16 in 83. New drivers license , bought my 1st Harley. And Dad was paying all the bills. 4 kids and retired now. Peace to my 80's brothers and sisters....
I was 17 in 83 . I was one of them. Lucky to have graduated. I attended a community college for 4 years after high school. It was very beneficial. It was like learning everything that I missed.
These people are 58 years old now... Time is unreal for the human mind to comprehend. "If we all knew what we all know in our last days, we would live our life and love people so much better"
GhostSpectre as bad as it looks I think it’s worse today, different problems and some are the same like drugs but today are mental issues ...this generation are literally a generation of freaks and I don’t say that lightly, it’s sad.
As Melissa said, they're worse today. Particularly the school to prison pipeline. After all those police liasons were installed to "stop school shootings" (they didn't), the end result was kids getting arrested where before they'd have gotten detention.
Watching this makes me realize what an amazing thing it was that I was able to get through a childhood in an environment full of dysfunction, child abuse, violence and other craziness. Ultimately I started running away from home at 13. Growing up in Los Angeles during the 70s was very tough with the gangs and other things that corrupted lives. I lived in foster homes, boys homes and other facilities for troubled youth. I think what saved me was that I never had a desire for drugs or alcohol. Somehow through all those crazy years, I graduated high school on time in 1981 and went to the Navy. Things were shaky at times but eventually I straightened my life out without getting into too much trouble, at least not enough to completely ruin my life. Sometimes I think if I had an issue with substances, I would have been completely ruined. I’ll be 60 in a few months and most people would never guess
I didn't go through what you did but I went to this school dropped out and went down a dark path. Joining the army helped me a lot where most the people I grew up with are dead. I still have a lot of insecurities because of my childhood and I'm 55 but this environment made me strong. Glad to hear you are your own man and doing fine.
It's very cool to see this. I am 20 now, but my father graduated from high school in 1983. It's interesting to see a little bit of how the world was for him back then.
I’m class of ‘83 as well. I’ve been teaching school for thirty years. I constantly imagine what my fellow ‘83 grads would have thought of today’s technology if we’d somehow seen it back then. God, I miss those times, even the agonizing process of waiting by the phone for a return call. Life was real then.
these videos always make me cry as someone who's growing up now (i'm 15 lol). idk why but it hits me hard for some reason, knowing that everyone who were teens in the 80s are around 50 now, and soon enough these videos will be made about my generation. i'm not very popular at my highschool, i only have one real friend there, but i know when i'm older i'm going to look back on my teen years with nostalgia. it's scary to think about that. but when i watch these videos of people who were once just like me - insecure, feeling misunderstood afraid to grow up - it makes me think everything's going to be okay.
I graduated High School in 83 in NYC. I was very fortunate in elementary school. There were many volunteers from the neighborhood who came after school and tutored kids who were falling behind from first grade to 6. Really sweet caring ladies. I did live with fear of going to Junior High School. Everyone got their butt kicked. I remember my brother and sister coming home with a black eye. I did have one tough older sister who no one could beat. By the time I entered JHS things had calmed down and it was smooth sailing for me. I wish I could go back and help some of the kids in the video. Breaks my heart.
Yup. The identity of each decade usually starts around 2 or 3 years into it. The first couple of years of a decade is usually a continuation of the previous decade.
I'm the class of 1983 and I agree our parents got a better education than we did in school. The hygiene was better and manners were better and classrooms were in control. Nowadays, kids have it easier than we did doing assignments on their laptops but schools are out of control with all the social media going on today.
As a Gen Z man, I couldn't agree more. When I was on high school, I was often ignored, even when I was trying my best to make friends, and many students had the energy of a Kardashian family member -- simply cold and living for social media. If I was a high schooler in the '80s, I would've had a better chance at human connection since more people actually talked to each other, and I wouldn't have been as uncomfortable since people would be more approachable. I would've fit in with my supportive attitude and affinity for streetwear. I also have one question for Cynthia: Is it true that some people would use Camcorders to record you during an embarrassing moment, or did it become more common with smartphones?
High school days were so easy. Literally just do homework and that's all your obligations. You don't realize how good you have it until it's gone. Boy if I could go back.
I know what you mean. It’s absurd that when we were in school we hated it and couldn’t wait to get out into the work force and start “adulting”.. what the hell were we thinking?!?
I was a freshman in 83, this wasn't my H.S., but may as well have been. I knew it would end, just didn't know how much I'd want it back. Imagine if those adults were suddenly confronted with today's statistic during their talk here. They'd have stroked out. I had one or two real genius teachers, and many that genuinely cared about me. Makes me a little emotional, and I feel the weight of being a little dismissive, or nonchalant with them. I mean I'm not a failure, but I didn't see or care to see the astronaut my 4th grade teacher saw, or pro artist or math teacher my 11 grade teachers saw. This generation has everything we thought would be awesome to have, and they're miserable. Nothing worse than being in your 50s, looking back with regrets.
Yeah it’s strange as young people have so many things that we didn’t and yet they are much more depressed and anxious than we were.. they are more sedentary and overweight .the school standards have dropped as has the students ability to read or do math etc etc About regret . I think most people(no matter what they did earlier in life) have big regrets . Some more than others . Life is odd
@@brianmeen2158 afraid it isn't going to get any better either, I raised 3 great kids, 2 Marines, and a daughter with 3 of her own, theyre all great people, just born better than me it seemed. They're far from the typical kids their age, so I did a few things right I guess...lot easier being optimistic if I haven't just spent an hour wondering if 17 year old me would despise 55 year old me.
I was in the class of '83, but I didn't graduate. Already had a job or two, an apartment, car, and my girlfriend & her baby lived with me. I felt like I was going to miss life if I stayed in school.
That was a normal for teenagers back then I was 28 in 83, I was class of 1973, so the problems 10 years prior were about the same. Very different then now 2023, I really don't like it now.
