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.