In 2002, here sat my friends and I during lunch. The crew came from the middle school group: Kat, Kim, Brian, Lila, and Stephanie, and Matt. (Jacqueline went to a different high school.)
Staff of the school, in an attempt to tidy the campus, cut down the tree that we sat under. There was a remaining log🪵. To bring visibility to the issue, I carried the log to class for a few days. Having noticed that people were more engaged about the oddity of someone carrying a log rather than the issue of the cut tree, I stopped.
I was enrolled in the “Art Academy,” that had alternative project-oriented classes. I learned how to use Photoshop and gained experience in communicating artistic vision to varying audiences.
I participated in Anime Club and watched a lot of Naruto with my fellow “geeks.”
If I recall correctly (IIRC), in sophomore year a new member of the group, Stacy, was very inclusive and drew in a refined anime art style. I felt displaced, so in the beginning of junior year I started touring the social groups around campus. A favorite was A Hall, which included Art Academy friend, Brian D, and mega-crush, Jack.
Inspired by my sister who dropped out of high school to pursue college education early, I enrolled in community college and dropped out of high school in the middle of my junior year. On my last day of class there was a quiz in Mr Hagerstrand’s English class; I sat at my desk and ate the first page while my peers were working on it.
However, for the following few months I continued visiting the school during school hours to continue friendships and slowly ween off of the public school system.