Page Two — THE GRYPHON —Tuesday, June 1,1976
Do Students Need
Assistance To Eat
Must high school students be spoonfed? By the time
one reaches the high school level he should be per
fectly capable of forming a straight line. Pushing and
shoving is child’s play. Deciding on sandwiches and
chocolate or plain milk should be an easy task for a 17-
year-old.
Rather than governing themselves and showing
courtesy towards their friends, some individuals tend
to think only of the hunger in their own stomachs.
They think nothing of smashing a few toes or bruising
a few elbows for a hamburger.
Due to the immaturity of some, our teachers must
give up some of their lunch time to supervise “a bunch
of rambuntious students’’ trying to form a line to the
lunch counter. It is common knowledge that the
students ofRMSH do not enjoy having babysitters, nor
do the teachers enjoy babysitting.
If students would act their age and show concern for
others, our teachers could give up their ‘‘babysitting
jobs.” High school students continuously look for
privileges because they feel they are mature enough
to use their freedom wisely and enjoy it also.
Although many are very capable of conducting
themselves in an orderly fashion, it is very important
that some lack maturity and are somewhat disruptive,
which is why students are not allowed to completely
govern themselves. It is simply “the people’s choice.”
Students will be treated as young adults when they act
as such.
Grades Important
Grade-point averages are something that should be
worked on continually because, like it or not, they play
an important role in students’ futures.
Grade-point averages are the basis for con
sideration of admission to, among other things, the
National Honor Society, where nominees must have
an average of 3.25. Grade-pint averages are used to
determine class rank. A relatively high grade-point
average is required to be an honor graduate. The
actual number of honor graduates is five percent of
the class, but the lowest grade-point average is
usually no lower than 3.5.
To figure the grade-point average of a student, all
the semester grades including the ninth grade must be
obtained. Each A is worth four points, a B is three
points, a C, two points, and a D is worth one point. A
grade in an accelerated class is automatically worth .5
extra points. All the grades, given their numbers,
must be added and then divided by the number of
entries. The resulting number is the final grade point
average.
The Tissue Issue
The cranky teacher is certainly a colorful and
highly entertaining individual. These fearless battle
axes armed with detention pads, gradebooks, and well
practiced baleful glares breath fire and eat nails.
They range from ine venerble old generals with flags
at full mast anc^ trumpets blaring to the tenderfoots
assiduous in emulating them.
What can be responsible for the highly unsociable
behaviour of some of our illustrious instructors? Some
dare to insinuate that it could be the naive and in
nocent youngsters who frolic in the halls, that it could
be the same children who day after day enter the
doors of this great institution for education with that
insatiable thirst for knowledge. Certainly not.
After weeks of untiring investigation utilizing the
deductive reasoning taught to us in our math and
science classes, the investigative techniques from
English and Social Studies as well as the poise secured
in vocational classes, we have discovered that the
abrasive tissue paper sold at the student store may be
responsible for the problem. After all, hay fever has
been particularly rampant this season. We suggest
that the administration take prompt and decisive
action in removing this undesirable element from the
shelves of the store so that a closer teacher-student
relationship can be restored, resulting in higher
quality of education which of course is the primary
goal of all Rocky Mount Senior High students.
Letters To
The Editor
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.”
£)ot Ulhpi" Kxi, 4lvis Cjo'V
,JtLie
Class of ^76 Blazes New Trail
£)ot Ulhpi" Kxi, 4lvis Cjo'V
Imbu
By Terri Gardner
Twelve years pass by quiclcly
in retrospect. All of the events
blur and fuse together to
become memory. Much is
forgotten. Yet, for the now
graduating Class of 1976, it is
all. Twelve years have made
them what they are.
Few incidents before they
began school seem important.
But once they began school,
ah...it was life! For 12 years it
has held the focus of their
attention. For 12 years they
have made best friends, played
hop scotch and tag, flunked
tests, won awards, hated
teachers and loved them, lost
the respect of others and gained
it back. They have experienced
a little slice of life; right now it is
all they know of life.
But now they must move on,
blue-robed, tassel-topped fig
ures grasping a paper which
testifies that they are ready to
face the world. They have been
nurtured, tutored, encouraged,
prodded, praised; Now they are
ushered into living wjth “Pomp
and Circumstance.”
