VOLUME XXV
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount Senior High School
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1953
Groups Consider
Landscaping Plans
For Senior High
Landscaping for the senior high
campus has been investigated by
the school board and the P. T. S.
A. At the present the grounds have
the appearance of being bare.
In the future these bare grounds
will disappear and lovely ones vrtll
take their places, since plans are
already underway to change the
looks of them. The above mention
ed organizations have decided to
hire an expert landscaper, who
v.ill draw up the plans for such a
project. Through the years the
process of improving the grounds
will take place. Estimates of the
cost of such a project have been
given but none have been chosen.
One man’s opinion of what the
new school ground looks like was,
‘•Something must be done to hide
all the cars, for right now it looks
like a used-car lot.”
Mr. George Booth, president of
the P. T. S. A., expressed the hope
that various civic clubs or citizens
v/oukl take on the project of
planting certain areas of the
ground.^. If they can’t do this they
■ ’ 'I ■■-I:,- ••u.Oiiiey which
CG 'Id be used for such purposes.
A’so, he stressed the hope that all
students will take pride in their
school and school grounds and
help keep them looking their best.
It is the desire of the authorities
that other cities in the state will
consider this school a model to fol
low.
NEWSEES
NUMBER 3
Thorpe Wins Miss Print Title
Dorothy Warens'cjold, leading
soprano of the San Francisco
Opera Company, was the guest
star of the Community Ccncert
Association on November,!! in the
high school auditorium. The songs
she sang consisted mostly of class
ical selections. Jack Crossan as
sisted her at the piano.
Special assembly cn i'eace was
presented on November 11 by the
United Council of Church Wom
en.
Norman Johnson, son of Dr. and
_Mrs. Norman Johnson, was recent- |
i ly named to the membership of'
Phi Beta Kappa, nation honorary \
scholastic fraternity, at Davidson I
College. Norman was a !949 grad
uate of this high school.
Miss Craighall’s homeroom
was the winner in the recent
magazine campaign. Twenty-six
students in her homeroom re
ceived free tickets to the Ice Ca-
pades. A chartered bus took to
the homeroom to see the show.
Staff Meets Push
With Co-op Effort
That strange uproar that was
heard coming from the Blackbird
office last Thursday was no party.
Far from it!
From second period until five
o’clock that afternoon the staff
was in a constant flurry. Type-
writeis clicked, voices buzzed, girls
rushed back and forth tearing
their hair—“Where.is that parade
article?” Have you finished that
L^enior privilege write-up?” “Hurry
up with those heads!” “Where did
I put that cut?” “Try to get some
more ads, we’re three inches
short!”
What caused this mad scramble?
Just one little phone call! Yes, just
one little phone call from the pub
lisher in 'Spring Hope! The print
shop is goins to close for a holiday
and the editor told the adviser
that all deadlines had to be push
ed up. The Blackbird staff had to
get all copy there Thursday after
noon or else there would be no
papers before Thanksgiving.
With full co-coperation from all
teachers and students, the staff
went directly to work and by five
o’clock had the copy ready to go
“Oil Town, U. S. A.,” starring
Billy Graham, was presented in
the high school auditoi’ium, No
vember 2 and 3. Showings were at
^ .00 i*. J .'.‘j jj. Hi. X —
ture was filmed against the back
ground of the fabulous city of
Houston, Texas.
Jean Thorpe, tlie .'.eiiior who came oat on top in the Miss Print
c^ itest, is shown in t'iie aboi e picture. Jean was one of eleven girls
tvhc iielped to make the contest this year the most successful one ever
held.
Red Cross closed its campaign
on November 3. There were four
homerooms which reached the
100 per cent mark. Total amount
taken in by the Red Cross was
$33.31.
Hi-Noc-Ar staff reports that the
senior class was 100 per cent in
subscribing to the annual. Only
thirty-four students failed to buy
a yearbook out of the more than
600 students enrolled in school.
Homeroom 112, Miss Jessie
Johnson’s class, had Harry Gay
to perform during assembly pro-
£:ram on October 30. Harry Gay,
a Negro pianist popular among
students, played a variety of
songs.
'■-iiiye "’iii Montkay
Beginning Thursday, stores
will be busier and more than
likely traffic will be sprinkled
with students’ faces behind the
wheels of that treasured pos
session, the family car. Pies
and cakes Thursday morning
will have faint traces of finger-
prif.its and, worse still, smudges
in the smooth icing undoubted
ly made to cover up the first
offense.
Why? Because students will
be having- a holiday Thursday
and Friday, Yes, there’s all
this and more!—The gobbler
better be on a sharp lookout
‘cause November 26 is Thanks
giving!
Daughtridge Tops In Contest
Charles Daughtridge, junior, was
named grand champion in the
magazine subscription sales cam
paign held recently at . RMSHS.
His outstanding sales, totaling
$14!, entitled him to the number
one prize, a Philco table model
radio. Charles’ record was chal
lenged by sophomore LulJfe Landen
who sold $!!0 worth.
Mr. Charles Doak, representative
of the Curtiss Publication Com
pany, presented other prizes last
Friday to Glenda Starling, who
sold $8! worth, Charles Daugh
tridge, and Luke Landen,' who were
the high salesmen for the senior,
junior, and sophomore classes re
spectively. They each received a
wrist watch.
Other winners were second
place, Kmily Ryals, senior, with
$67 sales: Judy Brewer, junior,
$!04 sales; and Peggy Robbins,
sophomore, $70 sales. In third
place were Dan Capps, Carolyn
Rabil, and Betsy Hutto. Each sec-
^h^e-
go home. Ansco camera.
