The 2015 NCSSM Prom

April 11th, 2015

Prom means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  For some, it is a special night with a significant other; for others, it is a chance to cut loose on the dance floor, take advantage of some good food, dress up very nicely, and have a fun night with friends.  For all, though, Prom is an unforgettable evening that commemorates a great year of high school, a night that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

With that being said, NCSSM's Prom is always an above-and-beyond effort.  From the administrators to the Student Activities Board and Jennifer Ashe, to the bus-loop drivers Prom is the result of a lot of effort from a lot of different people.  The Prom is actually had at Museum of Life and Science in downtown Durham, a unique venue that has great science-y experiments to toy around with as well as great photo opportunities and a neat nighttime butterfly garden for Prom-mers to investigate.  Many prom groups also make runs out to beautiful Duke Gardens or other parks just before the Prom to take nice group pictures just as the gardens are first blooming for spring.  There are also no shortage of delicious places to eat dinner, whether it be Brightleaf Square, the American Tobacco District, Downtown Durham, Southpoint, or 9th Street.

After Prom, furthermore, NCSSM actually hosts an event called "After Prom", which is held in the PEC and features bouncy houses, inflatable twister, inflatable obstacle courses, movies, and a hot breakfast- all free for students. After Prom runs from 2-5am and by the end of it just about everyone is ready to sleep for the next 24 hours or so.  Unfortunately for us we do go to NCSSM and as a result homework is not in shortage.. so the Sunday after Prom usually hits pretty hard.

Below, please enjoy a few pictures of First Hunt (plus a few others) at Prom 2015- a night we'll never forget!

Ho Li 2015 at NCSSM

Ho Li is an annual Indian festival that celebrates the coming of Spring.  NCSSM has for several years hosted a festival of our own, along with local universities such as UNC Chapel Hill and Duke. The event, which takes place near campus on Maryland Field, is celebrated with homemade powders of various colors that are thown up in the air, forming beautiful colorful patterns in the air.  At Ho Li, everyone gets a couple of bowl-fuls of powder (this is your alottment) that they can release into the air, but most people attempt to *playfully* go after their friends or really anyone around them and blow, flick, or wipe powder to color them a beautiful color.  The powder is especially sticky to skin, hair, and clothes, so it is greatly advised that participants wear white colored T-shirts and shorts they don't intend to wear again.  All in all, Ho Li is a fun, stress-free chance to celebrate the coming of spring and the end of winter- and what better way to do it but by spending an afternoon outside with friends, coloring each other beautiful colors and then taking a whole bunch of pictures afterwards?

2015 First Hunt Manliest Man!!!

March 22nd, 2015

Every year, we on First Hunt like to have a little fun with the annual "Manliest Man" challenge.  Basically, Manliest Man is a "fun" attempt to see who's the toughest, strongest, most charismatic and most noble man on the hall.  While it is in all respects just a fun and friendly competition, some years things can get a little extreme (after all, sticking 35 manly guys together to see who is the manliest is bound to get a little heated).  So I'll tell you a little bit about just what went down.

First, we had the contestants all lay with their backs up against a wall to see who can do the longest "wall sit"- which I must add is seriously hard.  On top of that though, everyone drank a few drops of the hottest hot sauce that Tijuana Flats on 9th street was allowed to sell us.  Finally, everyone was handed a cup of milk for added temptation.  The last person standing who hadn't drunk the milk or dropped the wall sit was the winner. And oh man did was it intense.  Ian Bunner notably suffered wall-sitting against the pegs of about 15 outsticking mailboxes, and finished the challenge with large scars on his back (we now know not to mess with Ian).

As if that wasn't enough, we next had all the contestants down on the floor to see who can do the most push ups according to Jared's count- aka "UP!" "DOWN" Hold it.... hold it... hold it... "UP halfway".. so one of those types of things.  The hero this time was our own RLA the massive Praruj Pant, who went one on one with another guy from off hall and led 1st Hunt to victory.

