Page Two — THE GRYPHON — Thursday, May 13, 1976
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THE GRYPHON
“The purpose of the Gryphon is to examine events in the school, the community
and the world which affect the lives of the students of RMSH. It is the Gryphon’s
aim to stimulate awareness of issues, to promote a better understanding of
others, and to bring about positive action where change is needed.
A Case Of Abuse
Crouched over the seemingly endless floor, arm
flapping like a piston, the rusted putty knife flashed as
the janitor scraped. The smooth movement over the
floor until the blade met the crusty resistance of dried
gum hummed in the otherwise quiet hall.
There were other things to do, things more im
portant than the scrape-bump monotony of his present
task, things far less demeaning. A load of books might
need moving, if floors were not swept teachers would
be complaining, trash cans would be overflowing, and
the students would be raging about the lack of toilet
tissue in the restrooms. It was a waste of time, a waste
of money, a waste of manpower.
But he stayed bent over, scraping, scraping until all
traces of the g,um were gone. Slowly he rose, placing
his hand against the tightness in his back, and shuffled
on to other jobs.
A minute later the bell clanged, releasing a
cacophony of sounds and students, and highlighted by
the dull plod of a student’s unwanted gum on the floor.
Parking Lot Not
Safe For Parking
In 1976 people seem to like the old battered look
instead of the new look in the things they buy. Brand
new tennis shoes aren’t considered any good until
they’ve been worn and gotten dirty and torn. A pair of
blue jeans isn’t satisfactory until they’re old and
faded. Simple washing and wearing will qualify shoes
and jeans, but for a car, just drive to school and park
in Senior High’s parking lot.
Unlike aging tennis shoes the battered look in cars
can be a quick procedure; one day will do the job. By
the end of school or better yet after second lunch, you
will discover numerous scrapes and scratches on your
car doors and bumpers. If you choose to drive on an
exceptionally lucky day, you may even receive a
dented fender. All damages done to your car probably
will not be the result of careless driving or the sen
seless act of opening car doors into motionless
vehicles. Instead many scratches and dents may be
the result of the negligent tossing of bottles and drink
cans which quite often do not land in the trash cans.
Instead these flying articles meet their destination on
top of another student’s car, resulting in unnecessary
damage.
After a day in the parking lot, if your car’s new
appearance pleases you, you need only to thank your
careless fellow sf^udents.
THE GRYPHON
Rocky Mount Senior High School
308 South Tillery Street Rocky Mount, N. C. 27801
Member of Columbia Press Association
Member of Quill and Scroll
PUBLISHED
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Advertising Manager
Business and
Circulation Manager
Senior Staff Writers
MONTHLY
Terri Gardner
Teresa Mosley
Biff White
Junior Staff Writers
Boon McGee
Virginia Culpepper
Corbi Bulluck, Thomasina Pollard
Margaret Beck, Trey Bulluck
Wimberly Burton, Billy Carroll, Debbie Denson
Arlene Harper, Allen Hayes, Jackie Fulcher
Cathy Kilpatrick, Debbie Mosley, Donna Odom
Jackie Wilde, Sandy Wilgus, Fleet Woodley
Andy Bryant, Kevin Maurer
Photography Staff Corbi Bulluck, Sandy Wilgus
Trey Bulluck Fleet Woodley, Billy Carroll
Advisor Mrs. Henrietta Barbour
Principal Mr. Elton Newbern
Assistant Principals Mr. Robert Miller
Mr. Charles Davis
□
Demeaning, Needless Labor
Tfog
Gag Orders Need Revision
A recent mass murder in
Nebraska has called national
attention to the increasing use
of gag orders on the press by
judges trying criminal cases.
The reason for gag orders
seems to be that a suspect’s
right to a trial untainted by
prejudicial publicity supersedes
the freedom of the press.
Constitutional experts point out
that gag orders often create
more problems than they solve.
Gossip and misinformation can
just as easily create a
pre-judicial threat to defendants
as news accounts can. Gags can
impede or compromise the
public’s access to information it
has a right to have. Gag laws
could cut into the press’s
function as watchdog of the
judicial system.
Representatives of the media
have asked the Supreme Court
to bar lower courts from
imposing such orders. The court
will hopefully break its recent
streak of anti-civil liberties
decisions with this one.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor;
I am writing this to comment on
what was said in the editorial of the
last issue of our school newspaper
referring to Chocolate Funk.
