Yearbook staff makes own memories

The yearbook staff attended a workshop held by publisher Walsworth June 19-22 at Myrtle Beach, SC, and brought home a first-place trophy for its hard work at the event.

Kelly Bolick (’08), Christina Wieand (’08), Sonja Thalheimer (’09), Liz Trent (’09) and Emily Bissett (’10) attended the workshop, along with 19 other staffs from around the Southeast. The girls attended classes from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 8:30 p.m. They had to create a 12-page mini-yearbook, using the new technology that they had learned, and then had to make a showcase display that advertised their “book.”

The CA staff received first place for the advanced design group, which included 11 schools. Judging was done by the technology instructors and designers from Walsworth headquarters. In May the staff received the Gallery of Excellence Award from Walsworth for its 2007 yearbook.

Summer Quest underway

Summer Quest 2007 is well underway with 183 camps being held this summer.

So far, the hard-working SQ staff has filled 2,118 spaces with approximately 1,130 campers.

About 60 instructors are lending their talents to run camps such as Juggling Magic & Balloons, Camp Kaboom, golf, tennis, All About Animals, chess, creative writing and Dinosaur Dig.

New diversity head at Cary Academy

Shani Barrax Moore, Cary Academy’s new director of diversity, will start work July 1.

Moore holds a master’s in business administration from Strayer University and a B.A. from UNC in journalism and mass communication.

Prior to coming to CA, Moore worked as an independent consultant and as the assessment counselor at Mount Olive College. At Mount Olive, she also served as an adjunct professor in the School of Business and as a writing tutor.

Overton fund still accepting donations

The Johnnetta Overton Memorial Scholarship Fund is still accepting donations. Johnnetta Overton, who would have been a senior next year, was killed in an automobile accident May 11.

The school recently started the fund and has received a $10,000 donation from the PTAA.

If you would like to donate to the Overton fund, checks may be made out to Cary Academy, and earmarked for the Johnnetta Overton Memorial Scholarship Fund either in the note on the check or in a separate cover letter. This is a tax deductible donation. Please direct your gifts to Lynne Fountain in the Advancement Office.

June 2007

Busy summer for IS

The school year might be over, but Information Services is staying busy this summer.

The IS staff is helping the Summer Quest staff keep its camps running smoothly and assisting with any technical problems. And IS is repairing all the tablets and readying them for the next crop of students. They are also installing updates and a new version of Microsoft Office to each tablet.

In addition to all this, the IS staff has started preliminary work on the school’s new Website.

Five- and 10-year employees get a shout out

At the annual Employee Service Luncheon held June 13 in the cafeteria, employees with five and 10 years of service to Cary Academy were honored.

The five-year employees are: landscape manager Jim Welch, math instructor Jeff Killmer, Head of the Upper School Mitch McGuigan, College Advising Director Susan Staggers, accompanist Linda Velto, and Spanish instructor Nuria Lopez Tardon.

Employees reaching the 10-year mark of service are: Director of Business Operations Debby Reichel, administrative assistant Cindy Laughlin, database and backup administrator Marita Gonsalves, IS senior consultant Kevin Rokuskie, IS Assistant Director Rick Harris, PE Department Chair Kim Cherre, Dean of Faculty Dr. Martina Greene, music/band instructor Eric Grush, English instructor Carole Hamilton, Arts Department Chair Michael Hayes, math instructor Pat Martin, athletic trainer David McAllister, English instructor Carol Morgan, Instructional Technology Director Sam Morris, Spanish instructor Vic Quesada, science instructor Barry Rochelle, chemistry instructor Gray Rushin, social studies instructor David Snively, visual arts teacher Meredith Steele, Chinese instructor Ming-An Lee, receptionist/clerk B.J. McLamb, Admissions administrative assistant Debbie McLaurin, Director of Advancement Lynne Fountain, and Constituency Coordinator Chris Gilmore.

Bienvenido! Foreign language trips back

All the foreign language trips have returned to the U.S. safely.

The Spanish trips to Orense and Oviedo in Spain returned June 8 and 9, respectively. The students who visited Ecuador returned June 10. The Chinese trip returned June 14, and the French trippers got back June 14.

Read all about each group’s exciting times in the student blogs at http://web1.caryacademy.org/academicinfo/exchangetrips.htm.

Students get summer internships

Many CA students are interning locally and internationally this summer.

Locally, Dara Brown (‘09) and Jonathan Jakubowski (‘09) have accepted positions at Lenovo. They will start July 20 and end about mid-August. Thirty-one students have accepted positions at SAS. They started work June 12.

Internationally, Ben Goldhaber (’08) and Julie Cooper (’08) are interning at NCR in Beijing June 14-July 2. Meanwhile, in Shanghai at Tekelec, Mark Easley (’08) and John Nelson (’08) will be interning from June 14 to July 1.

Quiz Bowl team grounded, but Tarleton wins in the end

Although the CA Quiz Bowl team did not make it to Detroit for the national championship tournament due to inclement weather, the team did receive good news about one of its members.

Nick Tarleton (’07), one of the senior members of the team, was named to the All-State Team by the North Carolina Academic Teams Association.
 
Tarleton would have received his medal at the tournament, but it will be mailed to him, instead.

Parents take in Museum Day

Proud parents filled the first floor of the Middle School June 6 as the sixth grade put on World Cultures Museum Day. The event and its displays recapped what the sixth grade had learned over the year in World Cultures and Language Arts classes.

“The turnout has been wonderful,” said instructor Matthew Ripley-Moffitt. “The parents have said they have learned a lot from the students. That was our goal: for the kids to become teachers of what they’ve learned through the year.”

Depending on the room visited, parents could learn about Chinese history, samurai swords, the economic system of ancient Ghana, the intricacies of Mayan culture, and trade routes of the old Middle East.

 

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Eighth grade now ready for Upper School

The 10th eighth grade celebration took place June 8 in the theater, and what a celebration it was.

Excellent vocal performances were interspersed between thoughtful speeches throughout the ceremony that annually sends off the eighth grade from the Middle School to the Upper School. An appreciative audience of friends and family applauded wildly during the entire program.

Afterward, the Class of 2011 gathered in the dining hall for a reception. Flashes popped and smiles and hugs erupted as students waded through the sea of well-wishers.

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Jiang, Lerch compete in separate tests of brain and body

Hard work paid off handsomely for Damien Jiang (’10) as he recently made the North Carolina A team of the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML). He earned a spot on the team by doing well on the AMC, AIME and USAMO, as well as various other math contests and the ARML practice sessions.
 
On June 2 he competed at the ARML meet at Penn State University and scored 7 out of 8, which put him in a tie for first place with about 60 to 70 other people. He received a "high scorer" plaque. In addition, the North Carolina A team came in fourth in Division A (the higher division).

Corey Lerch ('08) braved 57-degree waters, two-ton sea lions and 2,000 other athletes to successfully complete the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon June 3. The event begins with a one-and-a-half-mile swim from the infamous prison island in San Francisco Bay and continues through 18 miles of tortuous bike climbs through the hills of the city, before finishing in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge after an eight-mile run. One of only 15 19-and-unders from across the nation to take on the challenge, Lerch originally took up the sport to improve his conditioning for wrestling.

