TOP 5: HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOLS

To cap off our Back-To-School Week we're showing off our Top 5 Hollywood high schools. No, these aren't actual schools in Hollywood, CA, but just our favorite schools on film... in no particular order.

Sunnydale (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is not a high school we'd actually like to attend, but one we definitely enjoy watching. This school lost so many students (and one principal) to demons, werewolves, lake monsters, ghosts, witchcraft, people possessed by hyenas, giant bugs, and of course vampires. With kids dying every week, there's no way we'd want to go to school there. Still, we'd love to be a part of the Scooby gang and hang out with Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz and occasionally Cordelia and Angel. Oh and we can't forget Giles in the library. That school may have a low survival rate, but they have an awesome library.

John Adams High (Boy Meets World) is a much safer school. Even if Harley and the other bullies start picking on you, Mr. Turner and Mr. Feeny will always be there to bail you out. Seriously, how cool was Mr. Turner? A motorcyling English teacher who has an earring, mullet and tight pants? Awesome. And we could never say enough about Mr. Feeny. He's the ultimate teacher/principal/next door neighbor/college professor. We'd probably watch an entirely separate series just about Mr. Feeny and Eric. That'd be a good spin off.  Anyway, this is a really low-risk high school where everybody generally gets along and learns life lessons together.

Rydell (Grease) is one of those classic 1950s high schools where everybody is either a square or a greaser and if you're from one group (caste, maybe?) you can't hang out with anybody from the opposite group. If you wear a leather jacket, you can't be with someone in a letter jacket. You know, the same type of school as in Crybaby. I love Danny Zucko's (don't pretend you don't know who he is) behavior in high school sports. What's funny about this particular musical (besides the fact that I can actually watch this one without wishing I was doing something else) is that Danny (greaser) tries to change himself into a square to appeal to Sandy while she's trying to change herself into into a leather wearer.

Rushmore (Rushmore) is just fun. They have EVERYTHING there! And if they don't, it's apparently pretty easy to start a new club- fencing, kite flying, debate team, trap and skeet team, stamp and coin club, bombardment society, lacrosse, model UN, bee keeping,  and the plays were EPIC! No wonder Max put all of his effort and energy into this school - or at least the extra-curricular activities. PS check out this awesome pencil set. Too bad it sold over a year ago...

Any John Hughes high school. They're all pretty much the same right? Just the most extreme examples of public schools in the 80s. Instead of greasers vs squares, we have jocks vs criminals vs rich kids vs weirdos vs nerds and whoever else. In the end, the students usually end up learning that life is more than stereotypes, but they do nothing to actually change the system. Even in Breakfast Club after the kids all become friends during detention, they acknowledge that they will not remain friends when the new school week starts. Maybe that's the truest lesson of Back-To-School week - you need to know yourself, be true to yourself, try to have fun and treat everyone with respect regardless of clique or caste, even if you can't break down and change the stereotypes inherent in high school.

Hope you enjoyed our first theme week!
xo
Nate and Janae