Writing Prompt #12 - Phasing

Writing Prompt #12:  Write a story about the Student Judicial System, which included "three phases" of disciplinary action.

Due Date:  March 2, 2026

Details:  Write a story about how you, or someone else, received a Phase 1, 2, or 3 disciplinary action;

Or write about a close call with the judicial system, and how judicial action was avoided;

Or write about the climate of good or bad behavior that you observed, fostered or exemplified;

Or write about the interactions (the give & take) between the administration and the students. 

Blog landing page URL: https: https://half-sheet-of-paper-workshop.blogspot.com/

New Post URL: https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/6942635268531392674 

Background:

The NC School of Science and Mathematics is, and was, a residential high school for exceptional students who applied to attend, from across the state of North Carolina.

In 1980, the first Student Handbook laid out the Code of Conduct (the rules) and the Student Judicial System (the consequences) for the new high school. In his message to the students, in the Handbook, Director Charles Eilber compared the Handbook to a foundation for a building; serving as a support for the structure, while not necessarily dictating the final appearance.

He said:

The content has been planned, discussed, and revised over many months by an experienced staff and faculty, and it represents our effort to assure students and parents of an orderly environment in which living and learning can begin to happen.

However, as we live together and learn from the experiences of this first year, the Handbook must reflect the lessons of experience.  It will evolve and change because many more of us - including students and parents - will be here to contribute to its use and development.

The Code of Conduct

Pages 26 through 30 (five pages) of the 1980-81 NCSSM Student Handbook covered the code of conduct. It served as a warning against mischievous criminal activity, covering every bad thing that an adolescent might dream of doing. It prohibited the use of alcohol, the use of drugs, truancy, vagrancy, possession of weapons, use of fireworks, vandalism, gambling, indecency, and disturbing the peace.

It covered all of the usual forms of misbehavior; but it didn’t begin to consider the forms of provocative behavior that we (“gifted and talented” students) could imagine. Pranking and PDA (Public Displays of Affection) ran rampant in the early days. Amateur experiments in chemistry and physics were common, testing the limits of the defined rules.

The Handbook also defined the parameters of our world. It covered where we were allowed to be, and when we were allowed to be there. There were sections on curfew, dorm visitation, and quiet hours. There were various required permissions, including permission to ride in cars… to leave campus… to visit home… or to stay overnight (elsewhere off campus). There was a short section addressing “off limits” areas, including areas under construction, and areas where minors were never permitted.

These restrictions were immediately and repeatedly tested. Some students attended a frat party at Duke University, early in the Fall of the school’s first year. We were often found, in the room of a student of the opposite sex, and not always during the hours of visitation. Classifying places as “off limits” (the tunnels, the morgue, the OR, and the pavilions of the campus -- a former hospital) was an exercise in futility. What teenager, in the golden age of the D&D gaming, wouldn’t dare to explore such an incredible maze of haunted spaces?

Student Judicial System

So the Code of Conduct was tested… frequently tested, from the moment we arrived. And that’s when the Judicial System took effect. According to the Handbook, “This system consists of three phases which indicate the disciplinary status of the student.” They were “Phase 1”, “Phase 2”, and “Phase 3”.

The jargon itself… the “Phase” system… was a source of amusement. The terminology was unfortunate, because many of us (science nerds) were fans of Star Trek, the original series, which was reaching a big audience through syndication before our school opened. Being “phased” by the administration seemed like a surreal experience -- as if we were part of a Star Trek plot where the phasers were set to “Warning” or “Stun” or “Kill”.

Most violations fell under the definition of a Phase 1 offense; which basically amounted to a written warning. It included things like a violation of curfew hours or visitation policy, or a failure to sign in or sign out.

Phase 2 generally resulted from repeated offences, and resulted in a call to the student’s parents and a written letter in the student’s file. It was considered a probationary status, which could put the students continued enrollment in peril. Still, it was not uncommon.

Phase 3, on the other hand, was no joking matter. A phase 3 violation was considered a serious offence. A phase 3 allegation could result in strict probation, suspension, or even dismissal from school. And it would result in a disciplinary hearing in front of faculty and staff; and in a school of only 150 students, living elbow to elbow, a disciplinary hearing would become common knowledge.

The Student Judicial System, as described by the Student Handbook ("The Phase System")

The 1980 and 1981 Student Handbooks included three pages describing the student judicial system.  Those policies have been transcribed below.  

There were minor changes in the 1981 description, primarily describing the composition of the hearing board and the timing of the hearing for a phase 3 violation.  Those changes are noted in brackets.

STUDENT JUDICIAL SYSTEM 

The Student Judicial System is used to determine the status of students who allegedly violate the school policies and guidelines. This system consists of three phases which indicate the disciplinary status of a student. Students may be placed on a phase status by a delegate of the Dean for Student Personnel Services (Head of Residential Life, Resident Advisors).

Phase I 

Report of an alleged violation is registered with the appropriate office, i.e.. Resident Advisor, Head of Residential Life, Assistant Director and Dean for Student Personnel Services, Director of the School. This representative re-views the case and determines the extent of the violation. If circumstances warrant, the representative will meet with the person(s) involved to determine whether Phase I should be initiated. Phase I is a warning in the form of an official written document from the individual initiating the Phase I status. The student has the right to appeal this decision to the Dean for Student Personnel Services or to the Director of the School. [...changed to - "to the Head of Residential Life" in 1981.] 

Examples of, but not limited to, Phase I status: 

- violation of curfew hours or quiet hours, failure to sign in or out, violation of visitation policy, abuse of kitchen privileges. 

Record of Phase I status: 

- a student who has been placed on Phase I status will receive a formal letter notifying him/her of this status decision. A copy of this letter will remain in the student's file and will be destroyed at the end of the academic term in which it was written (Fall/Spring) 

Phase II: 

Phase II is a condition of probation and can imply serious consequences regarding a student's status as a member of the school community. 

