fl
RMSHStudentOrganizationMeets
To Approve New 1967-68 Cabinet
s. 0. PREISIDENT’S CABINET—Members of the president’s
cabinet for the student organization this year are: (FIRST
ROW) Marsh Pully, Ken Tho'mpson, Bobby Thompson, Benjie
Smith, Charlotte Looney, Penny Hicks; (SECOND ROW)
Steve Andrews, Kacky Harrison, Karen Colombo, Jamie Har
ris, Margaret Winstead, Bob Chapman; (THIRD ROW) Mike
Stephens, Mike Dixon, Benjie Martindale, Doug Bradham,
Hatcher Kincheloe, and Stephen Battle. (Photos by Killebrew)
The Student Organization of
Rocky Mount Senior High
School met Tuesday, Sept. 19,
for the first time tois year in
the school auditorium with
President Benjie Smith presid
ing.
President Smith called the
meeting to order and welcomed
all S. 0. members, asking that
they represent their home
rooms and the student b^y
well and that they take an ac
tive part in S. 0. affairs.
The President then intro
duced his cabinet, and each
member present submitted his
report to the assembly.
American Field Service chair
man Stephen Battle introduced
Mario Obreque of Chile, this
year’s A'FS student, and plead-
Buy The Hi^Noc^Ar
THE
BLACKBIRD
Published by the Journalism Class of Rocky Mount Senior High Schori
VOL. XXXVII-No. 2
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1967
Four Students Honor Senior High
As National Merit Semi-Finalists
Principal V. J. Colombo has
announced that four students
at Rocky Mount Senior High
School have been named Semi
finalists in the 1967-68 National
Merit Scholarship Program.
The students are Hatcher
Kincheloe, Mary Jo Sheridan
Mary Elia Tetterton, and Lois
Watson.
The 14,000 Semifinalists ap
pointed throughout the nation
have advanc^ to the second
RMSHS Begins
Addition Plans
With the completion of the
new transformer, students real
ize that work has really begun
on the new addition to senior
high.
In 1970, when a student opens
the dwrs of the student lounge,
he will not be going outdoors
like a student of today; he will
enter either of the two new
classrooms that will have been
constructed in that area.
The present library and
bookroom will be converted
into four classrooms. The gen
eral purpose room will be ex
tended across the coridor to
complete the formation of an
L-shaped cafeteria. The new
student lounge, band, art, and
health rooms will be located
in the area between the pres
ent gym and the auditorium.
On the Nash Street side of the
gym will be added a gymnas
tics room and several i-essing-
rooms.
The new library, general pur
pose room, and four class
rooms will be extended on the
front campus. As a third wing
it stretches from the main walk
to the flagpole.
Electricians have finished
putting in a large transformer
which is necessary to supply
the electrical power for the
new additions, which are con
tracted to be completed by the
1969-70 school year.
step in the competition for
about 2,900 Merit ^holarships,
valued at more than $8 million,
to be awarded in 196&.
SemifinaJists scored the high
est in each state on the Nation-
al Merit Scholarship Qualify
ing Test given last February.
They constitute less than one
percent of the graduating sec
ondary school seniors in the
nation.
Semifinahsts must advance to
Finalist standing to be consid
ered for Merit Scholarships,
since all winners wdll be se
lected from the Finalist group.
Semifinalists become Finalists
by receiving the endorsement
of their schools, taking a sec
ond examination, and submit
ting information about their
achievements and interests.
Every Semifinalist who be
comes a Finalist will be con
sidered for one of about 2,400
Tlie Blackbird staff presented
its annual “kick-off” assembly
Friday, September 15, in the
school auditorium, launching
this year’s subscription cam
paign for the school newspaper.
The assembly featured a
skit entitled “The Exodus of
the Limmings”. A young coun
try girl, Mary B. Numskull,
was on trial for having stolen
some copies of the Blackbird.
Three witnesses testified to the
whereabouts and good inten
tions of Mary B., but to no
avail. Mary B.’s attorney pre
sented her case well, but dis
trict attorney did a much bet
ter job, or at least the jury
thought. The jury found Mary
B. Numskull guilty of having
stolen the Blackbirds. She was
sentenced to a life without any
Blackbirds. Because of her sen
tence Mary B. became hysteri-
four-year Merit Scholarships
financed by some 400 corpora-
tions, toupdatioas, colleges,
unions, trusts, professional as
sociations, other organizations,
and individuals, and by NSMC
itself. In addition, about 500
one-time National Merit $1000
Scholarships will be awarded
for the first time in 1968.
Winners of four-year Merit
Scholarships may receive up
to $1,500 a year for four college
years, depending on their in
dividual need. Winners of the
'National Merit $1,000 Scholar
ships will receive one-time
grants of $1,000 upon enroll
ment in college.