After a couple of other challenges, we thought we'd crowned ourselves a winner.  Though Ian didn't last the longest on the wall sit or win the push up contest, he amazed us all and we decided that for suffering some cuts like those and still being as cheerful as he is that he deserved to be crowned our manliest man for 2015.

Bravo to all who entered- you are the warriors who bring great dignity to our hall!

Mini-Term 2015 Recap

March 6th, 2015

Hard to believe Mini Term has already come and gone!
Well I would suppose that's why the term it has the "mini" prefix.

This year's mini-term was an awesome time- a mix of snow and warmth crammed into the blur of roughly 10 days.  Unusual for mini-term and for Durham, within the first 24 hours back at campus 8 inches of snow had fallen and turned NCSSM into a winter wonderland. I personally wasn't here to see it, but I saw pictures galore.. looked as if everyone had a fantastic time!  That snow might still be here today, 10 days later, if it wasn't for the 75 degree day we had this past Wednesday.

North Carolina weather is truly just unbelievable. Every time you thought you'd had it figured out, it surprises you to an even greater extent. Wow.. just wow!

Weather aside, though- this year's mini-term really was great. People traveled to China and Greece, Berlin and CERN on various trips internationally, and everywhere from New York to California to Orlando domestically. Closer to home, different courses visited renewable energy facilities around the southeast, got a hands-on look as sustainable agriculture, or learned how to create amazing stop motion movies, intricate and complex polyhedrons, or learned glass blowing.  It really is true, that during mini-term anything could be done.  And this year, the boundaries were pushed once again.

The Death of 2nd Tri

Feb 19th, 2015
5:00pm- Trimester Break Begins

Second Tri's sun has set
Now the actual sun can rise
With longer days ahead of us
And clearer, bluer skies

There's so much still to do
And so little time to do it
Seniors graduating
and Juniors..
well Juniors still striding on

Yes the work is killer
But we've still got each other
Friendships that will last forever
A clear sense of brother-

hood.
Second Tri has passed
Now we again resolve
To once again, at last
Make time for the people and things we care most about.

(Thank you for bearing to read my vain attempt at poetry. I thought it might refresh the blog a bit!)

This week's Weekly Wonder... Uday Uppal!

Uday! Congrats on being chosen as this week's Weekly Wonder. It comes at no surprise, of course, you being as amazing as you are. Please read below to find out more about the awesome, great guy that Uday Uppal is.

And this week's Weekly Wonder.. RLA Jared Noble!!

Congrats on being chosen as this week's weekly wonder Jared! You're the man! Please read below to learn more about the awesome, big-hearted guy that Jared Noble is.

Also, a Happy 18th Birthday to Mr. Evan Liang!

Feb 20th, 2015

Happy 18th Evan! We hope you had a great day and that you have many more great days ahead of you. Thank you for all you contribute to make our hall as good as it is today, and what you give to others and to NCSSM. We love having you on hall!

Happy 18th Birthday to Noah Gavenus!

Happy 18th Noah! Thank you for being as awesome, caring, and special as you are each and every day. We on 1st Hunt hope that you have a great year ahead of you, and we thank you for all you do for our hall.

A Happy Birthday to Mr. John Piehler!

We'd also like to wish a Happy 17th to Mr. John Piehler, another fantastic resident and one who always seems to have a smile on hall. Thank you for all you do to brighten others' days, John, and we hope you have the best of luck in the year ahead as well!

A Happy 17th Birthday to Mr. Marcus Tisdale!

We'd like to wish you a happy happy 17th birthday Marcus and the best of luck and happiness in the year ahead! Thank you for being as special and as caring for 1st Hunt as you are.

This Week's Weekly Wonder.. Noah Gavenus!

This week we'd like to take a moment to focus on Noah Gavenus. Congrats on being selected as this week's weekly wonder! Please read below to learn more about Noah!

