My high school was Choctawhatchee Senior High School (in contrast to the junior high schools equivalent to middle schools). As you can imagine, the name lead to the school using a lot of Native American imagery. The fight song, for instance:
No, I have no idea why he’s green. And yes, the cultural appropriation aspect is more obvious to me now than it was back in the 1970s.
Anyway, all of that is a lead in to the first event of my 50th high school reunion last month, a tour of the school. A couple of years ago, I’d heard news reports Choctaw was falling apart. Despite tougher security than in our day—
It’s looking really nice inside.
Even the parking lot looks cooler.
Then came the pep rally
And here I am in the middle of the Class of ’76
If I look less than peppy, well, pep rallies were never my favorite thing to do. I went for the people, which was worth it.
I ran into quite a few friends but I’m uncomfortable about posting their photos online, especially as they wouldn’t mean anything to y’all. So I won’t.
All rights to art remain with current holders.