State senators drop in on CA

A group of North Carolina state senators visited Cary Academy June 7 to get a firsthand look at the school and learn a little about CA’s use of technology to enhance the educational experience.

Head of School Don Berger and Instructional Technology Director Sam Morris took the VIPs on a short tour of the campus and gave them a history of CA throughout.

The group saw presentations on the tablet PC program, and Dr. Joselyn Todd presented a piece on how she uses technology in her Middle School science classroom.

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U.S. Secretary of Education Enjoys Visit to Cary Academy

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings watches as Alex Cooper (’13) works on a project.

Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of Education, came to Cary Academy Friday, June 1, and spent some time with teachers and students while observing firsthand the school’s integration of technology in the classroom.

Spellings’ midmorning-to-noon visit started with a stop at the Middle School where she dropped in on the classes of Matthew Ripley-Moffit and Candice Johnson, Dawn Bates and Aaron Rothrock. Afterward, she was fascinated by a showcase involving Upper School English instructor Carole Hamilton. At the end of her visit, she enjoyed a roundtable Q-and-A discussion that included, among others, Head of School Don Berger, teachers, students and parents. At noon, the secretary fielded questions for 30 minutes from the media.

“The visit to Cary Academy by the secretary of education was a wonderful way to cap off our 10-year anniversary,” said Director of Advancement Lynne Fountain. “She was totally engaged in what our students were doing in the classroom and hearing from our teachers on how they are using technology in the classroom.“

For the best local coverage of the visit, read The News & Observer’s story (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/588739.html) and the NEWS-14 story (http://news14.com/content/headlines/583216/u-s--education-secretary-visits-cary/Default.aspx).

US News: Rowsey to China; String Quartet Wows

Joshua Rowsey (’09) has been selected for a three-week Chinese summer camp in Beijing. The camp is a joint initiative with North Carolina State University and the Confucius Institute in Beijing. He will leave July 12.

The Cary Academy String Quartet performed to 47 people May 21 at a concert at Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary. The next day, May 22, the foursome played in front of 45 people at Brookdale Senior Living in Cary. Both concerts earned boffo reviews.

The quartet consists of students Rodrigo Haragutchi (first violin), Brice Barnett (second violin), Charlotte Morgan (viola) and Michelle Wang (cello).  The Cary Academy String Quartet is a recipient of the Cary Academy PTAA Student Activity Enhancement Grant.

MS Class Trips Visit NC Mountains, Civil War Center

On June 1 the seventh and eighth grade students and their chaperones returned from their respective class trips.

The seventh grade traveled to the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain for an educational retreat. In the rustic setting, students participated in environmental/cultural activities such as adventure hiking, tower climbing, Appalachian crafts and ropes courses.

The eighth grade trip was parts educational and celebratory. On the first day the group toured the Pamplin Center, a Civil War education center near Richmond, VA. The second day the class enjoyed the sights and sounds of Busch Gardens near Williamsburg.

Art Exhibit Definitely Advanced

Amanda Walker

The paintings and drawings drew onlookers in for close looks. Once they drew back from examining the fine strokes, each sported an astonished grin. The Advanced Art Exhibit for 2007 never failed to impress.

In case you missed the exhibit, there was some exceptional art on display from May 14-June 1 in the Fine Arts Gallery in the lower level of the Fine Arts Building. This exhibit served as a culmination of six students' work that had been composed over the past year. Each student displayed four to seven self-selected images.

The student artists were: Murphy Chang (’07), Sean Jo (’07), Kelsey Nix (’07), Kim Ray (’08), Amanda Walker (’08) and Dallas Williams (’07).

Sean Jo

Murphy Chang

May 2007

U.S. Secretary of Education to Visit Cary Academy

Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of Education, will pay a visit to Cary Academy Friday, June 1, to observe the school’s use of technology in the classroom that has gained it a national reputation. Spellings visits only about 100 schools a year.

After meeting with founder Dr. Jim Goodnight, Head of School Don Berger and N.C. Superintendent of Education June Atkinson in the morning, Spellings will then tour Middle and Upper School classrooms. Among other things, she will witness sixth-graders putting the finishing touches on their exhibits for Museum Day; watch Dawn Bates’ math students investigate the relationships between probabilities and real outcomes; experience guided Internet research with history teacher Bill Velto’s class; and watch English instructor Carole Hamilton’s students integrate their tablet PCs in a class assignment.

Following will be a roundtable discussion that will include, among others, Goodnight, Berger, teachers from both schools, students from both schools and parents.

At noon, the secretary will field questions for 30 minutes from the media.

Cary Academy Celebrates 10 Years with a Blast

The boom of fireworks echoed around the towering pines of Regency Park the night of May 19. The explosive display brought the curtain down on the 10-year anniversary celebration at the park’s Koka Booth Amphitheater, but it also capped the end of a yearlong celebration of Cary Academy and its first decade.

From babies to grandparents, all enjoyed the festive atmosphere at the amphitheater: People ate ice cream on the lawn, kids flung footballs, a juggler tossed pins, balloon artists did their thing, and everyone munched on the blue and yellow cupcakes provided by the school.

After speeches from the stage by founder Dr. Jim Goodnight, Head of School Don Berger, alums and faculty members, a 20-minute video was shown on the large dual screens on stage. The video, done as a spoof of Citizen Kane, contained video collages of students and staff.

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Tree Dedicated in Memory of Johnnetta Overton

“Johnnetta certainly was one of a kind,” said Head of School Don Berger in his opening remarks at the May 22 dedication of a Blaze Maple in honor of student Johnnetta Overton, who was killed in an automobile accident May 11. “She will be remembered as a vibrant member of our community.”

Halfway into the dedication, Overton’s friends Julia Niemi (‘08) and T’Sani Watson (‘08) presented the Overton family with armloads of personalized and signed handmade posters created by Cary Academy’s students, and Nicole Huber (’07), Danni Curran (‘08) and Aaron Harrington (‘10) honored the scholar and athlete in song.

“When this tree is 50 feet tall and blazing red in the fall, it will remind us of Johnnetta,” said Head of the Upper School Mitch McGuigan. The tree is planted in the SEA courtyard.

The school has started, with a $10,000 donation from the PTAA, the Johnnetta Overton Memorial Scholarship Fund. If you would like to donate to the Overton fund, checks may be made out to Cary Academy, and earmarked for the Johnnetta Overton Memorial Scholarship Fund either in the note on the check or in a separate cover letter. This is a tax deductible donation. Please direct your gifts to Lynne Fountain in the Advancement Office.

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Middle School News and Notes

• Richard He (’13) won first place in the Senior Division of the prestigious Peter Perret Talent Search (formerly the Winston-Salem Symphony Talent Search). Along with his prize, He will perform as a soloist with the Winston-Salem Symphony in its next season.

• Seventy-three Middle School chorus members traveled to Orlando to compete in the Festival Disney Choral Competition the weekend of May 11-12. On Friday, the chorus competed in three different choral groups. At the awards ceremony on Saturday night, Cary Academy won Best in Class for the Mixed and the Girls’ Choruses, which is equivalent to first place in their class. There were seven competing choirs at the middle school level and, ranking by averages, Cary Academy won first, second and third place among all seven. The 6th-8th Grade Cary Academy Girls’ Chorus won the Grand Champion Award, scoring the highest average for all the middle school choirs. Although CA was not competing against the high school choirs, the girls’ performance average was higher than all the middle and high school choral groups in attendance at the festival.

