This had to be the worst school year I had while growing up. I was spoiled when I attended Sifton Elementary school. I had great friends and great teachers which was missing for the most part when I went to Junior High.
During the sixth grade we were visited by the three main Junior High schools recruiting sixth graders to attend there respective schools. I had a choice between Killarney, Balwin and Steele Heights. And I made the unfortunate decision to attend Killarney. This has to go down as one of the worst decisions I have ever made in life. I honestly don't know why I chose Killarney. None of my friends decided to go there and my sister went there and hated it. So I have no clue why I decided to go there.
Their mascot was a Leprechaun. It really should have been Lucifer.
Killarney was not fun at all. While there were a few bright spots, they were rare and didn't last very long. I have already blogged about some of the experiences I had.
I didn't know anyone in my class except for this girl that was in my class the year before and we were not friends. I hate to say this now that I am older but we didn't like her because she smelled and dressed in rags. I should have been nicer to her but honestly it was a relief when she was picked on since they were picking on her and not me. I didn't make any fast friends but I was fortunate to help this new guy with his homework. Rob turned into one of the cool guys and because I helped him with his homework I was not picked on as much.
There was Shelley. She was friends with some of the cool people (Rob's girlfriend) that ran our school and she liked me. I didn't really like her in return but I did like the meager protection my relationship with her offered. It protected me from quite a few altercations.
There was also the time when I was framed and almost killed for trying to be accepted. Most of the days I spent at Killarney I was in fear. Waiting for something bad to happen and typically something would. I was bullied most of the times and I didn't get along with many of my teachers. My grades suffered big time and I was failing most of my subjects. I just was not happy.
I did have a few good teachers, Miss Spicer and Mrs. Evans were always there to lend a hand and smile at me. If it wasn't for those teachers I would have probably died. But at least I wouldn't fear hell since I was already attending Killarney.
That is me on the left in my favorite Van Halen jersey. That was my only picture in the yearbook. I missed school pictures that year.
One of the few bright spots at Killarney was riding the bus to school. I would catch the bus and I would sit by this girl named Debbie. She was a couple of years older than I was but she remembered me from Sifton. So every time I would get on the bus she would move her school bag so I could sit down. If the bus was really crowded she would let me sit on her lap. Yeah, I took my small victories when I could!
My mom knew that I was not having a great time at Killarney. My mom worked at the Diet Center (which was across the street and down the block from my school) and I used to stop by every once in awhile to visit during my lunch hour. I remember fondly one day she told me not to go back to school. I didn't go back that afternoon and we went out and got lunch and mom took me to some comic book shops. Mom could always tell when I needed a break.
I even remember what comics I got when I went out with mom. This one was my favorite. It gave sneak peaks of upcoming titles.
Killarney had a Science Fair which I told my parents about the night before. We stood up way into the wee hours of the morning making a project. I chose the planet Mars and we made a very cool paper mache planet while my dad built a stand and poster boards. I got an A on the project. Good thing my family was there to help me.
I will say that Killareny was a place where I had some "firsts". Killarney is where I had my first major fist fight. It was at the Clairview Bus Station. This kid named Tyler was really picking on me and I had enough. I swung and punched him in the back of his head knocking him on his knees. He got up and quickly turned to me and went insane. He knocked me down and grabbed the back of my head and pounded it into the concrete multiple times. A couple of adults pulled him off of me and I caught the bus as normal. I was so full of adrenaline that I didn't notice the blood and cuts on my head. One kid saw that I was bleeding and asked what happened and I told him. This kid (who I didn't know) was friends with Rob and he gathered a few guys and they beat the crap out of Tyler. They really did a number on him. Looking back I feel bad that he really took a beating but that was life in the 7th grade. Better him than me, you do what you have to do to survive.
Killarney was also the first place where I was offered drugs. Across the street was a Mac's (like a 7-11 store) and we used to go over there during lunch. It was there I was offered hash. I politely said "no" and he asked if there was anything else I would like to try. I said "no" and moved on. Most of the kids in my class smoked and I tried my first cigarette. Funny thing about that is I didn't know you breathed in the smoke into your lungs. I did not inhale. I just drew the smoke into my mouth and blew it out.
Killarney was also the first time that I kissed a girl. It was on the last day of school and I kissed her on the cheek. Her name was Lori and she moved in halfway through the year. She was very cute and she made friends with cool kids and she liked me. So once again I got more protection but this time I had someone I liked on my arm. So at least my last month of the seventh grade was mostly peaceful. I pulled my grades up enough to pass the seventh grade.
But then I got some bittersweet news. The sweet news was that was my last year at Killarney. The bad news was that I was moving to another country!
