Page Eight—THE GRYPHON—Thursday, September 30, 1976
Learning Goes On In Hospital
How does a rising Senior
react when injured indefinitely
from a serious automobile
accident three months before
his last year in high school
begins? Can he bear the
immobility necessary if his
injuries are to heal? Can he
complete his studies and
graduate when confined to a
hospital bed? Mike Lewis can
answer.
“1 didn't know where 1 was”
said senior Mike Lewis when
questioned about his arrival at
Nash General Hospital. On June
20, Father’s Day, Mike was
driving to work in a heavy
rainstorm. He lost control of the
car because of slippery road
conditions and collided into a
tree. The car was literally
wrapped around the tree, and it
was more than 30 minutes
before the Stony Creek Rescue
Squad could remove Mike from
the mangled car.
Mike’s collar bone was
broken, his gums deeply cut, his
teeth loosened, and his right leg
extensively damaged. During
the more than 12 weeks he has
stayed at Nash General he has
undergone two operations. He
has had two cast*, previously
removed and he just recently
HOME BOUND Mike Lewis continues to receive his
education in the hospital despite his tragic accident.
[photo by B. Hatchisson]
had a screw extracted that had
been placed through his ankle.
His bed is surrounded by
something that can easily be
compared to a “jungle gym.”
There are a series of pulleys,
metal rods and ropes which
suspends Mike’s leg in traction
approximately nine inches
above his bed. One of the most
noticeable things about Mike’s
leg was a metal pin that was
placed through his right knee.
Halls Are Crowded
Rocky Mount Senior High has
a traffic problem, not only in the
parking lot, but also, in the hall.
Several times a day, hall traffic
jams the intersection of the 100
hall outside room 107.
When the traffic converges on
the 100 hall, people are shoved
and pushed the wrong ways,
and inevitably, someone’s spiral
composition book will rip every
sweater around. Ripped sweat
ers are not the only casualties.
Ink pens attack white pants and
shirts and leave their mark
indeliably.
What can be done to solve the
problem? Richard Shaw, a
junior gasped between pushes
and shoves, “We need a stop
light!” A stop light might help
unclog the intersection, but
lAlmand’s!
what would happen to traffic
violators? Would a right turn on
red be legal?
Mrs. Carol Carpenter, an
English teacher, was directing
traffic one day before lunch. She
didn’t have a whistle, but she
made herself heard. Later she
said, “Some teachers suggest
we set up a platform at the 100
hall and put Coach Harris in it to
direct traffic.
Telephone
442-2159
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Gryphons
Leaders
So Are We
n
The purpose of this pin was to
hold the bone in place. On
September 17, this pin was
removed by a drill. The leg was
bandaged, and a body cast
which extends from his waist
down to both legs was put on.
Between his knees there is a rod
that hold his legs apart at a
specified distance.
Mike will stay in this cast
until the bone is completely
healed. During this time he will
not be able to move the lower
half of his body, and he will
have to remain immobile and
flat on his back. His collar bone,
gums, and teeth have all healed.
Mike is in a program known
as “Homeward Bound” direct
ed by Mr. Tommy Ezzel. This
program is designed to assist
students who have become
disabled to keep up with their
academics. Mr. Ezzel has 17
other students. Mike is his only
student who will eventually be
able to return to school. On
every Friday Mr. Ezzel goes to
the hospital and tutors Mike for
three hours. During these three
hours he teaches Mike in six
different subjects.
When asked how he liked the
one to one teacher-student
ratio, Mike replied, “It’s a lot
easier, but I still wish I was back
at school. I miss the fun in the
classroom.” Each week when
Mr. Ezzel comes he leaves
Mike with a week’s assignment.
Assignments are required to
be completed when Mr. Ezzel
returns the following week.
In addition to the “Homeward
Bound” program, Mr. Elizabeth
Hardy, an English teacher at
Senior High, tutors Mike in
English in her own spare time.
One or twice a week Mrs. Hardy
goes to the hospital and helps
Mike with his studies.
Through visits and phone
calls his friends help him to
keep informed on the activities
at school. He follows the
Gryphon football games by
listening to the radio. His room
has accumulated many presents
from his relatives, friends, and
church. When asked what he
would most like to do when he
gets out of the hospital, Mike’s
response was “I want to be out
in a field deer hunting.”
Gonzales Prepares Gosta Rican Meal
A Costa Rican meal was
prepared by Elisa Gonzales, the
American Field Service Foreign
Exchange student from Costa
Rica for the students from Mrs.
Sue Hayworth’s Spanish 4x
class. The group met at Mrs.
Hayworth’s home on Wednes
day, Sept. 15 for the dinner.
Elisa served the guests a type
of fruit juice, doritos and a
tampico dip before dinner. The
main course consisted of
empanadas fried meat pies
made of tortillas, ground beef,
chopped potatoes, and onion
salad that featured grated
cabbage, carrots, pickles, and
relishes. Elisa served apple pie
“a la moda.”
In Costa Rica apple pie is
considered a delicacy because
apples are very scarce and must
be imported from the United
States. Usually apples are eaten
only during the Christmas
season in Costa Rica.
A special guest was Suzanne
Cobb, American “sister” of
Elisa. Other students who
attended the meal were Denise
Alston, Sherri Bynum, Bill
Hudson, Missy Roberts, and
Elizabeth Wilson.
AHENTION PARTIAL MILLIONAIRES!
YES YOU! AS A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE, YOU
WILL PROBABLY EARN IN WAGES AT LEAST
$300,000.00 DURING YOUR LIFETIME AND BY
COMPLETING COLLEGE YOU MAY ADD AN
EXTRA $200,000.00 TO THAT SUM.
GET PREPARED NOW TO WISELY INVEST AND
DISBURSE THESE FUTURE FUNDS BY ADDING
“MONEY” AND “FINANCIAL SERVICES” TO
YOUR LIST OF SUBJECTS TO LEARN THIS YEAR.
WE WILL CORDIALLY COUNSEL YOU IN
BANKING AND ITS SERVICES — WE HAVE AN
INTEREST IN YOUR FUTURE.
^ Wachovia
Bank&Trust
2401 Sunset Avenue Member F.D.I.C.
Rocky Mount, N.C.