NC S S M

m a g a z i n e

THE
FIRST
FIVE
YEARS
Five years into the Presidency
of Dr. Gerald L. Boarman:
where NCSSM has been and
where he wants to take it.

spring/summer 2005 / Volume 6

 Slower traffic please stay to the right
Editor
Craig C. Rowe After waiting all winter to pick up fly fishing this spring, my rod still dangles in the ga-
rage under a shelf of camping equipment, having not been bent over once by the weight
of a trout. It’s an ugly little omen that reminds me every morning I’m not taking the time
to do what I want. So, am I just another victim of the rat-race? Man, that’s cliché. Heck,
Photography am I a cliché?
Craig C. Rowe
Fred Hurteau Last week I stepped out my front door to water some plants before leaving for work and
saw one neighbor dragging his empty trash bin back to the house and another neighbor
shoving a gaggle of backpacked kids into his minivan. I’m in a commercial, I thought.
Contributing Writers
Craig C. Rowe Despite all the mundane stereotypes defining my lifestyle, I’m a pretty happy commuter.
Staci Barfield ‘83 I consider my daily destintion a place worth traveling to–something I don’t think a lot of
people can say.
Rachel Wingo ‘05
At NCSSM, your life-schedule is defined by extended weekends, Mini-Terms, and vari-
ous annual campus events. For example, Convocation signals the beginning of the year,
Printer the Halloween dance reminds you Fall is here and before you realize the leaves have
B&B Print Media fallen, it’s Christmas break. However, for the first time since I started working at NC-
Bristol, TN SSM, Commencement became more than just the signal of summer. The 24th NCSSM
Commencement marked the departure of my first group of academic advisees.

Their donning of caps and gowns and broad smiles reminded me that more than two
years had past since I started working at this school. For my advisees however, it marked
something much more important than the length of their advisor’s tenure. In fact, I real-
NCSSM
ized that an amazing transformation had taken place and its butterfly was gracing the
1219 Broad Street stage under a canopy of oak trees.
PO Box 2418
Durham, NC 27715 For Class of 2005 members Myra Fulp, Rebecca Parker, Marsalis Smith and Jason
www.ncssm.edu Herrera, graduation from NCSSM meant the start of a long and thrilling philosophi-
cal commute of their own. It meant that it’s their turn to merge into one of life’s more
thrilling─and challenging─highways. With a diploma from NCSSM, they’ll steer right
Address Changes? into the commuter lane and set the cruise control. Of course, speed bumps and fender-
Alumni/Development benders will occasionally alter their route, but there is no doubt they will reach their
PO Box 2733 destination.
Durham, NC 27715
So while I sometimes struggle with the mundane travails of suburbia and that minivan
with its brakes on in the left lane, I know my destination everyday is worth it. I know
alumni@ncssm.edu that even though these magazines don’t get out as often as I like, I know that the things
www.ncssmalumni.com preventing their printing, like calls from USA Today reporters and National Atmospheric
and Oceanic Administration representatives wanting more information on our students,
are good things. I understand why putting together events to celebrate scholarships and
driving students to speaking engagements are acceptable ways to neglect timelines.
© 2005 NCSSM
Published semi-annually by the As editor of this publication, it is not easy to see missed deadlines. Yet, if I was to tell
Communications Department. you why, I think you would understand. It is with sincerity that I tell you I hope that the
next alumni magazine you read will be in January, as I try to formalize a June/January
7,500 copies of this public document
publishing cycle. Still, I don’t know what’s in store for the Class of 2006 and where their
academic commutes will lead me. Only time will tell.
were produced at a cost of $4,578.09.

Regards,

Scott jacobson ‘95 writes
funny stuff for one of the
most watched news shows
in america.
Commencement 2005:
For a list of 2005 graduates
and the schools they will
attend, see the new alumni
connections site,
www.ncssmalumni.com
If you have not received
login information, email
alumni@ncssm.edu
ncssm alumni board:
For information on your
alumni board representatives,
go to www.ncssmalumni.com,
click on Clubs & Groups,
choose NCSSM Alumni
Board, and search by
“Has Registered Online.”
N C S S M
m a g a z i n e
spring / summer 2005 / Volume 6
CONTENTS
Alumni are involved
4 Alumni involvement on campus is making a real
difference
8
The Boarman years
A look at President Boarman’s impact
You’re from where?
12 The second in a series spotlighting the smaller areas
from which our alumni hail
14
Odyssey Campaign update
Guaranteeing the future
16
Calling all writers
Share your creative energy with your fellow alumni
Class Notes
18 Marriages, births, promotions, relocations and just
what’s going on
All in a day’s work
23 Alumnus Scott Jacobson wins Emmy Awards for
“The Daily Show.”
26
Can they play together?
Team sports and the classroom
Jonathon Kuniholm marches on
28 After losing his arm serving in Iraq, Jonathon Kuniholm
‘87 presses on. A Herald-Sun reprint
 ALUMNIon
CAMPUS
by Staci Barfield ‘83 Alumni have steadily increased
their presence on campus. From
faculty positions to Mini-Term
mentors to leadership donors,
alumni impact is playing a major
role in the future of NCSSM.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Be part of Mini-Term: Alumni can assist faculty, staff, and
other alumni who are teaching courses for Mini-Term or
they can help out students who are doing independent
projects.
Adopt a hall: By adopting a hall on campus, an alumnus
agrees to do one thing for that hall sometime during the
school year. It can be as simple (and inexpensive) as
mailing a Blockbuster gift card so the hall can have a
movie night. Or, wallet permitting, one can order pizza
for the entire hall or have cheesecake delivered.
Chaperone a dance: Not only do alumni provide an
4 adult presence, but they also get to interact with current
students while listening to good tunes and reliving some of
their own high school memories. Alumni can also donate
food, help set up, or man the concession stand.
www.ncssmalumni.com
Rodney Dangerfield did it. So did Drew
Barrymore in a movie called “Never Been
Kissed.” That’s right, they went back to
school. And every year, more and more
NCSSM Alumni are doing just that─as
employees and volunteers.
Their participation, from adopting halls to
mentoring mini-terms, is having a great
impact.
Jon Davis ‘88 and Dr. Christine Muth ’92
are Biology instructors and two of three
graduates who currently teach at the school.
Their motivation for returning to NCSSM?
Says Muth, “I had a really great experience
as a student here, both academically and in
terms of the friends I made, life on cam-
pus.” Adds Davis, whose career at NCSSM
began in Distance Learning two years ago,
“I wanted to give something back to the
state of North Carolina and back to the
school…By working in Distance Learning
and providing workshops all around the
state, I thought I could give something back
by enhancing the school’s profile in the rest
of the state.” Both Muth and Davis described
working at the school as a “privilege,” even
though they say it’s more demanding than
they imagined it would be.
Lauren Carr ’00 and Jackson Brown ’98
Lend your experiences to a club: NCSSM students are
able to start a club for anything that interests them. The
variety of alumni experiences will add insight and per-
spective to these efforts.
Be part of the Spring Alumni Forum & Lecture Series:
Alumni gather on campus to welcome soon-to-be-grad-
uates to the Alumni Association. They then break off into
smaller groups (based on profession) to share advice
and experiences with students.
Flex your muscles on move-in/move-out days: A tradi-
tion has developed in which faculty, staff, alumni, and
other volunteers act as worker bees to get students
moved into and out of their dorm rooms as quickly and
efficiently as possible.
 returned to NCSSM as Student Life
Instructors (SLI—formerly called
Resident Advisors) at the advent of
this school year. In fact, of the twenty
SLI’s at NCSSM, seven are former
students. When asked how the school
had changed since her tenure as a stu-
dent, Carr replied, “What’s changed is
where I am four years later and where
my position is now on this campus.
It’s not the school that’s changed, it’s
me that’s changed…being the discipli-
narian and the adult.”
Both the instructors and SLI’s in-
terviewed believe their high school
experience at NCSSM provide them
with an advantage in their current
roles. They understand not only the
rigorous academic demands the school
places on its attendees, but the resi-
dential struggles faced by many of the
students. They also see their former
classmates reflected in the students
of today. Says Brown, who is an SLI
for the hall on which he lived while
attending NCSSM, “I tell guys on my
hall all the time that they remind me
of somebody who used to live on the
hall when I was there.”
Not ready to leave your job and
become an NCSSM faculty or staff
member? Many alumni help shape
the direction of the school through
volunteerism. For the first time ever,
NCSSM graduates preside over both
the Board of Trustees and the Foun-
dation Board. In addition, Elizabeth
Grainger Page ’82 serves as the
national chair of the NCSSM Annual
Fund. Her appointment to that post
marks the first time that it has been
held by a alumnus.
The NCSSM Alumni Board, led by
Eugene Murray ’82, is comprised of
former students who volunteer their
time to act as the alumni voice in
school governance. Its membership
consists of representatives from class-
es that span the school’s twenty-four
year existence. Brian Mahoney ’90,
the Secretary of the Alumni Board,
says that he became involved because
he believes “the current students
can benefit from our experience and
alumni can benefit by being engaged
with bright young people.”
If you are still not sure how you can
re-enlist in the NCSSM experience,
the school offers a number of volun-
teer opportunities for those who can-
not make a formal or extended com-
mitment (see sidebar). Assistance is
needed for everything from chap-
eroning dances to teaching Mini-
Term. Students want to hear about
your college and career experiences.
Teachers want to leverage your
academic and professional achieve-
ments. The NCSSM staff welcomes
alumni involvement and can tailor
tasks to meet your availability. Ac-
cording to DeAnne Dotson ’86, the
Alumni Volunteer Coordinator, no
effort is too small and “anybody
who wants to do anything can con-
tact me and we’ll find something if
there’s nothing that interests them
listed.”
Like many of our alumni are real-
izing, it is easy to go back to high
school─and not nearly as challenging
the second time around.
If you would like to get involved
on campus, please contact:
alumni@ncssm.edu / 919.416.2865
DeAnne Dotson ’86:
akadeanne@nc.rr.com

Be a guest lecturer: Spend an hour or two imparting your
knowledge to NCSSM students. Do it in person or via tele-
conferencing or the web.
Share your college experience: Students who are begin-
ning to apply to college are faced with many options.
Help them by sharing your college experiences, from
both academic and lifestyle perspectives.
Call your classmates and help raise money for these impor-
tant components of the NCSSM experience.
Be a part of Welcome Day: All finalists and wait-finalists
are invited to NCSSM to celebrate their acceptance
to NCSSM. Volunteers are needed for concessions and
apparel sales, welcoming parents and students, and
generally assisting in whatever is needed for that day.

