September 2011
features
the stentorian | ncssm
NCSSM evolves through the years
By Ashley Jernigan
NCSSM has changed
in many ways throughout
its thirty one years of
existence. The teachers
here are a great resource
to learn about the history
of the . school and the
changes that have
occurred.
In the 1980-1981 NC
SSM student handbook,
Director Charles Eilber
stated, “From this begin
ning we will work to
gether to build a structure
within which each of us
can grow as an individual,
and this school can grow
as a community.”
Jon Miller, a humani
ties instructor at NCSSM
for thirty one years, stat
ed, “Here there is a sense
of cooperation between
students. There are more
opportunities to help oth
ers, and students learn by
helping each other.”
This sense of commu
nity support and individu
al growth has not changed
through the years. The
students’ backgrounds
have, however.
At the school’s start,
students came with less
of a math education
because there were fewer
opportunities to learn higher
level math at their home high
schools.
The students had a more
in-depth English background
before they came to NCSSM.,
however. Miller attributes this
to the fact that in the 1980s,
Watts Hospital and NCSSM
students read in their leisure
time more than they do now.
Once students came to
NCSSM, their opportunities
in mathematics expanded,
especially after the 2000-2001
school year.
Dot Doyle, who used to
teach at in the mathematics
Courtesy of endangereddurham.blogspot.com
department at NCSSM
iterated, “there were less upper
level math classes and the math
electives were added later.”
A big change in the
academic aspect of NCSSM
is the teaching strategy.
Miller stated that the teachers’
perspective evolved from.
“The sage on the
stage to the guide
by the side.”
The residential
life of NCSSM
has changed since
1980, as well.
The 1981
handbook stated
that students were
required to com
plete, five hours
of work serviee
each week. This
number was later
reduced to three
hours a week.
When the
school began,
there were fewer
activities for stu
dents to partici
pate in. Instead,
the students would
talk to teachers
and build a strong
relationship with
them, even after
classes had end
ed. The NCSSM
community was
and still is tight-
knit.
To the dismay
of current stu
dents, kids used to
be able to use nails
and screws to hang objects in
their rooms. However, they
were not allowed to loft their
beds.
NCSSM has grown in many
ways since its founding, thanks
to the school’s encouragement
and student input and
development.
Dear Stentorian...
Dear Tori,
When I lived at home, I
was always able to finish my
homework at school and got
straight A’s. 1 would usually
get nine hours of sleep a night.
Here, I am working until 3 a.m.
and only getting four hours of
sleep. I’m scraping by with B’s
in all of my classes.
1 think 1 would be doing
better in school and would
feel so much better if 1 could
Just get more sleep, but I don’t
have the time to both sleep and
finish my work. What can I
do? 1 really just want to get
more sleep on weeknights.
Sincerely,
Sleep-deprived junior
Dear Sleep-deprived junior.
What you are experiencing
most everyone at NCSSM has
or will experience in there time
here. Part of getting adjusted
to life at NCSSM is teaming
how to handle stress. Not
getting enough sleep becomes
a significant problem when it
interferes with your academics
or is weakening your immune
system.
The easiest way to combat
not only the lack of sleep,
but also the difficulty of your
classes is to utilize your free
blocks.
Rather than eoming back
Email
stentorian^
gmali.com for
advice!
You could
appear In the
next Issue!
ultimately, you will be sleeping
more during the night and will
not be as stressed out about
completing your assignments
on time. This will help your
performance in school and
extracurriculars.
If you are already using your
free blocks for homework and
still having trouble getting the
work done, consider skipping
happy-half to complete more
of your work. You could also
try studying in a different place
where you can focus and be
efficient with your time.
Just remember that,
although life at NCSSM seems
difficult now, you will develop
a routine that fits your needs.
You are still adjusting, so give
yourself time.
The NCSSM community
wants to help you to have
a wonderful two years. Get
advice from your peers,
talk with your teachers, and
communicate with your
support network if you are ever
having trouble. Best of luck!
Sincerely,
Tori
to your room and taking a
nap between classes, go to
the library and finish the
homework you were just
assigned. Not only will the
material be fresh in your mind,
but at the end of the free bloek,
you will have gotten some
homework out of the way.
Not napping might take
some getting used to, but
Would you like to write for the Stentorian?
Join the Stentorian Writers group on Facebook
to learn more about becoming involved with
the newspaper.
The
Stentorian
the north Carolina school of science and mathematics
1219 broad street, durham, nc 27705
stentorian@ginail.com
Editors-in-Chief: Caroline deSaussure, Ashley
Jernigan, and Olivia Truax
News Editor: Molly Bruce
Features Editors: David Ojo and Noah Lieberman
Opinion Editor: Steven Philips
Sports Editor: Ahmed Zaeem
Photo Editor: Samantha Hartsoe
Writer: Wynter Wolff
Advisor: John Kirk
PFM
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pagel
suggestions to the PFM when
given the opportunity.
Then again, maybe the
PFM should just remain the
same. We as a student body
can survive for two years with
bad food and little sleep - our
NCSSM predecessors have
done it for more than 25 years.
But, as we are constantly
reminded, we are the future
leaders of North Carolina. If
we are going to go out into the
world to effect positive change
in our society, is it really
beyond us to improve the food
we eat every day?
First of all, it could be tast
ier. The PFM could have more
variety, the food could be pre
pared more creatively, and it
could be prepared more care
fully. Not only could new en
trees be offered, but things that
almost nobody enjoys could be
taken off the menu and favor
ites could be offered more.
Secondly, it could be
healthier without decreasing
the quality of the food. The
PFM could use less oil at the
omelet station and special
line, the lettuce in the salad
line could be more nutritious,
and the dishes served could be
fresher.
Eating nutritious food is
important for both health
and attitude. Being properly
nourished would not only
allow us to be healthier, we
would actually be happier.
Finally, the food served
in the PFM could be more
environmentally friendly. It
could come from more local
sources, and we could reduce
the amount of meat offered.
I am not advocating forced
vegetarianism for the entire
student body, but if there was
one meat offering instead of
two it would reduce the carbon
footprint of our meals.
The budget challenges
NCSSM is facing are real and
the administration is right to
put quality of the education
at NCSSM over the food.
But, this is not an excuse for
mediocrity. We as a student
body need to advocate for
ourselves and work with the
PFM to find innovative ways
to increase the quality of our
food.
If we can increase the
quality of food at NCSSM
we will not only improve
our own lives, we will also
leave a meaningful legacy to
future Smathers so lets work
together to make this happen.
We need to work with the PFM
not against it, so be open to
changes and try new things.
Use the suggestion box to give
PFM feedback.
If we can hold a record-
breaking food drive surely
we can come together to
better feed ourselves. If you
would like make respectful
suggestions and share your
constructive criticism with the
director of the PFM come to
Mr. Newbauer’s next forum,
but, if alt you are interested in
is taking part in the competitive
complaining that seems to be a
sport here at Smath enjoy your
free mystery meat.