Page Two — THE GRYPHON
Suira the Bay«r;j^lcea r«d paiat!'
Cis^cf3
] Students Speak Out Openly
To Express Their Opinions
GR YPHON
EDITORIALS
Painting Can Often Be A Pain
It’s graduation time again! The Class of ’75 has worked hard foi
this honor and deserves much recognition. But the recognition they
want should not be painted on public property!
Thousands of dollars are spent every year repairing the damage
done by graduating and some nongraduating students. It’s a very
proud feeling one has when he or she sees their class year painted
somewhere for all to see. But this year seniors should be a little
more careful and thoughtful of where they leave their autograph.
Many would be surprised to find out how much money it takes to
sand off paint from a building. Painting on the side of another
school building will only cause some of the students from that
school to come racing over to RMSH to do the same deed to our
building.
The usual sign on the island in City Lake doesn’t harm anyone
(except if one of the daring swimmers catches pneumonia)
Erecting a sign on a corner or in some area in Rocky Mount where
it is not distracting or dangerous is harmless, also. If seniors will
put their heads together for only a moment, they will probably be
able to think of some locations where advertising their graduation
will not be damaging to the property or their reputations.
Merchants and citizens of Rocky Mount will be publicly
congratulating seniors. It is senseless to mar their reputation with
unnecessary painting and pranking. This will be the best publicity
of all.
People Are What They Wear
Everybody loves warm weather, except during school! Not all of
the classes are air-conditioned, so it seems that some students have
started trying to dress cool. The brief clothing may be cool to some,
but a lot of it is repulsive. Students who insist on wearing scanty
halters and ragged tank T-shirts don’t have to look at themselves
and probably don’t realize how unattractive they seem to others.
The styles of today include low necklines, thin straps and see-
through shirts. However, there are those who by wearing these
styles step over the boundaries of good taste. Students must simply
want to be in with the fashions and not care about appearance.
Girls are not the only ones “showing off” this spring. There are
some boys who would be dressed correctly if they would learn how
to button their shirts. It wouldn’t hurt them to pull up their pants
once in awhile either. Magazines show models with halters and hot
pants but one has yet to print a picture with the top of a model’s
underwear showing.
Maybe it’s old-fashioned for your chest to be covered and your
belts to be buckled, but as long as there are students who are of
fended by the dress of other students, students should uphold good
taste.
A principal in Nash County announced to his students over the
intercom: “There’s a saying that ‘you are what you eat,’ but I
would just like to add that ‘you are what you wear. ’ ’ ’
Amen.
Senior Thought
You wonder how can these
kids go through classes almost
seven hours a day, 180 days a
year for almost three years, and
not be involved in anything?
How can they be so rude during
assemblies, and so
disrespectful to teachers? It
almost makes you want to kick
them. - '' '
You look at the Senior Class
and notice the differences in
looks, personalities, and in
terests. You then begin to
wonder how in the heck you all
made it together. Because when
you think back, there are times
when being a member of the
Class of ’75 has not been so
“together.” '
EDITOR’S NOTE: The
following letter was sent to the
SRA in the fall of last year. It
was felt, however, that more
students would benefit if the
letter appeared in the
GRYPHON. With the presen
ting of Sports’ Awards, this
letter speaks honestly on the
subject.
Fellow Students:
As one of the former mem
bers of last year’s girls’ softball
team, I don’t think it’s fair to
award the boys’ team several
different types of trophies and
in girls’ sports only one. We
worked very hard and did
rather well with a 6-3 record.
I would like to suggest that the
school’s Athletic Department
award the jgirls fairly and as
well as they do the boys in what
ever field of sports they play in.
I would like to feel if I’m on that
field this year that I and my
teammates had a chance to be
recognized and feel proud of the
sport we love best. Thank you
and I hope you seriously con
sider my suggestion, because it
would make us feel as if the
school is behind us as they are
behind the boys.
Thank you
To the Editor:
During the past school year,
we have been victims of or
witnessed treatment in the
school library that we think is
unfair, hostile, and un
necessary. We have used the
library frequently, especially
while working on our research
papers, and we have noticed
that a great number of students
have been kicked out of the
library for talking.
