iM. IFULL MOON
Volume 1
ALBEMARLE SENIOR HIGH NEWSPAPER
311 Palestine Road Albemarle, N.C. 28001 982-3711
January-February 1985
To Smoke or Not to Smoke . . .
By ROB BYRUM
The Albemarle City School Board voted
Thursday, January 10,1985, to prohibit the
use of chewing tobacco in any gym or any
vehicle used by the Albemarle City
Schools. The rule will be included in the
Student Disciplinary Code and becomes ef
fective immediately.
In addition, the School Board is planning
to consider adopting a policy to ban the use
of cigarettes or any other smoking prod
ucts on school grounds. According to City
Schools Superintendent Dr. Bill Brown,
“The abolition plan is now just in the idea
stage. The plan must be considered care
fully. We will take it slowly at first.”
Several local doctors have warned
against the dangers of adolescent smok
ing. Dr. Claude Ballenger sent a letter to
the board in support of the ban. Now the
board must weigh all sides of the problem
and make their decision accordingly. The
process is expected to begin at the next
board meeting on February 7, 1985. Al
ready the idea is gaining supporters, in
cluding School Board member Mrs. Sandy
Rogers. In a recent survey of Albemarle
Senior High Students 32% favored a ban
while 43% of the students surveyed said
thev would not be affected by the rule.
But what about the people who want to
smoke at school? Of the students sur
veyed, 16% admitted to smoking, 11% at
school. These will be the people most af
fected by the new rule, and their interests
are also being considered by the board. An
alternative to the abolition plan would be a
policy for allowing smoking only in desig
nated areas. Only 19% of students sur
veyed were in disagreement with this ac
tion, which could possibly be easier to en
act than the total ban of smoking.
Dr. Brown says the board will “consider
the situations of all involved, including stu
dents, faculty, and parents.” Until Febru
ary 8, Albemarle’s smokers and non-
smokers alike will just have to wait and
see.
ByROBBYRUM
The results of our recent Smoking Sur
vey have been tabulated, and they present
us with some interesting facts about our
school. In response to the question “Do you
smoke?”, 16% of the participating stu
dents answered yes, and 11% said that
they smoked at school. Thus a large num
ber of students (11%) will be affected by
the possible smoking ban on school
grounds. A more immediate effect is tak
ing place on the 13% of our students who
use some other type of tobacco. From now
on, chewing tobacco of any type is not al
lowed in the gym or on school vehicles.
These students will have to go elsewhere.
Concerning the proposed abolition, the
majority of those who took a stand on the
issue were against the ban. 39% do not ap
prove, while 13% are in favor of the idea,
and 48% feel they will not be affected. On
the other hand, 45% of those questioned
are in favor of smoking allowed only in a
designated area. This seemed to be the
most appreciated idea.
A number of comments were received
along with the survey. The majority of
those in favor of the ban said they “... dis
liked walking through other people’s
smoke, ’ and that “. . . cigarette buluj aii
over the ground are messy and unattrac
tive.” People against the abolition argued
that “. . . it is an individual’s decision
whether or not he smokes,” and that “. . .
if they were going to ban smoking, then
they should have never allowed it in the
first place.”
These comments and percentages will
be considered by the School Board in their
decision about a smoking plan. If anyone
has any comments about the idea that is
not published in this paper, the Board
wants to know! Just notify a member of
the Journalism Staff or come by Mr. Todd
McGuire’s room during sixth period and
your comment will be forwarded to the
School Board.
Improvements Made At ASHS
By HANK CARPENTER
And JOHNNY REID
The Albemarle City School Board has
been working hard this year to create a
niore pleasant atmosphere for the students
and for the faculty members at Albemarle
Senior High School.
Many improvements have been made al
ready this school year. One of the most ap
preciated improvements was the installa
tion of fifty-two ceiling fans. A total of two
fans per classroom along with four fans in
the cafeteria were installed. The fans were
installed during the summer so that stu
dents did not have to give up any learning
time in the classroom. $10,400 was spent by
the Albemarle City School Board for the
fans and installation. The fans are very
popular among students and faculty mem
bers. One student was quoted as saying,
“It feels great sitting in class with a cool
breeze stirring through the room! ”
The most expensive improvement tac
kled by the Albemarle City School Board
was the repavement of the lower parking
lot. This parking lot is used by the VICA
and DECA students, faculty members, and
visitors. After the parking lot was re
paved, it was repainted and new speed
bumps were added. A total of $33,500 was
spent for the improvement of the parking
lot.
The next step was the repairing of the
lockers. $10,000 was spent on the repairing
of all the lockers that needed some atten
tion. Handles, hinges, and numbers were
replaced on the old lockers. The blue lock
ers were then painted grey to match all the
other lockers lining the hallways.
New restroom facilities were con
structed next to the weightroom on the
home side of the football field. With this
addition, fans of the Albemarle athletic
groups will not have to walk around to the
visitors’ side to use the restroom. To add to
the comfort of our fans, $4,000 was spent on
repairing the bleachers. The bleachers
were checked and worn parts were either
repaired or replaced.
To enhance the appearance of Albe
marle Senior High School, a large sign was
placed in front of the school. The sign is
“Albemarle blue and white” and it dis
plays the name of our school. It also has
room at the bottom to post announce
ments. At night, the passers-by cannot
help but notice the bright blue and white
lights. The sign really brightens up the Al
bemarle Senior High campus, according to
appreciative students.
Other important improvements include
the repairing of the roof, the painting of the
cafeteria and the vocational building, the
construction of new sidewalks where buses
ALBEMARLE
load and unload, and the purchase of a dust
collector in the wood shop.
Brandon Newton, president of Albe
marle Senior High School, and the Student
Council would like to thank Dr. Brown and
Mr. R. L. Cranford, director of main
tenance, along with the Albemarle City
School Board, for helping make Albemarle
Senior High School a better educational op
portunity!
FYI
The next local testing of the Scholastic
Aptitude Test (SAT) will be May 4. The
deadline for applying to take the May test
IS March 29.