stentoriannorth carolina school of science and mathematics stentorian123@gmail.comvol. XXXIII, issue 3 october 2013

the

SG update

By Kim Ngo

This past month, Student Government has been work-ing on improving the school to the request of the student body, ranging from reconfirming student discounts to providing students with a more effective way of grade transparency. Student Government is divided up into different committees which have been working on various things in response to the request of the student body. The goals and progress of each committee includes:

Academic Affairs- Teachers have been notified

about providing students with a pre-trimester grade report as a way to increase grade transparency. Academic Affairs has also changed mid-term reports from numbers to letter grades.

Outreach- Every two weeks, a new Vlog describing the goals, progress, and future events Student Government is hosting along with pictures of the student body at Student Government run events are posted on the Student Govern-ment Facebook page and on a newly created YouTube Stu-dent Government page.

Programming- Hosted the first fall Lock-in and the Senior breakfast The focus of the Programming Committee now is on Mr. Uni, an all-male pageant which will be held in December.

Student Affairs- Student discounts have been recon-firmed for the 2013-2014 school year. The Student Af-fairs Committee has also been representing the student body at the I-week planning meet-ings.

In addition to this, Student Government has been work-ing with the Director of IT in order to design a new SGA website that includes a peti-tioning system that will allow students to raise awareness and get electronic signatures for important issues, as well as an online bill management system so everyone can see the con-tent and status of all legislation that goes through the senate. A new Student Government seal was also created thanks to Co-directors of Public Relaions Julia Hu and Josh Jiang that will be used by Student Gov-ernment from now on. The new NCSSM Student Government Association Seal pictured left will be featured in all SG materials.

Photo courtesy of Kim Ngo

By SteveN Liao

Two champions, knees flexed, gazes intent, swing furiously as they sweat out shot after shot, point after point, and match after match.

The winning shot is delivered. Thunderous cheers flare, vuvuzelas blare, and the victorious individual, in his trusty striped pajamas, is mobbed. Under a mass of humanity emerges a victorious fist, clutching a single, savory ping pong paddle.

It is official: HIPPO season has begun.

HIPPO, short for Hunt Intramural Ping Pong Organization, is an annual ‘underground’ ping pong tournament that pits three celebrated ‘champions’ from each Hunt hall against ‘champions’ from other Hunt halls in a round robin tournament.

The showdowns occur on Friday and Saturday nights, are unsupervised, and give each hall a chance to claim glory through the art of the paddle. The hall lounge transforms into a raucous arena within minutes of the ‘champions’ taking the field.

Describing the atmosphere, Shouri Gottiparthi, this year’s HIPPO organizer, said, “It’s not really about the ping pong, it’s more about just the hype, I

guess, because it’s really fun. “I mean, if the entire hall

is cheering one person on, sometimes it’s dumb, but they just like harass the other team, and it’s kind of fun, and it builds the hall’s unity, and it’s just a fun activity.”

According to Gottiparthi, after the initial round robin tournament, playoffs will begin in January.

Quickly becoming a Hunt tradition, HIPPO was founded two years ago by Zach Herbst ’12, Jin Kang ’13, and Corey Su ’13.

Su started the idea, but at a smaller scale, in a match between Fourth East and Fourth West. HIPPO then expanded to all the Hunt halls under Herbst’s direction. Kang made his mark by coining the name HIPPO.

Since then, HIPPO has survived to its third year and is steadily becoming a Hunt tradition. The victorious hall in 2011-2012 was Fourth West, while the victorious hall last year was Fourth East.

And to all past HIPPO participants, organizers, and Hunt residents, Herbst passes on the following remarks, “HIPPO provides some fun competition and bonding – after hours – in Hunt. I encourage everyone to continue playing and enjoying themselves, as that’s what HIPPO was really about.”

While the jury is still out on this year’s favorite to win, one thing is for sure: there’s still a lot of ping pong to be played, a lot of hall pride to be displayed, and a lot of glory to be gained.