• The Middle School boys’ tennis team ended its season with a share of the TMSC regular season title. This is the first championship title won by any Middle School team.

• On May 23 Alexandre Pauwels (’13) acted as MS Head of School. He visited classes, met with a parent, handled a discipline issue with two students, ate a special lunch with friends, attended the leadership team meeting, ordered special desserts for lunch, and declared a dress down day for students.

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Girls Make Fast Tracks at State

The girls’ track team captured the 4x800 relay at the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association track and field championships at Charlotte Country Day May 19. The girls contended for the team title up to the final event of the tournament but finished fourth with 105 points. Charlotte Latin won with 113.

Rachel Park (‘08) won the 3,200-meter run and finished second in the 1,600.

Sarah Helfer (’07) won the 800 and anchored the 4x800 relay, and Tyler Ford (’08) leapt to the long jump title.

The Class of 2007 Takes its Leave From CA

A gorgeous blue sky greeted the Class of 2007 as it strode to the quad and flung its caps in the air following graduation ceremonies May 20 in the SEA. It should be clear skies for many years to come for each of the 97 graduates.

On the heels of class speeches by Kevin Cotter (’07) and Swapanthi Nagulpally (’07), Bill Nye (The Science Guy) delivered a humor-filled speech in which he advised the graduates to change the world by “coming up with new ways for many (of their) fellow earthlings to live.” He also urged each graduate to be skeptical, to vote and to “leave the world better than you found it.”

At the reception in the quad, the newly minted grads hugged, lined up for family pictures, signed yearbooks and took cell phone pictures of one another.

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Jiang Invited to Math Camp, Rochelle Honored for Essay

Damien Jiang (‘10) has been invited to the red group of the 2007 United States Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program to be held on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in Lincoln, NE, June 10-30. He received this honor by being one of the top 30 freshmen on the USAMO.

The program in Lincoln is a three-week residential summer camp with classes, activities and mathematical competitions organized around training for mathematical competitions.

Sam Rochelle (’10) received an honorable mention May 10 in an essay contest for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The essay topic for all entrants was Air Transportation in 2057. Teens from across the United States and six foreign countries submitted 88 essays in four categories.

Record Amount Raised by 10th Anniversary Golf Classic

Scores were low and spirits high at the 10th Annual Scholar’s Golf Classic held at Prestonwood May 14. Sixty-eight teams tackled the course on a truly perfect day for a round of golf.

So far, $80,330 – a record amount – has been raised for the Scholarship Fund, which enables the school to extend the benefits of its education to an economically and socially diverse population.

Before play began, golfers who had played at all 10 tournaments were honored for their support. R.N. Rouse & Co. Inc. served as the grand sponsor of the tournament for the ninth year. A special thanks goes out to Tony Fisher of University Ford who provided the cars.
 

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DNA Bootcamp Awaits Downing

New biology instructor Alyson Downing has been accepted into the Amgen Leadership Symposium in Human and Genomic Biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island. The program, referred to as DNA Bootcamp, runs July 9-27. Acceptance was based on evidence of successful implementation of lab-based instruction in molecular genetics or biotechnology.

Participants will perform newly-developed experiments that stress the modern synthesis of in vitro experimentation with in silico bioinformatics. Participants will examine their own DNA polymorphisms and sequence variations to explore human origins and the molecular basis of taste and smell. Participants also will become adept with the Apollo genome annotator, allowing them to analyze new genes that have been predicted by computer algorithms but have yet to be carefully examined by a human.

Seminars will cover human oncogenes, genome sequencing, X-ray crystallography, microarrays, RNA interference, and the molecular basis of learning and memory. About 30 percent of time will be devoted to independent study and group projects.

Graduation, Year-end Celebration this Weekend

The Class of 2007 graduates May 20 during commencement exercises in the SEA. The day before, May 19, the school will host its 10-year anniversary celebration at Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park in Cary.

Graduation will run from 2-3:30 p.m. The speaker is Bill Nye of Bill Nye the Science Guy fame. Everyone is invited to come and hear Nye’s address.

The anniversary celebration starts at 7:00 p.m. A 20-minute video will be shown, and speakers from various graduating classes will say a few words. A fireworks display will cap off the night at 9 p.m.

Daniels Wins Park Scholly to NCSU

Caitlin Daniels (’07) has won a Park Scholarship to attend North Carolina State University (NCSU). This is a full scholarship.
Daniels joins 50 other recipients as Park Scholars for fall 2007. The scholarship winners were selected from among more than 1,000 applicants.

To read more about Daniels’ prestigious scholarship, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/park_scholarships/scholarship/index.html.

CA String Quartet to Perform Community Concerts

The Cary Academy String Quartet, under the direction of CA orchestra director Yiying Qiao, will perform two community concerts in May at Cary retirement homes.

On May 21 it will perform at Glenaire Retirement Community (4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary) at 7 p.m. The next day, May 22, the foursome will play at Brookdale Senior Living (111 McArthur Dr., Cary) at 2 p.m.

The quartet consists of students Rodrigo Haragutchi (first violin), Brice Barnett (second violin), Charlotte Morgan (viola) and Michelle Wang (cello).

Both programs will consist of: Eine Kline Nuchtmusik by Mozart, Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovski, Flop-Eared Mule by Dabczynski, Branderburg No.5 by Bach, Entrance of the Queen of Sheba by Handel, Allegro in D by Vivaldi, and Ronda Alla Turca by Mozart.

The concerts are funded through a Cary Academy PTAA grant.

Click here to see a video of the CA String Quartet in action: http://www.multimediamoments.com/castringquartet/

Seniors Pick Colleges; Merit Scholarships Announced

The seniors in the Class of 2007 have been busy for the past months making college decisions. The 98 graduating seniors received offers of admission from over 110 different colleges in 25 states, Washington D.C. and England.

The list of colleges with the number of matriculants included is here: http://web1.caryacademy.org/college/College%20Choices%202007.htm

In addition to the offers of admission, many seniors also were offered merit scholarships. For example, Brendan Kiu (’07) has received a National Merit Scholarship Award, one of 2,500 National Merit Scholarships offered in the country to National Merit finalists. The $2,500 scholarship, underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, can be used at any college or university. For more information about this and the other scholarship recipients, please visit:
http://web1.caryacademy.org/college/Scholarships.Classof2007.htm

MS Debaters Show Off Skills

On May 2-3, the seventh grade held its annual Great Debate where students pair off and debate one another in formal Lincoln-Douglas-style before a panel of judges.

Prior to the Great Debate, Upper School debate team members visited the Middle School to help the seventh-graders sharpen their arguments.

“I worked with about 10-ish students over two periods,” said Kelly Andrejko (‘10). “I worked on cross-examination questions with all of them, helping them come up with some questions pertaining to their case, and making sure they had an idea of how to prepare for the questions they could possibly receive. I also tried to give them advice on being confident. I was quite impressed with the quality of some of their arguments, as they were quite advanced and thought-out.”

Debate winners and losers weren’t announced; instead each student received a final score sheet including all judges’ notes and feedback.