Participate in a phonathon: The State of North
Carolina pays for 80% of an NCSSM student’s edu-
cation by providing the finest faculty and classroom
experience. However, everything after 3:30 p.m. that
enhances the NCSSM experience—athletics, academic
competitions, dances, school picnics, guest lecturers,
van loops and so much more—is from private funding.
Be part of the Alumni Board: Get involved in one of the
many committees designed to increase communica-
tions with alumni and enhance the NCSSM experience
for students and alumni alike.
5

SUMMER 2005
 ALUMNI on CAMPUS...
Keeping up with the Joneses.
an interview with Student Life Instructor Steve Jones ‘83
Steve Jones ’83 is a Student Life Instructor who lives on campus with his wife Jennifer Ashe (who
is also an SLI at the school) and their two daughters Zoe Ashe-Jones, four, and Lucy Ashe-
Jones, two. Steve took what little time he had to sit down with Staci Barfield ‘83 to talk about
what brought him back to campus.
Steve and Jen’s daughters, Lucy (left) and Zoe (right)
are perrenially the most popular kids on campus.
SB: What did you do before you became a Student Life Instructor?
SJ: I taught public high school for ten years. Then my wife and I
had Zoe, our first daughter, and I stayed home for a year with her
and came to work in External Programs in 2000.
SB: Why did you decide to return to the school?
SJ: I was ready to get back and do something after being off for a
year. I didn’t want to teach because, ironically, it took too much of
my time. I was just looking in the want ads and saw there was a
position [in External Programs] that combined technology, which I
really like, and teaching. It was working with teachers to help them
set up workshops to learn how to use technology in the classrooms,
all over the state. It was a grant-funded program so it didn’t last.
SB: Why did you become an SLI?
SJ: I was just looking—it was probably, I don’t know, April of
2002—for things to do and I’d assumed I would go back and
teach. I saw this job and I went home and told my wife about
it that night. We were actually driving somewhere and I said,
“You know, I have this crazy job idea that came up today.” And I
thought she would just laugh because we lived in a two thousand
square foot house and we had two kids and I thought she would
just die laughing. We didn’t like that lifestyle; we always wanted
6 things you shouldn’t have done, probably, and you broke some
to simplify. And she said, “Wait. What?”
SB: So how does she like it now?
www.ncssmalumni.com
SJ: She loves it. This is just an ideal job for us for many reasons,
but one of them is it gives us time with the kids. It’s incredibly
flexible. We work weird hours but we have so much time that we
can see the girls all day.
SB: You said being an SLI is a 24x7 job. How are the demands on
your personal time?
SJ: It’s hard. It’s really hard. I’ve had two completely different
years. Last year I was just a standard SLI. I worked primarily a
9 pm to 3 am shift. So that was rough on the mornings I had to get
up and help get the girls off somewhere; so I was getting three or
four hours of sleep. I’d make up for it later, but three or four hours
of sleep wasn’t good. This year, I’m the Student Activities Coordi-
nator as well as an SLI.
SB: Student Life Instructors were previously called Resident Advi-
sors. Is there a difference from what we experienced with RA’s with
what an SLI does now?
SJ: I think that when we were here, it was more of a part-time job.
They lived here, but a lot of them were going to college full-time
or they were doing other jobs twenty to thirty hours a week and this
is just what they did at night. Now this is pretty much supposed to
be our very main job and we can have a very small job, maybe 10
hours, but that’s really kind of discouraged. Or you’re taking one
class at a college. The other thing is the “I” part, the Instructor part.
They’re really pushing the idea of teaching students things like how
to get along, how to live in a community, diversity issues. A lot of
more real world kind of things; it’s actually a class now.
SB: What differences or similarities do you see now versus when you
were a student?
SJ: I think the students today are so much more polished. They’ve
thought about Science & Math. Some of them have been, since
middle school, doing activities because they want to get in.
SB: If an alumnus were considering becoming an SLI, what would
you tell him or her?
SJ: A hard thing for a lot of them [alumni] is the baggage they
bring with them, their old memories and beliefs and ideas. A lot of
them come in thinking it’s going to be the same way it was when
they were here, and it’s not. From year to year, it’s not the same.
And the whole idea—yes, when you were here you did some
rules you shouldn’t have—but given that, you can’t be in a posi-
tion of forgiving those same things now. You can’t turn a blind eye
because then the whole system breaks down.
 Alumni
Weekend
2005
is part of the
NCSSM Quarter Century Celebration
Slides shows
Class parties
All classes reception
S.M.A.R.T - Science & Math Alumni
Run & Trek
Kids activities
NEW
! Faculty brunch

Register online!
www.ncssmalumni.com/alumniweekend

September 9 - 11

SUMMER 2005
 Gerald Boarman will begin his sixth year of service upon convocation for the
2005-06 school year in August.

So just how far has NCSSM come since 1999? Read on.

The Boarman years.

by Craig C. Rowe

Unlimited Potential
Dr. Gerald L. Boarman moves fast. He doesn’t
say what he doesn’t mean and he has a vision
for the school that could make NCSSM a living,
breathing, economic development engine for
the state of North Carolina. “We could build
another dorm but what would be the point?
We have the entire state of North Carolina as a
classroom,” he states.

Upon his arrival to NCSSM in 1999, Dr. Boarman

didn’t see a school in need of improvement, but
a school that could reach even higher. He saw
unlimited potential in the idea of having kids on
an academically-energetic campus 24-hours a
day. He was also intrigued by NCSSM’s status as
a public school. “I believe so strongly in public
schools because they are color- and economi-
cally-blind in the sense that you can go to a
school, if you have the determination, regard-
less of who you or your parents are, and suc-
ceed. This school is even more than that.”

Boarman was introduced to NCSSM after a

search firm asked him to consult on the candi-
date recruitment for the job of President. “I ac-
tually wasn’t actively pursuing the position. The
school in Maryland where I was Chief Educa-
tional Administrator was part of the consortium
[of Science and Math high schools] and they
asked me, ‘Can you help us find some people
that might be appropriate to head NCSSM?
Brock Winslow was then chair of the search
committee. For the first few months they had
been conducting the search on their own. After
about seven months or so, they hired a search
firm. I was happy to help. The woman heading
the firm called and said she was flying through
Washington and asked me to meet her at the
airport. We talked about education and about
my belief in public education versus private
education. As we talked more about NCSSM, I became even more excited because the school we were talk-
8 ing about is residential. I had run a science and math high school at Eleanor Roosevelt in Maryland and had 900
students in that component, and I thought about what could be accomplished if I had those kids all day and

www.ncssmalumni.com
night and all weekend. I told her that your potential is
unlimited with a school like that, especially with North
Carolina’s reputable university system. A week later
she called and told me that the committee wanted to
interview me.”
He was prepared to share what he thought could be
accomplished at the School rather than take part in
a formal job interview. Apparently, the people on the
committee shared his vision. “I didn’t just give them an
honest opinion; I gave them my opinion.”
”I informed the committee what I would need in order
to make this work. I wanted a commitment to look at
the curriculum and adjust it to suit today’s times. I also
wanted technology improvements; they were using
20-year-old microscopes from Duke. I saw myself as a
conduit for change, a conduit to bring more money to
the school.”
Dr. Boarman has an impressive list of professional
awards and achievements. He was selected by the
National Academy Foundation and White House for the
National Technology Academy Pilot Program in 2000;
he received the New American High School Award
from the U. S. Department of Education in 1999; and, he
was the recipient of the 1997 Washington Post Distin-
guished Educational Leadership Award.
The Educational Media Association awarded him the
Outstanding Administrator Award in 1998. He was
appointed by the Governor to chair the Maryland
State Task Force on class size reduction and also made
rounds as a national speaker on hybrid scheduling,
restructuring high schools, and improving student
achievement. Literally, the list of appointments and
recognitions goes on and on.
Dr. Boarman engaged that list as a way to evaluate
what he could accomplish at a high-performing, res-
idential public school. He asked himself: “Can I take the
success I’ve had—to whatever degree people judge
it—and transfer what I’ve learned to a whole new
culture, a whole new state, and make the institution
better than it was before, for the benefit of the students?”
It came down to seeing the school on the cover of
Newsweek and realizing that NCSSM spurred the rise
of science and technology schools. “Today, some say
we may not be the same leader we were because so
many other excellent schools are catching up. I think,
and there may be some other judgment on this, that
we are moving in the direction of once again being the 4.0 scale in contrast to public schools’ 6.0 grade scale.
best.”
Truth teller
Dr. Boarman believes the sum of the institution is more
important than its parts, including himself. “The institu- On the surface, it’s easy to note the lack of classroom
tion will be here long after individual presidents,” he
says. It is his belief that each leader needs to make the that inside the dorms and in the corners of the library,
school stronger for the next. When visiting the school
with his wife, Valerie, he met with the NCSSM community.
“I’m not sure I was received that well because I told
the truth. The community asked me what I could do for
them.” From his perspective, the question should have
been about what he could do for the institution. “So,
the answers to my questions may have seemed a little
vague. At some points I was specific, and said, ‘well,
no, I won’t do that.’” He knows how that sounded. “I’m
sure that may have turned some people off. Who was
this guy? He hasn’t even been here and he’s already
saying what he will or won’t do.”
His direct style suggests he simply doesn’t have time for
glossing over issues. “I never say anything to deliberately
hurt anybody’s feelings, but I want to express that
sometimes I don’t think that’s how we should go about
doing something.”
It seems his matter-of-fact nature is the hardest facet
of his personality for people to understand. “The trans-
formation of intellectual properties is very difficult in an
environment where everybody has participated…edu-
cation is the only institution in America in which everyone
has participated. Not everyone goes to church, for ex-
ample, but everybody has been to school, so everybody
knows how to run a school, what’s wrong for a school,
what’s right for a school.”
Add to the mix the type of passion felt at NCSSM and it
is easy to understand how new ingredients to a proven
recipe might spoil its taste. Boarman believes he is only
seasoning the mixture. “Certainly me coming in, saying
there will be changes…no one thought I looked at it
[the school]. I had looked at it, in a number of different
ways. From the standpoint of this institution, some of my
changes may seem fast. From my perspective, they’re
not. We only have students here for two years so we
only have a small window to know how changes are
affecting their lives here,” he explains.
His first initiative involved GPAs. “There was nothing
pre-conceived in my idea to implement grade point
averages…people thought that would create a com-
petitive environment.” He countered with not making
GPAs a part of the school’s quarterly assessments of
student performance. They are used in the final tran-
scripts students send to colleges. “It became apparent
that many of our kids weren’t fairing well in college’s
early admissions decisions because some of the top
schools to which our kids were applying weren’t figuring
it out [NCSSM’s grade system].” He also cited NCSSM’s
Grade Point Averages were accepted by one point
when voted on by the Grade Point Average Assess-
ment Task Force.
9
competitiveness at NCSSM. One can argue though,
student study groups know who their rivals are. Most
SUMMER 2005
 people suspect that kind of “behind the
scenes monitoring” of others performance
had been going on long before Dr. Boarman’s
arrival. Still, students are not ranked at NCSSM
and the number of students accepted to Ivy
league colleges has increased with the estab-
lishment of GPAs.

