[Possible idea:
The Degrassi High Cadet Unit, 12 April 1993
L to R: Robert Kerwin (sergeant), Alex Yankou, Erica Farrell, Heather Farrell, Derek Nelson, Archie Simpson, Alexa Pappadopolos, Trish Skye, Lorraine Delacorte, Joey Jeremiah, Caitlin Ryan, Simon Dexter, Allison Hunter, Amy Holmes, Melanie Brodie, Kathleen Mead, Nick Halidor, Lucy Fernandez, Diana Economopoulos, Michelle Accette, Bryant Thomas, Maya Goldberg, Trudi Owens, Tessa Campanelli, Christine Nelson.
"Yeah", Trudi agreed. "The last ride of the Degrassi Quarternarians. The Great Little Twenty-Fifth!", she toasted.
"The Great Little Twenty-Fifth!", everyone cheered. Allison lit a cigarette. Simon threw his purple sash overboard. Trish got out her guitar and started playing Doors songs. Snake sat between LD and Heather,a smile playing on his lips.
"It's weird,isn't it,Snake?", LD promulgated. "Of all our cadet unit, only Nick is going into the actual military. The rest of us,we'll be livin' the same old civilian lives we've always had."
"Bob told me that isn't very unusual among units like ours. Only about forty percent of Cadets Canada members go on to military service. About twenty percent do some other form of national service,including me: I'm gonna be doing a Youth for Conservation program while at Ryerson. I might rope Spike into coming along."
LD shifted a little. "It's like our unit was a well-oiled machine with all the camaraderie we've had. Whaddaya suppose made it that way,Snake?"
Before Snake could formulate a reply,Caitlin's voice came from the upper deck. "Easy,LD. Most of us have known each other since we were in diapers. When you know people for that long and have the opportunity to form close bonds with them,naturally you'll have a deal of "esprit de corps'".
"She's right,you know", said Alexa from where she lay on top of a sleeping bag,her eyes closed for a nap. "Between school,this unit,and some of us being related" - she winked at Snake and LD - "it's no wonder we're all so close."]
On 18 December 1995 at 6:55 pm EST, Lila R wrote:
Holy shit,guys,I met Tessa yesterday. She transferred to my Asian History class here at Guelph,and she’s just as nice as she was on TV. We’re going out for coffee tomorrow morning and I am psyched.
StarQueen wrote:
Are she and Alex still together? You hear so many different things.
Lila R wrote:
I assume so,Abbie.
Danny Rutherford wrote:
I just found this forum,guys. I’ll def have to tell Joanne about it - her dad is my uncle!
StarQueen wrote:
She lives in Ottawa,I’ve heard?
Danny Rutherford wrote:
Yep. She goes to nursing school.
Sadiecakes wrote:
Small world,Danny:I’m related to LD - on the Delacorte side,not the Simpson side,but I’ve met Snake and Spike a few times! Spike and I share a taste in clothing designers! And Emma’s a little charmer too!
Lila R wrote:
I know! I can’t believe she’s six already.
StarQueen wrote:
What’s the name of Caitlin’s cousin - the one who’s her goddaughter or something like that? It begins with an E but I can’t recall it now - she’s the one whose dad is in the RCAF,they’ve been in a few episodes.......
Hannah Miller wrote:
You’re thinking of Ellie - I believe her last name is Nash. She’s actually Caitlin’s first cousin once removed - her mother Caroline is one of Caitlin’s first cousins.
ChrisaE wrote:
Another Degrassi relative chiming in here;Diana’s my cousin through my mother. Everyone in our family says we look like twins!
Lila R wrote:
I’d love to meet her,Chrisa! She inspired my look in high school (I graduated last year). Have you met any of the cast,Hannah?
Hannah Miller wrote:
I get to see Rainbow once or twice per week as she’s a waitress at a diner I go to regularly,and Tim used to live in my apartment building when we were in school. His family moved out in November 1991 and we had a party for them which I remember Lucy,Alexa,Derek,Snake,Nancy,and Michelle attending. Lucy told me that Caitlin wanted to come but she had family commitments.
