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tfift BjLACKBIRD, ROCKY MOUNT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1953
Water Foyntaing — Gum Depositories?
\
One ambles ovei to a water fountain in Rocky
Mount's bcauciiui new high school building for'a re
freshing di iriiv ol cool water. There staring one in the
face is a nice jU.cy lump of chey/ing gum. Sometimes
two or three s.iuih appetizers dazzle one’s eyes.
Students have been constantly urged not to walk on
the grass, not to display their artistic ability on the
equipment and ihe building, and to strive to keep the
new school one whxh students, faculty, and citizens
of Rocky Mount will be justly proud.
This unexcusable condition is unworthy of Rocky
Mount high school students. After all, we’re supposed
to be adults!
“Oh, Dea/, O^iiy One More Minute ”
“Oh dear, only one more minute—I can’t be late.—
Oops, pardon.—Now, if I can just cut between this
horde of oniushing students, get to my locker and re
trieve my booK from the person who borrowed it this
morning—Oil, I’m sorry—and get to class before the
bell, 111 be domg good—Excuse me—”
Yes, these are tne thoughts of many students, scur
rying to their daily classes. The traffic situation is
congested scmetirnes in the halls. Members of the
traffic committee stand at intervals along the busy
corridors to keep order, but not much co-operation is
shown by the careless students. Many walk down,
through the up-hall traffic; many don’t go around
the boys stationed at the intersections.
This is a big problem and the one solution would be
to direct students from rooms at the end of the halls
to use the outoide walkways, but we don’t want that.
Full co-operaLion from the students would help great-
ly-
MORNIMG
mNKSCflVINfr
Only 68 Hours
There’s more to life, than study
ing!
One has 168 more hours a week
(24 hours per day, 7 days _per
week). Sleep takes 56 hours (7
nights, 8 hrurs a night). This
leaves 112 waking hours.
On an average 2ft hours a week
are required for classes, allowing
24 hours per week for study, in
cluding periods between classes.
Schoolwork should take no more
than 44 to 45 hours of one’s time.
Sixty-eight hours all your own?
UnUdlievable, but true!
If a person is really bright, he
can probably get by with less
stuaying and make average grades
—but if he’s really bright, he won’t
try to.
Sir Carter Hedrick
student Store Needs The Students!
“I wish they would support the store more, even
though their support is better now than it was in the
beginning,” says Carolyn Gardner the Student Store
manager. She made the statement because the Stu
dent Store, the first of its kind for RMSHS, needs the
student body’s all-out support if it is going to be the
success hoped for.
The store had to be started from scratch and it has
only recently snnwn a profit—all of 96 cents worth.
The question no^/ is how to get the students to buy
their school supplies from the store instead of getting
them from uptown stores. It has been suggested that
we have a request ^ox in which to place suggestions
for the kind, of supplies each student wants stocked.
It is up to the students to make the store a success
and any suggestic»is as to how to better serve them
and obtain their support will be appreciated.
theIlackbird
Official Publication of
Rocky Mount Senior High
Member of the
Columbia. Scholastic Press Association
EDITORIAL STAFF
Co-Editors Patsy Pearce, Valentine McMillan
News Editor Mary Lee Foxmtain
Sports Editors Gerry Gardner, Playe Hammond
Feature Editor ' Lucinda Oliver
Exchange Editor Anne Proctor
Literary Editor .. Woodrow West
Columnists Kay Sanders, Julian Aldridge
Staff Artist Sarah Moore
Staff Writers Martha Bradley, Joy Ann Hayes, Carole
? Morgan, Eddie F^lts, Charles Bateman,
Myrna Kay Bell, Jean Stephenson
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager ; Carolyn Gardner
Assistant Business Manager Peggy Searcy
Advertising Manager Ruth Parmer
Assistant Advertising Manager Betty Sue Cash
Circulation Manager George Knight
FACULTY ADVISER Mrs. T. D. Young
Published nine times during the year by the Journalism Class of
Rocky Mount Senior High School.
Subscription Rate $1.00
It WHS in and about the grading
. time
When the good grades were
a-falling,
That Sir Carter Hedrick, in the
senior hirh.
Sat in a clas:; of Mrs. Robbins.
He sent his classmate down the
row
To the desk where she was
sitting.
“O haste and come to my
classmate.
If you are Mrs. Robbins.”
O slowly, slowly rose she up
To the place where he was
cramming,
j^nd when she drew the books by,
‘Young man, I think you’re
failing.”
“O it’s I’m sick, and very, very
sick,
^nd it’s a’ for English Literature
O the better for me if it had never
been,
Though vour heart’s blood
a-spilling.”
