The Problems of Democracy Class, taught by Mr. Callaghan, has
been engaged in the study of what a high school student should have acquired
during his four years in school. The 10 points that they decided upon are:
Good work habits; temperance in all things; ability to earn
rather than merely get his living; fundamental principles of good sportsmanship;
ability to speak clearly, forcefully and accurately, and to write intelligently
in the English language;
An outward demeanor of poise, dignity and bearing; the art,
vigor and power of clean speech and clean thinking; keep appointments and
engagements; seek and accept counsel and advice from authoritative sources; and
develop a sense of proportion that will help render just decisions, thus keeping
every act sensibly balanced.
Their final assignment will be an essay on all the work covered
during the current term.
It seems to be only a question of
time until man will travel to the moon. We have
joked about this inevitable trip on past occasions
and we are still not a candidate to make the trip,
but recent developments make it certain that either
we, or the Russians, will be firing rockets to the
moon in the near future.
The moon, strange as it may seem to some, is only about two or
three days away from the earth. We are speaking in terms of rocket travel. This
does not mean that a rocket will have to burn fuel and propel itself for two or
three days.
After the rocket has cleared the earth’s atmosphere, then the
rocket engine can be turned off. It will travel in the same manner as the earth
satellites now circling us, which maintain a speed of about 18,000 miles per
hour, because of the lack of resistance encountered.
The greatest danger, and the greatest doubt, surrounds the
return trip, and problems connected with it.
The following letters from a teacher
at Brooksville School and three of her fourth grade
students concern last week’s article about Calhoun
County having the highest poverty level in West
Virginia:
My fourth grade class was distressed to learn that Calhoun
County rated as the poorest county in the state according to the 1980 census. We
feel that Calhoun County has a lot of positive aspects that go unannounced.
Students at Brooksville feel that the following information is
worth mentioning to the “world” to contradict our published misfortune or
unfortunate situation. I feel we must acknowledge these positive aspects if we
are to find hope and instill a better quality of living for our future citizens.
True, our children, as a majority, are limited in economic
opportunities and cultural advantages; however, there is much we can prosper
from and be proud of in Calhoun County.
If we never hear anything encouraging how will we be encouraged?
--Susan Carper,
4th Grade Teacher,
Brooksville Grade School
When I heard we were the poorest county in West Virginia and
that West Virginia is the poorest state in the United States, I was pretty
unhappy. It’s nice to be number one at something, but not so good being number
one at being the poorest. I think Calhoun County is one of the best counties in
West Virginia.
--Gabe Skaggs, 4th Grade
I think you made Calhoun County look worse than what it is. We
might be poor, but we have good things too, like scenery. Our scenery is the
prettiest in the whole state. If you climb a hill and look, you can see nothing
but pretty scenery.
Our hunting and fishing is good, too. Just two years ago my
uncle caught a 20 lb. white perch. And then this year my older brother shot a 4
point buck on the first day of deer season! But I see that we are still poor,
but there is a lot of good things, too.
--John Cash, 4th Grade
My name is Christopher Ford and I am ten years old. I was born
in Calhoun General Hospital and so far have spent all the ten years of my life
living in Calhoun County.
I think that we have the prettiest animals in West Virginia. We
have a lot of nice people in Calhoun County. We do not get traffic jams.
Calhoun County is not as violent as some counties in West
Virginia. I think it is the best county in the state. I like Calhoun because we
have a lot of farms.
--Chris Ford, 4th Grade