Se pt em be r2 02 6
CONTACT US 1219 Broad Street Durham, NC 27705 919-416-2934 giving@ncssm.edu ncssm.edu
#1
LOCALLY GROWN, NATIONALLY KNOWN
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL
IN AMERICA ACCORDING TO NICHE.COM
IMPACT REPORT
Dear Friends and Supporters, At NCSSM, transformation is in our DNA. For more than four decades, we’ve ignited curiosity and empowered students to lead, explore, and innovate. While the State of North Carolina generously provides the foundation for our operations, private philanthropy provides the margin for excellence that sets NCSSM apart. This enduring partnership was powerfully demonstrated through our Ignite+Transform campaign, where more than 8,000 alumni, parents, and friends committed $86 million — making it the largest fundraising effort ever by a public high school in the nation. Philanthropy at NCSSM extends far beyond any single campaign. Every gift — whether supporting the annual fund, endowing faculty positions, or funding hands-on research — directly transforms student lives. This report highlights how your continued generosity creates educational opportunities across our Durham and Morganton campuses, our online programs, and our statewide outreach.
NOTES
Generations of Giving: Families Help Fuel NCSSM Experience Private support is yielding tangible results for NCSSM students and employees. Expanding Reach: We now serve more than 4,000 students annually across 93 NC counties through our campuses, online learning, and tuition-free STEM outreach. Nurturing Talent: We’ve established endowed faculty chairs, funded immersive faculty research, and expanded health and wellness resources for our students. Building the Future: We’ve transformed our footprint in Morganton with state-of-the-art facilities and invested in cutting-edge AI and data science infrastructure statewide. Your belief in specialized public education gives our faculty and students the resources to dream bigger, reach farther, and lead the way forward. Thank you for your partnership and for ensuring that the transformative NCSSM experience remains exceptional and accessible.
The Bridges Family: A Legacy of Care
The Power of Parent Support
For Mike Bridges, NCSSM is a three-generation family tradition. With a son and daughter-inlaw from the Durham Class of 1988, grandson Liam (Durham ’22), and great-nephew Will (Durham ’14), Mike’s deep personal ties fueled his vision for what the institution could bring to Western North Carolina.
While state funding secures our core educational mission, private support powers the extraordinary experiences that truly elevate an NCSSM education. Parents are a driving force of our success, accounting for more than 25% of all gifts made to the Foundation.
As a longtime board member at UNC Health Blue Ridge, Mike Bridges was instrumental in facilitating a historic $5 million gift to the NCSSM-Morganton campus — the largest corporate gift in the school’s history. Mike and his wife, Charle, furthered their impact with a personal $250,000 gift to the Health Clinic in the UNC Health Blue Ridge Student Wellness & Activities Center. By investing in these state-of-the-art medical resources, the Bridges family is ensuring future generations of students have the comprehensive wellness support they need to thrive.
This collective investment fuels high-impact experiences like J-Term travel, student research kits, and enhanced wellness initiatives that are not covered by state funding. For NCSSM parents, giving is more than a contribution — it is a way to ensure the transformative NCSSM experience remains exceptional and accessible for academicallytalented students across the state.
With gratitude, Todd Roberts, NCSSM Chancellor
Barb Coury, NCSSM Foundation President
Mike Bridges presents a check from UNC Health Blue Ridge to NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts at the Morganton groundbreaking in 2019. The NCSSM Parent Association is a representative body of both junior and senior parents — NCSSM’s version of a PTA.
"Sharing the NCSSM experience with my children— Morganton ’24 and ’26 — has been a gift. Our family donates so more NC students can have the same lifechanging opportunity." — Harrison Lord, NCSSM-Durham ’98
Alumni Create Virtuous Cycle of Gratitude
Philanthropy Widens Reach of Student Discovery
Powering AI Innovation: Carl Ryden ’89
Giving Time and Treasure: Akhil Jariwala ’10
Dogwood Health Trust Funds STEM Camps for Rural Communities
Hg Foundation Integrates AI into Outreach Programs
Serial entrepreneur Carl Ryden ’89 describes NCSSM not as a debt to be repaid, but as an "equity investor" in his future. This belief led Carl and his wife Ashley to contribute $2 million to launch the Ryden Program for Innovation and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. Their gift positions NCSSM at the global forefront of AI education, ensuring that North Carolina students are not just consumers of technology, but the leaders who will create and govern it.
