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08/06/2003 Entry: "A Toast to the Determined Resolve of Apathy! Here's to the Class of 1987!" Reunion canceled ... again. Some of you may remember this entry, in which I explained that our high school reunion has been canceled twice due to lack of interest. Then Sandra Carerra, a student from the class of 1987, said, "We're going to have it anyway, dammit!" I admired her resolve. I decided to go. Now I get this letter: Everyone, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but since we did not meet our minimum head count for the reunion, Cari and I decided to cancel it. We needed at least a minimum of 80 for food and as of today, we have only received commitments from a total of 14 people... [Cari's her husband] That's how it started, and the letter seemed hint she was a little hurt by this response, or lack thereof, because she ended with "Hopefully someone else can step in and plan our 20th reunion......It's open for anyone as Cari and I will be stepping down." I was really hoping she'd pull this off. Over the years I have boiled down why we never have reunions: - We were a transitory area. People came in and out with political tides. Only 40% of our graduating class started out as freshmen in our school. Many don't feel anything special to our high school, as it was one of many schools they came and left over the years. McLean is where they happened to be when they were graduating; it could have as easily been somewhere else. - After graduation, people followed this tradition, and now live all over the US and world. Most won't fly in for a reunion. - McLean had pretty poor school spirit to begin with. At least with our class. It seemed most people I knew viewed high school as an obstacle in their life between being a kid and being in college. Our principal was insane. Our staff was a mixture of burned out old teachers and young teachers about to burn out. I'd say only 20% or less of the teachers we had were still there five years later. Those that tried to return to say "Hi," we met with metal detectors and suspicious looks (from personal experience). McLean High is a place, a shell, with no memories but those in your head. No living fossils to see, no dead ones left behind. I think this makes the class of 1987 pretty unique. Okay, most of the classes of the 1980s. Hmmm... I heard the 1990s were pretty bad, too (our friend Anya is class of 1995). Okay ... maybe the school might give good education, but sucks in the spirit department. Maybe we can have a "Veterans of the Soulless" conference? Apparently, some other ex-student, Dan Prieto, said he'd have a brunch at his house, because 14 people can certainly fit in a house. Hell, I'd invite them if I knew we needed a place. That's so funny. I can't image how our class of 344 kids got down to 14. Hee! I am going to try and go. What if it's just Dan and me? "So... Dan, we have nothing in common but McLean High School..." Hey, it happened with Jen Dingel!