In cases of a more serious nature or if further violations occur after a student is placed on Phase I, the following options are utilized: 

1. The student may waive his/her right to a hearing and accept a Phase II status from the Student Personnel Services representative initiating the action. 

2. The case may be referred to the Head of Residential Life for a hearing. The hearing would include the student(s), the RA or individual reporting the violation, the Head of Residential Life, and a representative of the Student Personnel Services staff.

Examples of, but not limited to. Phase II status: 

- repeated violations, repeat of a Phase I incident or status as a result of a Phase III hearing.

Record of Phase II status: 

- a student who has been placed on a Phase II status will receive a letter from the Head of Residential Life. A copy of this letter will remain in the student's file and will be destroyed at the end of the school year. 

- any violation that merits a Phase II status decision will be reported to the student's parents. 

Phase III 

A Phase III disciplinary hearing is conducted in cases of serious instances of  violation of school rules, regulations or policies. 

In circumstances warranting strict probation, suspension or dismissal from school, the case will be determined by a School Hearing Board consisting of faculty and staff.

A Phase III hearing will occur once a case is referred to the Hearing Boar.  A student has a right to be represented as well as to present evidence and/or witnesses.  Hearings are informal and held in a closed setting.  A transcript of the hearing will serve as the official record of the hearing.

[Following section was substituted for the 3 preceding paragraphs, in 1981:

The Hearing Board will consist of: 

1.     Assistant Director and Dean of Student Personnel Services 

2.     Dean for Academic Affairs 

3.     Head of Residential Life 

4.     A full-time, faculty member 

4.  [sic]   Another full-time faculty or staff member chosen by the student in a given incident and may be the student's sponsor. This person will be an ad hoc member of the Hearing Board to provide appropriate insight with respect to the student involved, and perspective with respect to the hearing proceedings . (Non-voting) 

6.     A secretarial (non-voting) person will assist by recording the hearing proceedings.

Every effort will be made to institute the hearing within twenty-four hours following an alleged incident of student violation of regulations or policies. This time frame is subject to the availability of as much data as possible concerning the alleged incident .

The Hearing Board will render a decision based on a simple majority vote.]

Examples of but not limited to Phase III hearings, and/or status:

-alcohol and drug possession and/or use, vandalism, abuse of fire safety equipment, use of explosives.

Record of a Phase III status: 

-A student who has been placed on Phase III status as a result of a hearing will receive a formal written notice of the decision. A copy of this letter will be placed in the student's permanent school file for a period of time to be determined by the Hearing Board. 

-The School Hearing Board will determine the length of time that a student will remain on Phase III probation. [This part added in 1981: "...or suspension. Parents or guardians of the student involved will be informed of the judiciary action."]

Appeals Procedures: 

Phase I 

        A Phase I decision, if unacceptable to the student, can be appealed to the Head of Residential Life.

Phase II 

        A Phase II decision can be appealed to the Assistant Director and Dean of Student Personnel Services.

 

Phase III 

        A Phase III decision can be appealed to the Director of the School. Any Phase III decisions that involve suspension or dismissal from school can be appealed to the School's Board of Directors.  In an appeal of this kind, the official transcript of the hearing will serve in place of a new hearing. All students will be notified in writing of the appeal decision.

[Student Judicial System, Pages32-34, Student Handbook - 1980, NCSSM Historical Collection, NCSSM Digital Collection]

Profile - Kathy Benzaquin and the Residential Life Program

 first published in 1983 in the campus and NCSSM community newsletter -- Dialogues.

Kathy Benzaquin is proud of the Residential Life Program at NCSSM and with reason. The system she and her staff have evolved has become a model for those establishing public residential schools in other states. It was only three years ago that Kathy was asked to create a program that would enhance a rigorous academic curriculum by making young high school students feel at home as well as by providing a broad spectrum of co-curricular activities. In response she developed a strong, flexible, accountable program manned by a dedicated staff of Residential Advisors (RAs). 

Kathy attributes success to her policy of selecting staff members whose abilities and interests are tailored to program needs. RAs, whose primary responsibility is to care for and support students, also organize and oversee traditional high school activities — social, recreational, and service. Matching the task to a staff member's talent and interest has made the 24- hour a day, 7-days a week, entry level job attractive to excellent candidates, rewarding for students, and has strengthened every facet of the Residential Life Program.

Support of her staff, particularly professionally, is a priority for Kathy. Her success in training may be measured by job offers RAs receive from other residential schools and by their loyalty to NCSSM. Kathy is philosophical when an offer does lure someone away and they leave with regret — it means she is accomplishing one of her purposes. 

For most students entering NCSSM, Resident Advisors are an unknown quantity, but not for long. The companionship and leadership of a caring adult means a great deal to these young people away from home, and their appreciation is evident. A close association between students and staff is beneficial in many ways, including reducing resentment if discipline is necessary. 

Other Residential Life policies also are designed to make discipline a more positive learning experience. One is to include students in the decision-making process; a second is to establish rules based on a specific consequence for a specific cause. Predictable judgments seem easier to take. 

Another policy that is working well is one requiring students to make a study or social contract with RAs if their grades fall. The staff is especially pleased because some students in good academic standing have voluntarily made contracts. 

For the future Kathy has three wishes — to find more financial support for her staff, to find enough time in the NCSSM schedule so that her staff can make better use of their skills in leading leisure time activities, and to maintain the level of excitement that characterizes the Residential Life Program today.

