
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994                    TAG: 9406100183 
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS                     PAGE: 06    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940612                                 LENGTH:

NEW GRADS FACE BIG DECISIONS\

{LEAD} Hundreds of young people will pass a major milestone of life this week when they don the traditional caps and gowns to receive diplomas signifying the successful completion of one of life's big hurdles.

High school graduation is a time of high hopes and big decisions for most of them.

{REST} About two-thirds of the 800 graduating seniors in Portsmouth said they plan to attend college. That's extremely good news.

But what will happen to the other one-third?

In a world growing ever more complex with technology, these graduates face a future without the prospects of a lifetime career in a local shipyard or long-term employment in other manufacturing jobs in the region.

About half of Portsmouth graduates say they plan to leave the city to seek their fortunes elsewhere. For most high school seniors, certainly those who plan to earn college degrees, leaving home probably is the dream of their immediate future.

Chances are that many of the 267 seniors who consider a high school diploma the end of their formal education are among the 400 who are not thinking of leaving Portsmouth. That too would be the normal pattern because, generally, those with the least ambition eschew additional schooling and are the least mobile.

The loss of semi-skilled jobs and of manufacturing businesses in Portsmouth in recent years coupled with the current down-sizing of the Navy yard and of city government will make life difficult for those who stay here to seek jobs.

Their crises become the business of the city, which must seek new industries to replace those such as the peanut butter plants, the sewing shops and others that have left the city.

Most of this year's graduates feel confident in the education they have received from the Portsmouth schools.

We need to bolster that belief in those who stay here by bringing in jobs to use their skills and reward them for their perseverance through high school. The same confidence is important for those headed to college in the fall. Chances are they will be able to compete well if they believe in themselves.

There is no more important day in life than the day of high school graduation. To all 800 Portsmouth graduates, congratulations and good luck!

{KEYWORDS} CLASS OF 1994 GRADUATION

by CNB