September 2014
The Stentorian I NCSSM
AYES,
it’s recyclat>te:
Paper - & Clean; Loose
(r»ot in b«gt>
• Newspi^ & tnserts
• Maga2ine$ & catalogs
• Jurtt mail, envelc^s, file foWers
• Office white, colored and computer paper
{staples S paper d^s ok)
• Comjgated cardboard boxes
• Cereal & gift boxes, etc. friat tear blown or
grey {renoove liners)
• Paper bags & phrxte bools
• Wrapping pe^r {remove metallic paper,
bows etc.)
Contrtners - Empty & aean; Loose
{not in plastic b«Bt}
a Alorrtnum cans (beer & soda)
a Alwttinum foil & foil plates, etc,
a Rastic botfles. jars, tubs and buckets
{sudi a® soda, water, mik. juice, liquor,
shampoo detergent, cond^nts, salad
dresdng, yogurt, margarine, pet ftiod, etc )
• Metal food cans (tin/steel), metal tids
• Metal pots aid parts
NO.
tt*sNOTrecyetatite:
tMUSC^TAaiE MATimAlSi
a Ceramics, tishes, coffee cups, drWOng
gfesses
• GIsm cookwanafbake ware (Pyrex.
Vifere, etc)
• Wtnctow gfe^. mirrofs. !»As
• Rastic bags, Styrofoam cootainefs.
packaging peanuts
• T^e out osntainefs, plasic ojps, end
plastic table wae
• Containers erf hffijgrtJotis or toxic
materials
• Tttsue Of paper towds, books
• Tyvek envei^s. caiton paper
• Pap«^ cartons for n^k rf)iJk»
• W»(cc»tedbcw;es
femovear»dtepUc«eom
The Sustainability Project Leaders want to make sure students know what is and what is not
recyclable, A lot of recyclable items are thrown out either because of ignorance or lack of recycling
bins. Be sure you know what can and can not be recycled. By following this simple guide, we can
reduce the amount of litter on campus and become a more environmentally friendly institution.
Portrayal of social
issues in popular culture
misses the mark
Cheryl Wang
staff Writer
What is more important
than who Harry Styles is
dating? No. It is not twerking,
or selfies, or even selfies of
Harry Styles twerking. These
days, we are constantly being
bombarded with one too many
massive icons of popular
culture.
From posters in movie
theaters, to graffiti on the
streets, to music played in
malls, it seems like everywhere
we go Meghan Trainor tells us
that everything is about that
bass while Iggy reminds us
we are all too fancy for the
ordinary things.
Our generation’s obsession
with the high-profile icons and
dreamy eyed celebrities hits an
all-time high upon the release
of the recent young adult novel
and film. The Fault in Our
Stars (TFIOS).
In this movie of the year,
author John Green tells the
story of Hazel Grace, a girl
with cancer, and her star-
crossed love with Augustus
Waters. Depicted as the
epitome of male attraction,
Augustus sweeps Hazel off her
feet and professes his love for
her despite her cancer.
From the many sobs and
silent tears shed at the theater
upon its release. The Fault in
Our Stars not only grossed
more than one hundred million
dollars, but also made its main
actors some of the most famous
celebrities.
Girls across the nation
are quoting TFIOS, posting
inspirational lines about
teenage romance, creating
Facebook pages dedicated to
the characters, and ultimately,
striving for a love like that
of Hazel and Augustus’s.
However, the story’s most
fundamental aspect -the
cancer- is lost in the drama.
Driven by the media and
the buzz around the glamour,
our obsession with popular
culture has masked indications
of serious issues such as
the nature of disease and
disabilities, what are more
important.
The truth is, cancer is not
glamorous. Cancer is also not
a gateway to love. Whether
the media aims to gross more
money at the box office or to
mollify our inherent fear of
these heavy subjects, everyday
viewers are often lost in the
drama rather than aware of the
pressing problems driving the
plot.
After viewing TFIOS,
tweets along the lines of “I
wish I had cancer so a boy
would like me” began to
appear on twitter.
However, it is important
to realize that diseases
and debilitating physical
conditions are not things that
are desirable, rather they are
issues to be aware of.
Consider the real story of
Lydia instead:
On Nov. 11, 2011, a little
girl was bom in a rural town
of East China. Unlike the
Hollywood depiction of
smiling nurses and emotional
fathers suppressing a tear, this
girl was bom on a dirt mat in
a straw hut with no one other
than the mother.
