Newspapers / Rocky Mount High School … / Sept. 13, 1968, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 THE BLACKBIRD Friday, September 13, 1968 From The PrincipaVs Desk End Of The Road Welcome back, peers, for that final year, the **crip” year. You know all you have to do is coast it on out, and the colleges, universities, schools, and employers will receive you with enthusiastic em braces. For most seniors, however, this will be a year marked by building determination; rewarded by ex panding knowledge and accomplishment; climaxed by the final gratification, graduation; and confused by the awful spectre of decisions that lie ahead. What you as seniors do in this transitory year will go far toward determining the degree of success you attain in years ahead, and, consequently, the con centration of happiness you can expect. For you who go to college, the problems you face here will be compounded by the new, awesome pres sures you will fjnd. But by utilizing the facilities at your command this year, you can lessen the future load, by developing not “good work habits,” but common sense and self-dedication; not desire for good grades, but a thirst for knowledge that stems from an unquenchable source within you; not self ish greed, but a personal challange toward accomp lishment of dreams. Need For Identity Juniors, you got a bum deal. For the first time in three years you must accept anonymity. In the ninth grade you were king of the junior high hill, and last year you received the attention of all with your naivete as sophomores. But now you’re caught in the middle. You will be forced to develop, as a class and as individuals, an identity characteristically your own. Perhaps this is the challange of being sixteen years old, an age-old struggle. You are now entering the stage in your lives where decisions bring results. Before, you wanted chocolate, but your mother decided vanilla was better for your skin. But there’s nothing she can do now about a D in geometry. And your junior year may be the most im portant record you leave behind toward college ad mission. But with added responsibility comes increased freedom for you as young men and women. More and more you will find decisions left up to you,-and (who knows?) you might even get to stay out till twelve. Time To Begin Get outa here, you dumb sophomore. This and similar phrases of disaffection will ring in your ears for the entirety of the coming year. The prefix “dumb” will not l;e dropped from sophomores, in all likelihood, no matter what you do, but consci entious effort on your part can remove some of the bitter intent behind it. If you’re a little starry-eyed at your first exposure to senior hi;ih life, you shouldn’t be. There’s nothing awesome or frightening about it, except for the op portunities it affords you. You will be realizing for the first time importance individually as young adults, and strength collect ively as a class, as the sophomores almost always win the magazine sales contest. You vdll probably find new freedom of expression in the classroom, and will be surprised at the in creased maturity and wisdom in your thinking. But most imn'ortant you will have reached a goal which, no matter how well you have masked your desire, you luive striving for for nine years. • Vicious Cycle Every summer monsoon rains strike tropical re gions of the world with torrential outbursts. Every day tons of impurities are pumped into the air we breathe and the water we drink. Every year accidents on America’s highways cause thousands of deaths (last year 53,000 of them). Every fifteen to twenty years thousands of Lem mings rush to a watery death off the rocky cliffs of Norway By V. J. Colombo We at Rocky Mount Senior High School have plunged full i force into the 1968-69 school ] term in high hopes of improv- i ing our school, our community,; and ourselves- Think ^r a mo ment about the influence that our school has in the lives of all associated with this fine in stitution. Senior High has a life and a purpose that go on end lessly. even though the member ship changes from year to year- Mail Box Dear Editor, During the past year I have attended many games (football, basketball, and baseball) of many schools, and in every school except Senior High I have noticed that the cheerleaders would lead the team supporters in their school’s song at some time during the game. This creates more will to yell and cheer for one’s team, and thus the team fights harder. I would like to see this at our games this year, because I have a pride for my school and my alma mater. I hope the cheerleaders have 'ead this. John Harris Senior Dear Editor, One of the many activities participated in by ^nior High students during the past sum mer was Drivers Training, that nerve racking ordeal in which every teenager must partake in order to obtain his drivers le- cense. Let each of us reflect on the summer in which we took Drivers Training, and select the