“O don’t ye mind, young man,”
said she,
“When ye was In the Club
a-playing,
That you made the records go
round and round,
■4jid slighted Mrs. Robbins?”
He turned his head unto the study
hall,
And failure was with him dealing.
“Farewell, farewell, my dear
friends all,
And be kind to Mrs. Robbins.”
And slowly, slowly rose she up
And slowly, slowly left him,'
And, sighting, said she could not
stay,
—Since bad grades had but failed
him.
She had not gone a yard but two
When she heard the period-bell
ringing.
And every ding that the period-
bell gave.
It cried, “Woe to English
Literature!”
“O mother, mother, make my bed!
O make it soft and narrow!
Since I failed English today.
I’ll fail trig tomorrow.”
By Carter Hedrick
This Is a parody on the bal
lad, Barbara Allan, written for
an English literature project in
Mrs. Robbins’ class.
WHAT’S THIS?
Several girls were seen run
ning down the halls. On an
swering why they were running,
they replied, “We’re running
for Miss Print.”
If you see any Chinese wan
dering around the hals, don’t
be alarmed. They are only the
dramatic students.
School’s Out
!
From day to day throughout the
year.
We have a holiday.
I greet Thanksgiving with a cheer,
We have no school that day!
Of course, I feel that it is nice
Around the house to stay.
But here’s a bit of big advice.
Give thanks the old-fashioned
way.
Walking My Bobby
Apologies to Johnny Ray and
“Walking My Baby Back
Home” also to Alma.
Well, now, gee, but it’s great after
leaving cla^ late,
Walking my B^bby to class; '
Books in arm, fnoving on through
the swarm,
Walking my Bobby to class.
go along greeting friends with
a smile,
Or I’m reciting my French,
As the minutes go by, she gives me
the eye,
V^’alking my Bobby to class.
We stop for a book, and then when
I look, it’s almost time for the
bell.
We start in to part and that’s
when my heart.
Tells me that love is so swell.
After I finally say good-by.
He wants to borrow my pen.
Tlae moments pass, I remain
the last.
Walking my Bobby to class.
By Lucinda Oliver
‘til
Be Thankful People
“Corre, Ye Thankful People,
Come”.
Why give thanks, asks the cynic.
He says that today we have noth
ing to be thankful for! Many of
our boys are in war-torn areas:
many homes are broken; in a
I great many instances our lives are
uneasy. The cynical person is go
ing around with his eyes closed;
he doesn’t realize how much he
'hould be thankful for.
We thank God that we are liv
ing in a land of plenty, that we In
America, have all the necessities
and many, many luxuries of life.
We give thanks that our land is
not being torn by war, that while
our friends are going to battle, our
home.s are safe. Above all,/we give
thanks for our very existence.
We thank God’ for the freedom
we enjoy and live by. For them,
other countries are still struggling.
For them, we should be truly
thankful.
“Come, Ye Thankful People.
Happy Birthday To You!
November is the month of birth
days. Along with Election Day,
Armistice Day, and Thanksgiving
Day, many of the seniors .will be
celebrating their birthday ^or the
last time in RMSHS.
To begin the month Peggy Pri-
vette had tier birthday on the first
day. Wayne Griffin is next On the
list with the second as his birth
day .Edith Gardner has been in
this world for eighteen long but
happy years as of November 7.
Close behind hei" is Rudolph
Brantley, who was bom on No
vember 10. The next day Delmore
Joyner came along. Wiley Fisher
was brought to his parents the fol
lowing morning. Gordon Wilkinson
finally reached her eighteenth
birthday on November 18. So did
Barbara .\vent. Betty Ivey cele
brates November 20.
November 23 is the day for Jim
my Selby and John Coats while
]the 24th. is Patsy Pearce’s. Joan
Wynne has her day with the tur
key on Thanksgiving Day. This
year, hers is a holiday for every
body! Last but not least, the stork
brought Bart Ritner on November
27.
You’d be surprised at how many
teachers have November birthdays.
Of course, the ages can’t be re
vealed: you make your own con
clusions. Miss Murchison has al
ready had her party. The Hi-Noc-
Ar staff really surprised her.
Mr. Privott’s was on Friday the
13th., but he never said a word to
his homeroom about it!
]>Iiss Johnson’s is next. Hers is
just a little before turkey day on
November 22. Now, Mrs. VanBus-
hitk came along November 30.
That’s all, but for these Happy
birthday! and as Big John and
Sparky say, “May all your good
dreams come true.”