There were some incredible teachers in, business dept, Ms Fabiano, Ms Spurio and others, and Mr. Fedele was an amazing principal afterwards. There were alot of amazing students as well that excelled There were others engaged their senior year, I was one and am married to the same wonderful person 39 years later. Somerville had its issues we all know but there were students who cared and wanted to take advantage of an education offered them.
A lot of us came from disfunction. I look back and wish I could have just applied myself and ignored everything around me. Instead I just tried to fit in and went down the wrong path. All is good now but there is something said about starting off on the right foot. I loved Dr. Burns as a teacher. He treated me well and kept a tight ship in his classroom. It helped me learn because I had untreated ADD. I felt bad when the other students would make fun of him. He was a good man.
I graduated in 1983. Time goes by like a blink of an eye. They had a good principle. There is no good in flunking out a kid who has family problems, and was only going to achieve what they were capable of at that time. Regardless of how hard you pushed them. I was raised by a single mom. Its not easy learning things the hard way, but sometimes it's the only way for some of us. Letting them graduate at least gave them some hope.
What u have to remember, people ham it up for the camera.Not everyday of school was as fun as it may look in this vid.And remember in 25 yrs people may look back at class of 2021 & say the same.Put a smile on & make it the best u can.
The standards have only went down as has students ability to read or do math . I read a stat the other day that 35% of the adult population cannot read a “grade level”..
6:38... My best friend dropped out of high school (10th grade) because of struggles at home. Since then it was a surreal struggle getting a job. After dropping out 15yrs later he went back to adult-school, got his GED, and got hired into the local government. He went on to work hard in the government starting at the very bottom and ended up the Vice-Mayor of our village. His past struggles, regrets, and weakness made him determined to prove to us that he was actually smart, very active, hard-working, and humbled, and he definitely fulfilled it to the tee. To anyone who dropped out, just remember that you still have a chance to get back up, YOU CAN DO IT.
It's really cool and to see how good the high school of the 80's was and this is from 83 to the people of the time, very different style and among other things of course it shows seriousness of course right, times are different
We fixed the problems and thrived the rest of the 80s thru about 2007. Since 08-09 our standards in schools and as a country has fallen back drastically. We are repeating history, sadly.
Absolutely correct. I’m HS class of ‘09, and one of the last to get a proper edu. in the MA public schools. And closer to home and a big deal to New Englanders, 2007 happened to be year that Boston singer Brad Delp committed suicide. 😢 Might be coincidental, but the music & entertainment industry started to go down the tubes around that time as well.
Class of 1977 here - sadly the High School is no more...into the trash pile of his-tory. Big changes of the "Dirty" Politics Hill - loads of money to spend on the condo gold rush... Miss the old Somerville.
I graduated from Somerville in 1995, But this new generation seem to have fallen from another planet. We were not running around on multi physc meds or shooting up schools. I wish I could go back.That generation did fine
I was a senior that year. the clothes and hair is a trip to look at. I grew up in a similar school on the west coast. No Internet. Jobs were hard to come by. No BS Patriot act taking your freedoms away. life was hard enough back then as it was. No data mining your buying habits. behavior. Karens where usually old Women as History always had. not on every street with a network of other Karens to tell on you. No cell phones or social media. If you believed you were being watched and recorded back then, you were clearly a Skitzo. now they do it and just call you a Skitzo but we know most of the time that's just a deflection
40 year high school reunion this year. The old people were right when they said to enjoy being young because time flies. Now, we're the old people and learning that growing old isn't for sissies.
Well, my mom is one of the students featured and I can tell you her life turned out great! She's exactly the same person she was back then and has taken advantage of every opportunity afforded to her. I agree with one of the comments above that kids acted more mature back then.. there was a self-sufficiency I don't think you saw as much when my generation (millennials) were coming of age.
Good video. I had good teachers and friends at my northwest area high school and graduated in 1980. As for Scott, I would have made friends with and helped him through high school if I was there. He has the same likes for jackets I do!! I have several of those Nikes in different colors, including that one he wore. I wear them today! Also worn by an actor in "Ping Pong Summer". Nice looking fellow with a cool hairstyle. I hope Scott found something good to do in life.
Scott was a troubled kid. He joined the army but was back to drinking and fighting when he got out. He always reminded me of Matt Dillion the actor when we were kids by his mannerisms. He actually sold me a wood chip joint back in Jr. High that we laughed about later. I haven't seen him in about 25 years. I hope he did all right. Most kids from that area died young from drugs/booze, murder, or suicide. Most us drop outs worked odd jobs and got messed up. Never thought about the future or told about one.
@@MuckoMan Very troubling times for some of the youth then. You'd think life would be fun after seeing beer ads. Not so as some would get addicted and drive off the road to rougher lives. I was offered a beer on my 21st birthday, but I put it down and I still don't drink that stuff. Meanwhile, Matt Dillon did show his temper (by script) at Owen Wilson in a scene in YM&D. Owen wore a cool classic maroon windbreaker and got soaked in a rain scene in that movie. All I hope is that Scott is doing OK these days. I can't believe there was a troubled life inside that beautiful face of his we see in this video.
I went here in the early 90’s. The only thing different was the paint color in the halls. I was one of those kids trying to escape home, but Somerville High offered nothing but a stern hand and a seat in detention. When a person says high school was the best time of his or her life, I know right away they didn’t go to SHS
No doubt. The funny thing is my wife went here the same time I did and she said she had the best time of her life. I didn't know her then. Maybe because I was in detention myself having a shit time.
Perhaps ot would have been different had you not been in detention. Hope you stop blaming others for your problems so day... sucks to love as a victim I bet.
@@atatterson6992 Well, my wife and I have masters degrees, a 5 bed 2 bath house in Lexington, 2 German cars, and an annual household income that affords us a comfortable life, so I’m not sure about the victim thing. Oh, and we vacation about 4 months out of the year! But I’m sure your view of the lovely Mystic River from your penthouse in the bricks is better than anything we see. Enjoy it!