[Dialogues Volume 3, Number 2, March 1983; Dialogues; NCSSM Digital Collection]

Founding dean of students donates items to NCSSM-Durham

by Brian Faircloth, NCSSM communications specialist

October 13, 2023

Mike Collins and his wife, Sally, recently donated to NCSSM items from the school’s early years of operation. Collins was NCSSM’s first dean of students.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike Collins, NCSSM’s first dean of students, returned to campus recently to donate a framed black-and-white photograph of the entire student body, faculty, and staff that was made on the very first day of classes at NCSSM in 1980. At that time, the school was still in transition from a shuttered hospital to a high school. Power tools and buckets of paint stood along walls outside classrooms, and there was no functional cafeteria; the school’s 150 students walked down the street to a nearby elementary school cafeteria for meals.

Over 40 years later, NCSSM is regularly noted as one of the best public high schools in the entire country. Its campus in Durham now serves 680 students in its Residential program, and reaches thousands of students and teachers throughout the state each year through outreach and online programs. In 2022, NCSSM innovated once again when it opened a second residential campus in Morganton, NC, that now has a full complement of 300 students calling it home.

“NCSSM was truly visionary,” Collins says, “and every person in that photo was a risk taker. Every person in that photo made a decision to, in many cases, leave behind good situations to be there, and I admired the ability of the faculty, the staff, the kids, and their parents to look beyond the moment and see the opportunity and what it would lead to.”

Though Collins, who spent four years with the school and helped implement the school’s admissions process, describes his vital contributions to NCSSM’s history as “modest,” his admiration of the school and its people has remained constant.

“NCSSM more than survived,” he says. “It has taken a leadership role and has been a good example for what can be done, not just in North Carolina, but in other parts of the country, as well. Whenever I’ve looked at that photo, I’ve felt a sense of pride in what the students did, and what they’ve done since.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[This article originally published online at NCSSM.edu in the News page.  It can be found with this link: https://www.ncssm.edu/news]

Coach Brown: since the beginning

by Anna Morrison

first published in The Stentorian, in December 1997 (Vol. XVII, No. 2, Page 9.)

Coach Brown: since the beginning

Coach Branson Brown has been at NCSSM since the school opened in 1980, along with other faculty like Dr. Jon Miller, Dr. Charles Britton, and Dr. Virginia Wilson.  Brown has worked in the Physical Education Department since he began, but his first year he also worked as an SLI, or Residential Advisor as they were known then.   Throughout the years Brown has watched the sports program at NCSSM grow and change.

According to Brown, NCSSM did not originally intend to have a varsity sports program.  However, cross-country was started as a club in the fall of 1980 by interested students like Doug Appleyard and Ken Murphy, Class of 1981. [sic - they are both members of the Class of 1982]

"[At the City/County meet in 1980] the other teams were laughing at us because we had tacky uniforms," Brown said.  "I found nine gold shirts.  We put NCSSM on them and ran."

Their club would soon be the beginning of the NCSSM varsity sports program.

Since NCSSM was not a member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) at the time, the team was not allowed to finish the meet.  If they had finished, they would have placed third.  By 1981, NCSSM was an NCHSAA member, and by 1985 the school had all of the varsity sports now in existence.

(Branson Brown circa 1997 - credit Justin Chan)

Since his first year as an SLI, Brown has worked in the Physical Education Department full-time, assuming the responsibilities of maintaining a varsity program.

"I do all the athletic scheduling with advice from my coaches.  I am in charge of interviewing the coaches, and I propose the budget [to the Parents' Council]." Brown said.  "The athletic responsibilities are a lot more than scheduling.  You have to get referees, basketballs, prepare the gym, do concessions and find bus drivers."  Brown is also the Physical Activity and Wellness teacher for half of the junior class.

One of the things that Brown has appreciated most has been the progress of sports at S&M.  "I consider myself one of the luckiest coaches in the state.  I've been able to watch something grow like my own children.  The first principal, F. Borden Mace, told me that [NCSSM] would never have a Division I athlete."  NCSSM has had 25 Division I athletes, students who have [been]  accepted and play for teams like UNC, and at least 150 others to play in colleges.

Some of NCSSM's graduates have gone on to set records and compete on national levels in their sports.  Will Turner, Class of 1984, set the ACC Record in the triple jump while at NCSU.  Keith Bazemore, also of the Class of 1984, won the US All-Natural Superlift Weight Lifting Championship in 1993.  NCSSM also holds a number of state and regional records in track and swimming.  In 1992, and again in 1993, NCSSM won the Wachovia Cup, which encompases the abilities and records of all varsity sports.

"My greatest thrill, other than delivering my two boys, was winning the 1993 Wachovia Cup because that proved that the first one wasn't a fluke," Brown said.

After 17 years at NCSSM, Brown still loves working at the school.  He said his favorite part is the kids.

"Y'all are the kind of kids I want my own running around with," Brown said.

(Branson Brown circa 1981 - credit Steve Gallup)

[The Stentorian, Vol. XVII, No. 2, December 1997, Page 9. Digital NC online newspaper archives]

The original web page can be found here:  https://newspapers.digitalnc.org

The Abiders

by Lauren E. Everhart

"The Abiders" - first published in NCSSM Magazine in 2006

[NCSSM Magazine - 2006; Other Campus and Student Publications; NCSSM Digital Collection]

Cross Country - The First NCSSM Interscholastic sport

by Henry Kuo

Most all of us were very excited to move in and attend NCSSM.  There was a nervousness to being in a new environment, a new experience for most of us at that young an age.  I remember it was just shortly after arriving on campus, there was a sign up to join the men's cross country team.  I vaguely remember a piece of paper sign up on the patio of Hill House - no internet back then, no computers to speak of either.   A small group signed up.  Many of us had run cross country back at our old high school, while some may have been running for the first time.  I remember Doug Appleyard, Brad Ives, Ken Murray, Percil Watkins, me (Henry Kuo), Sean Campbell, Robert Lee, and Keith Promislow.  Anita Warner joined us on occasion.  Sorry if I missed someone.

