HAPPY
rHANKSGIVING
THE BLACKBIRD
SUPPORT
MISS PRINT
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky MouJit Senior High_Scho^l_
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1954
VOLUME XXVI
NUMBER 3
SO Committees
Do Many Jobs
To make students more aware
of the Student Organization as a
service group, a summary of com
mittee projects, wliich already
may have been publicized as they
were completed, will give an ink
ling of the many hours spent in
student service projects.
Those students who have not
yet registered to vote in class and
school elections will be given the
opportunity to do so, November
2D through December 3. All stu
dents, new and old, who have
never registered must do so to be
eligible to vote.
The Elections committee has
been hard at work making the
registration cards for this occa
sion. Much time is given by Cacky
Atkins and her committee. In
preparation for this event.
Members of the Social commit
tee, with Jean Stephenson as
/•hairman, have spent countless
hours showing guests and new
students around the school, select
ing sponsors for the footbal
games, and operating the conces
sion stand at tne gaiaes.
group is now making plans for
the annual Christmas dance.
SEE ORGANIZATION—PAGE 6
Let Us Be Truly Thankful’|
IByi an act of Congress, the last Thursday,in
November each year has been set aside as
(Thanksgiving Day. It is intenaed that on this
one day of all the year that we, the American
people shall pause in our busy lines and render
I thanks unto God for the blessings we enjoy as a
free and Democratic people.
I Our public high schools are a very important
part of the American way of life. Are we truly
I thankful for them and the opportunity to learn?
The freedom to seek knowledge and to learn is
a heritage that we must always cherish. In our
■ present day world we are apt to take our bless
ings for granted. We have far more to be thank
ful for today than did the Pilgrims of 300 years
I ago—and yet are geniunely sincere in expressing
1 I our gratitude to God for all that He has given
us?
True that there will be no classes on Thurs- I
day and Friday of this week—but are these I
shouts of joy that we hear at this pronounce- i
ment from those who welcome the two days as I
an opportunity to express grateful hearts to God
or are these shouts of joy from those who are I
thinking only of personal pleasures to be de- |
rived during the holidays?
We could spend hours and hours thinking of I
the many things for which we have to be grate- |
ful — our churches homes, and schools, which
make up our great democratic ideas, such as 1
freedom of worship, of speech, of assembly, and I
of petition. Indeed, we are a blessed people. .
Let us, this Thanksgiving humbly bow in I
prayer and give thanks to God for the blessings ■
he has bestowed upon us and honestly in our
hearts, be truly grateful.
I I By C. M. Edson, principal |
1 __ ... _ _ „
Miss Print Candidates Named
Jr. Red Cross
Ends Campaign
With a total collection of $28.48,
the Junior Red Cross Membership
campaign closed with only four
homerooms 100 per cent.
Members of the Junior Red
Cross got right to work this year.
Mrs. Mae Bell, over-all chairman,
talked to the club and gave them
ideas about projects that could be
imdertaken. After looking through
a Greek exchange album contain
ing pictui’es of different types of
cloth and agi'icultural products,
the club selected the task of mak
ing an album about Rocky Mount
to send overseas.
So the work could get underway
Immediately, different people were
assigned things to bring in. Most
of these articles, had to be self-
explanatory, since the album
might go to a country where Eng
lish is not read or spoken.
Junior Red Cross requires out
side work as well as work during
the club hour. When the local
Senior Red Cross chapter had its
annual meeting. Junior members
served as hosts and hostesses for
the visitors. The school cafeteria
was the site of the banquet so
members were posted at import
ant places to show the guests
around.
Harriet Hagen, president of the
Junior Red Cross, says that the
club is doing fine and is expected
to be the best and hardest work
ing group in quite a while.
“Who do you think “Miss Print”
will be?” is what many people are
asking each other, but they- must
wait for “Miss Print” to be an
nounced at the traditional crown
ing.
Candidates for “Miss Print” are
sophomores Ellen Joyner with
Sonny Cherry as her campaign
Difei Betty 'Snvq.ge with
Bobby Savage, Eleanor Bulluck
with Boogie Divine, Lee Newby
with Prank Wilkinson, Debbie
Wall with Bradley Doxier, and
Kitty Thurman with Charles San
ders. Juniors running are Tonya
Pennington with Johnny Ham
mond as her manager. Fay Batts
with Ray Joyner, Margaret Stone
with Addison Wimbly, Kay Knight
with Bill Nelms, Fay Mears with
Ray Edwards, and Ginger Rooney
with A1 Cole. Erwin Robbins with
Ronny Felton as her manager
and Lee Ann Brown with Fred
Harris is her campaign are the
seniors competing.
Each candidate is allowed seven
containers distributed. It was
vo'i-cd axnuui; tlw lo
make $2.00 the maximum amount
to be donated by the parents.
The campaign officially start
ed yesterday and will end Decem
ber 6.
The Blackbird sponsors the
“Miss Print" contest to make
money to aid in the publishing of
the paer.