@@ymatktpk11 German Cars!!! OMG Still, sucks to be a victim. Kids don't end up in detention for no reason... but go ahead and you do you ok. I won't leave my laundry list of big boy toys... sometimes it's better to quit while ahead. Hope you find a way to enjoy the rest of your life, and sorry, I didn't realize I was hitting a nerve. PS- men who have to prove themselves to strangers are typically short, bald and sport bad teeth..??..
Sadly this high school when I went from 97-01 was horrible for those of us with IEP’s or ESL kids. Lots of discrimination towards us and I watched them try to hold kids back so sad. They tried to do it to me but o fought back
I wouldn't say that. One thing we were is a lot harder and street smart. Women seem to find men attractive who can handle a situation and keep them protected. On their own terms of course.
We were just way more masculine and were more active. Not sure what the boys are eating or smoking these days, but most of them seem frail and feminine to me. I think they've also been taught to be ashamed of being male. The crazy thing is that I always felt like we gen-xers were soft compared to previous generations. Without a doubt we were!
Disclaimer: I am a child of the 2000s so I have not lived through the 80s and 90s. But I do find it all too odd when people nowadays harken back to the good old days in the 80s and 90s without recognizing that there were many negatives to living in that time. I'm sure that racism and sexism were still a thing, medicine and science was not as advanced back then, some marriages and families were dysfunctional, mental health was still considered a taboo. And people's relatively limited access to information about our world. I do agree as a child of this generation that we have many issues. Social media is definitely a negative force, we still do really stupid stuff (Tide pods), we do seem to have more mental health issues, we rely too much on technology. However, I think our generation has made great strides in working on improving mental health amongst people (Not just young people), being more open-minded, treating others equally, and being environmentally mindful. And yes, music today still rocks and can be innovated on. As for the 80s, I really loved the fashion sense, music, shows, and the simplicity of life compared to today. See me jamming out to Michael Jackson and Daryll & Oats in my car. I digress and hope that everyone is doing well in this video. And I have a large amount of respect for the late Bill Fasciano. He seemed to genuinely want to make the lives of students better and really cared for them deeply.
Personally I was born in 1973 and I read everywhere how people want to go back to that era but you come up with some good points! Yes there was no internet or iphones but life wasn't anything that exciting, technology was very backward then and girls learnt typing on typewriters because apparently that's all they'd amount to or do a clerical job till you got married. I like the flexibility of these days, I'm 49 work and use technology to run my business which is something you couldn't have done in the 80s.
The thing about access to more information is that most people do nothing much with it. People ought to be geniuses with the Internet around, but instead they're eating Tide Pods. Also, I've noticed that people who talk about how music is still good these days never give any examples to prove their point. I notice you mentioned by name artists from the 80s that you like, but none of the newer artists who you say are 'rocking' and 'innovative'.
Nobody used backpacks for school. I'm not sure when those started but I see movies or read books filmed or written now that mention backpacks or show kids with them and I always have to shake my head. It wasn't a thing--at least not where I lived. I didn't use one until I was taking college classes in 1983.
Graduated in 1977 from a HS in upstate NY. Looks kinda like the HS I went to, which is no longer a HS. Drugs, smoking and drinking were common, even among athletes. My friends and I did all three. I really slacked during my senior year as I didn't need that many points to graduate. I got out early everyday because I never even showed up for my last class of the day which I think was a foreign language class. No one ever said anything about it so I just went partying with my friends. LOL I went into the USAF after graduating. It was either that or work at McDonalds as having a HS diploma didn't do anything for you unless you were going college. I signed up for the delayed enlistment program at the beginning of my senior year of HS and had to have my diploma in order to join.
Damn I graduated from there in 2013 it’s freaky just looking at how it was back then to how it was when when I was there and how it’s probably changed 5 years later
Maybe it has always been like this, but there are alot of teeny women nowadays. Old and young. They are very small. I have not seen as many teeny men. Maybe it is an indicator of environmental changes and how they affect human fetal development in especially female embryos. It is amazing.
We've actually gotten taller over the years. They weren't taller they were thinner. When you're thinner you look taller. I'm 5'3 and 100-105 lbs and look taller than my friend who is 5'5 150 lbs simply because I'm thinner and my limbs thus look longer.
nerd fest It is because teens today are limp wristed weaklings in both physicality and mind, as they are so fucking coddled and overly offended today that they bitch and whine when the person they voted for was not elected based on more people voted the other way! They cry and scream into the sky because they can't handle real life!
My wife graduated from Somerville High School 69 years ago.....Me, 70 years ago.......She's 87 and still living.....I'm 88 YEARS old and still getting around and driving also......
i quit school half way though 9th grade ,i never really learned a thing after the basic reading writing etc from back in graDE school . I applied for jobs always putting down that i graduated with A's and B's etc not once was it questioned as it didn't matter one way or the other .
@@CatholicTraditional Yeah but surely when cities/areas have been turned around it should be for the advantage of those poorer families from that area, not just for rich people from outside town to move in😠😠😠.... This is what makes "gentrified areas" for me always faintly depressing - the takeover of areas by the privileged few....
I was born in 1983. I am desperately seeking healing in my brain and all body systems, I’d give anything to go back and stop whatever is happening inside of me. I wish I could go back and heal
Born in 82, i have been in a healing path for more than 10 years, It is hard because sometimes you think everything remains the same in spite of all the efforts, but somehow i think everything is going to turn fine at the end. Greetings from Mexico!
True, and crack didn't become mainstream until 2 years later in 1985. The inner cities of the Northeastern part of America (like this one in the film) were hit particularly hard so I can imagine if this documentary came out in 1985 and not 1983 we'd see tons of strung out druggies who were much worse off than the ones in this video.
is this place located somewhere on the East Coast ? = Somerville, New Jersey (N.J.); a Slice of Life; a great Time Capsule (to show how life was like, in the 20th century, to like space aliens, driving UFO's in outer space)...
i would've graduated in 86 had i finshed hs (i went to 3 high schools and never graduated i had drug problems and wasn't a great student anyway) but even if the person who posted this had not listed the year it was filmed i still woulda known it was the 80's. that said in looking back on this period of time i can take justifiable pride in the fact i dressed then pretty much as i do now and i never had a mullet.