High school grades, accom
plishments, leadership quali
ties, extracurricular activities,
and school citizenship of the
Finalists are evaluated, along
with test scores, in selecting
Merit Scholarship vnnners.
cal and was carried off the
stage by two able-bodied po
licemen.
At the end of the skit the
Blackbird staff distributed the
first issue of this year’s paper
to all students and faculty
members. This free copy was
given to acquaint the students
with the paper, which includes
news, features, editorials, and
sports.
The subscription drive began
following the assembly and
closed last Friday. Representa
tives canvassed homerooms'
daily to sell Blackbird sub
scriptions. The campaign ended
w’ith ■ a total of 700 subscript
ions being sold.
The Blackbird staff would
like to thank all persons who
bought subscriptions and re
mind those who did not sub
scribe that copies will be on
sale for $.25 ^ter each issue.
ed that we “make a bigger
point of being friendly” to him.
Mario expressed his pleasure
at being with us and Ms hopes
for a wonderful year here.
Jamie Harris, student store
chairman, asked the represen
tatives to encourage student
support of the store.
The Pubhcations Committee,
explained chairman Mike
Stevens, has two duties. The
first is to compile a student di
rectory, and the second is to
distribute Thank-You Grams to
students who have brought
honor to our school.
Elections Committee chair
man Kack Harrison announced
that voter registration will be
held Wednesday, October 4
through Tuesday, October 10.
The building was cleared on
September 6i in one minute and
fifty-nine seconds during the
first fire drill. Fire Drill Com
mittee chairman Benjie Mar
tindale stressed the importance
of improving this record.
Karen Colombo, School Spirit
Committee chairman, called
attention to the “excellent at
tendance” at the first bonfire
and announced that there
would be a second soon.
Blackbird editor Bob Chapman
asked the representatives to
urge all students to support the
school paper by buying sub
scriptions, and Doug Bradham
and Margaret Winstead, co
editors of the Hi-Noc-Ar an
nounced October 6 as the begin
ning of their annual subscrip
tion drive.
Social Committee chairman
Marsh Pully announced a tea
to be "iven by hpr
on September 28 for all new
Students at RMSH, while Penny
Nearly sixty-one percent of
the juniors and seniors at sen
ior high attended the annual
ollege Night program at Rocky
Mount Senior High Thursday,
September 21.
Approximately eighty parents
joined their children to parti
cipate in the sessions, which
began at 7:00 p. m. and lasted
until 8:30. The program was
divided into three thirty-minute
sessions, thereby giving each
student an opportunity to at
tend the sessions of three col
leges in which he might be in
terested.
Hicks head cheerleader, stress
ed sportsmanship at all ath
letic contests.
President Smith called for a
discussion and vote upon ap
proval of the exofficio mem
bers of the cabinet. Senior
class president Stephen Draper
moved that they be accepted;
his move was voted upon and
approved.
Hi-Noc-Ar Plans
Convention Trip
Next Wednesday night, eight
students from the Hi-Noc-Ar
staff and their advisor. Miss
Alma Murchison, will leave for
New York to attend meetings
of the Columbia Scholastic
Press Association Convention
and to do some sightseeing
around New York.
Members attending the con
vention are Doug Bradham,
co-editor, Kack Harrison,
Marsh Pully, Mary Elizabeth
Bradley, Ella Jean Lewis,
Sharon Kilpatrick, Deborah .
Davidson, and Kathy Boykin.
The students are traveling by
train and will arrive in New
York early Thursday morning.
The meeting w'ill be held at Co
lumbia University. The students
■will attend group and sectional
;meetings The rating on last
year’s book will be announced
Friday afternoon. The staff
members are hoping for anoth-
jer first place or even a inff’’’!-
ist. The convention ends w
luncheon at the American
tel, Saturday afternoon.
The stiidon*® ‘
iw'ill retuj’n to Rocky Mount
Sunday night, October 15.
The purpose of the program
is to give both parents and stu
dents a chance to discuss with
qualified representatives of
several colleges the various en
trance requirements, costs,
programs offered by the
schools, and any other infor
mation pertinent to college ad-
mission-'and graduation.
Forty-seven schools were rep
resented, among them nine jun
ior colleges, three schools of
nursing, two community col
leges, one technical institute,
one business school, and thirty-
one four-year colleges or uni
versities.
DICK CASHWELL of the University of North Carolina is telling
Randy Crawiord about entrance to UNC. Terry Sorrell is lo*'
ing over some literature on the univwsity while waiting to p
a question. (Photo by Killebrew)
Blackbird Ends Campaign
For 1967-’68 Subscribers
Upperclassmen Participale
In ’67 RMSH College Nighl