stentorianthe north carolina school of science and mathematics stentorian@ncssm.eduvol. XXX, issue 1 august 2009

the

Oh, the Places You’ll Go(As a 365-Day Unicorn)

By Jennifer Zhu

Micropipettes and research projects and data analysis…oh Yet another day at NCSSM? Not quite. Although students departed from the school in early June, the learning continued through the summer months for many Unicorns.

North Carolina wasn’t “north” enough for senior Lidia Valdes and NCSSM graduates Alan Bohn and Justin Huang this summer. Venturing to the the coast of Maine for eleven weeks, the three participated in the Jackson Laboratory’s Summer Student Program. Situated on Mount Desert Island, the three stayed in a century-old mansion known as the Highsseas. With that kind of setting, the prestigious program’s coordinators must have concluded that it would have been too inhumane and

cruel to torture the students by demanding they only spend their time on research; the program’s high school and undergraduate students traditionally go on weekend camping trips, spontaneous hikes in Acadia National Park, biking adventures, birdwatching expeditions, and a white water rafting adventure. This year, the participants even marched in a 4th of July parade, much to the chagrin of some of the students.

A nonprofit biomedical research institution and National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, Jackson Laboratory (www.jax.org) is designed to discover the genetic basis for preventing, treating and curing human diseases, and to enable research and education for the global biomedical community. The Maine laboratory fulfills

its objectives with its research internship opportunities. Eighty percent of its Summer Student Program’s more than 2,200 alumni entered careers in biomedical research or medicine. Drs. David Baltimore and Howard Temin, Jackson Laboratory SSP alumni, received the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Conclusion made from this kind of data? Keep your eyes on Valdes, Bohn, and Huang.

Although the approximately thirty students in the summer program work with mentors, these students are expected to develop an independent research project, implement their plan, analyze the data, and report their results. Think of Research in Biology, RChem, RPhysics, or Mentorship Research compressed into eleven intense weeks. And just like those particular classes at

NCSSM, program participants present their findings to researchers, peers, and parents at the end of their research experience.

Valdes’ specific project

investigated cardiovascular disease, focusing on pank3, a gene in mice that potentially regulates “good cholesterol”--high-density lipoprotein Continued on page 8

Lidia Valdes and Alan Bohn relax in Maine. They were soon back in the lab conducting world-class research.

Durham’s One World Market Fights for FairnessBy Peter Mcneary

In a world where “Made in China” is the norm and child labor is routine, one organization strives to let people counter the effects of free trade consumerism: One World Market.

One World Market, located on Ninth Street in Durham, started as a few boxes of product in the pastor’s office of Watts Street Baptist Church.

A non-profit corporation, One World Market makes it its mission to promote fair trade, a socio-economic movement that ensures the welfare of customers, workers, and intermediaries by offering customers reasonable prices and paying artisans and laborers a fair percentage of the profits.

Laura Wendell, the CEO of One World Market for

almost five years, earned her background in social justice first as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa for two years and then as the founder of an international non-profit organization dedicated to the development of literacy.

She saw the position offered to her at One World Market as an opportunity to continue her philanthropic line of work.

“I love international development, I love doing things that are very grass roots with tangible, personal results, and I love the store,” Wendell said.

As CEO, Wendell manages the corporation on a day-to-day basis. Finding new vendors, restocking the business’s inventory, helping customers, and managing finances are all tasks done by the store’s two paid employees.

Vendors are chosen

primarily through the Fair Trade Federation, which maintains rigorous standards for fair trade. To qualify as fair trade producers, organizations must pay their workers a living wage, which varies from country to country, and must not use child labor or exploit their workers.

Different fair trade organizations have different methods of operating, but most organizations pay artisans for their goods before they are sold. When the goods are sold, the profits are used to buy the next shipment of product from the artisans. By buying product upfront, fair trade organizations guarantee salaries to their workers.

One World Market typically pays fifty percent before receiving the goods (to be used in the production of the goods) and then fifty percent after the

goods are completed. Importers and other intermediaries also get a percentage of the profit from the goods that they handle.

Most fair trade is done through non-profit organizations, and competing with free trade organizations can be challenging.

“We struggle to match the price points of made-in-China goods, but if you compare us to other craft stores and places where people

are selling handmade, one-of-a-kind, or small-production items, we stock up really well,” Wendell said.

Because of joblessness in developing countries, demand for work in these countries is insatiable and workers often take whatever they can find. Some companies take advantage of this fact by establishing free trade zones in impoverished or politically insecure areas around the world such as China, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, where they erect factories and hire their employees for less than minimum wage, disregarding their rights.

The governments of countries containing these trade zones are often powerless to ban or regulate the zones because they may be deep in debt, corrupt, or so desperate to create jobs that they settle for jobs that do not meet even their own minimal standards. It is common for companies to utilize sweatshop and child labor through free trade zones.

Such companie have an inherent advantage because they pay their laborers as little as possible, making it feasible to sell their products at much lower prices. However, for-profit corporations are still called for-profit for a reason. Prices stay moderately high in the free trade market because business owners and employees are looking to make a profit.

“The fact that we are volunteer-staffed allows us to

have a higher percentage go to the artisans without having to necessarily raise our retail prices,” Wendell said.

Aside from One World Market’s two full-time, paid employees, the store is entirely volunteer-staffed. Students from NCSSM have done their summer service learning hours at One World Market in the past. In this way, One World Market is the reverse of most American companies; the workers overseas are paid decently and the American employees work for free.

“One of the things that our customers are looking for is the authenticity of our products and the way in which our products are socially responsible. In that sense, our products have a marketing edge,” Wendell said.

The social implications of fair trade attract customers. By purchasing items from One World Market, Durham’s residents can feel socially responsible and know that they are supporting progressive economics through consumerism.

Much of the merchandise sold at One World Market is also environmentally sustainable. Artisans are known to frequently use recycled paper and glass in their designs.

The store deals mostly in décor and jewelry, but it also carries musical instruments, comestibles (including locally roasted coffee) and small gifts.

Dancers perform outside of One World Market. OWM is staffed entirely by volunteers. •Photo courtesy of www.oneworldmarket.info

NCSSM THROUGH HISTORYreconstructing the past

Jennifer Zhu and Alex Lew take a trip back in time, recovering forgotten bits of history from NCSSM’s past. Using the archive of newspa-pers dating back to 1994, the rich story of the School of Science and Math is reconstructed here--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Enjoy.

(note: information and pictures before 1994 come from the writings of alumni published at http://barks.org/ncssm. Also, items appearing in quotes are direct quotations from previous issues of the Stentorian.)

the early years: 1980 - 1994

We’ve all heard stories of the pool behind Hill. It was demolished when the Hunt dorm was built. The “New Dorm” was nicknamed “Rome”, because it sure “wasn’t built in a day either.”

