My Favorite High Schoolers Of All Time

High School: What comes to mind when those words are said? Besides being that place that you never want to return to after you've completed the necessary years there, what else do you think about when hearing those words? Do you think about what could've been? Or do you think about what was? And do you remember any of the students that you had a bond or problem with? You see, what high school should be (politically speaking) is a haven for students that have a bad home life and (mostly) a learning facility. But what high school is (in actuality) is a place where during your formal years you learn a lot about who you are and begin to discover who you are going to be. What I'm saying is that high school isn't like what they show on the movies or what you see on TV. It's not one big, happy musical like East High or Rydell High. It's not the materialistic and manipulative second home to West Bev students. It's more realistic than that; it's the burdens that students carry through the hallways everyday that make a high school. It's the tension between two classmates that continue throughout the 4 years you attend. It's the battles and pressures felt everyday while sitting at a desk when you'd rather not be there. That's high school. And what I love about the following (fictional) high schoolers is that they bring and/or have brought that rawness to the screen. It's something about their struggles that make them so relatable and so damn lovable. And that is why they are my favorites, of all time.

5. Matt Donovan

If you live under a rock like my buddy Patrick Star, you are not aware of what The Vampire Diaries is. And you have no idea who Matt Donovan is. But he serves of huge purpose to the show, being a human amongst supernatural beings. And that's why he's on this list. What he represents is stronger than a werewolf bite, a vampire's blood, or a witch's spell; he represents the innocence and ignorance that a human possesses. He is unaware of what goes on around him. In other words, Matt is unknowingly putting himself in danger by being associated with his friends and he has no clue. His blatant lack of knowledge could be harmful but also serves as his greatest weapon. If Matt were to find out that the girl he loves is a vampire or that his only sister was turned into a vampire and then killed by a vampire classmate who he respectfully accepted dating the girl he was in love with or that his on-and-off again best friend is a werewolf, I don't think he'd really understand it. That's why I love that his character is in the dark... but not for long. Another human trait that he carries is curiosity. And it definitely has been apparent in this season of the show. We are sure to see Matt try to piece his life together. And hopefully, that doesn't come with consequences because we need Matt in this show- being the naiveté that The Vampire Diaries lack in its other characters. (Sidenote- to Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson: WE WANT ZACH ROERIG TO STAY!..... please ^.^)

4. AC Slater

Although Slater was only a sidekick to the unforgettable Zack Morris, his role on the show became rather memorable as well. Besides the obvious (tall, dark, and handsome), Slater had a staple quality about him that I saw a lot in my high school: loyalty. Being loyal to a friend was something that even the weirdest and most offbeat of students held to heart. Despite being charismatic and charming, Slater's most endearing characteristic was that he was always 100% down for his friends' causes. This even applied to his relationship with his best friend Zack, who was initially an enemy-turned-friend and constant competition for him regarding the ladies. Yet, Slater's loyalty to their friendship dominated his relentless nature to always win. And that attribute always captivated me. His amicable temperament was one of things about the iconic Saved by the Bell that made it's audiences tune in week after week, even during the College Years. Simply put, A.C. Slater is golden.

3. Landon Carter

Having lost a classmate that I had known since the 4th grade to leukemia during my freshman year of high school, the movie A Walk to Remember pretty much hit home for me. Throughout a girl's last year of being alive, she finds love and a miracle all in one boy. In the beginning of the film, you feel for Jamie Sullivan because she is excluded from everyone else in her high school. Even if that person wasn't necessarily "you" during your high school years, you still were aware of those outsiders and still at times probably wondered to yourself why they didn't just join a clique like everyone else did. And on the other hand, you could ID with Landon Carter right off the back. Besides being popular and rebellious, he was really just your average teenager in high school: trying to be cool by following the crowd (or in his case, his idiot best friend Dean). If you were lucky in high school, you had someone who made you reevaluate your decisions and question who it is that you wanted to become. And what gave Landon a change of heart was the outsider that we talked about in the onset, Jamie. Hopefully you are not a neighbor to Patrick Star and you know why Mr. Carter is on this list. But just in case you don't, the reason he is #3 is because Shane West is perfection. Okay, besides the obvious, Shane's portrayal of Landon was effortlessly done and very effective, I must add. His journey to discovering love and what he was willing to do for love and how love in turn made him a different person was just heartbreaking to watch. And it's what we're all bound to experience at some point in our lives, preferably after high school. But nonetheless, this groundbreaking story was relatable and lovely, all wrapped in a Kleenex box. Kudos to Mr. West.

