The Stentorian Newspaper

Category: News/Features

  • Life After NCSSM: Alumni Insights

    Life After NCSSM: Alumni Insights

    By Khushi Bhatt / March 20, 2024
    Dr. Kamal Kolappa and his wife, Dr. Shraddha Kolappa, at NCSSM on December 8, 2023, at an event at NCSSM honoring the naming of the Kolappa Conference Room. (McKissick for NC)

    As students, it’s natural to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of classes, exams, and extracurricular activities, often forgetting to envision our lives beyond the confines of NCSSM. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Kamal Kolappa, a graduate of the Class of 1998, who shared his journey after his time here at Science and Math. Kamal’s trajectory is both inspiring and insightful, serving as a beacon of guidance for those of us approaching graduation.

    After ‘SSM, Kamal pursued his undergraduate studies at Duke University and later embarked on attending UNC Medical School and later completing his residency as a cardiologist. It’s evident that Kamal’s commitment to learning and service has remained throughout his professional endeavors.

    Today, Kamal resides in Cary, North Carolina, where he contributes his expertise to the field of medical insurance. During our conversation, Kamal generously imparted invaluable advice and wisdom, which I am eager to share with you all. His insights serve as a reminder of the significance of perseverance, adaptability, and a steadfast commitment to lifelong learning.

    Below is a Q&A with Kolappa, slightly edited for clarity:

    Can you share some highlights from your time at SSM? What are some memorable experiences or moments that shaped your journey?

    One of the most impactful moments during my time at SSM was when I had the opportunity to meet someone who openly identified as LGBTQ+. Coming from Eastern North Carolina, where discussions about sexual orientation were often taboo or nonexistent, encountering someone who openly embraced their identity was both eye-opening and nerve-wracking for me.

    Initially, I felt a sense of nervousness and uncertainty as I navigated this new encounter. However, as I engaged in conversations and spent more time with this individual, I quickly realized that we shared far more similarities than differences. Despite our diverse backgrounds and identities, we bonded over shared interests, aspirations, and values.

    This experience profoundly influenced my perspective on diversity, acceptance, and the importance of keeping an open mind. It taught me the invaluable lesson of not judging others based on preconceived notions or societal stereotypes but rather embracing the richness of human diversity and celebrating the unique experiences that each individual brings to the table.

    What hall did you live in?

    Third West!

    How did your experiences at our school prepare you for your career or further education?

    My experiences at our school had a profound impact on preparing me for my career and further education. Before attending ‘SSM, my previous high school experience had been relatively easy, and I hadn’t been challenged to push myself academically or personally. However, upon entering SSM, I encountered a dynamic environment where hard work, dedication, and collaboration were not only encouraged but also essential for success.

    One of the most significant lessons I learned at SSM was the importance of putting in consistent effort and dedication to achieve my goals. Surrounded by peers who were driven and committed to their academic pursuits, I was inspired to elevate my own standards and work ethic. 

    Favorite NCSSM school traditions?

    Koffeehaus was a blast; it provided a lively atmosphere where students could showcase their talents while enjoying each other’s company. IVIZ, on the other hand, offered a more relaxed setting, perfect for casually exploring fellow students’ rooms and mingling with friends. Both traditions added vibrancy to campus life, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie among students. Overall, they were highlights of my time at NCSSM, providing unforgettable moments of enjoyment and connection.

    What extracurricular activities or programs did you participate in during your time at NCSSM, and how did they contribute to your overall experience?

    During my time at NCSSM, I served as a Peer College Counselor, assisting fellow students through the stressful yet fulfilling college application process. Engaging in Science Olympiad and reaching Nationals provided exciting opportunities to delve into the sciences and collaborate with peers. Additionally, I found immense enjoyment in humanities classes, particularly Asian studies, which broadened my global perspective through exploration of culture and literature. Overall, these experiences contributed significantly to my growth and enriched my education at NCSSM.

    Any advice for current students? Anything you wish you would have done differently? 

    Focusing on refining time management skills is crucial, particularly for those, like myself, who were heavily involved in social activities at Science and Math, balancing academics and social life can be challenging. I highly recommend students seize this opportunity to explore new interests and passions they may not have considered before; it’s a chance for personal growth and discovery. Additionally, learning to prioritize self-care is essential; while academic success is important, it’s equally vital to recognize that grades don’t define one’s worth, nor does the prestige of one’s college choice.

    Reflecting on my experience, I can confidently say that my time at Science and Math was the most fulfilling and transformative period of my life thus far. The school’s supportive environment and diverse opportunities have played a significant role in shaping the person I am today, and the lessons learned here continue to resonate across every aspect of my life. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend Science and Math to anyone seeking an enriching educational experience that extends far beyond the classroom.

  • History of Watts Hospital

    By Suchetana Kona / September 1, 2023
    1920 photograph of Watts Hospital. (P. Preston Reynolds)

    Was Ground Reynolds really a morgue? Was Beall a psychiatric ward? As students get accustomed to NCSSM, they  have probably heard from their seniors about the purpose of the rooms they lived in before the school was established. Watts Hospital was opened in 1895 to account for the lack of hospitals in Durham, with its increasing population. During the first few years, Watts hospital was meant to be small, containing only four buildings. They were all connected with corridors that were enclosed during winter, one of which contained patients and isolation rooms, where the others had  the mortuary, autopsy facilities, and a carriage shed. However, as the hospital grew, so did its facilities.

