M. P. Adds Special Reading Program
A program designed to provide
intensive reading instruction for
eighth grade students has been in
stituted this school term for the first
time at Mary Potter.
This program is an outgrowth of
a Self - study conducted at Mary
Potter during the 1963-64 school
term. The results of the study
clearly indicate that reading is
the weakest facet of the curriculum.
Parents, students the faculty and
the administration worked for a per
iod of two years in over fifteen
workshops and numerous profes
sional meetings to aid in making the
program a reality.
The program is developmental
rather than remedial, and seeks to
improve motivation for reading
while improving the reading back
ground of students. Emphasis is
placed on vocabulary, reading com
prehension and interpretation, flu
ency in reading, and the develop
ment of acceptable study skills.
Another aim of the program is
designed to provide the eighth grade
students with reading skills and
techniques necessary to cope with
the high school curriculum where
approximately 80% of the work en
countered involves reading. It is
expected that this program will re
duce immeasurably the failures oc
curring at the high school level
which are attributed to f)oor read
ing habits.
A controlled Reading Machine and
three SRA Reading Laboratories are
among the materials being used in
the program. Other audio-visual
aids and many varied books are also
involved in the program.
The varied multi-level material
in the SRA Laboratories permits
each student to work at his own
level and rate of speed thereby pro
viding for individual differences.
Specific skills are taught by the
teacher in directed reading activities
with small ability groups.
To secure maximum results from
the program, the eighth grade is
grouped according to reading scores
obtained during the year prior to en
tering the eighth grade.
The guidelines used in setting up
the reading program include the
need to fulfill the basic needs of the
boys and girls; an awareness of the
need for security to the extent the
program would expect from a child
only what he could do at his pres
ent level of development, an aware
ness of the need to achieve by pro
viding opportunities for success
which are within his experiences or
which can be built on his experi
ences; an awareness of the need to
belong to the extent that the read
ing center abounds in friendliness
and a place where every child feels
that he “belongs;” finally, to al
ways remember the need to be un
derstood on the part of the chil
dren for whose development we are
responsible.
Miss Mary Eliabeth Venable is the
teacher for this program. She haj
a graduate degree with a major in
the Psychology of Reading and has
wide experience in the area of read
ing.
Miss Venable has explained the
reading program to the Mary Potter
faculty in a staff meeting held re
cently. She has also talked to the
Vance County and Henderson City
Teachers about this reading pro
gram.
This is one of the first programs
of this nature to be instituted in
the Granville County Schools.
The members of the reading group are Herman Cooper, Bette Brown,
Rosalyn Greene, Miss E. Venable, John Burwell, Audrey Fields, Willie
Harris, Ermon Greene, Hardie Henderson, and Richard Harris.
The Maiy Potter Gazette
Miss America Pageant Set tor '66
VOL. LXX
OXFORD, N. C., DECEMBER, 1965
NO. 1
Thespians Set for Busy Season
The Mary Potter Thespians be
gan the school year by setting their
goals in drama for tlie Oxford Com
munity and the state organizations.
The goal for the Oxford Com
munity was when eleven
young women and men played to
a full bouse in the Mary Potter Au
ditorium, November 23, their fourth
major Broadway Production, “Doub
le Door,” by Elizabeth McFadden.
The leading roles were played by
three first year drama students in
asmuch as many of the Mary Pot
ter Thespians graduated in the spr
ing of 1965.
The members of tbe cast were
Joan Harris, a cruel woman; Arne-
thia McGhee, as Caroline, Victoria's
sister; Lenwood Fleming, as Rip,
Victoria’s half-sick brother; Jac
queline Morris, as Ann Darrow,
Rip’s wife; Clifton Robinson, as
Victoria’s lawyear; Paul Carrier, as
Dr. John Sully, Ann’s friend; San
dra Eaton, as the housekeeper;
Ronald Jordan, as the footman;
Stephen Powell, as Telson; and
Harold Glover, as Mr. Chase and
Lambert.
The play, “Double Door,” con
cerns V ;i.»ria Van Rre*, who rules
her family with a maniac's firmness.
Her sister Caroline is helpless before
her, and her half-brother. Rip, can
not stand up against her. In a dark
room that has not been changed
since her father died, Victoria goes
through her cheerless routine with
cruel regularity. She is more cruel
than ever, because Rip is marrying
a lady who is not of his social sta
tion, and Victoria senses a threat
to the integrity of the Van Bret
fortune.
How Victoria tortures the bride
with studied austerity and finally
tries to murder her is the male
volent burden nf fhe nlav.
New Members Elected
Six new members were accepted
into the National Thespian Society
during the Drama Club’s assembly
program on November 22. Those
drama students were Joan Harris,
Jacqueline Morris, Brenda Wright,
Stephen PnweJl. Sandra Eaton, and
Clifton Robinson.
Drama Group Attends Clinic
The members of the Drama Club
attended the Drama Clinic Decem
ber 4, 1965, at Fayetteville. The pur
pose of the Drama Clinic was to
prepare the drama students for the
District Drama Festival in March,
1966.