2. Q

When you're a kid, you look at your parents and hope that one day you'll be able to love a person as much as they love each other. And as you get older, you become more exposed to your parents' insecurities, infidelities, & issues and it begins to take a toll on you. You start to view love as nonexistent or as something that involves you to work twice as hard at keeping it once you gain it. And all of that West Side Story and Titanic romance bull goes out of the window. That is why Q is so eminent on my list of favorite high schoolers. Even though Love & Basketball was a 2 hour movie and a story that spanned roughly 13 years, the high school years (known as the "second quarter" in the film) was vital to Q's story. At the start of the film, you see a boy's basketball dream being built from the admiration of his superstar father. And then hits the "second quarter" where all hell breaks lose. The respect the son once had for his father goes down the drain when he finds out (from his drunk mother) that his father had been unfaithful for years. And having unconditional love for his mom (like any normal boy does), he cuts his father off and slowly but surely this affects his game. Now by a show of hands (or nods to your computer screens), how many of you were affected by a parent's indiscretions? How many of you are a child of divorce? Too many of my high school friends to name. Fortunately, I'm from a small percentage of high school kids who weren't hit with a divorce during those years. (And from an even smaller percentage of people who weren't hit with a divorce after those years.) But if a nod was an answer to my question, then you know why Q was such an essential character to add to the list. And you understand why when his role model was gone, this affected his initial goal a great deal. His story was almost too real to how it is in the non-virtual world. And that's the most appealing part about the movie.

1. Shawn Hunter

I have to be honest, this blog was an excuse for me to write about my undying love for a fictional character. (See http://therealbekkyboo.blogspot.com/2011/02/damn-you-cw.html for further information) And his name is Shawn Hunter! He was portrayed by the specimen known as Rider King Strong. And everything about this high school kid makes him #1 on my list! Boy Meets World was an underrated yet appreciated TV show about a boy's journey from childhood to manhood, with the help of his girlfriend, best friend, and older brother. Shawn Hunter was the troubled best friend who dealt with every blow that the world planted on him. His mother abandoned him, his father left him to take care of himself, his brother was absent when it mattered the most, and his best friend could never truly understand what he was going through. Shawn was the kid you would want by your side during any conflict (and in Cory's case, by his side throughout any ordeal that life could possibly concoct.) He was a bad boy but yet a good guy. How he mixed those two differentiating personalities is still a marvel to me but Rider did a damn good job in doing so. And I spent my high school years searching for a kid who was at least 1/8 interesting as my dearest Shawn Hunter, but to no attest. So I tape the re-runs of Boy Meets World every morning on ABC Family from 7 to 8 a.m. (even though I've seen every episode of the seven seasons at least 5 times) just to fall in love with Shawn Hunter over and over again. Unhealthy? Possibly. But my #1 favorite high schooler of all time has earned my heart, each time.


In a world of television and film where the everyday obstacles high schoolers face is watered down and only imaginative, we appreciate these gentleman for portraying to us exactly what it is that high school presented to us. And all the credit should be going to the writers for allowing these stories to be told, but I'm applauding the actors for making their characters household names (that goes to you too, Mr. Roerig!)

Who are your favorite (fictional) high schoolers?

Damn You, CW!

So I'm officially over Disney Channel (WHAT?, I love Phineas and Ferb!) and it's lack of interesting shows (R.I.P. Raven!). And so I turn the channel and I see the CW, aka the most addictive network on television. Yeah, we have HBO and ABC Family and even FOX but those networks aren't near as intense as the CW. If you, like myself, have been tuning into Smallville since season one, you'd know that the CW was formerly WB. And you'd know that they used to be home to some of my former favorite shows, such as Birds of Prey and Girlfriends. But now, they are home to 6 shows that I can't get enough of. And they are (in showtime order): 90210, Gossip Girl, Hellcats, The Vampire Diaries, Nikita, and Smallville.

