The Stentorian Newspaper

Author: Mabel Kennedy

  • Battle of the Buses: School Vans vs. Durham Go Buses

    Battle of the Buses: School Vans vs. Durham Go Buses

    (Wiki)

    By Mabel Kennedy, Stentorian Staff Writer

    As I walk around the perimeter of the school, a crisp but pleasant chill in the air, my friend and I pass by the long, dizzying row of white school vans. I began to wonder why there is a need for such an excess, it seemed unnecessary. 

    Perhaps it is just a result of overanalysis; however, paired with the circulating beliefs I’ve heard, it reinforces my curiosity. Statements like downtown seem dangerous, and there is a shared sentiment about the Durham buses being thrown around like they hold no weight. Are the plethora of school vans there for the sole purpose of being the ones transporting the students? If so, that would only further these beliefs that the outside world of Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill is dangerous. 

    I then began to wonder why the topics of the public buses as rough or unsafe were viewed as the truth. Was it the fact that locals make use of them too? That it’s not full of other peers from the same sheltered bubble that this school can turn into? Or is it the fact that the majority of people that you will find riding the bus are black? These are questions I cannot answer and probably don’t have a definite answer to; however, the subject of the school being a sheltered place is definitely one of interest. 

    The reality is that many of the residential students here rarely leave the school grounds, or if they do, it’s to the comfortable stretch of 9th Street. This could be the result of the burdensome workload, but it can cause a limited worldview and create a bubble around NCSSM. Although downtown may not be a walkable distance for some, the free buses are available and easy to use, and downtown has been nothing but hospitable in all the months I’ve been here. 

    Now, my experience has not been everyone’s, however, I’d still argue that both downtown and the buses are safe and something that should be taken advantage of more often before we have to start paying for bus passes.

  • Big Spoon Moshes at Unipalooza ‘25

    Big Spoon Moshes at Unipalooza ‘25

    (Louisa Weinard/Stentorian)

    By Mabel Kennedy, Stentorian Staff Writer

    “Having practice is really fun but when you’re doing it for that much time and you know that when you go back to your room you’re just going to have to work on homework and do other stuff SSM students have to do, it starts to drag.” This is the reality for most of the openers and NCSSM’s very own Big Spoon’s members. As Hazel Cochran ‘26 states above, UniPalooza wasn’t all fun times, a lot of hard work was put into it. 

    UniPalooza, the name, a spin off of Lollapalooza, is, I’d argue, one of the most important cultural events of the school year. This year it was headlined by Big Spoon the Third and supported by … On the humid grounds of Blawn, dozens of students gathered to support this event on an unsuspecting Friday afternoon, more specifically, May 9th. 

    Students had generally good things to say. As the #1 Curls on campus, our very own  Sadie Albright said, “I liked how everyone came together, however, Scotty Doesn’t Know was a choice…he definitely knew.” I can agree with this statement and so can various anonymous sources saying other points such as, “I wish Kahan had a solo, the technical difficulties were not that noticeable, and it wasn’t as hype as last year.” 

    The actual show wasn’t all I was interested in however, it was the musicians’ experiences that stood out to me the most. As it was touched on above, the stress and hardwork the band members put into this show were admirable to say the least. Big Spoon had to learn and memorize around 2 hours of songs to play though and began practicing early on. For three weeks before this event, Big Spoon practiced everyday for 2 hours, adding up to a total of 14 hours of practice a week. Perhaps a seemingly low amount but then added onto the initial stress and expectations of schoolwork, the workload becomes intense. However, when asked, there was no tension between the band members at all, a surprising fact based on the apparent strenuous practices 

    Big Spoon’s legacy is also an interesting one. When asked if they’ve figured out any of the members for the next generation of the band, rising seniors Jiya Zaveria and Hazel Cochran stated that, “it was still in the works,” despite them being sad to see their seniors go. Big spoon is a band that is flexible, an ongoing legacy rather than something concrete. The sound may be different next year, members will be different but it’ll still somehow be Big Spoon. Jiya and Hazel will continue the traditions that we know and love, Koffehouses and UniPaloza, but also hope to continue writing and performing their own songs while making a push to perform at more non-school venues (shoutout Local 506). 

     From Mayday Parade to Janelle Monáe, inspiration for the Big Spoon members came from a lot of places, something that’s evident in their song choices for Unipalooza. Members had the chance to pick two “save songs,” stated Hazel Cochran’26, songs that had to be included, even if the other members didn’t want to. However, the setlist wasn’t just made up of “save songs,” agreed upon covers and originals were sprinkled into the recipe as well. Seemingly, the band came together in a lot of ways, from their practice and writing sessions to the big performance, Big Spoon became a new band this year that the student population surely will be sad to see go.

  • Regeneron STS Wins

    By Mabel Kennedy, Stentorian Staff Writer

    As you meander or perhaps rush to your classes through the Reynolds breezeway, your gaze will linger on the rather demanding mural of all the graced students who have won the achievement of being crowned a “top 40 finalist” in the Regeneron competition. Soon, our very own senior Ava Cummings’ ‘25 name will be highlighted. 