Drama Date Set
If work continues as planned,
the Edsonians will have their first
play ready for production on De
cember 10.
The “Blithe Spirit” casi and
production crew have been hard
at work and there’s a strong feel
ing among them that this may be
one of the best plays ever produc
ed here.
There are many intricate details
to every of tbs stave sbl. and
the property committee has been
sifting through every poosibility in
order that everything will be let
ter perfect. Aside from making
curtains and covering a sofa, all
members of the organization have
been busy painting flats, building
steps, tables, windows and the
like.
New Gymnasium
By BB Season
Completion of the new gymna
sium by the beginning of the bas
ketball season is now the object
of the contractor.
Many are the advantages of the
new gym. Instead of having to
travel to the old building each
day for practice, the members ol
the varsity and B-squad basket
ball teams may then go right into
the practice session without hav
ing to wait for someone who could
not get a ride.
From the looks of the many
colored flannels worn during the
gym periods each day. the boys
would like to start the basketball
season as soon as possible so that
they may avoid any further
“humiliation.” The girls that take
gym would also like to get in a
heated building instead of play
ing badminton in shorts in 32 de
gree weather.
There have beon several freak
accidents or tragedies during the
building of the j?ym. In the early
part of the summer, the west wall
collapsed during a scorm. Last
semester, a workman was killed.
If this had to happen, a
good thing that it occurred while
the students were in classes. Some
of them might have been hurt
otherwise.
This new gym will have modern
equipment and a much greater
seating capacity than the old one.
United Fund
Goal 113,146
Because of comlaints from peo
ple about the many campaigns
for money, the United Fund,
which is supported by one annual
drive, has been organized.
There are nineteen organiza
tions supported by the United
Fund, among the number are Boy
Scouts, Girl Scouts, Rural Youth
Day Program, and the Salvation
Army. This year the goal is 113,-
146 dollars: and if the system of
“one-gift” contribution is to be
maintained, the contributions
must be greater than they have
in the past. Local senior high stu
dents have already contributed
386 dollars to this cause.
The United Fund campaign is
conducted in Rocky Mount by two
non-professional fund raisers and
year-round residents who are vol
unteer solicitors.
This organization works on the
assumption that “an ounce of pre
vention is worth a pound of cure”
by helping to prevent delinquency,
disease, crime, and broken homes
through services to youth, adults,
the sick and afflicted.
School Gets Station
“Rocky Mount Senior High is
getting a radio station to be run
enth-ely by the students,” says
Ronnie Felton, member of the
Radio Broadcasters Club and
MC of his own radio show. In The
Mood.
The station is going to be in
stalled sometimes after Christmas
by Ray Wilkinson and will trans
mit directly from high school.
Broadcasting equipment will prob
ably be located in the General
Purpose room or in the auditor
ium.
Programs will be broadcast
everyday and they will feature
high school activities and other
things of interest to high school
students. There will be student
announcers, technicians and en
gineers trained especially for work
in the station. Local business
firms will have the opportunity
to advertise over the student sta
tion also.
Bnrnette Wins Essay Contest
Winner of the “Voice of Demo
cracy” contest was Shirley Bur
nette with Katherine Batten and
Nancy Newbold as runners-up.
RMSHS had 46 students tak
ing part. The eight finalists were
Shirley Burnette, Nancy Newbold
Sheila Culpepper, Kitty Thurman,
Jean Taylor, Audrey Kennedy,
Kathrine Batten, and Julian Al
dridge. These students come from
the 10th. 11th. and 12th grades.
The five judges based their deci
sion on ftext, presentation and
originality. Each talk had to be
in the five-minute region.
In this area the project is spon
sored by the Junior Chamber of
Commerce. It was originated in
1947 and since then all 48 states
plus students from Alaska, Dis
trict of Columbia, Hawaii, and
Puerto Rico have participated.
The school winner will receive
a certificate of merit, the com
munity winner is awarded a cer
tificate which will be presented
at the regular Junior Chamber of
Commerce meeting as well as a
silver tray. The school providing
the community winner is given
the Jaycee cup.
This year the Belk-Tyler com
pany is furnishing a steak dinner
to the finalists in the school with
the larges) number of partici
pants.
Mr. C. C. Cleetwood, local social
studies teacher, has acted as
chairman of the program from
this school.
Last year the state winner. Rose
Booth, was a local student and
won many valuable prizes.
Holidays Here
Thanksgiving has come at
last and school will close to
morrow afternoon at 3:24 and
will resume Monday morning
at 8:45.
This will be the first regu
larly scheduled holiday since
school began In September,
even though there was a holi
day for the teachers meeting in
Greenville.
THE BLACKBIRD staff sin
cerely hopes that everyone will
enjoy the Thanksgiving holi
days and that each one will
have a full realization of all
the things that Thanksgiving
really means in addition to his
share of a loaded table, maybe
at Grandma’s.