Seniors Awarded Morehead
MOREHEAD SCHOLARS—Winners of the Morelicad Scholarship are Ken Thompson, Bob Joyce,
and Page Lea. (Photo by Killebrew.)
THE
BLACKBIRD
Pablished by the Journalism Class of Rocky Mount Senior High School
VOLUME XXXX, No. 9
ROCKY MOUNT, N. C.
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 1969
RMSH Senior Wins Scholarship
Three Seniors Chosen
F or UNC Scholarships
Mr. John M. Stalnaker,
president of the National Mer
it Scholarship Corporation,
recently announced that An
gela R. Bryant, a senior at
RMSH, is one of 340 winners
in the National Achievement
Scholarship Program.
'llie scholarship is a one
time non-renewable grant of
$1,000 payable next fall when
the winners enter accrt'dited
Slate Drama
The dramatics students of
flMSH recently atteixied the
annual State Drama Festival,
sponsored by the Carolina
Dramatic Association, at the
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
ITie students earned the
right to participate in this fes
tival when they won in the
regionals at Campbell Col
lege. The students left school
Thursday and stayed at Cha
pel Hill until late Saturday
night.
Two plays were entered in
to the mniipetition from RM-
SIL “The Conquest of Ever
est” by Arthur Kopit, was
staged by the Black Masquers.
“Martydrom of Peter O’Hey”
lent at the festival.
RMSH presented two of the
33 plays in the festival. Dra
matic organizations from high
.schools and colleges all over
North Carolina attended and
participated in the event.
At the meeting, Mr. Rawls,
dramatics director of RMSH,
was also elected to the execu-
colleges or universities of
their choice.
Angelia plan.s to use her
scholarship to attend UNC-CH,
in order to study mathema
tics.
Angela is a member of tlie
National Honor Society and
participated in the Elks Lead
ership contest. She was twice
a candidate for Governor's
School.
Festival
tive committee of the Caro
lina Dramatics Association, an
association of dramatics teach
ers and directors througlwut
the state.
JNewspap^r Slaff
Raliiif^
The members of the news-
pajwr staff received their rat
ing while attending the Colum
bia Scliolastic Press Conven
tion last week in New York
City.
In comix;titi(>n for judging
were the last three papers of
the last school year and the
first three papers of the new
school year. These jxipers are
judged on layout, news leads,
and the ability to write good
As the staff received a sec
ond place rating this year,
they feel that they will have
to put forth sreator effort in
publishing a better pat>er and
they have pledged to work
diligently during the upcom
ing issues in order or receive
a better rating next year.
Winners of this scholarship
were selected for their out
standing ability and potential
for future accomplishment.
'I’he selections were made by
a committee of experienced
college amissions directors
and high school coun.selors.
The committee based its se
lections on Information from
the students themselves, their
schools and test scores. Fi
nancial need is not a factor
in the com^ietition.
On February 20 the RMSH
Chapter of Vocational Indu.s-
trial Clubs of America went
to a Region Six meeting in
Washington, N. C. where they
entered Regional Contests.
RMSH stiKients that partici-
pattxi in the contests were
Jimmy Israei, occupational
notebo()l; Randy Joyner, job
interview; Ann Crumpler,
public speaking; Gail Grif
fin, parliamentary procedure;
Skipper Harris, safety: and
Wyatt Phillips, chapter acti
vities book.
Out of the six competing
from RMSH, there were four
winners. They were Jiminy
Israel, first place, occupa
tional notebook; Randy Joy
ner, second place, job inter
view; Wyatt Phillips, second
place in chapter activiti«'s
book (an award received on
Iwhalf of the local club); and
(Jail Grinin, Ihird place in
(>arliamentary procedure.
The first and sea>nd place
winners will now go to Raleigh
for the State Contest in May.
