Vol. XV—No. 15
Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Thursday, January 25, 1945
Janet Green Victor in Short Story Contest
-g>
The Truth About:
The Teacher
Salary Question
By The Staff
The much-heralded Proconian short story contest came to a close
last week, when Janet Green, an eighth grade student, was judged
the winner of the prize of five dollars. Miss Green’s story. Happy
Birthday, Mon Pere, appears elsewhere in this issue.
Chapel Hill teachers at a meet
ing called by the local branch of
the North Carolina Education
Association last week protested
the state legislature’s proposal
to write the salaries of school
teachers into the budget appro
priation bill, in telegrams sent
by the classroom teachers.
As the bill now stands, teach
ers with 11 years’ experience and
an M.A. degree can receive a
maximum of $179 per month for
9 months’ teaching, a total of
$1,611 per year. Inexperienced
teachers, under the proposed bill,
will start at $125 per month—a
total of $1,125 per year.
The present salary scale starts
at $98 per month for inexperi
enced teachers and the maximum
for an experienced teacher with
a graduate degree is $150, which
can be supplemented by local
school boards.
The argument of the propo
nents of the bill, presented to
staff and school board Sunday by
Representative John Umstead, is
that though salaries could not be
raised, any salary cuts could not
affect teachers for two years.
Teachers claim that if the sal
aries were written into the budg
et appropriation bill, no salaries
could be raised for the next two
years. With the control of sal
ary funds in the hands of the
State Board of Education, raises
can be made without consulting
the legislature. Last year the
Board of Education gave teachers
a retroactive $2 per month bonus.
Although only a few stories^
were entered in the contest, the
quality of all of them was very
high and the actual judging of
the entries was a tedious process.
The prize-winning story won
much praise from the judges. It
depicts a French town before and
during “D” Day and is a well-
woven and descriptive story.
Runners-up in the contest were
a negro dialect story by Robert
Brooks and Love Lost by Harold
Cheek.
Miss Green is the daughter of
Paul Green, noted American
author who recently finished the
screen play for the picture based
on Captain Eddie Rickenbacker’s
recent book. Seven Survived. A
member of Miss SeawelTs eighth
grade home room, she has recent
ly returned from California
where she attended school during
the fall.
THE WINNER
The Contest Winner:
Happy Birthday,
Mon Pere
By Janet Green
Swimming Team Practice To Be
Started February 15 in Gym Pool
College Admission
Requirements Listed
In his talk in assembly last
week. Dr. Bill Plemmons dis
cussed the necessary require
ments for admission into the Uni
versity.
They are as follows: A student
must have 15 acceptable units
from an accredited high school or
prep school. These units must
include 4 in English, IV2, in al
gebra, 1 in plane geometry, 2 in
one foreign language, 1 in a so
cial science (preferably United
States history), 1 in a natural
It was recently announced that
a swimming team will begin Feb
ruary 15 under the direction of
Willis Casey, University swim
ming coach. Practices and meets
will be held in the indoor pool
at Woollen gymnasium at 5:30
on the days Monday through
Friday. Students who wish to
join the team are asked to re
port to the gym on the 15th.
science and 41^ in electives (pre
ferably academic subjects). It is
possible for a student to make up
a deficiency in one subject if he
has 15 other acceptable college
units.
The small French village of
Bayeux was quiet under the
duskiness of early morning. One
could scarcely perceive the dread
ed Swastika’s shadow over every
thing. One would scarcely know
the Nazis were there, hiding be
hind doors, strong in their fear
of the foe. The cottages on the
beach were quiet and dark, and in
the cellars where the fishermen
and their families lay on their
cots—they wondered.
Marie was wondering too. Why
the planes did not come? Why
the quietness, so still and fore
boding? “Why isn’t there the
usual noise and light and con
fusion?” she thought.
“There have been other times
when it was quiet and peaceful.”
She smiled and thought of dear
Pere.
“Today is his birthday, June
sixth, nineteen forty-four — a
long time since that other June
night. Four years today.”
Pere had awakened her and
said, “I will be back, Marie. Be
a good girl. I am going to fight
for France, ma chere, but I’ll be
back when France is free.”
Marie had cried, for the next
day was Pere’s birthday, and
they were going to Caen to cele
brate it.
But then he said, “I’ll come
home when France is free, never
fear!” He had kissed Jean, and
the twins, and then was gone.
Maman had cried after he left.
She said she knew he would be
killed. But Marie knew he would
(See MON PERE, page four)