For some of us it was a chance to do something familiar, though we were late getting started with training for upcoming events.  Branson Brown was our coach, as he was pretty much for most everything.  We began by running around the campus block.  Back then, there was a chain link fence around the front parking lot, so no cutting corners.  No track to train on either, but if there was a sport that did not need a home field for training, it was cross country.  We later began to run in the neighborhoods, having to run a few small hills.  But, as School began, it was not easy to find the time to run, as we all knew academics took priority.

It was not lost on us, that we were the first.  The first to run cross country at NCSSM.  The first to play any sport of any kind, and certainly the first to play against other schools.  We were not the best, but we were not bad.  We finished the season 6-4 according to some other records.  In cross country, when you cross the finish line, you get a popsicle stick with your place, 1,2,3...7,..24, etc.  Then you add the top five on your team for a total team score, with the winning team having the lowest score.  Only the top 5 on each team count, but you can have two "pushers", your team 6 and 7 count to push other teams score higher.  You can run as many as you want, but only your top 5 count, and next two can count to push.  A perfect team score is 15, having runners 1-5 - which is a rarity, especially when cross country meets often have several teams competing against each other.  I don't remember for sure if it was the first year, or the second year, but one meet of several teams, we scored the perfect 15.  I remember hearing an opposing coach tell Branson, it was pretty impressive.  We are all very proud to be part of that first NCSSM sports team, just as all of us from the Class of '82 are very proud to be part of the first NCSSM class.

[Cross country team - 1981 Odyssey yearbook]

New Place, New Friends, New Games

 New Place, New Friends, New Games

By James Lisk, June 16, 2025

In the introduction to James F. Cooper’s The Pioneers, the publisher writes “...the author had more pleasure in writing The Pioneers than the book will probably give to any of its readers.” I expect the this statement is also applies to this shorter recollection.

I felt odd when school started in August 1980. In my home town of Randleman, my brothers and  buddies were back in school while I was at home reading The Pioneers and helping mom. Older friends starting college were also gone. Adding to the oddness, my younger but taller brother was starting high school, moved up to the varsity football team, and connecting with my buddies, leaving me largely out of the loop. Picking-up my brother from football practice, I could see my marching band friends practicing in the distance and felt left-out.

Dorms opened for us students at NCSSM on Sunday, September 7, 1980 and I was excited to start. Mom, dad and all three of my younger brothers came along to help me move in.

Getting one of the rare single rooms in the “Main Building” was a pleasant surprise. After years of sharing a bedroom with my little brother, I had a room to myself! The dorm room was clean, though my mom insisted on giving it another cleaning.  I noticed that there was no lock on the door nor mirror in the bathroom. Fortunately, I brought a small mirror from home. The lock seemed un-needed.

After moving in and saying good-bye to my brothers and parents, I started to meet the other guys on the hall. In rooms close-by were Michael Riddle and Brian (Paul) Habit who became life-long friends. I soon met Lee Bulwinkle, Alex Rimberg, Tony Hefner, Dwayne Raiford, Walter Gordon, Chuck Long, Marshal Mauney and many other, all with diverse personalities, and eager to make friends. At dinner, I tried to get to know folks a bit better and was surprised by the number of students who were more interested in subjects other than science or math. The “Student Handbook 1980-1981” lists a dance that first evening, but I don’t think I stayed long.

Monday was exploring around the campus, learning about the dorm sign-out cards and similar administrative items. Our first work-study assignments may have been given then. At least one student wanted to discuss The Pioneers. Back in the dorm, I had a long philosophical conversation with several of the guys, which included Marshall describing reaching a trance-like state when he played his violin.

The first all-student meeting, held in what would soon be the library, may have been on that Monday, or later that week. Dr. Eilber assured us that the E.K. Powe dining was temporary, and asked us to speak up about our needs. One guy from my hall (not me!) suggested that we needed “a passion pit” for co-education romantic interaction, though his word choice was a bit more succinct. All of us students became silent, certain that this was not what Dr. Eilber was wanting to hear. The teachers’ and administrators’ faces responded with emotions ranging from amused to horrified. Dr. Eilber’s reply was essentially “no”: student lounges would be well-lit, open-doored, with limited hours for studying and socializing, and effectively chaperoned by residential advisors.

The New Games on Tuesday were designed to build a sense of community; and since then, I’ve since seen similar games in professional team-building events. These were cooperative activities, without winners or losers. 

In one game, each person took a turn standing in the middle of a circle, with everyone else lying on the ground, feet towards that person, forming a circle with arms up. The standing person would then fall backwards and be caught by the people on the ground and passed around the circle, then propped up again. I declined to be the standing-falling person, recalling a similar “trust-fall” in Boy Scouts being interrupted by a prankster. But I clearly remember one girl, with shoulder-length dark hair and the pettiest face, closing her eyes and falling back. For some reason, I really wanted to reach up and touch her as she went around, but alas, the fellows on either side of me had longer arms than me. Seven years later, I married that girl, Beth Kennedy, but that is getting ahead of the story.

Another game had two teams running across the field, one trying to tag and “catch” the members of the other team. Anyone who got through to the other side became the taggers on the next round. Near the end, Beth and I were left with only a few folks on one side and just a few moments to introduce ourselves before we were “captured” by the other side and ushered to the next event.

The New Games clearly worked. By the time classes started, I was comfortable in my new home and confident that a good year lay ahead of us.

NCSSM in 1980: Jon Miller on NCSSM’s Opening Year

Speech by Jon Miller

First presented in a speech on August 19, 2014 (This is a transcription of the speech, which varies slightly from the speech as it was written on August 12, 2014.  Omissions from the written speech are included in brackets. Additions to the written speech are entered in parentheses.)

