would then turn into a college sized report. (You don't want that.) So I'm stopping myself now from putting in more memories from elementary school because they're starting to just flood back like the ocean does after the tide. As for my future years, I hope if anything that I can get a French Teaching degree in college, and finally get out on my own. The one thing that I am looking forward to the most is going home this summer to Bolton to see how it has changed and what I remember. I plan to visit my elementary school since I'm an alumnus. I still have my class of '94 graduation sweater (yes, we did that for 6th grade there.). I also plan to visit Bryan, Nikki and Kristin and watch them graduate. It's very odd that after wanting to get away from my hometown, all I want to do now is go back to it. You just can't get rid of your roots. I don't plan to try; I just plan to smile at it all.

That's it, you're done! Wow, long, wasn't it?

The Senior Gallery is located here, and to see something sweet that my english teacher did for my first peroid class, visit here.

Hope you enjoyed this! Please come back to visit again. ^_^

 

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