Published by Jouraalism Class of Rocky Moiwit Senior High School
VOLUME XXV
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27. 1953
NUMBER •>
National Honor Society initiates Eleven Seniors
Short Of Goal
With a grand total of *^4,170.05,
RMSHS closed its school-wide
magazine campaign yesterday
morning. Though the sales fell
far short of the $7,000 goal, most
of the homerooms did fairly well
and several went over the amount
.set for them.
I Due to the new jimior-senior
high school set up all three classes
competed in the campaign. This
is the first year that any classes
otlier than the freshman and jun
ior have taken part. Individual
totals are sophomore $886.20;
junior, $1992.50; senior, $1291.35.
New Prizes Offered
Instead of all individual prizes,
a new sceme was worked out this
year. The homeroom with the
highest average sales per person
will go in a group to the ICe Ca-
pades in Raleigh. The boy and girl
in the entire school with the high
est totals will each receive $50 in
clothing from the Hub in Golds
boro. Other prizes include tickets
to the Ice Capades, watches, and
camera outfits. At this writing,
the winners have not been ascer
tained.
Miss Kitchin was the overall ad
viser for tlie magazine campaign;
she was aided by representatives
trom each class. Cliairmen for the
three classes are senior, Janet
Spain; and Jimmy Daughtrldge;
junior, Audrey Kennedy and
Marty Purvis; sophomore, Joyce
Harris and ay Joyner. Each home
room had a captain who kept a
record of individual sales and
turned in subscriptions and money
each morning. Mr. Doak, the
Curtis representative, has prom
ised a supper to these hard work
ers.
Campaign Short Of Gobi
Monday, October 12, the door-
to-door scramble for subscriptions
began, and it ended yesterday with
the final figures showing the
school almost $3,000 short of the
original $7000.
Profits from this project fur
nish most of the income for the
classes. The seniors will use theirs
to finance the traditional gift to
the school. Junior funds Will be
u.sed in presenting the Junior-
Senior Prom in honor of the sen
ior class. Sophomores will ^spend
uRrt of their money on the Sopho
more Hop.
m:
A
Members of the NHS shown as they begun the tapping ceremony are, left to right, Elise Williams,
Sue Gregory, Gordon Wilkinson, Anme Proctor, Janet Spain, Elizabeth Vann, Jimmy Davis, John Marriott,
Margaret Daughtrldge and George Knight. •. » .
Photo by Barringer
Staff Plans Contest
What girl will be crowned Miss
Print of 1953-1954? Just to make j
it more interesting, plans for' the
coronation of Miss Print and as
sembly honoring her will be kept
secret until the big day is here.
Some lucky girl will be honored.
Ballots are to be sent to each
homeroom on November 2. Each
person is to vote for eight girls,
two of whom are to be from his
own homeroom. If a ballot is
brought in without the two girls
from that home room, the nomi
nation will not be counted. The
twenty girls receiving the highest
number of votes will be voted on
again for the top eight.
The actual contest starts No
vember 4 and will run for two
weeks. Miss Print is to be crowned
Wednesday, November 25 in a spe
cial assembly program.
Miss Print contests have been
sponsored by The Blackbird for
the past seven years to raise
money to help finance the school
paper.
Get ready for Miss Print of
1953-1954!
Edsonians Cast First Play
Announcement of the cast of
"Lost Horizon”, the Edsonian’s
first production climaxed a week
of try-outs. Since the announce
ment two weeks ago the cast, with
its director Mi.ss “Winkle” Harris,
has been working hard on lines for
the presentation, December 11.
Tliose selected for the play are
Newsome Maples as Conway; Pat
sy McAuley, Helen: Ken Brinson,
MnPinson; Eddie Booth, the High
r •i.mi: Robert Daughtridge,
Christine ^ufman. Miss
Brinklow: Bill House, Barnard;
"’an'* • l,epHsinp. LoT-jen; Rose
Booth. Tashi; Kay Sanders, Ai-
Tiing, Jimmy Lanc3>=tpr. Ruther
ford: James ChandVr Wyland;
Gordon Wilkinson. Mvra; Edith
Ann Johnson, Elizabeth.
“Lost Horizon.” dramatized by
Anne Coulter Martens and Chris-
novel by the same name, is set in
Shangri-La. This production is
different from the presentations
of the past years. The setting is
Tibet, and many Oriental cos
tumes will be u.'ed. A professional
scenery designpv is to design th^
set which will bo a room in a Tl-
f'etan lamasery.
Newly elected officers of the Ed
sonians are Eddie Pennington,
president; James Chandler, vicer
pre.sident: Mary Jo Mears, secre
tary: and Jimm ,’ I^ancaster, treas-
Mrer.
The Edsonians organisation pro
duces two major p’avs during the
f^chool year, one in the fall and an
other early in the spring. It spon
sors one-act plays in the Carolina
Dramatic Festival in Chapel Hill.
En”ollment in the dramatic’s
NEWSEES
Neil Williams, class of ‘52, has
been ejected president of the Men’s
Chora) Group and president of the
Orchestra at East Carolina college.
In high school Neil served as solo
clarinet and captain of the band.
NCSCC held in Albermarle, N.
C. adjourned today. Those repre
senting RMSH school were Theo
Pitt, senior; Joyce Harris, sopho
more; and Miss Kate Parks
’■■Citchen, S. O. adviser.
New officers will have been
ejected by the time this “hits the
street.” The retiring officers are:
Bill Mewborne of Roxboro, presi
dent: Fred Ginn of Goldsboro,
vice-president: Sandra Bowman of
Reid.sville, secretary; Richard Jor-
■^nn of Albermarle, treasurer.