NCSSM in 1980: 

Jon Miller on NCSSM's Opening Year

{As we embark upon the 35th year of classes here at NCSSM, humanities instructor Jon Miller shares with the staff some memories of what it was like at NCSSM that very first year—1980.}

~~~~~~~~~~

He lied to you.  I'm not going to say a few words. I'm going to say way too many words. 

Those headlines are a bit misleading. ["A Boost for Quality Education in the Triangle".  "Science, Math School May Have Major Impact MIT Professor Says."] 

 

[You Can Teach a Lot of Biology]

Physically this place was a dump!  

The buildings for years stood largely abandoned.  Duke was sharing [some of] the not yet named Bryan facility with our small administrative staff which in 1979 had begun to move into its first floor and was slowly beginning to encroach onto the second.  

Beall, Reynolds, and Watts were off limits; and they should have been!  Paint was hanging off their walls in festoons, water was standing everywhere. 

Wyche (now Royall) had been condemned even while the Nursing School was still using it.  It became a boy's residence hall as we hoped to hasten its demise. 

Hill became a girls' residence hall, and its basement housed the History and English faculty; and where the language lab is now, Ross Baker taught biology.  Right out of her back door, were the woods that covered the back half of our lot.  That was her lab. 

The athletic facility was an outdoor swimming pool just outside the Hill classroom windows; which made teaching in those classrooms, in the fall and in the spring, impossible. 

Late the Friday night before students were to arrive on Sunday, the painters finished their work in the dorms. The faculty, the residential staff, and the administration spent a hot [muggy] Saturday cleaning up those dorms; putting mattress covers on the mattresses.

Neill Clark, my colleague in English, and I, alternating between the swing blade and the mower, cut the grass around the dorms which was a foot and up to a foot and a half tall.  John Armitage, who lived in Durham, and was a member of that first class, frantically put screens in the windows of the un-air conditioned dorm rooms.

Students arrived on Sunday, every one of them having left a better equipped, finer physical plant than they were moving into.  Nonetheless they stayed, they graduated, they went to college, and they have remained remarkable supporters of their alma mater.

The dump began to become pretty snazzy.  In the second year, as I was helping Ross move some of the of her equipment to the brand new biology lab in Bryan, I remarked that she must be very pleased and excited.  To which she replied, "You can teach a lot of biology in the woods".  

It's a notion which reminds us that a grade school is not made up of just stuff.  It's the folk, and it's their willingness to take advantage of what they've got.

[All Things Were Possible]

Given the different definitions between "vacation" and "work", there are still some small pleasures of coming back to school.  Returners catch up with old friends.  New folk begin to find colleagues who will unravel the mysteries.  And there is a certain comfort of settling into the ways experience was made familiar.  

But on that first day there were only vaguely familiar faces.  There was no one to ask, because no one knew any more than the asker.  There were no comfortable syllabi to organize the future.  We had not really even been able to prepare during the summer, because we didn't know what to prepare for.  There was to be a program, but nobody knew what the program was to be.  [Thus], we had each spent our summers building [our own] air castles in the sky.

But we were all sure, even in the midst of our dump, that we had been entrusted with something special.  By some incredible fluke we were given charge of this great educational dream.  

It had not been everybody's dream.  The NCAE was opposed.  The Lieutenant Governor had had to cast the tiebreaking vote in the legislature to establish the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and giving the school dumbfounding freedom to shape its own program... its own destiny... as well.

Other than the name, the goal of excellence, a budget, and an admissions plan based on Congressional Districts; those of us who arrived on that first day were free to create the school; the education that we thought best.  We were explicitly outside of, and free from, the expectations of the Department of Public Instruction.  We had no connection to the University {of North Carolina system}.  And everything seemed possible.

When we first [officially] gathered -- all of us -- almost 25 of us -- including the faculty, the residential staff, and four administrators, in a conference room, that was just about where Katie Wagstaff's office is now; we were seated around the table that couldn't quite fit all of us; leaving a few to sit in the corners around the room.

One of the first questions we addressed was how much student time each day would each of us require to provide excellent education in our areas.   (When we toted it up... and I've lost my place....) This was it.  This was our chance to get exactly what we wanted, what we needed, and what we had dreamed of.  But when we toted that dream up we, we discovered that we were requiring about a 38 hour working day.  [Laughter]  Maybe not everything was possible. 

Out of necessity we talked on and on, (we're still talking aren't we...  we talked on and on) slowly realizing that my dream had to be part of your dream; had to become a part of our dream.  And by the time the students had arrived, all that serious talk -- and NASA sending a man to the moon had never talked so high mindedly, or so seriously --  all that talk had created a serious sharply focused academic plan to speed 16 year-olds well on their way to graduate school.  It was pretty much to be books and classrooms.  

Unfortunately, the students themselves arrived.  [Laughter]

Within the first week some of those young people, not party to our serious talk, not aware of our graduate school plan approached Branson Brown, he of Brown Field out back.  He was our athletic coordinator; and they said to him, "Why not a cross country team?"  He made a few phone calls, bought a few T-shirts, took them to Joe Liles, the art teacher, who stenciled NCSSM on them; and by the end of the first week, we had  the beginnings of a varsity athletic program.  

By the end of the year, we also were in the student government business.  We were also in the prom business.  Adamant and probably misplaced opposition to cheerleaders lingered for several more years; but inevitability is inevitable; and soon we had the cheerleading squad.  

Clearly the "graduate school" was beginning to learn how to coexist with the high school.  

~~~~~~~~~~

(The experience...) these experiences and so many subsequent ones have taught us, and continue to teach us, that our dreams and ideas need to start big, and [that] all the constituencies and all the folk, need to sit at the table believing that all things are possible.  

In this process, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are pretty free.  We still aren't part of, or subject to, the Department of Public Instruction.  While we are now part of the University {of North Carolina system}, they really haven't entered our world too forcefully.  We were not [for years] even in the accreditation box [for more than a decade], because we thought the process would be too limiting and too shaping of our program.  We didn't officially compute grade point averages for two decades; and even without GPAs and accreditation, our students still got into college -- good colleges -- and won scholarships -- big scholarships.