Sadie Hawkins 2015

The annual Sadie Hawkins dance offers a nice change of pace from both 2nd Tri and from the other, more formal (and usually- more stressful) dances like Prom and Semi.  It's a traditional dance held at NCSSM, where like at many other schools, it's the girls' turn to ask a boy to the dance, which in turn offers an important chance to (at least briefly) reverse gender roles.  Sadie is always a fun and relaxing time, and a good chance to shake out some of the 2nd tri worries.  Jennifer Ashe and the Student Activities Board served refreshments and covered the PEC with big paper hearts of assorted colors, each containing its own funny pick-up or break-up line. Meanwhile, the "UniChords" acapella group sponsored a raffle where winners earned a serenade during the middle of the dance for a sweetheart of their choice.  All in all, the dance was a fantastic time and a lot of fun. A good number of 1st Hunt Residents turned up as well.

First Hunt SuperBowl Party!

Sunday, Feb 1st, 2015

This year, thanks to the generosity of Mike Newbauer and to the willingness of the RLA's and Residents to host the event, First Hunt once again hosted their traditional semi-open hall SuperBowl Party. For the night, we transformed the lounge into a fantastic half-circle arena of chairs, couches, and tables ready for prime viewing. Furthermore, we dimmed the lights, and projected the entire event (minus ads) onto the side wall of our very own main hallway.  Mike purchased and provided snacks and drinks for us for the evening, and we opened up the hall to members of other halls to come celebrate with us. All in all, another fantastic First Hunt event. 

Happy Birthday William Oles!

January 31st, 2015

A big happy 17th birthday to Mr. William Oles.  You can thank Mr. Praruj Pant for the fabulous artistic interpretation of the greatness that is Bill Oles.  Woo hoo!

Also this week, we'd like to wish a big Happy Birthday to Mr. Praruj Pant!!

Wow there's a lot of exciting things going on.  We'd like to give a big shout-out to Mr. Praruj Pant and wish him a happy 18th birthday!  Lookin good!!

And this week's Weekly Wonder... our very own RLA Mr. Shane Steele-Pardue!!

Dearest Shane, thank you for gracing us with your most gratifying presence..
This week, please read below to learn about a great guy and friend to all, Shane Steele-Pardue :)

Our Weekly Shoutout: this week our Weekly Wonder is Mr. Daniel Lee!!

Dear Daniel, thanks for being as fantastic and as happy as you always are. This one's for you!

Another Marvelous Weekly Wonder.. Samed Delic!!

Yay Samed!! Thanks for being as fantastic as you are. Please read below to learn about a fantastic.. "and don't you forget it!".. resident :)

Our Marvelous Weekly Wonder.. Nolan Hopkins!!

Nolan.. thanks for being as awesome as you are!!

Status of Second Tri

With February at our doorstep, its increasingly hard to believe how fast this year is going by. Life always seems accelerated here at NCSSM, what with everyone constantly busy with assignments, activities, and friends.  And yet Second Trimester still feels like it goes by painfully slowly.

Thankfully, we as a hall are staying busy.  This past week, we had BASEketball in the PEC on Monday, How to Solve a Rubix Cube with Trey Duvall on Tuesday, a Spirituality Discussion on Wednesday, a XC-style ab workout with Nick Walker on Thursday, a Movie night to see American Sniper AND Cookie-baking with first Beall on Friday, a trip to IHOP and an Arm Wrestling Tournament Saturday, and finally a Superbowl Party on Sunday. Phew.

In summary, we're staying busy on First Hunt.  There are ample opportunities for residents to get involved, take a study break, enjoy some good food, have some fun, relieve some stress, and hang out with friends.  Rather than let Second Tri get us down, we're finding ways to keep doing things and to counterbalance the stress that work and projects can induce.

