Woodbridge High School - Valhalla Yearbook (Woodbridge, VA)

Page 9 text:

M— i———BW The daily ritual ... First thing every week-day mor- hing the bus tunnel fills up with buses depositing their loads of students at the school doors. For the 3ast ten years, this has been the most common en- ryway to the building. Let me aee ... Mr. Thomas Gaul, our present principal, ponders over a question while all students are in class and there is a quiet moment in the large hallways. Mr. Gaul is the third principal Woodbridge has seen over the past four years. Where do I go first? ... Junior Scott Webster and his friend look through the listing to find out who their first period teachers are. Students have found the listings of their first period teachers in the bus tunnel every year. You go around the corner straight back ... Assistant principal Mrs. Delores Roy directs freshman Michael Machak to his classes. Students often found it hard to adjust to the massive building and needed help finding their way around. Over here or over there? ... On the first day of school, Ms. Patty Smith separates attendance cards by teacher for each student. The computer at¬ tendance cards may have been different from past years but the way of separating them never changed. Opening

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“Do you know how old our school is?” “Is it seven?” questioned Kerstin Davis. “No, fourteen,” interrupted Ron Rodgers. This is a question that visitors and students alike may have wondered as they strolled down the halls. Marking the tenth anniversary of the school was a decade of change in students, faculty, and the building itself. The change was evident as one wandered through the school and saw murals with an ’82 or ' 83 painted in the corner. There were unrecognizable pictures and trophies such as the Russell Davis trophy left from a bygone era. New faces were to be seen in the halls, in the classrooms, and even in the office. Many graduating seniors have seen three principals: Mr. Haynes Davis, who was here when they entered the school; Mr. Frank Seese, who held a tem¬ porary position until a permanent prin¬ cipal could be found; and the most re¬ cent, Mr. Thomas Gaul, who vowed to make this the best school “East of the Mississippi.” In 1974 a new brick building appeared on Old Bridge Road where none had been before. Hoardes of students were ushered from their “home” on York Drive to this monstrous building. Overcrowded conditions turned into what seemed to be practical emptiness after having been squeezed so tightly before. However this was only the beginning... Over the past ten years the high school has varied in population from only 2000 students to over 2700 students. The class of 1987 had a record enrollment of 742, and their were 530 graduating seniors. To accommodate the numbers, many of the more recent changes were put into effect. Extra classrooms were built in the once open library. Stricter rules and Now what’s your name? ... Guidance counselor Miss Reba Branch helps Mickey McDade figure out what class he has first period. On the first day of school, students were sent to the upstairs cafeteria to straighten out their schedules. took who S have! .., Sophomores Michelle English ana Carolyn MacDonald compare their schedules to see- if they have any of the same classes or teachers. Schedules were aiways the “talk-of-the-town” with students on the first day of school. regulations were devised to control the huge masses of students. Mr. Gaul was very prominent in this phase of change. For instance, he devised the new rule of allowing only six tardies per semester. This was to stress the importance of get¬ ting to class on time despite crowded halls. However, some students did not believe this to be possible. “With the number of people in this school, it was unrealistic to think that we could have made it on time every day,” complained Liz Gulick. However, many things stayed th€ same. The same old football field anc bleachers held memories of past game and encounters. The worn tennis court! were always numbered one to ten. Anc the strange shape of our brick building was never any different. But no matter what changed and whaf stayed the same, students have always remembered it as their school. And future generations, the students of tods will be the memories of tomorrow the linger in its halls.

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Wandering Around On the first day of school, there was mild confusion everywhere. Students and teachers milled around, moving slowly. It seemed as though even the up¬ perclassmen were unsure of their destina¬ tion. This confusion was evident especial¬ ly where freshmen were concerned. Freshman Jay Ashton agreed adding, “We were all just wandering around, look¬ ing for a friendly face.” Pretty soon, though, things settled down and school became routine. Students knew which teachers would give homework every night and which ones would allow a few tardies every now and then. After school activities helped to curb the monotony of an average school day. Some event was usually taking place after school! On any given day, the front lobby would be crowded with students waiting for club meetings, practices, or a Now I get it!! Senior Lori MacDonald laughs at a joke told during accounting class. Many students appreciated a good joke every now and then, as it helped to liven up class as well as speed along a slow-moving day. Where’s the rest of the class? Senior Kerry McAfee waits patiently until the first drill is over. In the beginning of the year, fire drills were held fre¬ quently so that there was no confusion over where to go. A smile of friendship unites senior Leslie Trowbridge and junior Joyce Peifer as they share a private joke. The warm smile of a friend often helped a slow day move along m’ch more quickly. special tutoring session to begin. Many were athletes waiting until the last minute to head to the practice fields. For the most part, though, the crowded groups of people were huddled together discussing the latest school and social news before the busses left the school. Socializing with friends was a major part of every stu¬ dent’s day. Senior Shelly Doneen put its best when she said, “It’s great to be able to spend some time talking to friends I don’t usually see.” After school hours and on the weekends, Woodbridge students could be seen in various places and activities. Many students spent Friday nights wat¬ ching the big game and relieving the ten¬ sion of the week by attending the dance after the game. Lake Ridge McDonalds and the local Pizza Hut were also crowd¬ ed with ravenous teenagers. No matter what one did with his free time or weekends, one thing was usually true, friends were together. Senior Lisa Lemay remarked, “My friends are impor¬ tant to me, I like to see them as much as I can!” 6 Student Life