For Akhil Jariwala ’10, NCSSM was more than a high school; it was a launchpad that leveled the playing field. Coming from a community where resources were limited, the tuition-free model provided him with access to worldclass faculty and specialized STEM courses that defined his career path. Now a leader in the tech industry, Akhil has made stewardship a priority, serving as a member of the NCSSM Foundation Board of Directors and an active leader within the Young Alumni Council.
Dogwood Health Trust has been a vital partner in ensuring that NCSSM’s resources reach every corner of the state. Their generous support enables the school to offer cost-free summer STEM enrichment programs specifically for young students in 18 rural counties and the Qualla Boundary across Western North Carolina. By removing financial barriers, this partnership helps ignite a passion for science and mathematics in communities that have historically had less access to such specialized opportunities.
A $250,000 commitment from The Hg Foundation supports NCSSM’s Step Up to STEM program, a cost-free, residential summer initiative designed to widen STEM access for rising 9th and 10th graders from economically distressed areas of the state.
By leveraging his employer’s matching gift program, he consistently doubles the impact of his contributions to the Annual Fund, ensuring that current students can participate in competitions and research without financial barriers.
NCSSM courses cover not only the latest technology in machine learning and artificial intelligence but also the ethics of using these tools.
Expanding to Western North Carolina allows more students to discover their talents, with private support fueling the engaging activities that ignite a lifelong passion for STEM.
The funding allows the program to reach full capacity across its three sites — NCSSMDurham, Elizabeth City State University, and the newly launched UNC Pembroke location — while financing a robust new curriculum focused on AI and technology. This investment, paired with a personal gift from NCSSM alumnus and Hg executive Alan Cline ’90, ensures that more students are equipped to lead in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
A Summer Accelerator student examines evidence in a Forensics course at NCSSM-Morganton sponsored by Dogwood Health Trust.
Akhil Jariwala ’10 works with recent graduates on the Young Alumni Council which fosters a culture of giving back to NCSSM. Today, alumni account for 58% of all gifts to the Foundation.
— Kevin Baxter Vice Chancellor & Chief Campus Officer at NCSSM-Morganton
2200 students are served annually through NCSSM Summer Programs
Since 2013, Step Up to Stem has been introducing unique STEM enrichment opportunities to public high school students across NC.
Defining the Digital Future: Tech Leaders Invest in NCSSM Corporate partnerships fuel NCSSM’s leadership in the digital economy, scaling advanced AI and data science coursework across all our programs. These investments ensure that both students and educators are prepared to lead in a data-driven world.
Google.org: Data Science for Everyone With Google.org's support, K-12 educators from across the state can attend the Data Science Summer Institute at NCSSM-Morganton at no cost. This partnership ensures that cuttingedge data science curriculum reaches classrooms in every corner of North Carolina.
Cisco Systems: Building Data Literacy Cisco Systems’ investment in Data Science and Interdisciplinary Initiatives ensures data literacy is a cornerstone of the NCSSM experience. This partnership equips students with the analytical skills and technical fluency necessary to excel and innovate in the modern economy.
Nutanix: Expanding Computer Science Access A $250,000 corporate grant from Nutanix — matched by $250,000 in state funds — has established the Nutanix Endowed Professorship in Computer Science. This partnership supports NCSSM's initiatives in public K-12 teacher training and the creation of open-source computer science resources, leveraging the expertise of veteran NCSSM Connect instructors to reach classrooms statewide.
With Google.org's support, K-12 educators can attend the Data Science Summer Institute at NCSSM-Morganton at no cost.
