

Have you seen this PG page? - tojileon
http://www.paulgraham.com/gateway.html

======
prakash
No.

Interestingly, PG has favored polo shirts right from high school, thereby
taking the decision making out of what to wear for the next 20+ years;-)

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henning
I was so disenfranchised from the "ra ra, go team" crap in high school that I
don't even have any yearbooks.

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arvid
In the chess club picture seated on the far right is Peter Monta. Smart guy,
entered CMU at age 16 I believe. We had class together for two years at CMU in
the Math Studies honors program.

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Alex3917
Somehow the self-aggrandizement spoof on high school yearbooks manages to be
both brilliant and hilarious at the same time:

[http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111004_gotham_hi...](http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111004_gotham_high_class_of_96_part_1.html)

[http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111104_gotham_hi...](http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111104_gotham_high_class_of_96_part_2.html)

[http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111404_gotham_hi...](http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111404_gotham_high_class_of_96_part_3.html)

[http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111604_gotham_hi...](http://www.self-
aggrandizement.com/archives/111604_gotham_high_class_of_96_part_4.html)

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edw519
What a fantastic page! I also went to Gateway High School for 6, er I mean, 3
of the best years of my life. I had no idea Paul Graham also went there. What
a small world. I was several years ahead of Paul. I discovered his essays a
few years ago, and here I am now.

I also had Dr. Schultz for a class called "World Cultures". We watched films
like "On the Waterfront" and "High Noon" and discussed them afterward. I
remember him vividly. I still have my film project (The History of Art to the
tune of Magic Carpet Ride) from that class. I suppose I should have it
digitized and loaded onto Youtube. One of these days.

I self published a parody of Mad Magazine about Gateway. Still have the comics
about principal O'Toole, and the teachers who influenced me: Laura Barrett
Mikesell, Laura Sproull, Ann Bitter, and, of course, Ann Kapisak (geometry)
and John Drumm (calculus). Because of that magazine, Mrs. Mikesell strongly
encouraged me toward a career in journalism. Fortunately for me, the English
department at Allegheny College sucked and the math department excelled, so
I've been a hacker ever since.

Funny how a few kind words from a teacher make such a difference for so many
years.

Thanks for the memories, Paul. Any chance you're related to Mark Graham, who
was our Student Government president? Feel free to contact me off-line edw519
at yahoo.com.

Ed Weissman, GHS '73

~~~
Jd
Wow, movies on the Wild West are definitely what kids from Western
Pennsylvania need to be learning about in a "World Cultures" class. What else
did you watch? Riddle me skeptical.

~~~
rms
I went to public high school in a Western Pennsylvania suburb (two PA Turnpike
stops away from Paul Graham's alma mater, which means our suburban strip
wasn't quite as good) and in my best social studies class (US History) we
watched an unreasonable amount of full length movies, including Band of
Brothers in its entirety. We didn't do a whole lot in the class, but at least
he told us that Westerners killed all of the Indians. He told us to just read
Howard Zinn if we wanted to learn something.

~~~
Jd
Define 'best' in the construction 'best social studies class'? Learned the
most? Most fun? Coolest teacher?

~~~
rms
All of the above, but I only have my other high school history/geography
classes for comparison.

~~~
Jd
So... sorry to be a spoilsport but if

(1) The aforementioned class was the one in which you learned the most AND (2)
Your teacher told you to read Howard Zinn if you wanted to learn something
IMPLYING (2') Your teacher didn't think you were learning anything

Then mustn't we conclude (3) You didn't learn learn anything in your high
school social studies classes

?

~~~
rms
Yes, that would be the logical conclusion.

~~~
Jd
Just checking ;-)

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jpalacio486
Just makes you appreciate how simple life in high school really was.

~~~
Goladus
In some ways, maybe. I look back on my old schedule, and figure I was spending
50-55 hours a week in class or school activities, an estimate with a very
vague notion of transit time and not much consideration for interruptions.
(eg, school gets out at 2:45, practice starts at 3:30, what can you accomplish
in 45 minutes?)

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pageman
maybe it's the high school version of his essay News from the Front (it
doesn't matter where you went to high school also?)? :P

