THE BLACKBIRD
Published by Journalism Class of Rocky Mount Senior High School
VOLUME XXVII
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1956
NUMBER 7
Banquet Too!
Juniors Plan Annual Prom
Practice Teachers ^ ^ Project;
In English Dept.
To Study Here
Playing Disks, Selling Flowers
Junior-Senior — these magical
words have been on the lips of
every junior and senior since the
juniors began making plans for
the anual banquet and dance set
for Friday, April 27.
Some Junior-Senior plans have
been disclosed, but as usual, the
theme is being kept a closely
guarded secret. Anticipated high
spots in the program include
music by the Collegians, E C C
dance band, and the annual an
nouncement and the coration of
the beauty queen.
Whether the dance will be
opened or closed has been a sub
ject of much debate. Previously,
policy has been that the Junior-
Senior be closed to all execpt
junior, seniors, and persons
whose marriage or engagement to
a junior or senior has been prob-
Practice teachers Ann Daugh
try and Mary Cooke, students at
licly announced. The faculty this University will study and
year has again supported this
policy
..... .
Mrs. Gladys Robbin.s and Miss
11- j I, ■ ~ „ Alma Murchison from April 4 to
Faculty advisers and chau-msn , ^
for Junior-Senior committees are
invitations— Mr. C. C. Cleet-
wood and student co-chainnan,
Linda Bullock and Marilyn Rich-
tlie last part of May.
Miss Ann Daughtry of Clinton
will parcttice teach under Miss
Murchison in classroom work as
City Loses College
“We interrupt this program
to bring you this special news
bulletin . . .” was the an
nouncement that informed
R«cky Mlount citizens that the
four year Consolidated Presby
terian College would be locat
ed in Laurinburg, N. C.
Radio station WEED pres-
sented this message to the 15t^
people about 8:25 1>!
March 6. Pi’evious to the broad
cast several low moaning whist
les were heard at approximate
ly eight o’clock, which by the
Evening Telegram were “the
death-rattle,” to infonn the
city of its loss.
Rocky Mount is now trying
to get the Methodist college
presently located at Louisburg.
ardson; program — Miss Alma extra-curricular activities.
Murchison and student co-chair- ^^iss Murk teaches three classes
men, Betty Ann Whitehurst and English twelve and one of
Robert Wynne; music — Mrs. Earl English ten. She also has one
Privott and student chairman, period to work on the Hi-Noc-Ar.
Larry Warner; food — Mrs. Ora Miss Mary Cooke of Franklin
Van Buskirk and student chair- be supervised by Mrs. Rob-
man, Sylvia Updegraff; decora- biris, who teaches two periods each
tions — Miss Prances Sharpe and senior and sophomore English.
Mrs. Jay Massey and student co- M!rs. Robbins also has one period
chairman, Ellen Joyner and Jackie of testing.
Skinner; clean-up — Mrs. Jac- Both students will observe and
queline Hathcock and student co- later teach a class. Before return-
chairmen, Billy Sessoms and War- ing to Duke, each one will teach
ren Pridgen. a full day.
‘Criticism Important’, Says Black
‘More So Than Rating!’
Reid McAuly is busy working-
on the invitations for the Spring
Dance. Look as though he has
a job! Photo by Barringer
Planning a chapel program, sel
ling Easter flowers, putting up
.^rpontsmanship posters In the halls
and playing rscords in the cafe
teria during the lunch periods
are a few of the projects keeping
.the Good Sports Club busy these
days.
Preparations for a chapel pro
gram are already underway but
a definite date for presentation
has not been decided on.
Good Sports Club members will
begin their annual project of sel
ling Easter flowers March 12 and
continue until the begnning of the
the Easter holidays. Club mem
bers take the orders and then
turn them over to Drummond’s
Florist, which is co-sponsoring the
project. The club will receive a
commission from the florist for
each order of flowers they sell.
Sportsmanship posters have
been drawn and placed in the
^ halls at stragetic points to pro-
Eastern Dist, Meets mote sportsmanship.
Allan Cronenburg, Dan John-
i j ^ , •'Jon, and David Barney are to re-
“We are not so mterested m the was not known.
jr.-iting vs-’eived as ip the critlcistn Rating.s nf ?ijnerior, excellent. District of the North Carolina
of the judges,” said Mr. Ernest good, fair or poor were received student Council Congress meet-
Black, director speaking of the toy bands in each of the six ing in Williamston, March 23.