Boarman also recognized that, despite the

high level of coursework NCSSM students
were completing, they were not receiving the
equivalent college credits for the curriculum
taught. “Why should we not allow students to
have college credit?” Boarman saw a simple
solution in Advanced Placement courses. “I
feel many of our core requirements are better
than APs, but many colleges and academic systems still con-
sider them [APs] a measure of excellence.” NCSSM now offers
23 AP classes, more than any other high school in the state.

Dr. Boarman believed that the financial operation of the school

The new Bryan Center, inside & out, above
financial control few state agencies have.
was also in need of fine-tuning. Besides its lack of funding over
the years, he equated the school’s ability to manage year-
end surplus funds to “being in handcuffs.” In the past, once a
department depleted monies assigned to a particular budget
component, they could not move surplus funds from a differ-
ent budget into that empty coffer. After Boarman pushed for,
and received, flexible spending, departments are now able to
move money freely from, for example, miscellaneous supplies
and equipment to professional development. It’s an aspect of

While budget controls and carry-over—the money the school is allowed to keep if not spent by the end of the
fiscal year—may not have a measurable impact on students, those items do affect where they live. “Facilities are
an important key in the life of an institution,” Boarman states. “They don’t directly impact learning, but they sur-
round it, they help facilitate it.”

His physical changes to the campus stretch from Broad Street to Maryland Avenue. “I never want to give a
student the opportunity to say, ‘Why am I here?’” He started by tearing down an old utility plant that posed
potential environmental hazards. It stuck out of the Reynolds Breezeway like an old wart. That area is now a plush
courtyard earmarked for beach-blanket studying during the warm months.

Dr. Boarman understood the odd sense of pride in the campus’ worn appeal, but believed in the long run that it
didn’t have to be that way. “I wanted to show the NCSSM community that they deserved better.”

And better they got. The Royall Center was dedicated in May of 2003 and served to physically materialize the
growth the school was experiencing under Dr. Boarman. Two-thirds of The Royall Center is a female residence hall
and the remainder of the building is dedicated to counseling and administration. The Royall Center was financed
through private gifts and NCSSM’s share of a state bond package. It was named for the late Senator Kenneth
Royall, a political and financial supporter of the school.

On the other side of campus, the Bryan Center beckoned to those students looking for a place to relax or discuss
group projects. It was dark and out of date and operationally ill-equipped for the traffic it received as a second
entrance for the school. In August of 2004 after 18-months of construction, the Bryan Center welcomed students
back to its lobby. This time however, it provided them a hardwood-floored, almost open-air environment in which
to assemble clubs and accept Chinese-food deliveries. Today, the Bryan Center gives visitors a memorable first
impression of the school, houses two conferences rooms, several department offices, a fully-equipped student life
center, and an actual NCSSM retail store. The F. Borden Mace library was also included in the renovation, receiving
10 a new research lab and even a student coffee bar.

Dr. Boarman’s physical changes to campus also entailed improvements to classrooms and conference rooms

www.ncssmalumni.com
with network hookups and data projectors. The cam-
pus networking capabilities were severely limited
prior to Boarman’s arrival. After recommendations by
NCSSM’s IT staff, Boarman supported the installation of
campus-wide wi-fi and several computer labs, demon-
strating his belief of the value of technology in learning.
It’s not hard to find someone on campus willing to
admit that change is not readily accepted. One could
even say that until Boarman’s arrival, any change at
all was simply tolerated. Then again, there was never a
need for change; the school’s model was proven. The
curriculum was unlike any other public school and the
teachers were more qualified with deeper intellectual
pockets than the student body had ever experienced.
New worlds were opened as a result of NCSSM. Not
only were students being taught in subject areas most
North Carolina kids wouldn’t see until a few years into
college, they were being instructed by a faculty with
uncanny communication skills. In essence, NCSSM
existed on its own academic island, far away from the
mainland of standard public school education.
By the time Boarman arrived, education alternatives
for the advanced student were becoming abundant.
Home schooling increased dramatically, as did the
number of charter schools, Montessori schools and
county magnets, many of which offered advanced
curriculum options. Perhaps those schools’ classes are
not as in depth or well-taught as NCSSM’s, but they
provide more than adequate alternatives nonethe-
less. With that, Boarman’s challenge doubled. He was
expecting to arrive at a high school considered the
best in the state and take things from there. However,
the rise of alternative education centers in the state
mandated that he envelope his ideas for the school
around efforts pointed at maintaining its isolated excel-
lence. In the Triangle alone, students find alternatives in
magnet schools like Enloe and Southeast Raleigh that
offer countless technology and advanced placement
options for students.
Suddenly, NCSSM was no
longer alone on the island.
“I never want to give a
Not long into his tenure, Boar-
man came to understand the
student the opportunity to
passion of NCSSM alumni. “I say, ‘Why am I here?’”
worked, and still do, to bridge
the gap between admin-
istration and alumni.” He admits he underestimated
their passion. “I tried to keep up with them, but it was
difficult. I think I had a rough start with the alumni.”
Public schools are not always associated with as much
tradition and identity as private, or in NCSSM’s case,
public boarding schools. Thus, it is not as critical for an
academic leader to establish solid alumni relations.
Boarman does indeed keep in touch with many of his
former Eleanor Roosevelt students and welcomes their
occasional visits to Durham. He quickly notes, however,
that he knows of no other academic institution with an
alumni base as passionate as NCSSM’s. Thus, he faced
having to convince another portion of the NCSSM
community, one with the strongest ties to its history, that
changes were needed.
“I have seen a turn-around in my five years, and I’m
starting to see the benefits. We have alumni chairing
both boards and teaching. I see them everyday.”
With campus politics creating an undercurrent of
skepticism about some of his changes, Boarman
continued to demonstrate that his drive to bolster the
proven model of NCSSM would not be easily knocked
off course. There is no better example of that than
the change to the academic calendar in the 2004-05
school year from semesters to trimesters.
Boarman assembled a committee to examine the
feasibility of this modification two years prior to its
implementation after a suggestion by history instructor
Jim Litle. Lilte recommended that trimesters may be a
solution to decreasing the withdrawal numbers while
broadening the opportunities for academic discovery.
“The model of NCSSM as an academic boot camp
was not working anymore. We had to ease the transi-
tion between high school and their junior year here.”
Many argued that students who come to NCSSM and
withdraw after a few months are not getting much
benefit from the experience.
“This is a pilot program,” Boarman affirms about the
calendar change. “As a two-year school I think some
of our course offerings are limited, though they are still
very rigorous.” The trimester debate was waged over
several fronts, ranging from graduation requirements
to teacher contact hours. The switch to trimesters is
certainly Dr. Boarman’s most sweeping change to the
school. After the first year, the student jury in the middle
of the issue has returned a positive verdict for the most
part, namely because of the flexibility in daily sched-
ules and new course offerings. Courses in psychology
and forensics, for example,
have been hard to get into if
a student doesn’t return their
course selection materials
within a day or two.
A student’s daily schedule
now fluctuates throughout
the week, with some students not having classes until
11:00 a.m. and others taking more than one night class.
Many faculty members have demonstrated a willing-
ness to try to make the change work. Others have
voiced opposition from the beginning. Either way, the
school is pressing on and students are continuing to
excel. “The students have more choices. They are
learning from more teachers,” Boarman states in refer-
11
ence to the trimesters.
Despite the Sisyphean appearance of some of these
cont’d on pg. 22
SUMMER 2005
 Sylva Hurdle Mills
County: Jackson, near Western Carolina Person County, between Durham and
University Roxboro
Incorporated: March 9, 1889 Earliest Record of a Post Office: 1859
Population: 2435 Population: 3346
Elevation: 2036 feet Elevation: 650 feet
Land area: 3.2 sq. miles Longitudinal and Latitudinal Location:
Zip code: 28779 -79.074811, 36.201692
Walmart: Yes Zip Code: 27541
Home Depot or Lowes? Neither Walmart: No
Fast Food Representatives: Arby’s, Mc- Home Depot or Lowes? Neither
Donald’s, Wendy’s, Bojangle’s, Subway, Fast Food Representative: None
Quizno’s Reason to stop by: Home to the famous
Claim to Fame: Sylva was named for semi-annual barbeque supper hosted by the
William D. Sylva, a wandering man who Hurdle Mills Volunteer Fire Department.
never revealed his past. The town was
given his namesake at the request
of a young Mae Hampton and her
mother because of his likeable charac-
ter and politeness. Sylva kept wandering
however, and later settled in Cleburne,
Texas, where he passed away in 1927.

Murphy
Location: Cherokee County, near the
Tennesse and Georgia state lines
Founded: as Huntersville in 1839
Poplulation: 1566

“You’re
Elevation: 1538 feet
Land Area: 2.3 sq. miles
Zip Code: 28906
Walmart: Yes
Home Depot or Lowes? Lowes

from
Fast Food Representatives: Wendy’s,

where?”
McDonald’s, Arby’s, Burger King,
Subway, Quizno’s, Chick-Fil-A
Interesting Fact: In 1865, Kirk’s Raiders
burned the Cherokee County court-
house in Murphy. The present court-
house is now over 70 years old, and is
made of blue marble.
Part two of an ongoing series.
by Rachel Wingo ‘05
12

www.ncssmalumni.com
 Grandy
Currituck County, just west of Kitty
Hawk
Founded: County Founded in 1668
Population:1690
Elevation: 89 feet
Longitudinal / Latitudinal Location:
-75.901365, 36.239229
Zip Code: 27939
Walmart: No
Home Depot or Lowes? Neither
Fast Food Representatives: Hard-
ee’s, Chick-Fil-A
Interesting Fact: There are techni-
cally no towns or cities in Currituck
County. They are all either named
communities, like Grandy, or are
beaches.

Elm City
Wilson County, near Wilson and
Rocky Mount
Chartered: 1873 as Toisnot
Population: 1165
Elevation: 143 feet
Land Area: .7 sq. miles
Zip Code: 27822
Walmart: No
Home Depot or Lowes? Neither
Fast Food Representatives: None
Historical Fact: Elm City was origi-
nally not a city, but a railroad
depot. Joyner’s Depot, on the
Wilmington-Raleigh Railroad, was
founded in 1839.

Intrinsic to the spirit of NCSSM is the dynamic created when such a diverse cross section of
North Carolina’s residents are brought together on only twenty-seven acres in Durham. It
is safe to say that some students come from corners of the state not found on most maps.
Until now.

