SOPH. HOP
BIG SUCCESS
THE BLACKBIRD
FROSH PLAN
COUNTY FAIR
VOLUME XXIII
Published by JournalUm Class of Rocky Mount High School
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C., TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1952
NUMBER 9
Flue Causes Many Absences;
School Recesses For 3 Days
With 217 absences in RMHS
alone, Dr. R. J. Walker, city
health officer, advised that the
schools of Rocky Mount be closed
on Wednesday, March 5. until
the following Monday.
Dr. Walker stated that approxi
mately 22 percent of the Rocky
Mount pupils had been reported
cue ot school on, the previous
Monday and Tuesday. An epi
demic of the flu which broke out
proved to be the. cause of most of
the absences but measles, scarlet
fever, chicken pox, and the com
mon cold accounted for many al-
.0.
I’arents of students were advis
ed to keep their children at home
and away fri/m crowded areaj m
order that the spread of thess
diseases be lessened. The theaters
in Rocky Mount were closed to
all under the age of 18 and irien.-
ber churches of tlihe Rocky Mount
Ministerial .A s;,ociation agreed to
cancel any youth meetings during
this time.
RMHS Affected
The flu “holiday” came to
K.VIHS at a very inopportune tini:.
Six weok.s tr.'ts v.lnch were sch;-
duled for thhe following Wednes
day were postponed and were
given last Tuesday. The “Black
bird‘S was titruwn ^ wuek off its
schedule. The tappings into the
Honor Society wore held over a
week until last Friday.
Many students enjoyed this
three-day freedom. Many didn’t,
but whether they did or not, it
means three more days of school.
Mr. D. S. Johnson, superintendent
jf S.;tky Mount schools says,
“The manner in which students
will make up those three days will
be determined at a meeting of the
school board to be held on March
24.”
Glass Dances, Jr.-Sr.
Highlight Spring Plans
“Got on my dancing shoes”
could well be the refrain of the
high school students now. Plans
for the various class dances and
annual Junior-Senior are already
executed or in the making.
The sophomore class held a uni
que hop in keeping with the leap
year season in the high school
gym last Friday night. The theme
of the dance was an old-fashioned
box .supper idea combined and
leap year party. The girls brought
picnic lunches to share with their
dates. They invited the boys and
were allowed to brjak on dances.
Students not dating were paired
off at the beginning of the hop.
The committee chairmen were re
freshments, Theo Pitt and Mar
garet Daughtridge; decorations,
Bobby Deans and Jerry Renfrew;
invitations, Janet Spain; program.
Bill Tharrington; music, Jean
Thorpe.
Freshman Fair
A County Fair atmosphere will
permeate the Freshman Frolic, a
combined round and square dance,
March 28. The boys will wear
dungarees and the girls will wear
skirts and sweaters.
The various committee chair
men have been announced by
President Johnny Hammond and
are at work to make this an en
joyable affair. The chairmen are
corations, Mimi Brewer and Aud
Proctor; programs, Doris Cooper
music, Bobby Savage; clean-up
Ruby Bryant and Julian Aldridge
Newsees
Red Cross Talks Given
“Support the American Red
Cross” was the theme of the talks
given by many dramatic students
to tiie civic clubs and organiza
tions of Rocky Mount.
In their talks the speakers urg
ed the citizens not only to give
money generously but also to give
life saving blood for those fight
ing in Korea.
The talks v/ere written by tha
individual students and help in de
livery was given by Mrs. Kramer.
These talks were given to such
clubs as the Kiwanis, Rotary,
Lions, Credit Women, Pilot Club
and many others.
World Prayer Observed
With quiet dignity and poise
Miss Kitchen’s third period Eng
lish class presented an inspiring
World Day of Prayer program to
the student body on February 29.
The program consisted of
choral and solo prayer selections
in reading and music, and the stu-
di nts felt its influence. This was
t'videnced by the orderly, unhur
ried evacuation of the auditorium
at the end of the program without
even the usual announ junent of
“With the seniors leaving first, the
assembly is dismissed^
Pen Pal Letters Received
Members of Mr. Cleetwood’s
— third period civics class have been
refreshments, Kay Williford; de- writing letters to foreign coun
tries as one of their projects.
rey Kennedy; invitations, Shirley Many of the students have receiv-
-r«. . « . . _
the world from these foreign pen
pals.
Broadcasters Club Sponsors
'Teenage Roundtable’ Panel
Honor Society Taps
4 Seniors, 9 Juniors
In a candlelight ceremony fill
ed with quiet dignity and charm
and amidst a lovely setting of
pines and white spring flowers,
the Romonoca chapter of the Na
tional Honor Society tapped
thirteen new members. This was
done in the traditional manner on
last Friday.
