Photograph: High School Life

The photographs will be taken next week for my school’s magazine. It is during this time that the students will start having insecurities and think about how they should smile or whether they should get a haircut or not. Most students will probably freak out and wonder whether they will look good when the school magazine finally comes out. The photography sessions are one of the crucial times in a high school student’s year. They will do their best to impress themselves and also that certain someone whom they have a crush on. It is during these photography sessions that we realized who we are.

It is during this time that we know whether we are active or what kind of person we are in school. For those popular kids, their faces will probably appear in every single society that they joined. For those not-so-popular kids, their faces will only appear in a single photo-the class photo. The photography session for the school magazine reflects who we are in school. Through these pictures, a story about everyone is told.

We (Malaysian students) have our own stereotypes in high school. Ranging from the popular kids, dorks, geeks, nerds, literary lovers, science freak, maths genius, bookaholics, wannabes, athletes and gangsters. All of these stereotypes will be seen in the photographs. Try as we might to shove this silly American pop culture, we will always be branded in high school. This is part of the high school life. All of this can be seen in the photographs inside the school magazine.

Posts are held by students who are able to express their views without being bothered by any scrutiny from people in societies such as the Red Crescent Society, Scouts and school’s Teenagers’ Cadet. Leadership is fostered in students through these societies in school. Unfortunately, audacity is also being learnt at the same time.

Our brawns are put to test in sport’s societies such as the school’s Football Society and Basketball Society. Athletes harness their skills here. For those who showed spectacular prowess, they will represent the school. And if they lead the school to victory, extra attention will be given to these certain student and thus they will climb up the so-called ‘High School Social Hierarchy’.

Those geniuses reign high in academic societies such as the Bahasa Melayu Society, Geography Society and Science and Mathematics Society. They will master their element in these societies. But these are the people who will sit on the highest place tomorrow not today…not during high school.

Looking at these photographs might bring bitter memories to some. There might be someone who will still feel dejected for not making it to the front seat of the photograph or to see the absence of their picture in the school magazine’s editorial board. Some might see the faces of their ex-boyfriend/ ex-girlfriend. Some might see their arch-enemies or girls who love to b*tch around.

The photographs will also highlight the glorious moments in school. There will be numerous pictures of the school’s Canteen Day, Sport’s Day, a student holding a gold medal, a prefect standing on a podium or a Datuk officiating the school’s library. What that won’t be in those photographs will be the school’s bleakest moment-a disaster during Sport’s Day, a student showing off his middle finger, a girl with a growing stomach or a guy smoking. Those are the pictures that will definitely be absent from those photographs. The truth is, Malaysia’s high school had been contaminated with all the negative influences from the Western countries. Well of course the fact that some students smoke in school or show off their middle finger at this point is “tolerable” but some schools had been plagued by pre-marital sex. Now, is that really “tolerable” in our demure Asian culture?

The photographs in the school magazine paint the picture of the high school life. It tells us unknown secrets and brings back unwanted memories behind all those stiff smile and stillness. The photographs tell us the life and times of a teenager. And when we eventually leave school and live our life, looking back at those photographs remind us of who we were.