Paula Raymond (Paula Chestnut)

Kempsville High School

Class of 1970

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First Name	Paula
Last Name	Raymond
Maiden Name	Chestnut
Graduation Year	Class of 1970
Gender	Female
City	N/A
State/Province	CA
Country	United States
Occupation	Teacher
Married	Yes
Favorite School Memory	Being on the high school yearbook staff all four years and Miss Pleasants English class.
About Me	For those who may remember me and my younger sister, Debbie, we moved to northern Africa in my senior year. The first few days, in all the heat and dust of the desert, with Muslim & French men and women surrounding us, I was a bit nervous, wondering how in the world we'd finish school and live a normal life. Well, in the end, it turned out to be a terrific experience; the school had 200 students 7-12; there were 25 in my senior class, and quite cosmopolitan with students from Morocco, Iran, Iraq, England, Spanish, and of course, the military brats such as myself. For those who remember the French teacher Mrs. Scripture, thank you for teaching me because my family depended upon my poorly acquired skills (my fault - I was SO lazy) for going shopping and traveling over the next 12 months. I am grateful for her patience and exposure to the language. I discovered - in my senior year - a penchant for vocal performance in music - and was the big fish in a little pond. But actually, it has stood me in good stead, it gave me a goal for next few years as I attended college back in my birth town of Wilmington, NC. My dad was transferred back to the states that last six weeks of my senior year, so I wound up staying with a host family at the very end of 1970. In college, as a freshman music major, I struggled and thoroughly enjoyed school for the very first time. But, it took two years to admit my musical skills were baby ones and that I was in the presence of giants. I wisely decided a regular classroom teacher could apply more music than an unemployed starving musician. Working as a waitress the following year, I saved up and began college in Wilmington, NC, where I met and married a local boy. We were married for 25 years. My degree was in Early Childhood; of course, everything I learned then, is dinosaur stuff now. After 10 years of struggle, struggle, (at that time the teaching market was glutted, I was an overeducated weenie working first as a waitress, secretary, and finally at Social Services), before I finally landed a teaching job in 1978. We were in the mountains of NC for that 5 year period, where both my son and daughter were born. Even though the marriage ended in 2001, the second half was quite interesting; my husband went through a series of jobs, while I supported him; eventually he did attend the local community college, studying the new field of telecommunications. In 1983 he landed a good job in Saudi Arabia on a private contract job, then later transferred to the State Department in Washington, DC. Submersing myself in local culture, it was so enlightening to learn a smidgen of Arabic and customs; no, I couldn't drive a car, but if you've ever been there, who'd want to? I also gained enormous respect for the good things within the culture. We were in SA for 18 months, where my kids started school. Because teaching is a portable career, I was lucky enough to be employed at all 5 countries we lived in. In Riyadh, I was one of 13 second grade teachers; there were about 2,000 students k- 9; since women can't drive, there were almost no after school duties. Within the embassy community, I worked again as a teacher at our four postings: Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Ecuador, working at the International Schools and at a DOD school in Panama. This opportunity opened doors to me that are normally never a part of my middle class life. One day, for a parent conference, the mom apologized for being late: "I had problems at work - I had to fire 5,000 people..." what a shocking and humbling experience. One year, I had the superintendent's son and made the executive decision not to inform him that his kid cheats on tests. Ten years ago, it was almost accidental that I moved to California - a place I believed only weirdos lived. After experiencing so many hurricanes on the east coast the prior 5 years, I was ready for a change. But why would anyone live in an earthquake zone? So far, we've only had two that are even noticeable since I've been here. The wild fires are the biggest nuisance now. I married a lovely man last year and we have thoroughly enjoyed traveling togeth...(read more)

Class of 1970 Alumni

→ Reunite with 65 class of 1970 alumni that have joined.

Karen Griffith
Class of 1995

Bobby Bobby Lester
Class of 1971

Alex Ewing
Class of 1997

Sarah Balschmiter
Class of 2004

Skip Torrence
Class of 1981

Doug Porter
Class of 1983

Tripp Faison
Class of 1998

Ann Young
Class of 1990

Cletus Sir Name: Richards
Class of 1976

Rena Paragas
Class of 1987

Leeanna Staton
Class of 1998

Joseph Rivera
Class of 1984

Belinda Perry
Class of 1971

Donna Anderson
Class of 1973

Dana Jackson
Class of 1984

Michael Firey
Class of 1979

John Carlo
Class of 1975

William Forbes
Class of 1971

Recent Class of 1970 Reunions

Plan a Class of 1970 Reunion for Free

Class of 1970 45th reunion

Invited Classes: 1970

Date: Sep 26, 2015

Description: Come join us at the Kempsville class of 1970 45th reunion party, casual attire. We will have a buffet dinner and Dj for ...(read more)

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BAREFOOT BEACH RUN/WALK ALUMNI REUNION

Invited Classes: All Classes

Date: Oct 12, 2013

Description: Join us for the 1st Annual Barefoot Beach Run. We will be meeting at 17th Street Park at 4pm for a 1 mile run / walk and...(read more)

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