HIPPO all the rage for Hunt residents

Common Application brings struggles for Seniors

Many seniors are in the process of applying to different colleges, mostly through the Common App. However, many students, counselors, teachers, and even some college admissions offices are struggling with the glitches found in the newest version.

The Common App continues to lock students out of their work or bill more than once for a single application. The newer version was designed to look simpler and show colleges the same information as before.

Many colleges such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Northwestern University extended their deadlines because of student complaints of not being able to log in and tell if their payment had been accepted. College admissions offices were also

having problems retrieving needed documents.

Even colleges with later due dates like the University of Chicago, Duke University, and Cornell University extended

their early deadlines from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8.

Some students feel annoyed and irritated about the technical malfunctions of Version 4 of the Common App.

Senior Grace Guo says, “I was really frustrated because it charged some of my friends

multiple times for one college and also the whole system was really slow. A lot of error messages showed up. It made me worry about deadlines, but I was really happy that most

colleges eventually extended their early action or decision.”

Senior Evan Brooks says, “It has been very frustrating of course. Dealing with the frustration of applying to college is already stressful but dealing with a new developing system that most of my colleges

use for their applications adds even more to it. Hopefully Common App will improve for the class of 2015 and beyond.”

However, other students are indifferent about the situation.

Senior Abby Smith says, “I wasn’t using it [Common Application] at the time, so it wasn’t a big deal for me. But, for the students who were applying early decision, it was definitely more worrying.”

Senior Puja Patel says, “I wasn’t too worried about it. Although I was applying early, many schools extended their deadlines.”

As of now, the Common Application says most of the bugs from the site have been fixed. Students should be able to log in and college admissions offices should no

By Su Cho

Photo courtesy of commonapp.org

continued onPage 2

News from around the world

By JuNgSu hoNg

Earthquake of magnitude 7.3 hits Japan

An earthquake of magnitude of 7.3 struck early Saturday morning off Japan’s east coast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Japan’s emergency agencies declared a tsunami warning for the region that includes the crippled Fukushima nuclear site. The earthquake hit at 2:10 a.m. Saturday Tokyo time about 170 miles off Fukushima. About 19,000 people were killed.

Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom split after six years

On Oct. 24, 2013, it was announced that Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom will be splitting after a three-year marriage. The British actor, 36, and Australian Victoria’s Secret model, 30, met in 2007, and married in 2010. Their son, Flynn, was born in Jan. 2011.

Prince George gets christened

Prince George made his first public appearance in three months Wednesday, as he arrived with his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for his christening at St. James’s Palace. George was dressed in an elaborate lace and satin christening gown that’s a replica of one made in 1841 for the christening of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter.

(Source - AP)

network of food banks works to inspire individuals to donate and take action against hunger in their communities. Hunger Action Week is one of several events that UNIs Fighting Hunger participates in throughout the year.

The student body seemed to

respond well to Hunger Action Week. UNIs Fighting Hunger President, Vany Nguyen, said, “We think Hunger Action Week was a great success. The Student Body seemed really shocked by the facts chalked around campus, and many of the students came out support NCSSM athletics in our fight against hunger!”

After the close Orange Out defeat against Raleigh Charter, NCSSM senior, Allison Melling, had some comments about the game. “I’m sad we lost, but I don’t regret coming

out. It is great to see NCSSM raising Hunger Awareness. I think it is important for us to be aware of the impacts of food insecurity in the community. I’m glad UNIs Fighting Hunger is trying to pop the NCSSM bubble to raise hunger awareness on campus and in

the community. It is so easy for us to forget how prevalent hunger is in the community.”

While Hunger Awareness Week is a major event sponsored

by UNIs Fighting Hunger, they also organize other activities throughout the year. They help plan the Annual Food Drive in March, where the student body and the community come together to collect nonperishables for the

Food Bank of Eastern North Carolina.

