Category: Uncategorized

By Aryaman Shukla, Stentorian Staff Writer

Free speech is having a rough year.

Professors have lost jobs over what they taught. Students at protests have been asked to reveal their names. Entire universities have been pressed to explain who gets to speak and who doesn’t. Suddenly, the idea of “say what you want” looks a lot more complicated.

The bigger question is less about what people say, but about what happens after they say it. Some comments spark national debates. Others get someone fired. Occasionally someone gets fired at. Yet, plenty never make it past a dinner table argument or a heated group chat. But the pattern is the same: our words carry weight.

But the pattern is the same: our words carry weight. A new wave of surveys shows students across the U.S. are less willing to host controversial speakers on campus. The logic is simple: avoid conflict, avoid trouble. But that decision raises an unsettling possibility: if we never hear views that challenge us, how much do we actually learn?

Free speech isn’t just a right, it’s a balancing act. On one side, there’s the freedom to explore unpopular ideas, to test arguments, to question the majority. On the other side, there’s the reality that speech can wound, isolate, or carry real consequences. Saying “anything goes” ignores the impact. Saying “some things must never be said” risks shutting down growth.

And it’s not just about professors on the news or campus rallies halfway across the country. It’s here, every time we decide whether to speak up in class, challenge a friend’s opinion, or hit send on a post. Do you say the joke you know is risky? Do you stand up for someone else’s unpopular take? Do you back down when things get heated?

That’s the messy part: free speech sounds simple in theory, but in practice it demands judgment. The challenge isn’t just “Can I say this?” but “Should I? When? How?”

Some people treat free speech like a shield, protection from consequences. Others wield it like a sword: an excuse to strike and retreat behind the phrase “just my opinion.” But the truth is more complicated. Free speech isn’t a free pass, and it isn’t a weapon. It’s a responsibility.

And responsibility begins with listening. Not the performative kind where you nod until it’s your turn to jump in, but the harder kind: hearing an argument you dislike and letting it sit with you long enough to test your own convictions. In an age where muting, blocking, and scrolling away take less than a second, genuine listening feels radical.

But here’s the paradox: a society that treats speech as dangerous often becomes more fragile, not less. Shielding ourselves from offense doesn’t make us stronger, it leaves us unpracticed at grappling with difference. Democracy, at its core, depends on that grappling. It depends on people who can argue without dehumanizing, disagree without exiling, and defend the right to be heard even when every instinct says, “shut them up.”

Practicing free speech responsibly doesn’t always mean speaking. Sometimes it means restraint, the wisdom to know when your words will bruise more than they’ll build. Other times it means courage, risking reputation, comfort, or belonging to insist that a viewpoint, however unpopular, deserves its place in the sunlight.

None of this is easy. But maybe that’s the point. Free speech was never designed to be safe; it was designed to be vital. It’s the messy, imperfect mechanism that allows societies to evolve instead of calcify. And when we ask whether certain voices should even have a place at the table, we’d do well to remember: the table exists precisely so those voices can clash, collide, and shape something stronger together.

So the next time you wonder, “Can I say this?” take the harder step. Ask instead, “Should I? How? What will my words create?” Because in the end, free speech isn’t about winning an argument or proving a point. It’s about keeping the conversation alive. And if we lose that, we lose more than a right: we lose the very heartbeat of a free society.

By Aryaman Shukla, Stentorian Staff Writer

Time at NCSSM is strange. Somehow the days are long, the weeks are short, and semesters evaporate. One moment you’re moving in, figuring out how to fob into the PFM, and the next you’re a senior wondering why you never visited Woolworth just because you could. 

The point is: your time here is limited, and while you can’t do everything, you can definitely make it count. 

First things first: try things, even if you’re terrible at them. NCSSM is full of people who are incredibly good at things, but don’t let that stop you. Join the orchestra even if you know you’re the “comic relief” cellist. Try out for the tennis team even if you have the coordination of a newborn giraffe. Some of your most favorite memories will come not from what you’re the best at, but rather from the things you tried simply because you could. 

While it’s natural to stick with your hallmates or the people who are in all your classes, don’t be afraid to expand your circle. You’ll be surprised by how much more fun this place gets when you meet random people. For all you know, the one quiet kid at your table could become your best lab partner. NCSSM is as much about the people as the academics, so don’t limit yourself. 

Speaking of academics: your teachers aren’t just grade-dispensers. They’re ridiculously smart, yes, but they’re also real people who love talking about their research, their hobbies, and sometimes even their Spotify playlists. Office hours don’t just exist for problem sets, they’re a chance to connect with someone who might actually change how you see a subject and make it a tad less soul-crushing. 

