Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount High School
VOLUME XXI V
ROI.KY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY. MARCH 24, 1953
NUMBER 7
Photo by Barringer
RM Student Wins
Oratorical Contest
“Will each of you join me in an
imaginery situation for a while?
For the sake of illustration, try
to picture the city of Washing
ton the day after an atomic
bombing ’’begins la Verne
Fleming’s winning essay in the
American Legion’s national high
school oratorical contest held at
Liberty, March 13.
This state championship brought
La Verne along with honor for
herself and her school, a $500
scholarship. She previously won
the county, district, and division
al contests which makes her eli
gible for the regional contest. If
successful among entrants from
several states, La Verne will be
eligible to go to the national con
test.
Xhiid Victory For RIMLHS
La Verne’s feat marked the
third year in a row that a Rocky
Mount girl has been victorious in
the state event. Kay Pinch broke
a record by winning the two pre
vious years in succession.
Mrs. Mildred Kramer, drama
tics and speech teacher, coached
both the girls and assisted them
In their composition and delivery
of essays.
The n^ state champion is a
transfer student from Enfield
where her family formerly lived.
She has been unusally active in
school, church, and civic affairs,
having served as president of the
Tri-Hy-Y and now of the Y-teen
Club. She also represented RMHS
at Girl’s State this past summer.
Other activities have included
outstanding work in music
dramatics, and speech.
Contestants Chosen
For Jr-Sr Honors;
Judge Unannounced
“The time has come,” the Wal
rus said, “to speak of many
things.” Yes, the time has come
and there are many things to
talk about. One of the biggest is
the Junior-Senior dance. Of
course the highlight of the pro
gram is the crowning of the
queen and the selection of her
court.
Contestants for the honors
have already been chosen. The
queen must come from the senior
class but the rest of the court
may be from either junior or
senior. The judge has not been
announced.
Here are the lucky girls. Sen
iors are Sally Adams, Sylvia
Crocker, Mary Ruth Divine,
Janet Fulcher, Barbara Putch,
Elva Griffin, Joyce Thomas, and
Marie Tyler. Juniors are Sally
Ann Bartholomew, Mary Jo Mears,
Patsy McAuley, Ruth Sides, Penn
Strandberg, Elizabeth Thompson,
Elizabeth Vann, and Gordon
Wilkinson.
Gregory Elected
Sue Gregory was elected vice
president of the North Carolina
National Honor Society at the
NHS convention last weekend in
Winston-Salem.
Sue, was among the three offi
cial delegates that attended from
Rocky Mount. The other official
delegates were John Marriott and
Sonny Hallford. Mary Wilkinson,
Beryl Peters attended as non-offi
cial delegates along with the
chapter adviser, Miss Wita Bond.
Mary did an excellent job of
leading a discussion group en
titled “Our Responsibilities to
God.” Another honor came to the
locals when their scrapbook won
second place only to Reynolds
high in Winston-i^lem.
Plans are being made to hold
the next NHS convention in the
new high school in Rocky Mount
next year.
Career Day Presented
Under the joint sponsorship of
the Student organization of Rocky
Mount high school and the Rocky
Mount Junior Chamber of Com
merce, the fourth annual Career
Edy was held in RMHS, March 16.
Wilh the purpose of aiding stu
dents in Lelectin? occupations in
preparation for the future, the
Career Day program was divided
into three periods, an opening ses
sion, discussion periods, and a
final gensral session. With the ex
ception of freshmen, who attend
ed the opening session only, the
whole school participated in the
events of the day.
Dr. Edward Adams, senior
counselor of the Bureau of Guid
ance and Testing at Duke Uni
versity, was the key speaker of
the da’’. He spoke on “Your
Major Career, To Kno-» Yourself.”
Under this topic he discussed
three freedoms—“Freedom to be
yourself. Freedom to explore your
environment and test your capa
cities in relationship to that en
vironment, and Freedom to make
your own decisions and to abide
by the consequences.”
During the discussion period
forty-two groups met in different
classrooms to discuss individual
occupations in full. The largest of
these groups concerned commer
cial work. This was divided into
three sub-groups. Other interest
ing groups were engineering, ■
medicine, nursing, music, home-
making, and radio.
In the final session a panel dis
cussion was held on the topic
“The World of Work in Review.”
Mr. W. L. Thorp, Jr., Mr. John
Smith, and Mr. John Scott spoke
on different professional field.*;.
Mr. Neal A. Adkins was the mod
erator and Dr. Adams was th;
consultant.
NEWSEES
Journalists Receive Qiie Rating
After Attending CSl^A:Convention
“All together one” is the motto
of the 1953 graduating class
Green and white are the selected
colors, and the white carnation is
the choice of flowers. These were
announced by Donald Bryan,
chairman of the committee at
the senior class meeting held
March 12.
Maay students in the past
months ha\e had the honor of
appearing on Margy Staton’s
program. Billy Knowles. La
Verne Fleming, Carolyn Gard
ner Janet Fulcher, and George
Knight are among these who
have been so honored.
Editor Deans Now
Bobby Deans was recently elect
ed on the Hi-Noc-Ar Staff to edit
next year’s annual. Other senior
members of the staff are to be
elected soon.
Congratulations are in order
for Bobby, who has worked as a
junior member this year and
promises to make a number one
editor. Bobby is also an outstand
ing sports figure on th(? campus.
