
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, June 17, 1994                    TAG: 9406160198 
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER                     PAGE: 06    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940617                                 LENGTH:

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

{LEAD} Two-thirds of this year's graduating seniors at Chesapeake's high schools expect to achieve a higher standard of living during their lifetimes than their parents did. So say the results of a survey conducted by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star.

This is as it should be. Self-confidence and optimism are essential to the young as they tackle the challenges of adult life. Without it, they wouldn't stand a chance.

{REST} The day the younger generation loses hope that they can do better than their elders have done is the day the American dream will die.

It's not that the Class of 1994 sees the world through rose-colored glasses. Their responses to the survey questions show they are aware that the world they are about to inherit is imperfect. Drugs, guns, AIDS and deteriorating race relations trouble them. But implicit in their attitude is a determination to continue the search for solutions to these problems and to succeed where other generations have fallen short.

These young people do not expect to realize their high expectations without considerable effort. A solid majority understand that they have received a good education in Chesapeake schools, but 80 percent intend to continue their learning at a higher level. A good many are already working to pay their own way.

We who are accustomed to thinking of Chesapeake as a city of tremendous opportunity and promise for the future may be taken aback by one finding of the survey: More than half of our young people do not intend to remain in Hampton Roads after graduation.

There's no need for alarm. The exodus of graduates, no doubt, is inflated by the many who will attend out-of-town colleges but return later to seek their fortunes here. Exposure to the wider world can only enhance their impression of Chesapeake as an attractive place to live and work and put down roots.

At the same time, the bright aspirations of this new generation demand that we not be satisfied with Chesapeake the way it is now. The young men and women who stay here or return here after college must have jobs. They will insist on having dependable public services - water, schools, recreation and the rest. And they will expect an even higher quality of life than they enjoyed while growing up here.

Youthful optimism will go a long way toward helping the graduates get what they expect from life, but it won't be enough by itself. The decisions we are making here and now are deciding what the future of Chesapeake will be like. Do you suppose it will meet their expectations?

by CNB