Margaret Moore Eason and Al
bert Rabil conducted an inspiring
devotional, using the reading of
the Scriptures and the singing of
“The Lord’s Prayer.” Tommy Sla
ter, president of the local chapter
led the service and gave the new
members their vows. The princi
ples of the organization were ex
plained by the following members
of the society: Character, Worth
Ftbbs, Scholarship, Joyce Mc-
Neely; Leadership, Billy Overton;
and Service, Janet Mellor. Tom
my introduced the guest speaker,
Rev. Clinton P. Campbell, pastor
of the First Chnstiar. Church, who
delivered an address on “Scholar
ship.’
New members taken in were
Charles Lundy, Mary Richardson,
Jerry Daughtridg'e, and Bonnie
Bunn from the senior class. Ed
ward Hallford, Nancy Parry,
George Patseavouras, Wilton Hol
liday, Mary Wilkinson, Wilson
Pitt, Alice Barnes, Sheila Robbins,
-- — and Joe Wimberely from the
fd letters from various parts of junior class. This was the junior’s
first
last.
chance and the senior’s
FIRST TEEN-AGE ROUNDTABLE’ PANEL
Latin SHiidents Play
Roman Banquet Way
The First Methodist Church
will be the scene of the annual
Roman banquet held by the Latin !
stiidents on March 20. j
Invitations are to be sent to;
all second year Latin students'
from their host, Julius Caesar.
Everything wiH- be carried out ac
cording to Roman customs as near
ly as the students are able to do
so. The boys will recline on cots
while the girls sit at tables.
First year Latin students will
act as slaves and entertainers.
The entertainment will consist of
wrestling, sword fights, juggling,
and dancing.
Students heading the various
committees are chairman of the
banquet, George Knight; Carolyn
Gardner and Jimmy Davis, food;
Jimmy Daughtridge and Edith i
Johnson, entertainment; Gordon |
Wilkinson and Billy Colston, cos-!
tumes; Margaret Daughtridge and
Nancy Hollingsworth, decorations;
Patsy McAuley, invitations; Eliza
beth Vann, finance; Anna K. Mc
Donald, publicity, Doug Hunt,
clean-up; and Kay Congleton,
properties.
Have you listened to the latest
radio program sponsored by the
Radio Broadcasters club? The
Teen Age Roundtable discusses
topics of teen-age concern, and
each week students are asked to
take part and discuss the problems
for that week. The program was
first to be broadcasted over
WCEC on Sunday afternoons at
3 o’clock, but later the time was
changed to 3:30.
The first program discussed the
problem, “Should high school boys
and girls go steady?” The panel
was made up of Donald Bryan and
Nancy Adams on the negative
aide with Jim_ Barksdale and Tam
Holliday on the affirmative side.
The problem was hotly discussed.
Some of the questions explained
were: What are the advantages?
Disadvantages? Do teen-agers go
steady as an insurance against
sitting at home? What about the
expense angle?
The second program took up
the question of much local con
cern, “Do you believe that home
work should be done away with
entirely?” This panel consisted of
Mary Ruth Divine and George
Farmer on the affirmative side
with Alice D. Barnes and Jimmy
Womble on the negative side.
Soma of the queslioiii discussed
were with the extra curricular
activities of the high school, do
you fe^l that you do not have the
time for homework? Should
homework be given over the week
end? Do you feel that students
will learn as much if homework is
done away w^th entirely?
With the suggestion by James
Johnson, the Senior Radio Broad
casters club voted ard passed to
undartdkj the jjroject of carry
ing on a radio program over sta
tion WCEC.
After much talk and discus
sion rhe name, “Teen-Age Round
Tanle,” was chosen tt be the
name of the pi'0J7Ji'.ti, which would
fit the type of show. Then M. H.
Pridgen was voted to be the an
nouncer while Sonny Hallford
was elected moderator.
The newly formed Radio Broadcasters Club’s ‘Teen-Age Roundtable’ had the people pictured above as
its first panel of experts. Left to right they are Sonny Hallford, moderator; Nancy Adams; Jim
Barksdale; M. H. Pridgen, announcer; Tam Holliday and Donald Bryan.
—Photo by Albert Rabil, Jr.
Blackbird Gets Rating
At Annual Convention
The Columbia Press Associa
tion announced Friday that The
Plackb rc! had received a second
lating in the 28th annual con
test. This announcement was made
at the association’s annual con
vention held on the Columbia
L'nlver?ity campus.
Newspapers and yearbooks pub
lished by elementary, junior and
senior high school? and junior and
teachers colleges were entered in
the contest.
President Truman addressed
he convention members at the
.uncheon on Saturday noon in the
Ball Room Waldorf Astoria Hote!
Fjve ratings were given: Medal
ist, rhe highest; first place, which
required 850 to 1,000 points; se
cond place, 750 to 849 points-
thud place, 650 to 674 points and
fourth place, below 649 points.