My Alma Mater or a Blast from the Past!!

Last week I had a meeting at my former high school in Phoenix, AZ. I'm a class agent which means I represent my class at meetings and pass along important information regarding our high school and any special upcoming events. I met some other alums from years ahead of me and after me and we had so much fun at the meeting. Before I continue, let me share some thoughts about my former high school.

It is a private Catholic all-girls school that officially changed from Xavier High School to Xavier College Preparatory in 1980. When I attended, it was Xavier High School....when my daughter attended, it was Xavier College Prep. The education at XCP is unmatched and, in my opinion, this school is the best private school in Arizona....actually it is ranked in the top 5 nationally for Catholic schools. Most of the girls take Honors and AP classes and the curriculum can be rigorous. Many teachers have their Ph.D's and most classes have a low student-teacher ratio. Girls from all over the valley attend Xavier and admission includes a test, recommendations from grade school teachers, principals, and a written essay by the applicant. I think that maybe half of the girls that apply are actually accepted....the competition is fierce.

When I attended we had typewriters...almost all manual and 2 electric! My daughter had state of the art computers! My first two years were spent in an ugly blue straight skirt with a white blouse and blue blazer. Let's not forget that awful beanie that we had to wear too. My junior and senior year the uniform was better with a plaid skirt and a gold sweater for the upper classmen. We didn't have to wear saddle shoes anymore and we were happy to wear black loafers with white socks or nylons....oh, what progress! My daughter wore basically the same kind of skirt that I did, but she was also able to wear some neat sweatshirts and other tops that were more in fashion. To this day, I wear one of her old sweatshirts with my jeans.

I loved going to Xavier and I could have gone there past my required 4 years if I was allowed to. I felt like I was part of a big family and I knew the name of every girl in my class of 125. Of course we had the usual cliques, but I was never really bothered by that. My daughter, on the hand, was shy and didn't like the drama that went along with some cliqueish behavior. To this day, she is an observer on the sidelines and I'm right in the middle of the game so to speak!

Now for my meeting....there was a table set up with water, wine, and some of the most delicious snacks and desserts that I've ever tasted. I had some wine (bad idea because I'm not much of a drinker) and sat down on a bench by myself. Some other ladies were milling around and one had a plate full of food which she was perilously balancing in her hands along with a glass of wine. She sat down next to me and we started to talk and laugh and reminisce about our years at XCP. Some other ladies joined us and then we walked into the meeting. I sat next to another lady and we, too, talked and laughed and missed some important points of the meeting. After the meeting, I walked over to the snack table and started to eat...I figured that I better get something into my stomach to absorb the wine. We all started to talk and laugh again and I left the building feeling good about meeting other ladies that shared my feeling about XCP. Gosh, I value that school. On the way home, I felt like a bowling ball was sitting on my forehead but I was quite able to drive without impairment. When I got home, my husband asked how the meeting went and I told him all I wanted to do was sleep. Of course he knew I must have had an alcoholic beverage so he asked, "What did you do, drink the Communion wine"? I giggled at the suggestion then marched straight to the bedroom and crawled into bed. I remember nothing after that.

I plan on staying in touch with the ladies that I met that night and maybe go to a Dad's club meeting or two just to sample the food again!

Go Gators!!!!!!!!!! The exclamation points are for my daughter...they annoy her.