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Publication Date: Friday, June 11, 2004 Alta Vista seniors reflect on last four years
Alta Vista seniors reflect on last four years
(June 11, 2004) Teens share memories, laughs and even dish a little dirt
By Julie O'Shea
Sixty-one students received diplomas during Alta Vista High School's graduation ceremony June 9. Alta Vista is the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District's continuation school.
Last week, four of its graduates sat down with the Voice to talk about high school life and what comes next.
Jessica Casey, 17, plans to take nursing classes this fall at Foothill Community College. Juan Zamora, 17, will go to De Anza college and hopes to transfer to San Jose State University. Elyse Wittler, 18, says she'll get her general education requirements out of the way at Foothill before transferring to UCLA. Casey Blackketter, 18, will also go to Foothill in the fall before transferring to San Jose State University to pursue a degree in engineering.
Voice: You are graduating next week. Are you excited?
Juan: Yup.
Elyse: I am ready for it to be over with. (Laughs.)
Jessica: I'm not. I'm like the only one who's not.
Casey: I am. I am ready to get out of here.
Voice, to Jessica: Why aren't you ready?
Jessica: 'Cause, I don't know. It's kind of dumb, but I actually like school. Not because of the homework or anything like that, but ...
Elyse: It's not that I don't like school. I'm just ready for high school to be over with.
Juan: Yeah. Definitely.
Elyse: Four long years. They're done now.
Juan: Too long.
Voice: Too long?
Casey: Definitely too long.
Juan: It's hard to believe that it's already here. It's over next week, you know? Everyone's getting ready to move on, do their own thing.
Voice: When you were freshmen -- can you remember that?
Jessica: Oh, God.
Elyse: Yeah. (Laughs.) ... Actually all four of us went to the same school.
Voice: Where did you all go to school?
Elyse: Mountain View High School.
Voice: OK. So, freshman year to now -- can you believe it?
Casey: No.
Juan: I didn't think it was going to happen junior year.
Elyse: I knew it was going to happen. I didn't know I was going to end up at Alta Vista ... but I knew it was going to happen.
Voice: Sixty-one students graduating. That's really small, comparatively.
Elyse: We have a small school.
Voice: And so would you say that you are tight?
Casey: I think, in general, as far as all the seniors are concerned. I think I'm familiar with more of the seniors now than I would have been at Mountain View. ... There are so few of us, we get to know everybody.
Elyse: At Mountain View, I was acquainted with people, but I really didn't talk to them.
Voice: So, what's defined high school for you? If you had to pick a year, a moment or a teacher?
Elyse: OK. So, for a teacher, Mrs. (Jodi) Disario. This year's been so weird; she's become one of my closest friends. We spend so much time together. It's not funny, and it's kind of embarrassing to admit that. (Laughs.) But, she's one of my best friends.
Voice: How about you, Juan?
Juan: I've had a lot of teachers help me. This year, there was a close chance of me not graduating, but I pulled it off in time.
Casey: I think senior year in general was more or less pretty memorable to me. Everything I did, extracurricular, happened this year.
Elyse: Yeah, Casey was in sports and robotics and leadership, and what else were you in?
Casey: The AIDS Show (Alta Vista's first play).
Jessica: My senior year was the most memorable, but it also was the one that went by the fastest.
Voice: Do you have any dirt to dish, like an embarrassing moment for a teacher?
Casey: We've had teachers who kiss pigs.
Elyse: Mrs. Disario. She kissed a pig.
Casey: We've had teachers who dress up in tutus and pink frilly things and dance around on all the tables.
Elyse: Mr. (Don) Prier.
Jessica: We have people who sing in front of audiences, like Mr. (Bill) Pierce, (the high school's principal), at the AIDS Show.
Elyse: Oh, yeah, Mr. Pierce sings. He sings really, really well, too.
Casey: Yeah, that was scary.
Elyse: Mr. Pierce is good.
Jessica: I didn't look at him as our principal after that.
Voice: What do you think you are going to be thinking about when you are walking down the aisle?
Jessica: This is not real.
Juan: I'm going to be thinking about just, like, all my friends and stuff.
Elyse: I'm going to be thinking, 'Do not trip and fall on your face. Do not trip and fall on your face.' ... I'm really clumsy, so I know I'm going to fall. I have this weird feeling. So, we'll see.
Jessica: Don't wear high heels, then. Maybe wear some tennies.
Elyse: I'm not going to wear tennis shoes with my dress.
Jessica: I am.
Elyse: In my cute pink dress -- I am not wearing tennis shoes with it. And besides my mom would shoot me.
E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com
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