My High School Graduation 1997

Holy cow, anyone notice it's been 15 years since we graduated high school? Wasn't I just at my 10-year reunion two seconds ago? I grew up in New Jersey, something I tried to avoid admitting for some years after I left, but now I'm not entirely sure why. There's no particularly awesome state to be from except maybe Hawaii, and I bet those people get tired of lai jokes the same way we get tired of highway exit jokes. For the record, my exit was the Spring Street exit.

Here I am whizzing by on graduation day, June 20, 1997

With my parents before graduation

I've said this before, but our class president Chris Larson, gave an awesome speech. Especially considering he was only 18 at the time. I have the video somewhere, and I will eventually upload it on YouTube, but suffice to say he referenced Khrushchev, took off his shoe, and banged it on the podium. The parents appreciated it, but I don't think most of the students were far along enough in History class to appreciate it.  Here's a picture before the shoe part. Behind Chris is a man I don't know, Principal Rizzo, a megaphone-head, and Vice-Principal Dr. Melville.

Our class president giving an amazing speech

Hat-toss! We're out of here!

My parents, my dad's parents, and Yohana and Rick came to my graduation. My mom's parents had moved to Miami by then, so they couldn't be there, but I wish they had been.  Chrissy graduated my year, so her whole family was there too. I remember Chrissy's mom finding me in the crowd to congratulate me. Cate and Wendy were a year down in school, but they were in band so they had to play at our graduation.

With the Shute grandparents

With my best friends from highschool, Cate, Wendy, and Chrissy

We went to a good high school, and the students worked together with parents and the administration to keep us from drinking and doing other dubious things after graduation. They built us an elaborate post-graduation sleep-over party. The theme our year was New Orleans, and you can see from the photos that they did an amazing job. If anyone who built this is reading, thank you! I still appreciate your hard work and artistic talent 15 years later.

Our New Orleans theme party

Me, random clown on stilts, and my friend Dawn

Rocking their matching temporary tattoos.  This picture makes me want a tattoo!

Ten years later in 2007, we had our 10-year reunion. Kevin and I went just two days after he proposed, so I was in a ridiculously good mood for a high school reunion. 

Some of the awesome people I went to grade school with at our 10-year reunion!