State Contest Festival in whicl: grades. A superior or excellent
the local band, competed in the rating was needed to qualify a Allan was elected by the stu-
grade 4. division of the district ,band for the state contest in council to lead a discussion
contest in Greenville March 9. Greensboro. ei'oup at the convention. Dan
Johnson Is the only senior repre-
Pei-formance, ability, and pos- High school bands from Rocky senting the school. The EDNCSCC
ture in the rendition of two mem- Mount, Tarboro, Robersonville, requested that underclassmen de-
bers and a march were factors and Farmville plan a band clinic legates be sent. Both David and
on which the group was judged, in Tarboro March 23 and 24. Allan are sophomores.
The music, from a graded list.
NHS Taps Twenty
In Traditional Rite
In a beautiful cahdleight cere
mony, eleven juniors and nine
seniors were tapped by the Romon-
oca Chapter of the National Honor
Society Thursday, Mai’oh 1.
Seniors are Nell Wiggins, Ann
Brinson, Banks CuiTin, Jimmy
Moore, Pasty Pullen, Anna Yelver-
ton, Skippy Stone, Luke Landen
and Catherine Mclamb. Juniors
Don Harris, Jo Dare Williams,
Faye Kirland, Bettie Ann White
hurst, Kitty Thurman, Jackie
Skinner, Dan Woodniff, Luanne
Hobbs, Ellen Joyner, Larry War
ner, and Clare Davenport are the
first of the junior class honored.
Next year the present juniors will
have two other opportunities to
be tapped into this distinguished
group.
Four cardinal principles of the
organization were explained brief
ly as follows: Character by Shir
ley Burnette, Scholarship by Shei-
1 a Culpepper, Leadership by
Harold Gilbert, and Service by
Dan Boone.
Installation services were un
der the direction of Tony Turner,
president. He stated that member
ship to this organization is the
highest honor a student can re
ceive here. Norma Bulluck and
Norma Savage conducted the de
votional.
included Spiritual Overture by
Herbert Fred, Sustspeil by Kela-
Bela, and El Captan, a march by
John Philip E(ousa. Since this
article went to press prior to the
contest, the local group’s rating
All Aboard for CSPA!
Delegates Go To ‘Big City’
Good Sports Club meals in the
cafeteria ai'e now accompained by
music.
At present the group is planning
the picnic which annually giver,
all boys participatig in sports. A*,
this get-together all the new
members of the club will be ob
ligated to give an original pro
gram.
Second semester officers of the
club are Norma Savage, presi
dent; Aim Brinson, vice-presi
dent; Joyce Farris, secretary: and
Norma Bulluck, treasurer. Mrs.
Corinne Landis is the advisor of
the group.
Ed Justa, Charles Saunders, Clare Davenport and Jean Edwards
are packing their clothes for the big trip thig week.
Photo by Barringer
Twenty-two senior high students
and their advisers will embark by
train tomorrow morning for New
York City to attend the Columbia
Scholastic Press Association con
vention, March 15-17.
Members of the Hi-Noc-Ar staff
v/ith Miss Alma Murchson (one of
their advisers) are Luanne Hobbs,
Bettie Ann Whitehurst. Jean Ed
wards, Lee Newby, Maraget Stone.
Cacky Atkins. Larry Warner, Tony
Turner, Gharles Saunders, and
Adam Maples.
Representives of the Blackbird
with their advisoer. Mrs. T. D.
Young, are Ellen Joyner. Clare
Davenport, Barbara Davis, Anita
Taylor. Gail Sutton, Jean Wil
liams, Norma Bulluck, Ed Justa,
John Pearson, Jimmy Moore, and
Edward Rinner. Eleanor Bulluck,
also of The Blackbird staff, left
this morning with her mother to
audition for a television program.
She will join the others on Wed
nesday night at the Hotel New
Yorker.
Luncheon in the Grand Ballroom
of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the
queen of hotels, is the highlight
and the official closing of the
1956 CSPA convention.
See New York page 6
Local Student Wins
Four Year Award
Fred Ruben, winning the Angier
B. Duke Scholarship, giving him
$1,000 a year for each of his four
years in college, is the third
local student to receive this award
since 1948, when Hugh Houston
was recipient and in 1953 when
Billy Knowless won the award.
Kathryn Batten who was named
one of the “Most Valuable Stu
dents” by the local Elks Club, for
which she received a $100 scholar
ship and who is also in competi
tion for the Elks Leadership
Award because of the merit of her
scrapbook, won fii'st alternate
position in the girl’s division of
the Angier B. Duke Scholarship
Kathry also has won the local
Betty Crocker Search for the
Homemakers of Tomorrow Award.
She is the D. A. R. Pilgrim from
senior high.
Fred Harris received $100 scho
larship when he was named one of
the “Most Valuable Students” by
the Elks Club.
Fay Batts has been chosen, on
the merit of her scrapbook, to
join the contest for the Elks Lead
ership Award.
"X