Besides hosting a large food drive every year, UNIs Fighting Hunger plans on organizing many more events to fight against hunger. In February, NCSSM is hosting the North Carolina No Kid Hungry conference.

This is another opportunity for the student body to volunteer in the fight against hunger. There is also a new activity planned by the officers every year that focuses on working with the student body on a specific program or competition.

Snapchat introduced a new feature called “Stories” earlier this month. This picture-sharing app, popular for its ephemeral nature, allows users to send photos and videos for a brief period of time. After a period of up to 10 seconds, the photo or video can no longer be viewed.

Snapchat’s latest update allows users to share “stories” that are posted in a feed instead of being sent to specific recipients. Multiple pictures can be shared in a single story for up to one minute. Stories can be viewed endlessly for 24 hours before they disappear.

“I like seeing what someone’s doing every day. You can also see who watched your own stories,” junior Seyram Dodor said about the addition of stories.

“The story part of Snapchat is just a new concept that you have to grasp,” junior Erick Aguilar explained. Adding this new feature gives more room for creativity in Snapchats. However, not all NCSSM students like the story function.

“It’s weird because Snapchat is supposed to be a

short thing,” senior Alex Smith remarked.

These sentiments have been echoed among others: junior Daniel Blackey noted that “it seems to almost contradict the idea of Snapchat.” Other students have stopped using Snapchat, preferring the early versions of Snapchat because of its simplicity.

“Snapchat used to be better,” Junior Senita Portlock commented, “It was cool in the beginning because it was nifty but the stories and the different fonts… it’s just too much.”

Still others simply haven’t paid attention to the update. “What update?” asked Junior Kevin Chen.

“Snapchat has a stories feature?” senior Julia Hu also asked.

Junior Claire Namboodri remarked that “I don’t mind it but I don’t use it! I still just use the single pictures and videos.” This viewpoint seems to be typical for most students, who have learned to ignore the new feature for the most part.

Overall, the new stories function has not diminished Snapchat’s popularity, but the initial fervor of Snapchat has died down.

By addy Liu

By aNdrew PeterSoN

September is a very active month as NCSSM students fight hunger. After classes have finally kicked into gear, passionate students banded together to raise Hunger Awareness and Fight Hunger

on and off campus.Each year, the UNIs

Fighting Hunger club dedicates a special week of activities towards promoting Hunger Awareness. September is Hunger Action Month, and the school’s participation is just one small effort to fight this major problem.

UNIs Fighting Hunger is a fairly new club at NCSSM; one of its main events is hosting Hunger Awareness week in September.

Every September, the Feeding America nationwide

Members of Student Government pictured during the Orange Out

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NCSSM celebrated the Joe Liles Fine Arts Endowment Fund on Oct. 11, 2013 with a kickoff event consisting of an exhibition of artist Sherry Larsen’s painted fiddles and a concert with guest director Marshall Forester ’86.

Larsen, an artist whose murals grace the walls of hundreds of schools in South Carolina, painted the fiddles (guitar-shaped objects) with the Blythewood High School orchestra.

“Half of them are painted by me, and half of them are painted by students. When I started this project, it was sort of a collaboration between two art mediums; my daughter was playing in the orchestra at the time,” said Larsen.

The fiddles, many of which are currently still on display in the ETC lobby, were painted to decorate the orchestra room and to raise money for the orchestra program. Larsen still leads ‘painting parties’ after school to create the fiddles.

The art exhibition was followed by a concert featuring NCSSM’s Wind Ensemble, Chorale, Dance Ensemble, and Orchestra.

As part of alumni weekend, guest conductor Dr. Marshall Forester ‘86 was invited back to conduct two pieces of the concert: Finlandia by Jean

Sibelius, and Solas Ane by Samuel R. Hazo.

Fittingly, Finlandia was the first piece Dr. Forester read during his junior year at NCSSM, while Solas Ane translates to “Yesterday’s Joy”

in Gaelic.Forrester described the

night, “It was fantastic. The players are just fantastic musicians, well prepared by their marvelous instructors.”

