THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512080082
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GERRI ASHE, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
IT'S MIDNIGHT, with no end in sight for the amount of homework I have to complete. Tired and exhausted, I hunger for sleep but instead continue to feed on textbook paragraphs.
I nod off as the words become a blur. My hand drags across a piece of paper as I make a tremendous effort to write a single word. Finally, I can go to bed.
Many teenagers, like myself, combine work and school, especially by their senior year. It's hard work, and there are many reasons why we take the challenge. For me, it was simple - a lack of money. Senior year was going to be expensive with pictures, a class ring and other senior mementos to purchase.
Finding a job was the easy part; trying to tackle advanced placement and honors courses and work has proven much more difficult.
It is hard to enjoy the best year of your high school career and work. My friends talk of going to the mall or movies while I can think only of hanging out at Belk department store - working, not shopping. Many of my classmates at Hertford County High School in Ahoskie, N.C., have found their jobs rewarding but have encountered conflicts.
Stephanie Saunders, 17, a senior at Hertford balances her job at Revco with a full load of clubs, AP classes and being area ``Junior Miss.''
``Sometimes there is not enough time to complete homework or other extracurricular activities. I practically live out of a suitcase, having to change clothes at school and go to work,'' she said.
This is the reason many students said that they had to quit or cut their hours.
Nicki Davenport, 17, also a senior at Hertford , weighed her options before deciding not to get a job. She feared that her time would have been unequally divided between church and school and work.
``A major disadvantage was no work experience or money. I plan to get a job two months before summer so that I can acquire a savings and have some work experience before college,'' she said.
Although there are disadvantages, a job does bring many rewards.
Working in retail has helped me gain business experience and learn how to work with all kinds of people. This will help me in my future career as a journalist. I also know how to go about finding and securing a job.
I've also learned to better juggle my responsibilities at work - unpacking clothing, helping customers and keeping displays clean and neat - with club and church activities.
The reward, of course, is my paycheck.
Right now, my father and my employer are stressing education first. I was told when hired that I must show my report card to my manager, and, if my grades slip, my hours will be cut.
I haven't had that happen yet, although there have been some close calls. I feel fortunate to have an employer who does care about my education and understands that students have other obligations. As a little incentive to learn more, our manager will ask what we learned in school that day.
I'm learning that holding down a job while still in high school can be more work than it seems. MEMO: Gerri Ashe is a senior at Hertford County High School in Ahoskie, N.C.
She plans to study journalism in college.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Gerri Ashe is a senior at Hertford County High School.
by CNB