On May 25, 2024, seniors of the Class of 2024 graduated at the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham after receiving their diplomas on what Chancellor Roberts described as a “beautiful day.”
Other speakers included Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Chief Campus Officer Terry Lynch, Gene Davis of the UNC Board of Governors, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs Katie O’Connor, student speaker Lucia Paulsen ’24, Student Body President Steaven Ramírez Serrano ’24, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and President of the Sloan Foundation Adam Falk ’83, and Chair of the Board of Trustees Stephanie M. Bass ’91.
As Counseling Services released to The Stentorian two weeks ago, out of the 289 seniors who reported their final college decisions out of the total 317 graduating seniors, the Class of 2024 represented 49 colleges across the United States. More information and statistics on the Class of 2024’s college decisions can be viewed on stentorianncssm.wordpress.com.
In this broadcast, The Stentorian reporter Teresa Fang interviews Lilianna Heffner ’25, Anna Tricomi ’25, Dr. Heather Mallory, Lucia Paulsen ’24, Riziki Chabeda ’24, May Ming ’24, Cole Thomas ’24 (and his grandmas), Eva Lou ’24, John Jahn ’24, Asa Zengerle ’25, Israel James ’25, Taylor Ellis ’25, and Ms. Maria Mileti.
At The Harvard Crimson building on 14 Plympton St., Sellers Hill ’20 and Teresa Fang ’25, former and upcoming editors-in-chief of The Stentorian. (Teresa Fang/The Stentorian)
‘20 alum Sellers Hill’s rise to the 151st president of The Harvard Crimson reflects a student journalist’s take on the student journalism world and an age of renewal. He started as an editor for The Stentorian.
Several thousand student journalists – whether entering accidentally or not, in high school or collegiate – continue to serve their school newspapers. An unlikely base for continued journalism can arrive from unlikely places, like a STEM school called NCSSM. Although the transition from high school journalism to a college student newspaper is “certainly different,” Sellers Hill ‘20 considers his love of writing and engagement with The Harvard Crimson to his time at NCSSM.
Journalism through The Stentorian
Sellers Hill joined NCSSM with a goal of being an electrical or mechanical engineer but learned to maximize his time and opportunities. He eventually joined RChem, loved American Studies, became a senior senator, and taught himself how to be a journalist through The Stentorian.
“When I was in Science and Math, I don’t think a lot of people saw themselves as being interested in journalism. If people actually tried it, they would find that they were a lot more into it,” Hill said in an interview with The Stentorian in February. “There’s so many extracurriculars and classes that someone dedicating themselves to just one thing is not even possible.”
As the newspaper advisor and instructor of engineering John Kirk reminisced, the 2019-2020 Stentorian editorial board Hill was a part of was the closest to staying on top of monthly publishing quotas than any other year at the present… if not for the pandemic turning the campus remote midyear. However, especially with COVID, a written record of the past remains ever important as the goal of any student newspaper.
The Stentorian is no exception. “I think an important role of student journalism is to be a check on institutions and gauge how students are doing, feeling, and creating a record of that.” Hill said. “That’s the kind of most important role The Stentorian could have at Science and Math: the institutional memory.”
… and advancing to The Harvard Crimson
After arriving at Harvard College, Hill immediately joined the newspaper, where he spent the next two years writing over 100 stories as a staff writer and a reviewer for the newspaper’s readership analytics. This experience was not too different from his current responsibilities as president.
“The job is kind of a bit of everything. You’re doing a little bit of coverage. You’re doing a little bit of editorial work. [The Crimson] is a business, and now you’re dealing with business.” Hill said.
In the office’s basement, The Harvard Crimson’s old printing presses stopped rolling in 2020. (Teresa Fang/The Stentorian)
In a tour of The Crimson’s small office building hidden behind construction, he showed The Stentorian the old printing presses, which had been in use until the pandemic, with rollers still covered in ink in the 2000s-esque basement. Then, Sellers and his staff completely renewed the paper as a business. Now, they print with the help of local printing presses and are supported by external donations and advertisements.
“Over a few months, I had to understand our revenue streams, framework for making certain business calls, certain expenses, and things like that. You just kind of get thrown into it and try to learn as quickly as you can, knowing you’re probably going to make some mistakes here and there and that’s okay.” Hill said, shrugging nonchalantly.
Spending about 60-90 hours a week at The Crimson’s small office building hidden behind construction, Hill admits it is very hard to be a student. As an organic chemistry major, Hill has learned to adapt to a “brutal” work-life balance, but not without spending every day honing his sense of judgment in handling multiple tasks. But unlike at NCSSM, “you didn’t necessarily have to switch between multiple interests like research and journalism.” Students can do both.