Former visual arts instructor Joe Liles, whom the Endowment Fund was named after, was also in attendance during the kickoff celebration.

Liles opined, “The art exhibit of the painted fiddles by visiting artist, Sherry Larsen, impressed me with their creative themes. The music, chorale, and dance performances of the evening reminded me, once again, of the amazing things that can happen with students at the School when talent, discipline, and a little guidance can all be combined to accomplish a

common purpose.”“The whole evening made

me very proud to still be associated with Science and Math even though I no longer work there.”

The Joe Liles Fine Arts

Endowment Fund was made possible by a gift from Chris Han ’84. Endowments work by investing these initial gifts, and then using the growth and income from the investment to help fund the intended program. This structure allows endowments to support long-term growth of the program.

In particular, the Joe Liles Endowment Fund will help the NCSSM Fine Arts Department continue to enhance the events and opportunities for NCSSM students and the greater Durham community.

By SteveN Liao

NCSSM celebrates Joe Liles Fine Arts Endowment Fund

Unis go Orange for Hunger Awareness

Snapchat change draws differing opinions

Fine Arts students perform at the event. Courtesy of Anne Lee

continued from Page 1

Soccer Senior Night

NCSSM’s soccer team beat DSA Oct. 16, on Senior Night

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longer have any problems getting documents.

The Common App serves 517 member colleges and universities and is led by a nonprofit organization.

According to the 2011 federal tax return for the Common App Inc., annual revenues are about thirteen million dollars, mostly coming from the fees of the applications.

The board of directors of Common App Inc. consists of admissions officers and college counselors. Rob Killion, the executive director

of Common Application Inc., supervises a staff with no more than eight paid employees.

Common App officials plan to increase their staff sometime in the middle of next year. Officials expect that a larger staff will decrease the amount of problems on the site.

The purpose for this new version was to create a smoother and easier application, but the glitches have created some problems in this goal.

However even with these malfunctions, the students’ hopes of receiving college acceptance letters still remain.

Common app issues

features/opinionsoctober 2013 the stentorian | ncssm2

Hamlet transfixes audiences in re-telling

By riChard oNg

In a theatre as cold as Denmark, and as silent as the grave, Hamlet was being performed. During the weekend of Friday, Oct. 18, the Drama board put on a fantastic show, modernizing the Prince of Denmark’s tale with spectacular profoundness.

The cast included 25 people, who spent a long hours memorizing lines and running scenes in preparation for the three shows.

Hamlet is often thought to be the greatest play ever written. Named after Shakespeare’s dead son, it is about the Prince of Denmark’s death, and the tragic events leading up to it, which resonates on a nihilistic note throughout the play.

“This is probably the most formidable challenge. We haven’t done tragedy since Once Upon a Midnight Dreary two years ago,” said Adam Sampieri, the director and manager of the play. Sampieri is responsible for almost all the theatre at NCSSM, and it was his creative vision that allowed Hamlet to be brought to the ETC stage.

This play is novel in many ways, because not only is this the first Shakespearean tragedy put on recently at NCSSM, it is also produced in the fall, while more dramatic plays are usually performed in the spring. Furthermore, the Promethean Players tried to make the play function like a

film by incorporating a great deal of technology into the play as well as acting as though it were on screen, not on stage.

The Promethean Players decided to approach the play as if Hamlet were a young teenager who is thrust into the world of statecraft after his father’s untimely demise.

Though they added a song, and a monologue with modern English, the actors used the original Shakespearean script.

“It’s hypermodern, like viewing the West Wing,” said Sampieri.

“It is modernized in setting and dress and themes. Multimedia and projection work was

done,” said Senior Simon Wolf, the actor who played Hamlet. “We didn’t identify with a darker, older person

The cast of Hamlet takes a bow at the end of a show.

