Manchester High School
| “ | I had so many friends over there, in high school. And I was just sad to leave, after I graduated. 'Cause I had to leave all my friends. I had the good life. | ” |
| Chris, ten years after finishing high school, crying alone in his dark, toy-filled bedroom[1] | ||
Manchester High School, located in Midlothian, Virginia, is a high school that Chris attended from 1996 to 2000 (ninth grade to twelfth grade). Chris portrays this period as among the happiest in his life,[2] even though he proudly slept through a good deal of it.[3] He would like nothing more than to use a time machine to return to these halcyon days.
Known accomplishments
Among Chris's classes were the usual subjects, two years of Spanish,[4] Sex Ed, "Coping Skills", and a lot of art classes. According to Chris, he achieved an Honor Roll Grade Streak ALL THE WAY THROUGH M.H.S.[5] However, according to the Manchester High Leaks, he received a D+ in English in his junior year, having not turned in several major assignments and getting failing grades on most of the ones he did turn in. Chris proudly claims he was mainstreamed through high school, but the special education classes imply that Chris was mainstreamed to the extent that he attended the same school as his typically functioning peers, but not much more than that. He also rode on the "freakin' Handicapped, Special-Ed bus", an experience which haunts him to this day.[6]
- 10th grade
- 11th grade
- English Class - 78%
- Parenting Interview
- Describing Development worksheet
- Parenting worksheets
- Empathy Belly essay (grade 30/30)
- Amendment Timeline
- Strategic Defense Initiative essay (grade 10/10)
- Election worksheet (grade 18/18)
- Canterbury Tales essay (grade 69%)
- Japan War essay
- Best President essay (grade 43/50 + 10)
- Student Life essay
- Standards of Learning essay
- 13 Lucky Writing Tips
- Spanish adjectives worksheet (grade 20/20)
- Spanish "Las Profesiones" worksheet
- Spanish "Las profesiones y nacionalidad" worksheet (grade 30/32)
- Chemistry mock resume (grade 83.1/100)
- Chemistry mock job interview (grade 33.1/40)
- Chemistry "Getting Acquainted" worksheet
- "Safety in the Kitchen" worksheet
- "Kitchen Safety" outline
- "Kitchen Safety" true/false worksheet
- 12th Grade
- September: Praise from his English teacher for the short story "How the Pokémon came into Our Poke Balls"
- March: CD cover for Christian's Favorite Hits!
- April: Naps in class for the self-documentary "A Week With Christian Chandler"
Social life
Most of Chris's friends were gal pals, not joy-boys. He had classes and ate lunch with them every other day (the high school has alternating "odd" and "even" days. On odd days he ate alone). He seemed to have had a strong dislike toward pupils he saw as immature boys,[7] which might be related to Chris having been constantly picked on. Chris's purported friends:
- Kellie Andes
- Tiffany Gowen
- Sarah Bevel
- Miranda Mitchell
- Molly Quarles, happy and giggly
- Joseph Herring
- Brian, boyfriend of Sarah[8]
In reality, few if any of those people can be legitimately said to have been a friend of Chris. As he himself admits, he spent little time with his so called friends outside of school hours[9] and in his Song of Christian (written at age sixteen) he describes himself as being lonely and isolated. He couldn't go to pep rallies because they were "Too Loud."
Years later, Chris found out that none of his gal-pals actually liked him that much and hung around with him mostly out of pity, much to his devastation. In the Facebook post where he revealed this, he also made the bizarre claim that he hadn't really been bullied much because he'd never been beaten up or stuffed into a locker, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the vast majority of school bullying consists of emotional, not physical abuse.
Go Lancers!
Chris was a water boy (and a "manager", according to him) for the Manchester High Lancers basketball team, along with Joseph Herring. He got a certificate and an embroidery "M" for this work.[5] Chris's servitude to the basketball team, probably the only meaningful interaction he had with other males throughout his entire adolescence, remains a cherished memory, so much so that he continues to obsess about it... over a decade after graduating.