Now, the big one: time management. Every NCSSM student has that phase of believing they can stay up until 3 am, function on four hours of sleep, and still conquer the world. Spoiler: you can’t. Trust me. Figure out a system, be it a Google Calendar or sticky notes all around your desk, that helps you stay on top of deadlines without burning out. Yes, procrastination still happens and doomscrolling will prevail, but managing it means you spend less time panicking and more time actually living.

Leave campus once in a while. Ninth Street is fun, but Durham has more to offer than bubble tea and cookies. Go find a trail, a food truck, or even just Harris Teeter, it’ll feel like a vacation compared to staring at dorm room walls. A quick trip off campus reminds you that NCSSM is part of the world, not the whole world. And while we’re at it: take care of yourself. Sleep isn’t optional, despite the myths. Neither is eating something that didn’t come from a vending machine. Your health is what makes everything else possible, and a rested brain always beats a caffeine-fueled zombie version of you.

Finally, remember why you came. Between deadlines, clubs, and late-night work sessions, it’s easy to forget you chose this place to learn, grow, and challenge yourself. When the stress piles up, zoom out. This is only temporary, and someday you’ll laugh about it. You won’t do everything here, and that’s fine. But if you try new things, meet new people, and balance survival with enjoyment, you’ll leave with stories worth telling, and maybe a few to save until after graduation.

By Aryaman Shukla, Stentorian Staff Writer

When I first moved into NCSSM, I thought this place was my ticket to a dream school.

I remember sitting in a lounge early in the semester, listening to people casually mention research experience, summer programs, and perfect SAT scores like it was nothing. I hadn’t even figured out how to use the laundry machines, and yet I was surrounded by people who felt light years ahead.

From the beginning, the expectations were suddenly high and rising. 

Like many others, I believed that if I worked hard enough and checked all the right boxes, I’d earn that one perfect acceptance letter. The dream school. The reward.

But now that I’m starting senior year, I’ve found that life isn’t that simple.

NCSSM is full of passionate, driven people. Almost everyone here was probably the “smart kid” at their old school. Now, we’re all in the same place–and while that’s exciting, it can also be overwhelming. The environment is full of quiet pressure: subtle yet strong.You don’t always hear people bragging, but you notice who’s involved in everything, getting awards, or doing incredible work. It can feel like everyone is sprinting toward some invisible finish line.

And sometimes, you might wonder:

What if I do everything right and things still don’t go the way I hoped?

The truth is, life can be unpredictable. There’s no guaranteed formula. You can be an amazing student with a powerful story and still not land where you thought you would. And that’s okay.

Because NCSSM is so much more than just a stepping stone to a college.

It’s where you start discovering what truly excites you. It’s where you meet people who inspire you, challenge you, and grow with you. It’s a place that helps you ask bigger questions about who you want to be, not just where you want to go. 

That shift doesn’t happen overnight. For me, it came in quiet moments: during late-night talks with friends, or while reevaluating the clubs and projects I was involved in. I began choosing things that felt meaningful, not just impressive. I started focusing less on chasing prestige and more on becoming someone I was proud of.

To the juniors who just got here: you’re going to hear the word ‘college’ a lot this year. And yeah, it’s important. But it’s not everything.

Do things because they excite you. Take on challenges that make you feel alive, not just accomplished. Lean into friendships. Learn things you never expected to care about. Be curious. Be kind to yourself.

Whether or not you end up at your “dream school,” you will grow, you will thrive, and you will find your path.

What matters most isn’t the name on your hoodie, but the person you’ve become while wearing it.

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

This June, a slightly disoriented, post-wisdom-tooth-removal version of myself walked into the movie theater with one goal: to hate the new How to Train Your Dragon movie. I’ve been a long time hater of live action remakes for many reasons, some of which being that most of them (if not all) are cash grabs that never amount to the original and that people need to stop pretending that live action is automatically better than animation. Beyond my beef with live action remakes, I am a giant How to Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) lover— I spent many years of my childhood running around my backyard pretending to be Astrid with a braid in my childhood blonde hair as well as Hiccup and Astrid in the sequel being my first case of bi-panic. So naturally, this remake had to suck. 

I was especially nervous about the live action dragons. As an avid Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fan (highly recommend!), I’ve seen my fair share of good live action dragons. The first photo Dreamworks released of Toothless sent me and many other HTTYD fans into a spiral of how awful this movie was going to be. However, when watching the movie, I was positively surprised when seeing the good quality of the dragons, especially Hookfang and Stormfly. The artists were able to capture many similarities to the animated dragons while also adapting them to fit the live-action environment better. Beyond the CGI dragons, the setting itself didn’t look like your typical greenscreen background. All of the visuals looked very professional, especially given the budget and the fact that this movie was aimed toward younger audiences. 