Furthermore, there sure is a lot to look forward to! With the light of Third Tri and Mini-Term at the end of the month, both Juniors and Seniors have a lot to be excited about. Mini-Term (Feb 26 - March 6) for a lot of our hall members means trying and experiencing something entirely new, refreshing, and exciting.  Some will adventure to England, France, and Switzerland on the "CERN" mini-term for its inauguration year; others will travel to Florida to Disney Parks or to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Closer to home, some 1st Hunt residents will do amazing, in-depth research, some will hike the Appalachian Trail or visit New York, and still others will learn a new skill, do community service, or take it easy with one of several "super chill mini-terms."  Whatever mini-term might mean, its a great time and one of the most memorable parts of NCSSM.  There's an excitement and enthusiasm in the air that is just unmatched at any other time during the year.  Furthermore, just after Mini-Term starts 3rd tri.  While this may not mean much for the Juniors now, the glory that is 3rd Tri will set in with time! For Seniors, 3rd trimester means enjoying their last days of high school, (finally) hearing back from those colleges, visiting acceptance weekends, and *at last* making the big decision.

There's a lot to be excited about these days at NCSSM.  Stay tuned!

-1st Hunt

Hall Program: BASEketball

BASEketball  (Courtesy of Jared Noble)

On Monday night, we headed over to the PEC basketball courts to play a game called Baseketball, a game that is a combination of baseball and basketball based on the 90s comedy of the same name. Teams of 2 or 3 faced off on a court comprised of four bases placed at varying lengths from the basketball hoop. The bases represented hitting a single, double, triple, or home run and a player on offense picked a base and attempted a shot in hopes of gaining a point by scoring enough in a row for a home run. The defense's main weapon is the "psych-out". Since they can't physically touch a player on offense, they use psychological warfare to distract their opponents in order to make them miss their shot. The most successful psych-outs result in an airball and give the defense a point. The winners for this evening were John and Jack with a score of 13 and Ian, Praruj, and Charlie with a score of 11.  

And this past week's Weekly Wonder... Jacob Botros!!

Congratulations Jacob!! Here's a little reminder as to how wonderful it is to have you on hall.  Please read below to learn a little more about Jacob!

Happy Birthday Parker Ellwanger!

January 6th, 2015
Who would've thought two roommates would have such close birthdays?!?  Let's wish Parker Ellwanger a happy, happy (18th!) birthday as well!!

A Happy Birthday to Kevin Larson

January 4th, 2015

As a hall we would like to wish Mr. Kevin Larson a happy 17th birthday, which was this past Sunday.  Hope you had a great day and will have a great year, Kevin!!!

"Whose Line is it Anyway"!?!

January 7th, 2014 - (Courtesy of Jared Noble) 

After Hall Food, we had a program called Whose Line Is It Anyway? based off of the television show of the same name. Whose Line is a series of "improv" comedy skits like press conference, interrogation, sound story, and alphabet. Hilarity and Shenanigans ensued, laughter was heard echoing throughout the halls.

Holiday "Secret Snowflake" Gift Exchange

January 6th, 2014 - (Courtesy of Jared Noble)

Secret Snowflake - This holiday season, twenty First Hunt residents agreed to buy one gift to give a person on our hall in our Secret Snowflake program. Gifts ranged from basketballs, to skittles, to dinosaurs, to blindfolds, hats, and all sorts of crazy items, with a price limit of $10. 

2015!!

2015

As we approach the middle of the school year and 2nd trimester, there is a lot of tension in the air.  Classes are climaxing for the school year, assignments and work pile high, the weather encourages us to stay indoors, and there are just minutes between the end of the day and sunset, further limiting student options.  And yet, for every cloud there is a silver lining.  The start to 2015 for Seniors means an end to dreaded college applications once and for all- (I can attest that simply not having to think of them is an amazing concept indeed).  For Juniors, the start to 2015 doesn't offer much closure, but there is a growing excitement in the air for awesome upcoming NCSSM traditions such as MLK day, the Sadie Hawkins Dance, and of course, Mini-Term.  What 2015 will bring for us all no one can say for sure, but we can say that the NCSSM experience will continue to be like no other.  Sure, classes will challenge us, we'll each bite off more than we chew at some point, we'll fail every now and then, but the beauty of NCSSM is that there is always opportunity to recover and become even better.