A few references were slipped into the comic. Manchester High was featured heavily in Sonichu #7. It begins with Chris hanging around his old school without being there on any official business. Magi-Chan then brings Chris and Sonichu back in time to 1996, when Chris was a fourteen-year old waterboy. Based on his actions in the comic, his "manager" job consisted of leaning against a wall. In Sonichu #9, Megagi La Skunk was depicted wearing a Lancers cheerleader outfit.
In August 2010, Chris made a handful of characters and a vehicle in ModNation Racers to commemorate his time with the basketball team. The Manchester High ModNation collection includes the team bus, two of the players, a cheerleader, and Chris himself at age 14, looking as if he's afraid of being jumped by something just behind him.
On 9 August 2013, as Chris continued to fantasize about his high school years, Chris uploaded the logo of the team on Facebook. In November he revealed his "fantastical" Lego high school, which was festooned with a number of Lancers stickers. It featured a basketball court, gymnasium, showers, and locker room.
Chris the towel boy.
The ModNation version.
Manchester High basketball player.
Another basketball player.
And of course a cheerleader.
And, uh, a Transformer Lancer.
The Lancers go Lego.
The Bus
At age 15, Chris was "demoted" from the regular school bus to the Special Ed bus for an unknown reason. Out of all the weird, embarrassing details of his life that he has no problem discussing, this is one experience that he has rarely spoken about. It's clear that Chris was scarred by this experience of being forced to spend time with the seriously mentally handicapped, or "slow-in-the-mind" as he calls them.
Chris switched to the Bus of Doom after a confrontation with another student on the Normal Bus. Much like every other time Chris claims to have been physically assaulted, it is unclear exactly what happened. He has only told the story twice;[6][10] in one version it sounds like Chris started a fight because he wanted to get off the bus first, and in the other version it sounds like a niggo punched him for no reason. Whatever happened, Chris cites this incident as the reason for his exclusion from Gen Pop.
The Senior Prom
Chris took his mom to the seinor [sic] prom. His gal pal Tiffany Gowen felt sorry for him, and so she asked him to dance, which they did so for what seemed like hours to Chris (and arguably seemed like hours to Tiffany too). Chris hopes to re-enact this historic moment at an upcoming high school reunion.[11] That is assuming there aren't security guards there for the express purpose of keeping him out.
Gallery
Stay classy, Virginia.
"Don't go gropin' anyone tonight, Chris... I'm assburgin'."
Chris was probably more interested in the food than the two young ladies.
Chris is feeling all by his lonesome at this point.
Some random people at prom, giving what would be considered a rude gesture in some countries.
Tiffany to the rescue!
Graduation
For Chris, graduation was an emotional experience. In his own words:[12]
| I ONLY got recognized for my Grades with a Star Pin, yet they had MORE FANCIER AWARDS for more important qualities. I should have been Highly Recognized for my ARTISTIC TALENTS I showed in my Many Art Classes for the Award Ceremonies before Graduation Day. I felt crestfallen greatly from not getting recognized for any of my Talents. I EXCELLED IN MATH TOO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!
