By Melissa Hernandez Rojas, Stentorian Staff Writer
Being the best is exhausting. At NCSSM, we have mastered the ability to do linear algebra and create robots that sign check for us—and yet, our low “B” rankings suggest we lie somewhere between “fair” and “could do better.”
According to the NICHE report card, NCSSM received a “B-” in sports and a “B” in food. The PFM has mastered the art of mystery—in great timing for Halloween, might I add. Every day, the students engage in the amusing game of “is that chicken?” and “I’ll just eat ice cream.” The greatest mystery of all: who is the perpetrator behind the continuing existence of Fish Friday?
Despite our low ranking, the meals are an essential detail at NCSSM. Many students use the meals to bond over the never-ending Amstud assignments or the bittersweet realization that their favorite seniors will not be sitting with them in the year to come. Regardless of how mealtimes and food are perceived, students greatly appreciate the staff’s effort (even if the mystery meat remains…mysterious).
As for sports, the football team is to blame for the low ranking. Established in 1980, the tackling unicorns are steadily approaching their end. (Perhaps we should consider shutting down the team?) On the other hand, our student-athletes have been doing an impeccable job at representing the “nerd school” in tennis, soccer, and volleyball. If the ranking had been on spirit, we would have gotten a perfect score, especially with our ever-encouraging student section in the stands as they profess their universal love of “three-point-one-four-one-five-nine!”
To fight against our public confession, an anonymous voice shamelessly reaches our ears to say “this school only cares about grades and popularity.” Being voted the #1 Public High School in America is a heavy—but rewarding—weight the NCSSM community has the privilege of carrying.
NCSSM’s main priority is not to place their students in boxes, but rather, to create free and creative souls that shine through their professional and academic careers. The biggest reward, however, comes from acknowledging this title as a reflection of NCSSM’s students, teachers, and families and their contributions to the innovative and collaborative generations to come. We hope these future generations will find the same satisfaction and contentment in NCSSM like their past and current classmates have.
Even if we don’t necessarily enjoy the questionable meat served or the hard rolls that are capable of causing serious damage (seriously—those things can give concussions), our controversial opinions over the food and our “B” have no room to diminish the beauty of the community we’ve tirelessly created.
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