I graduated in 1977 and many of my friends and I had full mustache and beards in our senior year of HS. We didn't have any problems buying cigarettes or alcohol. Drinking age was 18 at the time. We looked like we were in our 20's. Believe it or not many of our parents let us smoke and drink in our teens because they would rather us hang out at home and do those things instead of running around the streets getting in trouble. A lot of us had pretty cool parents. We didn't think anything of buying a case of beer with a bunch of friends and hanging out at one of our homes after HS, it was normal for us. Society was (obviously) a lot different back then. No internet, computers, mobile phones, one TV in the house, one corded dial phone.
It is August 20th 2019 and I’m entering 7th grade on the 28th. I will be attending Somerville high. I go to the aurthur d healey school also in Somerville, not far from the highschool
I wanna jump into this video and tell them about the future
Me too
Lol 😂
@@diegovilla3879 Te Moo Oll 😂
they'll be so disssapointed
Yea lol
16 in 83. New drivers license , bought my 1st Harley. And Dad was paying all the bills. 4 kids and retired now. Peace to my 80's brothers and sisters....
Peace to you too brother. I was 13 in 83, now I'm 51
@Seksbog34slqto lmaoo I'm 14 now💀😂
@Seksbog34slqto yes why?
@@emma-sc5fp 13 here.
@lgbtq_hitlеr - ФюрераOld men? Yeah, I guess we are.😂😂😂
it's crazy how much a school can change in 40 years.
I was 17 in 83 . I was one of them. Lucky to have graduated. I attended a community college for 4 years after high school. It was very beneficial. It was like learning everything that I missed.
80’s music and movies are still legendary
What are your favorite songs from the 80s?
Exactly 80’s was 🔥🔥🔥
Sooooo true!!!
Real life sucked, but I could drown myself in 80s pop culture. It was glorious. 84-85 was peak.
These people are 58 years old now... Time is unreal for the human mind to comprehend.
"If we all knew what we all know in our last days, we would live our life and love people so much better"
And 58 is young too.
Yes I know. This was my grad year. 😅
Experience is the best teacher.
I graduated in 1983. It seems like it was a blink of an eye that time passed.
1983 seems like 5 minutes ago to me. I remember it as a very futuristic time.
34 years later, and the same problems are being asked today.
GhostSpectre as bad as it looks I think it’s worse today, different problems and some are the same like drugs but today are mental issues ...this generation are literally a generation of freaks and I don’t say that lightly, it’s sad.
GhostSpectre way worse today
Laura Dowling Amen😏
Hahaha my last year in Somerville high crazy it was different
As Melissa said, they're worse today. Particularly the school to prison pipeline. After all those police liasons were installed to "stop school shootings" (they didn't), the end result was kids getting arrested where before they'd have gotten detention.
I turned 8 in 1983, I was young but remember the vast majority of the 1980s vividly. It was a golden age for me personally. I miss those years
Watching this makes me realize what an amazing thing it was that I was able to get through a childhood in an environment full of dysfunction, child abuse, violence and other craziness. Ultimately I started running away from home at 13. Growing up in Los Angeles during the 70s was very tough with the gangs and other things that corrupted lives. I lived in foster homes, boys homes and other facilities for troubled youth. I think what saved me was that I never had a desire for drugs or alcohol. Somehow through all those crazy years, I graduated high school on time in 1981 and went to the Navy. Things were shaky at times but eventually I straightened my life out without getting into too much trouble, at least not enough to completely ruin my life. Sometimes I think if I had an issue with substances, I would have been completely ruined. I’ll be 60 in a few months and most people would never guess
Holy Crap.... You are a Survivor....
I didn't go through what you did but I went to this school dropped out and went down a dark path. Joining the army helped me a lot where most the people I grew up with are dead. I still have a lot of insecurities because of my childhood and I'm 55 but this environment made me strong. Glad to hear you are your own man and doing fine.
It's very cool to see this. I am 20 now, but my father graduated from high school in 1983. It's interesting to see a little bit of how the world was for him back then.
I graduated from high school also in May 1983.
@@bobpriewe4346 I remember 83, I was 28, the year I had my first baby boy. Now he 40 and I'm. 68.
I’m class of ‘83 as well. I’ve been teaching school for thirty years. I constantly imagine what my fellow ‘83 grads would have thought of today’s technology if we’d somehow seen it back then. God, I miss those times, even the agonizing process of waiting by the phone for a return call. Life was real then.
these videos always make me cry as someone who's growing up now (i'm 15 lol). idk why but it hits me hard for some reason, knowing that everyone who were teens in the 80s are around 50 now, and soon enough these videos will be made about my generation. i'm not very popular at my highschool, i only have one real friend there, but i know when i'm older i'm going to look back on my teen years with nostalgia. it's scary to think about that. but when i watch these videos of people who were once just like me - insecure, feeling misunderstood afraid to grow up - it makes me think everything's going to be okay.
I graduated High School in 83 in NYC. I was very fortunate in elementary school. There were many volunteers from the neighborhood who came after school and tutored kids who were falling behind from first grade to 6. Really sweet caring ladies. I did live with fear of going to Junior High School. Everyone got their butt kicked. I remember my brother and sister coming home with a black eye. I did have one tough older sister who no one could beat. By the time I entered JHS things had calmed down and it was smooth sailing for me. I wish I could go back and help some of the kids in the video. Breaks my heart.
The 80's just started warming up then.
Yup. The identity of each decade usually starts around 2 or 3 years into it. The first couple of years of a decade is usually a continuation of the previous decade.
I'm the class of 1983 and I agree our parents got a better education than we did in school. The hygiene was better and manners were better and classrooms were in control. Nowadays, kids have it easier than we did doing assignments on their laptops but schools are out of control with all the social media going on today.