I had gotten over the Award Ceremony on the Graduation Day, but to add Lemon Juice to an open wound, it was a Dark and Rainy Day that Day, and they handed out MORE TALENTED AWARDS right before handing out any diplomas. When I went up there to get mine, I was feeling depressed, upset, crestfallen and ticked off. When the award was handed to me, I took it without looking anyone in the eye, and I did not shake anyone's hands. I just walked back to my seat in the Graduating Crowd. Then soon after, I just walked the wrong way up the center aisle, found an isolated table and cried myself out. My mother found me later and comforted me; my father was ashamed of the way I acted, and he would later still be angry at recalling the moment. Tiffany also found me and gave me a caring moment of condolences back there. I gave her a plush Psyduck as a graduating gift beforehand. |
In another retelling, Chris reveals more straight anger:[13]
| So while I sit there and feel happy for my friends who got something, I was so %$@# JEALOUS. I was a High-Functioning Autistic Boy who came WAAAAAAAAAY BEYOND OUT OF HIS SOCIAL SHELL, only to get ZILCH, NADA, ZIP; A BIG FAT ZERO! I felt so Devistated and Out Of Sync :'(
[...] I ended up doing what I did when I went up there to accept the diploma; NO HANDSHAKE, TEARS, AND RUNNING AWAY TO HIDE. They don't even have any pictures of that in the Y2K Yearbook; the caption should have read, "Student Christian Chandler is Depressed and Sad for some reasons. His response is tears and fright." Even now as I type this, I am still *&$%^#@ Angry that I didn't get anything for the things I've poured my heart, soul and hand-work into, nor emerged as a friend to quite a few, nor developing a positive social behavior similar to Red Skelton. |
More recently, however, he has rewritten the story to incorporate his nostalgia for lost friendships:[14]
| Graduation time: I only got a Star pin for my grades; No Awards for my talents. Between that and leaving the Best circle of friends I ever had, along with leaving the Best days of my life behind, I shook no one's hand and cried a Lot upon receiving my diploma. Plus it was raining heavily that Graduation day. |
The evil Count Graduon's name was derived from Chris's feelings about his graduation.[15]
At least one of Chris's graduation sculptures which are the root of his tears on that day, the Sonic Totem, survived the fire at 14BC. It was later sold for $1,500 to a fan from 4chan's /v/ board.
Yearbooks
The yearbook bore the title MASALA, a Hindi term for a "mixture."[16] Chris bought two yearbooks, apparently because he gave order forms to both Bob and Barb to fill out. Nobody signed his yearbook because they weren't delivered until after graduation.[17] Chris enjoyed looking at (and mass debating to?) the image of his old gal-pals and included many yearbook images on the 2007 DVD.[18] In 2009, he threw his yearbook around the room in a demonstration of strength.[19] In 2010, Chris showed the yearbooks during his abortive attempt to scare up a class reunion.[20] The yearbooks survived the 2014 fire with smoke and water damage. In 2017, Catherine and Al saw the yearbooks at 14 BC.
Lingering attachments
| “ | I left my heart back at Manchester High in Midlothian. | ” |
| Chris[21] | ||
Generally speaking, Chris's memories of high school still hold great significance for him. This is unsurprising, given that high school was the last time he regularly got out and about in a social environment that seems to have at least partially accepted and tolerated him, though this was most likely because snapping at an autistic child in a public school can get you suspended.
Chris has mentioned that he frequently dreams of his days in high school, recalling his teenage years in a nostalgic tone. A May 2010 YouTube video features a flood of wistful reminiscing from Chris, as he laments having to move away from the suburb where he went to high school: "I had so many friends over there, in high school. And I was just sad to leave, when I, after I graduated." A good half dozen of the women he recalled in his archive of "gal pals and past sweethearts" (and most of the ones who weren't trolls) were girls he knew in high school.
There's also the matter of the aforementioned Count Graduon, in whom Chris may have created an embodiment of the concept of leaving high school to be the dominant villain of the entire Sonichu saga. His graduation ceremony is perhaps one of his most painful memories, and it's particularly fitting that Chris transforms the experience into a villain in his own comic book, all things considered.
In 2013, inspired in large part by My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (his second favorite movie of all time), Chris made a Lego model of his school, complete with labelled mini-figures of his old gal pals, because Chris being Chris, he obviously doesn't realize how creepy making effigies of his former lovers is. In October, he showcased his creation in a YouTube video, a few days after discovering that his high school gal pals, being brave and compassionate souls, only tolerated him and allowed him near them out of pity. Not that Chris appreciates such charity.
When his house burned down on 10 January 2014, the Lego high school partially melted, and was photographed and salvaged by Chris the very next day. One of his first orders of business after moving into his temporary home was to rebuild the school, which he accomplished by March, rededicating it to MHS. He continued to expand it into the summer, and used his high school yearbook to make Lego figurines of the entire staff.
