Congiatulations
Azalea Princess
rj-,
IHE
Ugh! Six Weeks
Test Again
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount Senior Hig:h School
VOLUME xxvm
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1957
NUMBER 6
Social Committee Plan
Gala Mardi Gras Affair
Gala Mardi Gras festivities will
be celebrated in RMSHS when the
annual spring dance sponsored
by the social committee takes
place March 1.
Gay decorations are planned
and brightly-colored masks will
be given only to the people plan
ning to attend the dance. It
is suggested that students decorate
their masks to add to the festivi
ties.
Invitations, in
Invitations keeping with the
p, theme, will be
^ given to all mem-
Students toers of the stu
dent body. The
social committee has advised stu
dents who plan to bring guests to
sign for them as early as possible.
Results of two recent school
BurveyB gave the following results:
114 voted for an informal dance
and 121 voted for semi-formal.
The majority of students said
they were planning to attend the
dance.
g?jam an? underway to contact
the Modems, the Southerners,
and the Collegians. Si>ecial fea
tures in the Mardi Gras spirit
are plaiuied for added attraction,
and the committee hopes every
one is going to join the fun.
Rules
For
Dance
Hours of the
dance 'Will be
from 9:00 p. m.
until 12:00 mid
night with an in
termission a t
10:30 p. m. Customary, rules of
conduct,will be observed as at
other dances. No one iwill be al
lowed to leave and return while
the dance is in process. No drink
ing will be allowed and smoking
will be permitted only in the rest
rooms. These are a few rules con
cerning the dance but students
are urged to familiarize them
selves with others before attending
dn order to have a hilarious, fes
tive, good time.
NEWSEES
Mrs. Callie Marie Jackson from
Benson, N. C. has replaced Mrs.
J. A. Ipock, whose resignation was
offective February) 15. Mrs. Jack
son attended Meredith and has a
major degree in home economics.
Jo Dare Williams is the repre
sentative for the Betty> Crocker
Homemaker of Tomorrow Scholar
ship fix)m Rocky Mount Senior
High School. She took the scholar
ship test last December.
Coach Johnny Guiton paid a
visit to RMSHS February 8. Mr.
Guiton now holds the position of
head wrestling coach and assis
tant football coach at The Citadel
in Charleston, S. C.
Peggy Jones, a ’56 graduate, ap
peared in the Grass Roots Opera
in Greensboro recently but was
unable to appear in the Rocky
Mount performance because she
could not be away from school.
student Coimcil voted for an
assembly featuring a panel made
up of students onlyi. They will
evaluate “Operation Honor” week.
What’s Doing?
February 20 .... Nash County
Tournament
February 21 Nash County
Tournament
Februar.y) 23 Nash County
Tournament
February 25 Nash County
Toimiament
Mr. Ray Wilkinson, Mass
Meeting
Pebruaryi 27 Nash County
Tournament
Petaruary 28 .. PTSA Meeting
March 1 .. Mardi Gras Dance
March 13 ... Delegates from
THE BLACKBIRD and HI-
NOC-AR go to New York for
the Columbia (Press Convention.
More Moonlight Please?
They Hope for Whiners.
Dramatists^ Srs. Decide On Plays
Group Practices
For Drama Fete
Lights! Action! Thus work be
gan last week when the dramatic
department started rehearsing
contest plays to be presented at
the District Festival in Goldsboro,
March 30.
“For on the Valley,” a serious
one-act drama by Verna Powers,
is being sponsored by the Black
Masquers. Sandra Melton, Larry
Warner, Frances Gay, Johnny
Churchill, Ronald Perry, and
Marie Stecher portray characters
in this play about a son and his
stepmother who openly hate each
other.
Howard Buerman’s “Quiet
Please,” about a feud between two
brothers, in which principle C. M.
Edson once plajied a leading role,,
is being sponsored by the Edsoni-
ans Dramatic OrgaJtiization with
Autry Glover, Larry Warner, Jane
Palmgren, Ken I'ussell, Retha Der-
mon, Miriam Viverette, and Jane
Winters forming the cast.
