What Was Written On Me
The highlight of my senior year
by Julia Greenwald
OH YEAH!
Woo!
College guuuurl!
Meli’s roomie!
Nom nom nom
Publik Skool got into college!
You rule Packers 4 eva!
Roses are red; violets are blue; Julia’s in college, WHAT NOW?
A Brazilian/Graded tradition, being written on was one of the many things I was looking forward to as a rising senior. As a sophomore, I remember seeing my senior teammates on the softball and basketball teams proudly strut into practice, their faces covered with the names of universities like Duke, GW and AUP. Later on, as a junior, I witnessed the very act itself, as girls would squeal and hug each other on the Senior Lawn at 8:00 am, the only time they were happy to be at school, to write on each others faces. I knew senior year would be full of unique experiences – senior spirit week, wearing senior hoodies everyday, prom, the awards ceremony – yet nothing excited me more then the prospects of college, and it’s confirmation through washable markers.
As my days as a junior slowly ticked by, I got more and more excited. However, as summer approached, it began to dawn on me how before I got written on, I had to actually apply to college. I went through all the stages of applying to college – excitement, when you finalize your list and begin to fill in the ‘fun’ parts of the Common App; anxiousness, when you see how some schools have multiple supplements you must complete; desperate fear, when you start thinking about acceptance rates and class sizes are convinced you won’t get in anywhere, and finally acceptance, when you’re too tired to revise for the fiftieth time, and you finally click send. It was being written on, however, that pushed me through the college essays, supplements and fiascos of financial aid, and guided my mouse to the ‘send’ button.
Now, as an ‘almost alum’, (I get giddy, nervous and teary eyed just writing it) I realize how important getting written on was. Updating your status on facebook, and getting various BBM’s from your friends is nice once that fat envelope rolls in, however nothing compares to that feeling when you close your eyes and feel the thick tip of a colored marker tickle your skin. There is no greater mystery then what is being written on you, as your friends grin slyly, using your skin as their canvas. And there is no greater emotion then walking down the hallways, and having people look at you, smile, and congratulate you on your college acceptance; and maybe even take the time to read you.
Being written on however became more then just an experience and right of passage, but became an epiphany. Never had I imagined that a freshman would congratulate me on a college acceptance, and that I would seek them out to write on me, because he promised he would. Never did I see myself playing a softball game with silly jargon all over my body, let alone have it become a game day tradition. And the thought of me and my friends having the same universities written on us on the same days slipped my mind, and brought tears to my eyes in the senior lawn.
I also came to realize how this tradition sets us apart from other seniors around the world. One of my closest friends lives in New York City, and attends a public magnet school in Manhattan. When we skyped recently, coincidentally on a day I had been accepted into college, and has colorful marker all over my face, she asked me, rather hesitantly, what was wrong with my face. I proceeded to explain our college tradition to her, and she listened patiently to my rambling about how fun it was and how I loved being written on. She told me that at her school, it wasn’t really a big deal, and only your closest friends congratulated you, be it in person, or maybe on facebook. Similarly, another friend of mine who left Graded mentioned to me that she attempted to explain to her new friends the concept of writing on each other after a college acceptance, but that they didn’t get it and weren’t really excited by the idea. I later printed a photo of her face, and wrote all over it for her.
Juniors, enjoy being written on. And even for boys, being shaved. It may seem silly, or even routine, but it means so much more then just ‘getting into college.’ It represents a tradition that truly belongs to Graded, and a feeling of accomplishment, happiness and pride that no other seniors will ever experience. Seniors, I hope you have taken many photos of your shaved heads and colorful faces, because they are unique to our senior year, and our high school careers. Plus, who doesn’t want “OH YEAH” written all over their body anyway?
College guuuurl!
Meli’s roomie!
Nom nom nom
Publik Skool got into college!
You rule Packers 4 eva!
Roses are red; violets are blue; Julia’s in college, WHAT NOW?
A Brazilian/Graded tradition, being written on was one of the many things I was looking forward to as a rising senior. As a sophomore, I remember seeing my senior teammates on the softball and basketball teams proudly strut into practice, their faces covered with the names of universities like Duke, GW and AUP. Later on, as a junior, I witnessed the very act itself, as girls would squeal and hug each other on the Senior Lawn at 8:00 am, the only time they were happy to be at school, to write on each others faces. I knew senior year would be full of unique experiences – senior spirit week, wearing senior hoodies everyday, prom, the awards ceremony – yet nothing excited me more then the prospects of college, and it’s confirmation through washable markers.
As my days as a junior slowly ticked by, I got more and more excited. However, as summer approached, it began to dawn on me how before I got written on, I had to actually apply to college. I went through all the stages of applying to college – excitement, when you finalize your list and begin to fill in the ‘fun’ parts of the Common App; anxiousness, when you see how some schools have multiple supplements you must complete; desperate fear, when you start thinking about acceptance rates and class sizes are convinced you won’t get in anywhere, and finally acceptance, when you’re too tired to revise for the fiftieth time, and you finally click send. It was being written on, however, that pushed me through the college essays, supplements and fiascos of financial aid, and guided my mouse to the ‘send’ button.
Now, as an ‘almost alum’, (I get giddy, nervous and teary eyed just writing it) I realize how important getting written on was. Updating your status on facebook, and getting various BBM’s from your friends is nice once that fat envelope rolls in, however nothing compares to that feeling when you close your eyes and feel the thick tip of a colored marker tickle your skin. There is no greater mystery then what is being written on you, as your friends grin slyly, using your skin as their canvas. And there is no greater emotion then walking down the hallways, and having people look at you, smile, and congratulate you on your college acceptance; and maybe even take the time to read you.
Being written on however became more then just an experience and right of passage, but became an epiphany. Never had I imagined that a freshman would congratulate me on a college acceptance, and that I would seek them out to write on me, because he promised he would. Never did I see myself playing a softball game with silly jargon all over my body, let alone have it become a game day tradition. And the thought of me and my friends having the same universities written on us on the same days slipped my mind, and brought tears to my eyes in the senior lawn.
I also came to realize how this tradition sets us apart from other seniors around the world. One of my closest friends lives in New York City, and attends a public magnet school in Manhattan. When we skyped recently, coincidentally on a day I had been accepted into college, and has colorful marker all over my face, she asked me, rather hesitantly, what was wrong with my face. I proceeded to explain our college tradition to her, and she listened patiently to my rambling about how fun it was and how I loved being written on. She told me that at her school, it wasn’t really a big deal, and only your closest friends congratulated you, be it in person, or maybe on facebook. Similarly, another friend of mine who left Graded mentioned to me that she attempted to explain to her new friends the concept of writing on each other after a college acceptance, but that they didn’t get it and weren’t really excited by the idea. I later printed a photo of her face, and wrote all over it for her.
Juniors, enjoy being written on. And even for boys, being shaved. It may seem silly, or even routine, but it means so much more then just ‘getting into college.’ It represents a tradition that truly belongs to Graded, and a feeling of accomplishment, happiness and pride that no other seniors will ever experience. Seniors, I hope you have taken many photos of your shaved heads and colorful faces, because they are unique to our senior year, and our high school careers. Plus, who doesn’t want “OH YEAH” written all over their body anyway?
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