1. Football games were always the place to be.

People came out of the woodwork and basically the entire student body was there.

2. A stand cheer everyone knew

For us at Independence, the Rollercoaster was pretty much the only constant in our lives all those years.

3. Widely known phrases that would sound like gibberish at any other school

For us at Independence, SOH CAH TOA was a greeting and everyone knew the slope song.

4. You knew everyone, their story, their mom, and their mom’s story.

You knew everyone’s name in the hallway and you probably knew a lot of details about their life, too. It was almost weird.

5. Drama!

Because how do you avoid it when everyone literally knows everyone? Whenever you did anything it sorta felt like you were Patrick Star:

6. Small class sizes

You know that feeling when there was a grand total of four people in your class, the teacher asked a question, and no one knew the answer? Talk about an uncomfortable silence.

7. Fundraisers

Since the school is so small, you were aware of every fundraiser that every club and team took part in. And I’m not sure that every high school has experienced something like this, but I honestly think that “Turf the Field” will remain in my subconscious for the rest of my life.

(The slogan and the meter and the jackets were definitely worth it. It is lovely).

8. You all had A LOT of school spirit.

Small but mighty. You guys stood together and were always all in for your school.

9. You were pretty much a dysfunctional family.

The majority of you spent 13 years of schooling together; that's a lot. By the time graduation finally rolled around, you all sort of considered each other a family-- a dysfunctional family, but a family.