GRYPHON
September 29, 1989
FOCUS 7
e classes start at 7:59!
Sophomores make adjustments
Rocky Mount Senior High
School, 7:45 a.m., Aug. 28,
1989. For many sophomores, it
was the beginning of the big ad
justment from Junior High to
Senior High.
Will I get squirted by the sen
iors? Will I ever find all my
classes? Will I be able to ride to
lunch? These were just some of
the worries sophomores faced on
the first day of school. The anxi
eties of being in a new school,
getting used to new teachers, and
meeting new people were a lot
for the sophomores to handle.
After surviving the first day, the
sophomores knew it had to get
easier.
Sophomores found Senior
High very different from Junior
High. They found that the teach
ers expected more from them.
Homework assignments were
more time-consuming, and tests
were often given on much
shorter notice. Teachers expect
the students to be mere respon
sible and to need less pampering.
Band, cheerleading, sports
and other extracurricular activi
ties filled up the students’ busy
schedules. Thi pressures of hav
ing more things to do in less time
is a hard adjustment to make, but
some sophomores like Marlowe
Moore are taking it all in stride.
“1 have more responsibilities, but
I like the extra privileges I have
this year,” she said
As September comes to an
end, sophomores are beginning
to make a place for themselves in
the halls of Senior High. The
sophomores are trying to fit in,
getting involved, and becoming
a part of their new school. It
hasn’t been easy, but they know
it will only be two years before
they will be seniors.
By Dana Burgess
Seniors' spirits high for new year
The classes of the SO’s, which
ended with a graduating class of
1989, has come to an abrupt end.
A new era has now begun, and
era beginning with the class of
1990.
As the first day of school
rolled around, preparations made
by the senior class included
painting the tantalizing signs di
rected toward the underclass
men, filling with gas the caravan
of automobiles for the senior
class parade, and stocking up on
the all important waterguns and
balloons. Also included on
Sunday’s agenda was the paint
ing of senior t-shirts to reflect
their own senior attitudes.
Through the night, many sen
iors chose to party to the early
hours of the morning, while oth
ers chose to get a good night’s
sleep before the first day of
school. No matter how their
nights were spent, most of the
class of 1990 managed to arrive
on campus fairly early. Much to
their surprise, they were greeted
by eight to ten members of the
Rocky Mount Police Depart
ment. While the seniors were
ready to decorate along the ten
nis courts, the parking lot fence,
and the student commons patio,
the R.M.P.D. was ready to de
liver tickets for trespassing. The
police had been given specific
instructions by the administra
tion of the school not to allow
students on the grounds until 7
While some seniors went
back home to wait for the appro
priate time, others travelled to
the Gardner’s Restaurant park
ing lot on Sunset Avenue for the
annual senior parade. Horns,
screams, and chants of “1990”
filled the air in several residential
areas, and eventually, in Nash
Street. By 6:45 a.m. nearly all of
the class of 1990 had gathered
for one last year together. The
student parking lot became a
battle zone as sophomores and
with
juniors were bombarded
water balloons.
The class that began a
new era, Aug. 29 settled in their
homerooms to catch up on their
sleep lost from the last unforget
table 24 hours. By Todd Wallace
Photo by Jennifer Townsend
Oh, no! Time to settle down
In the parking lot Principal Jerry Carter confronts five members of the Senior Brigade.
i.m.