An ancient NCSSM schedule is pictured here. To the right of that, evidence that student attitudes about cafeteria food have not changed much over the years. Nor has the workservice requirement...A secret dormitory? No, the Wyche House, a boys’ dorm in the eighties, is now called Royall.

Below that, a scene from Faculty Airband, a tradition that has now stopped. According to Michael Grant, class of ‘86: “ Well it seems one day we had a faculty air band contest, in which each department was expected to put on a performance. Dr. Kolena, the emcee, made some comment at the beginning like ‘We’ve decided that, due to budget cuts, we’re going to have to ax one of the departments, so whoever finishes in last place will have to go.’”

While construction work was going on, students had to travel to EK Powe (“Icky Poo”) to eat their meals.Mid-NiNeties: 1994-

1996

The first issue of the 1994 was devoted almost entirely to Alt Day, a new feature of NCSSM’s calendar. Once a month, students had a “day off” to catch up on homework or do fun activities. In an editorial titled “Time to Explore,” student John Smith suggested that students “go fishing on the Eno river, see a play, ballet, or orchestral performance, take an all-day bike trip around Durham, [or] take a class in martial arts.”

Alt Day later evolved into a forum for student life classes, assemblies, and other activities. They were removed entirely with the switch to the trimester system.

The Bio Pond, previously situated behind Hunt Hall, “was removed over summer break due to school officials’ concerns that it was unsafe.” The article quotes Director of Operations Ed McBride: “Last winter people were walking out on the pond when it was only thinly iced over.” Fish in the Bio Pond had been found to be parasite-ridden. The fish were almost left to die, but in the end were moved to another, newly constructed pond off campus.

The events we now know as IVIZes used to go by a different name; the word “Interviz” occurs in old Stentorian publications a number of times. RLAs were previously DAs: Dorm Assistants.

Smoking was permitted on campus in 1994, making NCSSM the only public school in the state to allow it. “This seems to be a bit anomolous,” student writer John Smith points out. “Only the best and brightest students are allowed to inhale carcinogens . . . Dr. Barber, Director of Student Life, has pointed out that the policy of allowing limited smoking has quite possibly prevented students from having to sneak off campus to smoke. And because a student can ask an SLI to let them outside to smoke for a minute or two after check, fire hazards are averted inside dorms.”

In 1995, Hill Dormitory was still a girls’ hall and Bryan belonged to the guys. The school’s plan to switch the two dormitories lead to a number of student complaints, as males would effectively be pushed to one side of the campus, with females on the other. “Science & Math will turn into a fifth grade dance with the girls on one side of the campus and the boys on the other,” senior Nikki Miller said. Girls also expressed fears that “if the boys move into Hill, they’ll tear the place apart,” according to junior Jenny McInerney. At the time, Hill was air-conditioned while Bryan was not.

On one Alt Day in 1995, NCSSM held it’s first Women’s Conference. To the left (as originally captioned): “Marilyn Monroe (English teacher Ms. Elizabeth Moose) struts her stuff to ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’ at the closing ceremony of the Women’s Conference. Aretha Franklin also did a number with her back-up singers.’

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NCSSM THROUGH HISTORYreconstructing the past

Jennifer Zhu and Alex Lew take a trip back in time, recovering forgotten bits of history from NCSSM’s past. Using the archive of newspa-pers dating back to 1994, the rich story of the School of Science and Math is reconstructed here--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Enjoy.

(note: information and pictures before 1994 come from the writings of alumni published at http://barks.org/ncssm. Also, items appearing in quotes are direct quotations from previous issues of the Stentorian.)

“One of the most-used technological tools is ‘electronic mail’,” reads one 1995 article about technology on NCSSM’s campus. “Pete Goldberg, head of the computer center . . . envisions that someday in the future students could find class assignments online and in turn submit the assignments over the computer.” The article also gives “Seven Easy Steps to Accessing The Internet”.

In 1995, Cheerleading was removed from NCSSM’s athletic program. “Cheerleading was started explicitly as a support function for the sports for which they cheered,” athletic director Branson Brown said at the time. “It had evolved to a performance-based activity in and of itself, and did not complement the athletic department. I had an objection to calling it cheerleading, because they did not lead cheers.”

The SAB Lounge used to have a blind, but it was removed in 1996 when Jennifer Madriaga, SAB coordinator at the time, began to suspect it was being abused. “Based on complaints from students, evidence from positioning of furniture, and her own witnessing, Madriaga believed that students had been using the lounge to a degree that was too personal to allow others to use it freely. During a first semester exam break, Madriaga walked in on a couple lying together in the lounge with the blind rolled down.” The Copy Center is now in that location.

While the rest of the state was required to overhaul the Sex Ed curriculum to portray abstinence until marriage as the “only answer to teen sex,” NCSSM was exempt from this requirement. Dr. Barber said at the time: “We would never want to [advocate] one idea over another. We want to empower students to make intelligent choices by educating them about those choices. Abstinence is one choice they have and it has some advantages.” Mr. Kevin Cromwell taught the Sexual Issues course at NCSSM at the time. “I think that [abstinence] should be taught,” he said, “but it’s naive to assume that it will solve all the problems.”

NCSSM did not have a theater until March 5, 1997, when construction of the ETC was completed. The construction of the ETC was a massive undertaking and was first reported on in the Stentorian two years before its construction was finished.

On the night of April 24, 1996, a fire in Beall 109 caused an evacuation of the Beall dormitory for the night and damaged many personal posessions. “Twenty-five firefighters from all over Durham worked to extinguish the fire.”

In an opinion piece on the fire, one reporter wrote: “In forcing students to go to classes the following day, the administration showed very poor judgment. Just a few hours before, many students had hopelessly watched as everything they owned went up in flames...Many female students who spent the night on the gym floor had been unable to sleep at all...Perhaps [Director] Dr. Friedrick did the best he could in a tough situation; but perhaps somebody more understanding could have portrayed his message better. Comments about pulling bodies out of the building a few hours later, forcing crying students to remain and listen, insulting the intelligence of Science & Math students in regards to the physics of electrical wiring, unwillingness to listen to student concerns, and minimizing just how much of victims the students were, were all highly unprofessional as well as unjust.”

The boys at the school, however, provided their help in every way possible. “First, thank you to the guys. Most of you were wonderful to the girls, bringing your food, clothes, and beds to the PEC and leaving little for yourselves...Also, thanks to Jeff Bray. Your guitar playing took our minds off the tragedy we had just been a part of. You gave us the chance to sing and dance, to let our minds wander with the music instead of back over the Beall...Many, many thanks to Corey Wilson, the security guard who was sent to the hospital with smoke inhalation. You heroically sacrificed your own health for the safety of the first Beall girls.”

