INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST HILL RLA TEAM
In addition to a Community Coordinator, every hall also has a few senior leaders who serve as Residential Life Assistants (RLAs) to help with residential duties and responsibilities. Among many other things, RLAs are responsible for organizing and checking housekeeping, being supportive of their fellow hallmates in times of need and celebration, keeping their CC informed of day-to-day issues, and promoting a positive and inclusive environment on hall.
H'emma Crum, Ethann Burkett, and Sam Kowalak make up the 1st Hill RLA team for the 2024-2025 school year.
Sam Kowalak
Hello! My name is Sam Kowalak and I’m super excited to be one of your RLAs for the 24-25 school year. I’m from Hendersonville, NC and I love to spend my time there hiking and exploring in the mountains with my friends and family. In my free time, I enjoy both playing and watching all types of sports, and I’m on both the soccer and volleyball teams here at school. I am in the mentorship program and am also part of the spikeball club. My favorite place on campus is probably Hill St and my favorite place to eat on 9th St would have to be Bali Hai or Chicken Bee. I love all sorts of movies but some of my favorites are Star Wars and Mission Impossible. Very excited for a great year and I can’t wait to meet all the new people!
H'emma Crum
Hello! My name is H'emma Crum, my pronouns are she/her, and I am ecstatically ready to serve as one of 1st Hill's RLAs. When I'm not at NCSSM I live on the Outer Banks of NC, more specifically the Kitty Hawk area. At NCSSM I am primarily focused on my academic passion for Bacteriology through my classes, the public health club, or HOSA. I enjoy hiking, swimming, and playing tabletop games with friends in my free time. My favorite places in Durham are the Woolworth area of campus and Quickley's Tea. So excited to be your RLA for the 2024-2025 school year, I'm sure it'll be an amazing one!
Ethann Burkett
Yo what’s good everyone. My name is Ethann Burkett and I am thrilled to be one of the RLAs on 1st Hill for the 24-25 school year. My pronouns are he/him and I am from Charlotte, NC. In my free time I love listening to music and some of my favorite artists are Frank Ocean, Drake, Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Mac Demarco and Miss Lauryn Hill. I also love sports of all kinds. I play on the school basketball team and I also love playing volleyball, spike ball and pickleball around in Durham. I love food and thrifting so my favorite places around Durham to eat are probably Bali Hai, Cosmic Cantina and Raising Canes and I also love to hit up Bull City Thrift on the weekends. Lastly my favorite movies Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Parasite and Dune 2.
JUNIOR MOVE-IN
We are excited to welcome you on to our campus on Friday, August 9th! Assigned move-in windows are scheduled from 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM.
Students who sign-up for the morning move-in time slot should arrive on campus and complete check-in between 9:00am and 10:30am. During morning move-in, families will have until 12:00pm to unload their vehicle, help their student settle in, and say goodbye to their Unicorn. We need all families that sign up for the morning move-in time slot to have departed campus by 12:00pm on move-in day.
Students who sign-up for the afternoon move-in time slot should arrive on campus and complete check-in between 1:30pm and 3:00pm. We ask that all families that sign up for the afternoon move-in time slot leave campus by 4:00pm on move-in day.
We will be sharing more information about move-in as the day approaches, but if you have general questions you can consult the Move-In and Orientation website where you will also find a link for a Move-In Map and the Hill Dashboard Card you’ll need to print out and place in your car in order to be admitted to campus on move-in day.
SENIOR MOVE-IN
We are excited to welcome you back to campus on Sunday, August 11 from 1:30-4:30 PM. I will be available on hall with room keys, access passes, and RCR forms when seniors return. RCR forms need to be completed, signed by a parent/guardian, and returned before parents/guardians leave campus. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
As a reminder, RLAs will return to campus early on Sunday, 8/4 and certain Senior leaders will return to campus on Wednesday, 8/7. Senior leaders are encouraged to reach out to their sponsors/supervisors for more information about move in and for their Senior leadership training schedule.
Before the beginning of the school year, please log into Blackbaud to be sure that your student's custody information, emergency contact information, and medical forms are up-to-date for the 2024-2025 school year.
Click here for a guide to Blackbaud.
If you cannot remember your username and/or password, please submit a help ticket by sending ITS an email at: ithelp@ncssm.edu
ONLINE RESOURCES AND ORIENTATION SCHEDULE
Below you will find several online resources and a link to the 2023 Orientation Schedule.
Experience NCSSM, the school’s website, is an incredible resource for information. One of the most important components of this site is the Calendar page, which can be found at: http://www.ncssm.edu/calendar/
The 2024-2025 Orientation Schedule lists campus events and activities for the first few days following Move In.
Linked HERE, you can find a condensed version of the Academic Calendar.
Additionally, the Blackbaud Student Information System, which provides links to internal websites, forms, and other documents such as the Student Handbook and NCSSM Code of Student Conduct, is worth bookmarking for future reference.
Another useful resource for move-in information and details about day-to-day life at NCSSM is the Move-In & Orientation site.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
During the school year you will receive an email and calendar update at the beginning of each month. This 1st Hill blog will also be updated throughout the month. Together, the calendar and blog will provide information about life on hall and at NCSSM.
The monthly calendar will include weekly events, such as hall meetings, room inspections, and snack breaks, as well as hall activities and programs planned for the month.
The 1st Hill hall blog will feature campus events and announcements. Be sure to check here for snapshots of the school year!
SUPPORT FOR FIRST HILL
First Hill has been fortunate to have many wonderful families give their time, resources, and energy to the hall over the last few years.
First Hill residents gather together for hall snack on Tuesdays during our weekly hall meetings. This opportunity to take a break from studying and to spend time together as hallmates helps residents to get to know one another at the beginning of the year and serves to strengthen the community as the year goes on. Hall snack is made possible by families like yours!
A few popular examples include pizza; sub sandwiches; chips, salsa, and soft drinks; milk and cookies; and mac & cheese. Families are encouraged to have snacks delivered via Amazon or a local vendor or to drop them off/send them back with their student. Packaged snacks like chips, cookies, crackers, and fruit snacks are always a popular treat at weekly programs and activities.
Hall snack is also a great way to celebrate birthdays, for your student to share their favorite snack with the hall, and to provide a midweek stress reliever for the entire hall to enjoy.
For more information about hall snack, to sign up now, and to learn about other ways to support 1st Hill, visit firsthill.ncssm.edu/support.
After the start of the school year, I will share more information about residents with food allergies and restrictions. Thank you for taking these into account when providing hall snack and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
LOOKING AHEAD: SAB ICE CREAM SOCIAL
One of my favorite parts of a new year at NCSSM is SAB's Ice Cream Social for juniors after dinner their first night on campus.
The Ice Cream Social gives juniors a chance to enjoy a sweet treat with their new hallmates and participate in some ice breakers and getting-to-know you activities with folks from across campus.
LOOKING AHEAD: SG CLUB FAIR
Each year on the first Saturday after move in, Student Government hosts the Fall Club Fair--a great opportunity to learn more about clubs and organizations on campus, both old and new!