Washington Lee High School - Blue and Gray Yearbook (Arlington, VA)

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 Student Life 23

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Sophomore Jay Katyal tries to tret past sophomore Megan Woods in the crowded hallways creating a traffic jam. A Freshman gets stuck as she turns the corner and finds a mob of people in her way. 'Excuse me, Pardon Me. Will you get out of my way? Just how many people are there at W-L? When walking through the halls, most people would say too many. The abundance of students made it seem impossible to get to class on time without knocking down at least ten people on the way. The beginning of the year was the worst, especially at the stairways. It was almost impossible to climb the stairs as everyone tried to plow through. For each push given, a shove was returned. After a while, however, people remembered there was more than one stairwell, and conditions improved — slightly. It still took three minutes to get to lockers only three feet away. People refused to give a person space to get across the hallway, therefore creating a traffic jam. Students stopping to socialize with friends in the middle of the hall also created major traffic jams. We survived, though. By the end of the day, we may have had bruises all over our bodies, but we were still in one piece. Most of us anyway; except for those who ran into doors or tripped down the stairs and broke an ankle — those people know who they are! There was really no logical solution for us. Maybe the halls could have been widened, or we could have pretended we were on the I,.A. highways and shot classmates out of our way, but we needed a logical solution. The best answer was to live with it! Kristir IVririiutii Scot I Duncan wonders if using these stairs was so smart after all. 22 Student Life i

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On Paroie The bell rings. signalling the end of sixth period and the beginning of seventeen and one half hours of free time. Some of this time has to be taken up by sleep, but the rest is ours to use as we choose. We can do homework, play sports, work at jobs, or do other things when we aren’t in school or asleep. The first thing we do is get to our lockers. As little time as possible is spent there because better things await us. The main halls are crowded then with people going to the buses that carry them home. Those who don't ride the bus go to the Commons. Carpools meet, plans are made, students relax, and others ask for rides. From there, the groups split and go their separate ways. Some go to club meetings, some to sports and music practices. The rest of the Commoners pile into cars and get away from school as quickly as possible. There is a variety of clubs and sports that meet after school. From French to Black Awareness to Chess, the clubs are as diverse as they are numerous. Others are involved in the Band and Choir, both of which have after school practices on occasion. Many students play sports at school, and are involved every day in either practicing or playing in games. For many students, much of the time after school must be spent on homework. For them, it’s straight to the library or home to study. Others work at shops and stores in the area, so they go straight to where the money is. With the opening of Ballston Common and the building of stores in the area, many jobs become available to students. There are many other activities outside of school that take up our time, and we make sure to enjoy them as much as possible. Because before we know it. the 7:25 a.m. warning bell is going off, and our time is no longer our own. — IuvkI Clayton Kicky Velez and .Marcelo Rojas discuss rights to a Walkman. Many students listened to Walkmans on their way to and from school, but never during school, because they are illegal. Camille (iuryansky and Darcy Arnold pose for a picture. Dance is an intergral part of many students’ lives. Crawford Palmer, .Mike Heber, and Matt Croson take a minute for a picture with Melvin Itrooks. The Commons is the normal meeting place for students. This group of students spends their time creating works of art in the parking lot. 24 Student Life