    In 1906, the hospital needed more space and it underwent construction to expand the building, but also the staff. This project was finished around 1909. By this point the hospital included an administration building, operating building, power house, laundry, and one patient pavilion. The entire building was constructed from fireproof material. The first research was located in the pathological and bacteriological labs of the administration building in what is now Watts Lobby.At the time Watts Lobby was the “first of its kind” based on architectural history. Although the new hospital provided for numerous people, there was still a need for expansion. The medical facility underwent another construction period a year later to make a patient pavilion specifically for female patients. The hospital accommodated 98 patients, and had 40 single rooms for nurses with the new building housing other services such as a gym, reception rooms, and more. There was more space dedicated to new medicine practices such as isolation rooms, and a shift towards surgery as the central focus of hospitals. 

    Aerial view of Watts Hospital looking northwest, including the newly completed Valinda Beall Watts pavilion, in the late 1920s.
    (The Herald Sun)

    Later towards the mid-20’s the hospital peaked, ranging from the amount of patients to  the type and quality of the services. More doctors had specialized fields while working there, and the amount of surgeries occurring increased by 25%, which began to dominate the work of the hospital. Due to the rise in surgery cases at the hospital, in 1926, the hospital decided to create a branch for private patients, which has become present day Beall. This expansion eventually led to the hospital receiving an “A” for their services, patient care, and staff. This construction was the final major installment in the hospital.

    The historical journey of Watts Hospital, which eventually evolved into the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), had major developments. Even though we will never truly know all the locations of the hospital, it is certain that the hospital was very popular!

  • NCSSM alumni return for Alumni Weekend 2023

    By Teresa Fang / October 23, 2023
    The newly renovated PFM. (Teresa Fang/Stentorian)

    For three days in October, Unicorns from all over the nation and world galloped to NCSSM in Durham. Nostalgia filled Bryan lobby as more than 470 NCSSM alumni returned for Alumni Weekend 2023.

    Alumni Weekend is a tradition with 41 years in the running – nearly half a century of connecting Unicorns thanks to the generosity of alumni and the up-to-the-minute NCSSM alumni network. The event plans had been in the works since last year, and thanks to the Alumni Weekend 2023 ReUNIon Committee, Team NCSSM, and the NCSSM Alumni Association, the classes of 1983,’88, ‘93, ‘98, ‘02, ‘08, ‘13, and ‘18 enjoyed a “State of the School” remark, Alumni Awards, class activities and photo slideshows, and student-led campus tours. 

    Around the World, In the Network

    When seniors graduate, they get automatically added to the NCSSM Alumni Network, which currently consists of 12,464 alumni (as of this article’s publication).

    “It’s something that we have here that I think makes us truly special. Any school could have a database, but it’s hard to have the discipline and the persistence to do it over time,” said Brock Winslow, ‘86, the vice chancellor for external relations and chief of staff since 2007. The database traces back to the first graduated class of 1982.

    While the Alumni Association’s Alumni Network is a self-updating network, the contact information is ultimately gathered to organize the Alumni Weekend. The event started on Friday with a Zoom meeting where more than 300 people would join from around the world.

    “Literally, you could see people log in from Singapore. Around the world, you just name it.” Winslow said. “When alumni go to our Facebook page, they can watch this, see the [ReUNIon Committee] officers, get the ‘State of the School’ address, and more.” According to the Alumni Association, about 20 percent of all NCSSM alumni attend the meeting or watch its recording.

    “What I loved the most? I think it was the community of nerds.”

    When a student starts their “flight” at NCSSM, they join hundreds of students like them but are from all areas of North Carolina. Regardless of whether it was connecting with the students and teachers, or taking in the advantages and opportunities, alumni owe their post-high-school lives to their alma mater.

    “Being here definitely grew my network, and helped me grow into myself as a person,” said Maya Mims, ‘18, who is now a math teacher in Washington, D.C. Surprisingly, prior to NCSSM, they hated math. Their classmates and teachers, especially Dr. Dan Teague, helped turn that attitude around. “They definitely helped spark a lot of my love for teaching, math, and academia, so that’s why I’m teaching now.”

    Other alumni made lifelong friends and memories. On Alumni Weekend, many current students noted there were many couples and families present. For example, although Gabriel “Gabe” Whaley and Amy Kim, both ‘08, never dated in high school, they recently got married.

    Whaley, the class of 2008 student body president, is now the CEO and founder of MSCHF, a viral art collective. Despite his laments over the amount of work to do as a president, Whaley enjoyed having fun and connecting with the people at NCSSM, especially his cabinet. 

    “What I loved the most? I think it was the community of nerds. I felt like this was a great place to be myself and grow, other than doing things I should have gotten in trouble for…” He said, keeping his detailed mischiefs off the record. Behind him, his vice president Andrew Ngo quipped that one such deed included copying master keys and distributing them to seniors.

