What happened to the 'popular kids' from your high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most are doing just fine. There aren't really any notable graduates from my class.

There's one guy who is a minor actor. He had one speaking part in a big blockbuster movie, but the rest of his work has been small, nonspeaking roles and background work. He seems to have stopped acting according to his IMDB and has been producing and writing Indie stuff the past few years. Nothing I've heard of, and no actors attached to any of the projects that I recognize. I follow him on Instagram and saw that he's releasing a kid's book in 2025 but that's self-published.

But yeah, most just went to the usual VA colleges - UVA, Tech, JMU, GMU - and got normal 9-5 jobs. They married average spouses and have average families in the DMV area from what I see on social media.

One did make headlines 4 or 5 years ago (maybe longer) for embezzling money from the PTO, but it wasn't even an impressive amount, ha. Kind of like the equivalent of someone getting caught stealing the silverware at a fine dining establishment. Like, if you're going to do something wrong, DO IT WRONG. Don't steal and end up embezzling less than $18k over the years. That's embarrassing, IMO.

But please tell me why all the mean girls became nurses?? My parents still live in the same town where I grew up and several of my dad's doctors have nurses I graduated with. And every single one of them were the mean girls that were responsible for all the bullying and teasing. I had to go to urgent care when I was back home for a holiday maybe 10 years ago and I requested a new nurse because the one who came in was someone who bullied me SO much in middle school. Thanks but no thanks.

+1 Teachers and psychologists too.

Pink collar jobs.

Psychologists or therapists? Big difference

Pshaw. How can a teacher with a master's degree in math or chemistry or French be a pink collar job? Several of my HS teachers had Ph.Ds in their field; many also (like me) had multiple master's, i.e., Masters in Physics a plus master's in Science Education. Public school, too. Better pay and benefits than private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently got dinner with an old friend from high school. We were reminiscing about our high school days and started discussing the 'popular kids' who made us feel so insecure at the time and were somewhat mean. We realized that very few of them ended up doing much of anything, for example:

Girl 1: Never graduated college, works various part time jobs.
Girl 2: Despite always having a serious BF throughout HS/College (who always gave her elaborate promposals, fancy gifts, etc.) is unmarried - posts ad nauseam about various men and her relationships that never seem to last long.

It makes me realize how silly it was to care about these things back then.

What are the popular kids from your school days up to now?

Did you go to a working class public high school? The most popular students at my private high school were attractive and charismatic overachievers - academics, volunteering, clubs, and sports - and went on to good colleges, married well, the whole nine.

I went to a private HS, and I know you’re embellishing the truth.

Bless your cynical heart but we’re not embellishing anything on an anonymous board. Not saying our school was perfect but on the whole, alums are doing well. The most popular students at our school were the genuinely really nice All-American overachievers. None of them crashed and burned after high school. Maybe social currency at more working class schools was just stereotypical jock, class clown doofus, or bimbo hard partying cheerleader. I know those tropes from 80s and 90s movies but that’s not how it was at my high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most are doing just fine. There aren't really any notable graduates from my class.

There's one guy who is a minor actor. He had one speaking part in a big blockbuster movie, but the rest of his work has been small, nonspeaking roles and background work. He seems to have stopped acting according to his IMDB and has been producing and writing Indie stuff the past few years. Nothing I've heard of, and no actors attached to any of the projects that I recognize. I follow him on Instagram and saw that he's releasing a kid's book in 2025 but that's self-published.

But yeah, most just went to the usual VA colleges - UVA, Tech, JMU, GMU - and got normal 9-5 jobs. They married average spouses and have average families in the DMV area from what I see on social media.

One did make headlines 4 or 5 years ago (maybe longer) for embezzling money from the PTO, but it wasn't even an impressive amount, ha. Kind of like the equivalent of someone getting caught stealing the silverware at a fine dining establishment. Like, if you're going to do something wrong, DO IT WRONG. Don't steal and end up embezzling less than $18k over the years. That's embarrassing, IMO.

But please tell me why all the mean girls became nurses?? My parents still live in the same town where I grew up and several of my dad's doctors have nurses I graduated with. And every single one of them were the mean girls that were responsible for all the bullying and teasing. I had to go to urgent care when I was back home for a holiday maybe 10 years ago and I requested a new nurse because the one who came in was someone who bullied me SO much in middle school. Thanks but no thanks.

+1 Teachers and psychologists too.

Pink collar jobs.

Psychologists or therapists? Big difference

Pshaw. How can a teacher with a master's degree in math or chemistry or French be a pink collar job? Several of my HS teachers had Ph.Ds in their field; many also (like me) had multiple master's, i.e., Masters in Physics a plus master's in Science Education. Public school, too. Better pay and benefits than private.

That’s not most high school teachers. Did have it at Whitman.

But usually, everyone in public school education gets more degrees, so they can get more pay and benies. Online degrees and programs on the side are popular too.

Do it to also work half the hours doing special programs.

And eventually get that final juiced salary for retirement and go fulltime Administrator at a school or central office. Woo hoo!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most are doing just fine. There aren't really any notable graduates from my class.

There's one guy who is a minor actor. He had one speaking part in a big blockbuster movie, but the rest of his work has been small, nonspeaking roles and background work. He seems to have stopped acting according to his IMDB and has been producing and writing Indie stuff the past few years. Nothing I've heard of, and no actors attached to any of the projects that I recognize. I follow him on Instagram and saw that he's releasing a kid's book in 2025 but that's self-published.

