Culpeper County High School - Colonnade Yearbook (Culpeper, VA)

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mmtm i TO PICK A LIFETIME REMINDER of her years in school, Carla Bailey carefully explains her choice of a class ring to the salesman. Since these rings were so important, everyone was ca reful to get the order right the first time. AN INTENT GAZE on class ring in¬ formation lets Calvin Wilkins see ex¬ actly what he’s getting. A A GOOD FIT is important to Jessica Newman and Steve Hoffman as they get fit for the caps and gowns they will wear for graduation ceremonies. No one wanted anything to go wrong on graduation day, so care was taken in every aspect of what would happen then. USING HER HANDS to speak, Missy Hitt gestures her intent to the class ring salesman. She, along with many other juniors, put a good deal of time and money into their rings. Rites Of Passage 17

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Students progress is marked by a piece of plastic, an piece of paper and A Ring Of Gold I n a society that does not recog¬ nize any rites of passage, things that officially mark a person as an adult, sometimes high school tra¬ ditions can replace them. Each class has something that is very important to the students in it, something that they wait for most of their lives. These are things that are landmarks in their personal lives, not just their school career. For the sophomores, the main high¬ light was a driver’s license. At last, students could drive and be free of having parents or older friends take them everywhere. They could go to the movies, parties, and out on dates. For juniors, the chance to order their class rings marked an important point in their lives —they were almost halfway through their junior year and on their way to graduation. In the fu¬ ture, the rings would also be a remind¬ er of the years spent in school. Most of the fun of ordering the rings was in choosing the right style and then wait¬ ing for them to arrive. But in the final year, the most await¬ ed privilege of all arrived: graduation. After many years of jotting down notes, listening to teachers speak on a variety of subjects, and struggling through endless amounts of home¬ work, Seniors achieved the high point of their school career. Although most seniors approached graduation with a mixture of joy and apprehension, they welcomed it, for this was truly their last rite of passage to be celebrated in school. WITH AN EYE FOR EXCELLENCE, Ja¬ nice Lourie and Norton Elmers choose a ring suited to them. i i BEHIND THE WHEEL at last, Randy Hopkins drives the range to gain driving experience. Driver’s Education was an important course to most sophomores because they had to have both behind the wheel and class room courses before they got their driver’s license. 16 Rites Of Passage

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In spite of serious over crowding, the extended lunch shift gives extra time. It’s like Having your cake and eating it, too. B y the time most students reach school age, they stop playing their childhood games like hide-and-go-seek, tag, or red light, green light. Unfortunately, with the ad¬ vent of the seven period day last year, the lunch schedule had to be arranged in such a way that it forced most stu¬ dents to start playing a child hood game all over again — musical chairs. But this was a much more adult ver¬ sion of the age old game. Instead of dashing for a few chairs in a circle when the music stopped, the CCHS “big kid” version started with the sounding of a bell and a 200 yard dash up stairs and down twisting halls to get to the cafeteria where the real game began. The goal? To be among the 380 students on a lunch shift who would get a seat in the cafeteria. The competition: Over 500 students each shift. The aggressive players put their hearts into winning. They were out of their seats and out the classroom doors before the bell stopped. “You could always tell the new tenth grad¬ ers,” said Jon Lohr. “They’re the ones who hit the hallway at a dead run —and kept on going!” For, after all, the first ones in the lunch lines had a better chance at getting a seat. Those students of a more compro¬ mising nature packed their lunches or just took their time getting to the line. Some even worked out a time-sharing deal with the early eaters, but, if they got a seat, fine. If not, fine too. Then there were those who refused to play the game at all. They just went without lunch and used the time for other things. But in spite of the hassles, most en¬ joyed the fact that they had 35 min¬ utes for lunch. Some used the time to play the musical chairs game, eat lunch, and talk to their friends. Others congregated in the halls, sitting on the floor, occassionally sneaking a piece of fruit or a bag of chips. (Eating in the halls was not allowed, but unless some¬ one laid out a full course banquet, not much was said about it.) Others braved the elements for that all important nicotine fix and went out¬ side to the smoking lounge. The li¬ brary also provided a favorite place to spend the 35 minute time studying. And a few found teachers who would let them spend lunch in their rooms working. It could be a hassle. Nobody really wanted to play games like musical chairs again. And yet, in spite of the drawbacks, most liked the extra time. “ I couldn’t believe it,” said Jason Judd. “To go from 19 minutes for lunch at the junior high to 35 here was great. I could eat lunch if I wanted to and still have time to get a few things done. The only full time winners of the game were the seniors who had a short lunch line and guaranteed seating at the senior table or in the courtyard when the weather was nice. ♦ LUNCHTIME CHAT Tracy Eisenman and Patri¬ cia Brown talk about the latest gossip during lunch. IN THE SHADE Wendy Hays, donning her way¬ farers, hams it up during lunch. 18 Lunch Time