Band students are in the pro
cess of giving their spring con
certs. Already they have played at
Red Oak and Edgemont school.
The high school Y-Teen club
presented a skit at West Edge
combe school, March 20. Groups
sponsored by different clubs
and organizations gave skits.
The Y-Teens presented “Bungl
ing Burgulars.”
Minnie Branch is the newest
addition to Rocky Mount high
school. This black haired sopho
more has been assigned to Miss
Craighill’s homeroom 18. The
First Baptist students will recog
nize her as the daughter of their
new pastor.
Local Boy Receives
A ngier Duke A ward
Billy Knowles, a senior who
came to Rocky Mount high school
at the beginning of this year,
brought an honor to RMHS and
to himself when he came away
with the Angier B. Duke scholar
ship given in the eastern distri.t.
News of his success came sud
denly in a special delivery letter
lavst Wednesday morning. Bill
said, “Boy, was I suprised. Could
n’t believe my eyes at first.”
Worth $3,000 the scholarship
will pay most of his expense
through the four year period.
Such a scholarship was no easy
job to win. It took two elimina
tion exams and three interviews
before Bill was chosen top man.
Billy, who was recently tapped;
into the National Honor Society,
is planning to study electrical
engineering.
Fay Batts, a local talented
Freshman, represented the Nash
County 4-H club in speaking
before the Kiwanis Club last
Thursday. As president of the
Niash Senior 4-H group she told
or some accomplishments which
gave them first place over the
Edgecombe 4-H club.
For the first spring concert, the
RMHS choir presented a program
of varying kinds of music before
the Lion’s Club, March 12, Under
the direction of Mr. H. T. Parry
they sang “All the Things You
Are,” “Country Style," “Alleluia”
and others.
1
I'noto by Barringer
. :“No.'I’m ttot kidding! We really
•did!.”, was, the exclamation heard
in the LovVe'Library of Columbia
University'when members of The
Blackbird staff learned that the
paper hadv^yeceived first rating
among th^,.]3ation’s printed high
school newspapers.
Whei),.. seven Blackbird staff
members and eleven Hi-Noc-Ar
members'- and their advisers set
out for N6v# York City to attend
the Colujiibia Scholastic Press
Conyejjitioi^^ they hoped to win
such , a, rating. Still, when they
learned of their good fortune, they
could Hiirfily believe it.
Kivr' Classification
The classification in which
Rocky Mount competed was for
printed -newspapers in Senior high
schools with 751 to 1000 students.
Papers aye judged on the basis
qf several .important characteris
tics.. Among them are the content
of the paper, writing and editing,
makeup-of' layout, advertising and
general considerations, which take
in the character and personality
of the paper as a whole. So many
pointd &r'e-t;it:ditet! uO cacji ulvi-
sion, To. receive a one rating a
patfer get betwten 850 and
lOOO ptiJiltS- credit.
^)itlier First Ratings
■ iy *1^49 and in 1950 The Black-
bint:. licj^ied first ratings. The
following, ^year found the paper
with'a'high second place rating,
having redeived 815 points out of
the 850.,needed for a one placing.
Official- score books of this
year’s judging have not yet been
mined’ €iit to the adviser. The
score >vlll show how much The
Blackbird won on content of the
patier. wWting and editing, make
up,.;, and advertising and general
considerations.
“Medalist” rating is awarded
publications especially selected
from the first-place group for
outstanding qualities; howe.er, it
is accorded to not more than ten
pfer crat of all the entries in the
class. 9Qp,cerned. Members of The
Blackbird- staff returned from
th'ei/H*ii5 with determination “to
get .^..j^^^alist rating next year.”
— ■
Grads, Seniors Receive Monors
Honors have been piling in on
both seniors and grads of Rocky
Mount high school during the
past month. Both s' holarships
and high office positions have
been won by many.
Billy Knowles came away with
the eastern district Angier B.
Duke $3000 prize taking the big
gest award honor so far this year
by a local student.
Mary Wilkinson and Edward
Hallford were chosen as candi
dates for the scholarship given
by the Benevolent and Protective
Order of the Elks. They will also
enter national contests. Former
grad Phyllis Leggett was elected
president of the student body at
Flora McDonald. Bobby Gorham,''Legiori’ctintest this year. She is
another RM graduate, is running ''now a-contestant for the nation-
for prefident of the student body. al. ‘cnljitest. Five-hundred dollars
at the University of North Caro-, ‘arid' 3 cup was the reward from
hna. „ , the state.
Rocky Mount has produced
some outstanding speakers. In the
last three years a RMHS student
has walked away with the top
honors in the state American-
Legion oratorical contest. .Kay
Finch, v,'h'> gra.iiuftei last year,
won last j ear and the year before.
Recently Kay won a “‘Freedpin.
Award” in a national oratorical
contest.
La Verne Flemming was the
state winner of the American
Wilson Pitt was selected by the
RMHS school faculty to repre
sent ■ the school in taking the
Herbert Worth Jackson Memorial
.^chplar^ip of Carolina. This pro
vides a^$3,000 scholarsip.
. Six seniors were selected from
the National Honor Society to
take the NHS scholarship exami
nation. They were Wilson Pitt,
GeoVge Patseavouras, Billy
KnoWl^, Edward Hallford. Mary
.Wilkixtson, an dDonald Edwards.