14 Signs of Winston Churchill High School PTSD
If you went to Winston Churchill High School in Potomac like I did, and (questionably, at times) consider yourself a proud alumnus of WCHS, then you know all too well what I like to call, “Churchill PTSD” is like.
A 17-year-old Stephanie graduating from High School at the WCHS Class of 2016 Commencement ceremony in Washington D.C.
Going to one of the country’s most highly ranked, rigorous public schools can take its toll on you. I mean… my academic stress from that school was so bad, that it’s made my college career seem like a piece of cake.
But that’s not all there is to it.
Here are 14 signs that you went to Winston Churchill High School and/or suffer from its aftermath:
1. You Still Calculate Your Grades Before You Take an Exam
“Let’s see, if I have a 92 in the class, and I’ve got 100% in the homework category which is 10% of my grade, and I’ve got an 86% in formative assignments which is 40% of my grade and a 96% in summative assignments which is 50% of my grade… that means I can get a 67% on this last test and still get an A in the class!”
Sound familiar?
2. Refreshing Edline (and if you went on to College Park – Elms)
You know you went to Winston Churchill High School if Edline was one of your most visited websites.
I think I checked Edline, the website where our grades would be updated every day with quizzes, tests, and homework assignments… more often that I texted people…
I found a screenshot from edline from my junior year at WCHS!
No… I know, I checked Edline more often, then I texted people.
3. Wearing Oversized Sweatshirts, Black Leggings, and Ugg Boots
I rarely saw a girl at Churchill dressed in… well, actual clothes that people wear to leave their house.
I stuck out like a sore thumb when I went to Churchill. The peak era of my girly, country inspired attire… I would go to school nearly every day dolled up in fringy jewelry, bohemian dresses, circle skirts, and high heeled boots.
Whereas my peers made a t-shirt and jeans the new business causal.
If you find yourself finding it okay to leave the house in a grey oversized sweatshirt, black leggings, and a pair of Ugg Boots…
… honey, you’re in a deep hole that you have yet to dig yourself out of.
4. 16-year-olds Freaking Out About Their Futures…
… for no reason. You were surrounded by the byproduct of constant pressure created by parents trying to persuade them to be dentists, doctors, or lawyers… and that if they were none of the above, that they wouldn’t amount to much.
It makes you start to think that what you want to do with your life is futile. Rest assured, with time and discovery, this one does go away.
I’m trying to be a famous writer, travel the world, and move to Paris while making a “shitty” salary.
Come sue me, Potomac!
5. You’ve Heard the Phrase, “I’m Literally Going to Fail” a Million Times…
… which is Winston Churchill High School lingo for,
“I only studied for one hour instead of three and I’m going to get a 92 instead of a 98 on this test.”
Whenever I hear someone say that, whether they’re being serious or not, it takes me back to a not-so-great-time.
6. Cal Tor and Dunkin’ Donuts
Your classmates would walk into class with their leftovers from California Tortilla and their one-pump-sugar-free-iced-vanilla-lattes from Dunkin’ Donuts.
I mean… did you even leave campus for lunch unless you came back with proof…?!
7. Your Friends Lived in Mansions
And you’re still trying to remind yourself that that’s not the normal, standard size for a house.
Nearly four years after graduation, you’re trying to reassure yourself that there’s nothing wrong with your cozy little kitchen and half-bathroom off to the side.
8. Waking Up Early No Longer Phases You
Winston Churchill trains you early for a long life intended to be lived in the DMV… that it makes your college schedule seem like a waking dream.
My college class doesn’t start till 10AM?!
Oh, well, where I went to high school, I had to be in my seat when the bell rang at 7:25 in the morning, so…
9. You Fear Going to Montgomery Mall
Especially during the summer, because that’s when you know that the chances are the highest of you running into that,
‘she-was-kind-of-nice-and-my-chemistry-lab-partner-but-we-weren’t-friends-outside-of-class’
girl who you would have to make small talk with and pretend that you actually care about her college life post grad.
10. You Memorized the Final Exam Table
“I can go ‘AAC’, or ‘BBD’, but dammit, I went ‘BA’ so I have to go ‘BAA’…”
11. You Miss the 50% Rule
That’s the one thing you wish you could’ve taken with you to college!
12. You Thought Hard About How to Escape the Pep Rallies
And then realized that unless you lived within walking distance to school and were capable of climbing over the fence in a matter of minutes… that it was hopeless.
Besides, do you really feel like pulling one over Jerry…?
13. Homecoming & Prom Was Not About the Dance
It was about the ‘promposal’, the pictures, whether you were taking a limo or a party bus…
WCHS Homecoming Theme; Fall 2013
… and changing your Facebook profile picture to keep up with the latest formal event.
14. You Know Better Than Anyone that there Is So Much More to Life Than High School
I don’t think there’s anyone that went to WCHS who really wishes that they could go back. Most people I have seen post grad, understand now that the academic pressure was too much for any teenager to handle.
On the bright side, we’ve all been stretched so thin at such a young age, that we’re more resilient to handle the tough stuff that life throws at us…
… and that’s, how you really know that you are once, and somehow always, a bulldog.