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For over two weeks, the U.S. federal government was shut down after Congress failed to enact legislation for the fiscal year 2014. The House Republicans insisted that any new spending bill should include provisions to defund and change provisions of Obamacare while Senate Democrats and the President were insistent that it should not.

Opponents of Obamacare say it will hurt employers and amounts to overreach by the federal government, but supporters maintain that it will expand access to healthcare and help lower the rising cost of coverage.

Unable to reach a compromise, the U.S. government shut down from Oct.1 to Oct. 17. As a result, more than 800,000 government employees sat at home, federal loans were not given out, and public institutions such as Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo were closed. How did students feel about this shutdown?

For some, the shutdown was not that important. Juniors and Seniors both said, “I didn’t really follow it that much but I thought that it was kind of childish” or “I don’t really have an opinion” or “I didn’t think it had a purpose.”

Others, however, strongly disagreed, saying “The inability for the 2-part system of the democratic government of the U.S. to compromise dejects the hopes the citizens have for reform to make our society more stable and more coherent. It displays the flaws of the implementation of democracy the U.S. has committed to in the past few years.”

Similarly, another student said, “I think that it was a ridiculous demonstration of the idiocy that has pervaded our governmental authorities and that furthermore it shows how democracy has begun to fail the United States due to gross inefficiency and over individualism.”

Again expressing a negative reaction to the situation, one said, “It serves as evidence to just how partisan Washington and politics in general have become today. It actually makes me angry.”

One student summed it up, “The shutdown impacted everyone in some sort of way, even those that it wasn’t even directly related towards.” While some did not have an opinion or follow the shutdown closely, the federal government’s shutdown was not well received at NCSSM

Note: Students interviewed wished to remain anonymous.

By KaNaN Shah

Students respond to government shutdown

A scene from the climax of the play. Photo courtesy of Zihui Yang

[Hamlet]. But he’s just a troubled teenager.”

The whole play revolves around the intrigue surrounding Hamlet and his personal struggles.

“Playing Hamlet was never a goal for me, but it has really blossomed for me. It is the most difficult role I’ve played,” said Wolf, recounting his struggles with the character. “He’s a much deeper character than I expected.”

The same can be said for the entire play, with regard to how it is being produced. “Some things might be surprising; when people

might be expecting a normal production, the ending will add intrigue. People will leave saying ‘Oh well, damn’,” said Wolf.

Central to the play were the audio and visual components. The backdrop for the entire play was a projection screen that was host to newscasts and video games alike, while sound effects were utilized to build and release tension in the play.

The AV was intended to be incorporated seamlessly, and

be like another actor upon the stage. This, along with modern forms of communication, was what distinguished this version of Hamlet.

This summer, I had the opportunity to be a High School Diplomat in a Japanese-American exchange program. I stayed on the beautiful Princeton campus for ten days while I exchanged ideas with students from halfway around the world.

While at the exchange, I was paired with a Japanese roommate with whom I experienced the joys of meeting someone my age who had grown up with an entirely different experience.

We faced challenges when struggling to surmount the language barrier, but the overwhelming similarities between us led to the creation of incredible memories, some of which are etched on my heart forever.

During one of our conference sessions, affectionately referred to as Diplomat Talks, a Japanese student spoke about her experiences surviving the tsunami and earthquakes that hit the Sendai region of Japan on March 11, 2011.

As she described the image of her school crumbling in front of her and the rush of water in to her kitchen on a Friday afternoon, I could feel the emotion welling up inside of me.

We sat in the room in somber silence until she reached in to

her bag to pull out a tattered envelope. Inscribed on the sheet of paper was a note she had received from a pen pal in China. She explained how the words of someone thousands of miles away brought warmth to her heart and reminded her that she wasn’t alone in the world.

This unadorned piece of paper delivered a startling realization that though I would learn a great deal about Japanese cultural practices, the most valuable souvenirs of my journey were the human connections I had made with individuals with a myriad of unique experiences.

When her presentation came to a close, a thunderous applause broke through the silence. We were no longer

simply high school students exchanging political views, but a family of individuals who contribute so much more than just their cultural identity.