After nearly a year as president of The Crimson, Hill offered some pieces of advice for The Stentorian and NCSSM students. With any published article or controversial/conflicted topics, the relationship between the editorial board and its interviewees and readers is one of trust and clear communication.
“When people speak to us, they know that we’re not going to turn around and say that they said something else,” Hill said. “It’s hard to get that reputation back once you’ve lost it. You have to assure your readership through years of quality journalism to show you can be trusted with things like that.”
Retiring Dean of Humanities, Elizabeth Moose, on the Island of Kastellorizo. (Elizabeth Moose)
Dean of Humanities Elizabeth Moose will retire at the end of this academic year after thirty-one years of service to NCSSM. We asked her to reflect on her long career and what message she would like to share with the NCSSM Classes of 2024 and 2025.
Teaching and working here at NCSSM for the past thirty-one years has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. I am especially grateful to Dr. Ginger Wilson, Founding Faculty Member and NCSSM’s first Dean of Humanities, for hiring me.
NCSSM has given me the opportunity to put my mind, imagination, energy, and heart into the service of something greater than myself. I cannot imagine any work that could have been more engaging and meaningful to me. I have so many wonderful memories of class discussions and students’ presentations and performances in WRRD, WECS, Writing and American Literature, American Studies, Creative Writing, and Classical Myth. Beall 1 and those other basement classrooms will always be sacred spaces to me. Although our time together was passing and will never come again, our connection and communion over texts and ideas will endure as long as we can think and feel.
I am grateful to all the students who have shared their NCSSM journeys with me, and I am grateful to all my colleagues who, through the years, have shared the challenges and joys of inspiring and supporting our students and school.
As I leave NCSSM, I’d like to share with you a poem that has long been meaningful to me. I hope that it will speak to you as it has to me.
With love,
Elizabeth Moose
Ithaka By C. P. Cavafy Translated by Edmund Keeley
As you set out for Ithaka hope your road is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body. Laistrygonians, Cyclops, wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one. May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind— as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you’re destined for. But don’t hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you’re old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you wouldn’t have set out. She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
On April 20, 2024, the North Carolina School of Science and Math hosted their annual Welcome Day to orient the incoming NCSSM-Durham students, or the class of 2026. Along with starting their flight at NCSSM in the PEC, taking photos for IDs, and dorm tours, and Students and families were invited to participate in the school’s Club Fair, in which the current students of the classes of 2024 and 2025 showcased nearly 80 student-led clubs on the Durham campus.
Ranging from the Balkan Cultures Club to Quiz Bowl to Smath Tutors to NCSSM Rocketry and more, this club fair is the first of many fairs for the new class of 2026.
In this broadcast, The Stentorian reporter Teresa Fang interviews students Natalie Jones ’24, Hayden Moritz ’25, Avanesh Vijayakumar ’24, and Tejasvi Shirolkar ’26 about their hopes and experiences on Welcome Day 2024.
On April 12, 2024, the North Carolina School of Science and Math hosted a schoolwide assembly, as part of the school’s Space Week event which included eclipse-viewing, to talk to NASA astronaut and Class of 1997 alumni Christina Koch.
After setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with 328 days and participating in the first all-female spacewalk in 2019-2020, Koch is currently preparing to go to space once again as the Mission Specialist for NASA’s Artemis II mission, which will be be flying around the Moon as NASA’s first crewed flight in their long-term goal for establishing human presence on the Moon for science and exploration.
In this broadcast, The Stentorian reporter Teresa Fang interviews students Arianna Lee ’25 and Ava Snider ’25, both students who were chosen to ask Koch questions during the assembly, and chancellor Todd Roberts.
On October 30, the Chapel Hill Youth Council hosted a forum for the mayoral and town council candidates for the then-upcoming municipal elections. (Teresa Fang/Stentorian)
Many young people lament the polarized national politics we are set to inherit. But are we worthy of lamenting when we don’t even care about local politics first?
I am a product of what I know as journalism and Chapel Hill civics. I worry less about the health of US democracy than I do about the deteriorating health of interest in it. Too many times have I heard a fellow high schooler voice their opinion about a recent national policy, but when confronted, they stare and cite a TikTok influencer or a popular podcaster. This response is exaggeratedly worse for local politics; local political apathy tears young people from reality and sets a precedent for misinformation.
I single out social media as one of the largest facilitators of political apathy. A survey from Gallup reports that over half of US teens (ages 13-19) spend a minimum of four hours on social media every day. That’s four hours of being exposed to conformity influences, from beauty standards to cancel culture to the polarization of national politics. With social media becoming ever increasingly accessible, anyone can exercise their laws of free speech on social media while the consequences of spreading baseless claims become nigh invisible.