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To Tie-dye For

There was no Grateful Dead playing on the radio and nary a Nehru jacket to be spied as the sixth grade science students took a trip to the ‘60s and ‘70s on May 2-4. To conclude its chemistry unit in science, the sixth grade students tie-dyed T-shirts those days.
 
Using white T-shirts made from natural fibers, the students folded and bound the shirts and then dyed them in an assortment of colors and let them sit overnight. They then rinsed the shirts to remove excess dye and took the shirts home in a plastic bag. The dyes used were fade-resistant, cold-water, fiber-reactive dyes that bonded to the shirts.

On Monday, May 7, the entire sixth grade class wore their psychedelic creations to school.
 

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Author to Speak to MS on Cultural Revolution

To enhance the sixth grade’s study of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Ji Li Jiang, author of Red Scarf Girl, will meet with both the sixth and seventh grades on May 9.
 
Red Scarf Girl is included in the sixth-grade curriculum because it coordinates with the World Cultures/Language Arts China unit. The novel is about Jiang’s childhood in which she experienced the Chinese Cultural Revolution firsthand.

During her presentation, Ji Li will present further information about her experiences during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and offer a brief question and answer session, followed by a book signing.

Relay for Life Team Raises More Than $5K

At the Relay for Life walk held at Cary High School April 28-29, the 90-member strong Cary Academy team raised $5,410. Connor Smithson (’09) raised the most by an individual on the CA team with $1,590. The total raised by all the teams during the Relay is $227,607.

The breakdown of the CA team: eight faculty and staff members, nine parents, one alum (Mark Hallen), 12 Middle School students, and 60 Upper School students.

“Our Upper School students volunteered to help the CAM Relay for Life Mission Delivery Committee,” said co-captain Robin Follet. “During the day on Saturday, they reminded all the walkers about the need for sunscreen while handing out sun visors. The CA team also emphasized the need for proper nutrition, giving out free fruit to the relayers. The Key Club and the Beta Club provided people, snacks and money. The CA Relay for Life team brought our community together, allowing all parts – Middle School, Upper School, faculty, staff, parents and alumni – to work toward an important goal. And we all had fun doing it.”

First International Café Pleases Palates

The first US International Cafe' opened for lunch April 30 on the front porch of the Fitness Center.

Students chowed down on samosas from India, good ol’ apple pie from the U.S. of A., grape leaves from Jordan, and Brazilian cheesy bread or paode queijo. But, by far, the most popular delicacy was the crepes cooked-while-you-wait at the impromptu French creperie.

Some of the other international cuisine, and world cultures, represented came from Germany, Hungary, Israel and China.

 

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April 2007

Science Olympiad Team Medals in Six Events 

Andrew Hillenius with his medals

At the Science Olympiad on April 21 at NCSU the Cary Academy team won medals in six events.

Andrew Hillenius (‘08) and Nick Tarleton (’07) grabbed first place in Circuit Lab. This medal included a $1,000 scholarship for each to NCSU. Hillenius also took first place in Robot Ramble and received another $1,000 scholarship. Angela Hayes (’08) and Tarleton were fourth place in Astronomy; Ashton Lai (’07) and Ryan Watson (’07) took fifth place in Designer Genes; Brendan Kiu (’07) and David Marron (’07) were fifth in Physics Lab; and Watson and Alex Rosen (’07) placed sixth in Chem Lab.

The team finished strong in other events: seventh place in Food Science by Yasmeen Mansour (’08) and Lai; eighth place in the Scrambler by Daniel Leef (’10); eighth place in Entomology by Kasey Sedova (’09) and Tarleton; and eighth place in Fermi Questions by Kiu and Marron. CA finished 14th overall out of 42 teams competing at states.

The CA Science Olympiad team.

Stained Glass Panels Adorn Fine Arts Building

Like a colorful capstone, two twinkling stained glass panels now stand atop the entrance doors to the Fine Arts Building.

The stained glass panels were made by the seventh- and eighth-grade art classes with the assistance of visiting artist Dan Hohl. The panels were installed the morning of April 24.

Both panels represent the arts at CA. One depicts the masks of comedy and drama, and, in the other, a graceful dancer is in full movement.

He Second in N.C. Symphony Competition

Orchestra student Richard He (’13) placed second in the junior division (ages 10-15) of the North Carolina Symphony Youth Concerto Competition on April 21 at Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh.

Forty-six talented instrumentalists from around the state competed in this difficult competition. As one of the five finalists, He performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.1, 1st movement for North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn, Resident Conductor William Henry Curry and General Manager Scott Freck.

For more information, visit http://www.ncsymphony.org/news/index.cfm?nid=229.

Seventeen Tapped Into NHS

During a ‘tapping-in’ ceremony at the amphitheater on the morning of April 27, 17 sophomores and juniors were inducted into the CA chapter of the National Honor Society.

The students are: Jacob Barish (‘09), Rame Coppedge (‘08), Angela Hayes (‘08), Firoz Jameel (‘09), Nick Kisley (‘09), Kirsten Kohagen (‘09), Cameron Lee (‘08), Marina Lee (‘08), Nihad Mansour (‘09), Therice Morris (‘09), John Peebles (‘09), Ksenia Sedova (‘09), Misha Sims (‘09), Natalie Smith (‘08), Elizabeth Trent (‘09), Bill Wagner (‘09), and Rachel Yip (‘08).

Horses Now on Campus; Tailgate Brings in the Fans

The Charger horses decorated by each class, as well as alumni and staff/faculty, have been permanently affixed in locations around campus. The next time you are on campus, take a moment to walk around and look at these works of arts.

The spring tailgate held April 20 brought fans, students and parents to campus to watch the Chargers take on Durham Academy in soccer, baseball, softball and lacrosse. Also, those present took time to admire the new Charger horses.

Check out the sports page to see how the teams did!

 

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Orchestra Takes Big Bite of Big Apple

Last weekend, the Cary Academy MS and US orchestra students participated in the Heritage 2007 Spring Music Festival in New York City, and they came home with a busload of trophies.
This year the festival had 17 schools and 53 performance groups that came from 15 states and provinces across the country from California to Virginia and from Canada to Florida. The Cary Academy orchestra competed in Division 1A.
The results from the competition:

• Cary Academy MS: 1st place and Silver Ranking

• Cary Academy US: 1st place and Gold Ranking

• The US honors orchestra’s three clarinet players (Vann Mitchell, Saige Clark, Damien Jiang) won Outstanding Soloist Trophy (total of three trophies from this festival)

• CA also took the Festival Outstanding Performance Group Trophy

• CA once again received the invitation certificate for next year’s National Band/Orchestra Gold Festival in Boston Symphony Hall (only six groups invited from the festival!)

These Seventh-Graders are TIP-Top

Seventy-five seventh-graders qualified, based on ERB results, to take the SAT or ACT through the Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP).

Thirty-nine of those students took advantage of this opportunity. Twenty-two of the students who took the ACT or SAT scored well enough to receive state or grand recognition – that’s 22 percent of the class! Those students whose scores met the criteria for State Level will receive recognition at a ceremony at Campbell University on May 15. Students whose scores met the criteria for Grand Level will receive recognition at a ceremony on Duke's Campus on May 21.