In celebration of the many Alumni who bravely ventured from these charming rural pockets
to the Durham Metropolitan, NCSSM Magazine has decided to highlight some of the lesser
known locales that so many of our graduates call home.

In the last issue, we profiled Ahoskie, Hamlet, Mount Olive, Newland and Red Springs.
13

SUMMER 2005
 Odyssey Campaign Update Summary of NCSSM Foundation Named
Endowments
As of June 30, 2005

Guaranteeing Restricted

Mace Library

the Future
Support of the Library

Nicholas Fagan
Faculty Development

The NCSSM Foundation’s Odyssey campaign continues to be the catalyst GAR Foundation
Faculty Development
in providing the School with the necessary resources to remain at the
forefront of math and science education. To date, $5.5 million dollars has Broyhill Foundation
been raised in the Campaign. Of that amount, more than $700,000 has Leadership Speaker Series
been given in support of new endowments. I am pleased to report that 12 Glaxo Foundation
new endowments have been created since 2002, thanks to the generosity of Student Research in Science
the Foundation’s supporters.
Alumni Pioneer Scholarship
One year scholarship for Student
We recognize that giving is a highly personal matter, a meaningful process
and activity that often are life-long. So many factors come into play, in- J. Freeman & M. L. Britt Endowment
cluding one’s situation in life and one’s values. The needs of the School move Physics electronics lab
in cycles as well, and the funding vehicles that support the NCSSM Foundation
Burroughs Wellcome
through its current, short-term, and long-term goals, anticipate those needs. Faculty Development
An endowment gift exists in perpetuity. Endowment funds are the best
Troan Endowment
way to show commitment to and belief in, a department, a campus unit, or
Technology
the School itself.
Class of 1983 Academic Endowment
Since Joseph M. Bryan’s gift of $1,000,000 in 1995 for endowment, we have for academic programs
sought to offer an environment where exceptional learning opportunities
Hurd Memorial Residential Life Endowment
challenge both teachers and students, both on campus and through the
School’s distance learning programs. In this endeavor, NCSSM has ben- George E. & Etta Lou Loftin Endowment
efited from the generosity of alumni, parents, corporations, grandparents, Student Financial Needs

and friends who, following in the footsteps of Mr. Bryan, have made gifts Faculty Award
and bequests in support of the Foundation. Although few individuals have Scholarship for NCSSM Student attending
an opportunity to fund an endowment, as did Joseph Bryan, many can do Duke University

something equally important and permanent by underwriting education for Aldrich Music Program Endowment
future generations. One of the most effective and certain ways of achieving
this end is through careful estate planning, including endowments. Wachovia Mathematics Endowment

Wachovia Science Endowment

Wachovia Humanities Endowment

Wachovia Technology Endowment

Jon Miller Endowment for the Humanities

Unrestricted

General Endowment
Supported by individual gifts

14 imagine the possibilities Wachovia Endowment

www.ncssm.edu/odyssey Joseph M. Bryan Sr. Endowment

www.ncssmalumni.com
 RE
Reconnect. GIS
TER
TO
Relive.
Remember.
DA
Y!

NCSSM Connections. your new home on the web

www.ncssmalumni.com
http://www.ncssmalumni.com

News, message boards, photos, class notes, jobs 15

and more...
SUMMER 2005
 Published?
Not published?
ff,
lt y and Sta
SM Alu mni, Facu
Dear NCS
a S c h o o l of Science
arolin
, t he North C 5th
Here’s your chance...
In 2 0 0 6 brate its 2
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and Math t y - f iv e c lasses will s t o wards their
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anniversa the ne
d g o w n s and taken
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h a d n e ver imagin
futures. orlds w e
M a t h o p ened up w f e r e n t c u ltures and
nce and et people fr
om dif ted
f u s s t u d ents, Scie v e s , w e m a r n in g a nd suppor
For many
o oung li e of le
f ir s t t im e in our y e r s w h o s hared a lov h lo nger than
our
f o r t h e e d o t h m u c
Perhaps rounds. W
e join e lasted
ic b a c k g r ie n d s h ip s that hav
om loped f
socio-econ v o r s . We deve
ic e n d e a
our academ h e school. ic s, calculus
,
e n u r e a t t t o p h y s
two-year t dition e
n d o u r v oice. In ad s r e a d t o us from th
f us fou teache r
S S M t h at many o W e li s t e ned as our if f erent place
s and
a t N C u a g e . u s t o d
It was also h lang ported
, w e f e ll in love wit h w o r d s that trans r s o u ls — fears, suc-
istr y ds wit red ou
and chem a ll e n g ed our min a n d p r ose. We ba
s they c h poet r y
classics, a o e x p r e s s ourselves in
e learned t er.
times. W ss—on pap derful
e s , a n d lo n e li n e
t o p o e t r y . How won
cesses, lov h Jo n Miller tu
rned
a n d biograph
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n w it e s s a y s
versatio s, short st
ories,
t o t h e s c hool, a con y o f p o e m
t visit tholog
At a recen g h t , t o c r eate an an lt y and staff.
w e t h o u i, f a c u
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e, alumn
S c ie n c e and Math w it h the ultima
te
h e s b y o je c t ,
cal sketc his pr our
e h a v e u n dertaken t in g t o N CSSM. Y
ear, w eds g o -
t h e s c h o ol’s 25th y s o ld , w it h the proce b io g r a p h ical sketch
ion o f t can b e ys and
In celebrat b o d y o f work tha s h o r t s t ories, essa s chool as w
ell
d u c in g a p o e m s , e a t t h e
goal of pro king our tim ss
q u e s t e d . We are see o m e w o r ks from y c o n t in u ed to expre
is r e e welc e hav e
assistance h e c o m pilation. W w il l b e t o see how w alumnus,
s io n in t s t in g it N C S S M
es for inclu intere by an submit up
y e a r s ; in deed, how r k m u s t be written u t o r m a y
uent al wo ontrib
as subseq r it in g . The origin u id e li n es. Each c
hrough w ttache d g
ourselves t b e r a n d meet the a
staff mem
faculty or y combina
tion.
aring you
r voice.
r k s , in a n w a r d to h e
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y a p p r
greatl
u p p o rt o f NCSSM is
nued s
Your conti

field ‘83
Staci Bar
, Faculty
16 Jon Miller

www.ncssmalumni.com
Submission Guidelines: Each person may submit up to three works, in any
combination (e.g., two poems and one essay; one
Any former student, faculty member, or staff member essay, one poem, and one short story).
may make a submission.
When making submissions, contributors should bear
All work must be original and previously commercially in mind that they are contributing to a public school
unpublished. publication.

Submissions must be received no later than September Submissions should not include or be accompanied
31, 2005. by graphics, photographs, or other non-textual
components.
Work should be submitted on paper or in one of the fol-
lowing electronic formats: Submissions are accepted on the basis that the author
• Microsoft Word document grants NCSSM a non-exclusive license for the use of the
• Microsoft Word Pro document work without any monetary compensation. All rights
• Text (.txt or .rtf) document remain that of the submitter.

Poems should not exceed two, 12 point type, double- Submissions will not be returned, regardless of whether
spaced pages. Poems must be titled. they are used or not.

Short stories, essays and biographical sketches should

not exceed 2000 words.

Each person submitting must complete an information form. The form can
be found in the following locations:

For alumni: see the NCSSM Poetry Anthology library in the NCSSM Connections
Download Center (www.ncssmalumni.com)
For staff: T drive/staff/development/poetryanthology
For retired/former staff: contact poetry@ncssm.edu

Questions/submissions should be sent to poetry@ncssm.edu or:

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Poetry Anthology Project/ATTN: Staci Barfield
Alumni/Development
P.O. Box 2733
Durham NC 27715

The Editorial Process:

The editorial board will consist of alumni, faculty and staff representatives selected based on experience and
interest in the project. The editorial board will review each submission to determine if it is of sufficient quality and
appropriateness to be included in the anthology.

The editorial board has the right to refuse to publish any work submitted without giving reason as to why the work
has been refused. The editorial board will make every effort to honor the formatting of the submitted work. In the
event that printing limitations require formatting be altered, the author will be consulted.
17
Although pseudonyms are welcome, the author’s name and class or service years will also be published with the
work. All decisions by the editorial board are to be considered final.

SUMMER 2005
 Kids, weddings, jobs...

CLASS NOTES
80s
John Humphrey ‘82
Don’t forget to post your class notes
on the new www.ncssmalumni.com
Claims Manager with Senn Dunn Agency; one of
has launched The Humphrey Law Firm in Alexan- the largest agencies in North Carolina.
dria, Virginia. The practice focuses on litigation,
civil rights, and family law issues. His wife, Luisa,
chairs the education committee of a local chil- Tushar Shah, MD ‘84
dren’s museum. They have two children, Ana (4) is married to wife Bina and has three children;
and Mia (2). Monica 7, Anand 5, and Milan 2. Tushar is a
cardiologist with the Oklahoma Heart Institute and
Elizabeth Page ‘82 his research interests are in advanced cardiac im-
has been named to aging, specifically the clinical application of MRI
the Board of Trust- in the study of cardiovascular disorders.
ees for the National
MS Society, Eastern
North Carolina Ron Boling ‘85
Chapter. She rides and his wife, Cindy, have 2 girls under the age
annually in the of 4. When not changing diapers or reading
Magical Mystery bedtime stories, he is running his own consulting
MS 150 Bike Tour practice in the RTP area that focuses on business
and serves as the process consulting, project management, supply
Elizabeth Page ‘82
chapter’s Re- chain operations, and management advice for
search Advocate. startup services companies.

