January

I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break! It's SO good to have 1st Hunt back on campus. On their first night back, I bought some Little Debbie snacks to encourage them to not only catch up with each other but also meet our 4 visiting students from NCSSM-Morganton! Needless to say it was great to see them excited to see each other and be back together.

J-Term is an exciting time at NCSSM as there is less stress involved for everyone. Folks do not have their full schedule. Hopefully they have at least 1 J-Term they enjoy, if not 2, and seniors are pretty much done with college apps. Speaking of J-Term, I'll be leaving on January 16th to spend 11 days in Italy with 21 students from Durham and Morganton. During my absence, Ross Knight will be watching out over 1st Hunt. You can find more information about Ross and how to contact him below.

Don't forget to sign up below to help with birthday celebrations and hall food. If you want to know how special and anticipated these events are, just ask your student. I'm sure they will be happy to share how much everyone enjoys them! Multiple families can sign up for the same event, so don't wait, sign up today!

Sue Anne In Itay Jan. 16 - 27

Thank you for looking after 1st Hunt, Ross!

Throughout the course of my time at NCSSM, I've been fortunate enough to  be able to travel to DC, France, Greece, and Italy as a chaperone during J-Term (fomerly called Mini Term). Italy has by far been my favorite and I believe this is my 7th time participating in this experience with students. Ross Knight, 2nd West CC, will be looking after the hall during my absence. Below you will find Ross's contact information should you need to reach out to someone. You can also call the Bryan Desk and they will assist you as well (919.416.2820). Ross does work the late night shift and would appreciate calling him between 1pm and 10pm should you need him so he can sleep. He is also available by email or texting.

Email: knight@ncssm.edu
Phone: 919.416.2820
Preferred Call Time: 1pm - 10pm

To learn more about Ross, feel free to visit his page on the 2nd West website HERE. You will need to use your NCSSM credentials to view the page.

2nd Half of Year Birthday Celebration and Hall Food Sign Up

HERE is the link to provide a birthday celebration or hall food for the 2nd half of the year. Just like first semester, families can work together to provide food for the hall. It was really appreciated when there was a "spread" to enjoy. They felt extremely grateful and were very appreciative of the thoughtfulness that went into providing for them. Not to mention other halls were jealous that we were able to enjoy food so often. Thank you again for helping kick off the year on 1st Hunt!

Hall Highlights

The December update was not long before we left for winter break, so there are only a few hall events to report! One that I did not get pictures of was our first IVIS (Intervisitation). Thank you to those who provided snacks as I believe we had just enough to provide a "study break" for everyone who came to visit us. While there were not many rooms who participated, those who did had a great time! We look forward to hosting our next one again soon!

Good Luck Exam Notes From Alumni

A quick shout out to 1st Hunt parent, Ticia Kribbs, is not only a 1st Hunt parent but also a class of 1989 alumni. This year was her 35th class reunion and she along with one of her classmates organized more than 1,000 notes to be given to current juniors and seniors at NCSSM-Durham and NCSSM-Morganton wishing them good luck on their exams and offering words of encouragement. First Hunt received their notes at the exam week hall meeting and enjoyed reading their note and comparing what year everyone's alumni graduated. Thank you Ticia, classmates, and many alumni, for organizing this kind gesture to our students!

Pizza and Make-n-Take Legos

Thank you to the Betz family for supplying pizza on December 10th as a study break from exams and also bringing a TON of bricks to provide a creative outlet. First Hunt got to make their own creations from Legos and take them home to relieve stress. Thank you for sponsoring it!

Upcoming January Highlights

Get excited about what's to come next month on 1st Hunt:

Campus Wide Reminders/Information

January Term (J-Term) is a special session during which NCSSM provides significant opportunities for students to engage in unique educational experiences. These experiences include both regular coursework, offered in a different format, and unique learning opportunities beyond the standard curriculum, both in and out of the traditional classroom context. J-Term aims to engage students in a rigorous exploration of a subject area of great interest in a way that contributes to their academic and personal growth and serves them well in their future academic aspirations. J-Term also provides an opportunity for students to interact with their peers from our Morganton campus; some Morganton students will be visiting Durham for their classes, and vice-versa. J-Term travel courses also include students from both campuses.


On Monday, January 20th, NCSSM will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy by having a day dedicated to community service, education, and unity. The day is considered part of the academic calendar and the expectation is that students participate fully in the day’s activities and events. 


Just a quick reminder that the Residence Halls will be closing on Thursday, January 30th at 5:00pm. Halls will reopen on Sunday, February 2nd at noon.

Students will submit an Overnight pass on Orah before or during our hall meeting right before the Extended Weekend. On this Orah pass, they indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their destination. If students have specific questions about checkout procedures for the Extended Weekend, they should speak to me.