Twenty years from now, what
will it matter? How often will
memory take them back to
school ^ys, to old friends and
first kisses, to Homecoming
games and victory, to a favorite
or most-hated class? How often
will they smile-remembering the
Junior-Senior, that special
gown, the S40 tux, the special
dance? How often?
But now, it is all. They move
forward into the unknown. They
follow a path; they blaze a trail.
They turn their backs on the
past and let the wind of the
future dry the tears of their fear.
But they do move forward, and
their goals, their struggles and
failures and triumphs become
the goals, struggles, failures,
and triumphs of the future
world.
We wish them well.
Dear Editor;
This letter is in response to the
article in the April issue, “Editor’s
Echo.”
First of all, I would like to correct
your statement in the adjoining
article about the TWIRP dance, that
last year’s prom was “an unpleasant
experience most of us here at Senior
High would like to forget.’’ The
“most of us" who would like to for
get this experience, probably, did
not even attend. Some people were
so angered by the outcome of the
decision of the band, that they
decided to stage their own Jr.-Sr.
prom. The “few of us” who attend
ed the prom found It to be a very
pleasant and enjoyable evening, one
that we can only look back on with
fond memories.
True, there were short-comings
and mistakes made by the class of
'76 as was pointed out in "Editor’s
Echo.” But there were also many
teachers and students who worked
very hard on the prom who should
have been congratulated for their
work. There were no editorials last
year on how beautiful the
decorations were or how many of the
members of the Class of ’75 stated
that it was the best prom that Sr.
High had ever had, or that it was a
tremendous improvement over the
one that had been held the previous
year.
So, for those of you who would
like to forget the 1975 Jr.-Sr. as an
unpleasant experience, let me say to
you that there are also many of us
who will remember it as a
very successful affair, h^aybe if you
had been there, you would have felt
differently. Maybe not, but in any
case, the 1975 prom, among the
many problems and disagreements
that arose, was a beautiful, enjoy
able one for those of us who attend
ed. And t congratulate the teachers
and students who worked so hard to
make it enjoyable for doing an
EXCELLENT JOB.
Bart>ara Cofield
Dear Editor:
First of all, even though the
article on Chocolate Funk was very
biased and ill stated. It was opinion
of many people. The band perform
ed poorly, but the way it was
criticized was uncalled for. Many
blacks have stated that the band did
a poor job and that the songs were
hard to dance by. We feel that one of
the replying letters to the editor was
even more biased and prejudice. Not
only was It irrational and weak, but
many blacks were embarrassed by it
just as were the whites by the first
article.
We agree that the original
editorial was wrong, but two wrongs
do not make a right. We quote
“Very Intelligent," “Marvelous
Jobs,” “Not gong to change their
style because of the white people at
Senior High." “I’ve understood it,
just like back in slavery days." “The
white man said those niggers are
really singing.” "You don’t under
stand your own music.”
First of all regarding the band’s
intelligence, who took their IQ? As
far as marvelous is concerned, we
haven't been able to find any one
who thought the band was good,
black or white much less marvelous.
No one asked Chocolate Funk to
change their style, so we can't see
why this prejudiced statement
should have been Included. Now our
main criticisms, was the author of
this letter alive back in slavery days?
Did he know anyone who was? How
could he have heard some white say,
“Those niggers are really singing.”
This Is only bringing up old wounds
that should be left alone. How can
he say “whites don't understand
their own music." Besides what
does that or slavery have to do with
the Twirp Dance?
Last but certainly not least, “but
you others, you took over our school
and sent us over here." We the stu
dents at Rocky Mount Senior High
didn't take anyone’s school. It was
forced upon whites just as it was
forced upon blacks. This is most
absurd, and it clearly has nothing to
do with Twirp Week. It only causes
hard feeling. And even though the
first article was wrong and only ex
pressed one person's feelings, why
was a bombardment placed on all
students? We agree the first was
wrong, but so was 'the second. We
hope that the feelings that have
been hurt, will heal, but also, we
hope that the biased and prejudiced
articles that claim to show a majority
of feeling but only show one per
son's feelings will not be published
in the future.
Steve Daughtridge
Tony Barnes
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
V
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 Newbem
Assistant Principals Mr. Robert Miller
Mr. Charles Davis