Smallville has been in my life since October 16, 2001. Yeah, I'm a junkie for this show. I was in 3rd grade (I'll never forget it) and my good friend Alex (I miss his face!) and I were talking about the new SUPERMAN show that was coming on TV. And after watching it, we both came to class the next day (a Wednesday, I said I was a junkie) and we were both in love with the show. He had a major crush on Lana and I had my wedding planned for Clark and I. And basically I've been hooked ever since. And we're down to the wire with it's final and 10th season and I'm truly sad that this is the end.

90210 was the next show I got into. I remember seeing the promo for the remake of the classic 90's show Beverly Hills 90210 and being interested. And I was familar with one of the actors from his former gig as Michael in The Wire. (Hello Mr. Wilds) So I remember watching the first episode and really enjoying the storylines and different characters. And we're on Season 3 right now and it still hasn't gotten old to me. (True fan here!)

Gossip Girl, Hellcats, and Nikita were my next CW shows.

I've seen commercials for Gossip Girl since the first season and I've heard Tyra Banks talk about how much she loved the show but I was just never interested enough to watch. So randomly on the first episode of their Season 4, I watched it and automatically became hooked. I loved the superficial setting of these 4 Upper East Siders and 2 Brooklynites and how they basically ran the City. (FYI, for all you non-NYers, it's not like that AT ALL in the City) But their plot was intriguing and their characters were so shallow and so enamored of New York that I had to keep watching. And they haven't disappointed yet.

Hellcats interested me because my husband (See my Smallville rant) was reported to be an executive producer of the show. And then I saw the cute girl from Phil of the Future as a main character (her name is Aly Michalka, yes I am aware) and knew I had to watch the show. And I have to say that it is one of my favorites on TV right now. Yes, I think Jeff Hephner is dreamy and a catch but besides that, the show has not slipped up in the storyline. You never question why they throw a curve ball in an episode and you always walk away from your TV wanting more. That's how a TV show is supposed to leave you feeling. And I'd like to think it had a little something to do with Tom as an Exec. (I'm just saying...)

Nikita is another new show, just like Hellcats, that caught my attention because: 1. it was finally not a show about school kids, 2. it had women kicking ass, and 3. Landon Carter was a main character. (Is it just me or is Shane West perfection?) On top of those 3 factors, Maggie Q was given the lead role as the scorned assassin now seeking revenge on her former employers; better known as NIKITA. That alone had me interested (you need to watch Mission Impossible 3 to fully understand my respect for Maggie). And yet again, the CW hasn't disappointed me with this show. I can't get over how much I love this show, being that it's a remake of a failed USA network show. Thank you for that!

At last, The Vampire Diaries is the final CW show that has its hooks in me. Right off the back, let me say that I think Ian and Paul are my favorite vampires on TV and/or film (sorry Jackson and Kellan, I think you are both amazing!) Moving on, this show is not your average vampire show. And I won't get into detail about why it's not, I'd rather tell you to go out and buy Season 1 on DVD and find out for yourself. But besides the storylines and great settings (thank you Atlanta!), the cast is phenomenal. They truly work well together. I hate to watch a show and see no spark or connection between cast members. But that's not a problem that TVD has, they gel so nicely that it's offensive at times. Matt Davis, Sara Canning, Zach Roerig, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Paul Wesley, and Michael Trevino are golden- PERIOD AND POINT BLANK. If any of these main characters die, I'm done with the show. (Ok, maybe I won't stop watching but I will be really disappointed.)

So please, (never) watch the CW network. It will become a bad habit for you each week because you will have wasted (in my case) 6 hours of your life wishing for a Dan Humphrey or Dan Patch. This is not reality, you will never find someone as perfectly conflicted as Michael (Nikita) or someone as perfectly bad as Liam (90210) or someone as perfectly heroic as Oliver Queen (Smallville). It's not humanly possible. And it's also not healthy to desire a fictional character. Trust me, I've been searching for a Shawn Hunter for 11 years now, ever since the final airing. (R.I.P. Boy Meets World and thank god for ABC Family airing re-runs in the morning)

So do me a favor and NEVER watch CW shows. Okay, who am I kidding, I'm never going to stop watching. Damn You, CW!