SUBSCRIBE
TO A MAGAZINE
THE BLACKBIRD
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount High School
BEAT OXFORD
ORPHANAGE
VOLUME XXIII
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1951
NUMBER 3
Newsees
F. H. A. Program Given
F. H. A. members have had a
variety of interesting programs
this year. Nancy Williams, a form
er student of R. M. H. S. ana now
a local color stylist, presented a
program on selection of colors for
a room. One day the members went
on a field trip to Singer Sewing
Shop to have r'jwing machine at
tachments (iBinojistrated.
One program was donated to re
ports of the District Rally atrond-
-d by Charlotte Leonard. Sarah
Williamson, Nancy Browning and
Miss Josephine Grant, advisor.
The officers for first semester are
Marjorie Williams, president; Ger
trude Coggins, vice president; Dot
Williams, secretary; Charlotte
Leonard, treasurer and Bonnie
Bunn, historian.
‘News And Blues’
“News and Blues of Rocky
Mount High,” a radio program
sponsored by the Junior-Senior
Radio Broadcasters club, may be
heard over WEED, AM and FM,
every Saturday morning at eleven
o’clock.
This is the eighth year of the
program. Until 1949 it was kno\^
as “Your High School Reporter.”
The Radio Broadcaster’s club,
sponsored by Mr. Edson, presint
this program in order to let the
rul'lic know what is going on in
Hoi ky Mount High. During the
year each member plans and pre
sents the program at least oncc.
‘News and Blues” conp.i.sts of
news items, th> three top •’unes of
tlie week as selected by a school
c’ub or organization, and th3 “p >r-
sonality of the week” who is per
sonally interviewed on the air or
an account of )iii> achievernents or
accomplishmentb is given.
Annual D. E. Convention To Be Held Here
1952 Hi-lNoc-Ar Underway
Under the editorship of Albert
Rabil and the sponsorship of Miss
Alma Murchison, the Hi-Noc-Ar,
the annual of the Rocky Mount high
school is now in the making.
Having received word just re
cently that the 1951 edition of
this publication had' received a
ONE Rating by the Columbia Scho
lastic Press Association, the scaff
of this year’s annual is working
like mad to try to maintain or even
better this record.
The staff members under the
leadership of Rabil were selling
ads just as soon as the new school
year started. And sell aas they ilid,
topping last year’s goal and also
the goal that had been set for
them this year.
Following such an extensive ad
campaign, they jumpel right up to
their necks into their subscription
campaign which also was sucsess-
ful with about six hundred twenty-
five subscriptions secured.
With all these prelimmarie.i out
of the way, the staff then got dov. n
to business and started to v/ork on
the annual itself. Senior pii;tures
were scheduled and taken by Bar
ringer’s’ Studio. As soon as these
were completed, the picture's of the
Juniors were immediately started.
When these pictures are complet
ed, work will begin on Freshman
and Sophomore homerooni pictures.
Following these, pictures of dif.'er-
ent organizations around Rocky
Mount high school will be taken.
The Hi-Noc-Ar this year is to be
the best one yet; so says this
year’s staff. Time will tell, but
Rocky Mount high school is rooting
for this publication.
To Attend Convention
Johnny Johnson, a senior in high
school, has been selected to repre
sent Rocky Mount at the Nationa’
convention of the Junior Red Cross.
The first meeting of the Co'Uncil
will be held in Atlanta in the e^ily
spring of 1952.
Curtis Publications
Start Annual Drive
“Do you want to save money and
help our class, too?” “Do you know
what our school is doing?”
These questions are being asked
a ^reat many JBW*y~M6urit cTfP
zens by members of the Freshman
9j'd Junior classes dur:-ig the an
nual magazine subscription cam-
t-aijjn that is underway.
The goal set for the campaign
this year is $4,000 for the two cinss-
es. Mr. Charles W. Doak, Curtis
i ublishmg Corr'ii.tr'y representa
tive, stated +h«it more and better
prizes than ever are being oflcr-
ed and that the Curtis i^u; lishing
Company is paying half the ex
pense.
Prizes include a coke party for
the $25 group, a t-lie^t3r party for
the $50 group, and a trophy plus
five tickets to the Center for the
(Continued on Page 4)
Delegates Attend
Student Congress
Off to Greensboro went Gene
Williams, Kay Finch, Preston Brad
shaw, Billy Cooper, Mary Wilkin
son, and Miss.Kate^Kitchin last
Sunday
State
to annual
Student Council Congress.
Gene Williams had a big job on
l.iis hands this year, having been
elected president of the Stale Stu
dent Council Congress last year.
Gene was not the only “president’’
attending the meeting though. Uiily
Cooper is also president of the
Eastern District.
The congress theme was “To
morrow What ? ” D e 1 e g a t e s at
tended group discussions with the
topics “Tomorrow—What Natioral-
ly,” “Tomorrow—What Interna
tionally,” and “Tomorrow—What
Personally.”