It is singular that these two
plays deal with the saone vice,
hatred and contempt, but in op
posite ways. One treats it as a
comedy, the other as a dranm.
Immediate work has begun on
these plays in the form of reading
rehearsals, preparing stage sets,
co-ordinating costumes, and many
little Jobs necessary) in play pro
duction.
Mirs. Fermor Hobbs, dramatics
teacher and director of the two
contest plays, says she has great
plans for these plays and hopes to
win a first rating and plaque.
Plans are being made to visit
Goldsboro before the Festival in
order to see the size of the stage.
Studying Lines
In Contest Plays
. . . with stepchild
Shown above and below are
ithe leading characters in the
two contest plays seen helping
eachi other with their lines.
In the top picture, left to
right, are Frances Gay as the
stepmother in “Fog on the
VaJlci’' oisciisstug script with
Ronald Perry, her stepchild.
Below are, left, Larry Warner
and right, Autry Glover, the two
brotheris in “Quite Please,” they
are practicing arguing techni
ques. Photo by Barringer.
. . two brothers
Speaker Relates
Social Committee workers Luanne Hobbs, Mike Womble, Jane
Bradley, and John Hines begin planning for the Mardi Gras
Dance, March 1. This group is pondering over lighting effects in
the gym. Photo by Faulkner
Inability Causes Failures
Inability to read, to spell, and
to write sentences accurately are
reasons for most college failures,
according to Mr. Roy Armstrong,
speaker at the PTSA meeting
Januariy! 31.
Mr. Armstrong believes that
some homework is necessary for
all students. He is also of the
opinion (as many parents and
teachers) that students should
take the right subjects and study
hard.
Mr. Armstrong’s advice to sop
homores and juniors is that they
should visit schools in the spring
of their juniors year and make de
cisions as to which college they
will attend and then take the en
trance exams as soon as possible.
He suggested applying for scholar
ships in the early fall of the senior
jear.
English (4 yrs.), foreign langu
age (2 yrs.), algebra (2 yrs.),
plane geometry (1 yr.), and
science (biology) are subjects that
Mr. Armstrong said should be re
quired in high school.
Class Productions
To Provide Funds
To have sufficient funds to fin
ance the class activities which in
clude presenting the school a gift,
the senioi's voted in the last meet
ing to sponsor a class play this
spring.
Principal C. M. Edson spoke to
the seniors about past customs
and rules for the class play. He
stated that usually each senior
class gave a gift to the school
when they left, but they had to
have monejj. Putting on a play
had, in the past, been the seniors
chief-money-making project.
Since there iwas much discussion
about having to give part of the
proceeds to the dramatic depart
ment, Mr. Edson §poke on this
fact. He explained that the seniors
would use the diamatic depart
ment’s equipment. Also the dra
matic department will not give a
second major production this year,
if the senior class has Mrs. Fer
mor Hobbs, dramatics teacher, to
direct their play. The department
does not have the funds to use
money on contest plays ana not re
plenish their finances. Mr. Edson
closed by saying tl.at putting on
a play would be hard work, but
fun.
The class discussed the matter
and finallji agreed that a percent
age of the proceeds should go to
the dramatic department.
Last year’s graduates decided
against having a play and con
sequently they had to find other
means to make money.
Jean Edwards One
Of 2 NC Delegates
To UN Seminar
Jean Edwards, one of Uie two
North Carolina delegates to the
1957 United Natiom
—^Washington Se-
Imdnar, goes to New
York and Washing
ton, D. C., February
{23 — March 2.
As a member of the N. C. Con
ference Board of Education (whose
main work at present time is with
new colleges to be built here and
in Fayetteville), Jean is eligible
to attend tliis nation-wide con
ference.
Jean will have the opportunity
to meet outstanding leaders of
North Carolina (such as Senatoi'
Sam J. Ervin and Congressman
Harold D. Cooley) and to study
the natuire of the world crisis.
She will also be able to have a
U. N. briefing of Items before
.the General Assembly, particularly
colonialism and trusteeship.