I was a student at this school from 1988 to 1990 as a junior and senior. Despite enduring the most difficult times of my life at this facility, I admit the building is very nice, one of the better looking schools I've been to as a student. Like in my previous high school and in grammar school, I was a major target for being picked on. At the time, I wasn't considered hip and popular because I wore glasses and didn't wear the trendy clothing. I'm very glad I survived this and graduated from here. Although many celebrites have been joining the anti-bullying campaign in recent years, I'm pretty sure bullying still occurs at this school. I was mainly bullied verbally. There were malicious things said about me in some classes and whenever I was out in the halls. It hurt me very much that it almost gave me the feeling that my future wasn't bright.
Even though I was picked on, there were some students who were civil to me and wanted to be friends with me. Unfortunately, I never developed long lasting friendships with them, but I do remember them and I'm always thankful that they took the time to chat with me and enlighten my mood. I especially enjoyed having conversations with some of my female classmates. Since I was very shy back then and rarely initiated chats, I didn't speak to many girls. As an adult, I've had many female friends. Whenever I comtemplate my time in this school, I always think that I should've talked to more girls, whom I perceived as affable and would've been good friends with me. I felt it would've alleviate the stress I was dealing with in doing well in my classes and the males who were picking on me. It wasn't necessary for me to befriend the popular girls because they were friends with the males I couldn't stand. As long as the girls were affable, they would've been good for me to be friends with.
I liked seeing the female students wearing high top or low top white Reebok Classic Freestyle shoes. The Reebok Freestyle was very popular for girls at the time I was a student here and many girls at the school wore them along with shorts or blue jeans. They looked good in them. What was funny was that a handful of them wore their Reeboks with the laces tied, but part of the lace had contact with the floor. I recall one day seeing one girl wearing white low top Reebok Freestyles. She was in the hall when the day ended. The hall was crowded with students. The white shoestring of her Reeboks was tied, but a portion of it was dragging on the floor. The more she walked, the lace began to come undone. The girl looked down on her untied shoestring, which were moving like spaghetti noodles. But she didn't stop to tie them as she was in the crowd. The girl kept walking as her untied Reebok shoestring was moving around. It was amusing to see. I think this girl was as old or older than me.
One of the few bright things regarding this school was it offered a wide array of classes. I remember taking quite a bit of them. Photography was interesting and exciting. Unfortunately, my performance in this class was a disappointment. But I did take photos of interesting subjects. I also liked the Foods class. I enjoyed the diverse types of foods we cooked and ate even though I felt I could've cooked more of the items. It's just that other people in my group wouldn't let me, which was frustrating. Physical Education also offered a variety of activities although I mostly chose weight training because it was something I was comfortable with. I did partake in the other PE activities, but was intimidated by the athletic talents (mostly males) of the other students.
I was also intimidated by some of the other students in certain classes who did well in the schoolwork and were talkative. When I wasn't doing good in some classes, I always placed pressure on myself to do better and to be in the same level as the other students who were doing great. I struggled with Accounting, Economics, Advanced Algebra, and a literature class where I had to read the classics. I should've enjoyed that literature class, but I couldn't because at the time, I had difficulty with reading comprehension. Although I did poorly in Advanced Algebra, my teacher was always affable with me. He never was upset with me despite my performance in the class and encouraged me to improve. But there were a handful of classes I did excellent in and received A's, writing composition and the Foods class. My teachers in these classes enjoyed having me and treated me like a teacher's pet.
Naperville Central was a tough experience for me overall. A lot of it was due to getting accustomed to a new school after my first two years at Aurora Central. But whenever I contemplate my time here, I felt it could've been better. Yet, I'm glad I survived it and graduated from here and moved on to greater pastures such as getting college degrees & working in TV, radio, and at other great companies. read more
