Kecoughtan High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Hampton, VA)

Page 28 text:

Is

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

Page 29 text:

What would living be like without The Weekends? Just friends! Chris Gillikin and Sue-Ellen Mears clown around at a weekend publications workshop in Charlottesville, Virginia. X X Teekends! l l What would high school life be f ▼ like without them? For the aver¬ age high school student, life revolved around the weekends. “I live for weekends. We struggle through five days of treachery in antici¬ pation of those two glorious days. They are the redeeming factor of a school week,” said junior Wade Barber. Indeed, weekends were a well- deserved break after five consecutive days of school. On many occasions, students stayed up later on weeknights than on weekends. “I was up until 1 a.m. at least once a week. Usually, however, I was in bed by 11 p.m. on the weekends,” explained senior Barry Meredith. The average weekend activity was a trip to the movies. For sophomores, however, “Trivial Pursuit” parties became the norm. “The juniors and seniors always struggled looking for things to do. We didn’t have that problem. ‘Trivial Pur¬ suit’ parties evolved into a regular ac¬ NOW SHO Kicked back at Billy Sgrinia’s house, Billy McClintock, Wade Barber, Danny Bickett, Billy Sgrinia and Tracey Neale watch the Super Bowl. tivity,” said sophomore Gary Griffith. The most exciting weekends, how¬ ever, consisted of at least one party or social event. This was not an average occurrence, because students found it difficult to talk, or con, their parents into letting them host a gathering. “I would hate to have a party. Every party I attended this year was totally out of control. The house would be literally ‘trashed’ by the evening’s end,” said senior Steve Nixon. One of the most successful gatherings was the annual Key Club social event held at Azi Talibi’s house. Admittance was not restricted to the Key Club. Any¬ one who came was welcome. “That was the party of the year. There were at least 300 people, but everyone was friendly. The most amaz¬ ing fact was that the house remained clean. No one was out-of-hand,” said junior Billy McClintock. Weekends, regardless of how they were spent, provided a much needed break for students and helped them to persevere. In search of the ultimate scare, Michael Brown and Charlene Murphy inquire about “Ghoulies” showing at a local theater. “Have some more cake!” Kevin Siemann (with more on his face than inside) is served by Leigh Merola at a party in Willow Oaks. Weekends