If you are interested in experiencing the incredible impact of HSD, please apply. Information about HSD 2014 is posted here.

Mandatory Student-Only Orientation at Princeton University:

Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Program Dates: Wednesday, July 30 –

Saturday, Aug.9, 2014 Program Cost:

Full Scholarship. All lodging, food and activity costs are covered by the scholarship. Transportation will be provided from the Northern Virginia area to Princeton, New Jersey.

Application: Applications will be

available on-line from Sept. 15, 2013 until Jan. 8, 2014. All HSD applications must be completed and postmarked by Jan. 8, 2014.

Interviews & Final Selections:

Applicants will be contacted for an interview in early to mid-March 2014. Acceptance will be determined and final notification given by mid-April 2014.

For more information and to access the application visit www.highschooldiplomats.com

By eriKa muNShi

International Friendships: How I spent my summer at Princeton

Senior Erika Munshi and her Japanese roommate at Princeton University.

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october 2013the stentorian | ncssmfeatures/opinions 3

the stentorian the north carolina school of science and mathematics 1219 broad street, durham, nc 27705

stentorian123@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief: Adam Beyer, Su Cho, Jungsu HongNews Editor: Kanan Shah

Features Editor: Sarah ColbertEntertainment Editor: Ava Gruchacz

Opinion Editor: Andrew PetersonSports Editor: Steven Liao

Photography Editor: Zihui YangAdvisor: John Kirk

Staff Writers: Richard Ong, Addy Liu, Caroline Liu

Check us out on the web at www.ncssm.edu/stentorian

Student Discounts!The following establishments provide discounts to students

thanks to the efforts of the Student Affairs Committee of Student Government. If you have other places you would like discounts for, give your suggestions to Isaiah Bryant.

Ben and Jerry’s: 10% offSubway: 10% off

Cosmics: Free drink with the order of a regular burrito or chimichanga,

Joe Van Gogh’s: 5% offDales: $2 off lunch buffet

Devil’s Pizzeria: 1. 20% off in-stores, 2. Free delivery through Durham take outs with the code ‘DEVILS’ (not including 20% off)

Need Advice? Ask Tori!

NCSSM’s unsolved mysteryBy CaroLiNe Liu

In the spirit of this month, I decided to investigate the creepiest and scariest thing around campus. No, not the Hill tunnel or the old psych ward, but rather the portrait hangin in the Reynolds Breezeway. The one with the odd looking person sitting on the chair? The one that makes you feel like someone is watching you when you walk by it? That’s the one.

The first step, naturally, was to find the story behind the monstrous painting. I would like to believe that it was found in a basement of a museum somewhere in Egypt and possesses magical powers that allow the football team to be undefeated and the PFM food to be of such high quality.

Unfortunately, that probably is not where this horrendous masterpiece came from. So, I spoke to Jon Liles, a retired art teacher who was here when the painting first arrived at NCSSM.

“In the first two years of NCSSM, in the very early 1980s, the school was contacted by the North Carolina Museum of Art in downtown Raleigh. They explained that they were moving the Museum to a new

location outside … [and] explained that they had several large pieces of art that they no longer had storage space for. They were looking for a State institution that was interested

in having very large artwork on a permanent loan basis.

We said “YES, we were very interested. “The painting in question was one of the three pieces we accepted from the Museum.

(The other two are the “cloudscapes” painting in the main hallway very close to the

entrance of first Beall, and a large circular abstract painting in the room adjacent to the grill in the cafeteria area).”

So there it is, the first part of our mystery solved. I still

don’t understand why someone would want such a strange piece hanging next to our front lobby but hey, as my mother says, anything free is good.