The reveal of Toothless wasn’t the only scare HTTYD fans had when finding out more about the remake. There were many outrages and worries floating around the internet when the casting for the main group got released. Main critiques of fans were that the twins didn’t look remotely similar to each other and that Astrid, played by Nico Parker, didn’t look anything like her animated blonde self. Similar concerns were voiced when Leah Jeffries, a Black girl, got cast as Annabeth Chase for the Percy Jackson remake. Despite the concerns of the public, I think Nico Parker did a fairly good job playing Astrid, especially her more serious parts. I do think the humor behind Astrid’s seriousness is lost throughout the remake, partially due to some script changes, which is my only real critique of Parker. 

After watching the movie, my largest critique of casting choices was that I wish they were a little younger. The main group is only 14/15 in the first movie whereas the cast ranges from almost 18 up to 32 for just the main group. The older casting choices added to the slight loss of humor throughout the film, especially with the twins. Throughout the franchise, the twins are known for their ridiculous and immature actions and it just didn’t hit the same for me when seeing a 32 year old say the lines a 15 year old was supposed to. 

Other changes from the original were some script changes and an added backstory about people coming from different clans to destroy the dragons. These were all very minor and didn’t affect the story as a whole. I was disappointed that some of my favorite lines weren’t included, but it didn’t affect the plot as a whole. 

Overall, the movie was extremely similar to the original. Despite my deepest wishes for this movie to be bad, it wasn’t. When remaking a beloved childhood series, there will always be such a large range of reviews. Afterall, that’s someone’s childhood— the series that helped build them to who they are today. So naturally, some will love the new adaption and others will find every little flaw they can that differentiates it from the original. My mom, who has seen the original probably once, loved this movie and found it extremely funny. My brother, who is an even more enthusiastic HTTYD fan than I am, had even more critiques than I did. 

To me, the remake wasn’t a bad movie, it wasn’t a flop, it just didn’t hit the same. When leaving the theater, I wasn’t filled with the same sense of hate that I normally get after watching a live-action remake. I was just discontent. Separated from the original, this was a very good movie and will probably become a favorite for many years to come. However, it lacks a sense of nostalgia and personality that makes it incomparable to the

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

Roughly every other week I get a text from my mom asking if my classes require me to read full books. It is beyond me why she must ask so frequently, seeing as if I had read a book for a class then that wouldn’t have changed in the two weeks. Nevertheless, I soon realized why she was so concerned about my school required reading upon finding out that my brother (a rising junior at a traditional public school) had not read a school-required full length book in his entire time at high school. I was even more shocked to find out that this is the case for many highschoolers across the nation.

An alarming amount of students across the nation are having less and less reading requirements for school. Few are required to read “difficult” texts and even fewer are reading full length books. But why are schools requiring less reading? One theory is that it is because teachers recognize that their students either don’t contain the skill or interest to read longer texts. This theory would create a positive feedback loop with the rise in use of AI in students. As more and more students use AI to synthesize summaries for texts, the more they lose the skill to analyze and think critically about texts without the help of AI. In result, this difficulty to analyze texts entices them to further use online summaries. 

As a modern highschool student in the age of ever developing AI, I am definitely no stranger to the various ways in which it could be used to help with schoolwork. However, there is such a big difference and yet such a thin line between using it for assistance and using it as a dependence. In an age where media literacy is declining, critical thinking is rare, and analytical skills aren’t being taught in the same way as generations before, maintaining one’s ability to read (and actually digest) difficult texts is unbelievably important. 

So, dearest Stentorian readers, for the sake of our generation’s literacy, actually read the books our humanities teachers assign. And if you’re in Dr Cantrell’s Rex-Hum, I promise you, Edgar Huntly isn’t bad enough to lose your reading skills over.

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

It would be an understatement to say that I was nervous to be living away from home junior year. I was moving into a school I had only been to once, never toured, got a random roommate, and only knew two other people there. But my nerves were raised the most when it came to my eating situation. 

I have Celiac Disease, a chronic illness that restricts me to a gluten-free diet for life. It’s more similar to an allergy than lactose-intolerance (one crumb and BOOM! I’m gone!) Not really, but one crumb does mean I’m in for a month of stomach issues, brain fog, emotional spirals, neuropathy, and migraines (among many other symptoms). 

