High school was so long ago

I've been out of high school for (gosh let me get the calculator) 35 years this year. THIRTY FIVE years! Poof. Gone. Just like that. I am having a hard time even fathoming that. It's been like, well, a lifetime. 

I think most of us occasionally remember our time in high school. Whether you enjoyed high school or not, it likely influenced you in some way or shape. 

You might be lucky enough to still have friends from high school. I do. And thanks to the advent of social media, I've been able to really stay in touch and see their lives unfold. 

My high school adventure was different than most my friends. I went to 4 different schools for high school. Having to make new friends every time we moved was something I was used to. I mean, that’s how we grew up as military brats.

Let’s start at the very beginning. 9^th grade.

Antelope Valley High School

I started high school at Antelope Valley HS in Lancaster, California. Most my friends were going to AVHS too being that we were all in Jr. High together. High school didn’t feel any different to me than jr. high did. We still had studies. We still had to change classes at the bell. We still had homework, etc.

The one big difference for me was I joined the rifle team as part of the marching band.  Technically, I joined the banner squad first, but quickly realized those girls were not my cup of tea. I happened upon the rifle team one afternoon and asked if I could learn. They were a small group of 4 and were happy to show me the ropes. I picked up a rifle, learned a few things and never looked back.  

My time at AV was dominated by band, field shows, and friends that were in band. I still had a ton of friends from the church went to AV too. They were all in the band as well. My only real memories of 9th grade is band. Band. And more band. 

That's me on the far right NOT looking at the camera

That's me on the far right. I'm looking to make sure I'm in line with everyone else.

Quartz Hill High School

Towards the end of 9th grade, we moved across town. That put me in another school district. So 10th grade I went to Quartz Hill HS - the rival HS to AV. 

Rifles were, by now, a passion of mine. And I was good. I had spent hours practicing and improving. I had more confidence than I probably should have it seemed because I reached out to the band director and asked if I could try out of captain of their rifle team. The balls! 

Captain Jenn

I tried out and got it. In fact, every time I hear "I Tumble for Ya" from Culture Club I'm reminded of my brazen spirit because that's the song I tried out to. 

QHHS was also all about band. I had a HUGE crush on a guy in the band - I mean first love kind of crush, but that's another story for another time. 

As the captain of the rifles, I had a squad of very talented women. I struggled with allowing them to help create our routines at first, but then realized they had good ideas and could make us better. My first lesson of leadership was "you don't know everything". 

The rifle squad

In my 10th grade year Boeing transferred my Dad to Seattle. That meant a new school. So in March of 1985 I said goodbye to all my friends in Lancaster, to my church, and to my beloved rifles. 

Redmond High School

We landed in Redmond, WA and for part of my 10th grade and part of my 11th grade I went to Redmond High School - Home of the Mustangs. Coincidence? I think not.  

Redmond HS didn't have a rifle team. They barely had a band. So I made the decision to get involved in volleyball. I had spent enough summers at the family farm in Eastern Wa where Blueberry and I became BFFs. She was in volleyball and loved it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. 

I have zero friends from Redmond that I speak with today. I was there for such a short time that I doubt anyone there remembers me. I remember a few of them on occasion and wonder what happened to them. I had a crush there too and I wonder what happened to him. 

Redmond High was such a drop in the bucket of time. I spent only 5 months there between the end of my sophomore year and beginning of the junior year. I have zero pictures of that time in my life at school. 

The American School in Switzerland

Then the BIG move. In the early fall of 1985 Dad and Mom announced that they were going to spend some time in Riyadh Saudi Arabia with the Boeing Co. I had a decision to make. 

Boeing would cover the cost of a boarding school in a couple of different locations. I could pick one, apply and go there. OR I could stay in Washington and live with my older brother and finish up my high school here.  

We all know what decision I made. It wasn't hard. What was hard was fretting about whether I'd actually get accepted into the boarding school. My grades weren't the best and these were highly esteemed schools that required serious, studious types. Or so I thought. 

I had four options for schools. I could go to a boarding school in Mallorca Spain. Intriguing and was on the top of the list for a little bit. The next option was TASIS Cyprus or UK. Cyprus wasn't interesting to me at all, but the UK was. Then the option of TASIS Switzerland in Lugano. There was something about the campus photos in the brochure that pulled me in. And I thought Switzerland was more central and maybe I could see more of the world by being "landlocked" like that. 

I applied and we waited with bated breath to see if I got in. I wasn't so convinced I would and so living with the oldest brother was going to be plan b. 

We received acceptance in about October of 1985 and the plan was on. Now we had to figure out the logistics. I'd be starting TASIS mid-year in January 1986. The school started it's second semester in St. Moritz for 2 weeks of school in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. I know, rough life. 