Just as we did then, we need now to remind ourselves that dreams have a lot of room here to grow (and they can grow)!  We can almost write our own book.  

We also have to remind ourselves that choosing a possibility sometimes eliminates other desirable possibilities.  Thus we tried then -- just as we continue to try -- to make boxes large enough and inclusive enough to fit; and to be ready immediately to renovate them, or to begin again when the lack of a team makes them limiting. Varsity athletics and home-sickness also reminded us that it is inevitable and proper for 16 year-olds to remain 16.  (This of course led to a much larger code of conduct than we had had.)  [Laughter] 

Steve Davis, the first chairman of our Mathematics Department, often said that we don't teach subject material, but (we teach) young people.  If we teach them, the subject matter will follow.  A very practical application of this of this "people primacy" principle came in his suggestion at our first comment writing session, that we first needed to have something both real and nice to say.  Then we needed to define a problem, if there was one, and suggest a solution, if there was one.  And then we needed to end with something nice.  Twice-a-year I think of this, and, however difficult, try to follow its prescription.  The academic business is the people business; but this teacher sometimes needs to be reminded of it.

[The Grand Thing, not the Grand Name]

My fellow grass cutter, Neill Clark, often and memorably reminded us in our early discussions of curriculum, of personnel policies and contracts, of what faculty should be called, of how often tutorial should be held and when -- that we needed to be careful of the grand thing / grand name distinction.  We are at our best when we focus on the "grand thing" and forget the "grand name".  If we do as the legislature legislated -- if we are excellent -- the name will come.

And it came early.  In the first several years, we were everywhere on the news and in the newspapers.  One could hardly walk across campus without bumping into the New York Times reporter; or one from LA -- one from Washington -- one from Louisville.  We were featured on the covers of major news magazines.  

Nobel Prize winners were on our board.  A grand name idea for a Laureate Village out back was floated briefly for a while.  (This was an idea where Nobel laureates would come.  There'd be cottages built out there; and they would pad around the paths in their slippers, and interact with juniors and seniors in high school.  It didn't happen.  [laughter]  We built a baseball field instead.)  [laughter]

Representatives from other states came, questioned, and returned home to start schools much like ours; unconsciously very different from ours [or consciously different].  I was once asked by a new faculty member if this were some kind of special school.  Well, we were then -- we are now -- a very special school; a model school.  

And still they come.  Last year, a Virginia delegation, hoping to turn what they had learned here into their own school.  The president of the Oklahoma school was here to find new energy, ...new ways for his school.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, as we begin this year again, much has changed.  We have new stuff, more stuff, better stuff.  But the real NCSSM is much as was at its beginning. [The people are much the same.] This room is full of people with dreams and notions of excellence that we need to share.  

And by week's end, we will have young people -- always the same on that first day.  Their entering test scores are just about what they always were, when we adjust for re-centering of the test.  They are bright, eager, proud, terrified [to have been chosen, willing to be challenged].  They are ready to learn.  

[But] they will be different when they graduate, because they are coming to a school with different boxes, large and small; in a different time.  But they will be equally good and just as proud of their time here as was that first class.  

I know that Ginger Wilson, John Williams, and Clinton Gregg, and I are proud of what succeeding generations -- of what you -- have made of this school that we came to long ago.

~~~~~~~~~~

The YouTube Video of this speech can be seen at the following link:

https://youtu.be/P_1pnE2uhm8?si=0AAP1794WO54h2kV

{NCSSM, a publicly funded high school in North Carolina, provides exciting, high-level STEM learning opportunities. 

If you appreciate this video, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the NCSSM Foundation. Thank you! 

Please attribute this work as being created by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. This work is licensed under creative commons CC-BY-NC-SA

A Defining Experience (Prompt #5 - Pioneers)

By Steve Gallup

Pi·o·neer  (pī′ə-nîr')*

How do you define a "pioneer"?

In 1980, when 150 students were selected to attend the NC School of Science and Mathematics, including myself; we were often described as "pioneers".  Sometimes it was the news media.  Sometimes it was Governor Hunt, or a proxy of his, on the Governor's Planning Committee.  Sometimes it was our own school director, Charles Eilber.

It became so common to be called a "pioneer" that it became a sort of cliche'.  We laughed at the thought that we were "pioneers".   We were only teenagers after all; most of us only 16 or 17 years old; some of us even younger.  We were just going to a different school; a specialized residential school in Durham.

And we grew tired of the moniker.  We had been through a pretty grueling admissions process, including a request for nomination; and completion of application forms, psychological and aptitude testing, and interviews.  We didn't feel as if we needed even more pressure from the outside world.  We didn't want to be perceived as "pioneers".  We wanted to stop applying and start attending.  We wanted to do our own thing!

But we couldn't escape the idea that we were "pioneers".  The book, The Pioneers, by James Fenimore Cooper was recommended for summer reading.  As we began moving in, a bit of a panic swept through the student body, as we began to debate whether it was a summer reading recommendation or a requirement.  I opted not to read it then, and take my chances.  (I finally read it 42 years later, before our 40th reunion.)  

When dedication day arrived on October 11th, after only a month of classes, the word "pioneers" made a resurgence; often used in referring to us, the first class, as "pioneers"; even as, ironically, we acquiesced to sitting through multiple speeches and ceremonies mandated by the administration.   It seemed absurd.

"Pioneers" was even included in the list of options for the school mascot.  We voted for school mascot and school colors on November 8th, 1980.  "Pioneers" was soundly defeated.  "Unicorns" won in a landslide.

I didn't appreciate the appellation at the time; but eventually I grew to appreciate the distinction of being a "pioneer"; a member of the first class of the School of Science and Math.  

I proudly wear my high school ring, for the class of '82 (with the Unicorn and the Flaming Diaper logo).  I'm proud to proclaim my membership in the first class, even if it was, in part, an accident of my age, and the luck of timing; being a rising 11th grader at the time of the school's inception.  

It even seems historic.  In 2030, the School will be 50 years old.  I was there when it all began.

But what did I do that was "pioneering".  What did I bring to the table.  What did I offer?

Am I really a pioneer?

