By Sofía Alfaro / September 15, 2023
The students of NCSSM were crowded into the gym bleachers on August 15, 2023, for convocation. As it came closer to 4:00 p.m., the instructors began to sit down on the floor of the gym. Many students thought it was meaningless for them to be in the gym since they couldn’t see the speakers, and it would have been the same experience if the convocation had been over Zoom like last year since the speaker wasn’t even in-person.
At 4:20 p.m., the lights began to flicker and soon after, the power went out. The students cheered as they would no longer be forced to listen to a speaker whom some of them couldn’t even see. As the students realized they were stuck in the darkness, they began singing songs while waving their flashlights – as many people do during concerts. As time went on students began to get more restless as they were stuck in a hot gym with more than 600 other people.
After the storm passed, the students were released by bleacher sections into the residential buildings. Most students came back to the PEC to get dinner. But by the time students were getting back to their regular routines, the day had gotten darker. Since only Bryan Lobby had working lights and outlets due to the backup generators, the lobby was filled with at least a hundred students. As it got closer to check, students who had friends who lived nearby went to their houses.
Everyone did what they could to cool themselves off. At one point in the night, frozen cheesecake bites were put out for students to grab them. In addition to it being free food, it was also a nice cold snack. Though the power outage was inevitable, it would have been nice for Durham’s convocation to have been postponed due to the weather.
August 15 and 16 were very chaotic days, but in those moments we were able to reflect. The PEC is a semi-permanent solution since the complete renovation of the auditorium will span over a few years. A solution that I would like to propose is two different convocations. Having two convocations would have made it easier to postpone it.
The convocation experience should be completely in-person for both campuses as is graduation. When I attended the convocation, I was sad to see that I couldn’t see the speaker and I wished that I could have. Neither Durham’s nor Morganton’s Fine Arts program was able to perform which I believe would have made the experience much better. Each campus’ orchestra and band are extremely talented and I would have loved to see them perform.
Junior Valentina Kimes talked about her experience of the power outage. Though she was very excited for her first day of school she was still stressed and the power outage added to the stress. Even though the power outage created a very hot environment, Kimes was still able to have fun and believed that it was a good way to connect with her classmates. Most of this bonding happened in Bryan Lobby. Due to classes being canceled, many students were in Bryan Lobby so they could charge their devices. Not only were they able to charge their devices but they were also able to spend time with their peers and take a break from the intense NCSSM school day.
The power outage was a bonding experience but many juniors and seniors alike were not able to experience it to its full extent. Convocation is the day when all the students and faculty come together to appreciate NCSSM; Durham and Morganton are completely separate campuses that have their own cultures. To appreciate NCSSM for what it is would be to have a convocation where the speaker and students can come together and appreciate the uniqueness of each campus.
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