stentorian
Vol. XIV, No. 5
NCSSM, 1219 Broad Street, Durham. NC 27705
May 27, 1995
Around the World:
A Year in Review
By MAGDA KOTEK
News Editor
International
■ Ten people died and over 6,000
were injured in gas attacks on the
Yokohama and Tokyo metro stations.
Japanese police have been accused of
terrorizing the suspected Aum
Shinrikyo cult. The cult, though, has
not yet been charged with the attacks.
■ Muslims in the war tom nation of
Yugoslavia gained ground while
Serbian armies blasted UN protected
cities. The United Nations indicted
Radovan Karadzic in its recently
formed international war-crimes tri
bunal.
■ Over 5,000 people died and 25,000
were injured after an earthquake mea
suring 7.2 on the Richter scale hit
Japan.
Wars in Mexico and the republic of
Grozny in the former Soviet Union
erupted this year. Both conflicts were
quickly crushed by the respective gov
ernments.
■ The United States has decided to
lift a trade embargo with the nation of
Vietnam in the hopes of opening a
new market. This action falls on the
twentieth anniversary of the end of
the Vietnam war.
■ Fighting in Rwanda continues as
refugees pour into refugee camps. A
recent attack by Tutsi soldiers left
2,000 Hutus slain.
National
■ Over 120 people were left dead
after a bomb exploded in a federal
building in Oklahoma city. Police
see AROUND THE
WORLD, page 2
Duke professor chosen to speak at graduation
By JOHN SMITH
Staff Writer
As the school year draws to a close and
everyone gets ready to pack up and head
home, the School of Science and Math has
become a beehive of activity. Seniors have
begun to plan their college careers, while jun
iors are just starting to think about how cool
it will be next year when they are the rulers
of NCSSM (for a little while, anyway).
But wait, something is missing. Amidst
■ all the turmoil and hurry, aren’t we forget
ting a minor detail? That’s right, class of ’95,
GRADUATION! The moment that you have
dreamed of for twelve long years has finally
arrived.
Of course, a good graduation exercise
requires a good graduation speaker. Two of
them, in fact. And to ensure that the senior
graduation is a resounding success, the SGA
has worked hard since last October to obtain
a top notch honorary speaker.
This year, the speaker will be Professor
Shelly Schwartz of Duke University. Dr.
Schwartz is a professor of Pharmocology/
Neurobiology at Duke Medical School,
where she studies the effects that certain
drugs have on the brain. She is also involved
in a private corporation that develops com
puter molecular simulations of drugs and dis
eases.
However, Dr. Schwartz is not only a sci
entist, but an athlete as well. She enjoys sail
ing, cycling (she recently won a local race).
- ’
Photo by Hao Zhu
Seniors Brian Watkins and Magda Kotek enjoy a day at the beach, one
of the most popular places for post-graduation celebration.
and was also an expert on the uneven paral
lel bars in high school and college. She is a
biathlete and triathlete, and judged the Na
tional Olympic Trials for gymnastics.
Senior speaker Marci Gambrell is multi
talented as well. She enjoys rock climbing
and fencing in her spare time, while keeping
up a difficult class load and serving as DA
on Third Beall. Hailing from Banner Elk,
N.C., Marci plans to attend the University of
Chicago next year and major in mathemat
ics.
Seniors, good job at one of the toughest
high schools in the nation. Not long from
now, two hundred and seventy of you will
travel from the campus of NCSSM into the
world of tommorrow. Knock ‘em dead, class
of ’95.
t
Traditions and memories abound at NCSSM
By HOPE JACKSON and
ANNU SOOD
Features Editor and Staff Writer
When NCSSM first opened in 1980,
there were no traditions to follow. No one
imagined that there would be a time known
as Happy Half. Many traditions have been
created throughout the years, a recent addi
tion being the second semester senior mock
graduation (it was created last year). Of
course, there have been quite a few that have
had to be broken, including Biopond birth
day tosses and toilet papering the gym.
Regardless, a few of our very own
NCSSM teachers recall traditions that began
long ago. Mr. Liles remembers that there was
a time when there was no place big enough
on campus to hold assemblies, so students
were transported off campus for such events,
like convocation, to take place. They were
held at the Bryan Center at Duke University
or even at E.K. Powe Elementary School. Dr.
Miller remembers that the first year end slide
show took place in the Assembly Hall. It
lasted 45 minutes. Not only did everyone
remain standing for the entire thing, but they
also clapped the whole way through.
Halloween has been a fun time on cam
pus. Several halls have their own individual
haunted houses, but not much can compare
to the first few haunted houses on campus
when real cob-webs were everywhere and
buildings like Watts were condemned and
boarded up. Mr. Liles recalls one year when
Halloween time came around and several stu
dents got permission to open Watts up so they
could hold a haunted house show there. Their
props included a giant chain saw and old hos
pital equipment. Eventually, the haunted
house got so popular, people from the out
side community lined up outside to watch.
The haunted house was also held in Wyche
House.
Another tradition that has not been able
to continue is one that involves hall decorat
ing at Christmas. Each year, halls had a tough
Christmas decorating contest. Judges were
selected to walk through each hall and choose
a winner. Competition was tough and cre
ativity was everywhere. Mr. Liles recalls one
see SCHOOL TRADITIONS,
page 2
♦ Bored This Summer? Check out the “Top
11 things to do this summer,” pagel 1.
♦ Walking It Out A closer look at early-
moming mall-walkers, page 12.
♦ Graduation Gifts Senior Last Will and Tes
taments, page 3.