Upon moving in, I was relieved to find that there were a surprisingly large number of fellow gluten-free eaters, with around half having Celiac Disease themselves. However, I was disappointed to find that despite the large population of gluten-free eaters, there is still a problem with accessibility. 

For the first few months of junior year, I jumped around from bulk meal-prepping at home, meal prepping weekly in Hunt kitchen, eating out almost every day, and braving PFM. With almost all of these systems, there was some big issue that made eating safe food difficult for me. Bulk meal prepping relied on freezer space and frequent visits home, at school meal prep meant surviving the horrors of Hunt kitchen and giving up half of my Sunday to cook, eating out was very costly, and PFM meant playing a game of roulette with my health. 

Other students had a similar rocky transition to eating “safely” at NCSSM. Gluten-Free-er  Manny Price commented that, “Adjusting to NCSSM and living Gluten Free has been a big transition. Living day to day unknown of what I would be able to eat the next day especially during sports season was hard initially. Having to rely on DoorDash the first months was something that was reliable but very expensive!” 

Fellow Celiac Marden Harvey found that food was less accessible during the weekends, saying that “. . . most weekends I tend to avoid the PFM because the chefs they put on during Saturdays and Sundays seem to have less knowledge of Celiac/being gluten-free and many times have cross contaminated my food or not made an effort to get gluten-free food out quickly which has made me avoid eating there on weekends almost entirely.” 

Access to food in a quick manner has been a concern for many in the gluten-free community. Another Celiac adds on that, “. . . it’s really hard to eat gluten free and study on hard weeks at school. When I have a heavier workload and don’t have much time it’s not realistic to wait 20-40 minutes for food in PFM. It’s also very isolating to go to eat with friends and them be finished before I even have my food.” 

Despite the many concerns, the system in the PFM for gluten-free eaters has come a long way. There is now access to pre-made boxed lunches on most days that decreases wait times during the busy lunch-rush. Manny Price says it best with the statement, “Thankfully, after reaching out and bridging into communication with chefs at the cafeteria, the meals became more convenient and the service was easier for all that had gluten allergies, trusting that one chef would keep the food contamination free was a lot more reliable, speaking for most of us that used this alleyway of eating food during the second semester. I am thankful for the society that we formed due to allergies and the steps that we took to be able to get boxed foods, and I know that next year it will improve and develop as more people become diagnosed with the allergies and are more vocal about their needs.” 

With continuing advocacy for safe eating for all diets, hopefully the systems for dietary restrictions at NCSSM will greatly improve for classes to come. 

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

It’s mid-July of the summer before my senior year and I’m contemplating running away to a small village in Italy (or somewhere). I’ve had all summer to begin my CommonApp Essay draft but have been obviously preoccupied with better (more enjoyable) things to do. Now, I have one week until the first draft deadline my mother has given me (and my whole friend group?) and I’ve got nothing. 

I’m not short of ideas, it’s the opposite actually. I’m rather saturated with ideas of who I am and what life means to me but how do I know which one is right? I could write a draft for every idea if I had my whole lifetime to write, but I only have three weeks until I move in and another week after that until school begins. And not to mention, how do I fit who I am into 650 words? 

College applications would be bearable if they weren’t such a hot topic. For all of high school, adults always ask about my college and career plans. But the frequency has increased tenfold now that I am a rising senior. Now, all anyone is willing to talk to me about is how my college applications are going, what my essay is about, what colleges I’m applying to, what scholarships I need to look at, and which programs I’m interested in. It’s exhausting. 

And the difficult reality is that it will only get worse. Even after the applications are completed, there is the anxiety about acceptances. Once accepted (or denied…), you have the constant asking about where you were accepted (or denied…) and if you’re attending or not. 

Why must it be this way? 

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

The second 4th Bryan lounge is quite small, leaving all 17 of us juniors cramped, practically sitting on top of eachother on the few couches, getting to know each other really well. It was move-in day and there was a shared nervousness uniting us. In walked the ever eccentric Micheal Newbaurer, a man who’s glasses always match his colorful shirts and who gave us the adult-friendly version of the “NCSSM’s reality” talk. It was then we learned about the one rule that glues both adults and senior students together in warning juniors: the Two-Week Rule. 

For those unfamiliar, you obviously weren’t given the same warning as the rest of us students upon arriving at NCSSM. The Two-Week Rule is the concept that juniors should refrain from making romantic efforts towards anyone for the first two weeks of school. In addition  to this, there is the lesser used Two-Month Rule with the same concept. 