~~~~~~~~~~

Definition 1. One who opens up new areas of thought, research, or development*

By this definition, I feel almost certain that I was not a "pioneer".  I may have been a "settler"; but I was following a path laid out by many of the people who were working hard to establish the School of Science and Math before I arrived on the scene.  There were many who were thinking about, researching, and developing the school before the students arrived.  There were many "pioneers".

There was Governor Hunt, who proposed the residential school for talented students, in part to benefit the entire state of North Carolina.  He brought the idea to the governor's office, to the public, and to the legislature.  He got the school established.

Back in 1977, it was only a dream.  In September of that year, in his letter to educators and experts, exploring the concept, he said, "Among the ideas and of much personal interest to me, I am considering recommending a new state residential high school of science and mathematics."**

There was Charles Eilber, who served as the founding Director.  He codified the goals and the purpose.  He organized the administration, and he hired faculty and staff.  He oversaw the renovation of the Watts Hospital campus.  He sought, and he raised, millions of dollars in private philanthropic funding.  He inspired the high standards of "living and learning" that were to follow.

In his August report to the Board of Trustees, in 1980, Charles Eilber said, "While I am sure that not everything will be perfectly in place, and that the pioneering aspects of this first year will be obvious, there appears to be no reason why we can't anticipate a good beginning and the eventual fulfillment of the many expectations that all of us have for the first year of operation.***

There was the School's administrative staff: Ola Stringer, Michael Collins, Borden Mace, Kathleen Benzaquin, and a team of Residential Advisors, among others.  They developed the system for admissions, the policies for student personnel, and the plan to care for the whole life of the students... the children... that they were charged with looking after and educating.

Ola Stringer, Head of Admissions, said, "The development and distribution of the admissions packet, which was a cooperative effort by all School staff members, sparked the realization of the magnitude of work facing the Admissions office."****  The early staff were working together to produce materials on all aspects of the school, including the instructional program and the student handbook; materials which did not even exist at the time that applications began.

There was the School's founding faculty (Ginger Wilson, Jon Miller, Ross Baker, Don Houpe, Ama Shabazz, Stephen Davis, Chuck Britton, Joe Liles, Dot Doyle, Jackie Meadows, Kevin Bartkovich, Branson Brown, Randy Foy, and James Henry).  They were hired about the same time that prospective students were applying; and they must have worked hard to prepare a curriculum plan, putting into operation the lofty concepts and dreams of the governor, the board of trustees, and the administration.

Dr. Miller, in his remarks on the beginning of the 35th year of classes, said, "There was no one to ask, because no one knew any more than the asker....  There was to be a program; but nobody knew what the program was to be.... By some incredible fluke we were given charge of this great educational dream."***** 

And there were the parents.  They sent their "pioneer" children from all over the state.  They were taking on faith, the promises of the School, which had no track record to rely on.  They were sending away children that they had been raising for fifteen years or more.  Comments from my own mother, in a questionnaire for parents, sent in 1980, may give you some idea of what was probably a common feeling.  She said, "Believing that I have taught my son all he can learn from me; also, I have given him all I have to give for his benefit (except continued love and interest). I am encouraged that the community (specifically NCSSM) will now take over this responsibility and privilege."******

~~~~~~~~~~

Definition 2. One who ventures into unknown or unclaimed territory to settle.*

By this definition, I feel almost certain that I was a "pioneer".  We were certainly venturing into the unknown.  And we were going into "unclaimed territory to settle"; we were going to live in dormitories vacated by the Watts School of Nursing, and repurposed for the residential high school; the School of Science and Math.

I was willing to take a wild risk on a completely unproven concept.  I was willing to leave home... and my home school,,, and start over.  Like a pioneer, I was independent and adventurous; but I was also communal and friendly; fun-loving and approachable.  I was looking forward to building a new community... maybe a better community, in a new place... potentially a better place.  

But above all, I think I was attracted by the unknown.  I admired the heroes of the "golden age of exploration"; captains who would sail off into the unknown, on trips across the ocean, or around the world.  And I admired the fictional heroes of Star Trek, who voyaged off into "Space... the final frontier... to boldly go where no man has gone before."  I was ready for my own voyage of adventure and discovery.

So I applied for the school; asking my Biology teacher to complete the nomination form.  I completed the application forms.  I took the SAT.  I went to the interview and the regional testing.  

And they saw some potential in me; perhaps a bit of swashbuckling bravado.  They saw something of a pioneer spirit.  After all, I was determined; eager, hard working, and enthusiastic.  I was committed to the ideals of the school; to excel not only in science and math, but in all subjects.  

And I was committed to the state of North Carolina (although I didn't know it 'til later).  I confirmed the expectations of Governor Hunt, that the school would nourish and grow scientific talent within the state.  I went to college in the Triangle.  I got a medical degree at Duke.  And after residency, I spent all but three years practicing medicine in the state of North Carolina.  

I tried to do honor to the opportunity that was given; to the doors that were opened to me by my admission to the first class.

~~~~~~~~~~

Definition 3. A soldier who performs construction and demolition work in the field to facilitate troop movements.*

I wasn't alone, of course.  Or unique.  We all took a leap of faith together; like members of a battalion.  We performed feats of "construction"; and we did a little "demolition work", too.  

With regards to construction... building things up... we established student organizations, like the Outing club, the Chorus and Wind Ensemble, the Dance club, the Yearbook club, the Student Activities Board, and Student Government.  (I recall students discussing the creation of a constitution for the student government! It was something I had always taken for granted in the past.)  

