Graffiti may either be “as a whole…a composite phenomenon, part childish prank, part adult insult” (Varnedoe and Gopnik, 1990) or “a form of communication that is both personal and free of everyday social restraints that normally prevent people from giving uninhibited reign to their thoughts” (E. L. Abel and B. E. Buckley, 1977)
~ from http://www.graffiti.org/faq/critical.review.html

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Hi Chris,

Thank you for your comment.

On behalf of SJA’82 and as moderator of this site, allow me to still say: “Please note that this is a batch site and our place on the internet is to come together as a batch, not just to update each other of how we are since leaving SJA, but to look back, with fondness, to our experiences there.”

But because we are all creatures breathing and living in 21st century technology, I shall accede to devote this page to your comment.

Our collective experience does not mean that our high school life in SJA was all roses and candies. High school is never a walk in the park for anyone; in fact, it is the trickiest phase which all students go through.

If you went through the comments and contents of this site, you would have read that there have been mischievous moments we all admitted to, for example, but these were not the only ones. Off-line, in face-to-face gatherings, there are stories of heartaches and stories that, at that time, were painful and difficult, but which we handled the best we could. Or at least the way we knew how in our youth.

Like you, we saw classmates come and go. We met and adjusted to newcomers in the middle of the grading periods, or became suddenly aware that friends from childhood have left for other schools for one reason or other. But that is how it was.

Like you, we had to adjust to new teachers, new rules and some grueling exercises; we had to compete not just with fellow students from other schools but among ourselves and these may not have always resulted in happy endings.

We were scolded for misbehavior, called to the principal’s office (sometimes with our parents), punished by being asked to stay alone or jog around the quadrangle, got red marks in surprise quizzes, or booed, heckled or mocked by our gang mates and perceived enemies. Yes, most high schoolers go through that.

Sometimes, we wished we could’ve been absent when the principal announced the NCEE (or some competition) results, or skipped boring lab experiments and scout activities, or played hooky during Loyalty Day practices, too. Sometimes, we’d rather have disappeared in declamation contests or during exam weeks we weren’t prepared for. There simply were days when we would’ve rather not crossed the path of a teacher — or a bully — and stayed home to watch TV all day, but such is not the life of a student.

We did not have the luxury of the internet to run to and rant under the cloak of anonymity. What we had were our parents, our peers and friends to seek company and whom we sought out to listen to our complaints, in the hope that their sympathetic ears and understanding hearts will alleviate our frustrations. We didn’t have the channels you now have to vent out ire.

As the moderator of this page on behalf of Batch SJA 1982, I would have appreciated it if you, at least, have provided your batch year so we all can have an idea from where your issues are coming, and have a benchmark of how the school is doing with regards current educational standards.

While your experiences may be valid, I have to be equally blunt in saying that it is impolite to hijack an alumni site with a message that is almost slanderous, even if your comment is made to look like an answer to the title of this page. However, since the internet on which this site exists is an open field and we believe in a democratic exchange of ideas, your comment merits addressing.

You know what? We hurdled our own four years of high school, in an environment of not just strictness and competitiveness — and with the strictest of teachers at that, so strict sometimes that it bordered on the unreasonable — but with the most basic of luxuries.

Yet this is our story. In high school, we only had ourselves, our families, peers and, sometimes, our teachers to hear us out. I have to say we came out of SJA stronger and better individuals. 

I advise you to speak to your teachers in person. If you can’t handle it yourself, ask your parents to go with you. And because, as you say, “it is the 21st century”, with your own diversions and preoccupations, make space for real life connections with your peers. Learn to talk about your dissatisfactions with others. Learn to adjust and be flexible with others. It’s just high school, you know. College is even more challenging. It will require more adjustments and flexibility because there you will encounter more diversity. And even more when you leave college to face the real world.

Don’t be a rant meme for your classmates; stand out in the crowd and be an example of positive action for others. Lastly, enjoin your batch mates to make your own story so you can look back to it, if not with some affection, then with the acknowledgment that it was there, then, that you forged the foundation of true and lasting friendships.

Good luck and godspeed.

KRV, sja82