ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH, CLASS OF '73!

This weekend makes

DENIAL

an impossibility.

This weekend the

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

CLASS OF '73

is celebrating its 

40th ANNIVERSARY.

40th ANNIVERSARY?

There's simply no denying it,

because I was in that CLASS OF '73 --

I am (we are) older than I (we) think!

I remember strolling past that 

shining knight, donned in its sparkling armor, 
to walk into
the front doors of

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL

for the very first time.

(Gulp!)

I spent the first week or two looking for the

infamous swimming pool 

that was supposedly located on the fourth floor.

(Thanks to our kindhearted upperclassman 

for that little piece of fiction!)

I remember starting freshman year off on the right track,

wearing forbidden pink and baby blue sweaters

with our beloved maroon and grey plaid uniforms,

all the while blowing bubbles with that 

"no gum allowed" gum.

That's when my demerits started adding up,

as did the calls from Mr. Debrosse, 

THE DEAN OF DISCIPLINE,

to my Mom.

(Oh dear God! And why is his the only name I remember?)

I spent the first year or two

trying to figure out how to get from my locker  

to my classes in time.

(Nope, never mastered it!  Too much talking in the hallway!)

During my sophomore year I made the

LANCERETTES DRILL TEAM

and started wearing makeup on my legs,

hair buns on top of my head,

and white patent leather go go boots on my feet.

My memory of my time with the 

LANCERETTES

doesn't go far beyond the dreaded scale that 

would come out

before each ball game.

Yea, I was part of that wonderful "weigh in" team!

I remember

being humiliated when my older sister, Patte,

walked across the stage, as a senior,

 to receive the "no demerit in four years award."

When I think back on it, I guess the actual truth was

that Patte should have been mortified by the 

never ending stack 

of demerits

that I earned each and every year!

(Once I had so many detentions that they had to 

be carried over to the next year!)

I remember learning to drive and buying

 a cute little robin egg blue 

Volkswagen 

named "Barney."

I remember splitting the monthly payment of 

(a whopping)

$68.00 with my sister!

We agreed to pay for the car 

and Dad agreed to pay to keep it running.

That was a decision, I am quite sure, he highly regretted!

I remember little things about only a few classes.

My French teacher would say these 

words to me over and over again:

"Ferme la bouche!"

It seems that my feeble attempt at speaking "the language"

failed miserably 

and it hurt her ears just to listen!

My History teacher (or was it Government?) 

was an awesome guy

(so why can't I remember his name?)

who took us tromping through graveyards on field trips.

I dissected a frog in Science class that brothers taught.

(But I can't remember which brother I had!)

And I remember taking a Typing class 

(on an actual typewriter, people!) 

from a very old nun we affectionately called, "Sister Spit".

I was on the yearbook staff

and worked on the school newspaper.

I still remember the newspaper moderator 

(I can picture him but don't remember his name)

telling me I should

think about majoring in Journalism in college.

(And so I did!)

Yes, I graduated from that school of 

Brown & Gold

(so why were our uniforms grey and maroon?)

after surviving four long years of 

freezing cold football games, 

never ending classes,

dances where no one danced, 

and making many a soft serve ice-cream cone

at Poor Richard's in Centerville!

I can't remember a word from our fight song.

I can't remember much about the classes I attended.

I can remember some classmates' names; 

but not their faces. 

I can remember some classmates' faces; 

but not their names.

I really, really wish I could go

 to our 

 40th CLASS REUNION,

so I could listen to all the stories that will be told,

 reminisce with fellow classmates,

 rekindle old friendships,

and remember more of the details from those 

long ago years!

Although I will be half a world away
(here in Dubai)
 from all my fellow

ARCHBISHOP ALTER KNIGHTS

this weekend,

I will certainly be at our 

40th REUNION

 in spirit!

I expect to see lots of pictures posted

 in Facebook,

and am keeping my fingers crossed

that someone remembers to put names with all the faces!

There's no denying it....we're 40 years older than we were
back in those good 'ol high school days!

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY

TO 

THE CLASS OF '73

ARCHBISHOP ALTER HIGH SCHOOL!!!