2002

 

The Year of the "Parlindrome": A 2002 Time Capsule of High School Life

Introduction: The Year of the "Parlindrome"

In the autumn of 2001, the students and staff of Pocahontas County High School (P.C.H.S.) entered a year they felt was marked by destiny. The yearbook staff famously christened 2002 a "parlindromic" year—an idiosyncratic spelling for a chronological rarity they noted "will only happen two times in our lifetime." This sense of existing in a unique, reversible moment in time inspired their theme: "The Same But Different." As a cultural archivist looking back across two decades, it is fascinating to see how that year functioned as a bridge between the analog past and the digital future, capturing a specific Appalachian teenage experience that feels hauntingly familiar yet distinctly "different."

The "Hallway Buffet": Learning Through a Construction Zone

To walk the halls of P.C.H.S. in late 2001 was to navigate a landscape of transition, both metal and metaphorical. The air was filled with the rhythmic "Thud, bang, crash!" of a massive reroofing project as workers raced to bring the school up to code and meet strict fire marshal’s specifications. The old wooden roofs were stripped away and replaced with metal, a project that dominated the atmosphere until its completion on December 7.

This physical instability mirrored the internal social anxieties of the student body. Because the commons area—the school's social heart—was a hollowed-out renovation site, students were "forced to squeeze into the cafeteria or crowded hallway to eat breakfast and lunch." This "Hallway Buffet" turned the simple act of eating into a test of patience and spirit. Yet, there was a shared understanding that this was a "short-term inconvenience" required for progress, ultimately resulting in a renovated culinary kitchen and new bleachers for the Warriors to defend their home turf.

Freshman Fears: From "Ugly People" to the Reality of "Change"

The physical chaos of the building only amplified the traditional anxieties of the incoming freshman class. In 2002, the freshmen were remarkably candid about their vulnerabilities, producing a "Top Ten Fears" list that serves as a raw emotional map of the era. While "Getting lost" held the #2 spot, the list took a turn for the idiosyncratic and deeply personal:

The Freshman Top Ten:

1. No fear
2. Getting lost
3. Being picked on
4. Ugly people
5. Tie: Not knowing anyone; failing/getting bad grades; and change.
6. Tie: Teachers; I wouldn't like it.
7. Not making any friends.
8. Not getting the classes I wanted or needed.
9. Myself
10. My girlfriend

The inclusion of "change" as a primary fear highlights the weight of that "parlindromic" transition. These social hierarchies were felt deeply; as freshman Ann Turner admitted, "I was afraid of the upperclassmen picking on me."

The Price of a Parking Spot: $20 Passes and Roadside Patrols

For the 2001–02 school year, the freedom of the open road came with a price tag and a watchful eye. Students were required to pay $20 for an annual pass or $1 per day to park their "mud-covered Ford trucks" and Astro vans on campus. This era also saw the tightening of teen driving regulations; Assistant Principal Mr. Brock became a ubiquitous figure in the lives of student motorists.

The yearbook recalls that every morning and afternoon, Mr. Brock could be found "along the roadside watching for and targeting speeders" or "looking for two or more passengers"—a reflection of the growing national trend toward graduated licensing and passenger restrictions for teens. Though many students found his presence "nothing short of a nuisance," his constant smile and greeting at the parking lot entrance became a defining ritual of their daily commute.

A Tale of Two Gilmers: Forfeits and State Tournaments

The 2002 sports season provided a dramatic "Same But Different" narrative through two very different encounters with the same opponent: Gilmer County. For the Warrior Football team, the season was one of "Reflections of Greatness" marred by technical heartbreak. Though they fought hard on the field, they were forced to forfeit their win against Gilmer due to the era’s strict academic standards, having two players ineligible because of grades. Coach Knisely remained focused on the long game, noting, "The team continued to improve week in and week out, and as a coach that is all I can ask for."

The Lady Warrior Basketball team, however, authored a different story. They set a singular goal: to reach the state tournament. They realized this dream in spectacular fashion, defeating Gilmer in the regional finals to become champions. Their journey ended at the Charleston Civic Center, fueled by the energy of "four spirit buses" and the cheers of fans like Thurston Willis and Jess Burns. It was a peak moment of school unity that redeemed the frustrations of the autumn.

The "Anything Goes" Era: From Camouflage to Eyebrow Piercings

Fashion at P.C.H.S. in 2002 was a "non-stop fashion show" where the traditional rural aesthetic met the burgeoning "anything goes" spirit of the new millennium. The hallways were a sea of rugby shirts, turtlenecks, hoop earrings, and skate shoes. While many male students stuck to the "normal favorite, camouflage" and logo T-shirts, others pushed the boundaries of self-expression.

Senior Carla Johnson became a symbol of this era’s burgeoning individuality. Sporting a fresh eyebrow piercing, she famously quipped to her peers, "No, I did not miss my ear!" It was a time when "uniqueness" was the ultimate currency, whether expressed through a camouflage jacket or a carefully assigned piece of facial jewelry.

Hands-On Academics: Soldering, Ohm’s Law, and Modular Homes

While some schools were pivoting toward purely theoretical learning, the P.C.H.S. of 2002 was a bastion of practical, real-world skill-building. The vocational departments weren't just simulating work; they were building the community's future. The Building Construction II class spent the year working on a full modular house in the main parking lot, meticulously placing footers for brick columns.

In the tech labs, the "Electricity & Electronics" and CISCO classes were "Totally Wired." Students weren't just surfing the web; they were building it. They mastered soldering, circuit construction, and "Ohm’s Law," eventually taking on the responsibility of wiring the school’s own computers for Internet usage and learning the then-arcane art of assigning IP addresses. It was rigorous, high-stakes vocational training that treated students as the architects of the digital age.

Conclusion: The Meaning of "The Same But Different"

As the Class of 2002 gathered in the gymnasium on June 1, Valedictorian Kama Weatherholt spoke to her 94 peers about the bittersweet reality of life in a "small place." She reflected on the difficulty of leaving the familiar behind, even as they stood on the precipice of a world that was changing as rapidly as the "parlindromic" numbers on their diplomas.

The 2002 P.C.H.S. experience serves as a reminder that while the tools of high school life evolve—from wooden roofs to metal ones, from dial-up to CISCO-wired networks—the core of the experience remains. Looking back twenty years later, we see a generation that faced the "Thud, bang, crash!" of a changing world with resilience, proving that no matter the year, the essence of growing up remains "the same... but still different."