Unrealistic High School Expectations

       As a child, I, and many other children from my generation, worshiped the worldwide phenomenon, High School Musical 1, 2, and 3. Most people, myself included, could quote, sing, and dance alongside Troy, and Gabriella. What we did not know, was the heartbreak that was included in this elaborate misconception of false hope.

The first and most blatant lie throughout the entire movie series:
Celebrating? Song and Dance!
Sad? Passive aggressive song and violent actions toward walls and imaginary people!
Meeting for the first time? You guessed it, song and dance!
Lunch time? Song and Dance!
Didn't get the part you wanted in the play? Revenge song and Dance!
Conflicted? Why not song and dance it out?!

       Although I love these movies, they gave me a false hope in the realm of high school. Coming into freshman year, I was unhappily stunned with the lack of enthusiasm, more or less music that was not echoing though the halls. I am still waiting for the day that we jazz square and skip down the halls to an upbeat pop song.

Second lie throughout HSM:
Super talented (and attractive) jock boy is conveniently a super great singer, who just so happens to get the super smart, beautiful girl who also happens to be vocally gifted.

       This was one of the more devastating realities of Kennedy high school, that no super hot, athletic, vocally gifted male would go for a girl who is smart and actively involved in music. Being that I associate myself as one of these girls, it came as a real shock that high school was not in fact as fantastic as everyone made it seem, more specifically, how High School Musical made it seem.

Finally the amount of social time throughout the day/week:
Always just chilling in the halls
Never doing anything after school except hanging with friends, or your girlfriend
Constantly late to class due to plotting revenge against someone
Super fun and relaxing lunch with appetizing food choices<-- very important difference

       The last few misconceptions of high school may have been some of the more disappointing parts of my career. Me personally never have time to chill in the halls unless I have some sort of death wish due to the overcrowding, smelly, and slow moving pace at which people choose to move. Afterschool, the things I would do to be able to nap, or hang out, after school, but unfortunately the reality of this is far from the truth. in the after hours of school I am, working, doing homework, studying, at practice for soccer or show choir, in a quartet rehearsal for chamber, or performing other humanly functions required in a days time, I do not have time to hang with friends. If I were late to class I'd get a detention so that's incorrect and stupid, and it was not appreciated. Lunch is stressful and filled with homework because I don't want to do it when I get home, so it's basically the exact opposite of everything the movie was. Plus the food is gross and looks regurgitated.

       I do love Kennedy, and the high school experience, but Disney may need to do a little bit more research next time they are doing a movie based on high school, because as far as I'm concerned, its filled with minimal sleep, lack of food, cramming, a wee bit of fun, and a lot of memories good and bad. High school rocks, but get your facts straight Disney!

"...it all started because of a mouse." -Walt Disney