As a Gen Z man, I couldn't agree more. When I was on high school, I was often ignored, even when I was trying my best to make friends, and many students had the energy of a Kardashian family member -- simply cold and living for social media. If I was a high schooler in the '80s, I would've had a better chance at human connection since more people actually talked to each other, and I wouldn't have been as uncomfortable since people would be more approachable. I would've fit in with my supportive attitude and affinity for streetwear. I also have one question for Cynthia: Is it true that some people would use Camcorders to record you during an embarrassing moment, or did it become more common with smartphones?
@phoenixdaronco9540 So refreshing to see a Gen Z'er with mature perspective 💯🎯
High school days were so easy. Literally just do homework and that's all your obligations. You don't realize how good you have it until it's gone.
Boy if I could go back.
I know what you mean. It’s absurd that when we were in school we hated it and couldn’t wait to get out into the work force and start “adulting”.. what the hell were we thinking?!?
I was a freshman in 83, this wasn't my H.S., but may as well have been. I knew it would end, just didn't know how much I'd want it back. Imagine if those adults were suddenly confronted with today's statistic during their talk here. They'd have stroked out. I had one or two real genius teachers, and many that genuinely cared about me. Makes me a little emotional, and I feel the weight of being a little dismissive, or nonchalant with them. I mean I'm not a failure, but I didn't see or care to see the astronaut my 4th grade teacher saw, or pro artist or math teacher my 11 grade teachers saw. This generation has everything we thought would be awesome to have, and they're miserable. Nothing worse than being in your 50s, looking back with regrets.
Yeah it’s strange as young people have so many things that we didn’t and yet they are much more depressed and anxious than we were.. they are more sedentary and overweight .the school standards have dropped as has the students ability to read or do math etc etc
About regret . I think most people(no matter what they did earlier in life) have big regrets . Some more than others . Life is odd
@@brianmeen2158 afraid it isn't going to get any better either, I raised 3 great kids, 2 Marines, and a daughter with 3 of her own, theyre all great people, just born better than me it seemed. They're far from the typical kids their age, so I did a few things right I guess...lot easier being optimistic if I haven't just spent an hour wondering if 17 year old me would despise 55 year old me.
i was 13
this is so freaky. This video is like a time machine.
Mad Marc my mom was 15 back in 1983. Wow times are different
really ?! Ha , did you show her this ?
almost 50 now huh?
lol, Hi Kinko !
you bet ya. i'm 47 now.
:-)
Kinko Sam she turns 50 in September and I'm almost 15.😂😂😂
I was in the class of '83, but I didn't graduate. Already had a job or two, an apartment, car, and my girlfriend & her baby lived with me. I felt like I was going to miss life if I stayed in school.
That was a normal for teenagers back then I was 28 in 83, I was class of 1973, so the problems 10 years prior were about the same.
Very different then now 2023, I really don't like it now.
I would rather live in a teen high school 80's movie scene than that hellhole.
I hated that school. Quit soon as I could and never regretted it.
@@MuckoMan they remade it
@@arcticthegreat9085 It wasn't the building my friend. It was the system.
@@arcticthegreat9085 the new building sorta sucks just as bad
@@MuckoMan that was supposed to be my sr year i dropped out that fall
There were some incredible teachers in, business dept, Ms Fabiano, Ms Spurio and others, and Mr. Fedele was an amazing principal afterwards. There were alot of amazing students as well that excelled
There were others engaged their senior year, I was one and am married to the same wonderful person 39 years later. Somerville had its issues we all know but there were students who cared and wanted to take advantage of an education offered them.
A lot of us came from disfunction. I look back and wish I could have just applied myself and ignored everything around me. Instead I just tried to fit in and went down the wrong path. All is good now but there is something said about starting off on the right foot. I loved Dr. Burns as a teacher. He treated me well and kept a tight ship in his classroom. It helped me learn because I had untreated ADD. I felt bad when the other students would make fun of him. He was a good man.
I graduated in 1983. Time goes by like a blink of an eye. They had a good principle. There is no good in flunking out a kid who has family problems, and was only going to achieve what they were capable of at that time. Regardless of how hard you pushed them. I was raised by a single mom. Its not easy learning things the hard way, but sometimes it's the only way for some of us. Letting them graduate at least gave them some hope.
What u have to remember, people ham it up for the camera.Not everyday of school was as fun as it may look in this vid.And remember in 25 yrs people may look back at class of 2021 & say the same.Put a smile on & make it the best u can.
It seems like the kids in high school acted a lot older back then than the kids of high school of today.
Yeah youre right
Now, 35 year olds act and sound like they are 16. It’s not cute
Yes, probably from having freedom but still (usually) a family to come home to and or at least a neighborhood where people knew you.
Kids today are coddled. That's why.
The same issues today existed back then, except today they are AMPLIFIED and there's no discipline!!
Damn, over 30 years later from this video's time period and these problems are still major in America's education system
I was gonna say the same. But probably everywhere in the world.
WAY worse now
The standards have only went down as has students ability to read or do math . I read a stat the other day that 35% of the adult population cannot read a “grade level”..
6:38... My best friend dropped out of high school (10th grade) because of struggles at home. Since then it was a surreal struggle getting a job. After dropping out 15yrs later he went back to adult-school, got his GED, and got hired into the local government. He went on to work hard in the government starting at the very bottom and ended up the Vice-Mayor of our village. His past struggles, regrets, and weakness made him determined to prove to us that he was actually smart, very active, hard-working, and humbled, and he definitely fulfilled it to the tee. To anyone who dropped out, just remember that you still have a chance to get back up, YOU CAN DO IT.
It's really cool and to see how good the high school of the 80's was and this is from 83 to the people of the time, very different style and among other things of course it shows seriousness of course right, times are different
Was a Senior in 1982.. 18 years old. 40 years have gone by... WOW. Fun times..alot of good memories
talk about a stroll down memory lane!! this was awesome!!!!
We fixed the problems and thrived the rest of the 80s thru about 2007. Since 08-09 our standards in schools and as a country has fallen back drastically. We are repeating history, sadly.
