I love to reminisce on all of the good times and all of the bad that I’ve had at Valparaiso High School. I will never forget my times there as a freshman from wondering how the handprints got on the ceiling to figuring out how, to get through the school without a map, to graduating with some of the great friends that I made along the way.
1. Beating Chesterton
This is universal. Beat Chesterton in spell bowl. Beat Chesterton in track. Beat Chesterton in football. Beat Chesterton in EVERYTHING. It does’t matter if the team losses every other game or meet or whatever it may be that season. If you beat Chesterton you were winning. Since the two high schools are on the same street someone had to dominate Meridian/Campbell. Trojans break. amirite?
2. Bdubs after football games
This is tradition at its finest. Everyone would meet at Buffalo wild wings after the games and wait for all the football and basketball players to get there. Honestly, I am sorry to all of those waitresses and Bdubs in general for putting up with all of the high schoolers for so long.
3. Getting through crowded hallways
This was a struggle because apparently it’s really hard not to stop to make out with your boyfriend in the middle of the hallway or walk on the right side of the hallway.
4. The Viking Express
I actually don’t know if I ever went in the real lunch line my whole career. I would just wait in line for half of the lunch hour for a boxed pizza and Cheetos. So, I don’t know what the school lunch actually tasted like and I really didn’t want to.
5. The Valpo Subs
Mr. Cotton and busy work. That’s all that I’m gonna say.
6. Late Start Wednesday
Late start Wednesday saved my life every Wednesday. I promise you that a half an hour of sleep matters.
7. Trying to beat the busses
This was probably the hardest part of the day. Not only do you want to get out of that place but they stop you for about 10 minutes if you don’t beat the busses.
8. IU and Purdue
Coming from the region it’s almost predetermined that you will go to either IU or Purdue and will hang out with all your high school friends. Bless you if you got out of that.
9. Having the best blowoff classes
You have to admit that we had the best blowoff classes. Not only were blowoff classes blowoff but all of the cool teachers taught them. It was just a perfect mixture to make your day a little but better everyday.
10. Viking nation
School spirit really does bring everyone together. Viking nation was always a good time with all of the stumbling students in outfits that their parents wouldn’t approve of.
11. The senior sections
At Valparaiso high school this is very serious. For lunch there is a certain carpeted area for the seniors, and seniors only. Seniors also had priority in the student sections. There were always those couple of juniors that like to cause drama and not let the seniors have their glory and take up the seniors spots though.
12. The awful attendance people
The attendance man or woman at the attendance desk were always my worst nightmare at Valparaiso High school. They always kept detention full with all the bad kids that were always late and violating dress code.
13. Student aiding/ social hour
This is what other high schools would call Study Hall. The fight for the teachers that would let you roam the halls and hang with your friends was real. This was a lifesaver so you wouldn’t have to stick around with the grump in study hall that kept it so silent that if your pencil dropped you would be judged.
14. Political sports teams
It wasn’t that important to be on a sports team at Valpo because there were so many cliques beforehand. Although there always seemed to be a load of drama around tryout seasons because of all of the poltics that were involved. At Valpo there was no such as thing as the best person playng. It seemed to all go off of seniority which is probably why we haven’t been good at sports since 2011.
15. Fighting for lockers
Fighting and figuring out your lockers your junior year determined your whole senior year. It was a big deal finding the friends you wanted to spend your whole senior year with and where you wanted to be in the school. Your locker is like your little personal space in high school and everyone knows where yours was because of all the little decorations with your name on it that the parents made.