Karen Sams ‘83 Elizabeth Wells Priddy ‘85

and husband Robery Miola adopted children
Michele Elena and Karen Juliet, six and eight con-
secutively, on a trip to Columbia. They are now in
the 1st and 2nd grades at a local public school,
and are making the transition to speaking English.
Ms. Susan S. Woodhouse ‘83
has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor
in Counseling Psychology in the Department of
Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology and
Rehabilitation Services at Penn State.
18
Cecelia Foy-Johnson ‘84
was recently hired as the Property and Casualty
married Jeffery Priddy in 1992 and they are proud
to announce the birth of their son, John Logan
Priddy, born August 30, 2004.
Donn C. Mueller ‘85
graduated June 2004 from Harvard MBA Program
and lives in Cinncinati, OH.
Paige Walend ‘85
is a an MD living in Phoenix, AZ; married to Larry
Tamburro, MD. They have two wonderful children,
Sarah (5) and Olivia (3).

www.ncssmalumni.com
 REMEMBER! Update your contact information! www.ncssmalumni.com

Jerome By ‘86 MeShelle (Hart) Hays ‘88

is a cabinet/furniture maker in the style of Thomas is living in Columbia, SC and currently at home
Day, a free African American who, at one time, with Austin, now 8, and Kori, now 5. Husband Jim
had the largest furniture business in North Caro- is working at WIS-TV in South Carolina.
lina. Jerome will be offering an educational
presentation to teachers across the country this
summer at the North Carolina Museum of Art. He Dr. Christine E. Barrow ‘89
is a graduate of Wooster. received her Ph.D. in Biology from Howard Univer-
sity in 2003, married Charles Barrow in September
1995, and had son Tremaine in October 2001 and
Zach Coleman ‘86 daughter Kayla in April 2003.
traveled the world for a year, catching up with
classmates Billy Pizer and Nancy (Smith) Parks in
Washington, RJ Dellinger in Charlotte, and Geoff Sally Hundley ‘89
Burgess in London. He finished back in Hong Kong was named Western Region Teacher of the Year
where he is now a senior reporter for The Stan- and is a part of the eight-member NC TOY team.
dard, a local daily newspaper.
Beth Krodel ‘89 and husband Bryan Smith ‘89
gave birth to a beau-
Colin Law ‘86 tiful baby girl, Sofia
married Davida Kerner on Sept 24th, 2004, in Dyane Krodel Smith
Atlanta, GA. Davida is now doubly related to the at 10:25 am on
NCSSM family as she is the younger sister of Her- Monday, Dec. 27,
bert Kerner (Class of ‘87). Many fine ‘86-ers were 2005, in Boulder,
in attendance. Colorado. Mom, Dad
and Sofi (as family and
friends call her) are
Jerrilyn W. Woodard-Entrekin ‘86 Sofia Dyane Krodel happy and healthy.

90s
and her husband, Andy Entrekin, live in Bedford,
TX. They proudly announced the birth of their first
child, a girl, Morrow Lynne Entrekin, born Good
Friday, March 25, 2005, weighing 6 lbs, 8.3 oz.

Dr. Rebeccah A. Hoffman ‘90

Aruna Chandra Spencer ‘87 married Vincent Vattari on November 27th, 2004
and husband David, welcomed their son, Kiran in Pittsburgh, PA.
Chandra Spencer, to their family last fall. They
are living in New York City where Aruna is an at-
torney at Chadbourne & Parke LLP and David is Jason A. Lineberger ’90
an investment banker with Bank of America. Became father on May 13th of a third child, a
daughter, Harper
Lyra Lineberger.
Tanya Stephens Henderson ‘88 She has an older
and husband Dorian Hender- brother Miles
son, proudly announce the Orion Lineberger
birth of their baby girl, Phoebe who is four and
Claire, on October 3, 2004. an older sister
Madeleine Gal-
Phoebe Claire Henderson axy Lineberger
who is seven. Ac-
Dr. Roger A. Ladd, ‘88 cording to Jason: Harper Lyra Lineberger
and wife Melissa Schuab, are very happy with “In true NCSSM
19
their new baby, Francis Wasser “Frank” Ladd, born geek fashion, I’ve created an intergalactic theme
9/6/04. family.”

SUMMER 2005

CLASS NOTES
Mrs. Haila R. Maze ‘90
and husband Jonathan Maze announced the
birth of their son, Owen David Maze, on July 15,
2004. They currently reside in Charleston.
Stephen Schneider, Ph.D. ’90 and wife Cecelia ‘91
are pleased to announce that son Matthew is the
proud big-brother of Eleanor Louise. Ellie was born
at 10:42 am on Wednesday, July 16, 2003 in Raleigh.
She weighed in at 7 lb 11 oz, and 20 1/4 in long.
Toby Eshelman ‘91
Received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Antioch
College in’97 and a D.V.M. from NC State Univer-
sity College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. He
has just begun a residency in small animal surgery
at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary
Medicine in Urbana, IL. Toby Married Amanda
Wagner back in December 2003.
Kim Osborne ‘91
and husband moved
to Asheboro, where he
teaches Math/Science
in a middle school there.
They have a new addition
to the family, Shenandoah
Lee Osborne, born No-
vember 17, 2002. The Osbornes
Dr. Sirena Hargrove-Leak ‘92
Is married to Roland Leak ’92 and in Dec. ‘03
completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering
at the University of South Carolina. She is now a
member of the faculty at Elon University.
Andres Jokisch ‘93
and wife Deborah have a new
20 baby girl named Maya, born
January 13th.
Maya Jokisch
www.ncssmalumni.com
Kids, weddings, jobs...
Catherine Etheridge Otto ‘93
and husband Tim Otto are proud to announce
the birth of their son, William Etheridge Otto. Wil-
liam was born in Raleigh on January 19, 2005.
Laura (Thomas) Blanchard ‘94
graduated from UNC-CH in May 1998 with a BA
in English and then attended the UNC School of
Public Health and School of Medicine in 2004,
obtaining an MD and a Master’s of Science in
Public Health. She is now a Pediatrics Resident at
UVA and lives with her husband, Matt Blanchard,
their dog, cat and fishes in Charlottesville, Virgin-
ia. They were married in May 2004 at the Forest
Theatre in Chapel Hill. Vaishali Gupta Escaravage
was by her side as a bridesmaid!
Toni Ruth (Phillips) Smith ‘94
married Wesley Chad Smith November 13, 2004.
They are both United Methodist pastors serving
in High Point, North Carolina. Her fellow alumni:
Ruffin Phillips Ayers ‘92, Kerry Garland Welsh ‘94,
Lisa Vizer ‘94, Derek Easley ‘94, Heidi Ledford ’94, Eris
Wesley ‘94, and Amy Hatfield ’94, also attended the
wedding.
William T. Tyson, Jr. ‘94
completed his PhD in Sociology from Duke Uni-
versity in June of 2004. He is presently working as
Assistant research professor with Anchin Project at
USF in Tampa, FL.
Amy Shelton
Parker ‘94 and
husband Rafe
Parker an-
nounce the
birth of their
second son
Joshua Thom-
as, born on
The Parkers
December 30,
2004. He weighed 8lb 13 oz. Caleb (big brother)
 REMEMBER! Update your contact information! WWW.NCSSMALUMNI.COM

loves his baby brother and the family is doing well. Hannah Randall Edelen ‘98
is an engineer w/ Progress Energy.

Schultz (Elizabeth) DeStephens ‘95

relocated to Houston, TX in 2003 for a job with
ExxonMobil and stays involved with her dogs,
United Way, and mentoring programs. She sees
Amy (Elliott) Curtis quite often as she has also
relocated to Houston.
Kimberiey Milliam ‘98
is proud to announce the birth of her first baby
Sophia Christine Milliam. She was born on August
7, 2004.

Joshua
Scotty Hoopes ’96 Sawyer, ‘98
works with the DEA as a Forensic Chemist in their married
San Francisco lab. Sh’Rhonda
Jones on
December
Daniel Lane ‘96 18, 2004.
married Latasha Wilson on November 27, 2004.
Daniel completed his Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum
at Mercer University and obtained his Doctor of Patience
Sophia Christine Milliam
Pharmacy degree from Lewis,’99
Hampton University. Is getting married on June 18, 2005 to Jason Gray.
He has pursued post- She has earned a MA in Teaching from UNC-CH
graduate education and is now teaching Earth science at East Gaston
and training at the High School in Mt. Holly, NC.
University of Texas at
Austin and Austin State
Hospital in the areas of Scott McCann ‘99 and Jillian McFee ’00
Psychopharmacology, were married on August 15,
Mental Health Out- 2004 at Magnolia Manor in
comes, and Pharmacy Greensboro, NC.
Administration. He currently serves as an Operations
Pharmacists for Omnicare Northwest Ohio.

Jocelyn Reneé Kearney ‘97

00s
Scott & Jillian
married Donald Maitland Todd, Jr. of Morrisville
on September 25, 2004. She graduated from
Duke University in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Biology. She is a scientific recruiting
consultant with Kelly Services.
Candace D. Randall ‘00
is a Ph.D. candidate in Botany at University of
Jennifer McGinnis ‘97 Wisconsin.
finished her B.S. from Clemson in Sport Management
in 2001 and her MS in Educational Psychology &
Sports Psychology from FSU in 2004. She is currently Joseph Grey Rowell ‘02
working for the North Carolina Tennis Association, is a Junior in Aerospace Engineering at Embry-
and is starting law school in the fall with the hopes Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach,
of continuing her work in the sport sciences. FL and is a Presidential Scholar.

Tracey Howard Truesdale ‘97 21

is living in Chandler, NC and is a Clinical Pharmacist at
Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, NC.

