FACE TWO
THE BLACKBIRD, ROCKY MOUNT SENIOR lUGH SCHOOL
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1957
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Child’s Dream Comes True
Proves True Meaning Of Christmas
Christmas time finds in many large cities, children begging coins
on the streets for Christmas. This is the story of one small girl, whose
Christmas dreams came true.
snowing when Mrs. Janice Brown found the small, thin girl
huddled next to her home almost frozen to death. She lifted the small
grl into her arms and carried her into the house; after giving her some
hot soup and bundling her in blankets, Mrs. Brown cuddled her ’til
sie became drowsy. Just before the little child drifted off to sleep,
Mrs. Brown learned that her name was Betty.
While Betty slept, Mrs. Brown thought of her day; she had shopped
for Christmas gifts. “My!” she said to herself, “There is no enjoyment
in Christmas any more; it has become a time of receiving instead of
giving. I’m so tired; it seems as if everyone was up town shopping and
rushing to and fro.”
When Betty awoke, Mrs. Brown found that the reason she was on
the street was to beg for coins to buy fruit, nuts, or anything to make
a happier Christmas for her little brother and sister. This deeply touch
ed the woman’s heart because Betty herself wasn’t over ten. When
she took Betty home, she met her parents in their bare apartment and
learned of their meager means.
Leaving Betty’s home, Mrs. Brown had a wonderful idea and on
Christmas Eve, Betty opened the door to find her loaded down with
gifts, a Christmas tree, and a big bag of food.
Betty’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Parker, were so deeply touched
by this woman’s generosity that they couldn’t speak, but the tears that
glistened in their eyes showed their appreciation. Mrs. Brown distri
buted the gifts to the glowing children and the stunned parents.
When she left that night, she was sure she would always remember
the smiling faces of that family which somehow reminded her of that
Holy Family so many years ago. Her Christmas was suddenly full as.
she realized that giving is the true meaning of Christmas.
(JS>
Cindy’s Encounter With FB
By Pat Bell (First Place Winne )
As Cindy Sellers walked down
the hall of RoclcShester Senior
High to her locker, she was seized
with a violent att-ick of cough
ing. Cindy, didn’t understand why
she couldn’t get rid of this hor
rible cold. She had been sneezing
and coughing for about three weeks
no*'. She din’t have an appetite
anymore and even Bob, her steady,
had remarked about the weight
she was losing.
It was Friday and the
the football game with
High School, Rodchester’ 1 ^
Cindy was a cheerlead«'
she had been too
“Maybe I’ve bee’-
hard” ,she thou'^'"
* at her locksr and
CO his car. “How about
they wa^ Coke, Cindy?” he
a hot
Bob,” said Cindy. “I’d bet-
1- go straight home since the
big game is tonig'ht.” Bob was on
the team so they planned to meet
after the game.
Cindy walked into the house and
flopped into a chair. Just as she
sat doiivn, she started couching.
“Cindy?” her mother called . .
Mrs. Sellers walked into the den,
tok one look at her daughter’s
v/hite face and decided right then
to take Cindjy, to their physician.
Dr. Walker.
m
Christmas? — ’Tis the Time for
happiness and joy. I’ll be flitting
about spreading best v/ishes,
After going though a physical
examination, Inludmg a chest X-
ray, Cindy sati,"i the office wait
ing for Dr. va-lker to tell her the
results. “OJ7 why doesn’t he hur
ry!” she thought to herself, “I’ve
got to be^t the game in an hour.”
ttie doctor walked in, his
face grave. “Cindy, I’m sorry
to this but you have tub-
,culosis. However, with medical
treatment and rest, I'm sure you
have nothing to worry about.”
Cindy c„uWn’t believe it. “Wh5%
Dr. Walker, I’m just eighteen, a
senior in high school. I’m too
young to have TB! Only old people
have that!”
Da’. Walker said, “Cindy, tuber
culosis can strike anyone, any age
and race, either sex, rich or poor.
As Cindy, sat there. Dr. Walker
explained that tuberculc.sis is a
contagious disease caused by the
germ, tubercle br,cillu.s. He told
her that TB is not inherited but
contracted from someone who has
it by breathing air with TB germs,
by carrying germs into the mouth
on fingers, food, eating utensils
or by kissing someone with TB.
