Success, eh?

High School has changed in the last twenty-some-odd years. Some things remain the same, I guess. The rites of passage are similar--driver's licenses and proms and way too much drama with friends. Probably there are still the popular kids and the not-so-much kids and the athletes ('jocks' in our vernacular, which is gross) and the smart kids and the stoners.

Sadly, I'm sure most students feel the burden of some sort of lame label in high school.

My high school even had "Stud Wall," a place where the decidedly cool guys leaned against a particular wall in the main hallway and harrassed the girls as they passed. It was a nightmare. If you weren't harrassed, well, obviously you were one of the above 'not-so-muchers' and if you were harrassed, it was kind of intimidating because physical contact was usually involved. I handled that situation by avoiding the main hall altogether.

I was late for my science class a lot.

While perusing the Dollar Store, then, you can imagine my delight to see that today's high school student body still selects "Senior Favorites," as evidenced by a picture of Sharpay, apparently a character of East High (i.e. High School Musical). I notice that Sharpay (which I will now spell Sharpei (please click this link! It is fantastic!)--like the wrinkly dog-- because that's way funnier) and I share something in common:

We were both selected 'Most Likely to Succeed' in our graduating classes!

After comparing our photos, however, I am confused. What type of success are we talking about?

Here I am, circa 1981. I am seated--appropriately, for a very successful student, I might add--in the library, a place associated with books and great learning. Sharpei, circa now, is not. I am dressed in study-appropriate attire, clearly not meant to distract my co-winner Steve from his own success. Sharpei is not. I had a 3.96 unweighted gpa (darn that B+ in chemistry). From what I can gather about Sharpei, she is the bad girl and attempts to undermine the success of the East High musical by scheduling the callback auditions during the scholastic decathlon, in which her chief rival is competing. Not her, mind you. She was busily succeeding at something else.

Huh?

Crazy kids nowadays.