Kempsville High School Alumni
Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA)
Paula Raymond (Paula Chestnut)
Kempsville High School
Class of 1970
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PAULA'S PROFILE
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 63 class of 1970 classmates that have joined.
Karen Hartsough
Class of 1997
Alison Cooper
Class of 1989
Laurie Rodriguez
Class of 1995
Bruce Abbott
Class of 1977
Sandi Terry
Class of 1988
Chrystal Harris
Class of 2000
Jeremy Butler
Class of 1994
Margaret Colden
Class of 1976
Stephanie Melton
Class of 1989
Holly Green
Class of 1988
Alexandra Viele
Class of 2003
Celia Nagle
Class of 1973
Elizabeth Walters
Class of 1989
Karlie Heinz
Class of 1992
Eric Monzon
Class of 1988
Rebecca English
Class of 1997
Robert Snead
Class of 2005
Adam Moffit
Class of 2002
William Dodson
Class of 1985
Sandra Williams
Class of 1975
Anne Rust
Class of 1998
Lizz Greene
Class of 1975
Sharon Mizzell
Class of 1978
Samantha Meredith
Class of 2008
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)
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)
40th Reunion
Invited Classes: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973
Date: Oct 13, 2012
Description: Homecoming Game Oct 12th Sunday Family Event Oct 14th
Kempsville High School Class of 1970 50th Reunion **CANCELLATION**
Invited Classes: 1970
Description: Dear KHS Class of 1970, After careful consideration and input from our classmates, we have come to the conclusio...(read more)