High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Lucky Breaks? Surviving Accidents, Killer Exams, Volcano

It doesn’t take getting hit on the head by a horseshoe as you kneel to pluck a four-leaf clover or pick up your rabbit’s foot to know that a lot of what happens to us, happens because of luck.

Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day--”luck of the Irish” and all--so as you’re getting the green out, Hot Topics wonders, “What’s the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to you?”

“On our way to Miami, the engine fell off our airborne airplane. Then, on our return flight to Los Angeles, our plane skidded off the runway into a grass patch during takeoff to avoid a midair collision with another plane.”

Debbie Gelfand, 17,

and Margy Cohen, 17,

seniors, Marina

“I noticed that one of my math teachers marked a problem wrong by mistake, so (when it was pointed out), my quarter grade went up and so did my semester grade.”

Aarti Hansji, 17,

senior, Connelly

“I usually call KIIS-FM, but I never get through. One day I got through and they told me I won New Kids on the Block tickets.”

Lupe Salazar, 15,

sophomore, Santa Ana Valley

“That I was born, because originally, I was not supposed to be--I had a one-in-three chance.”

Amy E. Mather, 15,

freshman, Santa Margarita

“My English teacher went to work for two months at the district office, and our class missed the famous killer final (exam).”

Andy Dang, 17,

junior, El Toro

“Being able to go to school because there are children who can’t because they don’t have parents and live in the streets.”

Guadalupe Alvarez, 14,

freshman, Bolsa Grande

“I lost my class ring the night I received it. A few days later, I found it in a jewelry box that I hadn’t touched in ages.”

Pearlie Lim, 17,

senior, Connelly

“I survived a couple of 360s (spins) on a crowded freeway.”

Leanna Leslie, 17,

senior, Cypress

“I won tickets to a Janet Jackson concert without entering the contest. My friend had signed my name up as a joke.”

Enrique Marban, 16,

junior, Santa Ana Valley

“I survived the Mt. St. Helen’s eruption during the time that I lived in Washington.”

Sarah Ragland, 16,

sophomore, Santa Margarita

“I found a four-leaf clover.”

Sean Kelly, 17,

senior, Cypress

“On my birthday two years ago, I crashed my car into a steel and wood fence. I didn’t have my seat belt on and I crawled out without even a bruise.”

Katy Deans, 17,

senior, Connelly

“The luckiest thing that happened to me was when my sister moved out.”

Kristi Galasso, 15,

sophomore, Bolsa Grande

“I’m really lucky to have my sister, because she went through all the grades before me and taught me a lot.”

Kenny Martinez, 17,

senior, El Toro

“Almost every day at lunch, a sea gull (deposits) near me, but I’ve never been hit.”

Karen Gren, 15,

sophomore, Marina

“When I was 10, I went to a Harlem Globetrotters game, which was great because I have always liked basketball.”

Sean Martin, 14,

freshman, Bolsa Grande

“I won $500 in a pool during the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland A’s.”

Joel Torres, 16,

junior, Santa Ana Valley

“That I have a twin.”

Carrie Sawyer, 16,

junior, Santa Margarita

“Last December, about a week before Christmas, the New Kids on the Block were in concert. I wanted to go, but the tickets were sold out. But while I was at church, the floor management decided to open some more sections for the concert. My mom called in, then surprised me later that day with one of the best seats in the place. It was a lot of fun.”

Sharleen Fletcher, 17,

senior, Bolsa Grande