Thanks for the Memories!

I know this is a horrible photo, but trust me when I say that it is a shot of the last page of the 2009 Palos Verdes High School yearbook and yes, it says "477." Is in four-hundred-seventy-seven-freaking-pages in this yearbook. It was actually the first thing I noticed when I picked the thing up; that it actually was physically painful to hold this book, it was so heavy.

If this were a coffee table book, some editor would have cut it off at a mere 301 pages (the length of the 1988 PVHS yearbook), because the ergonomics of the thing are way off.

So, class of 2009, you can take your tend0nitis-inducing 500-pager, with its glossy paper and swanky graphic design. I like my black-and-white-special, circa 1988!

This is my last post on The Yearbook Project. Thanks for the memories, PV High!

Language Lessons

In 1988, we had four language options: Spanish, French, German and Latin. The various language clubs did pretty standard things, like go to the Red Onion Restaurant for their annual Spanish Club dinner. The most adventurous thing was a trip to Tijuana, which could not possibly have been fancy. Full of donkeys and booze, maybe, but definitely not glamorous.

Me? I took Latin, which was barely hanging by a thread and apparently died out. Did we take a trip to Rome? Not exactly. More like to Whittier for the National Junior Classical League annual dorkfest.

No wonder Latin died out, when I check the modern-day language activities.

In 2009, students can choose from Spanish, French or Chinese languages. I'm have a feeling that Spanish is by far the most popular language, given that the students took a trip . . . to SPAIN! As the yearbook says, "This past summer, a group of Spanish students traveled to Spain in order to gain exposure to the true culture of this extraordinary country." Yeah, that is understandable. I mean, it's not like anyone speaks Spanish in Los Angeles. They gotta go to the motherland for real immersion, right?


The captions on these photos read: "Sea Kings stop to smile for the camera on their way to their Spanish class," and "Students traveling to Spain took a break from their language lessons to catch a wave in the Mediterranean." Awesome, it's not like there is surfing in Los Angeles, either!

Seems like the Chinese language class has some catching up to do. The 2009 yearbook tells us that they get their culture by having the South Bay Chinese School come in and "teach us about calligraphy, the Chinese yoyo, and traditional knots."

2009: Not so "Cheer"ful

As a blurry-eyed PV High freshman, I could never keep straight all the various flavors of "Cheerleader" at my school. There were so many uniforms, and all the girls looked so cute to me, how could I ever know who was on which squad? Looking back at my yearbook, the source of my confusion is clear. We had all of the following: Cheerleading, Songleaders, Drill Team, Novelty Drill Team, Military Drill Team, Dance Drill Team, Pep Squad, Flag Twirlers and Tall Flags.








I am exhausted just writing that list! My theory was that PV High was so status-conscious that everyone wanted to say that they were somehow a "cheerleader." By offering that mind-numbing list of cheer-light flavors, everyone gets a piece of the action. And I'm sure there was no shortage of parental support for all of these programs, given what I know of the competitive nature of PV Moms.

Today, the list is down to two: Cheer and Song. Simple, right? Although the uber-cute black outfits and red hair ribbons are almost indistinguishable. And both seem to employ pompoms, hmmmm . . .





I'm not convinced that this list won't grow, though. PVHS was closed for about 10 years in the 90s and only re-opened in 2002. I bet the slate was wiped clean when the school re-opened, and there will be a proliferation of dancey-girl-groups in the coming years.

My favorite thing about this topic is the social heirarchy that developed at 1980s PVHS. I could never ever keep track of it. To this day, I have a friend, who is pushing 40, mind you, who still gets livid every time I say, "You were on Rifles, right?" Her reply is always a vehement, "I was NOT on RIFLES!" Ohhhh, so sorry, you were a Flag Twirler? Not Novelty Drill Team, or was it? HA!

Oriental Culture Club

When I was a freshman in 1988, there was a single group on campus for all people Asian, and it was called the Oriental Culture Club. Not only was no distinction was made among this diverse group, but we hadn't yet applied the now-p.c. term "Asian."


In 2009, calling someone an "Oriental" is about as bad as saying "Colored," so it's no surprise that the club is gone. In its place are the Korean Culture Club and the Pinoy Culture Club. That was a new one for me- Pinoy. Although I won't be using it in casual conversation, since Wikipedia tells me that some find the term derogatory.