An article in the same issue of the Stentorian is titled “How to use your TI-82 -- in two semesters or less!”

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the Late NiNeties: 1996 - 2000

Student Life was added as a curriculum requirement in October of 1996. Other reforms included the rule that juniors receiving C-’s in all of their classes would not be invited back.

In November 1996, two students sued the school and its director for violating due process and for racial discrimination. The students had been expelled for drinking alcohol on campus. The two students had been accused of bringing the alcohol to share with friends. The two students were both African American, as were the six students drinking with them. Director Friedrick, in a statement to the Herald-Sun, wrote, “I am convinced that these students deliberately violated NCSSM’s anti-alcohol policy and that they ought to be expelled from NCSSM.”

Also in November, senior Tree Calloway lead students through a Student Government proposal and committee in calling for reinstatement of student judges: the Judiciary Board, which is now the Honor Council.

Dr. Barber says of the smoking policy: “I feel like an enabler by providing the opportunity for students to smoke on campus.” Smoking is forbidden during the 1997-1998 school year, following a discussion that started two years earlier.

The Stentorian ran a history of the tetragranny (the large tetragon with a granny knot in the middle), and quotes one person: “[An] artist gave it to the school and S&M couldn’t stand it so [the school] gave it away to Duke or some other unsuspecting institution. After the artist died, it was given to his wife who bequeathed it to S&M again, saying that it was the artist’s original intention. So we’re stuck with it and can’t get rid of it without some serious guilt.”

MPC used to stand for Multi-Purpose Center, a former campus building that used to stand where the PEC is currently located.

Ninth Street Bakery, a popular S&M hangout, is closed and replaced by Elmo’s Diner in 1997. George’s Garage opens

around the same time. George’s Garage closed in the summer of 2009.

In October 1997, Ephraim Katzir, former president of Israel, spoke to NCSSM students about his experiences as a political and scientific leader.

1997 saw the school’s first “Hispanic Fest,” hosted not by a Hispanic Cultures Club but the MPCs (now Multicultural Peer Counselors).

Until late 1997, the company in charge of food services at NCSSM had been Professional Food Management (PFM). In 1997, services changed to a new company, Chartwell, and a number of workers quit. With no one to clean the cafeteria, the situation quickly degenerated. To the right is a picture of the floor outside the dishroom, covered with trays.

Kevin Cromwell took over the SAB in 1997 and to say he was well-received would be an understatement. The Stentorian praised him for “raising NCSSM school spirit, getting students involved, and giving students plenty of things to do over the weekend.” His success was attributed to the fact that he had spent six years as an SLI and understood students well.

“Much to the displeasure of this staff, Rich Ballot has been signed as the official DJ for all SAB sponsored dances during the ’96-’97 school year,” the Stentorian reported in an article called “No Votes for Ballot.” “At every dance, he insists on playing the same songs in an only slightly different way. This is even made worse by the selection he plays, replays, and plays again. At every dance, we listen to the same music we heard at those seventh grade dances we excitedly attended so long ago.”

“From May 4-8, 1998, five NCSSM students and Dr. Myra Halpin, their advisor, had the opportunity to launch an experiment on board a NASA rocket. “Our experiment is unique,” said Dr. Halpin, a Chemistry teacher who has assisted the team of students with their project throughout the spring.” It was the first biological experiment ever launched by NASA, designed to see how cells would react at different levels of gravity.

In 1999, a number of students built a climbing wall in the PEC for “Special Projects Week,” the precursor to Miniterm. It used to be open from 6:30 to 7:45 Monday through Thursday.

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In early 2000, Gary Greenberg, chair of the parent counsel, sent an email to all parents titled “Hazing in Dorms.” This e-mail addressed boys having their heads flushed in the toilets, thrown in a cold shower and sprayed with shaving cream (known as a “polar bear”), given birthday licks with a belt, and being pushed to the ground and “dog-piled” by his hallmates. But don’t get any ideas--see “Hazing and Harassment” in the Student Handbook.

In February of 2000, NCSSM students were first allowed to use cell phones.

Special Projects Week is replaced with Mini-Term in 2000. “For some students in the past, SPW was more of a vacation than a learning experience. This concerned many of faculty members and as a result Mini-Term was designed…SPW was such a positive experience because students were learning independently. However, it was estimated only about one-third of the students gave SPW their hardest effort. The other two-thirds either just barely got by or were somewhere in the middle. Mini-term hoped to accommodate the two-thirds of the student body that were not working diligently by providing classes, but still allowing the other one-third to do their independent projects.”

“Dr. Jerry Boarman, who took over the position of Executive Director on July 1, has already brought about change on campus. The new plan to allow students to paint halls was facilitated by Dr. Boarman… A key aspect of the position of executive director is to be a kind of figurehead of the school, representing it to the outside world…A common misconception is that the Executive Director is the school’s principal. Although Dr. Steve Warshaw is technically ‘Head of Academic Programs,’ his common appellation should be that of ‘principal.’ ”

In fall of 2000, Surfwatch was installed to NCSSM network in order to prevent the viewing of inappropriate content on the NCSSM network. “Some of the non-academic sites that ITS has blocked include chat sites, gambling sites, internet gaming sites, and other general entertainment sites. These sites were not blocked because their content is objectionable but because they are not consistent with the guidelines for computer usage at NCSSM. There were absolutely no technical barriers to using the internet at NCSSM last year.”

The admissions process changed in the fall of 2000, adding Discovery Days with group interviews: “On Discovery Day, all applicants will have a chance to visit the campus, participate in group interviews, and take some placement tests…In group interviews, 6 to 8 applicants will view a video prompt and participate in a discussion about it. Two faculty members will oversee the discussion, one will operate as interviewer and facilitator, helping to lead the discussion, while the other will act as an observer, taking notes on the discussion. Students will be rated according to a rubric which evaluates how they interacted with each other and what leadership characteristics were displayed.”

the tweNty-First CeNtury: 2001 - PreseNt

Super Study was instated in 2001, and the results were positive. “There is a vastly lower number of students on academic probation this quarter than in years past. For instance, one in ten juniors last year had two grades below C, compared to only seven percent of juniors this year.”

In 2001, students had access to wireless internet for the first time ever.

In February 2003, the Stentorian reported that the administration planned to split Hunt into East and West sides. “The administration cites several studies that supposedly claim that smaller communities result in the individuals being more committed to their community. One of their main concerns with making Hunt residents more dedicated to the community was to stop vandalism.” The Stentorian also made a prediction that has turned out to be wrong: “The senior class is probably the only one that will care. Our juniors might, but their juniors will not have ever known anything different and will not think to question why the elevator alcove separates them.”