Julie Anne wrote:
Melanie’s family went to my church for several years and we were in a Christmas pageant together. Her mother was our Sunday school teacher when we were thirteen,the last year either of us attended.
I’ve seen Annie on the Toronto subway sometimes. Every time I see her she’s reading one of those Sweet Dreams romance novels they write for tweens.
Vivian dated my brother Ryan throughout most of ‘92.
Me and my friend Danielle met Alexa and Simon at The Bay in September. We four chatted for a few minutes,mostly about our respective casas. Apparently she wanted to wait before getting pregnant,so when I saw her pregnancy announcement two weeks ago I was kinda shocked!
Lila R,I’ve seen Tessa occasionally,usually at The Bay where her mom is a general manager. In January ‘93 I saw her and LD in the candy section debating what to buy for Derek.
Stacey from St Paul’s wrote:
I grew up catty-corner to Allison. She was never really mean to me and in fact she once asked me if she could borrow a dress I was happening to wear,because she liked it. My mom sold Joey his prom suit and is in a gardening club with Simon’s parents. Nancy used to run a lemonade stand near my house.
Disneychick wrote:
I’m currently taking a cooking class with Maya. I’ll have to take a picture of us sometime. She’s really sweet.
Last week I was on the TTC and Heather and Erica were there. Erica complimented my choice of skirt. I asked where Mia was and apparently an aunt of theirs was babysitting her. They got off at Glencairn station.
I see Derek at record stores all the time - he’s pretty popular around The Beaches!
Willa the writer girl wrote:
Trish jogs past my house most mornings,usually about seven or so,and we’ve gotten close enough to say hi.
Rick used to go to my gym when they were all seniors at Degrassi High.
I saw Lucy in a bakery once,buying a birthday cake for her dad.
Chloe wrote:
You guys know how Amy goes to Ryerson U? Their drama club put on a performance of Euryanthe a while back and she was in it - she portrayed the title character. I saw Caitlin,Snake,Jyoti,and Arthur in the audience - no sign of Allison,though,I think she may have been sick.
Allison Hunter wrote:
Indeed I was.
StarQueen wrote:
Oh my word,it’s Allison herself!
Allison Hunter wrote:
That’s me! Nice to see that you posted here,Stace! We really ought to get together sometime soon!
Stacey from St Paul’s wrote:
Name the time and place,gurl!
Rosie Lang wrote:
I grew up a few doors down from Trudi - ‘memba her? The punk rock girl who was a little like Spike? I’ve seen Susie around Oakville. And I’m in a CompuNet group with Alexa - her handle is ARPD-1174 if y’all are interested:I believe it refers to her initials and birth month (don’t worry,she gave me permission to post this).
The Long-Lost Wakefield Twin wrote:
Rick went to my school for a year or so in 1984-ish. He was a bit of a loner but he wasn’t rude or anything. If he got in trouble I never heard anything about it. He did have one or two friends as I recall.
I was at a Canada Day party with Diana this year. She was supervising a ring-toss booth.
StarQueen wrote:
ChrisaE,is your cousin still friends with any of her castmates?
ChrisaE wrote:
Some - Vicki lived near her growing up as did Arthur and Stephanie. I lived not too far from Michelle. Trish’s dad and mine are employed by the same company.
Marijo Jane wrote:
Liz occasionally volunteers at the same teen club I volunteer at in Newmarket. We’re not very close but she’s more likable than she used to be. And yes,she’s still with Luke if y’all wanna know.
Hannah Miller wrote:
I see them on the TTC from time to time! I think they live in the Duffins Bay area if the stops they get off at are anything to go by. Any other cast interactions,Mari?
Marijo Jane wrote:
I’ve gotten my car serviced at Delacorte Garage from time to time but I’ve never had the good fortune to cross paths with LD. I think I saw Spike and Emma at the Windfields Farmer’s Market last summer.