Three days later, she was
found in a gutter by the streets,
dying. It turns out once the
mother saw her baby was
bom with anal atresia (rectum
deform) and an intestinal
fistula (abnormal opening of
the intestine), she immediately
abandoned her out of fear and
disgust.
If it was not for the medical
staff of an American sponsorec
orphanage who happened to be
by the town, Lydia, as she was
later named, would have diet
unnoticed.
I learned about Lydia’s
story on a mission trip in
Beijing at the New Day Foster
Home which rescued her.
While Lydia certainly does
not represent all of the cases
around the world, her story
nonetheless speaks louder
than any television show or
movie regarding disease anc
disability.
Without the drama, glamour,
and media attention, Lydia’s
birth reveals the stark reality
that Hollywood
has hidden and
erased in many of
its most popular
productions.
It is time as a
technology ori
ented and popu
lar culture-driven
generation that we
should take a step
back and look at
the bigger picture.
Gossiping
about Harry Styles
may be entertain
ing but sometimes
uncovering what
is really important
beneath the glam
our can prove to
more satisfy-
be
ing.
Social
media poses
hazards
By Brinda Sarathy
staff Writer
Social media seems to be an
asset for the general public, but
occasionally poses a problem
for many students, especially
at NCSSM. Social media is
often abused and incorrectly
conveys information, leading
to arguments and misunder
standings.
At NCSSM, much of
the school population uses
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
and Tumblr, to name a few
outlets of social media.
While most students enjoy
the occasional post of a
seltie or funny comment, the
media Smathers use can often
be unnerving, distracting,
and relationship-breaking
when used incorrectly and
insensitively.
The majority of the school
population took to Twitter and
Facebook after the summer
reading fiasco. Those who
were outraged at the discussion
called out against a variety of
people tor what they said,
and it seemed as though the
entire school was holding its
breath, waiting for an outbreak
of insults and dangerous
comments.
Many simply commentated,
and escalated the situation,
while others actively
participated in verbal, passive-
aggressive attacking of those
they felt were in the wrong.
In this situation, social media
was used for a negative cause,
and caused angst in students
whether they were involved or
not.
Teenagers use social media
as a means to vent out their
emotions. At NCSSM, students
often express their dislike
of someone through a tweet,
status, or slightly backhanded
comment.
Sometimes, this venting
appears as attention-seeking,
desperate, or attacking, and
students tend to retaliate with a
snappy comeback without even
thinking twice. This snowballs
into a long chain of discussion
that leads to embarrassment
and unnecessary anger.
Students don’t realize the
true nature of exposure on
social media, and think they
have a large supply of power
when they are behind the
facade of a monitor or screen.
They feel as though they are
not responsible for their words,
and they quickly put fingers to
keyboard and write freely. In
a way, this is catharsis, just as
journal writing and blogs often
are, but using one’s social
media platform to express
these ideas can have negative
effects.
The less consequential of
these effects is “gravedigging”
of social media, consisting of
peers“liking” or commenting
on one’s old, embarrassing
posts.
Gravedigging often
proves to be funny, and most
shrug it off. However, old
embarrassing posts pose
an issue when colleges and
important future employers
look through student’s social
media platforms and discover
instances of bullying or
negative use of social media.
These days, most students
have access to smartphones and
the internet, and it has become
yet another innovative way
for human communication.
However, it is important to
keep in mind the repercussions
of using social media.
Social media should be used
to communicate effectively,
and insensitive posting is
simply not beneficial, to peers
and to the student itself.
As the school year
progresses, I hope NCSSM
students keep in mind that
what they post on social media,
while mostly helpful, can affect
anyone. Students: Continue the
seltie trend, but don’t forget to
keep it positive.
The
Stentorian
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
1219 Broad Street, Durham, NC 27705
stentorianl 23@yitiail.com
Editors-in-Chief: Sierra Dunne, Betty Liu, Richard Ong
News Editor: Caroline Liu
Features Editor: Addy Liu
Opinion Editor: Rebecca Liu
Sports Editor: Catherine Wang
Photography Editor: ChiChi Zhu
Advisor: John Kirk
Staff Writers: AJ Goren, Brinda Sarathy, Cheryl Wang, Joe
Wisewell, ChiChi Zhu