The directors, Mr. Leonard Platt
and Miss Thelma Howard, have
chosen three one act plays for the
Drama Festival at Darden High
School, Wilson and Louisburg Col
lege, Louisburg. The chosen plays
are “The Sisters’ Tragedy,” “The
Locked Room,” and “The Youngest.”
Fifty senior girls, representing the
SO states in the union, played to a
capacity house of 400 on October
30 in the Oxford National Guard
Armory. Because of the parents
and seniors’ interest, the Miss Ame
rica Pageant may be given again in
the; fall of 1966.
The pageant for ’66 will precede
along the same lines as the one re-
cently given, both based upon the
Miss America Pageant held in Sept
ember and televised nationally.
The pageant presented October
30 was divided into 3 major divi
sions; Swimsuit with IS partici
pants; talent with IS participants,
and evening dress with 20 partici-
pnni- .nnd each girl representing a
state in the union.
Finalists for the Miss America
Pageant are selected in the following
manner: one contestant is selected
from the IS bathing participants,
3 from the talent competition, and
1 from the evening dress competi
tion. The judges used the following
criteria for talent: interpretation of
dance, musical, or dramatic number;
stage decorum, poise and person
ality; for swimsuit competition, the
figure, poise, personality, and the
walk down the ramp; for the even
ing dress compietition general ap
pearance, poise, personality, and the
walk down the ramp.
The Miss America and her run
ners-up are chosen upon the way
they answer the question which is
asked of each of them.
Rip, played by Lenwood Fleming, is fastening a string of pearls, a family heirloom, around the neck of his
bride, Ann Darrow, played by Jacqueline Morris, as Victoria, played by Joan Harris, looks on.
. ageant is Huge Success
The 1965 pageant was a great
success according to general reports
aJid the proceeds taken in.
The ’65 Miss Mary Potter Ameri
ca is Cajolyn Lawson, Miss Nevada,
a 5 foot, eighteen year old senior
who lives on Granville Street with
her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Perry
R. Brooks, Jr and a brother. Per
ry Kenton.
When questioned as to why she
wished to be a Certified Public Ac
countant, she replied that the job
would be a challenge, offer varied
opportunities, and pay well. The
1st runner-up was Theresa Lynn
Harris, Miss Arkansas, a 5 foot 5
inch, 17 year old senior and the
daughter of Mr. Theodore Harris
and the late Mrs. Carrie Harris.
When questioned about her career,
she replied that she wished to be a
psychiatrist because she was interest
ed in the sick mind as others are
interested in the healthy mind.
The 2nd runner-up was Inez
Cooper, Miss Maryland, a 5 foot 4
iqch, 17 year old senior. The 3rd
was Juanita Puryear, Miss Alabama,
a 5 foot 3 inch 17 year old senior
and Ida Johnson, Miss Wisconsin,
a 5 foot 4 inch 17 year old senior,
Talent Numbers Given
The talent contestants were train
ed by Mrs. Margaret Harrell Shep
ard, history teacher, and Mrs. Ro
berta Howell, librarian and music
instructor.
The contestants and the numbers
they presented are as follows:
Jeanette Jones, Miss Mississippi,
did “The Shake” (to Boogaloo);
Audrey Peace, Miss Alaska, sang
“hly Buddy”; Libert Smith, Miss
Hawaii, danced to “Hawaiian
?IoodV’: Gloria Black., Mi.s Mon
tana, sang the ‘ Rose of ’fiolce-;
Gloria Brown, Miss Colorado, danc
ed as “Patricia Spy” to “Peter
Gunn”; Elaine Herndon, Miss Iowa,
sang “Ave Maria”; Francine Har
grove, Miss Georgia, sang “Sum
mertime”; Lynn Harris, 1st run
ner up and Miss Arkansas, danced
“Latin Spirits” to “Tequila”;
“Shall I Tell You What I Think
of You”, a dramatic excerpt from
the play “The King and I” (Rogers
and Hammerstein, Act I, scene 5)
was played by Carolyn Lawson,
Miss America and Miss Nevada;
Clara Downey, Miss Michigan, sang
“Go Down Moses”; Barbara Brown,
Miss Deleware, danced to “Shangri-
La”; Inez Cooper, Miss Maryland
sang “Love Letters’'; Carolyn Rog
ers, Miss Louisiana, sang “Smoke
Gets In Your Eyes”; and Esther
Holman, Miss Kansas, sang “Danny
Boy”.
The guest artists were Mrs. Annie
Elizabeth Williams, Vance County
instructor who sang to the accom
paniment of the Mary Potter Band,
the Miss America Theme Song;
Miss Judith Carolyn WorJham sang
Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” from
the Broadway Hit, “My Fair Lady”;
(Dalvin Timothy Gregory played
a trumpet solo, “Autumn Leaves”;
and Charles Anthony Miller play
ed a clarinet solo “Andante and
Finale from Rhapsody in Blue.
The entire affair was supervised
by Mesdames Esther Jordan Mc
Ghee, Margaret Harrell Shepard, and
Roberta Ellis Howell.
Judges for the Miss America pro
gram were Mrs. Annie Gillespie,
English Instructor, Dudley High
School, Greensboro; Mrs. BlondoL
Lucas, Instructor in the Durham
City Schools; and Mr. Rendall
Howell, Principal of the New Hope
Elementary School in V'ance County.