Page Gravely Lea, George
Kennedy Thompson, and Rob
ert Powell Joyce were namcK)
Morehead Scholars lor tiu'
Fall of 196!) by Mr. Roy Arm
strong, director of the More-
he;i(l Foundation.
TIu' Ihri’e received an
nouncement of their selection
by the Chairman of Ihe
Board of Trustees of tlie Foun
dation on March 4. Their se
lection followed a series of
interview.s and banqupt.s at
the University of North Caro
lina at Chapel Hill. Their in
terviews were held on Febru
ary 28. The Ihiee were among
112 finali.sts, of whom 107 re-
ceiv(!d the scholarship.
Award Value
The Morehead Award is
valued at .$8,000 for study at
UNC. The nominees for the
award come from North Caro
lina high schools and 26 se
lected private schools. Sixty
of the finalists were from
North Carolina high schools.
Tlie original nominees from
Rocky Mount Senior High
were Rob Campbell, Jim
Bailey, Robert Collins, Tommy
Jordan, Gene Kea, Jay Bob
bitt. Skipper Greathouse. Jack
McDaniel, Page, Ken, and
Bob. Of these, the last three
became the Nash County nom
inees and cidvanced to the
District interviews held at Wil-
liamston. They were then
named to the six finalists of
the District who then advanc
ed to Chapel HHl.
At Chapel Hill the boys were
guests of the Morehead Foun
dation at tih; Carolina Inn.
They had ample free time
on the campus to meet the
other candidates.
Having three winners is
another first for RMSH- Ac-
ording to IV®-. Armstrong
never before have three boys
from the same school won al
Many VICA members from
across the region attended
this meeting al Washingtoti
High Scliool. Region Six is an
Eastern North Carolina Chap
ter.
Ilu' same time. Tliis yey, sucli
cities as Raleigh, Durham,
and Winston-Salem haa only
oric winner each.
In a sense. Rwky Mninl
really had four winneis. St?ve
Craig Parker, well-known f*r-
mer student wlw moved o
Wilmington last summer an
now attends New Hanover
High School al.so won.
B]ach boy has been active in
school affairs. Page and Ken
have been class presidents,
and Ken was Student Organi
zation secretary his junior
year. Each has won the Civi-
lan Citizeiiship Award. Ken
advanced to the international
finals of the Optomist Speech
contest. ftjii'Shing secotid in
the world. Page has won the
George R Edwards Award
and the Spero Award. Bob is
a National Merit Semi-finalist.
All three i^ayed varsity bas
ket ball, and Ken and Page
each played football and fase-
ball. Ken has been president
to the Fellowship of Christian
Athletes, and Bob is the pres
ent president of the National
Honor Society. Ken is a mem
ber of theHi-Noc-Ar, and Bob
is on the Blackbird staff.
Gryphon Chosen
In RMSH Voting
student Organization Presi
dent John Kinchdoe has con
firmed that a clear majority
was reached from the recent
election al RMSH for school
mascot for the con.solidated
high scIkxjI beginning next
>:cliool year.
President Kincheloe report
ed that the baHots from RMSH
were cwnted by the Student
Involvement Committee which
reached a decision in a clear
majority for the Gryphon, a
cross between a lion and a
bird.
llie same voting procedure
was carried out at Booker T-
and the ninth grades from
each of Ihe three junior high
schools, but the resuKs were
not known.
After the scIumiIs’ vok- have
been counted and combined,
the final selection foi school
mascot will In.' s ibmiHed to
the Board oi Kilucatio \ who
will make the final dcdsion.
VICA WINNERS—Winners in the Region Six meeting of VICA
are Jimmy Israel, Randy Jc^ncr, Wyatt Phillips, and Gail
Griffin,
KMSn Students Attend
by Slawomir Mrozek, was pre
sented by the Edsonians. Both
plays, directed by Mr. William
RawLs, won a rating of excel-
editorials, features, news stor
ies, and sports stories.
VICA Students Compete
In llegionai Competition