PrincessLuci wrote:
Nancy lives a few doors down from me these days. She’s pretty sweet,always having a ‘hi!’ for everybody.
I saw Kathleen at a McDonald’s on Simcoe Hill in March - she looked pretty busy so I didn’t try to talk to her.
I’ve seen Alexa,Melanie,and Rick on the TTC - obviously not at the same time,of course.
The Long-Lost Wakefield Twin wrote:
Aren’t Snake and Tessa cousins or something?
Hannah Miller wrote:
Yep. Snake is cousins with LD,Melanie,and Teresa through his dad and Allison and Tessa through his mom.
Sandy Johnson wrote:
Trudi and I went to school together in Mississauga before she transferred to Degrassi in grade 5.
Amberstar wrote:
Speaking of Teresa,my brother’s kinda been going out with her these last few months. She’s an absolute sweetheart.
Joey used to go to the same gym as me.
Makingajoyfulnoise wrote:
I saw LD and Derek at the Crab Shack a few weeks ago. They seemed like they were having fun.
Josie75 wrote:
Diana lives in my apartment complex. I see her on laundry days and she’s pretty nice. She just upgraded from glasses to contact lenses.
StarQueen wrote:
Believe me,Josie,we know. There was a whole thread about it back in September.
PrincessLuci wrote:
I saw Tessa and Alex on the TTC last week,Lila. From the way they were acting they are definitely still together.
Lila R wrote:
Thank you much,Lu!
Dreamcatcher wrote:
Amy and I are second cousins and I see her about every few months or so. She’s in training to be a therapist after she finishes at Ryerson but you guys prolly know that already.
Ellen Marie wrote:
Allison is in the Carleton U theatre club. They put on King Arthur (Purcell) this past spring and she was a cast member - she played the part of “Albanact”. I was in the audience that day because my cousin who goes there played “King Oswald”. You guys know that Lucy also goes to Carleton - she played “Venus”.
Willa the writer girl wrote:
Albanact? Oswald? I know a lot of Arthuriana and I’ve never heard of these characters. What does Venus have to do with the legend?
Ellen Marie wrote:
As I understand,it’s essentially an original story with King Arthur tacked on. Oswald is the King of the Saxons and Albanact is a knight in Arthur’s service (maybe he’s meant to be like Lancelot?). They do a sort of masque at the end and Venus gets to sing a song in it - look up “Fairest Isle”. Lucy really has a good voice on her!
StarQueen wrote:
Are she and Allison friends or anything?
JemFan wrote:
I get the impression they’re civil but not close with each other, which if I’m being honest is pretty much how they’ve always been, seeing as they run in different crowds. They might know each other more from having been in the same Cadets Canada unit as quite a few of their cast/classmates, but that’s probably as far as it goes.
notachoppedchampion wrote:
So that’s where “Fairest Isle” is from! I sang it without any context at a talent show in junior high school - I had no idea it was from something. It’s a lovely little tune.
GotCash wrote:
Vicki lives a block over from me in a Colonial-style house I suspect her parents bought for her. She’s a little shy but likable in general.
The Long-Lost Wakefield Twin wrote:
Chloe, I don’t think you should be surprised that Snake was in the audience for Amy’s opera performance - he goes to Ryerson too. I know Trudi and Alex go there [edit: and Diana].
ChrisaE wrote:
As does Diana.
Yearning in Sarnia wrote:
My cousin is a logistics officer for their cadet unit (it’s been reformed with 25 new kids). I can set up a thread for discussion on that if whoever’s the admin here has no problems.
Karryn Sheridan (MOD) wrote:
That would be moi,and go right ahead!
Yearning in Sarnia wrote:
Thanks! From your profile page picture you kinda look like Vicki.
Karryn Sheridan (MOD) wrote:
I know,right? I’m not related to her,but people keep thinking I am!
Marcella wrote:
I saw Snake and Spike at Pür and Simple in Etobicoke this morning (12/22): no Emma though, I guess they got a babysitter. They seemed to be deep in conversation so I didn’t approach them.
