Kecoughtan High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Hampton, VA)

Page 29 text:

DISHING UP: Bryan Pelham fills a customer’s order in the kitch¬ en at El Ranchito’s. Boxing chicken and pizza , bagging burgers and fries is ' life in the fast food ane’ “Flame broiled” burgers, dripping with a “secret sauce and lined in rows under glowing heat lamps, awaited hungry customers. More often than not, a teenager dashed between the customer and the kitchen filling bags with golden, greasy fries, bagging burgers, and pouring soft drinks to fill the orders. For those teen¬ agers on the busy side of the counter, it was “life in the fast food lane.” Eating establishments pro¬ vided many students with an extra income to pay for car expenses, clothes, and enter¬ tainment. But, “life in the fast food lane” was not easy. “It makes me really mad when I’ve made plans to go out with my boyfriend and I look at the schedule at work and I end up having to work the entire weekend,” said senior Cammy Fleming, who worked at Pizza Hut. “Sometimes it’s rough to choose between calling in sick to go out with friends, or keeping an obligation at work,” she explained. For others, boxing chicken and delivering pizzas occu¬ pied their working hours. Some students, still in the fast food lane, donned aprons and dished up plates of food in the kitchen to satisfy custom¬ ers who wanted orders “on the double.” Long working hours in the “fast food lane” meant that grades often suffered. “When progress reports came out and mine were not so hot, my parents warned me that school was my first priority,” said junior Chelie Stubblebine. For most fast food work¬ ers, the greatest reward was a paycheck. “Money is my first priori¬ ty,” said junior John Gray. “Definitely money before schoolwork,” he added. Others discovered addi¬ tional rewards. “Generally, I enjoy work¬ ing,” said senior Patrick Lar¬ kin. “I get to meet friendly people and I also have a little power around the store since I have worked there almost two years,” he explained. “I enjoy helping people and fast food service is a great way to do it,” added Larkin. Fast food restaurants were many students’ first experi¬ ence with business. Fast Food

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BEHIND THE SCENES: Working in the kitchen at Grandy’s, Aleasha Redden carefully se¬ lects pieces of chicken to fill a customer’s order. “WELCOME TO BURGER KING!” Polling patrons as to place of residence, Cindy Barnes enjoys a change of pace at Burger King. PIZZA TIME: Richard Guthrie hands Michael Brown his long- awaited pizza. Guthrie deliv¬ ered pizzas for Gus’s. 24 Fast Food

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Students spend weekends ' hanging out ' or ' cruising ' in an endless pursuit of un “Hangin g out” with friends, “cruising” the streets in search of excite¬ ment, or getting together at a party on the weekend were all part of students’ endless pusuit of fun. During school hours, stu¬ dents hung out at “the wall,” a favorite haunt for people watchers. “Where are you going this weekend?” “What’s happen¬ ing Friday night?” Or, “Hey, I’ll pick you up at six,” were typical fragments of conver¬ sation overheard in the hall. Friday was the most im¬ portant day of the week for making plans. All 65 x 2 hours of another glorious weekend loomed ahead. Dinner at Burger King or Pizza Hut was often a beginning. “We would contemplate whether we were in the mood for pizza or hamburgers. Then we’d argue about what to order, what time to leave, and where we were going next. It was usually a great way to start the weekend,” explained senior Tracy McPherson. “Cruising” was another way to begin the weekend. Driving around with your friends, looking for a party or something to do, could some¬ times be a blast. A carload of females, figuring there was safety in numbers, might pursue a “hot” sports car. “You see the car first, and it is hot! At the stop light, you pull up next to him and he looks fine! When he opens his mouth to say something, you decide that he’s an incredible jerk, so you lose him and wait for the next one,” said senior Robin Burroughs. Most devotees of the search for fun were looking for a party. The long hunt sometimes paid off when they spotted a line of familiar cars parked in front of so¬ meone’s house. The unsus¬ pecting host might wind up with more than he she bar¬ gained for. “The strangest people showed up at my party,” said senior Azi Talibi. “There were some people I knew, some I’d never met, and some 1 didn’t care to meet.” Those not successful in the party hunt went to late night movies, or to Hardees for a midnight snack. Then, it was home and to bed. After all, Saturday was another day for fun. CRUISIN’AROUND TOWN: Cars were a “must” for students’ extra-curricular activities. Craig Metier and Scott Polinski leave the parking lot after school. Weekends