Reunion plans
| “ | I know it was Promised, because at the end of the slideshow they had at the Prom, it had a HUGE Message stating, "See You at the Reunion in Ten Year." I am no longer going to take the insubordination and belaboring-to-no-promise-keeping sitting down anymore. | ” |
| Chris on his "Promised Reunion"[22] | ||
Chris's intense yearning to return to high school manifested itself in a protracted focus on attending his reunion. He imagined his reunion almost exclusively within the context of reconnecting with his old gal-pals, specifically Tiffany Gowen, who he planned on asking to dance. In his "Gal-Pals and Past Sweethearts" page from the CWCipedia, Chris noted that he didn't know exactly when this would take place, but he made no effort to find out until mid-2010, as he assumed somebody from the school would have contacted him by then. He decided to be proactive and took several clumsy steps to bring the reunion to fruition. He planned to call the principal and demand action. He made a post on Classmates.com announcing the event. He personally typed up a list of his classmates' names, and on 27 August 2010, uploaded a video address to YouTube, a desperate plea for help in organizing it. Then he left it up to his father to field the incoming calls. Nothing came of this apart from weening.[23] In November there may have been a class reunion, but either way, Chris did not attend.
Three years later, still missing his old circle of gal-pals, he tried again, this time for a fifteenth annual reunion, even though it would be two years in the future. In August 2013, he contacted and friended everyone in the Class of 2000 he could track down. He sent gifts to some of them and started to refer to his class as "My Family." "I feel this is of utmost importance; I do not want anyone absent from the main reunion I am rounding everyone up for," he emphasized.[24] With the assistance of smarter people than himself, he produced a flier, and used his personal Facebook page to provide updates. Simultaneously he engrossed himself in the parallel fantasy of constructing his Lego Manchester High School. However, a combination of general apathy, troll shenanigans, and his Facebook friends' exposure to the bizarre and assholish sides of Chris thwarted his efforts. The roof caved in on 30 October, when he learned that his so-called friends had been nothing more than "hired help." He sank into depression and stopped caring about the reunion. The following summer he grumbled, "F***ing, D***ed Facebook, Ruining Socializing and making Reunions considered outdated and obsolete). ]:(."[25]
2015 came and went, no reunion is known to have been held, and Chris has apparently stopped caring about it.
Gallery
Becoming B-ball manager
Prom Note
Classes
Graduation Note 1
Graduation Note 2
Graduation Note 3
See also
References
- ↑ Greene County Conspiracy
- ↑ DVD, note 7
- ↑ A Week With Christian Chandler
- ↑ Chris + Sarah's Life-Shares, page 8
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 User:ChrisChanSonichu profile#The Teenage Years
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jackie Chat 9
- ↑ A Week With Christian Chandler
- ↑ DVD, note 6; A Week With Christian Chandler, page 8
- ↑ Kacey Call 20
- ↑ Kacey Call 9
- ↑ User:ChrisChanSonichu profile#The Seinor Prom
- ↑ User:ChrisChanSonichu profile#Graduation
- ↑ DVD, graduation notes 1 and 2
- ↑ CWC's Hallmark Negative Life Events. See also Autism Tutorial Part 3 and September 2013 Facebook Posts#Chris is losing friends.
- ↑ Jackie Chat 7
- ↑ CWC Lego Manchester High School Oct 18 2013 at 1:49
- ↑ Rental_House_Tour
- ↑ Christian Weston Chandler...Yep, I'm on TV :)
- ↑ Challenge for Clyde
- ↑ EXCLUSIVE Manchester High School 2000 Reunion Required NOW
- ↑ Autism Tutorial Part 3
- ↑ Jackie E-mails 9
- ↑ Jackie E-mails 9, Jackie E-mails 10, and Jackie E-mails 21.
- ↑ September 2013 Facebook Posts#Reunion update
- ↑ List of OkCupid Answers