Chocolate Funk is a young Black
group that has made a name for
itself through music. They are a
group of people who are very •
intelligent and relate their music to
their people. They were asked to
play at our Twirp Dance, and they
did a marvelous Job, even though
they didn’t get off like they usually
do. Chocolate Funk could be called
professionals, and they're not going
to change their style because of the
white people at RMSH.
It was stated in the editorial that
the white kids couldn’t understand
the music. I’ve understood it, just
like back in slavery days, the black
man used to sing all the time. All the
songs had a message his people
understood. The white man just said
"those niggers are really singing.”
He didn’t have sense enough to
know what was going on. That’s the
way soul music is today. Black
people can relate and understand
the music. White people, you don’t
jam by understanding the music,
but by moving with the beat. You
say you couldn’t understand,
Chocolate Funk. You don’t under
stand your own music, jumping up
and down, bumping off the beat.
White people let me school you.
Before you can cut down any black
bands you’ve got to learn to dance!
Last year there was a white band
at the Twirp. I know because I was
there, and we Black kids jammed to
their tired music, but did we cut
your white band down? Not at all,
but just as soon as we have
something we like, you stick out
your lips and turn red in the face. If
we can control ourselves you all
should learn also.
This band that will play at the
Prom, "Fudge Ripple’’ sounds like
ice-cream with wine poured over it,
but we Black people will be at the
Prom, and we’re gonna have a good
time. We don’t care who the band
is. We can get out in the parking lot
and beat the trash cans and jam all
night long.
Just because some of you say you
don’t like something, it’s supposed
to change everything, right? Well
guess again, it might seem to be as
if we don’t know what’s happening
at RMSH, but we are well aware of
the happenings.
I know I’ve stepped on a lot of toes
and a lot of people, but so did the
person that wrote the editorial. To
those who are innocent, this does
not relate to you. But you others,
you took our school and sent us over
here. Well we’re here, and we’re
not going anywhere. So, slide over
white people. We’re here to stay.
-;William Jones
H.R.216
12th grade
Dear Editor,
Your article on "Chocolate Funk"
was terrible. Not because you
criticized them, but you did it in the
wrong way. You might be able to get
a criticism course somewhere, and if
(Continued on page three)
Compromise
Called For
It can be done. A group of
county school students took a
complaint about exam policy to
their school board and were
rewarded with the establish
ment of a committee containing
students to re-examine the
policy.
However, while those stu
dents were granted a study
committee, the students who
were selected by the admini
stration to serve on it were
unwilling to compromise. One
made the unreasonable demand
that all students or no students
be eligible for exemption. This
adamant stand defeated the
students’ original purpose.
Attention can be drawn to a
cause. The teachers lobbying in
Raleigh for a 16% pay hike have
attracted statewide news cov-.
- erage. But it is doubtful whether
or not they have attracted
statewide support. Perhaps they
could learn from the experience
of the students mentioned
above.
It is the feeling of this writer
that the state’s teachers are
being unreasonable in their
request for a 16% pay hike
during a time of deficit
spending. Granted, the 4%
increase which was offered is
poor compromise; but teachers
must be willing to bargain, too.
Cut ’em Slack
By Boon McGee
Apparently, to the business
world the segment of our
population consisting of handi
capped persons is not a large
enough factor consumer-wise to
demand changes in the archi
tectural structure of most shops.
Without close scrutiny one
can readily see physical barriers
to stores down our own Main
Street as well as in the colossal
shopping malls of our capital
city. One can also detect the
half-hearted attempts made at
disguising them. Glass door
ways beckoning to the average
to large size person are a boon
to the appearance of department
store but to the wheelchaired
victim they are too heavy and
cumbersome to open and even
harder to squeeze the width of a
rolling chair through.
Once through these doors
there is a maze of obstacles from
which to chose. There are more
narrow doorways (into dressing
rooms), steep flights of stairs,
and let’s not forget the
tear-rending escalators which
harbor the wheelchaired con
sumer of the first floor.
In some stores there are the
drafty and dirty freight ele
vators that enable the handi
capped individual to have some
liberty in shopping. Why should
any customer, regardless of
physique be discri'minated
against in this degrading
manner.
Oh yes, one must not forget
how this special customer got to
the shopping area! It most
(Continued on page three)