AdGpts Child
Class of ‘54 decided to carry on
the project started by last year’s
seniors when it voted to adopt
Jamna Maciejna, a foreign war
■ orphan. The class plans to send
i their “child” a whole year’s care,
I including food, clothing and a
I place to live.
I Jamna Maciejna was previously
i adopted by the class of ‘53 three
j ’.onsecutive years. After graduat-
I ion, the class suggested that the
I rising senior class adopt her and
' carry on the project started when
I this group was sophomores.
‘ Present senior class sent a check
I for $!80 to the Foster parent’s
I Plan For War Children, Inc., in
' New Yofk City last week. They
will in turn notify Jnmna that '.she
has been adopted by the senior
class for another year.
r’ostev Parent’s Plan For ^ar
Children is an organization started
; O'jk in 1937 by Major John Lang-
‘ dnn-Divi", and it has continued
since then. Sole purpose is to give
a ho.'ie, .some food, and some
clothing to those children who
liave lost everything through the
riiv '.'jes of v.'ar.
'Each day of the campaign slips
were drawn from a box which held
every student’s name. These names
were sealed in an envelope marked '• r» j n
“mystery winners.” Prom msKnigfltflSClTlut^reXy
group a grand mystery winner was j
cliosen. Janet Spain was the lucky j Bard members elected officers
person. She received a Bulovajfor the year last week. They are
wrist watch.
I George Knight, president: George
and
Those whose names were among Sti;ickland, vice president;
the mystery winners had to have i Mary Jo Currin, secretary,
sold one subscription to qualify I 'Ihe'.e ma'or officers with the
for the final drawing. Out of thir- I band Hbra'. ian, Ruth Parmer, Jean
teen eligibles only five qualified. I Su?\i' raid Boots Pittman will form
They were Garland Chick, Scot the band council. The council’s
Brantley, Charlotte Jones. Peggy fir.st duty will be to write the band
Manning and Tommy Vaughn, constitution.
These received a ticket to the Ice Already the band has performed
Capades. j in various parades and many foot-
High homerooms were Mr. Pri-' ball games this season. It has
votte’s senior; Miss Craighill’s,, played at the Oxford'Orphanage,
junior; and Miss Bond’s, sopho- Greensboro, Wilmington, Fayette-
more. vllle, Washington, Durham,
Although the $7,000 goal was Greenville.and Raleigh football
not reached, enthusiasm was keen j.rames. It'represented the school
in the campaign. The total sales j at parades in Williamston, Nash-
amounted to $4,385. If this $1320' ville. and several in town. Now it
came from the seniors. $2,034 from ■ is preparing for the Christmas
the juniors, and $1030 from the ! parade?, in Raleigh, November 23,
sophomores. and Tarboro, December 4.
Spain Runs Second
In Successful Race
Miss Jean Thorpe, a senior,
wearing a lovely blue evening dre.;3
was crowned the 1953-54 Miss
Print in a special assembly this
morning.
Against a background of gold
curtains and soft music played by
Carolyn Lowder, Val McMillan, co
editor of The Blackbird, crowned
Jean Thorpe, while Patsy Pearce,
the other co-editor, presented her
a large bouquet of assorted flow
ers. Miss Janet Spain, a senior,
who was runner-up in the conte-rt,
was presented a lov?1y bouquet of
flowers by the ;o-editors.
Davis, Thorpe’s Manager
Miss Jean Thorpe, whose cam
paign manager. Jimmy Davis, re
ceived 23,237 votes. The runner-up,
Mis's Janet Spain, with Freddy
Turnage as her campaign mana
ger, had a total number of 6,994
votes.
The other candidates who ran
for Miss Print, escorted by their
campaign managers, were also in
troduced to the student body. They
were Margaret Daughtridge with
L. M. Parnes, Sue Gregory with
Newsome Maples, Betty Ivey with
Eddie Booth. Patsy MsAuley with
James Chandler, Margaret Parker
with Eddie Pennington, Leah Ijee
with Ward..
Lamm with Billy Proctor, Ann.i
Yelverton with Dave Barnes and
Pat Parrish with Marvin Barnes.
Blackbird Staff Introduced
Before the crowning of Miss
Print, the officers, of The Black
bird staff were presented. They
too, like the 'contestants were at
tired in lovely evening dresses and
suits. After each name and the
position which each held was
called, they walked across the
stage, down the steps and up the
aisle down which Miss Print was
to presently come.
This is the seventh year that
The Blackbird has sponsored the
Miss Print contest. Purpose of this
contest is to raise money for the
school paper. Each penny donated
counts as one vote for the candi-'
date who secured it.
Those who won the Miss Print
contest in the past were Norma
Hunley, 1947-48; Donna Jean
Capps, 1948-49; Nancy Williams.
194P-50; Joyce Proctor Thomas.
1950-51; Norma Jean Pittman.
1951-52; and Lillian Daughtridge.
1952-53.
On behalf of The Blackbird
staff. Carolyn Gardner, business
manager, thanked each girl who
ran, her campaign manager, and
those who contributed to make the
contest a success.
Vann, Glamor Girl
Elizabeth Vann, a senior, was
chosen Glamor Girl of the Month
for October in the contest sponsor
ed by Bugs Barringer. She was
chosen by students who voted on
ballots printed in The Blackbird.
Elizabeth has received proofs
from the pictures Mr. Barringer
took and the one of her choice will
be displayed in the show window
of Barringer’s Studio. After the
display period Elizabeth will be
presented the picture as a gift
from Barringers.
Until after Christmas the con
test will be discontinued and then
the ballots will be put back in the
paper. Students will again have an
opportunity to vote for the Glamor
Girl of the school.