Whatever the term used, I want to hang with the Pinoy Club folks. The Pinoy President says, "We value the importance of being culturally diverse, but at the same time, keepin [sic] it real 24/7."

Where have all the stoners gone?

When I attended Palos Verdes High School in 1988, all the stoners (and we called them "stoners" back then. What are they called now? Please advise via blog comment) took Ceramics. I don't know why that was the case- did they make pipes? Not sure, but it seemed to be a mandatory class for all the surfer-types.

In leafing through the yearbook, it was clear where this demographic had gone: Surfboard Shaping class!

?Que?


Don't ask me, I have no idea what the deal is with the class. All I know is that it is awesome. Or rad? Or bitchin'? That's what it would have been in 1988, if it had been offered.

The yearbook says that “Juniors and Seniors hand cut their own hand made custom surfobaords” using fibergloass, Styrofoam and epoxy resin. It takes 12 weeks to make one short board, and then they can graduate to making another short board or a long board. ”Surfboard Shaping is a class which consistently fills to capacity each semester.”


This is a photo of the Surfboard Shaping teacher. Please note: He also teaches Ceramics. This one will go in the category of "modern interpretation of that which is shockingly similar."

Best Dressed

Like the initial posting, this photo threw me: what year was it? Had I mixed up the 1988 and 2009 yearbooks? The cute girl in the photo looks exactly like a girl well-dressed girl named Tanya who I went to school with: the over-sized fluorescent pink hoop earrings, the matching slouchy pink belt, the white leggings. Madonna-wannabes would be proud!

OMG, noooooooooo! This look is now considered retro! Just like the girls in my high school who wore 1960s-inspired fashions, this girl is wearing the style of 20 years prior. Holy crap, I am old!

Girls High School Sports: Then and Now

In 1988, we had what I thought were pretty standard sports. Available to both boys and girls in 1988 were: Cross Country; Track & Field; Basketball; Baseball/Softball; Soccer; Tennis; Volleyball; Swimming. Boys additionally had Football, Water Polo, and Golf; girls had Cheerleading and Gymnastics.

So I was a bit shocked to see the proliferation of sports, especially the ones for girls. In addition to the above, both boys and girls have access to Lacrosse, Surfing and Sailing. Girls now have their own Golf and Water Polo teams, as well as Equestrian! To balance that out, boys get Hockey. Not sure where Gymnastics went, or the Wrestling that must have died out in the early 80s.







These images of girls kicking butt in Golf, Surfing and Water Polo are really amazing to me. I still don't understand how one competes in surfing, where they compete (the ocean, DUH, I know), or who they "play," but man does it seem cool. I'd be curious to know the social standing of the surfer-girls: are they respected, like Track & Field girls? considered hot, like Volleyball girls? or too tomboyish, like Softball? Maybe I'll have to find a 2019 yearbook to see how that one plays out.

The State of Tolerance

In the 1980s in Palos Verdes, it was definitely not socially-acceptable to be gay in high school. In fact, that was the kind of allegation that would likely have led to the kid transferring schools in a futile attempt to lose the stigma.

I've been aware that it's increasingly common for kids to self-identify as homosexual, as early as high school, with relatively little repercussion. So I was encouraged and not surprised to find a "Gay Straight Alliance" club, whose mission is to promote tolerance and understanding.


Apparently they have their work cut out for them, however, since I also found this photo of a bunch of cool-kid-looking senior boys who dressed up as a "Gay Parade" for Halloween.


The caption reads: "A dozen senior boys dress as a gay parade for Halloween to promote their views on Prop 8." My guess is that they are not gay rights activists, given that I spy a kid dressed up in a Village-People-esque Navy outfit, and lots of garish pink.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but wasn't Prop 8, a.k.a. the Defense of Marriage Act, the highly divisive, emotionally-charged issue that people liken to the struggle for desegregation? And therefore not really funny Halloween fodder? I understand that 17-year-old boys are not typically socially-aware, and definitely not politically correct, but who is the yearbook faculty advisor who allowed this offensive photo, and the even worse caption? I guess this one goes in the "Shockingly Similar" category, since PVHS apparently remains the super-conservative place I left it.

