Groveton High School - Tigerama Yearbook (Alexandria, VA)

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i Mjvjfi REMINISCENCES When the Class of 1980 entered the New Groveiun in September 1976, everyone else was just as lost as we were. Like all freshmen, we had to get used to pep rallies, football games, and SENIORS. But we were like the SENIORS in one way that year because we all had to get used to Gunston, Quander and Spring Bank. That first year we struggled to find a place. Those SENIORS seemed so old and grownup. Would we ever be that old? The differences were probably the most obvious at pep rallies. The SENIORS would yell things at us as we sat there not knowing what to do. By the end of the year, we knew what to do, and we could almost — almost — yell back. We had to show them who we were. Sophomore year brought more learning. Just when we thought we knew who we were, we were back in limbo again. We weren ' t the cute little f rosh anymore, but we sure weren ' t SENIORS. The Class of 80 became known for its school spirit and involvment. Upperclassmen started to notice us. Winning first prize for the homecoming float didn ' t hurt either. We endured many things, including bad publicity for the school after The Shooting. The Sophs did their best to keep up a good image for the school. Then, junior year. Almost there. We accomplished a lot. SENIORS looked at us and felt envious of grades and test scores. We made the most of a diffic ult situation when GHS temporarily became Ft. Grunt. We had our club and class meetings and put on the Prom. Remember all those awful fund-raisers (that terrible dance!)? But still, we enjoyed our free afternoons of the split-shift while it lasted. Then there was the start of the rowdies. The Juniors prepared to take over for the SENIORS when they got ready to retire their togas. And now we are SENIORS. Carrying on the traditions. Senior pranks, parties (with a lot of Sophs), and waiting. Waiting to get out, waiting to hear from colleges, waiting to find what ' s out there. After enduring 3 years of lost homecoming games, we watched Groveton win its first homecoming game in 11 years. A fitting send-off for the Class of 80. And so here we are. Waiting and watching. Passing the time in classes, clubs, parties, anything to make the time go faster. But it will probably seem too fast when it ' s over. Graduation will come and we ' ll wonder if we ' ve done everything we needed to do. We ' ll wonder if it was worth it. I think we ' ll find that it has been. Good luck, SENIORS! Amy Killpatrick 27

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A voice comes over the P.A. Please pardon the interruption. Will John Doe please report to Mr. Price ' s office. A wave of mass sympathy for John Doe passes over the school. Visions of John sweating it out in front of a human brick wall pass through everyone ' s mind. What ' d he doP What ' ll Price do to him? To many Groveton students, Charlie Price is just a voice over the P.A. To others, he is an awesome figure (some say bear-ish), walking the halls looking for skippers. Most students, if asked, would say that it ' s best to stay on Mr. Price ' s good side. But there are a lot of things students don ' t know about Mr. Price. Very few, if any, students know that Mr. Price didn ' t set out to be an administrator. He started out playing football. At Parker-Gray High School in Alexandria, he was a tackle (good practice for administration?). His senior year he was team captain (with a graduating class of 32 students, he was also the drum major and was involved in student government and the choir). At Virginia State College, where he earned the nickname Bruiser, he became a fullback, making All-American in 1946. After finishing college, Mr. Price returned to Alexandria to teach history at Parker-Gray. In 1947, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dons of the All American Confer¬ ence. After working with the L.A. team for several weeks, Mr. Price was sent to play for the Hawaiian Warriors to get more experience. As first-string fullback, he helped lead the Warriors to the Pacific Coast League championship in 1947. The next year Mr. Price was teaching Health and P.E. and coaching football and basketball at Addison High School in Roanoke. After 1 1 years, he moved to Fairfax to coach football and track at Luther Jackson High School. In 1964, Jackson won the state tournament with an undefeated record of 9-0. In 1965, Mr. Price went to Langley High School where he made history. He became the first black head coach in Northern Virginia. He coached at Langley for 5 years. Mr. Price came to Groveton in 1970 and now after 10 years is making plans to retire at the end of the year. It ' s really a shame that most students don ' t get past the authoritative front of the administrators. Mr. Price is fascinating to talk to — and he loves to talk. He has a reputation with many faculty members as a great story teller. He loves to talk about fishing, his favorite pastime. He jokes about the times that he ' s spent whole days on the ocean in chartered fishing boats, catching either sharks or nothing at all. Mr. Price also enjoys talking about gardening; he takes great pride in his azaleas which, he says, he sticks in the ground anywhere he can dig around the tree roots. To most students, Mr. Price will always remain a voice on the P.A. and a human brick wall. But the few lucky ones who get a chance to talk to him will remember Mr. Price as a friendly, concerned, and funny man. It is somehow very rewarding to discover that administrators can be people too. 29