At first, I thought this rule was ridiculous. Why are so many people telling us not to do this? Could this really be THAT much of an issue? Upon experiencing what it was like being a junior at NCSSM for the first semester, I saw why we were so warned. 

Seniors tend to have  a saying about the club fair that is held in the first few weeks after move-in. This saying is passed down from their seniors. They echo,“You’re gonna sign up for like 20 clubs because they all sound interesting, you’re gonna join a million Facebooks, and then you’re gonna limit the list after school starts.”

NCSSM students are NCSSM students because we  are ambitious enough. We fought to apply and meet the requirements for acceptance, jumping through hurdles while other kids our age were peacefully enjoying their sophomore year.  The “NCSSM” -sort of ambition becomes a tendency to dive into a million things head first, whether that be extracurriculars or relationships. The difference between the two? You can’t just end a relationship by leaving a Facebook group. 

Despite the desire to take any opportunity that comes your way, sometimes the most important thing is to pause. Really take it all in, gather information, and then make a decision. So to all you lovely juniors: take a step back, think about your priorities, weigh the options, and for god sakes, take the two weeks. 

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

One of the first things my seniors (shout out Bindi Parikh and Janvi Patel) told me was that they couldn’t remember who they were when they first arrived on Junior move-in day. They said they separated their experience in phases based on which application they were working on at the moment, whether that be R-Sci’s, Mentorship, Senior Leadership, or the dreaded college apps. 

It has been 24 hours after college apps officially started and less than 24 hours away from RLA move-in and I have been hit with excruciating nostalgia. Prior to my junior move-in, everything was about going to a new place. There were new people, I got to buy new things for my dorm, I was going to have a new roommate and a new room, I got new opportunities, I got to be a new version of myself.

But this year? I am returning to a place knowing that it is my final year, most of which will be spent worrying about college applications and decisions, and it will be without half of the people I knew last year. I am reminded of Sad-Half, staring at the seniors who taught me how to not only survive, but to thrive at the place where we both called home, knowing that they wouldn’t be there to guide me anymore. We change so much throughout even just our first year at NCSSM that the second we get a solid sense of who we are, it is time for us to help the next juniors find their place. 

It’s times like this where I wish we had more time, where I wish SSM was a 4 year program. But I think that would defeat the importance of it. Most people know who they are by the end of sophomore year and stay relatively the same for the rest of their high school experience. 

NCSSM takes people who think they are sure of who they are and what they can do, and it tests us. It makes us doubt our abilities, be sure of them, doubt them again, and then finally be secure in them. And it does something similar with our identities. I was a different person in semester one than I was in J-Term than I was in semester two than I am now. 

Part of the NCSSM experience is growing, whether than be identity wise or academically. We are able to morph in a way that no other high schooler gets to and that’s something that is so nerve wracking yet so beautiful.  

By Mattie Stinson, Stentorian Staff Writer

“I came here for the community, not to be silenced.”

These words echo throughout the now-silent library at our dear SSM. In years past, the library was a bustling environment; a location where friend groups gathered, peers collaborated, and new friendships were formed. Students embarked on what is known as a lib-lap: a walk around the library in search for familiar faces to talk to. As a lib-lap warrior myself, I was stunned to discover that there has been nearly no one in the library this school year. For the first time, I’ve seen yellow rooms empty, no friend groups gathered, and everyone there entirely locked in on their work. 

The new library policies call for quiet hours for the majority of the library day. During these quiet hours, students are asked to be silent throughout certain parts of the library where other parts of the library allow for quiet conversations. However, students and library staff have had very different opinions on what a quiet conversation is. Now, even whispers of laughter are shushed. 

Some students have been enjoying the new rules. One student said, “I (lowkey) like it better now as a study spot. You could still socialize but in a quiet, respectful way.” The new rules do make for an environment where students could remove themselves from the lively social environment of campus and focus on solely doing work. Though, I’ve noticed that even when it isn’t quiet hours, students are still being quiet as if it were— partially because many don’t know when they are supposed to be quiet and when they could talk and also due to their experiences being shushed when conversing. 

Many strongly disagree, begging for old library policies in hopes it would return the library to one of SSM’s peak social spots. Though a library isn’t necessarily supposed to be a social spot, that’s what the NCSSM culture has historically made it. The nature of a library being a social spot is unconventional, but so are most things at our school. The customs of NCSSM rely on traditions being passed down, especially since the students have such a quick turnaround from grade to grade. Needless to say, many are concerned about what future generations of SSM students will look like without the experience of a lib-lap or library gatherings. We knew the library to be fun. Sure, during the peak library hours, it got quite chaotic and cacophonous, but that’s what a community is.