Absolutely correct. I’m HS class of ‘09, and one of the last to get a proper edu. in the MA public schools. And closer to home and a big deal to New Englanders, 2007 happened to be year that Boston singer Brad Delp committed suicide. 😢 Might be coincidental, but the music & entertainment industry started to go down the tubes around that time as well.
This principle reminds me of the breakfast club. Love the 80's
Class of 1977 here - sadly the High School is no more...into the trash pile of his-tory.
Big changes of the "Dirty" Politics Hill - loads of money to spend on the condo gold rush...
Miss the old Somerville.
I graduated from Somerville in 1995, But this new generation seem to have fallen from another planet. We were not running around on multi physc meds or shooting up schools. I wish I could go back.That generation did fine
I was a senior that year. the clothes and hair is a trip to look at. I grew up in a similar school on the west coast. No Internet. Jobs were hard to come by. No BS Patriot act taking your freedoms away. life was hard enough back then as it was. No data mining your buying habits. behavior. Karens where usually old Women as History always had. not on every street with a network of other Karens to tell on you.
No cell phones or social media. If you believed you were being watched and recorded back then, you were clearly a Skitzo. now they do it and just call you a Skitzo but we know most of the time that's just a deflection
You just HAD to go there, huh? Slip your tin-foil hat back on there Alex Jones, and stfu.
Hi Paul. No distractions such as the Internet. Quiet, pleasant, calm time to graduate h.s. Massachusetts!
ok boomer, now go buy a coffin u'll need 1 soon
why is he a conspiracy loon for talking about the reality of the surveillance state?
My high school. I love Somerville High.
let's bring this all back :) the music, and style, everything. spread the word. it's actually possible if you think about it.
I wish!
it’s just gonna get worse. society, music, style, and people. i wish we could go back to the 80s
but unfortunately that ship has sailed.
I wish I could go back to this time. It’s 2021 and it’s garbage
Ooh i love the intensity of your wish to go back to the 80' s. I just love your comment. It sums up my feeling so plain. Lol ha ha i wish too
I was born in the 80’s and grew up in the 90’s I so wish I could have experienced the 80’s
Holy smokes I live in Ireland and I’m so shocked even now nobody would dare come to school drunk it just wouldn’t happen
40 year high school reunion this year. The old people were right when they said to enjoy being young because time flies. Now, we're the old people and learning that growing old isn't for sissies.
You wouldn't get caught dead carrying a backpack around in high school. Today's kids love their backpacks. lol I remember those book covers.
No doubt. Bullies kept people in check back in the day lol. That's why we were so tough and still tougher than kids half our age today.
@@MuckoMan True remember Sean Penn in the movie Bad Boys from (1983) with his ahem soda cans? Yeah he showed them didn't he LOL!😀🥫🤔👍
No backpack??? How did yall even carry your stuff??
Those were the days my friend, I thought they’d never end. 😢
I’d love to know what became of some of these kids over the ensuing 40 years since this was made.
Well, my mom is one of the students featured and I can tell you her life turned out great! She's exactly the same person she was back then and has taken advantage of every opportunity afforded to her. I agree with one of the comments above that kids acted more mature back then.. there was a self-sufficiency I don't think you saw as much when my generation (millennials) were coming of age.
So crazy to think I was born 2 years after that. My parents got married in 83. Wow! Kinda blows my mind a little.
No Cellphone back then 😆 while in 2021 i am.watching this video on my Cellphone
I really wish I lived in the 80’s
I personally hated it. Wish we could have traded :)
@@MuckoMan hey why did you hate it?
Good video. I had good teachers and friends at my northwest area high school and graduated in 1980. As for Scott, I would have made friends with and helped him through high school if I was there. He has the same likes for jackets I do!! I have several of those Nikes in different colors, including that one he wore. I wear them today! Also worn by an actor in "Ping Pong Summer". Nice looking fellow with a cool hairstyle. I hope Scott found something good to do in life.
Scott was a troubled kid. He joined the army but was back to drinking and fighting when he got out. He always reminded me of Matt Dillion the actor when we were kids by his mannerisms. He actually sold me a wood chip joint back in Jr. High that we laughed about later. I haven't seen him in about 25 years. I hope he did all right. Most kids from that area died young from drugs/booze, murder, or suicide. Most us drop outs worked odd jobs and got messed up. Never thought about the future or told about one.
@@MuckoMan Very troubling times for some of the youth then. You'd think life would be fun after seeing beer ads. Not so as some would get addicted and drive off the road to rougher lives. I was offered a beer on my 21st birthday, but I put it down and I still don't drink that stuff. Meanwhile, Matt Dillon did show his temper (by script) at Owen Wilson in a scene in YM&D. Owen wore a cool classic maroon windbreaker and got soaked in a rain scene in that movie. All I hope is that Scott is doing OK these days. I can't believe there was a troubled life inside that beautiful face of his we see in this video.
No Soy milk. @@jrichards9362
I went here in the early 90’s. The only thing different was the paint color in the halls. I was one of those kids trying to escape home, but Somerville High offered nothing but a stern hand and a seat in detention. When a person says high school was the best time of his or her life, I know right away they didn’t go to SHS
No doubt. The funny thing is my wife went here the same time I did and she said she had the best time of her life. I didn't know her then. Maybe because I was in detention myself having a shit time.
I did, it was the best time. Playing sports, hanging w the girls, going to parties.
Perhaps ot would have been different had you not been in detention. Hope you stop blaming others for your problems so day... sucks to love as a victim I bet.
@@atatterson6992 Well, my wife and I have masters degrees, a 5 bed 2 bath house in Lexington, 2 German cars, and an annual household income that affords us a comfortable life, so I’m not sure about the victim thing. Oh, and we vacation about 4 months out of the year! But I’m sure your view of the lovely Mystic River from your penthouse in the bricks is better than anything we see. Enjoy it!
@@ymatktpk11 German Cars!!! OMG
Still, sucks to be a victim. Kids don't end up in detention for no reason... but go ahead and you do you ok.