Following is a list of those who will receive recognition:

Grand level recognition
 

Alex Coeytaux

Matthew Lee

State level recognition
 

Tara Aida	Catherine Newman
Christine Allison	Tyler Powell
Ivan Bobashev	Ben Ramger
Chase Brewster	Emily Schramm
Ryan Cinoman	Hannah Schwarz
Thomas Graham	Benjamin Shpurker
Rachel Holt	Jeff Thomas
Laura James	Shelley Warner
Quinn Jenkins	Zac Wilson
Abby Larus Kelsey Miller

Sports Roundup: Blackwell, Huber in the News

Playing for the winning West squad, Brittany Blackwell (’07) scored 27 points and plucked seven rebounds to share co-MVP honors at the 15th Annual Charlotte Pro-Am High School All-Star game on April 14.

Blackwell has signed with UNC-Wilmington.

Nicole Huber (’07) has decided to play volleyball for North Carolina State University next year. She signed March 21. Huber is a TISAC all-conference player and was the number one hitter in all of the conference this year.

Horses Unveiled; Spring Tailgate Coming

6th grade Sea Horse

At an assembly in the Fitness Center during the Charger Stampede April 12, the new Charger horses were revealed. The PTAA donated the money to purchase nine of the horses, and the boosters purchased the large black rearing horse.

“Wow! The student artists working on our 10th anniversary horses really exceeded my expectations,” said art teacher Margo Smith, who oversaw the horse project. Over the next weeks, the multi-colored and dazzlingly creative and unique horses will be placed around campus in permanent locations.

Following on the hooves of the Charger Stampede, is the Spring Sports Tailgate to be held April 20 from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Wear your blue and gold and come cheer the Chargers as they take on Durham Academy in soccer, baseball, softball and lacrosse. They’ll be food, too. See flyers (student free food offer, and tailgate schedule) for more information.

 

7th grade Day and Knight	8th grade Putting It All Together	9th grade Carousel
10th grade Apocalypse	11th grade Leaving Our Mark	12th grade Reflections
Alumni Bad to the Bone

Many Received Awards, Honors Recently

The past couple weeks have seen the awards come flying in fast and furious for many CA students:

• For the second year in a row the Quiz Bowl team has qualified for two national tournaments to be held in Chicago and Ann Arbor, MI. The team finished the year having vanquished every North Carolina team it met. This season, the only losses were to the James Island team from South Carolina. The Cary Academy team that took second at the N.C. State University-sponsored “Red and White Bowl” on March 24, and qualified for the national tournaments, consists of Swapanthi Nagulpally (’07), Tom Marty (’07), Nick Tarleton (‘07), Ryan Watson (’07), Hannah Ritter Paulin (’08) and Firoz Jameel (’09). Tarleton received individual recognition for his performance at the tournament.

• On April 5 Bryelle Smith (’07) was named ABC-11/McDonald’s Athlete of the Week.

• Lauren Moore (’12) and Jack Hannon (’10) are the 2007 recipients of the Charles M. Burdick Young Writers’ Fellowship. Both received a $1,000 grant, courtesy of the PTAA, to attend a summer creative writing program of their choice. Moore has decided to attend the Tennessee Young Writers’ Workshop; Hannon is still exploring his options.

• Ryan Watson (’07) and Corey Lerch (’08) qualified as finalists for the Chemistry Olympiad and will be going to NCSSM for the next round. The qualifying scores ranged from 40-56 and CA had 5 students in that range. Unfortunately it is capped at two qualifiers per school and a total of 15 for the state. The three other high scorers from CA were Ashton Lai (’07), Angela Hayes (’08) and Max Flescher (’08).

Jiang, Other Math Students Have Impressive Showings

Damien Jiang (’10) has qualified for the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad. Only 15 students from North Carolina qualified, and Jiang was the only ninth-grader, though there was an eighth-grader from Winston Salem.

At the Regional State Math Contest held at Wake Technical Community College on March 29, four CA students placed among the top 25 in Comprehensive, and CA placed fourth as a school. The students, with finishes: Damien Jiang (’07), 7th; Michelle Luo (’08), 12th; Robert Murphy (’09), 23rd; and Diana Woodall (’08), 24th. In Algebra II, three students made the top 15, and CA placed third as a school. The students, with finishes: Therice Morris (’09), 10th; Matt Makansi (’10), 14th; and John Peebles (’09), 15th. In Geometry three students placed among the top 25, and CA placed third. The students, with finishes: Jason Chow (’10), 3rd; Even Zayas (’11), 7th; and Jeffrey Dudek (’11), 9th.

Middle School Exhibits Art

The seventh and eighth grades held a reception for an art exhibit the afternoon of April 5 in the lower level gallery of the Fine Arts Building.

The exhibit features student independent art projects and student art from the Global Scrap Heap.

Most of the work will be on display through April 20.

 

Click the image for a larger version.

Click the image for a larger version.

It’s Not Too Late to Saddle Up For the Charger Stampede

Come join the Cary Academy community in celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary at the Charger Stampede, an all-school picnic and assembly, on Thursday April 12 (postponed from April 11 due to possibility of rain). The life-size Chargers that have been decorated by students in each grade level, and by alumni and faculty/staff, will be unveiled at an assembly in the gym at 12:30.

Parents are invited to come to a picnic lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, spare ribs and all the sides – plus ice cream. More than 50 parents have already said they’ll be there! The Middle School will eat at noon and the Upper School at 1. Please RSVP for lunch to christine_gilmore@caryacademy.org.

The day will have a Western theme, so come on out in your best dude ranch attire of jeans, boots, bandanas and cowboy hats.

Parents Learn About Teen Brain

On March 27, parents and educators from Cary Academy and surrounding schools packed the Fine Arts lecture hall to hear Dr. Scott Swartzwelder describe what makes the teen brain tick. Swartzwelder, a Duke professor, popular author and in-demand scientific advisor, shared his humor, compelling visuals, and comprehensive knowledge of the teen brain, including how it responds to alcohol, drugs, stress, sleep, nutrition and peer pressure.

Swartzwelder educated the crowd on brain chemistry as it develops from birth though early adulthood. He then showed how the brain, especially in the adolescent years, changes in its vulnerability to various levels of alcohol, sleep, stress, etc. By arming parents with the biochemical science of what's going on in the teen brain, he gave them practical ways to open the dialog about sensitive subjects – without the emotional, judgmental component.

Click here to see a subset of his PowerPoint presentation.

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MS International Festival Provides Small Taste of Big World

The Middle School students had the opportunity to learn about other cultures at the annual International Festival held March 30.

From Arabic, Irish and African dancing to learning sessions on topics such as African poverty and the Farsi/Persian alphabet, students got the chance to step outside their own personal backgrounds for a day and share those of many others.

The sessions took place during the 7th and 8th blocks, and culminated in a spectacular performance by an African drum and dance ensemble in the theatre. Students clapped their hands and sang along as they watched many of their peers (and two willing teachers) join the fun onstage with the dancers, and as they left for the day, student voices were abuzz about what they had learned.

 

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Alum Wins National TV Contest

Emerson College student and Cary Academy alum Richard Feindel Jr. ('05) and fellow Emerson student Andrew Nicholson have won a national contest for Zilo TV, a college media and marketing network.

