Coffee With My Senior Girls

Wouldn’t it be great to be a senior in high school again? Let me clarify. Wouldn’t it be great to be a senior at Scarsdale High School? It was the Sunday morning before school began when I was reminded how fantastic it was to be that age. I went to Lange’s Deli to get a late breakfast for my boys and an ice-coffee for myself. While I waited, I noticed a group of girls who I guessed to be seniors. I guessed right.

They were adorable in all their youthful glory, relaxed combination of pj’s and comfy-wear clothing, with hazelnut French vanilla ice-coffees all around. (Like myself, I later found out that Lange’s was a daily haunt for them.)

These girls had that “I’m getting together with my friends for a morning re-group” look. I started wondering what they were excited about, what it was like to be a senior now, what movies they felt defined their generation, and what kind of music they liked. I was feeling very out of touch with this teenage generation.

So, I had to strike up a conversation and find out the answers to some of my now burning questions.

“Excuse me, but are guys Seniors?” I asked, already intuitively knowing the answer.

Six long thick beautiful heads of hair looked up and nodded enthusiastically. I was really envious of that hair.

I continued with, “Are you psyched for this school year?”

There were a good number of no’s, and then after a side-bar conversation, Senior, and Scarsdale Girls Varsity Basketball Co-Captain, Nicole Zucker offered, “Well we’re not excited for school, but it’s fun to be in school.”

Celina Ticoll-Ramirez added, “We get to do a lot of fun things this year.”

“Like what?”

They all answered together, excitedly telling me, “There’s chalking, Homecoming, Halloween…because only the seniors are allowed to dress-up, Bonfire, Senior BBQ, and Senior name changes on Facebook.”

Huh, on that last one. “Wait, tell me about this Facebook name change thing? What is that?” I was sincerely perplexed.

Senior Stephanie Peltz explained, “Seniors across the country started it a couple of years ago, because colleges began looking up kids on Facebook after receiving their applications. So, we change our real names to funny new ones, that way colleges can’t find us on Facebook. It’s a tradition now.” Hmm. A right of this generation’s social media passage, if you will.

I have to tell you about one “fun” name that I thought was genius. This kid changed his name to “Benefits” so whenever he “adds” a friend, Facebook tells that person, “You are now friends with Benefits.” I’m still chuckling over that one. Kids.

Honestly, though, I think it’s tougher to be a kid today than it was when I grew up. There was no internet in my day. I used a word processer and that wasn’t until I was a Senior. Before that, it was the handwritten word or the good ole’ typewriter.

And, forget about cell phones. I remember when it cost a dime to use the payphone. And, that’s exactly how I summoned my parents to pick me up, before I could drive. My kids think a payphone is a piece of antiquity. Oh G-d. I sound like my Mother.

At least my generation, Generation X, had the solemnity of privacy and anonymity to a large extent. We also had a certain sense of freedom that allowed us a path to independent self-discovery.

There was also acid wash, big hair, parachute pants, Gear Bags (mine was bubble-gum pink and I wish I still had it), Fiorucci t-shirts and black rubber bracelets, and lots of blue eyeliner. Actually, it could be a toss-up when it was easier to grow-up, then or now. Maybe that freer path to independent self-discovery wasn’t so great when you look back at all our fashion don’ts.

Anyway. I really wanted to know what this generation was called. So, I asked, “What is your generation called? My parents are Baby Boomers, and my husband and I are Gen X, so what are you?”

Those gorgeous wrinkle-free faces stared back at me, deep in thought. I had stumped them. “I have no idea what we’re called,” one said. Then I heard, “I wrote a paper on the Baby Boomers.” Have I mentioned how old I felt? Well, I felt old.

(You’ll be happy to know that I’ve done some research and I believe these seniors fall into what is called Generation Y. My kids who are now 9 and 6 are Generation Z.)

I still wasn’t getting a firm handle on those defining characteristics that make up this “generation.” Therefore, I pressed on, and inquired, “What kind of movies do you guys watch? Or more pointedly, what movie do you think defines your generation.”

Shelby Zucker, Senior and fellow Scarsdale Girl’s Varsity Basketball Co-Captain with her twin sister Nicole, informed me, “We don’t really watch movies. We sort of wait until they come on pay-per-view. We really just go to each other’s houses and hang-out.”

This was unacceptable to me. I am of the John Hughes teenage angst film era and was simply unable to fathom this level of pop-culture detachment.

Incredulous, I said, “What do you mean you don’t really watch movies? There has to be one film that you feel represents your generation? I mean, for me, it was The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Vision Quest, Can’t Buy Me Love, Risky Business, Sixteen Candles…I mean I named my kid Jake after Jake in Sixteen Candles for G-d’s sake.”

“You did?” Shelby asked, more than a little shocked.

“Well, no…I mean, yes. Kind of…that’s not the point. Give me a film.”

There was a little conferring amongst the girls, and then a simultaneous, “Mean Girls.”

Really? I thought that movie was just representative of the female population as a whole. But, according to my Senior Girls, “Mean Girls is awesome and just so quotable. We quote it all the time.”

Okay. I got my movie for Generation Y.

We talked a little bit about boys. I discovered that a lot of the Senior Girls end up dating younger guys. I encouraged that. I simply told them, “Younger is better. They’ll revere you. And, being a cougar is hot now.”

I’m pretty sure they agreed with me.

We talked colleges too. They told me Michigan, Cornell, Washington University, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Tulane, Penn, and Lehigh were some of the most popular school choices for our Scarsdale Seniors today.

And, we talked music. I wanted to know what these kids were listening to now. Apparently, their musical tastes range from techno and hip-hop to pop and alternative rock. Senior Megan Katz added, “I listen to the old rock bands too. You know, like U2.”

I almost fainted. My beloved U2, my gorgeous Bono and brilliant The Edge, are now classified as an “old rock band.” Oy. Along with turning 40, my musical tastes have apparently aged as well.

Electric Zoo Festival: Photo credit Shelby Zucker

The girls still sported some leftover sparkles, that morning at Lange’s, which made me smile. I’m a big fan of make-up sparkle.

Looking at the girls, I stated, “I guess it’s sort of like your Woodstock or Lollapalooza or Lilith Fair.”

Megan enthusiastically agreed, “That’s exactly what my Mom said.”

Well, this Mom needed to get going. I had to get my bagels, chocolate croissants and cherry turnovers home to my boys before they started hitting my M&M stash.

I could have hung out with my Senior Girls all day. Hey, if I’m lucky, maybe they’ll let this John Hughes fan, fluorescent colored t-shirt wearing, and U2 listening old chick hang with them again soon. A girl can hope.

These girls were fun, mature, articulate, smart and vivacious. They represent Generation Y beautifully. I know they will definitely “Go out with a 13ang!” So, to Scarsdale’s Class of 2013; have an amazing Senior year, filled with only the happiest of memories that will last you a lifetime.

(Pictured at top) Seniors; Richa Shah, Andrea Mosk, Rachel Spiro (Girls Varsity Basketball Co-Captain), Megan Katz, Shelby Zucker (Girls Varsity Basketball Co-Captain), Cilena Ticoll-Ramirez, Julie Parisi (Varsity Ski Team Co-Captain), Stephanie Peltz, and Nicole Zucker (Girls Varsity Basketball Co-Captain).

Contributor Sharon Lippmann, writes about her "so called suburban life" as a proud resident of Scarsdale, NY. She is a writer, blogger, mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and one sassy chick. She loves exploring the interesting, strange, perplexing, vexing, ridiculous and funny that life offers up frequently. Enjoying more of what she has to say about nothing, and, well, everything at mydailypill.com