With everyone working to fulfill 2015 New Year's Resolutions, January at NCSSM is a great time to get started.  A couple of weeks off for Winter Break helped many of us to recharge our batteries enough to get through a few more fulfilling weeks and months left in the school year.  My advice: no matter how hard it may be, try to enjoy the time that you have here at NCSSM.  Parents, try to reach out to your sons and help them to enjoy this short time that they have left in high school.  Life at NCSSM has a tendency to go by extremely quickly.  If you find yourself constantly busy with work, activities, internships, research, and sports like me, it makes plenty of sense why taking time to enjoy the little things probably deserves to be pretty high on your 2015 Resolution list.  Though many people have said it time and time again, the people at NCSSM are really what will matter 5, 10, 20 years from now.  Many- and I mean, many- will become lifelong friends or co-workers, or even work together on big projects and collaborate years from now.  Whatever the case, it should be a priority that you take the time to enjoy life at NCSSM with the people you enjoy being with.  Whatever that means to you, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of it.  It's my resolution too.  I hope you all have a fantastic 2015 and are looking forward to the experiences and good things to come.

Sincerely,
Steven Tulevech

2014 Annual First Hunt Hall Dinner

December 15th, 2014

Hard to believe that the Hall Dinner has already come and gone! I suppose then its possible to conclude that the year is going by quickly.  For anyone out there who may not know, the annual 1st Hunt Holiday Hall Dinner is probably the biggest program that the hall does each year.  It's usually several days in the working between ordering supplies, transforming the Woolworth Room into a Winter Wonderland, and cooking a large portion of the food that the meal consists of.  Thanks to the work, contributions, (and cooking ability) of each First Hunt resident, along with each and every parent that generously contributed either food or a donation, this year's hall dinner was a resounding success.  Furthermore, the event simply couldn't have happened without the support, time, and generosity of Mike Newbauer or without the organization, planning, and coordination abilities of Mr. Praruj Pant.  Each of you's efforts are sincerely appreciated- just ask any member of the hall!

With hard work comes a sweet reward.  This year's hall dinner was really nice for a number of reasons- including the beautiful decorations, huge amount of food (including ham, turkey, desserts, 4 kinds of potatoes, salads, pastas, bread, sparkling cider, stuffing, green bean casserole, and other delicious baked items), and the entertaining "gift scramble" game provided by one of our dinner guests and Hall Parent, Gail Hudson.  

Thanks to each of these individuals for their contributions and desire to gather the whole hall together for a nice evening, this dinner was possible.  Please enjoy a few pictures below of our dinner and time together.

Semi-Formal 2014

Though it has already been a few weeks since Semi-Formal, the date and the event deserve a special place on our Hall Blog.  For me personally, my Junior and Senior year Semi's are two very memorable and special events that I know I'll come back to, year after year.  Semi is a time for having fun with friends and hall-mates, for meeting new people, for having a nice night out, or for just cutting loose on the dance floor!  All in all, Semi is always a good time.  Traditions fill the evening, too- from Dr. Miller's annual reading of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" to the incredible Winter Wonderland created by Jennifer Ashe and the Student Activities Board.  Every year, Semi-Formal produces a host of good times and good memories (hence the hundreds upon hundreds of pictures that fill your Facebook News Feed).  As a hall, we took our annual Hall picture at Semi as well, establishing that, though the night may be over, that we will continue to have good times into 2015 and the remaining half of this school year.  Please enjoy a few pictures from Semi-Formal below!

 John and Kevin

Charlie and Jared Twinning

 Noah and Trey

 John and William

The one and only One Thirty Three

 Jack and Mike

 First Hunt Squad

Mike and RLA's