South High School - Black and Gold Yearbook (Winston Salem, NC)

Page 73 text:

NS. SLIPERLATIVES OF IANLIARY CLASS IDEAL GIRL The ideal girl of the Senior Class Would include thern all it seems VVc'd select the best trait of each lass To make up the girl of our dreams. From Opal Lancaster we'd take her eyes And Choose Louise l,inebaek's hair, lean Simpson's intelligence would make her And Octa's complexion is fair. Estelle Kimel could donate her ready wit, We'd get teeth from Alma Brooks And Alma's hgurc would make a hit Even in the movie hooks. BLACK AND GOLD wise IDEAL BOY The ideal hov, on the other hand VVould have eyes like M. B. Byrd As for wit, we'd choose i'Red IVIanuel's hrand As about the best that we've heard From C. F, Cooke well select the physique And from M. Bn intelligence. The hair of Bill Knott would best suit our sheik VVhile C, Ffs teeth have most brilliance, Reds disposition would complete the list, Plus Bill Knott's versatihility Such a Composite boy we couldrft resist With this character and this ability. Page seventy-one

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S32 Ld, CLASS POEM -1' -if Our life is a book, and only we I-lave power to write therein. The days we live are its pages: Our character'-the pen. The cover bound about it is made By God's own hand, We're placed upon the shelf of life To await His command, And when our book is opened What will the reader see? A life of service, faith and love? Or will the answer be, The writing here is not very clear, I see no good at all. The book is closed, the reader gone, You're placed against the wall. Yes, the reader's gone. I-le travels on To find books more worthwhile, No time for you, whose pages few Are unclean, blotted, vile. The book he seeks is rich and full. No scantiness, no scrawl, One which remains unblemished The masterpiece of all. So, Graduates, may we make our book One to be much read, One whose pages we'll open wide Proudly and unafraid. With our high school days the preface Of our book comes to an end. The living chapters, small or great, In the future must be penned. ,- X lb BLACK AND GOLD

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-es 'L . L 1 ,- HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOLS Octa Cook, Historian Since this is the hundredth anniver- sary of the public schools of North Caro- lina, we of North High have chosen the topic HISTORY OF NORTH CARO- LINA SCHOOLS instead of HIST- ORY OF OUR CLASS . The first form of public education in North Carolina was that provided for the destitute orphans. Various citizens promised to take orphans and teach them a trade and to read and write along with other children in the family. In 1776 the first free school was estab- lished in Newbern. lt was financed by a one cent tax on each gallon of rum carried up the Neuse River. Although the original Constitution of 1776 had made it possible through the legislature to establish schools, nothing was done until 1825 when the act creat- ing the Literary Fund was passed. The principal support was a combination of local taxation and income from the Lit- erary Fund. In 1850 Calvin H. Wiley introduced into the House of Commons a bill to provide for the appointment of a Superin- tendent of Common Schools. In 1852, Wiley was appointed the first Superin- tendent of Common Schools. Wiley's task as the first superinten- dent was not easy. In spite of all the difficulties, Calvin H. Wiley went for- ward and out of apparent chaos built the foundation of the present education system in North Carolina. Probably no better view of the educa- tional status at the inception of the state school system is given anywhere than that presented by Wiley in his first ann- ual report in 1853. The children of all grades and classes, in Wiley's day, were all together in one class. The teacher taught the children out of any books they had, Wiley did not like this idea so he wrote a book for Page seventy-two the children, The children were put into classes after this book was written. Wiley wished to establish a school in each section of the country. The people who had been sending their children to boarding school gave money to these public schools. By this method all the children in that section of the country were able to go to school. Although the statistical data contained in this first State Superintendent's report are very meagre compared to a report of the present Superintendent of Public Instruction, it does show certain inter- esting facts concerning the progress of schools and education in the state. In 1840, there were 2 colleges and universities, 141 academies, and 14,937 other schools. There were 56,609 whites over 20 years of age who could not read and write. ln 1850, the enrollment had increased greatly: there were 100,591 children en- rolled in the common schools. The re- port of 1853 showed 177,629 children had enrolled in 70 counties, and 85,322 children taught. The average salary per month was from S9 to 536, and very few of the teachers were properly licensed. Many serious difficulties had been en- countered, and notwithstanding these,and notwithstanding the imperfect organiza- tion of the system, and a partial neglect of the State, the schools have made a continued though slow progress. The following paragraph might well be said today, it would be just as appli- cable as it must have been when Wiley was superintendent: Our position is not high, but in no country on earth can greater industrial, commercial, and educational progress be made in the next years than it is in our power easily to accomplish for North Carolina. fContinued on page 1971 BLACK AND GOLD