The school shut off security cameras in Hunt in 2003, telling students that they would remain off unless reports of vandalism began being made again.

Bryan Lobby undergoes renovation in 2003 with a 3.2 million dollar budget approved by the state of North Carolina.

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In 2003, a survey shows that 61% of students do not support a switch to a trimester system. 8% do support the switch, with 18% uninformed and 13% undecided.

In October 2003, the UNC tuition grant was approved for NCSSM students, granting students who were accepted to UNC schools free tuition.

In fall 2003, the tardy policy that is now in place was first instated. Teachers could choose whether or not to punish students for being 5 minutes late.

“When parents tell their neighbors and friends their little one is in her third trimester at NCSSM, shame will not mar their faces,” the Stentorian reported in fall of 2004. The administration made the decision to switch to a trimester schedule, amid much debate about the issue. The schoolday is extended another 50 minutes to 4:15.

Alt Days are eliminated with the coming of the trimester system: “The addition of their lackluster equivalents (shortened periods) rub students the wrong way, and Miniterm in the dead of winter leaves some out in the cold.”

“Teachers have had to cut the content of some established classes in order to fit everything into a shorter time period.” Seminars are no longer offered first trimester.

Students were skeptical of the new system as well, sporting T-shirts with the slogan “Trimesters killed my puppy.” In an article titled “Did Trimesters Really Kill Your Puppy?”, the Stentorian looked at some of the real effects of the trimester system, finding that students on average had one to two more free periods per day.

The trimester system is shown to have positive effects, too: “The new schedule gives students the option of taking required year-long classes, such as physics, chemistry, and biology, for only two trimesters. This leaves room for the abundance of new classes like Film Criticism, Forensics, and Psychology.” Classes continue to be added in future years, giving NCSSM the rich course catalog that

students know today. Now students would be reluctant to give up the trimester system (even if it means dealing with 15 exam days a year instead of just 10).

December 2004: NCSSM sweeps Siemens Westinghouse. “This year, ten regional finalists in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition came from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics…Lucie Guo and Xianlin Li advanced to win first place at Nationals as a team.”

December also saw NCSSM’s first Powder Puff football game.

Latin America Fest is held for the first time since the MPCs held “Hispanic Fest” years ago. Latin America Fest is cohosted by the MPCs and the Hispanic Cultures Club. “The occurrence of this exciting new festival is a very significant step in increasing awareness of other cultures.”

BBR (Bryan, Beall, Reynolds) is forced to evacuate in 2005 when two students in Second Bryan set fire to a toilet. “According to Harry Tucker, the students had sprayed their toilet with flammable spray and set it on fire. This eventually set off the fire alarm in their room.”

When the troublemakers were found by an SLI, he “noticed that the background of one of their computers had a picture of a flaming toilet.”

In a school with a turnover of two years, slang changes quickly. In 2005, students routinely called the PFM the “piffum” or “piffim”.

Also in 2005, the NCSSM Tuition grant bill was amended: “…the tuition grant was changed from only covering the cost of tuition to covering the cost of attendance.”

Two graduates from the class of 1999 marry, seemingly invalidating the two-week rule. “The story of Jennifer and Nick Saucy is the most fantastic and unbelievable exception to the two-week rule, quite possibly in the entire history of NCSSM. The two moved in on Saturday, met on Wednesday, and started dating at the T-Shirt Signing Dance on Friday.” Jennifer stated, “I’m not saying that your priority during those crucial weeks should be finding a significant other, because, in reality, I probably didn’t make as many platonic friends as I would have otherwise just because I was

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spending time with Nick. On the other hand, I wouldn’t change a thing. So if you happen to trip over Mr./Ms. Right, well…”

Room Condition Reports started with the 2005 move-in. “Before school started, the RLAs of each hall were required to evaluate each room on their hall, labeling each piece of furniture in that room and searching each room for damages such as graffiti, scratches, or dents. They checked the walls, doors, and ceilings for tape marks and holes and recorded all the information onto green sheets that were tacked onto everyone’s door. As RLA Melissa Bragg remarked, ‘It was an extremely tedious process.’”

“In an unprecedented step, administrators have scheduled an all-female computer science class for Winter Trimester. The class is the brainchild of President Gerald Boarman, who two years ago began searching for a way to combat the consistent disparity between the numbers of men and women in computer science, both at NCSSM and in the adult world…Boarman said that he went to the girls themselves to find reasons for the disparity. ‘I asked them “Do you think that computer science is important?” and all of them said yes. I asked “Are you interested in taking courses in computer science?” and most of them said yes. And then I asked, “Are you taking those classes?” Most of them said no, and the reason they gave was, “Because of the boys,”’ he said.”

“Creating an all-girls class is like creating an all-guys class, or an all-black one. People would be up in arms about that,” [senior] Alex Solomon said.

December 2005: Grinding is banned from NCSSM dances. “We were getting lots of complaints about inappropriate dancing from students, staff and parents, and we are asking students to stop,” said Steven Jones, student activities coordinator… “I personally don’t enjoy school dances because of the grinding and PDA that occurs between other students, and mixers are even worse,” one student said. “I can see where all the complaints are coming from. A lot of girls are just rubbing their butts all over guys.”

In 2006, in accordance with a new state law, the school began offering three opportunities per day to recite the pledge of allegiance. Students are not required to

attend or to recite the pledge. Due to low attendance at recitations, this policy is later changed.

Drama Board is told to pick a new play after the administration cancels the one they had been rehearsing for a month. The Day Room was deemed to have objectionable content. “I was very upset,” one member of the Drama board said, “because I think they took the scene completely out of context. And what upset me the most was that they were not even willing to consider editing the play.”

Second Bryan, previously a guys’ hall, is converted to a girls’ hall. Guys disperse to other rooms around campus.

The school begins using WebSense in 2006 to block social networking sites. In late 2007, internet is set to cut off at 12 am. This cut-off is now 1am.

June 2006: NCSSM to become a full member of the UNC system. The NCSSM Board of Trustees unanimously accepted UNC System President Erskine Bowle’s invitation to become the 17th constituent school to the UNC system.

December 2006: Athletes topped off a successful fall season with history-making runs in this year’s 1A state playoffs. The men’s cross country team snatched the first NCHSAA title in 17 years, running one of the fastest cumulative times in the 1A division ever recorded, with four runners placing in the top eight.

Students are shocked when many are not accepted to UNC-CH. Of 246 NCSSM students who applied, 203 were admitted and 142 enrolled. Statistics as of June 2007.