PrincessLuci wrote:
I love that restaurant! I’ll have to go there someday and see if any of the cast are there.
JemFan wrote:
I’ve seen Nancy there before. The last time I went there,just more than a year back,she was one of their busgirls.
Mack Bolan’s Girlfriend wrote:
I lived across the street from Clutch about 10 years ago. He got a new motorbike every year for his birthday.
Every time I go to the Whole Foods on Tupper Boulevard,Voula is the cashier.
Jessica Oakes wrote:
I saw Stephanie yesterday in Clairlea. She was on a motorcycle heading west along Hightower Avenue past that little 50s-style diner,some of you might know where I’m talking about.
notachoppedchampion wrote:
I’ve seen her before on that motorcycle! She’s really good at driving it.
Allison Hunter wrote:
Believe you me,seeing that thing next to my dinky lil’ hand-me-down bike in the Degrassi JH bike rack made me question my existence.
Willa the writer girl wrote:
Allison,while we’ve got you on the line (as it were),is there a backstory behind the character you played in King Arthur? And how close are you with Lucy and Caitlin? Was Caitlin involved in the play?
Allison Hunter wrote:
Albanact? Not that I’m aware of. I believe he’s completely original to the play. He’s the captain of Arthur’s guards,so I don’t think he has an equivalent in the “regular” legends of Arthur - not that I know a whole lot about that kind of thing.
Lucy and I have breakfast together every once in a while (about every two weeks or so) and we’re in a Canadian history class together as well. Caitlin lives a dorm over from me and occasionally has breakfast with us. She was part of the orchestra - she played the oboe.
Lianne Silverstein wrote:
I know a guy who works with Alexa and has quite a few funny stories about her. I’ll have to post ‘em in a separate thread given how many he’s got!
Anna Crenshaw - Nicole Stoffman
Karryn Bradley - Stephanie Kaye
Zhanna Kishineva - Niki Kemeny
Nikolina Protopopova - Voula Grivogiannis
Micah Crenshaw - Duncan Waugh
Seth Bradley - Arthur Kobalewscuy
Jennifer Crenshaw - Annabelle Waugh
Michelle Bradley - Dorothy Kaye/Kobalewscuy
Brian Standish - Stefan Brogren
Gerry "Giraffe" McDowell - Archie "Snake" Simpson
Alexander "Alex" Raybourne - Pasquale "Pat" Mastroianni
Jeffrey "Jeff" Burnett - Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah
Heather Maurras - Amanda Stepto
Julia "Jewel” St. Clair - Christine "Spike" Nelson
Vanessa St. Clair - Emma Nelson
Josie Flournoy - Stacie Mistysyn
April Cameron - Caitlin Ryan
Emily Eddington - Sarah Charlesworth
Massie Alexander - Susie Rivera
Dana Bushnell - Rebecca Haines
Shannon Woods - Kathleen Mead
Bethany McDonald - Sarah Ballingall
Kirsty Fredericks - Melanie Brodie
Philip Edmondson - Neil Hope
Martin “Marty” Schlegel - Derek “Wheels” Wheeler
Janine Garrett - Michelle Goodeve
Claudia Solis - Karen Avery
Stacey Armstrong - Cathy Keenan
Alicia Hathaway - Liz O’Rourke
Rachael Beltran - Angela Deiseach
Michelle Wetherbee - Erica Farrell
Jillian Beltran - Maureen Deiseach
Gayle Wetherbee - Heather Farrell
Vanessa Morrow - Amanda Cook
Emily “Em” Reightler - Lorraine “LD” Delacorte
Alissa Catone - Anais Granofsky
Sondra Vallejo - Lucy Fernandez
Jeremy Hanlon - Michael Carry
Rick Parnell - Simon Dexter
Cristina Alvanelli - Irene Courakos
Maria Locarno - Alexa Pappadopolos
Janna Freiburg - Kyra Levy
Lauren Bertram - Maya Goldberg
Jenny Rickman - Jacy Hunter
Christine Collins - Amy Holmes
Ashley Powers - Sara Holmes
Tara Hendricks - Allison Hunter
Plot: The lives of an Austrian-American family living in Beverly Hills, 1905-present
Frame story: Christina Rintelen Reynolds,2023
- Chrisa is a part-time influencer and most-of-the-time teacher and class advisor at North Hollywood High School,about 30 yrs old in 2023. She’s married to Ethan Reynolds,involved in the music industry.