They produced a 30-second promotional spot for The History Channel's popular show Digging for the Truth. Their winning segment will air on The History Channel, and they will receive a $1,000 award. In addition, the winning entry will air on Zilo's college television network reaching over 8.2 million viewers. Their entry beat out submissions from Boston University, New York University and the New York Film Academy. Entries were judged by industry experts including Tim Nolan, creative director for the History Channel; Jeff Zimbalist, director of the award-winning documentary, Favela Rising; and Campbell McLaren, president & co-founder of Zilo Networks.

Last year Feindel was the first freshman in the history of Emerson College to be awarded an EVVY.

March 2007

Don’t Be Left Behind by the Charger Stampede

Come join the Cary Academy community in celebrating the school’s 10th anniversary at the Charger Stampede, an all-school picnic and assembly, on April 11. The life-size Chargers that have been decorated by students in each grade level, and by alumni and faculty/staff, will be unveiled at an assembly in the gym at 12:30.

Parents are invited to come to a picnic lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, spare ribs and all the sides – plus ice cream. The Middle School will eat at noon and the Upper School at 1. Please RSVP for lunch to christine_gilmore@caryacademy.org.

The day will have a Western theme, so come on out in your best dude ranch attire of jeans, boots, bandanas and cowboy hats.

Stained Glass Artist Aids MS in Creating Art

Dan Hohl from the Stained Glass Center of Raleigh worked with Middle School visual arts classes March 22-30.

Hohl helped students assemble a stained glass installation for the lobby of the Fine Arts Building. The artwork consists of two stained glass panels (each measuring about 35 by 48 inches). The panels were designed by Dallas Williams (’07) and represent the arts at Cary Academy. The focal point of the panels is a dancer with a ribbon. Theater masks, musical notes and art supplies also are included.

The Middle School students, under the supervision of Hohl and instructor Margo Smith, did all the work. They cut the glass, ground the glass, foiled and soldered to create the finished piece.

 

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Help Fight Cancer with Relay for Life

Relay for Life, the 24-hour walk-a-thon fundraiser for cancer research, will be held at Cary High School. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. April 28 and concludes at 9 a.m. the next day. About 1,000 people will participate off and on during the 24-hour period.
 
Robin Follet and Cheryl Cotter are the captains for the CA team. They are looking for faculty, students, and parents of any age who would like to join the team. Team members will walk the relay in one- to two-hour shifts. Last year the CA team consisted of 50 hardy folk.

The registration link is: https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=190184&lis=1&kntae190184=7E5CED6E37474C329B9B5A9A76DD2EFB&team=1687124&tlteam=0. At the top, choose Join our Team, then follow the next few steps.

For complete CA info go to http://web1.caryacademy.org/parenthome/monthlyinfo/Mar07/relay.htm or www.camrelay.org.

Final PTAA Meeting April 23

Please plan to attend the final PTAA General Membership Meeting for the year on Monday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the Fine Arts Building.

The 2007-08 PTAA slate of officers will be presented, and electronic voting procedures will be explained. Voting will not begin until Tuesday, April 24. This meeting will also showcase PTAA grant recipients from both Middle and Upper schools.

Please contact Jennifer Landry, PTAA secretary, at jenniferclandry@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Morris, Thorstad Make Governor’s School

Anna Morris (’08) and Robert Thorstad (’08) have been selected to the 2007 Governor’s School of North Carolina, a six-week summer residential program for intellectually gifted high school students.

The school integrates academic disciplines, the arts and unique courses on each of two campuses. The curriculum focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline, and does not involve credit, tests or grades. The program is entirely free of charge to all students, funded by the General Assembly of North Carolina. The program is located on two campuses of 400 students each: Governor's School West at Salem College in Winston-Salem (begun in 1963), and Governor's School East at Meredith College in Raleigh (begun in 1978).

Morris will be participating in the mathematics program at Governor’s School East. Thorstad will be participating in the social science program at Governor’s School West.

Friday Fellows Named

The 2007 Friday Fellowships awards were recently announced.

Those receiving fellowships are: Ellen Chartier (for development of an original web-based student workbook for use in Emotional Health courses), Conrad Hall (for development of a one-trimester, interdisciplinary curricular unit focusing on student-led oral history), Jacquie Holcombe (for developing proficiency in using the school’s digital keyboard and Notation software to arrange accompaniments and keyboard registrations for choral music performances), Lee Leal (to participate in a digital photography workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico), and German Urioste (for completion of the final two sections of his original novel The Confessions of Aguirre).

Noschese, Orchestra Students in Top Form

Nick Noschese (’12) won two medals in the 11-13 age group at the U.S. Open Tae Kwon Do Championships held in Orlando on Feb. 15-18. He took gold in forms and silver in sparring. This places him among the top two competitors in the entire country in both categories.

On March 3, five middle school orchestra students auditioned for Jr. All State Orchestra at the Classical Center in Fayetteville. Congratulations go out to: Alex Evans (’11), Shaun Allison (‘11), Heidi Gerstmyer (’12), Jacob Warwick (’12) and Arjun Rao (’12). There were about 200 violins and 80 violas competing for the two orchestras. In the end, Gerstmyer won the 15th chair in 1st violin section, and Warwick won 6th chair in the viola section. Warwick has only been playing viola for seven months.

Also, over the spring break, violin student Richard He (‘13) and cello student Michelle Wang (’10) were in the Raleigh Piano Teachers Association annual auditions. He won first place in the category of Concerto IV, and Wang won first place in the category of Young Artist I. On March 11, He played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.1, 1st movement, and Wang played Barcarolle, op.10, No.3 by Rachmaninoff at the honors recital in the Carswell Recital Hall at Meredith College.

In other orchestra news, Emilie Chen (’11) won first chair at the North Carolina All State Band competition.

Debate at CA Sees Nine Move On

At the Tar Heel East District Tournament held March 16-17 at CA, nine CA students qualified for nationals. The students are: David Thorstad (’08) and Arjun Chandran (’08), Policy Debate; Kevin Cotter (‘07), Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Vinny Tumminello (’07) and Tyler Phillips (’07), Public Forum Debate; Brendan Szulik (’07) and Kelsey Nix (’07), Humorous Interpretation; John Nelson (’08), International Extemporaneous; and Ben Goldhaber (‘08), Domestic Extemporaneous.

Goldhaber was also first alternate in Extemporaneous, and Nick Tarleton (‘07) was third alternate and Swapanthi Nagulpally (’07) fifth alternate in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Four students advanced to Super Congress: Chandran, Thorstad, Kira Lumsden (’08) and Goldhaber. Sophomores Andrew Copland and Mikie Rooney made it to the top eight of Public Forum. Freshmen Austin Cooper, Aneesh Kodali and Daniel Bowden all performed extremely well against much older, more experienced students.

Killmer Wins State AP Teacher of Year Award

Jeff Killmer, department chair of the math department of the Upper School, has been named the AP Teacher of the Year for North Carolina.

He received the award from the Siemens Foundation, which annually gives out the Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement together with the College Board. Killmer, who got the award in the area of statistics, is one of 50 teachers recognized nationally. He received a $1,000 award, and his name ran with the other teacher and student winners in a national ad in USA Today.

Each year, the Siemens Foundation and the College Board honor winning high school math and science teachers who have a minimum of five years of teaching experience in math, science or technology courses. They are selected for their exemplary teaching and enthusiastic dedication to students and the AP Program.