NCSSM graduates come back to NCSSM to start Science Days, which grows into a national organization.

Former President Bill Clinton visits NCSSM in the spring of 2008.

Intercoms and additional security cameras, as well as other security features, are installed on campus in 2008.

In 2008, alcohol use during an iViz sparks controversy on campus. Student Government finds itself in turmoil as a result. Multiple changes of SG officeholders take place during the year.

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(HDL). Her laboratory examined

mice with and without the pank3 gene and drew the mice’s blood in order to test for HDL levels.

Typically working from 8-5, Valdes says she did minimal data analysis and more lab work, some of which included open heart surgery on mice—perfusion and all. Throwing her head back, Valdes gushes, “It was one of the best summers that I’ve had, period. And I already miss people!...I worked in a fun lab. They had a really work hard, play hard mentality.”

While Valdes pursued science after Science and Math let out for the summer, Damien Jiang conducted math research. Jiang joined 80 of the world’s most accomplished high school students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the highly selective Research Science Institute (RSI). His specific research project? The parallel chip-firing game on graphs. Confused? Jiang elaborated further. “Specifically, complete bipartite graphs.”

Jiang set out to explain the mathematics in simpler terms. “Okay, so analogy: You have a bunch of people. And each person has some number of friends—and…let’s say candies. So, the people don’t want to get fat. So, if a person has at least as many candies as friends, he gives one candy to each friend, and every person

will do this at the same time. So the configuration of candies and people at the next step is completely determined by the current step—and that means, because there are only finitely many configurations, that the configuration—‘position’—will repeat eventually. And so the least number of moves before the position repeats is the ‘period’ of the game.”

A configuration is the set of people, their “friend” connections, and the number of candies each person has. “The configuration is the whole thing. You imagine the people as dots, and friendships as connections between the dots, and put some number of candies on each dot. The configuration is the whole drawing, along with the number of candies on each dot,” explains Jiang.

In 1989, a conjecture was made regarding the parallel chip-firing game: the maximum period of any configuration on a certain graph with V number of vertices (i.e., a group of V people) is that number V. In 1994, this was disproven. Jiang’s quest was to prove the 1989 conjecture for specific kinds of graphs: complete bipartite graphs.

His Research Science Institutes days were spent doing simulations on the computer, working on paper, working on the board, drawing graphs, computing with formulas, and talking to other students. “I had a [MIT] grad student as my mentor…I don’t think I actually talked to any

professors.”Working with two sets

of points, Jiang constructed several positions that had the periods he said were the only ones could exist and proved that those were the only possible ones. What’s next? “I’m still trying to generalize [the project’s formula to fit] to n sets of points…to characterize all possible periods…and I’ll be entering it into contests.”

The camp was also complete with visits to islands in Boston Harbor, watching July 4th fireworks on the Charles River from up close, midnight trips to the Harry Potter movie, “Rocky Horror” viewings (that Jiang referred to as “R-rated weirdstuff” and did not attend), and plenty of dinner trips.

When asked to compare NCSSM and RSI, Jiang was reflective for a moment.

“Someone says to talk about the SLEEP DEFICIT, which is similar if not worse than NCSSM. I slept 3 AM-10 AM, but there were some who slept from like 3-7…the RSI people are a lot more intense, but similar in fun level…probably slightly more sketchy because there were fewer restrictions…guys/girls lived beside each other, no room restricting…and we could leave after 10:30 P.M. “bedcheck” and we’d have midnight frisbee/soccer/ping-pong anywhere on campus.” There were also three dances. “One of the ‘tutors,’ who helped with scientific writing/presenting, was a really good DJ.”

The RSI experience extended beyond science and mathematics research and basic camp activities into an unforgettable life experience

complete with interactions with many incredible and accomplished young individuals. “[It was] great. Awesome. Got my mind blown. The people there were so much smarter than me, but they were also cool—not many socially awkward people…One math kid knows more than I’ll know in like, two years of college…There are like three, four people who made Nationals Physics camp. Five people who have been to National Math Camp (MOP) like I have. One girl went to Chemistry Olympiad last year…She made International Chemistry Olympiad [team] in 10th, National Physics Camp in 11th, and did bio at RSI…Everyone has like seven 5’s on APs and blah blah, but yeah, that’s not that exciting…One [17-year-old] guy has his own company, selling iPhone apps...[I made] plenty of friends.”

Other academic activities that NCSSM students participated in during the summer included an intense study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy to compete for one of the four spots on the International Chemistry Olympiad team, the National Health Occupations Students of America Competition, Texas Tech University’s Clark Scholars Program, Howard Hughes Precollege Program in the Biological Sciences, Project SEED, Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics (SVSM), and Governor’s School.

Students Continue Research Throughout SummerContinued from front page

Above, senior Damien Jiang is shocked by the intellect of his peers at MIT’s Research Science Institute. He spent the summer there conducting mathematical research.

Students Find Unique Ways To Serve CommunitiesBy Jennifer Zhu

When a student comes to NCSSM, he or she must pay a price; an estimated amount of $54,000 is spent by the state on each student. It’s no wonder students are expected to sacrifice a little in return--and no, that’s not referring to having to eat PFM food for two years. Through 3 hours of required work service every week and 60 hours of summer service, students are expected to repay the community that gives so much to them, financially and beyond.

While many students log their summer service hours at a local hospital or soup kitchen, some students have unique experiences.

Junior Violette Zhu, for example, designed and painted the arts and crafts room wall of downtown Chapel Hill’s Kidzu Children’s Museum as part of her summer service.

“[The museum] kinda had some things they wanted to incorporate—like some words ‘Play, Create, Imagine, Design.’ They basically wanted me to incorporate it in the design, but for the most part, I had free reign of the design,” reported Zhu.

Working with one of the museum’s managers, Zhu churned out sketches of the

designs and then sent them to be approved. “It’s going to be abstract and kind of organic…the shapes are vaguely reminscent of leaves and stuff, and then they’re filled in with swirlies and designs and stuff.”

Currently, Zhu and museum manager Carter are the only individuals working on the wall. The two are trying to complete the arts and crafts room wall by themselves, but if Zhu cannot finish this summer before she moves into NCSSM, they might have to bring in more people and more help. As of Monday, August 11th, a third of the wall is done, but Zhu admits that they might

have to repaint and retouch certain parts of the wall.

“It’s really exciting; I think I was offered a very unique opportunity…it’s nice to have a lasting impact,” Zhu said. While the kids she works with come and go, she pointed out,

“the wall is permanent and it’s there to stay. It’s like leaving a footprint.”

The mural will remain up at the Kidzu Children’s museum for at least six months, but the museum changes its exhibits and appearance every once in a while. However, because Zhu’s design is painted on the wall, it should stay up for a relatively long time unless another design is later painted over it.