SUMMER 2005
 Boarman
internal debates, the school’s foundation has slowly
become immune to internal conflicts, even those
waged in a public coliseum. Such public arena melees
are even harder for a school’s top administrator, since
the position mandates diplomacy. Thus, Boarman
often finds himself holding back responses to his oppo-
nents’ salvos as a show of self-confidence in his deci-
sions. In turn, its that self-confidence that further irritates
those on the other side of table.
“I understand the faculty was not prepared for having
their input challenged. As I said, I don’t say or do any-
thing to hurt anyone’s feelings, and I do listen to what
people have to say, but that does not mean it’s going
to be done that way all the time.” Boarman is very
matter of fact in describing how he reaches decisions.
“Again, I’m a truth teller.”
A Better mousetrap
“We have a transportation fleet in our parking lot at
our disposal, and some of the best universities in the
nation in our neighborhood.” Dr. Boarman has a vision
for the future of the school that includes NCSSM faculty
teaching their students in the classrooms and labs of
North Carolina’s great universities. “We don’t have to
build all the facilities here, but we have to utilize the
facilities that are around us.”
“I would love to see our faculty members waiting with
kids in front of Watts to board a bus over to Duke for
an advanced research class.” Dr. Boarman waved
his hands towards Watts Hall, wishing it were already
happening. A school with wheels, he calls it. “Maybe
people say we don’t have enough labs…well we have
enough labs, they just may not be on this campus…
why can’t one of our teachers, teaching nanotech-
nology, just do it in a facility at a local college? How is
that different than busing kids to a sporting event?”
Essentially, Dr. Boarman believes the intellectual ca-
pacity of our students and what NCSSM faculty can
teach is outpacing the financial capability of the
school. “As we get into some very high tech stuff,
needing facilities we just won’t have the operational
means for, why can’t we have a classroom on wheels that
takes kids and teachers to places that can handle it.”
His excitement about the future of the school is indeed
alluring. NCSSM has proven it has the capability of
functioning like a university tech-transfer office. Still, Dr.
Boarman is grounded in the fact that NCSSM is a high
school and that proactively exposing students to the
pressures of producing commercially-viable research
instead of encouraging them to attend the after-prom
lock-in is not the best stewardship of teenagers.
“I see this school as not only a center for learning but
22 also as a center for discovery. The school’s mentorship
program is growing and there is certainly room for it to
expand. Students have the opportunity to work along-
www.ncssmalumni.com
side renowned scientists by means of many competi-
tions through which the school has made a name, like
Intel and Siemens. But why not offer opportunities for
the entire student body?”
The idea has plenty of merit. “For lack of a better term,
a research practicum…that will allow more students to
get engaged in the actual world of research,” Boar-
man said. “The kids that want to do it [research] will
do it, but I want to reach the other students, the ones
not entering the contests, to be more involved. It won’t
be to the extent of Lucie’s and Xianlin’s [2004 Siemens-
Westinghouse competition winners] project. I don’t ex-
pect that; but, I expect them to understand research
and how do it, that they will understand statistics and
how to research literature and write a report without
plagiarizing it.”
Day-to-day activities, meetings in Raleigh and com-
mittee responsibilities often pull Dr. Boarman away
from conversations where he has a chance to openly
explain his ideas. Find that time, however, and you’ll
discover an educator overwhelmed at the potential
of his student body. Despite completing five years at
NCSSM, it seems he still sees a blank slate.
“I’ve been told some of the things I want to implement,
and have implemented, wouldn’t be possible. People
told me, ‘you’ll never get 1,000 applications.’ Everyone
tells me what isn’t possible. I ask people what is pos-
sible?”
“I want to provide our kids with educational experi-
ences outside this institution as well as ones they share
alongside their classmates and faculty on campus.”
With that, Dr. Boarman sees the school’s distance
learning facilities playing a stronger role.
“Learning is global now. We should have our kids
talking with kids in Japan and Germany.” There are
early plans, he mentioned, to retrofit the Newt Fowler
Lecture Hall to accommodate video conferencing
technology. “The power of distance learning is some-
thing most people don’t fully appreciate,” he stated.
“Learning does not take place just in our classrooms,
which is a sometimes another source of conflict here.”
Dr. Boarman admits he has some ideas that may never
see the light of day because of how difficult change
can be at NCSSM. He does see an increased empha-
sis on research as a graduation requirement being
realized in the next couple years, however. And with
those changes, added scrutiny probably won’t be far
behind.
It is not about change to the curriculum with Boarman,
though. It is about changes to the student. It is about
his vision for a school to which he was introduced five
years ago wherein he saw unlimited potential.
cont’d on pg. 31
 All in a
day’s
work.
By Staci Barfield ‘83

A conversation with Scott Jacobson ‘95, who makes America laugh at itself every
night as a writer for “The Daily Show.” He even won a couple of Emmy Awards for it.
For the past year and a half, Scott Jacobson ‘95 has been part of the writing team for the hit comedy “The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart”. Scott and his colleagues have each walked away with two Emmys for Outstanding Writing in Vari-
ety, Musical or Comedy Series. Their spoof of the institutions of American government, “America (The Book): A Citizen’s
Guide to Democracy Inaction”, is currently #25 on Amazon.com’s best sellers list and holds the #6 spot on the New York
Times (Hardcover Nonfiction) Bestseller list.

Given his recent achievements, one might not expect the words ‘humble’ and ‘unaffected’ befitting of Scott. But they
are. Says Scott, “When you’re a part of a writing staff, it’s driven home to you everyday that you’re just one of a team.”

Scott came to NCSSM from Cameron, North Carolina. He earned a degree in English from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill before moving to New York City to pursue his dream. Scott speaks fondly of his younger brother and sister,
celebrating their achievements, and his parents who, he says, “…were always supportive. [They] never told me to come
home, never told me I needed something to fall back on.”

When he got the job at “The Daily Show”, Scott was teaching kindergarten and considering giving up the idea of com-
edy writing. Fortunately for the show’s fiercly loyal audience, he didn’t.
.

NCSSM Magazine: You majored in English in college. Did you have a passion for writing at Science and Math?
Scott: I did. I wrote for The Stentorian. I was—I think I was—the entertainment section editor. But I got vetoed a lot by
the editor-in-chief.

NCSSM Magazine: Who did you have for English?

Scott: I had Mr. Woodmansee and Dr. Miller, both of whom I really liked. I got in touch with Woodmansee when I went 23
back to speak at Science and Math and he couldn’t come because his daughter was sick, but we had a nice email ex-