Coffee and Shakespeare

On March 2, the seventh grade presented interpretations of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream during Breakfast and the Bard in the theater. Parents gathered in the lobby before the show to enjoy a light breakfast and then took their seats for the performances.

Students performed scenes solo and in groups ranging from two to six.

Scenes included Act I’s Friends Compare Their Attractiveness/Luck in Love with Shelley Warner as Hermia and Emily Schramm as Helena, and Act IV’s Bottom Awakens from His Dream with Ryan Cinoman as Bottom.

 

Click the image for a larger version.

Click the image for a larger version.

CA Hosts AMC; Four Students Make Next Level

Recently 200 students from the area participated in the American Mathematics Competition at Cary Academy.

According to Jeff Killmer, math department chair, “The test seemed to have some extra difficulty this year, so scores were a little lower than usual, but we still had some great results (for CA students).”

Four CA students qualified for the next round of tests – The American Invitational Math Exam. They are, with scores out of a possible 150 points, Nick Tarleton (AMC 12), 102; Damien Jiang (AMC 10), 138; Allen Yang (AMC 10), 138; and Zach Sarnoff (AMC 10), 120.

Orchestra Students Honored

On Feb. 23-25, about 221 student musicians divided into two orchestras and played in Fayetteville for the N.C. Eastern Regional All State Orchestra Festival.

Four Cary Academy students participated in this event: Nathaniel Ting (’09): third chair in first violin section in string orchestra; Jeffie Chang (’10): ninth chair in viola section in symphony orchestra; Michelle Wang (’10): seventh chair in cello section in symphony orchestra (the only freshman in this section); and Vann Mitchell (‘08): first chair in clarinet section in symphony orchestra (the highest achievement of any Cary Academy student in all state orchestra). Damien Jiang (’10) and Murphy Chang (’07) had earlier won the audition for this event but were unable to attend.

In other orchestra-related news, Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08) and 74 other musicians from around the country made the national orchestra festival in January. They played Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Take a Trip Through the Plays of CA’s Past

A new exhibit, showcasing the props, costumes and set pieces from the school’s first 10 years of plays and musicals, is now up in the lower gallery of the Fine and Performing Arts Center.
 
The ART of Collaboration: Celebrating Ten Years of Cary Academy Theater runs through Tuesday, March 6. The installation of the items was led by a team of eighth-grade theater majors: Blair Barnett, Zach Dresher, Emma Frank, Jeff Goettel, Kara Goray, John Joyner and Lucas Lee. The team’s work was supported by all of the Middle School theater majors at various stages throughout the installation.

Everyone is invited to view this exciting, memory-filled exhibition, as it represents the passion, commitment, innovation and hard work of the hundreds of students, faculty, staff and parent volunteers who have invested themselves wholeheartedly in the creation of 10 years of magic.

Click the image for a larger version.

Click the image for a larger version.

Kids Feeding Kids is Anniversary Project

Kids Feeding Kids, a service project to celebrate the school’s 10th anniversary, will be held March 19-23. The CA community will be collecting kid-friendly food for the Food Shuttle’s BackPack Buddies program during this time. The Back Pack Program provides backpacks filled with child-friendly, nutritious food to needy children in our area over the weekend and during holiday breaks and year-round school breaks.

Did you know that more than 80,000 children in the Triangle qualify for free and reduced lunch programs during the school year? Cary Academy and the Food Shuttle want to help these kids for when school is not in session.

Joe Harris (‘08) and the lacrosse team are spearheading collection in the US, and in the MS, the 6th grade is coordinating efforts. Watch for CA athletes and students handing out the collection bags in carpool lines at both the US and MS on mornings and afternoons during March 19-23. In addition, collection bins will be available in both the Middle and Upper schools.

The following foods are needed for each backpack:

• Shelf-stable fruit cups and applesauce

• Canned fruits and vegetables

• Canned meats and fish

• Meat-based soups and stews

• Shelf-stable milk

• Cereal, grits and oatmeal

• Healthy snacks, such as graham crackers, dried fruit, and granola bars

• 100% juice (in cans, boxes, or plastic bottles)

• Microwaveable shelf-stable meals (e.g., Easy Mac)

• Individual packages and pop-tops are best!

To learn more, contact the Food Shuttle at (919) 250-0043 or visit the website at www.foodshuttle.org.

Future Leader May Attends Conference

Helen May (’11) attended the National Young Leaders State Conference in Charlotte Feb. 15-18.  The conference taught the concepts of leadership to eighth and 9th grade students from North and South Carolina and aimed to inspire the students to make a difference in their communities. 
 
“In the conference, we learned how to become a more effective leader in our community,” said May.  “We learned about leadership skills, debating, and conflict resolution.  We attended seminars about diversity and appreciating differences.  We learned about common law issues, such as illegal immigration and abortion.  We also worked on public speaking and group work ethics. My favorite part of the conference was the public speaking workshop.  We worked on enunciation and projection.  I also liked the workshop on developing a personal leadership philosophy.  In this workshop, we worked on techniques to accomplish our goals.” 

For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.cylc.org/nylsc/.

Science in Community

On Feb. 16, community members with scientific backgrounds gathered at the Middle School to assist in a special teaching event, Science in Our Community. 

The community members shared their knowledge with the Middle Schoolers from 8 to 11 a.m. Each student beforehand had signed up for three presentations and visited those classrooms in turn throughout the morning.

Some of the presentations hosted by community members were The Physics of the CD and DVD, Treating Cancer with Nanoparticles, Veterinarians do more that treat pets; some are scientists too, and Artificial Intelligence: Will Those Evil Robots Win?
 

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Dancers Watch Pros in Action

The seventh and eighth grade dance students got to witness professional dancers in action Feb. 21 when they traveled to NCSU’s Stewart Theater to see the Dayton Contemporary Dance Co. (DCDC) perform.
 
“The director of Center Stage, Sharon Moore, tries to have one event each year for the Wake County dance students to see,” explained dance instructor Betsy Hutchinson. “This show is especially suitable for Middle School students. The dances they saw had been choreographed by Rennie Harris and Donald Byrd, who grew up in North Carolina and went to NCSA.”

Rooted in the African American experience, DCDC has earned international acclaim for artistic excellence and virtuosic dancing marked by its skill, athleticism and passion.

February 2007

Birthday Bash PTAA Auction Party Feb. 24

Come join fellow Cary Academy parents, faculty, staff and guests for a fun-filled auction this Saturday, Feb. 24.  Party tunes will be playing and scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be available. Oh, and did we mention birthday cake??   Party starts at 6:30 p.m.

This year's auction features a Live Auction, Super Silent Auction (with over 300 items), Tuition Raffle and Basket Chance Raffle.  To purchase tickets and view some of the auction items, go to: http://www.caryacademyptaa.org/ptaa/auction.nsf .

Are your kids still looking for a Nintendo Wii?  We've got one!  How about a night on the town going to Cary Magazine's Best of locations?  Evening at the Umstead Hotel?  Dress down passes & Berger cookies?  We’ve got them as well as beautiful gift baskets and so much more. Come join the fun!

Author and Humanitarian Mortenson to Speak Feb. 28

Greg Mortenson, the founder and executive director of the Central Asia Institute and coauthor
of the New York Times best-seller Three Cups Of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, will speak at Carolina Friends School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m.