I won't leave my laundry list of big boy toys... sometimes it's better to quit while ahead.
Hope you find a way to enjoy the rest of your life, and sorry, I didn't realize I was hitting a nerve.
PS- men who have to prove themselves to strangers are typically short, bald and sport bad teeth..??..
Sadly this high school when I went from 97-01 was horrible for those of us with IEP’s or ESL kids. Lots of discrimination towards us and I watched them try to hold kids back so sad. They tried to do it to me but o fought back
Wwwwhhhhaaaaaaaaaa
looks like guys were better looking back then
I wouldn't say that. One thing we were is a lot harder and street smart. Women seem to find men attractive who can handle a situation and keep them protected. On their own terms of course.
Guy at 6:19 can get it😅 but hot guys are always players
We were just way more masculine and were more active. Not sure what the boys are eating or smoking these days, but most of them seem frail and feminine to me. I think they've also been taught to be ashamed of being male. The crazy thing is that I always felt like we gen-xers were soft compared to previous generations. Without a doubt we were!
Nah they all look white that's for sure 😂
Vice versa 😂😂💯
Disclaimer: I am a child of the 2000s so I have not lived through the 80s and 90s. But I do find it all too odd when people nowadays harken back to the good old days in the 80s and 90s without recognizing that there were many negatives to living in that time. I'm sure that racism and sexism were still a thing, medicine and science was not as advanced back then, some marriages and families were dysfunctional, mental health was still considered a taboo. And people's relatively limited access to information about our world.
I do agree as a child of this generation that we have many issues. Social media is definitely a negative force, we still do really stupid stuff (Tide pods), we do seem to have more mental health issues, we rely too much on technology.
However, I think our generation has made great strides in working on improving mental health amongst people (Not just young people), being more open-minded, treating others equally, and being environmentally mindful. And yes, music today still rocks and can be innovated on. As for the 80s, I really loved the fashion sense, music, shows, and the simplicity of life compared to today. See me jamming out to Michael Jackson and Daryll & Oats in my car.
I digress and hope that everyone is doing well in this video. And I have a large amount of respect for the late Bill Fasciano. He seemed to genuinely want to make the lives of students better and really cared for them deeply.
Today's world is much uglier than in the 80's and nobody protect environment today just keep talking about it while dumping and pollution even more.
Not really it was a great time to live and grow up in. It was the good ol days nothing like this Sh-t hole we live in these days!!!
Personally I was born in 1973 and I read everywhere how people want to go back to that era but you come up with some good points! Yes there was no internet or iphones but life wasn't anything that exciting, technology was very backward then and girls learnt typing on typewriters because apparently that's all they'd amount to or do a clerical job till you got married. I like the flexibility of these days, I'm 49 work and use technology to run my business which is something you couldn't have done in the 80s.
in a nutshell, there's good and bad about any time in history.
The thing about access to more information is that most people do nothing much with it. People ought to be geniuses with the Internet around, but instead they're eating Tide Pods.
Also, I've noticed that people who talk about how music is still good these days never give any examples to prove their point. I notice you mentioned by name artists from the 80s that you like, but none of the newer artists who you say are 'rocking' and 'innovative'.
I was 16 in "83" this reminds me of my high school and yes, we had bomb call ins from the pay phone that was located outside of the main office..
We need more principles like him!!
The Fass was a rare good one in that school he was tough but fair. He would listen to you and made you feel heard
@9:20 Every principal knows, family life, is a key element, in a students performance.
My Alumni and I loved this High school SHS Rocks and I was Junior when they made this documenty .In a few years were going to get a new High school
so what happened to lori mirabella, mentioned at the end??!!! we have to know!
This is good documentary.
Nobody used backpacks for school. I'm not sure when those started but I see movies or read books filmed or written now that mention backpacks or show kids with them and I always have to shake my head. It wasn't a thing--at least not where I lived. I didn't use one until I was taking college classes in 1983.
I started college in '86 and still never saw a backpack
It started in the later 80s. LL Bean and Jansport were all the rage.
Graduated in 1977 from a HS in upstate NY. Looks kinda like the HS I went to, which is no longer a HS. Drugs, smoking and drinking were common, even among athletes. My friends and I did all three. I really slacked during my senior year as I didn't need that many points to graduate. I got out early everyday because I never even showed up for my last class of the day which I think was a foreign language class. No one ever said anything about it so I just went partying with my friends. LOL
I went into the USAF after graduating. It was either that or work at McDonalds as having a HS diploma didn't do anything for you unless you were going college. I signed up for the delayed enlistment program at the beginning of my senior year of HS and had to have my diploma in order to join.
I really like that principal. He's very firm but seems very fair and reasonable, just like my dad.
Damn I graduated from there in 2013 it’s freaky just looking at how it was back then to how it was when when I was there and how it’s probably changed 5 years later
probably has lol i go there now & totally different than it was 10 yrs ago
Omg I was ms Kenney's last class before she retired.
1983. The year I graduated HS.
Just wanted to see what school was like in 1983, because my teacher started teaching at my school at that time.
Most of these problem kids at THAT time probably ended up being dads and solid working stiffs, the guys now and the past 15 years not so much.
My God how times have changed
watching in 2023
The guy in the thumbnail kinda looks like Noah centineo
yo the teens in this video are all very tall and big looking compared to the teens of today
nerd fest less eating and more mature fashions back then. Even today's adults are trying to look like college students, god damn!
Maybe it has always been like this, but there are alot of teeny women nowadays. Old and young. They are very small. I have not seen as many teeny men. Maybe it is an indicator of environmental changes and how they affect human fetal development in especially female embryos. It is amazing.
We've actually gotten taller over the years. They weren't taller they were thinner. When you're thinner you look taller. I'm 5'3 and 100-105 lbs and look taller than my friend who is 5'5 150 lbs simply because I'm thinner and my limbs thus look longer.
nerd fest It is because teens today are limp wristed weaklings in both physicality and mind, as they are so fucking coddled and overly offended today that they bitch and whine when the person they voted for was not elected based on more people voted the other way! They cry and scream into the sky because they can't handle real life!
We drank a lot of milk.
That band was amazing the brass student band!!!.💯💯💯+10
Poor Ms. Costello would really be disappointed at how far society has further degraded..
My wife graduated from Somerville High School 69 years ago.....Me, 70 years ago.......She's 87 and still living.....I'm 88 YEARS old and still getting around and driving also......
woahh
Just noticed Manny's check. 10/26/83 $65.95 . The kids today spend that much on soup & sandwich at Panera Bread lol.
@29:10~Love the Dahmer glasses on the science teacher in the plaid shirt.
i quit school half way though 9th grade ,i never really learned a thing after the basic reading writing etc from back in graDE school . I applied for jobs always putting down that i graduated with A's and B's etc not once was it questioned as it didn't matter one way or the other .
so how is your reading and writing now?
@@andrewcrenshaw2904 ask your mama
Hi Dan, This is Andrew’s mama. I let him know you can’t read. Take care.
@@ymatktpk11 thanks and THANKS !!
I graduated SHS in 2009 and I could imagine its a lot WORSE today 😞
I graduate shs this year and it's actually good
SHS is in the Cleveland county area ?
Christopher mullaney No, Somerville, MA.
I’m graduating this year, it is so much better than in 2009
@@evanzraket6843 I guess that’s good news. I sincerely wish you luck and success for the future.
When Somerville was actually a family city and not a yuppie gentrified city
Brooke Skehan Nah nah nah you got it all wrong...you forget who took Somerville over before the yuppies...
Gentrification is a disease.
@@hemprope4326 And is the radical result of turning around cities that were run into the ground.
It's no different than Cambridge these days. A city taken over by power hungry progressive nut jobs.
@@CatholicTraditional Yeah but surely when cities/areas have been turned around it should be for the advantage of those poorer families from that area, not just for rich people from outside town to move in😠😠😠....
This is what makes "gentrified areas" for me always faintly depressing - the takeover of areas by the privileged few....
Incredible! 1983 ! I was only 2 years old. Michael Jordan was wearing North Carolina jersey at that time! The girl had a rhinoplasty in 1:06 ?
Reminds me of Cagney And Lacey Hill Street Blues era
Curious how these kids feel today looking back and if they still feel school and it’s subjects were a waste.
Yep it was a waste.
I was born in 1983. I am desperately seeking healing in my brain and all body systems, I’d give anything to go back and stop whatever is happening inside of me. I wish I could go back and heal
Born in 82, i have been in a healing path for more than 10 years, It is hard because sometimes you think everything remains the same in spite of all the efforts, but somehow i think everything is going to turn fine at the end. Greetings from Mexico!
@@letrasdejalisco greetings and blessings to you, friend
I was 10. Grew up near here. Video with Nat. Gold. Whatever happed to Manny ? Poor kid.
10:11 “Runnin With The Devil”. Manny is such a bad boy. He should have tried to make his own band emulating Van Halen.
At the end of this video there's so many sad news 😢😢😢
What I would do to see my highschool parking lot back in the 80s
If they only knew how bad it would get. 😮😮
Somerville high class of 1990 GPU, good times
Almost 40 years later and the public FOOL system and worst then ever.
The haircuts are so 80s lmao
a little left overs from the 70s as well.
idk man,,,,, it was 1983????
It would really be strange if their haircuts were from the 40s.
And? It was the 80's.
@@jeonginnielvr yea true
Some of these kids are older than my parents
Before Opiates.....
PAT2E and this was filmed when crack started hitting the streets.
True, and crack didn't become mainstream until 2 years later in 1985. The inner cities of the Northeastern part of America (like this one in the film) were hit particularly hard so I can imagine if this documentary came out in 1985 and not 1983 we'd see tons of strung out druggies who were much worse off than the ones in this video.
Opiates been around forever , Heroin was a huge problem in America during the 60s 70s and 80s
a lot of soldiers who were in Vietnam came back addicted to opiates
The pledge of Allegiance in school. What a long time ago.
Last year at Somerville high thank god
Hang in there. I only made it to 10th twice.
I was 11 when they filmed this. I see this and think to myself, "those poor bastards"
I was three years old in 83.
is this place located somewhere on the East Coast ? = Somerville, New Jersey (N.J.); a Slice of Life; a great Time Capsule (to show how life was like, in the 20th century, to like space aliens, driving UFO's in outer space)...
The city is connected to Boston in Massachusetts.
its somerville high in somerville ma
I heard some of the kids were never seen again after visiting Crystal Lake
i would've graduated in 86 had i finshed hs (i went to 3 high schools and never graduated i had drug problems and wasn't a great student anyway) but even if the person who posted this had not listed the year it was filmed i still woulda known it was the 80's.
that said in looking back on this period of time i can take justifiable pride in the fact i dressed then pretty much as i do now and i never had a mullet.
1980s high school kids looked like men and women in their late 20s🧐
Lol some of them do look middle aged.
I graduated in 1977 and many of my friends and I had full mustache and beards in our senior year of HS. We didn't have any problems buying cigarettes or alcohol. Drinking age was 18 at the time. We looked like we were in our 20's.
Believe it or not many of our parents let us smoke and drink in our teens because they would rather us hang out at home and do those things instead of running around the streets getting in trouble. A lot of us had pretty cool parents. We didn't think anything of buying a case of beer with a bunch of friends and hanging out at one of our homes after HS, it was normal for us.
Society was (obviously) a lot different back then. No internet, computers, mobile phones, one TV in the house, one corded dial phone.
It is August 20th 2019 and I’m entering 7th grade on the 28th. I will be attending Somerville high. I go to the aurthur d healey school also in Somerville, not far from the highschool
Would love a follow up on the featured teenagers.
He is doing well living in Connecticut with his family.
Home life can have a big in-pack on your school work, mine did, but life gets better.
My father was born in 1970 he went to in high school in 1984 she had no issues there 1988 had to uh deal with bully
The acting is crazy.