Recap of Living Out Loud volume 21: Back to school

I asked for cheesy high school photos and you all delivered in spades! So let's get to them: Grace's The me I used to be I was tall and also sucked at basketball. My 6'9" friend would reply when asked if he played basketball, "No, do you play miniature golf?" :) So many versions of you! I love the last photo, though. The look on your face is great.

Candice's If high school was now... I would be a Facebook addict too. I'm happy to have experienced high school pre-Internet, but wouldn't necessarily say it was better that way. :)

Rachel's High school reunion I love hearing the difference between high school you and college you. And it doesn't sound like your high school was worth going back to. We're happy you're here with us now.

Peggy's Late for Breakfast Club Holy crap, best prom photos ever. And good for you for organizing the reunions.

Erin's No Scrub Left Behind Hehe, I went to Smarty Pants School too. You say you endured. That reminds me of the Indigo Girls song "I spent 4 years prostrate to the higher mind, got my paper and I was free."

SuziCate's I Wish I Had Known Then ... "I wish I had known then that the me I was hiding was much nicer than the me I was pretending to be. I wish I had know then that I really was ok." That should be on t-shirts and handed out at high schools.

Megan's Dandelion Seeds: the story I've never told It's a very looong post, but read it all. The last few paragraphs made me cry.

Ruth's Thanks, Teach' "In his presence, I felt like I could be good." That's probably the dream of most teachers.

Karal's Reflections of Acceptance Welcome back, Karal! My GPA in college was on par with your high school one and I turned out okay. And I'm glad after having no voice back then you've found one.

And my own The me I used to be

I loved everyone's entries. I love the diversity of what you all covered, how you all interpreted it. I love how some of you feel very different than high school and some feel pretty much the same.

But mostly I love that through these entries I feel closer to all of you. In particular, I loved Megan's post. Her entry (the part after the cut) was exactly what I hoped Living Out Loud could be. The catharsis she got from it and the supportive comments just make it all the better.

So Megan is our winner this month. She'll get the customary $25 Amazon gift certificate and our high fives for a job well done. Thank you all for participating, reading and commenting. You are what makes this little project so worthwhile. I already know the next topic so stay tuned for more on that this week!