THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609070069
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 138 lines
A HALF CENTURY ago, Hickory High School faded gently into the history books.
On Tuesday, the school was reborn - a bit of a premature baby, but strong and ready to grow.
The new Hickory High opened its doors for the first time, with construction still under way.
For residents of Hickory, it was an opportunity to rally once again around a community institution that had never been forgotten.
``It's been there all this time just waiting to rise up again,'' said Thelma E. Gilbert, a Chesapeake resident who was among the last students to attend the old Hickory before it merged with Great Bridge High in 1947. ``So you can't say it's a new school; it's just kind of reincarnated.''
It evolved somewhat in the process. Far from the little country school of the past, the new Hickory is a 267,000-square-foot brick-and-concrete structure, with technological advances no one could have dreamed of years ago.
The school will house a little more than 2,000 students, and has an enrollment now of about 1,550 ninth- through 12th-graders. There are 13 high-tech science labs, and computer labs stocked with the latest hardware, software and networking capabilities.
Each classroom has its own phone, which teachers can use to contact the office during the day and parents after school. Each class also has its own television set connected to a remote video system in the library. Teachers just have to press a button to start a pre-selected video.
``It's amazing,'' said Leonidas A. DeFord, a 1939 graduate of the old Hickory High. DeFord was among those who lobbied the School Board to name the new high school on South Battlefield Boulevard after its predecessor. There were few objections.
The old school, housed in what is now the Hickory Elementary building behind Hickory United Methodist Church on Battlefield Boulevard, served the families of the rural, southern portion of then-Norfolk County.
The classes were small. DeFord's graduating class had 21 students, he said. The last graduating class had 12, Gilbert said.
School officials decided to merge the two high schools because they said it would be more efficient to have one large school serving the county's southern end.
Hickory residents weren't happy about the idea. There were squabbles about the merger details, such what the school colors would be.
Hickory was blue and gold; Great Bridge was green and white. A committee of Hickory students charged with smoothing the transition eventually compromised, giving up Hickory's blue and lending its gold to Great Bridge - colors the school still sports.
At the heart of all the controversy was the community's angst over losing a huge part of its identity.
``A lot of people had been in Hickory school for a long time,'' she said.
For a year or so, students resisted their integration. Hickory students felt that the Great Bridge kids looked down on them.
``We were the country kids,'' Gilbert said. ``I can remember classes, with the Hickory students sitting on one side and the Great Bridge students sitting on the other.''
The differences gradually disappeared. Hickory became a fond memory. Great Bridge went on to earn a regional reputation for academic and athletic prowess.
DeFord predicts that Hickory High will emerge as a powerhouse.
For now, Hickory is relying on the generosity of other schools to begin its athletic tradition. The gymnasium is not expected to be complete until mid-October. The football field likely won't be ready until the second football game, Sept. 20, against Norfolk's Lake Taylor High. The rest of the fields aren't expected until spring.
Academically, though, the school is well on its way. Most of the building's classroom space was complete before classes began.
Teachers wasted no time Tuesday getting the kids started on school work.
Chorus students practiced a tune from the musical ``Phantom of the Opera.'' Joyce E. Dugan, an advanced chemistry teacher, had chemical symbols chalked on her board; a quiz was planned for the next day.
``No slouching here,'' said School Board member Jeffrey A. ``Jeff'' Rowland, during a tour of the school.
``No, because we're on a mission,'' responded Principal Linda J. Byrd. ``We're going to be the best school in the state of Virginia.''
Byrd, who gained a reputation for boundless energy as principal of Crestwood Middle School, has an adventure ahead.
She opened her school Tuesday with only 60 percent of the building complete. Heavy construction continued on the auditorium and gymnasium. Landscaping and some paving had yet to be finished. Much equipment and many supplies - including all the library books - still had to be delivered as of that day.
Robert C. ``Robbie'' Harrell, a biology teacher, said teachers were just keeping their thoughts focused on the day when the whole building would be complete.
``With that, and Mrs. Byrd's enthusiasm, you work with what you've got,'' Harrell said. ``Even at 60 percent complete, it's more than what most schools have.''
Byrd was undaunted.
``Everybody is very, very excited about Hickory High School,'' she said, stopping at each class to pop her head in and greet the students. ``They know it's going to be a great school.''
Byrd hand-picked her staff. Many are veteran teachers from Chesapeake and other cities who have won professional accolades.
``I've been fortunate to work with some really great staffs,'' Byrd said. ``Let me tell you, this is the cream of the crop.''
Chemistry teacher Dugan, who came to Hickory from the Portsmouth school system, said the rush to get the school ready over the Labor Day weekend helped the staff bond.
Teachers, administrators, students, volunteers and construction crews worked around the clock beginning last week, cleaning, assembling furniture, decorating classrooms and hallways and putting the finishing touches on mechanical systems.
``We feel like we've been together for a long time already,'' Dugan said.
Students said the construction did not bother them.
``The school's really pretty,'' said Whitney R. Temple, 15, a junior. ``I think it's going to be nice when it's finished.
``Everybody's excited,'' she said. ``It's a new school. We're the first people to be there. There's just a lot of excitement and spirit.''
DeFord said community members were glad school officials opened the building, even though it wasn't finished.
``Get it started, and we'll grow slowly,'' he said. ``I think it was a wise decision.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color cover photo by Gary C.Knapp
[Hickory High School opened its doors Tuesday with hope for the
future and a sense of the past]
Staff photos by Steve Earley
The Hickory Hawk, The school's mascot, greets buses on the first day
of school. The new Hickory, a 267,000-square-foot-brick-and-concrete
structure, has about 1,500 students.
Food service workers Diane Neal, Pat Lassiter and Wanda Harper,
maneuver a food cart.
Neferteria Nichols, a sophomore, opens her shiny new locker.
"Everyone is very, very excited about Hickory High school," said
principal Linda J. Byrd, stopping at each class to pop her head in
and greet the students. "They know its going to be a great school.
KEYWORDS: HICKORY HIGH SCHOOL
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