Tommy Bass, graduate of the
cla,':s of “51, has been elected Drum
Ma.ior of the Dnim and Bugle
Corps of .='t'ite College, ^^e is Mas-
’•or Sergeant in the ROTC group
also.
Billy Cooper, student at Union
College, is doing nicely after hav
ing received a shoulder injury in
a football game.
Peveral members of tlie Future
Teachers Organize tinn went to
Greenville Friday for the District
Teachers meeting, Tb’s meeting
was held on the campus of East
Carolina College.
ivJLfVi CIAAU AO \/i ' lliCil t 5 Z1 I 2 'fZ Ui CLLHa LiL' O
topher Sergei from James Hilton’s ' class this year is the largest ever.
Valentine McR'^tii'"' Barbara
®mith, Peggy Jones Connie Tay
lor, Shirley Burdette. ClTistine
Hufman, Pat Aley^n'ler. Norma
■Bulluck, Betty B”ifTm''nfi Peggv
Searcy, D'.ck Nf"-rnpnt George
■=!trif>kland. Harr” Grav, Bobby
Patterson, Larry G”nton nnd Ijin-
wood Pittman ptt°ndpH ^ rhol-r
rlinic with Mr. Parrv October 22
nnd at E. C r while there
they sang with I’if' o*->'f'r s+'ii^mts
in a combined ch^'i’’ for ^s-
trict Teachers The nro-
gram contained rei'gious and
secular music.
55{{ Animals Sold
I
After a two week subscription
campaign the Hi-Noc-Ar staff re
ceived approximately 558 sub-
sc’.ii.'tion.'s. Thi.'i nu.mber represents
about 90 percent of the student
body. Although the official cam
paign is over Miss Murchison, ad
viser, says they will still try to get
100 per cent subscriptions.
The Hi-Noc-Ar will be sent to
the Universal Supply and Equip
ment Company of Fort Worth
Texas as soon as the dummy is
finished.
Individual pictures were taken
by Barringer’s Studio. Bobby
Fleming, a member of the staff,
has taken many pictures of school
activities that will be seen in the
Hi-Noc-Ar of 1953-54.
Bobby Deans is editor; Theo
^tt, bu.'iness manager; Robert
Daughtridge, advertising manager;
and Gordon Wilkinson, circulation
manager. There are seven other
seniors and four junior members
on the staff.
Five senior homerooms, those
ma Murchison. Miss Harris, Miss
and Miss Cuthrell sub
scribed leo percent.
Rev. Herbert Speaks
Stresses Faith,
Character
‘ And do we honor those stu
dents, who, in ciie opinion of their
teachers and classmates, are build
ing into their school life this four
fold foundation..Character, Schol
arship, Leadership, and Service,”
said George Knight, president of
the Romonoca chapter of the Na
tional Honor Society, in his open
ing remarks at the annual fall
■■ .service.
Eleven senioi’s were picked in
this impre.ssive ceremony. They
are P’rances Jean Thorpe, Kay
Congleton, Emily Ryals, Ruth
Sides,. Pat Pittman, Patsy Pearce,
Lloyd Hedgpeth, Billy Colston,
Jimmy Selb.v, Jimmy Daughtridge
and Stan Still.
Rev. J. F. Herbert, Speaker
Following the pledge of mem
bership the students were privi
leged to hear Reverend J. F. Her
bert superintendent of the Rocky
Mount Methodist Churches. In his
address he stressed the need for
unquestionable character and un
faltering faith.
Elizabeth Vann, representins:
character; Jimmy Davis, scholar-'
ship; John Marriott, leadership;
and Margaret Daughtridge, serv
ice, explained the four basic qual
ities needed for membership in the
organization. Sue Gregory and
Elise Williams presented the de
votional services prior to the tap
ping. Background music, “Clair
de Lune” was provided by Carolyn
Lowder.
Fifteoi Per Cent Chosen
Students tapped into the nation
al organization were chosen by
members of the society and the
faculty. Student'votes determined
one third of the necessary average,
teachers votings one third and the
individual scholastic averages one
third. The top fifteen per cent
was then selected.
Next spring the juniors will be
given their first chance and sen
iors will be given their last.
Officers of the Society are
George Knight, president; Elise
Williams, vice-president: Gordon
Wilkinson, secretary; and John
Marriott, treasurer. Miss Wita
Bond is advl.ser to the organiza
tion.
Other members who were tapped
vpar are Janet Spain, Anne
Proctor, Sue Gregory, Elizabeth
Vann, Margaret Daughtridge. and
Jimmv Davis.
Sr. High Has Formal Opening
Open house last Wednesday
night reallv proved to be a gala
occasion as it was on this night
that the first PTSA meeting of
the year was held in the new sen
ior high school. This was also
homecoming night for former stu
dents. Parents and friends were
invited.
Former students met with their
classmates in designated class-
'•ooms from 7:30 to 8:00. Many
were delighted to get together and
relive many school day memories.
A special program began in the
auditorium at 8:00, featuring the
RMSHS band, the RMSHS glee
club and several local men and
women who came back with many
interesting details on high school
life many years ago.
The school board was also pres
ent for the homecoming and they
were introduced by Mr. George H.
Booth, president of the PTSA. Mr.
Booth acted as master of cere
monies for the event. He urged all
parents to Join the PTSA so they
would receive all of its many beni;-
fils.
Upon leaving the auditorium all
visitors toured the building and
met the teachers.