THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409280154
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 4B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TREVOR WRIGHT, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
They hesitate before entering the new building, glancing at the sheets of paper in their hands and then up again at the bright navy blue, gold, silver and white walls. The aroma is of fresh paint.
After gazing in awe at the inside of the $28-million facility, students quickly spread through the gray-carpeted halls, passing elevators, mini-greenhouses, business labs that look like offices and an actual store complete with mannequins.
It takes awhile for the 1,488 students to adjust to the realization that it is the first day of a new school year. But what's even harder to comprehend is that this mall-like structure is actually a high school. A high school that sits in the middle of a large neighborhood. A high school known to the city for having one of the most expensive flagpoles in the state. A high school known as Ocean Lakes.
The thought of one day attending this new ``experimental'' school drove either fear or anxiety into the hundreds of students who last year realized they would have to leave behind old friends, old schools and old schedules for a new school, new friends and new schedules.
For some the move meant losing touch with a loved one. ``It will be difficult at first, but I can learn to deal not being with Paul, my boyfriend,'' junior Suzanne Stiller said.
However, Suzanne also said that going to Ocean Lakes also has its bright spots. ``The school is a lot closer to my house so I'll be able to drive more often. And I guess that's OK,'' she added as she scanned the huge cafeteria hoping to spot a friend from her previous school, Floyd E. Kellam High.
During that first day many gawks and whispers were exchanged by students as they navigated the massive building. Most of the comments were quick statements such as ``This looks like a mall'' and ``I'm lost.'' Some comments were about Ocean Lakes' block schedule, a new schedule that consists of three 90-minute classes each day.
The comments heard most often were not ones of disappointment and frustration, but of encouragement from faculty and staff who reminded students just how special high school really is and how important it is to work together.
You are Dolphins now, they said, and teamwork is vital in making this school successful. Dolphins stick together. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
About the Author
Trevor Wright is a junior at Ocean Lakes High School
by CNB