First day of school runs smoothly

The first day of high school for the class of 2008 went smoothly, despite a Code Red drill and newly instated lunch and computer restrictions, according to Blair students and staff.

The freshmen were greeted by teachers who lined Blair Boulevard and applauded as the students went to homeroom. "The students seemed to enjoy that," said administrator Suzanne Harvey. "They were a little embarrassed at first, but we did it last year and knew it would go over well." After the schedules were distributed in homeroom, the students were released to first period and from there instructed to follow their seven- or eight-period school-day schedule.

At 1:05 p.m., Principal Phillip Gainous announced on the PA system that the school was entering a Code Blue drill. After a few minutes, Gainous told students and faculty that the school would proceed into Code Red. The administration then checked that the hallways were clear of students, that the classrooms' windows were covered, that the doors were locked and that no sounds were audible from outside the rooms. Gainous then announced that there were no casualties and that the school would be evacuated. According to SGA president Sebastian Johnson, many freshmen had difficulty finding their fire-drill stadium locations, but, they were otherwise calm and patient throughout the fire drill, which ended at 2:05 p.m.

Harvey said that, as of last week, there were just over 800 students registered in Blair's class of 2008. Harvey also stated that since she has heard this figure, the guidance office has been busy registering even more students. Currently, the class of 2007 is the largest grade at Blair with 908 students.

The class of 2008 was the first to experience a new lunch rule that was established over the summer. The administration decided to forbid students from eating on the black benches in Blair Boulevard, according to Johnson. Harvey and Johnson agreed lunch occurred without incident, but they are not sure of how the rule will affect the entire student body in the days to come.

The freshmen were also the first in years to experience Blair without computer access. Computers will not be available to students until September 10. According to Media Specialist Lisa Hack, the installation of new hardware and software programs has affected many Blair student and teacher accounts. "There are so many problems, even with the teachers' accounts, that we are trying to handle," said Head-In room assistant sophomore Josh Uzzel. "If we let students have access to imperfect accounts, then we would be even more overwhelmed."

The first day of school for the sophomore, junior and senior classes is tomorrow, August 31, at which point the entire Blair student body will be present.