A formal bii'K^uet was held at
(Continued on Page 4)
Jordan Plays 'Jo’;
Other Roles Cast
Julia Jordan has been selected
for the part of Jo in “Jo’s Boys,”
the first play of the Edsonians
this season. The play is taken from
Louisa May Alcott’s book by the
same name.
There are three of her ‘boys’ in
the play although two of them are
adopted sons. Those ca^ for Jo’s
sons ar© Teddy, Tommy, Avent;
Emil, and adopted son interested in
navigation, Jimmy Armstrong; and
Dan, another of Jo’s adopted sons,
Lloyd “Country” Thrower.
Meg, Jo’s older sister is to be
played by Jean Cooper while Demi,
her son who is interested in journ
alism will be portrayed by Ken
Brinson and , Jossie, her daughter,
who is interested in dramatics
to be played by Donna Clark.
Kay Finch will portray the part
of Amy, Jo’s younger sister and
Newsom Maples will play the part
of Amy’s husband, Laurice. Their
daughter is Bess, portrayed by
Emily Baker.
Owen Williams is to play the
part of professor Bhaer, Jo’s hus
band. Nan, a girl studying to be a
r; ^onitnucd on Page 4)
RMHS Boys Honored
Two Rocky Mount high school
students have been nominated
by Representative John H. Kerr
for appointments to the United
States Naval Academy.
The Warrenlon congressman
named Worthington Hohhs, a
senior, as one of the principals
for the two Annapolis Appoint
ments.
Billy Cooper, another senior,
was named as first alternate
for a lliird Naval Academy ap
pointment.
Rah! Rah! Rah! Halloween
m
Homeroom 10 Reports
Miss Johnson’s homeroom is
proud of it’s ability to pick good '
class officers. The officers are,
Stanley Legett, President, Aubrey ^
Almand, vice president, Paul Bul-
luck, secretary and James Chand
ler, treasurer. Student Representa
tives are Mary Proctor for the first
semester and Molly Spruill for the
whole term.
Elaine Petes hns r;cently be
come a member of II. R 10. She '
hails from Nehawka, Nebraska. In !
her comparison of the Neht'V/ka
Consolidated School and R. M. II.
S. she said that the local school
was much larger, the teachers ai'e
friendlier, the girls are the same
and the boys are ‘all taken.’
Rocky Mount D. E. Club will
perve as host Club for the sixth an
nual D. E. Convention which will
tftke place on November 1, 1951 in
the Roc'ky Mount High School
Auditorium.
The Convention will get under
way with the registration in the
lobby between 9:00 and 10:00. Be
tween eighty to on© hundred club
members from Durham, Wilming
ton, Goldsboro and New Bern are
expected to attend. Emily Baker,
chairman of Social Committee says
that there will be refreshments
during the registration hour.
■Following registration, welcome '
addresses will be delivered by D. S.
Johnson, Superintendent of Schools,
C. M. Edson, Principal of Rocky
Mount High School, and R. E.
Eason, President Merchants Asso
ciation. After these a business
meeting will be undertaken.
There will be a panel discussion
on “Does Retailing Offer for a
Successful Business Career”? The
panel will be made up of A1 Brand
on, Evening Telegram; Mrs. Ruth
Coley, Ma.\-fair Shop; Herliert
Knight, Belk-Tylers; Doug Long-
well, Rosenbloom Levy; and Jake
Winstead, Enterprise Furniture
Store. W. G. Slattery, club spon
sor and a member of the Woman’s
college faculty, will act as modera
tor.
The morning session will be
brought to an end with a luncheon
out at Buck Overton’s.
The main item on top for the
afternoon session, which gets un
derway at 2:00, is the election of
officers for Eastern District and
election of delegates to national
convention.
Above the cheerleaders, leading in a Halloween yell, are from left to right Jimmy Shine, Jean Cooper,
Newsome Maples, Sheila Robbins, Dot Whitley, Marland Reid, Edith Ann Johnson and Richard Byrd.
Committee Starts
Glean Up Projects
To improve the looks of RMIIS
the House and Grounds committee
got off to quick start. They have
already completed two projects.
The first being the replacement oi
the water fountain on the back
campus. Second, the committee
has made a -check of all the home
room to find anything which needs
attending to.
The fountain, a gift of the Sen
ior Class of ’49, was run over by
a car. It will be set up by Mr. Car-
tee as soon as he finishes replac
ing windows.
The House and Grounds Com
mittee, made up of Jimmy Davis,
Chairman and Elva Griffin, Patri
cia Harris, Janet Spain, Nancy
Newbold, and Bobby Wimberly,
has planned a good list of future
piojects also. ‘‘Besides having the
job of cleaning and dusting the tro
phy cace, they have planned to
plant grass on the back campus if
the str.dent body will cooperate,”
f^^aid chairman Davis. Large trash
cans will be put on the halls; as
signments will be given to differ
ent homerooms to take certain halls
for a certain time and keep them
loo'king clean and neat; and other
projects to make the school look
better are expected.