1100 students are enrolled in NCSSM Online and NCSSM Connect
Faculty Scholars Program Turns Dreams into Reality Created through anonymous alumni support, state matching funds, and campus leadership, the Faculty Scholars Program funds immersive research for veteran educators. This direct investment in faculty growth ensures worldclass innovation remains at the heart of the NCSSM experience.
David Cantrell: Puebloan Cultures of the Southwest Humanities instructor David Cantrell traveled to Arizona to study ancestral and contemporary Puebloan communal structures. From examining ancient petroglyphs to witnessing traditional ceremonies, his fieldwork provides students with rich, cultural perspectives that foster their own intellectual autonomy. His field research and dialogues with Hopi artists
are directly enriching humanities curriculum and informing Fifth World, NCSSM’s student interdisciplinary research journal.
Ashley Loftis ’07: Global Mathematics Frameworks Ashley Loftis, NCSSM-Durham Class of 2007 and the Dan Teague Endowed Professor of Mathematics, traveled to Japan for a professional study of the country’s worldrenowned mathematics instruction. Collaborating with math education researchers at the University of Tokyo, she observed secondary classrooms firsthand to analyze the specific teaching structures that foster rigorous mathematical thinking. Loftis brings these advanced strategies back to NCSSM classrooms and will share her insights with educators statewide through future workshops.
A raven pauses before an approaching Arizona storm at Blue Mesa, a fitting symbol for Dr. David Cantrell’s study of Puebloan culture.
Inside NCSSM's control room where live, synchronous Connect courses are broadcast in real time to public high school classrooms across North Carolina.
Donor support provides the spark that allows our world-class faculty to reach even greater heights and bring this knowledge back to the classroom.
Ashley Loftis ’07 at Tokyo's Hie-Jinja Shrine — part of her Faculty Scholars trip to collaborate with researchers at the University of Tokyo and study Japanese mathematics pedagogy firsthand.
— Barb Coury NCSSM Foundation President & Vice Chancellor for Development
Defining the Digital Future: Tech Leaders Invest in NCSSM Corporate partnerships fuel NCSSM’s leadership in the digital economy, scaling advanced AI and data science coursework across all our programs. These investments ensure that both students and educators are prepared to lead in a data-driven world.
Google.org: Data Science for Everyone With Google.org's support, K-12 educators from across the state can attend the Data Science Summer Institute at NCSSM-Morganton at no cost. This partnership ensures that cuttingedge data science curriculum reaches classrooms in every corner of North Carolina.
Cisco Systems: Building Data Literacy Cisco Systems’ investment in Data Science and Interdisciplinary Initiatives ensures data literacy is a cornerstone of the NCSSM experience. This partnership equips students with the analytical skills and technical fluency necessary to excel and innovate in the modern economy.
Nutanix: Expanding Computer Science Access A $250,000 corporate grant from Nutanix — matched by $250,000 in state funds — has established the Nutanix Endowed Professorship in Computer Science. This partnership supports NCSSM's initiatives in public K-12 teacher training and the creation of open-source computer science resources, leveraging the expertise of veteran NCSSM Connect instructors to reach classrooms statewide.
With Google.org's support, K-12 educators can attend the Data Science Summer Institute at NCSSM-Morganton at no cost.
1100 students are enrolled in NCSSM Online and NCSSM Connect
Faculty Scholars Program Turns Dreams into Reality Created through anonymous alumni support, state matching funds, and campus leadership, the Faculty Scholars Program funds immersive research for veteran educators. This direct investment in faculty growth ensures worldclass innovation remains at the heart of the NCSSM experience.
David Cantrell: Puebloan Cultures of the Southwest Humanities instructor David Cantrell traveled to Arizona to study ancestral and contemporary Puebloan communal structures. From examining ancient petroglyphs to witnessing traditional ceremonies, his fieldwork provides students with rich, cultural perspectives that foster their own intellectual autonomy. His field research and dialogues with Hopi artists
are directly enriching humanities curriculum and informing Fifth World, NCSSM’s student interdisciplinary research journal.