Now onto the most important and most intriguing question of all: who is the subject of the painting? The wavy hair suggests that it may be a female, but then again, hair is no way to tell a person’s gender anymore; I mean

look at Miley Cyrus. The slightly visible

Adam’s apple makes me think it may be a male, but the lack of chest hair says otherwise. I know, not every man has a hairy chest, but judging by the amount of hair on the head, I would imagine there would be flourishing hair elsewhere as well. It’s a tie. It could go either way and something makes me

think it’s the artist’s intention. Instructor Jon Miller thinks

likewise, so I must be right. “Certainly, the portrait forces viewers to confront all sorts of assumptions and areas of not knowing. Such confrontations and acknowledgement seem very right and necessary for any school, especially a school like ours.”

So basically, it’s our way of saying we have no idea what gender it is but that’s just part of the fun. Sorry and you’re welcome. Lastly, since the painter is nameless, we might as well give it a name.

As Rob Andrews of the Admission Office suggests, “John Lennon’s Younger Sibling” would perfectly describe the side swept hair of the man/woman and his/her wondrously John-Lennon-like glasses.

However, I would think a more modern name would be fitting. May I suggest that we now call this painting “#Nofilter # T h r o w b a c k t h u r s d a y #Instafabulous”?

So as it goes, this annual Halloween mystery lives on, still not completely unraveled (just like the hair of the subject) but I guess the mystery of it is just one of the things that makes this school so special.

Photo courtesy of Zihui Yang

Recipe for a seasonal treat

By addy Liu

The season of fall is always heralded by the appearance of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes. For parental-income-dependent NCSSM students craving the spice of pumpkin lattes without the price of Starbucks, follow this recipe for one serving:

Ingredients:1 tbsp of canned pumpkin

(can buy at Whole Foods or Kroger)

1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (can buy at Whole Foods or Kroger)

1 cup of 2% milk1/2 cup of strongly brewed

coffee or regular strengh espresso

4 tsp of Sugar

Directions:1. Heat milk in medium

saucepan until steaming. Mix constantly.

2. Add 1 tbsp of canned pumpkin. Mix thoroughly.

3. Remove pumpkin-milk mixture from heat. Add 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice and mix. Then add coffee/espresso. Mix thoroughly.

4. Put the sugar in a cup and pour the coffee-pumpkin mixture on top of it.

5. Add whipped cream to top. Then dust with the remaining ½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice.

Recipe modified from coffeesage.com

This recipe can be further modified by using other sweetners besides sugar, or almond milk instead of 2% milk for fewer calories. The recipe can be further simplified by heating the milk and pumpkin in the microwave and then adding coffee and the pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes do not have to just be an expensive treat. Making this seasonal item yourself is not that hard.Photo courtesy of rockymoun-tainlodge.com

Q: Dear Tori, I am nervous for the start of second trimester and adding a new course; any advice? -Anxious Annie

A: Dear Anxious Annie, Congratulations on finishing up your first trimester at NCSSM. By now you have probably become accustomed to life at NCSSM. Second trimester is a bit different from first trimester, as the days get shorter and colder, and we have more breaks than usual.

Second trimester should not be difficult if you efficiently plan your time and go to tutorials. If you are adding a sport, try to be efficient during the day during your free blocks.

Paying attention in class and

making sure you understand the course material also helps, as you won’t have to spend as much time studying for quizzes and exams. If you live in BBR, make sure you do not end up cooped up in your room and make time to get fresh air every once in a while.

-Tori

Q: Dear Tori, I’m disappointed that my first trimester grades as not as good as I had hoped. I feel like I did not meet expectations and feel discouraged; do you have any advice?

A: Keep your head up. If you are a junior, it is only the beginning; learn from your mistakes and reflect on what

went well and wrong during first trimester and make the most of what else is to come.

You have six whole trimesters at NCSSM; show improvement and challenge yourself and make the most out of your NCSSM experience. Also, grades are not the only factor that colleges look at when they consider you application.

-Tori

If you have a question that you think Tori could help you with, please submit it by email to stentorian123@gmail.com. It may appear in a future issue.

the backpageoctober 2013 the stentorian | ncssm4