Kathy Fraser:  

Wow! It's been 48 years since the class of 1971 graduated from CVHS! Often I think about our class and wonder where everyone is at now in their life. I left Concord to further my education after high school. Attended what was then San Fernando Valley State College for a year and a half then transferred to Southern Oregon College (SOC) in the spring of '73, after my parents retired in Ashland. Best choice I made as I became a person again, not just a number (small vs. large school). Graduated with a BA in General Studies/Humanities and a teaching license but opted to try some other fields of work first and ended up back in CA. Worked with a retail chain for a while in their management training program in Santa Clara and Oxnard. I then kept busy for two years as a substitute teacher in Port Hueneme, Oxnard, and Ventura before moving to Huntington Beach. (Back then when you substituted you could end up in any subject at any grade level so I had some pretty interesting experiences.) Landed a job as manager of an import store at Fashion Island, Newport Beach. Then I worked for a life insurance company at their corporate headquarters at Fashion Island. Finally, I decided teaching reading was what I really wanted to do so I decided to move back to Ashland and return to school. I attended classes in the evening and taught at a girl's group home during the day. Received my MA in Secondary Education and Standard License as a Reading Specialist in '81 and was hired to set up the alternative school program in Scappoose, OR. For personal reasons I opted not to return the following year. The hardest thing was leaving the students who really needed the help and the wonderful a...Expand for more