HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED!

The Challenger explosion and the Iran/Contra scandal are exactly as far removed from high school graduates today as we were from the end of World War II.

30 years before our graduation, in 1934 Hitler declared himself Furher of Germany. 30 years ago, in 1974 Saigon fell.

40 years before our graduation, in 1924 Lenin died and was succeeded by Stalin. 40 years ago, in 1964 Nikita Khrushchev lost his job, India's Pandit Nehru died and Nelson Mandela was jailed for life.

This year's graduates of Paschal were born in 1985 and 1986.

• They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
• Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
• The Berlin Wall fell when they were four years old.
• Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
• The CD was introduced the year they were born.
• They have always had an answering machine.
• They have always had cable.
• They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
• Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
• They never took a swim and thought about Jaws or a shower and thought about Psycho.
• They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
• They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
• They never heard: "Where's the Beef?", "I'd walk a mile for a Camel", or "de plane Boss, de plane".
• They do not care who shot J. R. and have no idea who J. R. even is.
• McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.
• They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.
• They think people who graduated from high school forty years ago are real, real old dudes.