Ashley Loftis ’07: Global Mathematics Frameworks Ashley Loftis, NCSSM-Durham Class of 2007 and the Dan Teague Endowed Professor of Mathematics, traveled to Japan for a professional study of the country’s worldrenowned mathematics instruction. Collaborating with math education researchers at the University of Tokyo, she observed secondary classrooms firsthand to analyze the specific teaching structures that foster rigorous mathematical thinking. Loftis brings these advanced strategies back to NCSSM classrooms and will share her insights with educators statewide through future workshops.
A raven pauses before an approaching Arizona storm at Blue Mesa, a fitting symbol for Dr. David Cantrell’s study of Puebloan culture.
Inside NCSSM's control room where live, synchronous Connect courses are broadcast in real time to public high school classrooms across North Carolina.
Donor support provides the spark that allows our world-class faculty to reach even greater heights and bring this knowledge back to the classroom.
Ashley Loftis ’07 at Tokyo's Hie-Jinja Shrine — part of her Faculty Scholars trip to collaborate with researchers at the University of Tokyo and study Japanese mathematics pedagogy firsthand.
— Barb Coury NCSSM Foundation President & Vice Chancellor for Development
Alumni Create Virtuous Cycle of Gratitude
Philanthropy Widens Reach of Student Discovery
Powering AI Innovation: Carl Ryden ’89
Giving Time and Treasure: Akhil Jariwala ’10
Dogwood Health Trust Funds STEM Camps for Rural Communities
Hg Foundation Integrates AI into Outreach Programs
Serial entrepreneur Carl Ryden ’89 describes NCSSM not as a debt to be repaid, but as an "equity investor" in his future. This belief led Carl and his wife Ashley to contribute $2 million to launch the Ryden Program for Innovation and Leadership in Artificial Intelligence. Their gift positions NCSSM at the global forefront of AI education, ensuring that North Carolina students are not just consumers of technology, but the leaders who will create and govern it.
For Akhil Jariwala ’10, NCSSM was more than a high school; it was a launchpad that leveled the playing field. Coming from a community where resources were limited, the tuition-free model provided him with access to worldclass faculty and specialized STEM courses that defined his career path. Now a leader in the tech industry, Akhil has made stewardship a priority, serving as a member of the NCSSM Foundation Board of Directors and an active leader within the Young Alumni Council.
Dogwood Health Trust has been a vital partner in ensuring that NCSSM’s resources reach every corner of the state. Their generous support enables the school to offer cost-free summer STEM enrichment programs specifically for young students in 18 rural counties and the Qualla Boundary across Western North Carolina. By removing financial barriers, this partnership helps ignite a passion for science and mathematics in communities that have historically had less access to such specialized opportunities.
A $250,000 commitment from The Hg Foundation supports NCSSM’s Step Up to STEM program, a cost-free, residential summer initiative designed to widen STEM access for rising 9th and 10th graders from economically distressed areas of the state.
By leveraging his employer’s matching gift program, he consistently doubles the impact of his contributions to the Annual Fund, ensuring that current students can participate in competitions and research without financial barriers.
NCSSM courses cover not only the latest technology in machine learning and artificial intelligence but also the ethics of using these tools.
Expanding to Western North Carolina allows more students to discover their talents, with private support fueling the engaging activities that ignite a lifelong passion for STEM.
The funding allows the program to reach full capacity across its three sites — NCSSMDurham, Elizabeth City State University, and the newly launched UNC Pembroke location — while financing a robust new curriculum focused on AI and technology. This investment, paired with a personal gift from NCSSM alumnus and Hg executive Alan Cline ’90, ensures that more students are equipped to lead in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
A Summer Accelerator student examines evidence in a Forensics course at NCSSM-Morganton sponsored by Dogwood Health Trust.
Akhil Jariwala ’10 works with recent graduates on the Young Alumni Council which fosters a culture of giving back to NCSSM. Today, alumni account for 58% of all gifts to the Foundation.
