Kecoughtan High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Hampton, VA)

Page 26 text:

A tlgxrcapsuia for the City of Hampton, set in the I und at the Aerospace Park in 1965, will be opener? in 2665. Un construction, the skeleton of the Hampton Cc r.eum stands out starkly against the gray sky in this . ' 58 photo. The Coliseum has come to be a landmark for Hamptonians. »w i w.-imm lit fi||7 ItHs? ' ' ■;;|S Mrajpglt jfif ... 1 JNB Ju I f y

Page 25 text:

Balancing school and a job meant No Spare Time M oney makes the world go around! Especially in the ex¬ pensive world of a teenager. The problem is, where does the money come from? “Normally you start at the mini¬ mum wage,” said working senior Paul Dishman. “Then you work your way up to maybe $4 an hour. And, if you are lucky, you’ll get a job promotion to go with the raise.” Over one-fourth of the student body was employed, according to a survey taken of students. The jobs ranged from delivering pizza, bagging gro¬ ceries, and selling clothing to every¬ one’s favorite, a clerk at McDonald’s. Some students had more exotic jobs such as painting fingernails or work¬ ing in a law office as a secretary. “I used to have a social life, that was until I began working,” lamented senior Rhonda Hoover. Trying to bal¬ ance a 32 hour school week and work 20 hours did not leave much spare time. Simple things, like a night out with friends, or attending a basket¬ ball game, required strategic plan¬ ning. However, most students felt the money and independence were worth a sacrifice. “I didn’t have time for my school work and the grades were suffering. So, the job had to go,” said junior Robin Burroughs. For most students with jobs, the money came in handy for weekends and especially for graduation and dance expenses. “Working has helped me gain self- confidence and taught me how to ac¬ cept responsibility,” said senior Tracy Brown, a part-time employee at AMC theaters in Newmarket North. Enlightening shoppers about area attractions was an important part of Lynn Flanagan’s job in the Coliseum Mall information booth. Carefully arranging various pizza toppings, amateur chef Tim Murray prepares pizza for the oven at Godfather ' s. Most students worked in service-oriented positions. Part-time jobs

Page 27 text:

We’ve come a long way baby ' Town ' to ' City ' Constantly beingseshape If b ' ' Grandview Beach provides a • “t » a distant : galaxy, fhe fampf9w Ci gp«w%j weary travelers;welcomes vimoi . (betting night oieni ffSthwent. Mercury Boulevard. “The downtown area became a ghost town,” remarked Kilgore. But, the merchants did not lose hope. Instead, they presented the city with $40,000 and an idea to restore the area. Restoration projects included City Hall, King and Queen Street, Settler’s Landing Road, and, more recently, Queensway Mall. The newly remodeled downtown district provides a pleasant route for Kecoughtan’s traditional football Homecoming Parade. All of the changes occurring in Hampton since the late ’60’s have happened simultaneously with students’ “growing-up years.” Al¬ though all change has not been desirable, most growth has added im¬ measurably to the city’s progressive attitude. “Some people don’t want any kind of change, but change is inevitable. The job of city government is to see that the change is well-ordered, well- planned, and well-executed,” said Kilgore. Kecoughtan students and Hampton have “grown-up” together and, “We’ve come a long way, Baby!” ver th,e last 25 years, Hampton has changed from a segregated, Demo¬ cratic, conservative town to an inte¬ grated, by-partisan, liberal city,” said former Mayor and City Council- woman Ann Kilgore. During the lifetime of the average student, the most significant change was the shift in retail business. “Before 1970, downtown Hampton and Newport News were where you went to shop. But, in the early ’70’s, the business district moved to the rapidly growing Mercury Boulevard area,” explained Kilgore. The construction of the Hampton Coliseum in the late ’60’s started a chain reaction that included the build¬ ing of several hotels and Coliseum Mall. Besides influencing the growth of business, the Coliseum became Hampton’s landmark. Its multi¬ colored lights are a signal to all Hamptonians that home is close-by. The Coliseum is also deep-rooted in Kecoughtan tradition as every gradu¬ ating class since 1970 has walked across its stage to receive diplomas. Everyone, however, did not rejoice over the extensive development of I i h