Although I am a bit torn because althhough I was only close to a few people in High School I truly had an affection toword many (if not most) of you, though you may not have ever known that!
But let's be honest.... Hgh School was not that great of an experience. One group constantly picking on another group. This group excluding that r groups. Groups that were left out all together and never included in anything.... it really wasn't all that great! Yet there seems to be this desire to get back in touch with each other to reminise all of thost wonderful times. Trust me.... they weren't that wonderful and if you think they were you are remembering only the few good times and denying the real High School experience!
I am really happy that all of you are well and hopefully happy in your lives now... and i wish you all well. But let's be honest... we weren't all that nice to each other as a whole.
We went through the era of Peace and Love yet we failed to show it to one another! We were all to interested in fitting into our own clicks.
Maybe now we grew up just a little and realize that we weren't always so nice to each other (present company included).
But I am glad to know you all and I hope that it's never to late to be kind!

Peace....

OnWard,
Hank Long

Hi Hank,

I remember very little of High School, in fact, I often need to go back to the yearbooks to look up people to make sure they are who I thought they were.

But I believe you are correct, most of us belonged to a group, whether by choice or by designation. Some were badly treated, others were revered, and still others were ignored. Some of us were deeply involved in every school activity, and others skated on the outskirts. It wasn't this fabulous High School Musical, we are all together, experience. I don't think anyone is pretending otherwise.  But we were all just kids...immature, emotional, temperamental, hormonal. 

I also believe that most of us were just chugging along, doing the work, enjoying football and basketball games, and trying to figure out who the heck we were. Then again, there were some of us who needed to feel special, or admired, or king of the hill while trying to figure out who the heck we were.  

I, too, think of our classmates with affection. There are a couple of kids from school that I went on to college with that keep in touch, and one I married and divorced and don't keep in touch with. Some of us never want to hear from anyone in our class again. Others would like to hear our classmates' stories, their successes, or commiserate with their heartbreak.  Yes, a lot of us were asses in high school, but most likely we have matured, grown wise and compassionate through our life experiences. We have seen horrific events, experienced personal tragedies and had great successes.

What draws me to this site is that our high school days encompassed a time of ease and simplicity that I like to visit now and again. And, in my opinion, our cliquey, undiversified, middle class WHHS class of 1969 is a group to which we ALL of us now equally belong:  We are 60 years old, or near it, our careers and jobs are close to the end; we can pull from our 401Ks and IRAs without penalty, and Social Security will kick in pretty soon. Also, we can flash the peace sign our way. (No hip hop here)

So, Hank, I don't think most are reconnecting with each other thinking that this was an ideal place in time, but more like trying to reconnect with each other as the people we are now.  Sort of a do over, or do better.

Peace,

Deb (Tisch) Tischer Such

Hank and Deb,

You are both so right.  It is never to late to be kind and a "do over" is a great way to put it.

 Why hold on to things that happened so long ago, by the bunch of imature teenagers we all were....Yes, some of us may have had a better experience than others but those were also the years that taught us some life lessons and gave us a foundation from which to build our lives as we were getting ready to enter adulthood, so it was worth it. 

And now, as we reach 60, knocking on the doors of "senior citizenship" and learning of classmates who have passed, we begin to realize Life is just too short to waste energy on negative memories.  Instead, we should all just get along and enjoy and appreciate each other.....maybe even get to know and make "new" friends.

That's the reason I created this site.  

Thanks for your thoughts and kind words...and Please, encourage our former classmates to join our Class' site so that our next reunion can really be a great and meaningful one !!!

Fondly,

Carol (Spies) Perry

Carol and Debora,

I'm not sure if what I said was misunderstood.. Or if I just failed to communicate it properly.

My point was that high school (all high school) experiences aren't great for everyone. 

That being said, the best times of my life were at Warrensville HS. I have no baggage nor any ill will for anything or anyone! I never did! As I said in my original post... We all had our clicks myself included and we weren't always as nice to some people as others. That's part of the experience and it's a right of passage of sorts... But doing the wrong thing, even for the right reason, is still the wrong thing! I never meant to make such a fuss and I truly apologize that I did! I can't remember a time that anyone at Warrensville was mean to me! I have such fond memories you wouldn't believe! 

Plese believe me that I have no regrets at all. But if there was someone that on this site that I may have been less than friendly to, I wanted them to know I now understand and in my own way it was meant as an apology. 

Want we went through as kids made us who we are today... And I'm very happy with who I am as I hope you all are!

i think your all grand and I hope to reconnect with those I knew as well as connect with those I didn't know. 

I'm so sorry for this misunderstanding I caused.. I never meant to hurt any feelings or point any blame because there is none!

i wish you all the very Best!

OnWard, Hank

Carol Spies Perry wrote: