Michael Backs:
CLASS OF 1985
Greenway High SchoolClass of 1985
Phoenix, AZ
Bourgade High SchoolClass of 1985
Phoenix, AZ
Michael's Story
I was sent to Bourgade for my Freshman and first half of Sophomore years, (riding the 35th Ave bus), after school I delivered papers. My parents thought it would be better for me, but I started smoking and was being influenced by the 'bad' kids (not really bad, mostly misunderstood; in our crappy babysitting, wage slave teaching, education system).
So my parents let me switch to Greenway where we lived, for the rest of my time at HS, plus they didn't have to pay extra for it. I already had enough credits to graduate when I got Mono during Christmas of my Senior year (at least my girlfriend didn't), so I never attended class for the last half or did the typical prom or other things; but I still graduated and left for the Navy 12 days later. I worked most of my time in High School so I never really participated in many extracurricular stuff or clubs, instead I was making hamburgers at Burger King or other jobs. I remember some friends and classmates; Ron West was my best friend; and some teachers were pretty good also, but otherwise school was just a requirement to complete and a wa...Expand for more
ste of my time, so college was not an option for me at that time. I've since gotten an AAS in electronics and a General AS degree, also a welding certification (at 56) to burn the rest of my GI Bill benefits. I remember that most of the stuff I had already learned in Montgomery County, Maryland from grades 6-8 before moving to Phoenix, was being taught in my 9-12 classes in AZ. So I mainly read books in class and still passed the tests. The first half of my Senior year was being a both a library and economics aid, the DECA class that allowed me to leave after lunch and a world history class that was great, and then selling shoes in Kenny's at Metrocenter for the afternoon and evening. After recovering from Mono, I then worked as a stock boy at Longs Drugs in Sun City until I graduated.
My journey around this planet has taught me so much more and contributed to my own personal "Overview Effect." My younger sister and brother attended 'accelerated' classes at schools in Phoenix and were challenged so much more than I was, so my HS experience doesn't have many fond memories for me.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Register for Free to view all yearbooks!
Reunions
Photos