The punishment has recently
been changed and students are
now supposed to be given a
detention slip for talking. But it
appears that some students now
are not only issued a detention,
but also asked to leave the
library, accused of “not using
library materials.” Often the
persons who are asked to leave
appear to have been purposely
embarrassed in front of the
library students. And we have
seen people try to defend
themselves against false ac
cusations of talking, only to be
ignored. We feel this is cruel
and humiliating to many.
We feel like we have been
deprived of the privilege of
using the library. It is nearly
impossible to work on a
research paper without uttering
an occasional word. The policy
seems to forbid students to open
their mouths instead of
preventing library distractions.
Quiet whispering in the library
does not bother us nearly as
much as the harsh tapping of an
audible typewriter.
We strongly feel that there
should be more courtesy shown
by personnel toward students in
the library ; then students would
reciprocate. We have been
afraid to even yawn in the
library for fear of being
dragged to the office for
opening our mouths. We hope,
for the sake of our un
derclassmen, that the situation
will improve before next year.
Kim Nelson
Mark Hayden
Doorothy Easley
Donna Bradshaw
Ken Whitehurst
Rusty Dickens
Teresa Joyner
Frank Rehm
Stuart Bulluck
Gerry Felton
425
425
425
010
010
107
107
124
124
124
Sd\’VoP.6 Tcho
by Cathy Allen
The purpose
newspaper is to
of any
inform the
subscribers with objective
reporting of important events.
This ideas has been the goal of
the GRYPHON throughout the
year.
Reporting on every aspect of
school life, the staff has at
tempted to inform the students
of RMSH on subjects about
which they may not have
learned in any other ^ay. The
paper has strived to clarify
controversial issues and to
bring into focus through its
editorials issues confronting the
students, the faculty, and the
community. By means of the
“Soapbox” a column introduced
this year, the GRYPHON has
rivetted its attention on items of
national interest, bringing them
into the range of the students.
Student comment on articles,
editorials, and other matters
has been welcomed in the
“Letters to the Editor” column,
and while response has not been
as great as the GRYPHON
would have liked, it has added
another dimeijpion to the
paper’s reporting.
It can only be hoped by next
year’s senior staff members
that the 1975-76 GRYPHON can
achieve the same breadth and
depth of reporting as has this
year’s staff.
To the Editor:
Apathy: that is the main
problem at Senior High. A lot
was said about the election of
the Outstanding Seniors, that
there should be five black girls,
guys, five white girls, guys and
other such gripes. I believe that
there should be no boundaries of
race or sex. The only injustice
in the voting of Outstanding
Seniors was that a majority of
the students didn’t care enough
to vote for the deserving
students. The same people
griped over the band for the Jr.-
Sr. Well, if the same apathetic
student would have sold at least
one magazine, we could have
had a “class” band, instead of
the bickering over the bands
that were selected. It was once
said that everything that is
faced cannot be changed, but
nothing can be changed until it
is faced. I challenge the rising
classes to directly confront
apathy and seek a change for a
better school.
Thomas H. Gerlinger
Yet, in their own way, each
has made RMSH what it is
today. What one senior took
away from RMSH during an
assembly, he contributed to it
by picking up trash in D. T.
Hall. A funny outlook perhaps,
but that’s what has made the
Class of ’75 — around 300
'.students,, and a.'funny. outlook.
THE GRYPHON
Member of Columbia Press Association
Member of Quill and Scroll
PUBLISHED
Editor
Advertising Manager
Business Manager
Circulation Manager
Senior Staff Writers
MONTHLY
Cathy Allen
Sara Jane Collier
Kim Nelson
Phyllis Goffney
Nancy Davis, Bill Matthews,
Terre Kilpatridc, Isabel Williams
Juniw Staff Writers Billy Odom, Boon McGee
Terri Gardner, Mitchell Landen, Jan F(»^ythe,
IlKHnasina Pollard, Debbie Cook, Dolly Claric,
Biff White, Robin Bass, Gail Phillips
Jilsttalie Knight, Teresa Mosley
Virginia Culpepper, Wade Bryant, Corbi Bullock,
Karen Butler, Dona Edwards
Advisor
Principal
Assistsmt Principal
Assistant Principal
Mrs. Henrietta Barbour
Mr. Elton Newbeni
Mr. Richard Hicks
Mr. Robert Miller