Senior Ben Stone also had daily interaction with children for his summer service, but he completed his service farther from home. Accompanying his church on a mission trip, Stone traveled to the poorest country in the Western hemisphere:

Haiti. When his group landed in Haiti, its members got their first glimpse of the country’s poverty when they were bombarded with people asking to carry their luggage. “It’s how they make a living,” commented Stone.

As motivation from the beach mission ministry, the children receive food and are paid to attend school. The group’s members were paired with local children who are a part of the ministry, with whom they spent more time.

Stone shared information on his assigned child, Jetson. “His mom’s

up for murder, his dad’s a bum. He has a learning disability, but he still smiles a lot. [He] shared some eggs when we gave them eggs, even though he’s starving.”

Comprehensive Development Project (CODEP), the primary work and ministry of Haiti Fund, Inc. and the organization that Stone’s group worked with, runs a system to benefit

the Haitians. To earn points, Haitians do tasks that CODEP supports: planting trees to prevent erosion, having a garden to improve their own nutrition, and participating in family planning and birth control.

The Haitians can then use the points to get a house, which takes about eight years of saving to occur. Stone’s missionary group helped people cash in their points, as well as put in a concrete floor on a CODEP house and install water cisterns on other houses. The water cisterns capture the water off the roof and put it in 500 gallon containers, so that the Haitians are able to have clean water.

“[This experience] puts things in perspective. We’re all pretty spoiled here…the poorest people here don’t really have anything on them, so it makes you kind of step back and realize ‘hey, we’re all really lucky, and we can get over it [if] we didn’t get the latest iPhone.’ ”

Summer Service weekly journals and timesheets are due at the Bryan Front Desk by August 21st, supervisor evaluations are due to the Bryan Front Desk by August 31st, and sign up for Summer Service presentations can be found at the Bryan Front Desk August 31-September 11, 2009.

Violette Zhu hard at work on a design for a museum wall. This work will fulfill her summer service requirement.

Budget Crunch

august 2009 the stentorian | ncssmnews�

iAddicted?

By avani uPPalaPati

It would be no exaggeration to say that NCSSM students are addicted to the Internet. The place practically demands it: we send emails to teachers, administration, fellow students and others daily. Most of us use Facebook, AIM and other social networking software almost every day. We check assignments on Moodle and then submit them on WebAssign.

We rely so heavily on the Internet that the students and staff were almost handicapped for information when the server was under repair for a few days during third trimester last year. I remember hoping fervently for the Internet to work again so that I could stop running through the halls to communicate with teachers and administration.

I realized the importance of the Internet at this school the summer before I started attending itself. Months before the school started, I was already being asked to learn chemistry online and communicate electronically with my new roommate.

Because NCSSM makes it so important to be connected 24/7, it is easy to forget that you don’t really need to be connected everywhere you go. I learned this lesson in India this summer. Over the course of the school year, I had become very attached to

my laptop, and of course took it with me on my trip. What I found was that it had been, in some ways, a bane to my experience there.

Though my laptop provided great entertainment and some productivity, it also served as a huge distraction from my family. I spent about half the time I normally would have around people with my laptop.

Back at school, hours of time seemed to waste away. The explanation is that I spent time doing little to nothing useful on my laptop. I used YouTube, Facebook and AIM much more than I should have. The hours I wasted were precious ones I could have used for sleep and work.

Before you start using your laptop or the Internet, ask yourself if it is really worth it. Are you losing (or gaining) anything by going online? Could you be using your time more effectively? Short term choices can pave the way for long term repercussions that may or may not be easy to fix. Now that I have had time to reflect, I realize that with a little more self control, I would have been a lot happier about how I spent my time.

You can enjoy yourself without your laptop. Go to Ninth Street with friends, take pictures, read. There really is time for a lot more things to happen than it may seem like. How your time is used depends on the choices that YOU make.

The Internet will be your friend at NCSSM, but beware: it can also turn into a foe.Make sure that you don’t let yourself waste away in front of the computer screen, spending more quality time with social networking sites and YouTube videos than with the human beings breathing right across the hall.

Budget Crunch

Embrace the ExperienceBy erica Jane venning It won’t be long before the

advice starts pouring in: obey the two-week rule, bring food from home, take the stairs. But perhaps the most important piece of advice any senior can offer you is to fully embrace the NCSSM experience.

Embracing the NCSSM experience will mean much more than simply attending the elongated meetings scheduled for you in your orientation packet. By this time, I will assume that you have avidly flipped through your packet of information and read the Move-In Schedule on At-A-Glance at least three times. If so, you will have noticed many of the informational, intimidating, and potentially embarrassing functions we have prepared.

Why would the administration put you through this? Mostly, it’s to help you get to know your peers. However, in order for us to meet you, you must not be afraid.Please, feel free to ask questions at the meetings you are most interested in. Be sure to be brave during the “scary” ones, and be outgoing during the embarrassing ones. At NCSSM, we humiliate ourselves on a daily basis— it becomes your norm, and you will learn to love living in such a socially free and accepting environment.

The other perhaps most prominent aspect of the NCSSM Community is the renewed sense of family. In your packet, you will notice mentions of “Hall Meetings and Brother/Sister Hall Activities.” These are chances to bond with your on-campus family for the year.

Referring to your hall as your family may sound a little extreme to our newcomers, but every senior will look back and relay the same message. Your roommate may not seem, at first, like someone you would want to live with. Give them a chance.

Roommates at Science and Math are matched up according to interests and habits, and more than likely you will find that your roommate is more than willing to work with you to make your living experience as fantastic as possible. Do not be afraid to get to know your hall. Your seniors, your RLA’s,

your SLI, and the other juniors on the hall will be there for you no matter what, whether you choose to place your faith in them or not.

Hall Activities and Required Meetings are not the only ways to get out and meet your new family. One of the most significant “Meet-and-Greet” activities to me was the Ice Cream Social/Dance. This annual activity allowed me, as a junior, to become acquainted with the overall NCSSM attitude. Nearly everyone is out on the dance floor when music starts, whether they like

to dance or not. I remember meeting my RLA’s at this first dance, and acting like a fool with all of them. I had never felt so welcome around kids my age before, and hopefully all the new juniors will feel just as comfortable.

The other activity that helped me familiarize with the NCSSM norm was the 4th West Mixer. This annual mixer becomes much more than simply a “dance.” If you choose to attend, you will hear your seniors mention the ceiling “raining” sweat. This will hopefully be explained by your seniors the night of the mixer,

August 21st. These mixers are different and original from other dances hosted by our school because we use our own students as DJ’s, instead of our regular hired hand. This year, expect to see lots of faces you don’t recognize, attributed to a large grand-senior attendance. With at least a quarter of the campus expected to attend, every junior and senior will have a chance to meet new people, scream like there are no rules, and dance like no one is watching- which, to me, embodies the social lifestyle that is NCSSM.

