In a small town, or small school, no one dies famous. You know everyone and they know you. This is a great experience that doesn't always end well, but you all come out together as one. A small school is a bonding experience, and after it is all over you will always miss it. The greatest memories were made in that one hallway building with all 12 of your classmates. They were made at homecoming where the excitement of the basketball game was felt in every member of that school. They were made at prom when a bunch of us were shoved in one room to dance till we couldn't breathe anymore. Small schools are memorable.
1. You know everyone and they know you.
I can tell you everything you want to know about every single person in my graduating class. If anyone needs to know what my classmates' middle name is, or what hospital they were born at, I got you. I may not want to know that much about them, but it is stuck in my brain for the rest of my life.
2. Sports teams take the whole school.
The softball team consists of every girl in the ninth grade to the 12th grade. If there was a student who decided to opt out of this great team bonding experience, than they always regretted it after the first game Snapchat video was uploaded. Basketball games were more like wars between the parents of one rival school to another, alumni reunions and everyone decked out in school spirit. The sports teams consisted of students, coaches, parents and alumni.
3. The size of your graduating class is a joke.
I am constantly laughed at when I say how small my graduating class was. I receive multiple stares, and I am always asked, "Wait, are you serious?" and, "Wow, you must have known everyone." Yes, I am serious. Yes, I knew everyone. I would not trade knowing all of my classmates for only knowing a few. We may be small, but we are fierce. That's Shakespeare, right?
4. Lack of choice in the opposite sex.
Prom? Date night? After basketball game picture? There were not enough choices. There was always one really cute guy in each grade and he was usually taken by a girl from the local big school. The choices were be single or date from the rival school, and both sounded horrible at the time.
5. There are no goodbyes.
Everyone seems to believe that after graduation no one will see each other ever again, and for some bigger schools, this is true. In a small school, we will all see each other again. Of course we say our goodbye's at graduation, and we all cry, but really we will see each other at next season's first baseball game, homecoming and alumni softball game.
6. Teachers are and were your friends.
I had at least three teachers in high school that I was actually good friends with. One of them I even went to elementary school with, which is really weird. It made class that much more fun for all of us. I absolutely loved it, and I am sure it made grading assignments harder on them.
7. You get caught.
It's 100 degrees outside, so you think you can sneak by with wearing short shorts and a tank top that isn't three fingers in width. Think again. There was only one hallway in my school, so there was no way I could dive, dip or hide from the principal enforcing these dress codes.
8. Prom is held in the cafeteria.
Actually, my prom was held in a cafetorium which is the combination of cafeteria and auditorium. It sounds horrible and really cramped, but it was actually tons of fun. If you put 70 kids in one small room with dancing music, then of course it will be fun. I have never seen so many teachers two-step in my life.
9. One mistake lands you on the front page.
This goes back to my first point, but it is such a common moment for small schools that I had to state it again. If you make one little mistake such as driving too fast in the parking lot, making an F on a test or anything drama related, the whole school will know in about two minutes. All the parents and faculty will know, too. Everyone in that town and their dog will know.
10. Graduation is 100 times more emotional.
So, at my graduation ceremony of twelve students, we all cried like babies. There was a moment right before we graduated where we gave roses to our loved ones. After we all had done that we stood in a line and we all looked at each other. Every single one of us were crying and we turned around and graduated. It was amazing.
11. We are a family.
Yes, we fight. Yes, we get tired of each other. Yes, we graduated and we still talk. There was nothing like coming together to win the basketball game, or extending love when a fellow friend has been hurt. No matter the circumstance, we are a family.
