It has come to my attention that attending an all-girls high school is not everyone’s norm. It was mine because my mom and aunts and cousins all attended my high school. For me, that’s just how it was and I never questioned it. If you are weirded out by this path of life or you also attended a single-gender academy and want to reminisce with me, this one’s for you.
1. All of the presidents, captains, editors-in-chief and other student leaders were girls
In society today, it seems that women sometimes struggle to have the confidence needed to take on large jobs because of the stigma associated with them. I think that I have a bit more trust in myself and in women in power because at my high school all the leaders were female. I know it sounds corny but this really does help my perspective on what I know I can do.
2. I never had to worry about my appearance at school.
Not having to worry about shaving, doing my hair or even picking out an outfit was awesome. Messy buns were always a go-to on tough mornings. When I had a lot of work to do I could focus on what mattered not fixing myself to look good (not that my appearance matters only when boys are around, but it took away the pressure off). I took that prioritization into college. I know the what matters as I walk across campus is my knowledge and skills, not necessarily my prettiest leggings and cute tanks.
3. The bonds were serious.
The connections and relationships I made at my high school are something I treasure more than anything. Being together every day from 7:30am-2pm was so fulfilling to the point where most of my close-knit class of 200 girls were crying on our last day
4. If it was your time of the month, everyone understood.
Plenty of thanks go out to girls that had your back when I needed it. It was always lifesaving but never surprising that someone had exactly what you needed.
5. Girl talk was continuous.
You know the convos, the ones that translate now to over a wine bottle with your girls in PJs or over coffee at a fabulous cafe. Those kinds of no boundaries conversations happened all the time. Getting things off my chest and hearing the latest gossip was a great great time. It was nice to have that freedom of talking about whatever we wanted.
6. We were very “extra.”
Most class projects at my school might as well have been used to decorate the Sistine Chapel with their elaborate details. Having outstanding bubble letter was pretty much a requirement for graduation. We girls took crafting and designing very seriously. In my high school, and as far as I can tell in many other all-girls’ schools, we competed against other classes in many different art-related challenges. Whether it was endless hours of decorating or choreographing the perfect routine to outshine the rest of the school, we were so serious about going above and beyond. This normalcy associated with being this committed to creating projects I was proud of has continued into all the things I do now.
All images courtesy of Pinterest.