'Listening to Dr. Walker, Cindy
thought, “Oh, why; didn’t I have
a chest X-ray when the mobile unit
was at school! Maybe I wouldn’t be
in this fix now.”
Dr. Walker made arrangements
for Cindy to be placed in a hos
pital near home immediately. As
her case was entering an advanced
?i‘.3g3, her physician thought hos
pital care would be better. He ex
plained that some TB patients are
treated at home but he would re
commend hospital care.
When they arrived home, Mrs.
Sellers put Cindy, straight to bed.
(See Cindy’s Encounter)
Page 6 ^
Resolve To Keep
This School Neat
“Above all things 'seep clean, it
is not necessary to be a pig in
order to rase one.” G. Inger-
sole.
Are you proud of jour school
halls, rest rooms and dassrocms?
How much time do people ^pend
picking up behind otheis, or sWld
it be said how much time do
others spend ithrctwing trash dovn
for others to pick up behind them'’
It is a privilege tc go to school
and even more so to have a school
to be proud of, whic”! Rocky Mount
Senior High is. A new building
with the finest facilities are here
for the use of all. In order to keep
them finest, the^ must be taken
care of. it’s a disgrace to a stu
dent body who so abuses new build
ings when schools over fifty years
oid (and are natural%, hard to
Keep) look better tlian this one
five years old.
Would on3 throw paper and lit
ter down ai home? No! Then why
do so at school, when over half of
the students’ time is spent here?
Clean-3p week has just ended.
The stadent body is to be com
mended for progress made in get
ting the building clean, A good
New Year’s resolution would be to
keep it that way. Let every day be
Clean-up Daj,!
We Wait For Fere Noel
By Annie Lechevalier
In America, children are now
writing to Santa Claus and gazing
at the shop windows as they think
of the many toys he will give tliem,
when (at last!) he will come. In
Prance, everyone is waiting for the
“Pere Noel”, as they call him, with
the same excitement.
French Saiiia Claus is a good old
man with a white beard, a red
suit and wooden shoes; he still
travels from town to town in an
old-fashioned sleigh full of toys.
>ut maybe one day he will use a
sitellite too!
When Santa Claus arrives in a
toTsn, he takes all his presents in
a bg basket he carries on his
back and visits every house. Very
silenty, he goes down the chim-
ne^is ta find, in front of the fire
place, aline of well-polished shoes;
there he '.eaves the neatly packed
presents Jhildran anxiously open
early the jext morning.
French jeople generally begin
decorating jtores the first week of
December; streets are crowded
with people earring packages; and
every home has its own Christ
mas tree ornamented with gar
lands and carxlles. They usually,
decorate the fii trees several days
oefore Christmas and close the
•com where it ^ until the “Big
Day”; now this custom has dis-
ippeared.
Most cf the people go to a mid
night Mass on Christmas Eve, fol
lowed by a big celebration called
“Le Reveilion” which coneists of
music and eating, especially turkey
and a Christmas cake, which is a
chocolate Yule log. The next day,,
families assemble in one home for'
festivities. They sing Christmas;
carols in front of the ChrLstmas:
tree lighted with burning candles.
Almost every town in France
organizes a big party for little
children a little while before
Chris/tmas day; different kinds of
entertainments are followed by the
arrival of Santa Claus (Pere Noel)
who deals presents to every kid;
the same celebration is observed
in Protestant Sunday, Schools.
Some provinces of France have
special customs; in the South, in
Auvergne especially, groups of
children sing Christmas carols in
front of houses in order to get
candies or money. In the village of
Les Baux, the doors of the church
are open on Christmas Eve for all
the shepherds who bring lambs,
and] gifts to the altar. This cere-
money is known as “La Pastorale
des Baux.”
In France as well as in America,
Christmas brings a lot of fun and
excitement, is it the same Santa
Claus who visits bath countries?
THE BLACKBIRD
editor CAROL THREATT
ADVERTISINGMANAGER MOLLY ARNOLD
BUSINESS MAIAGER g^LL
CIRCULATION MANAGER ANNA SPRUILL
ADVISER MRS. T. D. YOUNG
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