This was actually more difficult than you think. I was MOVING to school. And starting the first two weeks not at the school and rooming with girls who weren't going to be my actual roommates was difficult. I mean, not that difficult, but it was nerve wracking. 

I was fortunate that my roommates for those weeks at St. Moritz were amazing. They were my first friends. A couple of them took me under their wings and showed me the ropes. 

What was most amazing about TASIS were the class sizes. Each class had less than 10 students. Most of my classes had 5-7 students. Think about that for a moment. One teacher to 5 kids. That meant you HAD to do the work. You couldn't hide behind the 30 other students in your class. It also meant you got to know your classmates really quickly and the teachers interacted with you on a regular basis. 

My classes were typical high school classes. English, math, science, and history. History became my favorite. It was European history. Not US history. It felt so much more real than US history every did for me. I clung to it and soaked up everything I could. And got to visit some areas that we studied about - which most students in the US don't have that option. 

Once back at the TASIS campus, I was assigned to the dorm Belvedere. I had three other roommates who struggled to find ANY room in their closets or shelves for me. These three ladies were "popular" and I was not. We got along just fine, but I would never be part of their world. I was fine with that. I decorated the wall under next to my bottom bed of the bunk bed with my Duran Duran posters and some Christian Rock groups I was in to. I had a dresser out in the hallway and a small desk to do homework and write letters on. I shared a bathroom with 10 girls. One bathroom. One shower. Ten teenage girls. Yah, good times. 

Belvedere Dorm

The lower bunk I shared with Duran Duran.

My little drawers and desk.

Classes at TASIS were extraordinary. Some classes were in "rooms" like you'd expect a class to be in. Other classes were in the "salons" of some of the large mansions that were converted to dorms. My history class was in the "salon" of Belvedere. We sat at a LARGE wooden table to learn. My English class was in a "large bedroom" of another mansion/dorm (Hadsall). My science class was in an actual lab - which was new and different to me. And in each case there were just a handful of us in the class. I think my Biology class was the largest at 7. 

I wasn't the greatest student in public schools in the states, but I was getting by with little studying. I was a solid B student. At TASIS, my first quarter my GPA dropped an entire point. I was called into the counselor's office to discuss my GPA. Turns out, I had to actually study at this school. It was very focused on education and I hadn't realized that immediately. 

TASIS changed me in so many ways. It added culture to my life. I got to travel and see the world. I got to visit historical landmarks that changed the course of the world (WWII for example). I met and socialized with kids from all walks of life from all over the world. We had our "Boeing" group who's parents lived in Saudi and while we all had folks in a foreign country, we were all very different individuals. 

The Saudi group

My senior year at TASIS I decided to apply to be a prefect. I was stunned when I was chosen and thrilled to be a part of a somewhat elite group of people. 

Photo of a photo in my year book

I was assigned Upper DaNobli along with three other Prefects. The dorm floor we "managed" were sophomore girls. Being a prefect meant we didn't have weekend or week night check ins, we had a hot plate and fridge in our room, we didn't have a "lights out" time, we didn't have the strict rules other students had in general. 

Our room for the prefects was small, but fit us perfectly. I had a bed that was under the slant in the room. I had a nice little corner in the middle of the room. We had our own bathroom as well - which was nice but also a single bathroom for 4 teenage girls! 

TASIS taught me independence. My parents raised me to be independent and prepared me of this type of adventure. I was home sick for sure. I missed all my friends - definitely. I wouldn't know then just how much TASIS would be a part of my life. 

It taught me about tolerance. So many different cultures under one roof. So many different economical levels. There were the "rich" kids who's parents paid for them to be there. And then there was us Boeing kids who's parent's Company paid for us to be there.

It taught me about hard work and the pride of a job well done. It was a rough beginning for me academically. But because most kids were there to study, it made it easy to be a studious type. Don't get me wrong, I was never an A student. I kept my solid B reputation all through high school. And, truthfully there were some C's and D's (math - blech). 

It showed me the world. Because of living in a foreign country, I learned that traveling was something that would be a part of my life, some day. I wasn't naïve to think I'd immediately begin traveling. No, I knew that I'd have to work my way up to being able to afford to travel. But the travel bug had lodged itself firmly in my soul and there would be no going back. I thank my parents for this on a regular basis. 

So as I prepare for this trip to visit TASIS again, I am having fun reminiscing of the years I spent there. Remembering the friends - some who have left us already. Remembering the living on campus. Remembering the structure, the rules, the way of life. Remembering the food. All of it. It's coming back in waves and I'm taking this opportunity to write it all down. 

Over the next couple of weeks I'm going to continue this walk down memory lane and talk more about travel while at TASIS. All the places I got to visit before I was 18 years old. So fortunate. So thankful.