So… I’m about 900 times sure of something…
There’s a guy I went to high school with whom I’ve been trying to reconnect for ages because he was super cool. He was a Senior when I was a Freshman, but I didn’t care; I adored him! He gave me rides, we did theatre together, he helped me get my first job… but at the end of the year, when the school paper came out, a college wasn’t listed next to his name like all the other seniors. And he dropped contact with everyone. No luck on facebook, myspace, friendster (oh yes, I went there), or even at old email addresses.
I was curious tonight and decided to google him (over a decade since my freshman year). I found him as a professor at a university. His focus: group dynamics, the study of young americans in groups, societal deviations among groups, the willingness of youth to achieve when in a challenging atmosphere, leadership that encourages growth and better learning. This is all well and good, until I realized that he received his PhD only 4 years after he “graduated” my school. And there is a paper from his undergrad career that was published the year BEFORE he “graduated” my high school. How do I know it’s him and not someone with the same name? There’s a video lecture. His hair is different but his nerve damage is the same. Also, his “fun facts” have “classical pianist” listed. ….yup. I turned pages for him during his “senior year.” This also might explain why he didn’t date anyone or go to prom… I seriously think that WE, our theatre group, were the subject of his masters’ thesis. Which, oddly enough, isn’t published.
I think he enrolled in our high school as a 22-26 year old psychology student. As in, Drew Barrymore Never Been Kissed style. He did his best to “fit in,” but he was a bit of a loner/odd-duck (what theatre kids AREN’T?), he was super intelligent, he had very few “academic” classes - mostly electives, he had his own car (not his parents’), he refused sexual advances, he and I always had long conversations about the world and global implications of actions, he frequently had long conversations with our teachers too, and he always had a quiet maturity that I was drawn to. …because I’m pretty sure he was 7 years older than me, rather than 3.
I’m so confused now…. I mean, I know I shouldn’t contact him, seeing as he purposefully cut ties, but…. I WANNA KNOW HOW HE DID THIS AND HOW THE HELL IT GOT APPROVED AND I WANNA READ THE THESIS! I’m so intensely curious now!!!
Unless there’s some program out there that allows you to do college and high school at the same time, or a program that lets you get your PhD in only 4 years with nothing but a high school degree (and a published paper in Psychology Today…), AND this guy has someone with the same name as him with the same nerve damage as him but happens to have different colored hair…… it’s absolutely the guy I remember from high school.
What. The Ever Loving. Flying. Fuck. …???…
I still don’t know what the fuck they are for.
(Source: thatfunnything, via paging-doctorfaggot)
Student government president fired for pitching gay-inclusive policies
The president of student government at Alpharetta High School in Georgia has been removed from his position for suggesting the school make LGBT-inclusive changes to its prom festivities.
Reuben Lack pitched to the student council a measure that would replace the traditional “Prom King” and “Prom Queen” with “Prom Court” so students could acknowledge same-sex couples. The council debated the measure, but it was shot down by the faculty adviser before they could vote on it. Lack proposed the idea again two weeks later and the adviser once again pulled it.
After an email exchange with the school principal, Lack was informed that he was being fired as student body president “for ‘pushing personal projects’ and advocating for ‘policy changes.’” He’s now suing the school district to be reinstated, and clearly he deserves his position:
A spokeswoman for the school district said that Lack was let go from his position because of his “inadequate performance as a student body president.” However, according to the lawsuit, Lack has moderated a public mayoral debate, acted as a student ambassador for the Fulton County Commission, had bike racks installed at his school, and wrote the first set of bylaws for the student council. While also acting as president of the debate team, Lack received an Incredible Dedication Award from the county Board of Commissioners.
This is unbelievable and really quite disturbing. If a school is going to punish forward-thinking students for trying to better the environment for everyone, claiming those efforts to be “inadequate performance,” we’re in serious trouble.
(via mistigrisbedizen)