Anyone can complain about an issue, but can just anyone change anything about said issue? People may be knowledgeable on national politics, but if a citizen has concerns about a bus route or stormwater runoff, their representative in Congress can’t help them. But their local town council member can. If a student notices a decrease in the quality of their education at a public school, that’s just an observation supporting the recent national trend. If that student notices a difference in education at their school relative to other schools in the district, then that’s a different story.
Local politics impacts day-to-day lives. If young people can change our nation’s future, why don’t we try paying closer attention to our town first?
Continuing the FIRST North Carolina District State Championship, held at the East Carolina University, on April 6, 2024, the Zebracorns Team 900 update their strategies, robot, and programming to get rid of small issues that could happen as the team competes to see who would qualify for the Worlds Championship in Houston, TX.
In this broadcast, The Stentorian reporter Teresa Fang interviews Zebracorns members Robbie Stoffel ’25, Vincent Barboriak ’25, and Ketan Mummareddy (Green Level High School) ’26.
After winning the Impact Award at the 2024 Orange County District Event and competing at the 2024 FNC District UNC-Asheville Event, NCSSM’s FRC team, the Zebracorns, compete at the FIRST North Carolina District State Championship, held at the East Carolina University. April 6, 2024, was day 1 and included qualifiers.
In this broadcast, The Stentorian reporter Teresa Fang interviews members Ava West ’24 and Rohit Kumar ’26 (Green Level High School) and principal coach Marshall Massengill ’05.
By NCSSM Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
On March 21-23, 2024, NCSSM-Durham FBLA competed at the North Carolina Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference in Greensboro, NC. (Khushi Bhatt/NCSSM FBLA)
A couple of weeks ago, NCSSM-Durham FBLA traveled to Greensboro to compete in the North Carolina FBLA State Leadership Conference on March 21-23, 2024. Students competed among 70 schools and over 4,000 high school students from across the state. This 2-night, 3-day long conference is one of the biggest events NCSSM FBLA competes in over the course of the school year.
Chapter President and Founder Khushi Bhatt states, “As a first-time chapter, all of our winners and finalists should be incredibly proud of themselves! All the hard work and late nights of paperwork and registration are worth it when someone from our school gets up on that stage.”
NCSSM FBLA had over 45 out of 70 students place in the Top 10 within their respective events and even have 30 students planning on competing at Nationals in June in Orlando, Florida. These are extremely high numbers for a newly founded chapter, and students from our school showed out from events like Marketing to Network Design!
This is such an incredible feat, and NCSSM FBLA would like to thank Veronica Vazquez, their sponsor, as well as NCSSM Academic Programs for funding and support. Furthermore, we would like to give a huge shout-out to all of the amazing FBLA officers who have been working since the summer to make this possibility a reality. Thank you to Khushi, Charit, Aryan V., Kenan, Vishvum, Aryan C., Zoe, Tanuli, Prisha, Rehan, Cat, and Aspen for all your hard work!
Congratulations to all the winners, see a comprehensive list below!
Name
event
place
Lalit Julapali
Financial Planning HS – Test Recognition
Finalist
Khushi Bhatt
Advertising
1
Zain Patel
Agribusiness
3
George Cheng
Agribusiness
1
Reid Burgess
Agribuisness
Finalist
Pranav Mettu
Agribusiness
2
Adrian Bedeley
Banking and Financial Systems
Finalist
Catherine Russ
Business Law
Finalist
Kush Mehta
Business Law
2
Edward Zhang
Business Law
1
Tanuli, Prisha, Zoe
Business Management
1
Rishi, Aditya
Business plan
Finalist
Pranav Nair
Coding and Programming
Finalist
Gokul Kannan
Computer Problem Solving
2
Shourya Kudaravalli
Computer Problem Solving
4
Sanjana Ram
Cybersecurity
2
Jacey Odero
Economics
4
Eric Su
Economics
Finalist
Amy Lei
Health Care Administration
Finalist
Malcom Louigards
Health Care Administration
3
Andrea Dela Pena
Health Care Administration
Finalist
Rehab Moham
Help Desk
Finalist
Alina Sohail, Janvi Patel
Hospitality and Event Management
3
Charit Singalreddy
Human Resource Management
1
Adarsh Magesh
Insurance and Risk Management
2
Grayson, Cash, Chris
International Business
2
Caroline Stallings
Journalism
4
Thrista Venkat
Management and Information Systems
4
Ethan, Mantra
Marketing
4
Kenan Thornton
Organizational Leadership
Finalist
Tanush Sriam
Organizational Leadership
1
Kahaan Khatri
