voLxxxn
September 2002
Edition 1
Freshmen and Sophomores
invade Senior High
Going Too Far
Darace Bames and Caitlin Johnson
On the first day of school, students flooded
the streets and waited at bus stops to catch
the bus back to school. For the first time,
Nash-Rocky. Mount schools have gone to
the middle school/high school format.
Schools that were previously junior highs
are now middle schools with grades 6-8 and
high schools now house grades 9-12.
Because of a grandfather clause, the new
high school, Nash Central High, is half
empty with only 750 students in grades nine
and ten, while the other high schools are
filled beyond capacity.
Expectations of the freshman
class were varied as to what high school
life would be like. Amanda Johnson thought
that it would be fun. Others, such as Sam
Morrison and Antonio Moore, were only
looking for the girls. Many freshmen like
this school better than their previous
school, but they would still like to change
some parts of the school. “I wish it was not
so trashy in some places,” says freshman
Sally Cavaheri. Overall, most freshmen enjoy
being at RMSH.
Freshmen are not the only new
students here. Sophomores are also new to
the school. “I was expecting nothing but
• homework, and maybe not knowing
anybody,” says sophomore Adrienne
Mitchell. “I was expecting to get a higher
education,” says Emily Lester.
Juniors and seniors had a lot to
say about the freshmen coming to this
school. “I don’t really Uke them being here,
‘cause it’s so crowded, but it’s okay,” say
seniors Sabrina Floyd, Cassie Lower, Emily
O Connor, Emily Horton and juniors,
Shaquanna Little, Janee’ Avent, Kelli
Wideman, and Cassie Bames. “They have
nowhere else to go, so they can’t really help
it,” says junior Mark Tracey. Still, some
seniors and juniors put aside their rivalry
and still helped the lost freshman and
sophomores to find their way around the
school.
Justin
Students and teachers filed out of the
RMSH building at approximately 8:10am on
Monday, Sept. 10'\ Everyone figured it was
the required monthly fire drill. When the
alarm went off at 9:35am and 1:05pm on the
same day, however,
everyone knew that
something was not right.
Reportedly, the
first fire alarm was a
legitimate alarm, after a fire
was found in a trash can in
the 200-hall restroom, filling
part of the 200-hall with
smoke. The second and
third alarms were pranks, as
no fires were found. A student suspect
was apprehended by several student/
teacher eyewitnesses and the school’s
video security footage.
After the third fire drill of the day,
Principal Judy Bradshaw acted to keep the
prank pulls from occurring. In a brief
Oswalt
statement over the intercom, Mrs.
Bradshaw stated that the school would
place an award for the apprehension of the
culprits who pulled the alarms. She then
activated a lock-down scenario by keeping,
“all students in the room
except for emergencies.”
Teachers have since begun
to let more students out,
while some are still tightly
bound by the words of the
principal. Hall passes are
now a must to keep the hall
traffic down.
The school is charged a
fee for each trip the fire
department makes to the school, including
hoaxes such as these. Any students who
intentionally pull a fire alarm for a prank are
guilty of committing a felony, and face
suspension and/or expulsion by the Rocky
Mount Senior High administration and the
Nash-Rocky Mount School Board.
Ooh! Who are you?
Brooke Smith
Freshman in Mrs. Nancy Mooring’s second period class work after finishing their
tests.For teacher and class, this is their first year at RMSH. -Photo by Justin Oswalt
Silence forsaken:
What happened?
page 2
Fall movies
and fresh fashion
page 3
The ninth and tenth graders are not the only
new faces you will see at RMSH this year.
The school has a new' principal and thirty-
three new teachers.
Some of the new faces may look
familiar. Carrying the family tradition, Eddie
Doll, son of former principal Wayne Doll,
has transferred from Southern Nash to
teach math. Other transferees are Leila Lou
Baldwin, Bill Bourne, Marie Bridgers, Teni
Buckner, Thelma Cotton, Debra Heck, Diane
Jones, Christine Keller, Deborah Kropp,
Evelyn Lawrence, Chris Lee, Elizabeth
Moore, Nancy Mooring, Janet Nelms, Clark
Phillips, Ben Richardson, Erin Smith, Pam
Smith, and Kathy Stallings.
Some of the new teachers are not
just new to RMSH; they are new to the area
Gryph Varsity’s
new player
page 6
as well. Art teacher Paisley Cloyd, originally
from Wilson, has moved home to North
Carolina after many years in Atlanta. Mark
and Jennifer Hoover are married and moved
here from Pennsylvania. Other new
teachers include Ronnie Beasley, Lou Buck,
Matt Gilisen, Emily Haggerty, Laurie Oswalt,
Patrick Smith, Scott Thompson, and Hitesh
Palmer.
The Gryphon wanted to talk with
Mrs. Bradshaw and get her first impressions
of RMSH. She is very dedicated to the
school. Unfortunately, her schedule has
been extremely hectic, and she was not
available for comment.
Everybody’s there!
Are you?
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