Recap: the First Hunt Relay

November 18th, 2014

Tonight the hall broke up into 5 teams who competed with each other for the noble title of First Hunt Relay champion.  Each team competed to see who could complete a series of 13 events as quickly as they could.  These ranged from eating donuts of a string to spinning around a bat 10 times to building a human pyramid or having to pass a tennis ball to all team members only using the space between the chin and neck.  In short, each team sought to progress through a series of several challenges (which tested both individual and team abilities) to see who was the best 1st-Hunters.

Of course, this was a great deal of fun and no one group is really better than another, which was actually the final result.  One team won by just a few fractions of a second; the remaining teams had completed the last test within just 30 seconds of the first.  In the end, we were all rewarded with a pizza party (hooray!), but what we can really take away from this is that we are one as a hall and we got to have some fun with each other.  It can be tough at NCSSM to be a team player, but in the end it is one of the best things you can do, for both yourself and for others.  First Hunt is a family- and families both work hard and play hard, all the time sticking together.  The First Hunt relay was a great chance for us to come together and enjoy that about each other once again.

November Hall Food Thank-you!

We'd like to think Carol and Steve Tulevech as well as Michael and Betsy Piehler for their generous contributions to the hall on November 12th and 19th, respectively.  You and your donated items were very much appreciated and enjoyed by all on First Hunt!

Furthermore, we at First Hunt hope that all of you and your families had a wonderful Thanksgiving and time with your sons.

Happy Birthday Shane!!!

Shane celebrated his 18th birthday on November 15th (a glorious day, of course).  We wish you a great year and hope you enjoyed your special day! Go Shane! And thank you, Praruj, for this very appropriate birthday sign.

Honoring a Few of Our Pre-Thanksgiving Weekly Wonders

I'd like to apologize for not having uploaded some of our more recent weekly wonders.  Each spent their week of fame on the hall's walls and it is fair that these people receive that same special treatment on our blog.

Each of these individuals is truly wonderful and are so important to making First Hunt the amazing community that we have been and continue to be.  Please read below to learn more about them!

Presenting: the marvelous Jack Robertson, the outstanding Pranav Kemburu, the exceptional Christian Bailey-Burke, the remarkable Reid Herrera, and the amazing Henry Bristol!!

Thorns, Buds, and Roses with Jack Robertson

November 4th, 2014

Jack Robertson's program for the school year was to organize and lead "Thorns, Buds, and Roses," a reflective program.  With over 20 members of the hall in attendance, each member was challenged to voice a thing they disliked about the trimester (Thorn), a thing they looked forward to for next trimester (Bud) and something they loved about the trimester (Rose).  Some members had more than one thing they felt compelled to say; as general guidelines we tried to limit thorns and roses about academics, classes, and teachers and tried to talk more about student life, the hall, and about each other.  There were many roses said but few thorns, as I am happy to report.  All in all, an excellent program for an excellent period of time.

Program(s): Exam De-Stressers

Leading up to exams, we usually try to plan some programs that try to reduce stress for 1st Hunt Residents.  These are excellent opportunities to take study breaks, and this year numerous residents chose to take advantage of them.  On Thursday October 30th, we listened to relaxing music and practiced meditation led by RLA Shane Steele-Pardue.  Shane offered basic meditation instruction and taught basic movements along with techniques to soothe muscles, choose a relaxing position, and help individuals find their inner peace in prep for a stressful exam weekend and week.

We conducted a second stress reliever on Monday November 3rd (which is actually a 1st Hunt Tradition).  We like to do massages before each extended and during especially stressful times of the year- a great opportunity for hallmates to chat, while both offering and giving massages and taking a study break all the while.  (Personally, I am very thankful that the massage train is a thing)- it is an excellent stress reliever and a lot of fun.

Thankfully, we had these couple of programs to help us get through the 1st Trimester Exam week.  As a hall and as individuals, we have completed our first trimester at NCSSM for the year.  This time marks the end of the one of the toughest trimesters for the seniors and a difficult time for the juniors as well, as they have now been living at NCSSM for 3 months and everyone must take five classes during the second trimester.  The winter trimester marks the beginning of Research programs for some of our residents as well (in all different disciplines- Biology, Chemistry, and Computational Sciences), which we are excited about on hall.  With several breaks in our Future (Thanksgiving and the Winter Break, among them) we all look forward to having some extended time away from school to relax and focus on other interests.  The journey continues at NCSSM, while our hall all the time continues to work to better itself, developing a more involved, more tight-knit community.  We all face struggles- both as individuals and as a community- but we rebound from them, and we grow.  We are resilient as a hall, and we stand up for each other.  Second trimester is always a difficult time for students at NCSSM.  Thankfully we have a resilient community that not only cares about its members but looks out for them.

Scavenger Hunt with 4th Bryan!

Downtown Durham Scavenger Hunt with 4^th Bryan!!

On Friday, October 17th, we went out to Bull City Burgers for dinner with 4^th Bryan, a girls' hall.  

Afterwards, we split up into teams to find various restaurants, monuments, and attractions that make Durham.. well, Durham. The goal of the scavenger hunt was to take a picture of your team performing an action described on the item list or with the said item. Items ranged from “A baby” to “Ride a Bull” to “In the back of police car," and challenged teams to explore Durham while also getting to know each other.  We'd like to thank everyone who came out for the program, as well as 4th Bryan's SLI Natasha, for all of their help in making this program a success.  We have included some pictures of the adventure below.  Thanks to everyone for turning up for the fun and for the bonding!  We hope to do something like this again in the future.