Venning enjoys herself at a 4W mixer.

By alex lew

The state budget was rati-fied recently and things looked good for NCSSM. A manage-able budget cut of around 6% will require NCSSM to tighten its belt. On the other hand, the cut is much less severe than NCSSM had anticipated.

“The process really affirmed the support that they give us and their appreciation of our mission,” Director of Devel-opment Brock Winslow said. “I’m certainly grateful for the support that we’ve gotten, but that’s not to say that it’s every-thing we wanted.”

In one of the triumphs in this legislative battle, NC-

SSM’s administration secured the tuition grant for the classes of 2009 and 2010. (But watch out—it only extends to 2014, so students taking a gap year may not get their last year of college free.)

On the other hand, NCSSM did have to make some sacri-fices. Under normal circum-stances, all annual funding would be adjusted for infla-tion and budgeted accordingly. However, this year teacher sal-aries and electricity costs were not adjusted for inflation.

“On the one hand, everyone still has a job, that’s a good thing. But in real terms, as-suming inflation has occurred, we make 97% of what we made

last year,” Winslow pointed out. “The energy is another issue. We can control what we

pay people. We can say, ‘We’ll pay you X, and you can stay or you can go’. But we can’t tell

gas companies we’ll pay them X. Let’s just hope for a warm winter this year.”

Budget cuts also came from the state’s Department of Public Instruc-tion. The DPI has suffered large cuts this year and has had to lay off a few teachers from around the state. The DPI partially funded NCSSM’s distance learning program, paying for four faculty mem-

bers to teach distance learning courses. This year, it’s had to cut that down to two. However,

With the state budget ratified, the tuition grant has been secured for this year’s seniors. But what about the rest of the budget? NCSSM to cut costs and tighten its

belt this year as the state and country go through a serious economic recession.

NCSSM is committed to not letting anyone go.

“They’re now only giving us 2 [full-time employees], but we’ve committed to finding a way to pick up the slack,” Win-slow said.

Cut things, not people, is and will be NCSSM’s motto as it works through this difficult time.

The blow is not as severe as it might have been, as NCSSM still receives a per-student al-lotment of around $27,000 per student per year. Because it created 11 new spots for stu-dents this year, NCSSM will receive almost $300,000 this year in enrollment growth funding.

lifestylesaugust 2009 the stentorian | ncssm�

Regulator Bookshop:It not only stocks books, magazines, and birthday cards but also serves as a great place to read or study.

International Delights: The proper name should be “Middle Eastern” Delights. Gyros, falafel, hommos, tabouleh and...philly cheesesteaks? Oh well. Great vegetarian options--but if you use ketchup, you’re just “masking the taste of bad food.” Uh-oh...

Devil’s Pizzeria:With the Duke Blue Devils so close by, there’s bound to be a restaurant trying to attract the Duke students with its name...the HUGE slices of pizza help too.

Bean Trader’s Coffee: Slightly less known than the coffee, the Italian sodas are scrumptious and the lower floor of the store complements studying well with its nice furniture. And simply breathing in the strong smell of coffee from the store can get you through those pages of dense reading.

Banh’s Cuisine:Sick of fake chow mein? Try the popular Vietnamese vegetarian special on Wednesdays or Saturdays and Chinese food any time.

Cosmic Cantina:The rival of Chubby’s Tacos. Fast service, outdoor seating, and la comida deliciosa make for a great eating experience.

Ninth Street

Chubby’s Tacos:With a wide variety of salsas and much more, everything in this restaurant is delicious and edible--except for the cups and forks, even if they are made of corn and potatoes.

Jimmy John’s:Can’t be sure if it has the world’s greatest gourmet sandwiches...but its subs are pretty darn good.

Francesca’s:Its Italian ice cream in pistachio, coffee, and other flavors, apple cider, soup for cold days, pastries, and abundance of leather couches make it a cozy studyspot and chic hangout place.

Native Threads:Dig clothes with an ethnic vibe (mainly African and Indian)? Want some bongo drums? Native Threads is the place to go for such clothes and souvenirs.

Bruegger’s Bagels:Bagels, sandwiches, etc...this makes for great breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. (And upstairs is another great place to study)

featuresaugust 2009 the stentorian | ncssm10

Bali Hai: Arguably the most visited restaurant by S&Mers. Perfect the art of stacking with raw meat and vegetables, and the restaurant cooks it for you.

Elmo’s Diner: Milkshakes, burgers, toast...this diner is classic but cheap--always makes for a fun breakfast with friends after an all-nighter.

Dale’s Indian Cuisine:Indian food. Who would have guessed by the name? And if you speak Hindi or it’s your birthday, you might just get some free naan.

Ninth Street

Just a short walk from NCSSM is 9th Street, an “alternative shopping district” full of many small restaurants and stores that are only found locally. Filled with good food and cool knickknacks, 9th Street is only one part of Durham that’s waiting to be explored by you.

Biscuit King: Nobody really knows what goes down in this sketchy building.

One World Market: Unique, beautiful items are sold in this fair trade store.

created By Jennifer Zhu

NCSSM

august 2009the stentorian | ncssmfeatures 11

No Place for APsBy alex lew

For years, high school stu-dents have heard the same mantra: the more APs, the bet-ter. So it came as a shock to parents and educators world-wide when one of New York’s best private schools, The Ethi-cal Culture Fieldston School, dropped Advanced Placement courses from their curriculum entirely.

Fieldston, like NCSSM, offers a variety of high-level classes designed by the facul-ty that teach them. Its course catalog is filled with titles like “The Third World and the Cold War,” “Advanced Literary Themes in Spanish,” and “Law and Society”. The way the school saw it, Fieldston had no need for AP courses, in which curricula were rigidly defined and teachers had little room to improvise. Fieldston was con-fident in its own faculty’s abili-ty to develop and teach courses that would challenge students with interesting material.

In a statement released in 2003, Fieldston administrators described the downfalls of the AP program: “Over time, we came to the conclusion that

the AP program at Fieldston . . . lacked courses with mul-ticultural content; in some disciplines, most notably his-tory and science, it left little room for divergence. The AP courses encouraged teachers to cover a great breadth of mate-rial superficially, leaving little time for in-depth analysis . . . Standardized testing in sub-ject area essentially smothers

original thought, more fatally, because of the irresistible pres-sure on teachers to teach to the tests.”