one person who had the most effect on our training- All of us would have to agree on our driving instructor: a man with nerves of steel, unlimited courage and patience that is everlasting, to him we owe our enduring thanks. Roy Casey Junior Dear Editor, It is everywhere this year at school, but especinlly in the athletic program. It can be seen in Denny Allen’s pastes, Buddy Edgerton’s running, and in the oerformance of the entire team. It can be seen in the hard work of the cheerleaders and certain ly the coaches. In fact it is the product of the coaches. Coach Tapp especially; for it is school spirit. Coach Tapp has brought to his school a spirit which it has been lacking for years. He didn’t bring enthusiasm direct ly to the student body but in stead to the teams and thus to the students. His stern hand has caused the team to fight to win. The new spirit at RMSH is “We’re Gomg to Win Tonight” instead of “I hope we get some breaks for once.” It is “Onward to Victory” instead of “We got beat again” The “New Spirit” must keep going whether or not the team wins. Because when a team los es it is the job of the student body to bring it back. We have been fortunate that Coach Tapp has taken the initiative to start over when the student body quit, but it is now the job of the students to keep alive the “New Spirit-” Bob O’Keef .TimiAi" The influence of the school is a part of nearly everything we say or do. Our school reflects the values our community thinks are im portant. As community values change, our school changes- It is incumbent upon all of us to revSew thoughtfully the pur poses and actions of our school and apply moral principles we have learned to work for a bet ter school, thus improving our community. We must remember that our school is an impersonal mass of bricks ard mortar. It is the gioup within that gives the school its personality. The in teraction amon^ students is the quality which makes the differ ence between a cold “imperson al mass of bricks and mortar, ’ and a warm, personal “haven of friendship.” Let us always remember that the individuals is the most im portant part of our school. All our efforts are aimed at ac cepting each and every student where he is intellectually, and carrying him as far as his abili ties will allow. We in Rocky Mouna Senior High School are dedicated to this philosophy of teaching the individual. We challange each student to invest his time, ef forts, and talents to the best of his ability and make this in stitution even better for the fu ture. From The Editor Around The Campus Welcome one and all to the year of the Blackbird. This 1968-1969 school year hopefully will be one that v/ill be record ed in the history of Rocky Mount Senior High as one of the greatest years ever. This year we have the poten tial to excel in many fields of endeavor. As the official school newspaper, the Blackbhd will dutifully record and report the accomplishments of the students ard athletes that proudly raise the banners of RMSH to the sky. However, to continuously pre sent the news we need your sup port of our paper. This year the Blackbird will publish twelve issues for the student body. This first issue is a complimentary issue given to all students. The other eleven issues may be purchased by a subscription which costs $1.25. This price is a bargin because each issue costs a quarter if purchased separately. In fact, by buyin;? a subscription, you arc saving about $1.50. The staff of the Blackbird has worked exceptionally hard this summer so that they might pub lish the best newspaper possible. Although we have sold adver tisements, we still need all of your support for our paper. In the next few days a representa tive of the Blackbird will be in your homeroom selling subscrip tions to the Blackbird. These subscriptions will be available either by cash or by promisory note. Also, subscriptions may be obtained from any member of the Blackbird staff. In this historic year, don’t let us fall short of our goals. Support your school and your paper, buy a Blackbird subscrip tion today. 4, THE BLACKBffiD Member of Columbia Scholastic Press Association $1.25 Yearly — $-25 Single Issue EDITOR Skipper Greathouse BUSINESS MANAGER Denise Boswell ADVERTISING MANAGER Karen Colombo CIRCULATION MANAGER Robert Collins page EDITORS: 1st Robert Collins 2nd Robert Joyce 3rd David Cole 4th Kay Belcher . 5th . . . . . . . - • ' - Betsy Chipley 8th Ben Parker 7tii Denise Boswell 8th Skipper Greathouse 9th Skipper Greathouse 10th Denise Boswell Feature Writer Keith Bowden JUNIOR STAFF Donna Armstrong, Debbie Bradshaw, Ida Dew, Lyjife Crombie, Willette Harrison, Sandra Murray! Roy Casey. Perry La- Grange, David Matthews, Cash Roberts, Bob O’Keef. ADVISOR - Mrs. Margaret Williams PRINCIPAL Mr- V. J. Colombo
Rocky Mount High School Student Newspaper
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Sept. 13, 1968, edition 1
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