THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 17, 1994 TAG: 9406150149
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940617 LENGTH: Medium
Besides being a good student and a talented musician, Garris, an 18-year-old senior, is the computer whiz that kept the school's computers running all year. Earning a reputation as the school's hi-tech expert, Garris helped set up several of Churchland's computer labs and spent at least an hour each day helping students, staff and faculty master the equipment.
{REST} Raymond Hale, Chuchland High principal, expressed the mixed emotions of the school's staff. ``I am happy for Shawn that he is graduating, but losing him from Churchland High School is like losing a member of the faculty, like losing our resident technician,'' Hale said.
``Everyone here realizes that he knows what he is doing with computers and relies on him,'' Elizabeth Duke, mathematics teacher and computer lab supervisor, said. ``Shawn has done a lot with his music and the band, but he didn't touch as many people there as he has with the computers.''
Garris plays the saxophone, piano and guitar. For three years he has been a member of the Churchland High Marching Truckers, pep band, concert band, jazz band and honor band. He dropped out of the bands this year to devote more time to the computers.
The affinity for computers began when Garris was just a curious 4-year-old, hanging around the computer lab at Tidewater Community College, watching his father, Bruce Garris, work on the machines. Bruce Garris is an automated information systems manager at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and was taking courses at TCC at the time.
After playing with more and more sophisticated computers at home, young garris branched out at age 15 and put his knowledge to work in his own custom built computer firm, Wolf Byte Computers.
``I would find out what people needed and build to their specs,'' he said. ``I guess I built about a dozen in all.''
Last summer Garris spent several weeks getting the high school's computer labs operational and has logged another 300 plus hours since then assisting students and staff.
``I like the labs to be available and open for people,'' he said. ``During lunch people come in to write papers, write letters to friends, or to play solitaire on the computer.''
Hale remembered the time his secretary's computer went down and a service technician was unavailable for two days. ``I called Shawn down and he fixed it right away,'' Hale said. ``It wasn't a big deal to him but it was to us.''
``If I have a problem that I can't handle, I have information galore at home from conferences, training classes and schools I have gone to and i have frinds that run their own businesses and can give me answers,'' Shawn said. ``I will get the answer and I will get it fixed.''
Surprisingly, when Shawn heads to Virginia Tech late this summer to begin his college career, he will not be majoring in computer science or music, but rather in electrical engineering. When he was awarded a three year Air Force ROTC scholarship, he complied with the Air Force's request that he study engineering. ``I will somehow be working with computers in my career, but I am not willing to base my life upon them,'' Shawn said.
Shawn will also play his saxophone in the Virginia Tech corps of cadets band.
What are his more immediate summer plans? ``Work, work, and work,'' he answered. Besides working as a deckhand on the Elizabeth River ferry, Shawn also does some computer work for Ambassador Enterprises, Inc. and works part-time in a family business, Janet's Office Supplies.
Somewhere in there he also found time to be a Harborfest volunteer and to continue coaching handicapped children in the Challenger Little League.
Looking back over his high school career, Shawn realized that his most valuable lesson did not come from books or classes. ``People have told me `You are too young to do this or you are not able to do that,' and I learned if you set your mind to do something and work at it, you can do anything,'' Shawn said.
``When I do fall short of my goal, I do it again and I do it again. If I have seen it done or think it can be done, then it will be done.''
by CNB