At the time, Stanford’s dean of admissions wrote a note to Fieldston. “Your decision reflects the courage of your convictions about teaching and learning. I hope it encour-ages other schools to follow

Fieldston’s lead.”NCSSM should strongly

consider doing just that and dropping AP classes for good. In addition to reasons cited by Fieldston, AP classes are particularly unsuited for NC-SSM for other reasons. While at most schools students only have one continuum of cours-es to choose from—regular, honors, and AP—students at

NCSSM have a wide range of electives competing for their attention. Students have to make choices: take the Mo-lecular Genetics course that looks really interesting, or take the AP Biology survey course that will help them get into col-lege.

Dropping AP classes might even be good news for stu-

dents applying to college. As it is, NCSSM offers an odd as-sortment of AP classes, with AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, and AP Government available, but AP Spanish, AP English, and AP World History are not offered. Students often feel the pressure to have the “full set” of AP courses to com-pete with their peers at other high schools, so they opt to

self-study and take the exams anyway. This puts unneces-sary pressure on students.

Some students might be reluctant to give up AP class-es, as scoring well on College Board’s exams means ex-emption from some

courses in college. There are a few reasons to drop the courses anyway. Many col-leges have begun to de-empha-size the role of AP courses by giving credit for fewer courses, giving credit only for students with top scores, or simply not giving credit at all. Further-more, NCSSM has been nego-tiating articulation agreements with various schools across the

state, giving students college credit simply for doing well in NCSSM’s advanced courses.

Evidence shows that schools that have dropped AP courses from their curriculum have been successful: students still get into their top choice colleges, and certainly still learn just as well—if not bet-ter. Students don’t seem to miss the AP program; the year after the AP courses were cut at Fieldston, registration for AP exams dropped from 150 to just 75, with only 40 students showing up to sit for the exams in May.

NCSSM should drop AP courses, too. In doing so, it would not only ease the fi-nancial burden on families (4 AP tests, a typical load for an ambitious student, costs $344), but also allow students to take the courses that truly interest them rather than the ones that might help them get into col-lege. Teachers will teach more enthusiastically when they are in charge of the curriculum, and classes will become more engaging as teachers stop feel-ing pressure to teach to the test.

Disagree? Write us a note.

“NCSSM should strongly consider dropping AP

classes for good.”

To juniors, welcome. To seniors, teachers, faculty, and staff, welcome back. We find ourselves standing at the threshold of yet another school year. If you are reading this paper, it means you have just moved in, or are postponing the moment you will have to unpack the twelve bags your mom insisted you’d need (cough-Mrs. Hawkins-cough). You are in for quite a year. These hallowed halls have provided sanctuary to nearly thirty years worth of students before you, and will offer the same to (fingers crossed) hundreds after you.

With all the formalities out of the way, I would like to formally introduce the ‘11ers to some of the wonder that is Smath. When I am asked to describe NCSSM to people who have never attended, I find that it is close to impossible. “Think Hogwarts, without the wands and with Southern accents,” I often answer, though it doesn’t do the place justice. It is so much more than a wandless production of JK Rowling’s imagination. However, I’m not going to try and describe it

here; you’ll figure that out for yourself. But there are several things that I’ll communicate of what this place has taught me. The first, and most important, is that caffeinated beverages are God’s gift to man. Seniors, reflect back to second trimester. Juniors, just wait. Perhaps you did not chug Red Bull, but I guarantee, you know someone who owed their entire state of consciousness to some form of liquid energy. The second, and perhaps more profound, is that no amount of Monster or coffee is going to guarantee your success; you have to put forth the effort. There’s no shame in going to the tutorial or asking a question in class. There’s no harm in studying a little every night. I know I sound like a PSA, but who knew those things were actually true?

To the seniors, we have one more year. You now can go yell your graduation year at random intervals throughout your day. I will be. Consider yourselves warned. This has been eighteen years in the making, show some senior pride. But be nice to the juniors. I do not, nor does the Stentorian, endorse hazing. Instead, take your junior brother or sister under your wing. Show them the best studying places, encourage them to go to school events, tell them which foods to avoid at the PFM. And whether they are your little junior responsibility or not, you should treat all juniors as your equals. Remember, we may be older, cooler, and more awesome than they are, but some day, they will be taking over our legacy. But not until June 5, 2010.

What’s in Store?

By eMMa hawkins

To Unicornland...and Beyond

Life at NCSSM is full of adventure and possibility. For a Uni, there is really never a dull moment. Here at NCSSM, there is a plethora of ways to stay occupied. Balancing rigorous academia with refreshing down-time is something that the seniors of NCSSM have nearly perfected , so here at the Stentorian we figured we’d share our wisdom with the class of 2011.

On campus, we have over 70 chartered student-run organizations that host activities throughout the week. Here at Science and Math, we have your standard clubs like FBLA and HOSA, but we also have some unusual NCSSM favorites like the Pasta Appreciation Club and the Asian Cultures Club. On August 22nd, the Student Government-sponsored Club

Fair will be held in order for students to develop their awareness of many different clubs on campus and sign up for the clubs that most interest them. Over the weekends there are also mixers held by different halls on campus that students from all around the school are invited to attend. Also, if parties really aren’t your thing, there are also great movies shown in the lecture hall on Fridays and Saturdays.

Though Science and Math has plenty to keep you busy, it’s important to take full advantage of the Durham area. By now, I’m sure all you juniors have heard the two infamous words—Bali Hai. Bali Hai is probably the most popular restaurant among NCSSM students. It offers a unique experience in Mongolian grill-style food at a cheap price. Beyond Bali Hai, there is Dale’s Indian Cuisine, Cosmic Cantina, Elmo’s Diner, and many more great restaurants.

If the on-campus and Durham area activities are not enough to keep you busy, Science and Math also offers bus loops to nearby malls and shopping complexes including Southpoint and Brier Creek. Need that last minute thing for class and it’s not available at the school store? Take advantage of Walmart Wednesdays and Target Tuesdays—two very

convenient and much-used loops.

Although we can divulge more tips for NCSSM, it’s always a little fun to discover things for yourself. Talk to other unicorns and go exploring. Class of 2011, Unicornland holds endless possibilities.

By lanair lett

A look into things to do on campus and off

Stentorian Staff

Editors-In-Chief:Jennifer Zhu, Alex Lew, & Kirby Varnadoe-Russ

News Editor: Avani Uppalapati

Features Editor: Peter McNeary

Opinion Editor: Emma Hawkins

Lifestyles Editors: Lanair Lett & Erica Venning

Advisor: John Kirk

Have something to say about the August

issue? Send an email to stentorian@ncssm.edu and we might publish

your letter.

opinionaugust 2009 the stentorian | ncssm1