    For Catherine Kirby Dunleavy, ‘88,  she treasured her friendships: “I always felt like [NCSSM] was just the most accepting place I’ve ever been in my entire life.”

    At the time of the interview, she was walking with a group of same-class alumni, the oldest friendship of which was with David Steinmiller, ‘88, when the two met while Dunleavy was reading a magazine in the ETC courtyard before the first day of school. 

    “We were just looking at the [alumni class] slideshows, and I remembered all the activities and cultural stuff we did, not just math and science,” Steinmiller said. “I don’t think you could recreate this like in fancy private schools, because those people aren’t drawn there. NCSSM are the dorks of North Carolina – and that’s the best thing. There’s nothing quite like this, really.”

  • Perspective: Convocation with Two Campuses and One School

    Perspective: Convocation with Two Campuses and One School

    By Sofía Alfaro / September 15, 2023
    Students lit up the out-of-power gym with their phone flashlights during convocation on August 15, 2023. (Teresa Fang/Stentorian)

    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. 

    The thunderstorm outside the Bryan lobby main entrance on August 15, 2023. (Sofía Alfaro/Stentorian)

    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.

  • A Glimpse Into NCSSM’s Fine Arts Department

    A Glimpse Into NCSSM’s Fine Arts Department

    By Emmie Rose / September 6, 2023
    NCSSM Choir students at practice. (Emmie Rose/Stentorian)

    Within our NCSSM community, there is creativity and academic rigor. In a recent interview with Mr. Laird, the fine arts chair, we got a look at what makes NCSSM’s Fine Arts program truly stand out.

    At NCSSM, our Fine Arts Department offers many courses, ranging in visual arts, music, and theater. “These courses aren’t just about checking boxes; they’re an opportunity for students to continue their artistic journeys from their previous schools,” Mr. Laird commented after being asked where the arts fit into course requirements. The Fine Arts Department here aims to foster a sense of community within the larger academic institution. The various courses hope to be a place where students find support among peers who share their creative passion, contributing to students’ sense of well-being.

    Now, the fine arts are not a course requirement, so why should we take them? The department stresses that time spent in the Fine Arts isn’t just about ticking off requirements; it’s about personal growth and academic enrichment.The significance of a long-term arts experience carries over to college admissions. Colleges tend to applaud students who’ve shown dedication to the arts over an extended period. Laird pointed out that the arts should be a rigor, a different type of rigor than strenuous classes.

    Within this department, ideas flow between the faculty and staff. Mr Laird added “Great art happens when great relationships are in place”. The quality of art created improves with the community it takes place in. 

    When asked about opportunities within the Fine Arts Department, Mr. Laird explained the different possibilities in each area. Visual artists can participate in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, while musicians can explore district, regional, and even national orchestra and band opportunities. For theater enthusiasts, it’s finding places to showcase their talents, like the school musical or play. 

    The fine arts department stretches beyond the courses, as there are events such as koffeehaus to show just how many of our students are more than just the science and math part of this school. 

    NCSSM’s Fine Arts Department is more than just a program; it’s a place of creativity, community, and growth. Speaking with Mr. Laird as he shared his experiences and delved into this department, I was amazed at the amount of dedication, support, and excitement that is put into this huge part of NCSSM. 

  • The Waiting is Over: The PFM Is Open!

    The Waiting is Over: The PFM Is Open!

    By Khushi Bhatt / September 1, 2023
    The new PFM on opening day. (The Stentorian)

    After months of waiting, the time is finally here. NCSSM’s newly renovated cafeteria is open! Opening day was a huge success showing off the modern, sleek look of the PFM. As soon as the doors were opened, students flooded in to see the new and improved space, and they were not disappointed. This long awaited transformation spread a wave of excitement across the student body that we are still feeling today. 

    The before and after pictures speak for themselves. From grab and go food at the racquetball courts to a salad bar, soup stations, drink machines, waffle makers and study space, this is certainly an improvement. Already, students are soaking up the classic high school experience of the cafeteria, sitting with friends, singing happy birthday, and enjoying their meals. 

    To show really how much we love the PFM and PFM Staff, students should show their gratitude and respect for the shared space. As a reminder: 

    The tables and chairs should be staying where they are because NCSSM staff is not a moving company!  

    All of the silverware, plates, cups, and food should be going to their respective places at the dish return! It makes it easier for everyone!

    Lastly, study hours for right now go until 7:30 pm during weekdays and 6:30 pm on weekends! This will eventually be changed so that we can have access to the study space for longer, but please follow these times for now.  

    It has taken a village to get to where we are, but we appreciate all of the NCSSM staff, PFM workers, and cooperative students that have helped open the PFM. The space provides not only an area for students to eat, but one to socialize and study in. It provides a space for interaction and connection. The addition, or reinstatement, of this new cafeteria adds back a staple in the NCSSM experience. Students are so grateful for our newly renovated cafeteria and all the work put into it.

    (The Stentorian)
    (The Stentorian)
    (The Stentorian)