SUMMER 2005
 NCSSM Magazine: You were in Durham in November
promoting your book with Rich Blomquist, a fellow Daily
Show writer and Elon College graduate. How did it feel to
come back to North Carolina, and specifically Durham?
Scott: It felt scary and weird. I’m the one who set up the
appearance. Rich, my writing partner—the guy I got hired
with—was going to Elon where he went to school and they
actually couldn’t work it out, so he just came with me to
that one appearance. And I was really looking forward to
it until I actually started flying down there. Then I just was
terribly nervous the entire weekend. Afterward it was nice;
I just hung with friends. And my parents seemed pleased.
Afterwards they weren’t embarrassed, hiding their faces.
NCSSM Magazine: Did you and Rich go in for your jobs at
The Daily Show together?
Scott: Yeah, we submit-
ted together, which was “What good comedy isn’t in
great. The Daily Show hires
a lot of people who have poor taste? What good comedy
not worked in TV before.
And neither of us had had
doesn’t open itself up to
a writing job and we were something from somebody?”
incredibly nervous. We were
a good support system for ourselves.
NCSSM Magazine: How did you get this job?
Scott: We were writing sitcom specs, whatever we could to
try to get noticed, and we wrote a [Late Night with] Conan
O’Brien packet. Rich had been a writer’s assistant on Rob-
ert Smiegel’s show “TV Funhouse” and Rob Smiegel is sort
of the godfather of comedy writers. He’s sort of a genius,
the guy who started “Saturday Night Live” in the ‘80s. He’s
still there. He does TV Funhouse; he does Triumph the
Insult Comic Dog. He’s responsible for [Late Night with]
Conan O’Brien in the early years. And so we sent it to him,
not really thinking he would buy it, but he did. He liked it
and said he would forward it on to that show. Then he’s the
one who ended up recommending us to our agency, who
were also his agents. From there, I think, we got a tip that
they were hiring at “The Daily Show,” which is sort of the
way it has to work. You have to hear it through the grape-
vine. So we got together and whipped up another package
and Smiegel put in a good word for us there, too.
NCSSM Magazine: What suggestions do you have for those
just starting out in this field?
Scott: Get an internship early. When you’re in college,
don’t think that the internships are hard to get. I thought
that until I was a senior in college. Then I just applied for
some and I got every one I applied to. You just have to
apply to the show that—if you want to write comedy for
24 a TV show—just apply to the show that you like the best.
Just don’t be afraid of doing heavy-lifting work for a couple
of years. I mean everyone we got to know we got to know
www.ncssmalumni.com
through our really crummy jobs—moving boxes around and
driving trucks and stuff.
NCSSM Magazine: So you were a struggling writer at first?
Scott: Absolutely. I know there are a lot of other guys at the
show who didn’t go that route. They went into advertising
or something first and they got hired in their early 30’s or
something. I think most of the younger writers I know sort
of went up—there’s no direct route to a job—but I think
that’s the closest thing to it. Get an internship is the best
advice. And also write constantly. Make yourself a student.
Watch comedy shows with a critical eye.
NCSSM Magazine: It’s said that comedy is harder to write
than drama. Do you find that to be true?
Scott: I don’t know. I’ve never tried to write drama. It’s
frustrating because you’re
constantly beating your
head against the wall trying
to…It’s kind of like writing
pop music and you’re con-
stantly searching for some
novelty or new twist on old
jokes.
NCSSM Magazine: The Daily Show is news-oriented (or
news-mocking). How do you stay up on current events?
Scott: We all read a lot of newspapers and websites. We
have free time in the afternoon to sit down and flip through
the paper and check the blogosphere and whatever we need
to do.
NCSSM Magazine: So you’re writing in the morning and
researching in the afternoon?
Scott: Yeah. We’ll get in around nine o’clock and I’ll just
look at CNN.com and Slate for half an hour. Then we go in
for a writer’s meeting. We watch AP packages—just the big
stories of the day—to decide what we’re going to do based
on how good the footage is or how salient the story is. Then
we all go off and individually write and they take the jokes
from that. By one o’clock we’re usually done writing our
headlines.
NCSSM Magazine: Do you watch the show to see how your
material goes over?
Scott: I do unless I’m too nervous about it. Then I just sort
of ask around the next day.
NCSSM Magazine: Where do you keep your Emmys?
Scott: The first one we won, I had only been there a few
months and I really didn’t feel like I deserved to be a part
of it. I didn’t even like seeing it in my apartment so I sent
it to my parents. The second one—I had been there for the
entire year and I felt like part of the show—so I keep it in
my apartment. It’s on my refrigerator.
NCSSM Magazine: When you get that kind of award, does
it put more pressure on you, or take it off?
Scott: It hasn’t affected the show. It brings more prestige to
the show. Individually, the writers…I don’t think that my
Emmy would help me get a better job within the enter-
tainment world. There are so many people who have won
awards…awards go out every year to a whole bunch of
people and people don’t even remember who the last year’s
winners are. So, it doesn’t really have much effect. I think if
I were to go outside, if I were to want to get a job in adver-
tising after this, it would probably look good on my resume
and help me.
NCSSM Magazine: What’s your favorite part of the book?
Scott: It’s really not stuff that I worked on. I really like
the eye-witness accounts of the Supreme Court. I like Rob
Corddry’s “The Founding Fathers” piece. I think those are
two of my favorite pieces.
NCSSM Magazine: There’s a lot of criticism of the book,
people who say it’s blasphemous or in poor taste. What’s
your stand?
Scott: What good comedy isn’t in poor taste? At least, what
good comedy doesn’t open itself up to something from
somebody? Good comedy should not please everybody.
You just take any criticism like that with a grain of salt.
There is such a thing as being too offensive, absolutely. And
a lot of people push the envelope to a point where I think
it’s unnecessary. But if there’s a point behind it…there’s a
difference between satire, sort of barbed satire, and being
offensive for the sake of being offensive.
NCSSM Magazine: You also wrote a short film?
Scott: Yeah. That’s “Partners in Blues.” I worked on
“Strangers with Candy” with Stephen Colbert—I was a PA
and writer’s assistant, not like we were working together. I
got to know Greg Holliman who played Principal Blackman
and I always wanted to do something with him. I’m even
writing something now for him to be in because I really
think he is an underutilized resource. But I made that with
him.
NCSSM Magazine: Are you encouraged to do other things?
Scott: Yeah, definitely. We have the free time that a lot of
shows don’t have. The show is a well-oiled machine
now. Actually, when we were hired, the executive pro-
ducer said they really like the writers to do their own things.
NCSSM Magazine: Are you going to stay there a while?
Scott: I’d be crazy not to. There are so few shows…if I
wanted to make a lateral move, I don’t even know where I’d go.
NCSSM Magazine: Going back to Partners in Blues, do you
want to do more films?
Scott: I want to do more stuff. I’m doing a little animated
show now, a little pilot thing. It’s also going to have Greg
in it. I’d like to do more short films. It’s such a laborious
process, putting them together, and there’s so little payoff.
No one sees them. I’m always trying to think of pilot ideas
or sketches to write.
NCSSM Magazine: If you didn’t have your current job,
what do you think you’d be doing?
Scott: I can honestly say there is no job I’d rather have.
There is no job in New York, no show I’d rather write for.
I was thinking about that kind of recently and I really can’t
think of anything else.
NCSSM Magazine: How do you measure your own suc-
cess?
Scott: I don’t know. Maybe if something that had come
from me were to go on and be successful. I don’t think I
could ever do anything successful at “The Daily Show.”
NCSSM Magazine: Do you not consider yourself successful
now?
Scott: No…I’m successful. Thing is, in a job like this,
you have to keep it going. You’re sort of on a treadmill or
log-rolling. I’m 27-years-old and I have a long career ahead
of me. I’m certainly not going to be at “The Daily Show”
riding Jon Stewart’s coattails for the rest of my life. It’s
going to be hard. There are very few comedy writers who
really call themselves successful. Robert Smiegel is one of
them. Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), David Cross, people like
that. But for the most part, there are genius comedy writers
who are out of work who have to take really crappy jobs at
sitcoms they don’t like.
NCSSM Magazine: What’s next?
Scott: I want to keep writing comedy. I want to be with the
show for as long as they’ll have me and after that, like I
said, it’s hard to make…You can’t really go up from “The
Daily Show.” I just have so much respect for Jon [Stewart]
and everybody there. I think that if I were to make a lateral
move it would have to be to something that I made myself.
Either that or just some show that hasn’t come along yet.
NCSSM Magazine: Are there things you learned at NCSSM
that you apply in your life on a regular basis?
Scott: A lot of my good friends are still from Science and
Math. All my best friends are from Science andMath, so it’s
weird. I’m actually, right after this, going to have dinner
with a friend of mine who’s at NYU who I met at Science
and Math. In the book, in the acknowledgment section, I
acknowledge my family and Manoj Kohli, which is just
a…it’s my friend Manoj who I’m going to see after this and
my friend Robin Kohli, who were both my hall mates at
Science and Math. They were just very supportive from the 25
very beginning.
cont’d on pg. 31
SUMMER 2005
 Team sports and grades at NCSSM.
Can they play
together?
The Class of 2005’s Most Athletic discuss the puzzle.
by Craig C. Rowe
Branson Brown introduced sports to The North Carolina
School of Science and Mathematics. He structured the
schedules, lobbied area parks and schools to let the stu-
dent-athletes share facilities and left his own sweat on the
baseball field.
Branson’s impact on NCSSM is felt every day. NCSSM
students are increasing their participation in varsity sports
and a portion of the NCSSM Foundation’s Odyssey Cam-
paign is earmarked for campus improvements that include
long-term plans for a track & field and soccer facility.
Despite the School’s commitment to sports, fielding
consistently competitive team sports remains a significant
challenge for the school. For the students, balancing the
academic workload is considered an immense undertaking
in itself. Add the additional commitment to athletics and
that balancing act suddenly moves from the floor exercises
to the high wire.
“That challenge is what makes NCSSM the school that it
is. We shouldn’t grant any sort of leniency,” said Lance
Harden ’05, a cross country and track standout. “Teachers
shouldn’t have to grant extra flexibility for athletes.”
Lance knows quite well how to handle sports and the class-
room. He was deemed “Most Athletic” by his classmates
in the Class of 2005 senior superlative list in addition to
being named a Belk Scholar at Davidson. Yet, when asked
if a student who is showing Division I athletic talent at an
early age should consider NCSSM if his or her academic
performance was on par, Lance thinks his alma mater might
26 not be a great fit. “It could be a little better at Science and
Math, if we had a little more sustainability in coaching.
In the team sports especially. I definitely think there is the
www.ncssmalumni.com
potential for solid team sports at Science and Math. But for
star athletes right now, they would be better off staying at
their old high school. Even in smaller high schools, you’ll
see a more serious attitude about sports.”
Kara Anasti, a multi-sport athlete during her two years at
NCSSM and also a recipient of the Most Athletic senior
crown, disagreed. “If you really value your education, it
shouldn’t matter.” Kara was a standout in tennis, track and
cross country. She competed in tennis and cross country
simultaneously in the fall of her senior year and will be at-
tending UNC-Chapel Hill.
Harden thinks the individual sports, the sports that first and
foremost highlight individual performances, such as track
and cross country, are a different story at NCSSM. “Some-
one who has the motivation to train by him or herself, who
has that drive, can definitely succeed here.”
While campus improvements are scheduled and two ten-
nis courts are currently under construction thanks to the
financial support of the Class of 1984, there is still a feeling
on campus that sports are not totally engrained into the
mindset of the NCSSM community. For example, while the
Class of 1984 was aiming their gift towards the installation
of four or more competition ready courts, campus infra-
structure prohibited the construction. Thus, two courts are
being built and the prospect of conference tennis matches
on campus has been put on hold.
Lance noted, “We don’t have home facilities for a lot of
sports so it’s hard to generate interest, if someone was to just
take a general look around.” This general look around would
provide an insight into the lack of on-campus facilities.
The issue of a stadium on campus to provide adequate
facilities for track and field and the soccer program is also
a hot button with the Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighbor-
hood association. Multiple school officials regularly attend
the group’s board meetings to help smooth out an ongoing
debate over sound and lighting issues. Still, the school is
dedicated to working things out with their neighbors and
one can get a sense that this kind of open-door communica-
tion would not be taking place if the school wasn’t dedi-
cated to seeing its sports program bolstered.
President Boarman, as stated in this issue’s five-year pro-
file, believes NCSSM students deserve an improved cam-
pus. He recognizes that one time, there was an odd sense of
pride in the condition of the campus. Nevertheless, a large
part of President Boarman’s campus improvement vision is
the track & field/soccer stadium.
Anasti was firm in her reply when asked if she would have
still attended NCSSM if varsity sports were not offered, “I
would have still applied to come here. I’m realistic about
my future in athletics.” Despite her modesty, several of
Kara’s classmates believe she can compete at the next
level.
”I would not have come here,” Harden admits. “One of the
things that made me reluctant about applying was that my
friends kept me telling me to stay at Northwood (Apex) be-
cause we had
a shot at the
state cham-
pionship in
cross country
and the 4 x
800 relay.
My father en-
couraged me
to apply.”
Lance’s
tenure at
NCSSM was Kara was voted Most Athletic
marked by an appointment to the School Improvement
Group, service as an RLA and steady involvement in stu-
dent government. Thus, the debate must include a discus-
sion about how many more Lance Hardens out there don’t
finalize their applications.
”We know we’ve missed out on kids because we don’t
have a football program. But on the other hand, we have
had students win Division I athletic scholarships. It’s an
age-old debate,” said Kevin Cromwell, Director of Student
Services.
One of three NC State Park Scholars from NCSSM this
year, Isaac Owolabi, won two state championships in
hurdle events and also broke the school record for the 400
meter hurdles event. Clearly, students at NCSSM can suc-
cessfully maintain the academic and athletic balance.
No one will argue against the fact that a high school’s first
priority is academic education. Athletics have always been
a part of high school life and for some students, sports do