We petitioned for activities and events, including varsity sports, a talent show, dance parties, a haunted house, casino night, Junior and (later) Senior proms.  I personally was involved in organizing a small social club, playing and assisting in varsity soccer, and organizing an intramural ping pong tournament.  In my senior year, I joined three other students in a bicycle trip across the state.  Later, I helped organize fund-raising activities so my hall could hold a weekend barbecue at a city park, off campus; a chance for us to invite special guests, to show them our appreciation.

We did a little tearing down also.  We tested the code of conduct in every respect.  As we got to know one another, pranks became epidemic.  It was almost an expression of affection, to pull a prank on the residents of your hall.  But more direct expressions of affection were a problem too.  Hugging and cuddling became so common that the school had to clarify the limits of proper decorum.  I believe that they issued a memorandum; a statement to discourage "public displays of affection" within weeks of the school's opening.

We tested the bounds of destructive behavior with shaving cream-filled self-detonating balloons, smelly biochemical compounds, and other experiments in DIY chemistry and engineering.  We tested the bounds of curfew and trespass in every imaginable way.  And we pushed back on the incredible demands on our time.  

Our free time was virtually non-existent, between the cumulative assignments of homework from the faculty, and the dictates of work service, community service, and other requirements from the administration.  We pushed back in acceptable channels of communication; via student government, newsletter commentary, and informal discussions with faculty.  And we pushed back in unsanctioned revolutionary actions. We had a spontaneous snow day called in to the local news station by an enterprising "pioneer", one winter.  And we organized a "Senior Skip" day at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in the Spring of 1982.  

~~~~~~~~~~

Definition 4. A species that is typically among the first to become established in a bare, open, or disturbed area.*

So... were we pioneers?

I think so... absolutely. 

But not just me. And not just the students.

Each population that established the school... each "species", as it were.... from the NC governors office and the board of trustees... to the Director and the administration... to the staff and the faculty... to the parents and teachers of the student applicants... to the students themselves...; each of them created something new; a new symbiotic, living and functional institution; from the "bare" bones of the ratified bill of the NC General Assembly... the "open" framework of the planning committee... and the "disturbed" soil and structures of the renovated Watts Hospital campus. 

Charles Eilber, himself, described the development of this unique environment, in his message in the front of the first student handbook.  I don't think I can describe it any better.  He said:

The content has been planned, discussed, and revised over many months by an experienced staff and faculty, and it represents our effort to assure students and parents of an orderly environment in which living and learning can begin to happen.

However, as we live together and learn from the experiences of this first year, the Handbook must reflect the lessons of experience. It will evolve and change because many more of us - including students and parents - will be here to contribute to its use and development.

From this beginning we will work together to build a structure within which each of us can grow as an individual, and this school can grow as a community.

[Student Handbook (1980); NCSSM Digital Collections]

~~~~~~~~~~

Footnotes

 *[American Heritage Dictionary 2022]

**[Governor James Hunt. NCSSM background paper; February 1978; NCSSM Digital Collection]

***[Director's Progress Report to the Board of Trustees; August 1, 1980; NCSSM Digital Collection]

****[Director's Progress Report to the Board of Trustees; March 1980; NCSSM Digital Collections]

*****[NCSSM in 1980. Jon Miller on NCSSMs Opening Year.  YouTube video created by the NC School of Science and Math.]

******[NCSSM Confidential Questionnaire for Parents - September 1980.  Sent by Cecily B Selby - Special Assistant for Academic Planning. Personal Copy]

"I appreciated...the... considerations given to parents.  We need the assurance that we have done the right thing for our children and ourselves.

Believing that I have taught my son all he can learn from me; also, I have given him all I have to give for his benefit (except continued love and interest). I am encouraged that the community (specifically NCSSM) will now take over this responsibility and privilege.

My faith in God leads me to hope that NCSSM will bring to North Carolina something of truth and value within the lives of all who live here."

-Margaret Gallup, 9/27/80

Summer Reading Assignments and James F. Cooper's "The Pioneers"

 Summer Reading Assignments and James F. Cooper’s The Pioneers

by James Lisk 

June 2, 2025

 

I was excited to start first grade. My mother said I would learn important things in “real school”. Kindergarten had been playing, singing the alphabet, and music sessions; sessions where the other kids always got the shiny cymbals and I got the dull wood sticks. First grade was going to be different and I had questions; questions my mother could not answer. I wanted to know why the sky was blue, why my toy gyroscope didn’t fall over when spinning, how birds could fly, why a magnet picked up a nail but not a penny, and how a light bulb worked. That first school day I eagerly sat on the front row, only to get moved to my assigned seat. The teacher read “See Spot run. See Jane run.” while pointing to each letter and describing the sounds they made; repeating what my mother had taught me years before. The second day, I sat on the back row and started to look for distractions, but got moved to my assigned seat.

Later, I found exciting distractions in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, or better yet via the exploits of James T. Kirk and Spock (thank you, Gene Roddenberry). And some answers I wanted were in the World Book Encyclopedia.

When The Pioneers reading assignment came, I thought “Shouldn’t the Science and Math school have a science or math summer reading assignment? Or maybe a biography of an accomplished scientist or inventor? Something that will help me become a scientist?” But I was determined to get ahead and complete this assignment, so I read the book. It seemed so irrelevant to me.

Years after finishing The Pioneers, three specific impressions remain: 1) the way the towns folk made sport of killing as many passenger pigeons as they could; 2) a description of harvesting sap from maple trees in a way that killed the trees; and 3) the repeated references from teachers and administrators that we, the first students at NCSSM, were Pioneers.  The Pioneer, it appeared had been selected to be our mascot. And Pioneers, after surviving starvation and freezing, were unable to maintain the abundance that later surrounded them.

Walking to E.K. Poe elementary school for meals at the start of the school year, I could have pondered over the scarcity of good food and adult sized chairs for us Pioneers. But no, I was too engrossed in the abundance of other students who were loaded with their own questions about how the universe works.