But yeah, most just went to the usual VA colleges - UVA, Tech, JMU, GMU - and got normal 9-5 jobs. They married average spouses and have average families in the DMV area from what I see on social media.

One did make headlines 4 or 5 years ago (maybe longer) for embezzling money from the PTO, but it wasn't even an impressive amount, ha. Kind of like the equivalent of someone getting caught stealing the silverware at a fine dining establishment. Like, if you're going to do something wrong, DO IT WRONG. Don't steal and end up embezzling less than $18k over the years. That's embarrassing, IMO.

But please tell me why all the mean girls became nurses?? My parents still live in the same town where I grew up and several of my dad's doctors have nurses I graduated with. And every single one of them were the mean girls that were responsible for all the bullying and teasing. I had to go to urgent care when I was back home for a holiday maybe 10 years ago and I requested a new nurse because the one who came in was someone who bullied me SO much in middle school. Thanks but no thanks.

+1 Teachers and psychologists too.

Yes, nurses, teachers, and therapists are typical pink collar jobs.

[Anonymous]

So indeed, not pink collar. Teaching has not been pink collar in 50 years.

Everyone of my teacher friends in MoCo has a masters, at least. Also at home in my medium sized city.

Absolutely white collar professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recently got dinner with an old friend from high school. We were reminiscing about our high school days and started discussing the 'popular kids' who made us feel so insecure at the time and were somewhat mean. We realized that very few of them ended up doing much of anything, for example:

Girl 1: Never graduated college, works various part time jobs.
Girl 2: Despite always having a serious BF throughout HS/College (who always gave her elaborate promposals, fancy gifts, etc.) is unmarried - posts ad nauseam about various men and her relationships that never seem to last long.

It makes me realize how silly it was to care about these things back then.

What are the popular kids from your school days up to now?

Did you go to a working class public high school? The most popular students at my private high school were attractive and charismatic overachievers - academics, volunteering, clubs, and sports - and went on to good colleges, married well, the whole nine.

I went to a private HS, and I know you’re embellishing the truth.

Bless your cynical heart but we’re not embellishing anything on an anonymous board. Not saying our school was perfect but on the whole, alums are doing well. The most popular students at our school were the genuinely really nice All-American overachievers. None of them crashed and burned after high school. Maybe social currency at more working class schools was just stereotypical jock, class clown doofus, or bimbo hard partying cheerleader. I know those tropes from 80s and 90s movies but that’s not how it was at my high school.

In my 5000th ranked state hs back at home, we did not have teen movies stereotypical “popular kids”. The popular kids took effort to reach out to people and they were liked. That’s it. One drop dead gorgeous girl was on the soft ball team and she end up being admin in higher education.

[Anonymous]

When I went to jr high and high school in the 70s nearly all my teachers had a masters degree.

[Anonymous]

My group of friends was considered “popular” although I wouldn’t have considered myself “popular.” My best friends were considered very popular … but there were other “popular” cliques too. It seems like the popular guys ended up not doing very well (more or less). All the popular girls got married and had kids, although some are divorced now… I believe all of them work, mostly successful and upper middle class. No one is ultra wealthy.

[Anonymous]

no idea, but i am somewhat suprised by some of the "really smart kids" that haven't done much with their professional careers like I would have expected. Hope they are at least living happy lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I went to jr high and high school in the 70s nearly all my teachers had a masters degree.

You mean in an actual subject like math or biology or literature?

Or do you mean in “higher ed” or “ESOL” or “dyslexia” teaching or “education mgmt”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no idea, but i am somewhat suprised by some of the "really smart kids" that haven't done much with their professional careers like I would have expected. Hope they are at least living happy lives.

Spouse went to collegiate school in Manhattan. He continues to say no one is doing anything special. Every reunion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I went to jr high and high school in the 70s nearly all my teachers had a masters degree.

You mean in an actual subject like math or biology or literature?

Or do you mean in “higher ed” or “ESOL” or “dyslexia” teaching or “education mgmt”?

Today it’s the latter.

Throw in all the new XYZ studies one year master degree teachers too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So indeed, not pink collar. Teaching has not been pink collar in 50 years.

Everyone of my teacher friends in MoCo has a masters, at least. Also at home in my medium sized city.

Absolutely white collar professionals.

Where did they apply and attend for their masters degrees and what was the program or major in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My medium sized public school, the popular kids were the smart sporty honors class ones. Many are doing well and live all over the country and some in europe. Engineers, finance, consultants, sales.

Then popular looker type are still back in the hometown region, had kids early on and are out of shape.

Now we’re mid 40s and divorces are popping up but it’s. It with the smart popular types. Yet. It’s been with the high drama types.

This is exactly how it was with my LCPS high school in 2000. The popular kids were the smart, honors/AP kids along with the sporty-smart kids. The jock type sporty kids and the attractive popular airhead types were the more 'loser' types and the ones who are still living in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:no idea, but i am somewhat suprised by some of the "really smart kids" that haven't done much with their professional careers like I would have expected. Hope they are at least living happy lives.

That might be my kid one day. They are smart (super high stats), but doesn't have that drive to climb the corporate ladder. They want a nice work/life balance, and live a comfortable and UMC life like we do.