- A chapter or two of Chrisa slumming about Rodeo Drive and environs,doing typical “lower upper class” stuff - shopping,hanging out with some friends,etc
- Chrisa and Ethan go to a nice dinner someplace (the mansion of a music producer?) and their host mentions having German ancestry. Chrisa mentions her Austrian ancestry and it turns out they have a common relative,the first Rintelen to have lived in Beverly Hills.
First generation: Lothar (von) Rintelen, 1905-1932
- Arrives in LA from Nebraska and earlier from Tyrol
- As per the naturalization requirements of the US,he drops the noble particle from his name
- 1910s LA: shipping industry
- Lothar gets in on this
- He has two children from his first marriage, a second adds five more
Second generation: Thomas Rintelen, 1919-1951
- Eldest son of Lothar
- Character actor. Mostly content to let his siblings run the shipping business
- 1920s culture: flappers,movies,jazz,etc
- In 1943 he is accused of supporting Nazism. A character reference from L.B.Mayer saves his career but he retires anyway.
Third generation: Alfred Rintelen, 1940-1976
- Son of the above. First Americanized Rintelen.
- Serves in WWII in Ireland and later France. “His” war ends at the Battle of the Bulge,wounded by an antipersonnel mine.
- After the war he helps to buy the family a mansion (Hollywood realty?).
- McCarthyism and the blacklist: he is unaffected but he writes letters angrily protesting such measures.
- Lots of celebrity encounters for this guy: seems like every month he’s helping a television or movie star buy a new home.
- In the 1960s and ‘70s Alfred grows less relevant: he makes an unsuccessful run for mayor of Beverly Hills.
Fourth generation: Paul Rintelen, 1962-2001
- Son of Alfred, grandfather of Christina
- Teaches at Beverly Hills High School: he's the first Rintelen to graduate from BHHS
Sixth generation: Christina Rintelen, 2004-2023
—————
*Christina motorcycles down northern Sunset, her brown hair flying out from under her distinctive orange helmet*
*in the background a brief glimpse of the Chateau Marmont*
*we see her walking down the Occidental campus; a senior compliments her on her blue hoodie*
*she sits in a History of Fashion lecture,taking notes*
*she's in line at a Thai restaurant, laughing and joking with Emelie and a mutual friend*
*she's in her bedroom, listening to prog rock while transcribing her notes*
*when she comes down the next morning, she sees Armin sitting at the table*
*the LA Times headline he's reading is about the SpaceX CRS-6 mission*
*another headline reads "Met Gala 2K14: Who Will Show?"*
Chrisa: Dad, I ought to tell you something.
Armin (slight interest): Anything, babydoll.
Chrisa: Over the Easter break I'm gonna move into Berkus Hall - it's an all-women dorm on the south campus.
Armin: So that explains the suitcases in the west back hallway!
Chrisa: Are you alright with this? I would like to know.
Armin: Christina Louise, you're 20 now. It's not my place to boss where you live for now, even if I suppose you'll eventually move back here.
Chrisa: Yeah,probably a few years after I graduate!
Anyone could agree that the wedding of Christina Rintelen and Ethan Reynolds was a nice affair. It was not over- or underdone,taking place in the back lawn of Ulmenhugel as the Sun rose on the following Friday. Jessamine Kotoff,Sydney Sayers,Emelie Dahan,Kelsey Leonidas,and Mia Rintelen were Christina’s attendants,while Ethan went with his brother Keith and two mutual friends,Jason Prentiss and Alex Gantling.