provide an alternative future than one centered on academ-
ic goals. Another inarguable debate is that academics is,
and will forever be, first at NCSSM. So, how does a coach
meet the challenge of building a team when having a full
squad at practice or games, is a rarity?
“Our tennis coach was really good this year, but he
couldn’t handle not having courts on campus, getting
everyone back in time, missing dinner. And we had such a
horrible problem getting people to show up. It’s really hard
Lance Harden pulls ahead in a cross country race.
courtesy of The Herald Sun, 10/6/04, Christine Nguyen
for a coach to deal with.” Anasti stated.
Harden added, “There needs to be con-
sequences for athletes here who do not show up and don’t
say anything about it. That certainly would not have
flown at my old school, as far as athletics is concerned,
but it does here Then again, if you punished the kids who
couldn’t make it all the time, you wouldn’t have a team.
The biggest problem coaches have is that students don’t
have the best communication skills [with their coaches].
Add to that injuries, and it’s not uncommon to see teams
dwindle in numbers after only a couple of weeks.”
27
cont’d on page 30
SUMMER 2005
 Marine’s spirit still
intact after part of arm lost.
ALUMNUS JONATHAN
KUNIHOLM’S SERVICE
IN IRAQ
Durham native Jonathan Kuni-
holm has always been good
with his hands. A graduate of
the N.C. School of Science and
Mathematics, he could do it all -- from installing a new
bathroom to playing guitar, from developing an explo-
sive-disarming robot to designing biomedical devices for
people with disabilities as a Duke University doctoral
student in engineering.
But as a captain and platoon leader in the U.S. Marine
Corps, Kuniholm faced a shocking twist of fate New
Year’s Day when he was caught in an ambush by Iraqi
insurgents while inspecting enemy activity near Haditha
Dam on the Euphrates River. An explosion, possibly from
a rocket-propelled grenade or a hidden mine, killed one of
his comrades, injured another and shredded Kuniholm’s
right arm below the elbow.
He was airlifted to a nearby field hospital for emergency
treatment and stabilized at the Landstuhl military hospital
in Germany. Then Kuniholm was flown to Bethesda Naval
Hospital outside Washington, D.C., and transferred to
Durham, where he underwent some eight hours of deli-
28 cate reconstructive surgery on the damaged limb at Duke
University Hospital.
www.ncssmalumni.com
Article reprinted with permission from The Herald-Sun
BY: Jim Shamp,
Durham Herald-Sun
courtesy The Herald Sun, Bernard Thomas
Finally, Friday evening, for the first time since his August
deployment, Kuniholm, 33, was able to return home to
his wife, UNC radiology resident Michele Quinn, 33, and
their 4-year-old son, Sam. Kuniholm’s father, Bruce, a
Vietnam veteran of the Marine Corps and a well-known
Duke professor of public policy, lives nearby.
Kuniholm and Quinn celebrate their seventh wedding an-
niversary today. But Kuniholm didn’t expect to be with his
family when he last celebrated, on New Year’s Eve. That
night, Kuniholm entertained fellow troops by singing and
playing rock, folk and country tunes on his guitar. The war
took its toll the next day.
Kuniholm, who had volunteered for combat leadership,
recalled that some of his comrades had engaged Iraqi in-
surgents near the dam, and asked him if he wanted to join
them in a follow-up battle.
“I said yes, got my gear and we took off in two high-speed
military boats,” he said. “We got back to where they’d
made earlier enemy contact, dismounted the boats and
shell casings around an agricultural pump station, where
there were irrigation pumps going out all over the place.
They were taking pictures of drag marks where they sus-
pected the enemy was removing their dead.”
“I’m an extremely lucky man in
many respects.”
Kuniholm said he remembered standing next to a radio op-
erator, Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello, from New Jersey, “when
all of a sudden, this explosion in front of me knocked me
back off my feet, onto my side. I leaned forward and saw
what had happened to my arm. A good part of my forearm
was missing and my hand was hanging by a piece of skin. I
reached for my rifle. It had been blown in half by the explo-
sion.”
Kuniholm said fatal injuries weren’t uncommon, just from
the pressure of such an explosion. “I’m an extremely lucky
man in many respects. All the frag hit me at chest level. If it
had been 18 inches higher, it would’ve taken off my head.
I had my eye protection around my neck because it had
fogged up and I couldn’t see through it.”
Fellow soldiers told Kuniholm later that they’d pulled large
chunks of metal fragments from his body armor, including
his mangled captain’s insignia.
It wasn’t until later that Kuniholm would learn of Parrello’s
death. He said he hoped to find the soldier’s family so he
could share his memories with them.
This weekend, just over two weeks after the attack, Kuniholm
and his family were doing what they most enjoyed doing on
weekends before his deployment -- playing with Sam, eating
breakfast at Elmo’s Diner, walking down Ninth Street to buy
books at The Regulator. Only this time Kuniholm had to carry
what remained of his right arm elevated in a bulky orthopedic
brace.
Little Sam, with the help of some friends, made his dad a
prosthetic arm out of found objects -- plastic, bubble wrap --
just in case his father had an immediate need. But Kuniholm
has found the device too valuable to use. Besides, other,
more expensive, but less precious, prostheses are awaiting
him.
“I’m looking at probably six months of rehab before I’ll
have a working prosthesis,” said Kuniholm. “But my first
goal is recovery. After that I’m looking forward to rejoining
my dual pursuits of grad school at Duke and my work with
Tackle Design.”
Tackle Design is a Raleigh-based engineering start-up firm
established by Kuniholm and colleagues Jason Stevens,
Chuck Messer and Kevin Webb. It’s those partners who
helped transform some of Kuniholm’s ideas for a bomb-
sniffing robot into an actual battlefield prototype they
named Bubba.
Though Kuniholm said he wasn’t using
Bubba at the time of his injury, he hopes
to be able to continue work on this and
other kinds of military and civilian
applications in a creative “Ant Farm”
environment, similar to one established by MIT robot scien-
tists. He said he and his partners also hope to move Tackle
Design to Durham.
Quinn, Kuniholm’s wife, said her husband had already
started adjusting their home to his needs. “He switched the
computer mouse over to the left side already, and it’s got me
all tied in knots,” she said. “One thing you have to accept
when you love Jonathan is that Jonathan does what he needs
to do. You might as well be supportive and just go with it.”
“I’m supposed to stay somewhat still and let my flap heal,”
said Kuniholm. “So for now my plans are to sleep as much
as I need to. But I also want to get back on the Internet and
check e-mails. Maybe I just won’t be as verbose as I was.”
He said his colleagues in the lab of Duke engineering,
including professor Robert Clark, were already looking for
good voice-recognition software to help speed his return to
the Web.
Kuniholm said his son had been curious about his injury.
“He’s actually doing all right with it, I think,” Kuniholm
said. “He had some questions about how I was injured,
about the other Marines caught there with me. Some are
hard questions, obviously. But so far I’m answering them
honestly -- maybe even in too much detail. I don’t know
whether a 4-year-old needs to know what an RPG -- a
rocket-propelled grenade -- is.”
“Jon’s sister says, when you’re 4 years old, anything that
happens seems normal,” says Quinn. “Sam’s good about
asking questions on what he’s worried about. But this has
been an amazing experience for all of us.”
29
SUMMER 2005
Sports cont’d.
Class of ‘84 presents a check for tennis courts at Alumni Weekend 2004
Anasti supported her classmate’s view. “We’re still young
when we come here, so, were not used to having to do
things all on our own.”
Harden added that teachers at his old school were more ac-
cepting of classroom complications as result of sports and
that missing class because of athletics is not a very accept-
able excuse. Again, NCSSM would not be the institution it
is without this firm hold on the value of classroom time.
“I remember my pre-calc teacher yelling at us last year
about missing class for track. Well, she didn’t yell, but she
was clearly mad. It was the last period of the day, so we al-
ways had to leave class,” Anasti admitted. “I think it’s much
less flexible than my old school.”
Harden believes the only trick to balancing sports and
academics at the school is planning ahead. “Take a look at
what lies ahead and know when your meets and games oc-
cur. Take advantage of your free blocks. The teachers don’t
have any problem with you wanting to work ahead of the
class a little.”
“I studied on the weekends to keep up,” said Anasti. “The
teachers don’t intend for the work to be much longer than
“...we had such a horrible problem
getting people to show up. It’s really hard for a
coach to deal with.”
45 minutes per assignment, so, it’s manageable. I like the
trimester system though, I don’t think I could have handled
it as well this year without it.” She sheepishly confessed to
receiving one B this year.
30 Every year a number of gifted athletes forgo varsity com-
petition for the heated hall versus hall intramural program.
Whether serving as a relief from academic pressure or as
www.ncssmalumni.com
a way to feed one’s competitive drive without the
daily commitment of practice and extensive travel,
NCSSM intramurals is often taken more seriously
than interscholastic contests. This makes evident the
argument that the community is aware of athletics
and that they are embraced, just maybe not as much
as everyone hopes.
“IMs are a really big deal,” Harden confirmed.
“President’s Cup is cut-throat.”
NCSSM varsity team sports continue to face a
number of challenges. Teams with roster numbers
that ebb and flow day to day because of academic
competitions, labs, orchestra practice, MPC meetings or
tutorials, are having a harder time remaining competitive
against schools with teams whose players attend sports
camps together, play on club teams year-round and have
million-dollar facilities.
NCSSM students being what they are, no visiting team
leaves campus without a healthy dose of witty heckling
from the fan base, demonstrating that the support of the
student body is blind to the box scores and that ultimately,
the school community is above winning and losing.
There is no doubt that the balance of sports and academics
at NCSSM will remain precarious for many of the school’s
student-athletes. And school administrators clearly recog-
nizes the challenges that a two-year institution faces when
trying to build perennially competitive team sports. Those
who love to compete on the playing field will continue to
find frustration with rosters that change daily and bus rides
with boxed dinners and coaches who continue to come on
and off the payroll.
Still, each year the trophy cases lining the foyer of the
Charles L. Eilber Physical Education Center always seem to
obtain a few new residents and school records are still being set.
From the perspective of the box score, perhaps the team
sports program at NCSSM will never be as consistently
healthy as those at bigger, more typical high schools. Nev-
erthless, our student-athletes are as equally skilled as their
opponnets, begging an important question that even the
NCSSM community has yet to find an answer to.
Jacobson cont’d
NCSSM Magazine: Is there a single event—academically or
otherwise—that stands out most from your time at NCSSM?
Scott: The first comedy pieces I ever had published were
in The Stentorian. I think that’s when I really started trying
very hard to write comedy and when I set my sights on that
as a career. So, if anything, it gave me my first audience for
writing. Mr. Woodmansee had me as a work service stu-
dent. That was a big boost for me because I wasn’t really
confident at all about my abilities. And just the fact that
he believed in me, even though I was always very quiet in
class, but that he sensed or saw from my papers that I had
some little kernel of talent. I really appreciated that. I’ll
always be indebted to him.
NCSSM Magazine: Did you enjoy Science and Math?
Scott: You know, I didn’t, but that was just because I was a
sullen teenager and I think that I wouldn’t have been good
anywhere. Like I said, in retrospect, socially there was no
better place. I love my friends from Science and Math. It’s
one of those things were I look back and realize how good
I had it. There was no school newspaper in Cameron. There
was no measure of appreciation [in Cameron] for any sort
of artistic achievement or endeavor. It’s great to be put in a
situation where you’re not the big fish in the pond anymore,
where you’re not the top of your class. Because you really
do start to believe, if you grow up in a place like that, that
the world is much different than how it actually is.
Scott’s Emmy Awards were awarded for the Outstanding
Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Program at the
55th & 56th Annual Emmy Awards.
For more information on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
or America (The Book) go to www.comedycentral.com. To
order Partners in Blues, go to http://www.straintest.com/
partners.html.
Boarman, cont’d
Whether it’s his direct management style or a by-prod-
uct of his drive to help a school personify its potential,
Gerald Boarman is always finding ways to communicate
ideas.
“There has been money set aside in the Governor’s
budget for a study on the feasibility of non-residential
campuses,” he continues. This idea encompasses the es-
tablishment of three regional campuses across the state
to serve the number of highly qualified students who may
not have been accepted to the school in Durham. “It’s
in the planning stages and may not be realized for more
than five years…we want to have our stamp of approval
on it.”
Jerry Boarman is a man of action–but the action must
have a plan. “Whether it be tennis courts, the Royall
Center, trimesters...I know that to people who have
been here for twenty years these changes seem
unsettling.” Dr. Boarman likes to reiterate that his ideas
and decisions are truly aimed at the betterment of the
entire institution, both physically and philosophically.
Little changes can make a big difference too, Boar-
man stresses. “Who knows about the new tractor for
Luke [Mason, plant facilities] so he can keep this place
looking good and a truck for Chris [Taylor, plant facili-
ties] so he can do what he needs to do…little things
matter too.”
You can never question the impact Dr. Gerald Boarman
has had on NCSSM. In his tenure, the school has seen
a tremendous increase in the number of applications,
realized a renewed awareness in state government and
gained solid footing on the grounds of corporate part-
nership. Annual giving is at record numbers and the
School’s largest capital campaign to date, the
Odyssey Campaign, was kicked off last December.
These external relationships and fundraising milestones,
critical to the development of any progressive institu-
tion, signify his understanding of who and what needs
to be touched in order to enact change at a place
like NCSSM. He understands the rich academic tradi-
tions of the school and the power held by its faculty to
educate teenage minds.
Regardless of how bumpy some transitions have been,
there is no questioning the validity of the path traveled
to reach them. Quite simply, Gerald L. Boarman’s first
five years have been non-stop, suggesting he asks him-
self the same question every morning: “What would
you do tomorrow if you knew you could not fail?”
In a school like NCSSM, one with unlimited potential,
that is a good question to ask.
31
SUMMER 2005
 North Carolina’s classroom for 25 years.
Events begin August 23, 2005

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P.O. Box 2733 Durham, NC
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