THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409090311
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSAN SMITH AND ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Long : 155 lines
THE TEACHERS and administrators were at their stations early, some at desks and others patrolling the hallways with walkie-talkies. There was anticipation in their faces.
In time, a few students trickled in. Then more. Soon, a fleet of bright, yellow buses pulled up and disgorged a swelling crowd of youngsters.
Wednesday was opening day at Oscar Frommel Smith High School.
Instead of the frowns and hang-dog looks that the first day of school can bring, most of the students were smiling.
They had reason to be happy. Their brand-new, $23 million school was beautiful and comfortable, chock-full of modern, state-of-the-art equipment and amenities.
``This is exciting,'' said Dr. Glenn L. Koonce, the school's principal. ``The kids are all excited. You can see it in their faces.''
``It's nice, it's cool,'' said 18-year-old Tania Pittman, a transfer student who was looking for the guidance office.
``I feel like I'm in Beverly Hills,'' said 15-year-old Jason Young, while several of his friends suggested the school was as spacious as a shopping mall.
``It's fabulous,'' said school accountant Marge Nicholson, commenting on her 27th school opening.
``Just being in this new environment is something,'' said special education teacher Rufus Mosley. ``I'm like the children: all jitters and excitement.''
The new building seemed to renew school spirit among the 1,500 students. The school's tiger mascot was everywhere.
The school is situated on Tiger Drive, off Great Bridge Boulevard; tiger art and motifs abound in school offices, hallways and classes; and a huge tiger mosaic is in the floor outside the school's gymnasium door.
``I'm ready,'' said school athletic director Bill Meyers, ``for basketball and Christmas wrestling tournaments and regional and state competitions.''
Throughout this hectic opening morning, students and teachers roared about their new school. There were a few growls of displeasure, too, over misplaced schedules, class mix-ups, late registrations and lost students, but not many.
``I don't know where I'm going,'' said Duke White, 16, as he stared at his wrinkled, computer-printout schedule.
Koonce prowled the halls to offer directions, advice, greetings and to head off problems. He was a walking information center with his ``blue bible'' full of school charts, bus routes, maps, color codes, master schedules and rosters.
The only real discipline problem he encountered all morning was a quiet signal to a forgetful youth to remove his hat.
His presence seemed to offer a calming effect on both students and teachers during this busy opening day.
``Hey, how are you,'' Koonce said to scores of students, often calling them by name. Many waved to him as they trooped through the halls.
``I didn't get much sleep last night,'' Koonce said, searching through his bible for a particular bit of information. But his walkie-talkie stayed unusually silent most of the day as staff and students seemed to know what to do with each electronic pulse of the class ``bell.''
From class bells to hall clocks, everything in this school is high-tech, well-equipped and up-to-date:
Locks built into each locker.
Parking lot surveillance cameras.
A food preparation lab with four separate kitchens.
Potters wheels and ceramic facilities.
Satellite receiving equipment.
Computerized driving simulators.
Hallway and classroom digital clocks.
The Technology Lab 2000 - laser discs, Macintosh computers, wind tunnels, data centers for robotics and bays for design and publication.
Classroom telephones, television monitors and video systems.
A special seniors-only courtyard.
Wheelchair-accessible halls and rooms, with all signs encoded in Braille.
``I'm about 6 inches off the ground when I hit the floor each morning,'' said Roger Geyer, the school's computer resource center teacher. ``It's all very current and very sophisticated for a school.''
``Near perfection,'' said 17-year-old Laviere Rice.
Even the ROTC program is up with the times, said Col. Ron Cartee. His department now teaches aerospace science, space travel and communications skills along with the traditional military science and leadership studies.
Students were pleasantly surprised by the modern cafeteria, too.
The snack bar resembled a fast-food joint, and the regular cafeteria offered spring water along with juice, chocolate milk, trail mix and the requisite french fries.
It seemed the most important area of the cafeteria was its extensive french fry bay, featuring a half-dozen fry cookers.
``If they don't have fries, they'll all have a fit,'' one cafeteria worker shouted out as the staff was busy preparing lunch for the oncoming waves of hungry teenagers.
Some students grew impatient as each diner had to pause in the cafeteria line long enough to key in a six-digit code number before purchasing food. Sabrina Spence, 13; Quintina Parker, 14; and Dina Taylor, 13, all agreed the code system was a problem and held up progress.
``We need faster service; the lines are too slow,'' said Joe King, 14. ``The lunch is all right, but the fries could be better.''
``The fries should be cooked more,'' Tonya Wilson, 17, agreed. ``But there's a big difference between this new lunchroom and the old one.''
``It's nice. I like it. It's cleaner,'' 15-year-old Jessica Flowers said. ``I haven't seen a roach, yet.''
A group of seniors who gathered in their courtyard mildly complained about their early 10:40 a.m. lunch.
``We need Cheerios,'' one said with a smile.
Opening-day hitches at the new school were no different than those experienced by rivals Western Branch, Deep Creek, Great Bridge and Indian River.
``The biggest problem I could see was finding assigned parking spaces,'' said Cliff Johnson, school security monitor, who trained with the Chesapeake Police Department.
But Ibn Taylor, 18, was one of the lucky ones. Fearing his No. 85 parking space would banish him to the next county, he discovered to his delight that his space was right in front.
From close-up parking spaces, the open dining room to the easily accessible classroom blocks and the school's high-tech everything, Oscar Smith's grand opening got favorable reviews from students, staff and distinguished visitors.
``Too bad all kids in America couldn't go to a school like this,'' said Dr. C. Fred Bateman, superintendent of Chesapeake Public Schools, who made an opening-day tour of the school. ``I think the kids will have fun.''
``We're going to have a lot of fun with this facility,'' agreed Koonce.
``My brothers and sisters are in middle school, and they want to go here,'' said Joe Hicks, a 15-year-old sophomore. ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
HIGH TECH HIGH
[Color] Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Students crowd the stairway between classes in the new Oscar Smith
High School.
Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Larry Wade, supervisor of school food services, updates a menu in
the school's snack shop.
Jennifer Little, a senior, works on her physics assignment.
Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Freshmen Keywanna Bloodworth, left, and Tammy Ward enjoy their lunch
break in the cafeteria of the new Oscar Smith High School.
The stairway in the center of school gets a lot of traffic between
classes.
Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Doak Harbison, left, teaches a United States history class, while
Fred Bisogno writes on the chalkboard during a national government
class.
Dr. Jan Andrejco, assistant principal for instruction at Oscar Smith
High School, gives directions to senior Stacey Bennett, right.
by CNB