THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606150092
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 111 lines
TODAY'S SENIORS are pumped and ready to get moving - away from high school, that is.
While many graduating seniors are anxious to march to the melody of ``Pomp and Circumstance,'' more than half of the Suffolk seniors are not ready to bid Hampton Roads farewell; they plan to stay.
That's just one response of many for The Virginian-Pilot's fifth annual survey of high school seniors. The newspaper surveyed 777 students in Hampton Roads, including 13 in Suffolk.
The 1996 senior class of Suffolk may be ready to leave high school, but not without being satisfied with the education they received. Seventy-seven percent of the South Hampton Roads seniors surveyed rated their educational quality as good.
However, they are concerned. They know students who carry guns to school. And they know students who have experimented with drugs. But in an era of ``Martin'' and ``Melrose Place'', the Internet and NasCar, these respondents claim they have enough information to keep them focused.
Ninety-two percent of Suffolk teens reported they know enough about AIDS to protect themselves. More than half of Suffolk seniors, or 53 percent, favor Colin Powell's work and would vote him in as president in November. Seven percent would vote for President Clinton, 30 percent would vote for Bob Dole.
Here's what Suffolk seniors had to say.
Quality of education
These seniors are optimistic: One hundred percent of Suffolk seniors claim they are satisfied with their educational quality and rated it as good-to-outstanding.
Only eight percent of Suffolk seniors surveyed planned to advance their education by attending a four-year college or university.
``I'm going to James Madison,'' said Leslie Blanchard, a student at Nansemond River. ``I think I did pretty well. I ended up with a 3.8 g.p.a. I had honor classes. They prepared me for the next year.''
Race relations
In Suffolk, 38 percent of students have found that race relations have improved, while 46 percent say they have remained unchanged. More than half of Suffolk teens - 54 percent - reported having close friends of another race.
``I have friends of another race, especially in the cheering squad, both white and black,'' said Jennifer Bailor, a senior at Lakeland High School.
``I think everybody pretty much gets along.''
Drugs and alcohol
Two major problems plague the minds of today's teens. They see drugs and alcohol in some neighborhoods, and, even in the schools.
Seventy percent of the 777 graduating seniors overall feel that the use of drugs and alcohol by their peers has increased since they started school. Eight out of the 13 Suffolk seniors agreed.
Forty-three percent of seniors overall reported experimenting with marijuana. Others say drugs and alcohol are used by students in the schools because it's widely accepted.
``People don't see anything wrong with it. I know people at my school who smoke pot, and it's no big deal,'' to them,said Lisa Pearce, a senior at Lakeland.
Drinking has become a major problem among teens. However, 31 percent of Suffolk students claim they never drink alcohol. Eight percent drink every weekend, 8 percent drink at least one time a week, 31 percent drink twice a month, and 23 percent drink less often than twice a month.
``My friends didn't do it (drink),'' said Pearce. ``I stayed with a group that was mainly involved in sports. I never had the desire to try it.''
AIDS and abortion
Although 92 percent of Suffolk seniors say they know enough about AIDS to protect themselves, many argue that more could be done to educate students at school.
``I learned about it at both (home and school) but more at home. My parents told me to not have sex and to just be careful,'' Bailor said. ``I abstain. That's just my choice.''
And on the touchy issue of abortion, 46 percent of Suffolk students thought abortion should not be banned under any circumstances. Thirty-one percent of seniors thought it should be restricted for minors. Blanchard said she doesn't approve of abortion because of her upbringing.
``I'm not against abortion, but I grew up in a Christian home,'' she said. ``That's the way I've always been taught.''
Other factors
With peer pressure and other factors that could possibly hinder a student's scholastic achievement, we asked seniors if anything stood in their way of doing the most they could in school. If so, what.
``Restrictions I put on myself,'' said Shannon Smith, a student at Franklin High School. ``If I can believe it, I can achieve it. I refuse to let anything stand in my way, especially people's perception of me.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Cover, Color photo]
THE COVER
The illustration of graduation memorabilia is by staff photographer
Steve Earley.
Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Artistic students at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy designed an inspiring
graduation mural, which hangs in the hallway.
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 1996 HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR SURVEY
The Virginian-Pilot surveyed 777 graduating seniors in South Hampton
Roads in the Fifth Annual Survey of High School Seniors. Today's
graduates shared their opinions on a variety of issues including the
quality of the education they received, alcohol and drug use by
their peers, politics, religion, race relations, AIDS, abortion,
violence and religion.
[For a copy of the sample of questions and responses, see microfilm
for this date.]
KEYWORDS: SENIOR SURVEY GRADUATION '96 by CNB