— Kevin Baxter Vice Chancellor & Chief Campus Officer at NCSSM-Morganton
2200 students are served annually through NCSSM Summer Programs
Since 2013, Step Up to Stem has been introducing unique STEM enrichment opportunities to public high school students across NC.
Dear Friends and Supporters, At NCSSM, transformation is in our DNA. For more than four decades, we’ve ignited curiosity and empowered students to lead, explore, and innovate. While the State of North Carolina generously provides the foundation for our operations, private philanthropy provides the margin for excellence that sets NCSSM apart. This enduring partnership was powerfully demonstrated through our Ignite+Transform campaign, where more than 8,000 alumni, parents, and friends committed $86 million — making it the largest fundraising effort ever by a public high school in the nation. Philanthropy at NCSSM extends far beyond any single campaign. Every gift — whether supporting the annual fund, endowing faculty positions, or funding hands-on research — directly transforms student lives. This report highlights how your continued generosity creates educational opportunities across our Durham and Morganton campuses, our online programs, and our statewide outreach.
NOTES
Generations of Giving: Families Help Fuel NCSSM Experience Private support is yielding tangible results for NCSSM students and employees. Expanding Reach: We now serve more than 4,000 students annually across 93 NC counties through our campuses, online learning, and tuition-free STEM outreach. Nurturing Talent: We’ve established endowed faculty chairs, funded immersive faculty research, and expanded health and wellness resources for our students. Building the Future: We’ve transformed our footprint in Morganton with state-of-the-art facilities and invested in cutting-edge AI and data science infrastructure statewide. Your belief in specialized public education gives our faculty and students the resources to dream bigger, reach farther, and lead the way forward. Thank you for your partnership and for ensuring that the transformative NCSSM experience remains exceptional and accessible.
The Bridges Family: A Legacy of Care
The Power of Parent Support
For Mike Bridges, NCSSM is a three-generation family tradition. With a son and daughter-inlaw from the Durham Class of 1988, grandson Liam (Durham ’22), and great-nephew Will (Durham ’14), Mike’s deep personal ties fueled his vision for what the institution could bring to Western North Carolina.
While state funding secures our core educational mission, private support powers the extraordinary experiences that truly elevate an NCSSM education. Parents are a driving force of our success, accounting for more than 25% of all gifts made to the Foundation.
As a longtime board member at UNC Health Blue Ridge, Mike Bridges was instrumental in facilitating a historic $5 million gift to the NCSSM-Morganton campus — the largest corporate gift in the school’s history. Mike and his wife, Charle, furthered their impact with a personal $250,000 gift to the Health Clinic in the UNC Health Blue Ridge Student Wellness & Activities Center. By investing in these state-of-the-art medical resources, the Bridges family is ensuring future generations of students have the comprehensive wellness support they need to thrive.
This collective investment fuels high-impact experiences like J-Term travel, student research kits, and enhanced wellness initiatives that are not covered by state funding. For NCSSM parents, giving is more than a contribution — it is a way to ensure the transformative NCSSM experience remains exceptional and accessible for academicallytalented students across the state.
With gratitude, Todd Roberts, NCSSM Chancellor
Barb Coury, NCSSM Foundation President
Mike Bridges presents a check from UNC Health Blue Ridge to NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts at the Morganton groundbreaking in 2019. The NCSSM Parent Association is a representative body of both junior and senior parents — NCSSM’s version of a PTA.
"Sharing the NCSSM experience with my children— Morganton ’24 and ’26 — has been a gift. Our family donates so more NC students can have the same lifechanging opportunity." — Harrison Lord, NCSSM-Durham ’98
Se pt em be r2 02 6
CONTACT US 1219 Broad Street Durham, NC 27705 919-416-2934 giving@ncssm.edu ncssm.edu
#1
LOCALLY GROWN, NATIONALLY KNOWN
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL
IN AMERICA ACCORDING TO NICHE.COM
IMPACT REPORT