Page 2 THE GRYPHON Friday, May 21. 1971 71-End Of An Era As the mighty class of seventy-one leaves RMSH, there comes to our school the end of an era. The last remnants of the old Rocky Mount Senior High and the Booker T. Washington High School will be finally removed from our school system. Alter a year of peace and understanding between the two races led by the class of »71, the community can now see that black and white youth can work together to solve the problems that have confronte«1 our se gregated society In the post. So after three long years of change and confusion, a new day will begin at RMSH, With this year»s junior and sophomore classes ia control next year, a truly extra-super school will develop. But, it must not be forgotten that the great class of 1971 was a very in fluential spearhead—setting an example by showing that the best way things can be worked out and unified is peacefully, Siimmer--A Bummer! The time is approaching when students everywhere will be putting down their books and heading on down to the beach, beginning summer jobs and generally soak ing up the summer sun. This means that we will be separated from many of our friends. For many years, the white folk and the black folk were entirely segregated. But, In the last couple of years, the Rocky Mount Senior High School has been Integrated and the students have crystallzed relations among themselves. Now, the summer vacation moves In and the students separate and don’t see each other for three months, right? Wrong! During the summer, there will be many opportunities for blacks and whites to get together. There will be dances, sporting events, swimming pools, and rock quarries; all of which bar no one. These are excellent times for all people to get together for a good time. Come to think of It, everyday Is a good day to have a friend. R.W.N. To The Loyal Squads Students! Who has been supporting you, Gryphons, for nine months? The ‘Mocks” of course. That is to say those few daring souls that have mastered-the technique, sweated out practice, and represented our school all over the state In vigorous competition In sports have been major upholders of the fine RMSH tradition that began only a year ago. Rarely do our own jocks receive the recognition for their unending supply of spirit. This year, our foot ball team just barely missed the championship, our basketball team did a really great job, jrrestling had Its best season yet, and all of our Spring sports have been doing better than best. But, now the year is over. We have to look to next year. With the strong and powerful underclassmen coming into our varsity sports, a successful year is coming in like a tidal wave. Remember to watch RMSH sports next year for excitement and hopefully there will greater support by the fans to make the great even greater. Premarital What? In these days when the oMer generation Is becoming more and more worried about the promiscuity of the younger generation, an age-old moral offense has been slowly creeping teck into the halls of RMSH. The nerve of some people to actually commit premarital heterosexual interdigitation! How terrible! You can see It in the halls, Inthe streets, almost anywhere you go, people are doing It. Something must be done about it. We can’t allow such unspeakable actions to take place In a socletysuchasours. Although we have laws against It, Including school policies, people still cannot control themselves when approached by a member of the 0HX)slte sex—the result, more iH*emarltal hetero sexual Interdlgltatlrai. H our society c(MitInues to al low such crimes to occur In broad daylight, sooner or later it may be hard for people to hoW hands in public. Oh &S& ASMS*® O 0 o Around The Campus by Tim Brinn This has been a long year. And nobody on the GRYPHON staff will disagree with me on that point. Now, with just two weeks to go until graduation for the seniors and the end of another year for the juniors and the sophomores, It’s time to take a good look at the last nine months and see just what we did with them. The administration can look back with a good deal of pride on another excellent year for RMSH. The lack of any sign ificant crisis this entire year can certainly be attributed to their careful planning and hard work to make things go right. The coaches can also puff out their manly chests just a little bit as they think about the athletic accomplishments of their squads this year. Start ing In early September with the outstanding football team, these talented men soon produced great basketball, wrestling, baseball, tennis, and track out fits. Without the coaches to help build student morale through winning each game, this would have been a bleak year. Of course, the people who de serve a great deal of praise are you, the student body. Think a second. Who was It who fill ed six and seven buses each week to see the Gryphs foot ball squad defeat their ouUq^ town opponents? Who filled the gym every Friday night for almost two months to see the basketball squad play, whe ther they won or last? Why Is It that the wrestling team, even with a 1-8 record, has the best attendance of all the wrestling teams in the 4-A conference? Somebody was there doing an awful lot of work, cheering and screaming, missing homework, staying up late, and (perish the thought!) spending a lot of money to help back our teams. That some body was the student body, and speaking for the athletic teams, I Will say thank-you. Before I turn over the Ed itor’s typewriter to newly- elected Editor Richard New man, I must say thank you to one of the most unusual groups of people I have ever met—the 1970-1971 GRYPHON staff. Without these nineteen talent ed individuals this year would have never been this year. They are responsible, er, that is, they can take the credit for producing the paper this year. I must applaud them for keeping Im possible hours, meeting im possible deadlines, pleasing Impossible - to - please peo ple, and putting up with an im possible editor. Despite all of these difficulties eleven Is sues of the GRYPHON still were released on the student body, so we felt useful. So did L THE GRYPHON Member Columbia Scholastic Press Associatfon Member of Quill and Scroll, I.H.S.H.S,J. 11.25 Yeariy EDITOR Tim Brinn BUSINESS MANAGER Gail Keeter ADVERTISING MANAGER Brenda Hwlon CIRCULATION MANAGER Lynn Safy PAGE EDITORS: 1st Lynn Safy 2nd David Cordts ^ GaU Keeter 4th Thnrtwrt Baker 5tfa Robin Bonme 6th Doug Cole 7th Mike Ruffin 8th AkUBO BBnes JUNIOR STAFF Mary Barr, Tim Chapman, Doug Cole, Carol Dice, Debbie Grli- fin, Richard Newman, Buddy PMler, Teresa Slavln, Robin Thorp. Nancy Wnd. ADVISOR Mrs. Margaret Williams PRINCIPAL Mr. V. J. Colombo ASSOaATE PRINCIPAL Mr. R, D. Armstrong ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Mr. John Langley Tomorrow and Today Chewing on your thumbs when trouble comes never helps to eat it a-ay. You’ve got to share the bad times with someone tomorrow and today. Looking out to sea shouldn’t just be another debt to loneliness you pay: You ought to try to open up with someone tomorrow and today. What troubles you, troubles me. Didn’t you know that silence can be loud even in a crowd Loud enough to drive love away. You ought to come out and play with someone tomorrow and today, I only mention that as some one who intends to be here to stay tomorrow and today tomorrow and today tomorrow and tomorrow and today, --Rod McKuen (part one of “hit ’em In the head with love”) Some towns have so many Is lands you need a boat to go from block to block and since the sand keeps on getting deeper Pm building my home upon a rock. And the next time somebody comes along and knocks me down Pm gonna get up and hit ’em In the head with love. --Rod McKuen t¥«eatl3f, very a«¥$ral Amstroftg iygkK feeeStetBpOlwaytoeapa*. those tMSfis mu wg