Chess Club/Dungeons & Dragons/Strategic Games/Xbox Club

There is an age-old problem: Socially-awkward teen-aged boys need something to do at lunchtime. In the 1960s, these guys probably formed the Chess Club. In the 70s, I'm guessing it was Dungeons & Dragons. In my day, it was apparently the Strategic Games Club.

Check out the black and white photo here. I was confused, at first, because A) there were so many people in it and B) a lot of them were the "cool" kids. Upon further inspection, however, the explanation became clear: a couple dozen cool kids crashed the photo for the Strategic Games Club. This is why the caption reads "non-member" for 2/3 of the people. Extract all the rowdy blond kids and you are left with about a dozen . . . socially-awkward boys.

I wondered where these same kids - because their species could not possibly have become extinct in the past two decades- had gone? They are now found at the "Xbox Club," which describes itself as having the following mission:


"The Xbox Club is a haven for gamers at school. At lunch its members compete in Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Gears of War 2 tournaments.” The club was started in 2006 when it “raised money through donations and baked goods sales to purchase the Xbox 360s.”

Something tells me they were heavier on the “donations” than revenues from the bake sale.

Hugs for Hobos

I don't think most yearbooks aren't known for being particularly politically correct. But this example was eye-catching, given my fascination with hobos. There is a club called "Hugs for the Homeless" that sews blankets out of remnant material and hands them out. Nice gesture, right?

And then some jokester on the yearbook staff got their hands on it.

The yearbook calls the club "Hugs for Hobos." Mostly the mis-labeling is rude to the sweet-looking girls who do the sewing, but none of this "yearbook-staff-oops!" should surprise me, given the also-awful photo I found in my 1988 PVHS yearbook.




Somebody thought this photo was funny. It is a shot of the Journalism teacher raising a machine gun to her apparently insubordinate student staff, who wear blindfolds, execution-style.

Now, I know I have images of Abu Ghraib in my head, that make this image extra-appalling, but weren't the atrocities of Vietnam a not-so-distant memory to adults in 1988? Apparently those wild and wacky yearbook/journalism-types need to blow off a little steam sometimes, both then and now.

Campus "Security"

In 1988 at PVHS, campus "security" personnel were mostly known for their pastime of smoking pot at the cliffs across the street with various students. Especially hot ones.

I, personally, was in lunchtime detention in 9th grade (I'd been tardy, thank you), with Jim the Security Guy reading the paper and minding the store. A guy started smoking pot. INSIDE the portable classroom. Marijuana. I'm pretty sure that was illegal. What did Jim the Security dude do? Lowered his newspaper, sniffed the air, and then kept on reading! Hello? Security? Security? True story.

So I should not have been surprised when I was checking out the Faculty photos and stumbled upon a few guys who did not seem to fit in with the other photos of teachers in business-casual attire. There were exactly four Security personnel and exactly 100% of them are wearing puka shells and/or sunglasses and/or a baseball hat.







Note to readers: If you are over 18 years old, and your name is not Greg Brady, it is not socially acceptable to wear puka shells. EVER. And definitely not in your professional photos.

Not Your Old Fashioned AP English Teacher

In my day, teachers were old. And often smelly. And were prone to wearing the same pants every day. They were NOT hot. The occasional coach or art teacher could garner a crush, but definitely not the honors English ones.

My, how things have changed!

PVHS's old AP English teacher doesn't have a chance when matched against PVHS's current offering. She's also a fitness model! The photo, of course, begs the question: did she approve of this? She must have, right? She must have supplied the photo to the yearbook staff? I dunno, if I were young and starting a career with teen-aged boys, I think I'd probably want to keep my 8-pack under wraps. Then again, I've never had an 8-pack, so who knows?

Shockingly the Same

When I leafed through the Senior photos, I got confused. Which yearbook was I looking at? Was this guy from the class of 2009 (bottom) the 21-years-younger-brother of the guy from the Class of '88? If the black/white photo were in color, they would look even more identical: the hopelessly bleached-out surfer hair, the super-light blue eyes. This was the photo that made me wonder what else was the same?