“Many words I don’t know.
No, different. I don’t know
many words.” Elisa Marie
Gonzales Rojas, the American
Field Service students for the
1976-77 school year, made this
statement when she talked of
her difficulty with English.
Elisa is from Nararijo (which
means orange), Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is the second
smallest country in Central
America. Nararijo is a small,
mountainous city which has
several factories.
Elisa lives with her parents
and her seven brothers and
sisters. Her brothers are
William, 18; Ricardo, 16;
Carlos, 14; Jose, 12; and
Francis, 6. Her sisters are
Marta, 19; and Elvia, 10. She
owns a dog named Gitana and a
rabbit named Pito.
Elisa says that the young
people are much the same in the
two countries; however, the
schools are very different. The
school that Elisa attends is
much smaller than Rocky Mount
Senior High. School begins at 7
o clock, and at 11 o’clock there
is a two hour break for lunch.
Since no lunch is served at
school, students go home for
lunch. School begins again at 1
o’clock and continues until 4
o’clock. Instead of the students
moving from class to class, the
teachers move to each class, and
there is a ten minute break
between classes. Students have
three electives ^and three
mandatory classes.
Elisa enjoyed listening to
records and reading while in
Costa Rica. Here, she watches
television, walks, writes many
letters, and does homework,
she doesn’t like rock ‘n’ roll but
instead, she prefers classical
music.
Elisa says that dating is
conducted differently in Costa
Rica. The first date between a
boy and a girl is chaperoned. All
following dates are chaperoned
also until the parents give their
permission to the girl allowing
her to date the boy without a
chaperone.
Elisa says that Rocky Mount
Senior High is a beautiful
school, situated in a nice city.
She says that she enjoys the
football games, and she
especially enjoys the band and
the flags. Elisa feels she has
many friends at school. She asks
that if you happen to pass her in
the hall, to stop and introduce
yourself. She wants to have
many more friends.
Mayberry Chooses
Cabinet Chairmen
As the 1976 school year
begins the chore of selecting the
presidential cabinet of the
Student Representative As
sembly begins.
Paul Mayberry, president,
along with other elected
officers, Kyle Pittman , vice
president; Angela Winston,
treasurer; and Denise Alston,
secretary, have been busy
choosing a capable cabinet that
will serve the student body to
the best of their ability
according to Paul.
Paul is having trouble filling
the chair person’s spot on the
Publication Committee and the
Lost and Found Committee
according to Kyle Pittman.
However the majority of the
spots have been filled. Mem
bers of the President’s Cabinet
are as follows: Terri Berry,
Social; Jamie Landis, School
Spirit; Teresa Everette, Hu
mans Relations; Danny Mc-
^Donald, Traffic; Jack Todd,
Elections; Amy Fisher, House
and Grounds; Richard Oxen-
dine, Fire Drill; Hope Reese,
Student Store; Gina Diehl, Kyle
Pittman, Assembly; Angela
Winstead, Financial.
Paul said even though the
cabinet is new, the committees
are working to make this year a
success.
APS STUDENT RELAXES — Rocky Mount Senior High’s
foreign excliange student for this year, Elisa Maria Gonzales
Rojas, relaxes in the home of her American sister, Suzanne
Cobb. [photo by Bulluck]
Elisa Compares
Home, Rocky Momit
^GRYPHON
Vol. 3, No. 1 Rocky Mount Senior High, Rocky Mount, N.C. 27801 September 30, 1976
Seniors Register
For Nov. Election
Only 21 of 97 eighteen-year-
seniors were registered to vote
in the November general
election, according to a Gryphon
staff survey taken September
14, 1976.
However, 57 students who
were 18 on the survey date or
who will be 18 by November 2
plan to register by the voter
registration deadline of October
4, 1976. Seventy-one of the 97
students eligible to vote chose to
state their party registration
preference indicated that they
will be registered as Democrats
in the November 2 election.
Twenty-four of the students will
be registered as Republicans,
and three indicated that they
Upcoming . . .
Seniors — S.A.T., November
6, cost $7.25;
Juniors — S.A.T., May or
June;
Juniors and Sophomores —
P.S.A.T., this Sen.;
Maynard Ferguson — Wed
nesday, Oct. 20;
October 23 — “Chaplain of
Bourbon Street;’’
Events at Muncipal Stadium.
would list themselves as some
other party member or title.
Twenty-six eligible voters ab
stained from stating a party
preference.
In another portion of the
survey, the 97 qualified seniors
were asked to indicate their
preference of presidential vice
presidential candidates. As in
the nation at this time, the ticket
of Jimmy Carter and Senator
Walter Mondale leads the ticket
of President Ford and Senator
Robert Dole. The Carter-Mon-
dale team received 42 of the
eligible votes. The Ford-Dole
combination received a com
paratively lower number of 19
votes. Four people indicated a
desire for other candidates. One
student stated a preference for
Senator Eugene McCarthy. The
tickets of Nixon-Ford, Ali-Reve-
rend Ike, Lincoln-Washington,
and Newbern-Davis each re
ceived one vote of preference.
The survey also contained a
Moyes-White ticket. The Gry
phon staff listed this ticket to
see if anyone could be deceived
into voting for false candidates.
The choice did not fool anyone,
or at least no one preferred it.
Mr. White and Mr. Moyes are
publishers of a journalism
textbook.
The “Voter Registration and
Candidate Preference Survey’’
contained the following ques
tions. Are you 18 or will you be
18 on or before the general
election November 2? YES NO
If you answered "NO”
question one do not complete
the survey.
If you are already 18 and have
you registered to vote? YES NO
If you are already 18 and have
not registered, do you plan to?
YES NO
If you will be 18 between now
and/or on November 2. do you
plan to register during the
allowable period September
6-October 4? YES NO
If you have already registered
or plan to, what party did you,
or do you plan to register for?
DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLICAN;
OTHER?
Who is your prcfcre:;.;e for
president, vice president?
FORD-DOLE, CARTER-
MONDALE, MOYES-WHITE?
The seniors surveyed were
asked to circle the correct
answers according to their
status as voters and personal
preferences. Of the 428 seniors
at Rocky Mount Senior High,
the survey was distributed to all
but the 18 who were absent on
the date that it was conductcd.
New Heating System
Causes Minor Problems
Rocky Mount Senior High is
in the process of getting a new
heating system to overcome
problems caused by the old
system.
Perhaps some of you have
noticed holes in the ceilings
around the school, tiles on the
floor (which have fallen from the
ceiling) or large pipes protrud
ing from walls? How about the
workmen in the restrooms?
Electricon, Inc. of Kinston
has the heating contract and
Stuart Shinn Inc. of Greenville
has the electrical contract. The
whole project is costing
$282,027.00 plus architecturaS
fees.
The new system started
before shcool ended last June
and was expected to be
completed in time for the
opening of school. Principal
Elton Newbern feels that the
project has notdisrupted school,
but that the opening of school
was not as orderly as it could
T
NECESSARY EYESORES
[photos by BulluckI
have been.
The old system was worn out
and had been leaking, thus the
need for a new system to be
installed. The leaks had been
becoming difficult to find and
repair.
Air conditioning could nol be
installed at this lime bccaiiso
there were nol enough funds
appropriated by the school
board. However, when moncv is
available and allocaicd. air
condiiioniiig « ill be added.