Everything changes with time, and this school is no different. Many of the current teachers used to be students and have seen the changes that the school has gone through.

“I’ve been at Fairview more than when I’ve not been at Fairview,” said Darrell Billington, a pre-IB Geography and Sociology teacher and former Fairview student.

Teachers who were students at Fairview are able to observe how the school has changed from then to now. These technological, physical and internal changes are now so embedded in our school that imagining a different school is difficult. The teachers explain that one major change is the relationship between students and teachers.

“There were more opportunities for kids to fall through the cracks when I was at school,” said Jennifer Kraemer, a current U.S. History teacher and former Fairview student. “The teachers are much more proactive to try to help kids that are failing. There was a program called Super Seniors which let you do another semester of senior year so you could graduate.”

Along with teachers, the student body composition has changed.

“We are much more diverse. Fairview used to be a very, very white school. It is still a white school,” said Kraemer. “But there is more diversity. There are also more second language learners now. Also, we [are] also so much more inclusive.”

The overall physical structure of the school has changed.  

“[The] student center has changed. We used to have a senior balcony where the security office is. There would be tables up there and we would have a balcony. Although people did bad things and threw things over it,” said Kraemer.  

This small change is now barely noticed. With new construction currently happening, it is clear that soon it will be difficult to imagine the school the way it once was.

A huge part of people’s lives now is technology. It is used daily in school and is a great resource for students. However, many teachers believe that technology has affected students in other ways.   

“[Students] had to be more organized back then. We had to meet face-to-face, and there was passing notes. And I think we knew each other a little better back then even though you’re always connected via cell phones. It’s just different,” said Billington.

Many teachers also believe that technology has had a negative effect on students learning.

“Cell phones have become a huge distraction in class and in general,” said Kraemer. “It has gotten worse and worse.”

Throughout all the changes that our school has gone through, many aspects have stayed the same.

“I think the rigor is the same,” said Kraemer. “There has always been the peer pressure to do well. I had many, many friends that went off to Ivy League schools and excelled. So that culture, which I really appreciate because my children went and go to Fairview, but the culture of being smart is cool and good work is cool. I don’t like the extreme pressure it puts on students.”

With the same rigor, the types of students that attend have not changed. High school students have in the past and continue to do actions that make it stand out from other schools.

Kraemer said “one time there was a kid that was naked with a helmet and rode his motorcycle around the ramps. That’s a classic. We also had a couple guys that were naked with helmets that propelled down from the ceiling and got stuck.”

Other teachers that attended this school include: science teacher, Dylan Muzny, language arts teacher, Claire-Maria Broaddus, fine arts teacher, Janice Vlachos, science teacher, Dan Albritton, and language arts teacher, Tracy Brennan.