Personal Finance
Finalist
Ananya Agarwal
Public Policy and Advocacy
3
Neel Date
Public Policy and Advocacy
1
Olivia Chen, Bindi Parikh
Sales Presentation
4
Andy Sun
Securities and Investment
Finalist
Jameson Manning
Securities and Investment
4
Viroop Kuncham
Securities and Investment
3
Vishvum Sriram
Securities and Investment
1
Ronit Dey, River Kucheiria
Social Media Strategies
Finalist
Preston and Henry
Sports Management
Finalist
Sreetha Gajula
Supply Chain Management
1
Aryan Vinnay
UX Design
1
Taylor Eason
Website Coding and Development
Finalist
Chapter President Khushi Bhatt ’24 (right) and Chapter Advisor Veronica Vazquez (left) on the first day of the conference after passing out registration materials. (Khushi Bhatt/NCSSM FBLA)NCSSM FBLA light their section in the stands up with neon glasses, wrist bands and foam accessories during the opening and closing sessions, enjoying the music and competitive vibes during the conference as the timer ticked down. (Khushi Bhatt/NCSSM FBLA)
The board of the winning hall, 2nd Beall, displaying hall residents and CC in a Studio Ghibli theme. (Emmie Rose/The Stentorian)
Since the dawn of the ‘23-’24 school year, students have been pondering the age-old question: what is the best hall theme? I hope to settle this argument that has torn so many of us apart. Because your writer is an RLA on First Beall (1BL on top), and in an effort to be as unbiased and objective as possible, it has been removed from the equation altogether. For legal reasons, I must add that this is only my opinion so feel free to disagree in the comments below.
In order best to worst: (it can go from worst to best if y’all think that’s better, it doesn’t matter to me)
1. 2nd Beall
Studio Ghibli. Not only is this a great idea, but the execution is incredible. The hand-painted theme board is beautiful, you can tell that every stroke is filled with love. There is truly nothing bad I can say about this.
2. Royall
Alice in Wonderland. The concept? Eh. The execution? Eh-ncredible. Everything was really clever and it looks really good. Well done.
3. 2nd Bryan
2Bhive Winnie the Pooh. Stepping onto Second Bryan gives me an overwhelming sense of comfort. A little too comfortable… what are you hiding?
4. 1st Hill
Dreamhill. This is quality content, but although their theme board is beautiful, it seems like that is the only thing they devoted their time to. According to a First Hill Residential Living Assistant (RLA), they “still have no decorations on [their] walls, it’s really bad.”
5. 1e2e2d
Greenhouse. The original idea for this was plants vs. zombies, and now it’s just plants. Still very cute, I’m sure the air in there is crisp.
6. 2nd Hill
Spiderverse. From what I understand, this was actually very well done. I saw firsthand the Second Hill RLAs meticulously cutting out pieces from comic books and tirelessly working to provide the best outcome possible. The second-semester theme board, however, is a different story.
7. 4th Bryan
Tinkerbell enchanted four-est. I look at Fourth Bryan and then I look away, my life unchanged.
8. 3rd Beall
Animal Crossing. As someone who doesn’t play Animal Crossing, I am not knowledgeable enough to make an educated criticism. Middle of the pack.
9. 3rd Bryan
Up. As I pass by 3rd Bryan to get to my biology classes, it brings me a little bit of joy seeing the decorations, but not a lot. If they take criticism, the paper balloons on the front of the hall door seem like they need more air.
10. 1c2c1d
Monsters Inc/Uni. There was definitely a missed opportunity here to incorporate the use of doors, which are so central to the plot of Monster’s Inc. Besides that, this is solidly middle of the pack. It doesn’t get me up in the morning but it’s not hurting anyone either.
11. Greynolds
Care Bears. This could be cute and fun, but the care bears in a basement are a little bit unsettling, similar vibes to Five Nights at Freddy’s.
12. 2nd East
2elympics. Is the real gold medal the friends we made along the way? Also, how does one decide who gets the lame sports, like curling?
13. 2nd West
Star Wars. Why don’t you use the force to come up with a better theme? (Respectfully).
14. 3rd East
Outer space. The constellations on the theme board are clever. Apart from that, where is the flavor?
15. 4th East
Dystopia. I believe the exact quote from one of the 4th East RLAs during the blackout was, “‘SSM took after 4E’s theme dystopia it was that good.” During a time of panic, confusion, and hopelessness? Read the room. I like the door decorations.
16. 3rd West
Cinema. The theme is literally just “movie”. Let’s “move” on.
17. 1st Hunt
Fortnite. It would seem that this theme was ahead of its time, which puts it ahead of absolutely no one.