    For all those who don’t know, the Regeneron competition is a nationwide science competition for seniors, placing a particular emphasis on research. It is known as a “prestigious” competition as defined by their parent company. As Dante Tringale ‘25 states, “It is the largest and oldest science talent search in the country, where they look for the next leaders of the generation of scientific exploration.” They begin with all the applicants then slowly whittle down to the “Top 300 Scholars,” where you receive a $2,000 (unfortunately taxed) scholarship and an internship offer, and “Top 40 Finalists” where you can present your work along with a $25,000 scholarship (taxed too, sigh) and a chance to compete for higher prizes. Both tempting benefits are when deciding whether you want to submit your work.

    As someone unfamiliar with the inner workings of the competition and miles away from the science community committed to achieving some sort of title within Regeneron, I had the chance to learn about the competition from a fairly unbiased point of view. What I found particularly interesting was their inclusion of the story behind the research when considering the students’ applications. They take this into account when reading the additional essays that applicants were required to write when submitting their research. Tringale ‘25 brought this to my attention during our conversation about the application process saying, “It’s a completely separate application process (not through the school), similar to a scholarship application you write additional essays about what you researched, why, and what your future contributions to science will be, as well as turning in the 30-page research paper.” 

    Your journey, if you so choose, might start through one of the various research programs our school offers, such as RBio or RChem, among others, or through an Independent Study. Either one has its benefits or disadvantages depending on the person or topic.` 

    I learned after spending my afternoon with Aretha Datta ‘25, a “Top 300 scholar,” that the competition wasn’t exactly the end goal for many students in NCSSM’s research programs. Regeneron wasn’t on the front burners, despite my impressions after passing by the large mural in Reynolds breezeway every day, I simply chalked it up to be another example of the school favoring science rather than encouraging interdisciplinary work and the inclusion of the humanities, something ever-present in my school life. However, I learned that their research was much more than that after hearing how they wanted to continue it in college, hopefully ending up benefiting their community. I also noticed, as I passed by all of the research presentations on February 19th, that most of the researchers began their work after noticing a humanitarian issue and wanted to make a change. I’ve actually noticed that it was the student’s passion for their topic that far surpassed the sponsor’s support in some cases. 

    When applying to NCSSM’s research programs, students are met with encouragement that no matter their background and previous experience, they have the opportunity to pursue research.

  • We Were Left Behind During Fall Break

    We Were Left Behind During Fall Break

    (Mabel Kennedy)

    By Mabel Kennedy, Stentorian Staff Writer

    After the grueling month that was September, while still trying to get back into the flow of neverending schoolwork, shining ahead like a golden prize was the promise of Fall Break. 

    This promise was gracefully fulfilled for some students of NCSSM but for others was nothing but a cruel joke in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Normally, students would fill out the fall break form, clicking the Asheville bus as their mode of transportation or would return home by getting picked up, a long commute looming overhead regardless. 

    On Thursday, September 26, as the hurricane steadily approached, students with homes in Western North Carolina were restless to see the effects left behind as we huddled in the Greynolds tunnel, feeling the weight of the continuous tornado warnings. 

    At this point, the Asheville bus was pushed back from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning because of uncertain dangerous road conditions. At this point my peers and I were overall disappointed, but grateful we still had the chance to leave. Many opted for the optimistic point of view where we got to stay overnight at our empty school, seeing it as a challenge rather than a letdown. However, this quickly shifted to the latter as the bus was delayed even further to Friday afternoon. 

    Many, including myself, began echoing the question, “Will we even make it back?” At this point, numerous students were not able to get into contact with their families and friends back home, unable to update them on the bus’ wavering plans of departure. 

    We were left behind and in the dark. Time stretched by slowly as we were on edge, unsure of our family and friends’ safety, and bound to the school’s premises which disallowed us from leaving.

    For seniors, the option of college applications was available to kill time. For juniors, it was late work that needed to be completed. However, this proved to be useless as all attention and concentration was on our communities nestled in the Appalachian mountains. 

    According to Bella Rizzuto ’26: “Everything was up in the air. I didn’t know if my family or house was okay, at this point I hadn’t been able to get into contact with them for over a day.” Similar sentiments were echoed by the remaining students left at school.

    Despite the situation, the CCs and faculty came together to try and make the best out of the very apparent, bad situation. The boxed lunches and breakfasts turned into outings to get pizza at Costco and a group trip to Chancellor Todd Roberts’ hospitable home. Despite NCSSM staff being flexible and understanding, the students were still frustrated as the new update regarding the bus departing time pinged on our phones. We are unsure of when the bus will be able to depart. 

    Slowly, as news filtered out of the mountains we were greeted with stories of flooding, collapsed bridges, and fallen trees on buildings. 

    From the fifteen students delayed, it turned to twelve and later dwindled to three left, spending the entire fall break on campus, unable to return home.