THE newspaper picture that ran in 1996 told the whole story.

Five-year-old Ashlee Walsh, cute as a button with a big blue bow in her hair, was casting questioning eyes at her teacher on her first day at Lee Hill Elementary School, while her mother, Christy, handled the paperwork and the emotions that come with sending your firstborn off to school.

I read through The Free Lance-Star story last week as I dropped in on Ashlee and her family at their home off Tidewater Trail in Spotsylvania County.

Ashlee, who'll turn 18 later this month, was in the last few days of preparation for her graduation from Massaponax High School.

The reason for my visit was simple--to see how this bright-eyed young lady, featured on her first day of school, had fared since that day 13 years ago.

Ashlee has handled school and life with skill, accumulating an impressive record that will take her to James Madison University in August.

Along the way, she's become a volleyball player--a defensive specialist who eventually came to grips with the fact that her father, Bob--was her coach her senior year at Massaponax.

"I was kind of invading her territory, so I was worried about how she'd take it," Bob said. "It was a great experience for me to get to spend that time with her."

It's hard to sum up 13 years of school, which is what I asked Ashlee to do.

When I sat down at the family's kitchen table with the family, which includes younger sisters Amber and Alexa, various stories came up.

Like the fact that the family made a conscious decision to stay in Spotsylvania, despite a job opportunity so good that Bob initially accepted it.

Bob--who works in Washington at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving--and Christy decided some things were more important than the opportunity for a job.

"We were both Army brats and never got to stay in one place too long," said Christy. "We wanted Ashlee and her sisters to have a chance to make friends they'd know for a long time and a place that felt like home."