Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 8, 1990 TAG: 9006080482
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
"Just the other day, someone was asking me if I remembered something that happened in kindergarten," said Giles High School's salutatorian Jennifer O'Quinn, who moved to Giles County from South Carolina in the second grade.
"I told them I wasn't here then. It just seems like we've always been together."
Graduation came Thursday night for the 150 seniors at Giles High School. But the memory lapse of O'Quinn's friend may have been more of a product of the graduating class's unity than excitement over the end of school.
"Our senior-class picnic was like a family reunion," said Mark Middleton, who plans to go to New River Community College and then transfer to Virginia Tech.
"We're always doing stuff [as a class]," said Chad Lucas, who will report to the Army in August and be trained in air defense artillery. "We had our own prom at Mountain Lake. . . . It was a lot better [than a junior-senior prom]. We just got together as a class."
This year's class also is very goal-directed - 85 plan to continue education, including 36 at four-year colleges.
"One thing that's different about this year's class is that almost everyone knows what they want to do," said class treasurer Jocey Masri, who will attend Hollins College in the fall. "A lot are going into the military. A lot are going to college. Very few people are wondering [about the future]."
To assist with furthering their education, 49 scholarships and awards were won by 27 seniors totaling $29,625.
O'Quinn received the most money - $7,725. She also received the largest scholarship, the $6,000 Bailey Scholarship to Mary Baldwin.
Valedictorian Kimberly Kessinger received $3,300 in scholarships, including a $2,000 Pamplin Merit Scholarship from the College of Business at Virginia Tech.
Stephen Bailey received the largest scholarship not previously announced, the $3,000 James Mongle Memorial Scholarship from the Pearisburg Lions Club.
Seven other seniors received more than $1,000 in scholarship awards: Masri ($2,400), Susan Lynch ($1,900), Jon Morris ($1,150), Sandra Smith ($1,100), Crystal DiRico ($1,000), Gina Thompson ($1,000), Elaine Kessinger ($1,000) and Cindy Walters ($1,000).
Morris received the Michael Morris Memorial Scholarship - a $500 award given in honor of his brother, who was a sophomore when he died in an automobile accident last month.
It will be given annually to a senior who played basketball at Giles and intends to attempt to continue to play at the collegiate level.
by CNB