If you grew up in Mantua, Sewell, or Mullica Hill, and you didn't go to private school, you probably found yourself enrolled at Clearview Regional High School. It's the big building nestled along Breakneck Road in Mullica Hill, Gloucester County, New Jersey, aka the middle of nowhere. (Seriously, there's a corn field across the street from Clearview.) There are many unique things about Clearview. Here are some things you'll be well aware of if you were ever a pioneer:
1. Taco Salad Day was a big deal.
I've never seen people freak out so much over taco salad. The line to get into the cafeteria would always be long, and there would never be tortilla chips left. Don't come between a Clearview kid and their taco salad, man. You'll regret it.
2. Musical was kind of like a cult.
I did musical all four years so I can say that. Towards the end of production season, the cast would spend upwards of 30 hours a week with each other during rehearsals. We had seemingly strange rituals (looking at you, male cast) and we always had an endless array of inside jokes. But, we worked tirelessly and always put on a great show.
3. The Amish Market was (and is) the place to be.
If it was 2:18 and you were craving some good fried chicken or freshly made hoagies, where do you go? Um, duh, the Amish Market. This place, that is essentially heaven on earth, is just down the road. Go there after school on a weekday and you'll find a good amount of Clearview kids crammed in trying to get some freshly made donuts or other Amish goodies. Those people know how to cook, man.
4. Powderpuff always had some sort of scandal.
Whether is was the juniors cheating their way into a win or the seniors receiving points for no reason, drama never failed to pervade our annual powderpuff game.
5. The 400-600 intersection between periods was a nightmare.
I've actually been late to class before because of 400-600 intersection traffic. It's that hallway meeting in the school where everyone goes through to get to their destination. Walking through there in between classes was like momentarily being in a mosh pit.
6. More than one bathroom open? Yeah, okay.
Nothing was worse than having to pee really badly, practically running to the bathroom you were nearest to, and then discovering that it was locked. You then had to do a sad pee-pee dance around the school to try and find a bathroom that was open. That struggle was very, very real.
7. "Shorts and skirts must be at fingertip length."
Being a girl during the warmer months of the year was hard if you went to Clearview. If it was 90 degrees outside and you wore shorts, you probably had administration on you like moths on a lamp. Clearview takes their dress code seriously.
8. Flies. Flies everywhere.
A few years ago, during one summer vacation, flies somehow infiltrated Clearview and basically remained there for almost that entire subsequent academic year. You couldn't walk anywhere without running into flies. It was not a good time to be a Clearview student.
9. Second run was social time.
If you lived in Mantua Township and took the bus home, you had to wait in one of the cafeterias for the second run of buses to come get you, hence the name "second run." This meant you got to sit around and chill out with your pals until your bus arrived. It was a good time to catch up with your buddies and socialize.
10. People went hard for Pep Rally Day.
Walking into school on a pep rally Friday was like walking into an ocean of green and gold. Face paint, colored hair spray, knee high socks...you name it, everything wearable was green and gold. Seriously, we had class shirts professionally made just for the pep rally. We didn't joke around.
11. Breakneck Road as school began or ended: gridlocked hell.
If you were running late for school or in a rush to leave, just forget about it. You were not going to get to your destination on time. Can I say mass exodus? It was like every car on the face of the earth was trying to get off Breakneck and into the parking lot or vice versa. In other words it was hell on earth.
12. Village Bagel was a before-school must.
It's like a bagel shop for the gods, and every Clearview kid knows that. If you got VB before school, you were going to have a good day.
13. Halloween costumes were banned.
There are many stories behind the reason why Clearview forbade its students from wearing Halloween costumes to school. However, the ban on costumes never stopped anyone from showing up to school in their Halloween get-up. The key to not getting caught was subtlety. You just had to wear a costume that technically didn't violate the dress code. Clever kids, we were.
14. The water fountain by the choir room was the best.
Yo, that water fountain had the most gloriously crisp water in the entirety of that school. I never got a drink from any other water fountain. If I was on the opposite
side of the building, I would make the seven-minute walk to get to that fountain. It was especially the best after coming inside from gym class.
15. You had some of the best teachers of your life.
Say what you want about Clearview, they hire some ridiculously amazing teachers. Their greatness extended far beyond the classroom. They genuinely cared about you, checked in on how you were doing, laughed with you, and shared wonderful memories with you. You were one of their kids. Some of the best times I had in high school was when I was with my teachers, and there are a boat load of other pioneers who feel that way. Thanks you for always having my back, teaching me real life lessons, and for helping shape the person I am today. Y'all are the man.