In 1993, after a failed attempt to climb K2, Mortenson, lost and alone, found his way to a poor Pakistani village. Moved by the kindness of the villagers who nursed him back to health, he promised to return and build a school. To date, Mortenson has built 57 schools in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he has gained the trust of Islamic leaders, military commanders, village elders and tribal chiefs for his tireless effort to champion girls' education. Mortenson's visit is part of the fifth anniversary celebration of Carolina Friends School's Afghan Sister Schools Project.

Mortenson's presentation is free and open to the public. For directions or more information go to www.http://www.cfsnc.org/whats_new/Greg_Mortenson.html, or call (919) 493-4263.

Grappler Alecio Earns First Individual Title for CA in Wrestling; Girls’ Bball Wins TISAC Tourney

At the NCISAA wrestling state championships held at CA on Feb. 16-17, sophomore Miguel Alecio, at the 189-pound class, pinned his opponent from Charlotte Christian School at 5:38 into the match to win the first individual state championship in wrestling in Cary Academy history. (The 2005 girls’ cross country team earned the school’s first team state championship.) Alecio completed his season with a 33-3 record. Freshman Alex Rosenthal also made it to the championship round.

Unfortunately, his opponent at the 103-pound class held on to win the match by a 4-2 score. Rosenthal completed the season as state runner-up with a 31-8 record. The Chargers took sixth place out of the 13-team field. Several additional wrestlers from the CA squad made it into the finals on Saturday, and they earned one fourth-place finish, five fifth-place finishes, and two sixth-place finishes. Details will be posted on the CA athletics web site on Monday.

Following is a rundown of the recent developments in swimming and basketball at the conference and state levels:

Swimming: The Cary Academy girls finished in fourth place with the 200 free relay team (Ayla Koc, Caitlin Kelly, Catherine Jacobs, Kelsey Parker) coming in third in its race. The CA boys finished in fourth place as well, but had numerous second or third place finishes: 2nd 100 Free: Daniel Uchiyama; 2nd 200 Free Relay: (Austin Crockett, Dorian Crawford, Kayvan Daragheh, Dan Uchiyama); 3rd 50 Free: Austin Crockett; 3rd 100 Fly: Kayvan Daragheh; 3rd 100 Breast: Ryan Watson; 3rd 400 Free Relay: (Austin Crockett, Dorian Crawford, Kayvan Daragheh, Dan Uchiyama). The Cary Academy swim team will compete in the NCISAA 3A State Championships on Monday, Feb. 19, at Pullen Park in Raleigh.

Basketball: The Cary Academy boys’ varsity basketball team completed its season with a first round conference tournament loss. Junior guard Stuart Gordon was named to the TISAC All Conference team.

The Cary Academy girls’ varsity basketball team completed its regular season with an undefeated TISAC record. Additionally, the team claimed its third consecutive TISAC regular season championship and its second consecutive TISAC tournament championship. Bryelle Smith earned TISAC All Conference honors and was named as the TISAC Player of the Year. Fellow senior Brittany Blackwell also earned TISAC All Conference honors. The team earned the TISAC automatic bid to the NCISAA 3A State Basketball Championships to be played in Asheville Feb. 22 – 24. They are seeded third and will face Ravenscroft at 4:00 PM on Thursday, Feb. 22, at Christ School in Asheville. The winner of that game will play the winner of #2 vs. #7 at 5:30 PM on Friday, also at Christ School. The state championship will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 6:00 PM at Asheville School.

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HP Visits to Discuss Tablets

Representative from Hewlett-Packard (HP), makers of the tablet PC being used by all students, visited campus Feb. 15 to discuss the partnership between Cary Academy and HP.

Thomas Kenny, vice president of public sector, and Kevin Oakley, PSG account manager and the sales representative for CA, met with the Information Services staff and Sam Morris, instructional technology director, for a meeting and later toured the campus.

“The primary focus of the visit was to discuss how each of us could benefit the other,” explained Morris. “In particular, how CA might provide feedback on product design and support. In addition, HP is committed to helping CA fulfill its mission of collaboration by supporting CA faculty presentations at national conferences and workshops.”

Sam Morris, center, shows HP reps Thomas Kenny, far right, and Kevin Oakley a CA class in action.

Science Olympiad Team is Fifth in Regionals; on to State

At the Regional Science Olympiad at Garner Magnet High School on Feb. 10, Cary Academy finished fifth and qualified for the State Science Olympiad on April 20-21 at NCSU. CA was officially awarded first in Robot Ramble, which moved the team to fifth overall.

Students who medaled and their events:

1st place – Robot Ramble – Andrew Hillenius (’08)

2nd place – Designer Genes – Ashton Lai (’07) and Ryan Watson (’07)
Ecology – Ashton Lai and Alex Su (’07)
Physics Lab – Brendan Kiu (’07) and David Marron (’07)

3rd place – Experimental Design – Shanthan Citineni (’08), Angela Hayes (’08), Alex Rosen (’07)
Food Science – Rachel Park (’08) and Ryan Watson
Health Science – Ashton Lai and Yasmeen Mansour (‘08)
Write It Do It – Rachel Park and Diana Woodall (‘08)

4th place – Astronomy – Angela Hayes and Nick Tarleton (’07)
Fermi Questions – Brendan Kiu and David Marron
Rocks and Minerals – Angela Hayes and Ryan Watson

6th place – Entomology – Kasey Sedova (’09) and Nick Tarleton

7th place – Boomilever – Shanthan Citineni, Andrew Hillenius, Brendan Kiu

Other team members are Daniel Leef (’10), Tom Marty (’07) and Mikie Rooney (‘09).

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Connecting Students with the Right Careers; Seven are National Merit Finalists

With help from the PTAA, the school counselors put on Career Connections Feb. 9. Musicians, lawyers, SBI agents, architects, business owners, dentists, physical therapists and potters flooded the campus that day, speaking to students in 35-minutes sessions throughout the half-day. Dr. Don Azevedo, who works with people on ways to integrate interests and talents in the workplace, kicked off the event with a presentation in the theater.

Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish, North Carolina State Treasurer Richard Moore and Christine Rogers, a producer and host of a WUNC show, were some of the better-known names among those who spoke to students in the breakout sessions.

In preparation for the day, freshman and sophomores took the Myers Briggs profile (upperclassman had taken it last year).  Students did exercises in advisory to help them consider how to match their interests and talents with possible careers, and then went online to select the career sessions they would like to attend.

A lucky seven seniors from Cary Academy have made the list of finalists for the 2007 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards. The magnificent seven are: Caitlin Daniels, Sarah Helfer, Brendan Kiu, Ashton Lai, David Marron, Swapanthi Nagulpally and Nick Tarleton. The selection of some 8,200 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of 15,000 finalists is now in progress. In March, winners will receive scholarship offers via mail.

Aspiring Heads Want to Know

Shelton Shepherd, dean of students at Cary Academy, has been selected by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to receive an NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads.

Shepherd is one of 70 Fellows for 2006-07. He also teaches math at Cary Academy.

The NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring Heads is a one-year professional development program for individuals at NAIS member schools who wish to become heads of independent schools. Through programming, mentorship and a school project, Fellows develop their own leadership styles, learn key issues and skills, and develop a strong network.

Darfur Project Involves Upper School

The crisis in Darfur has not been lost on the students in the Upper School, thanks to Lauren (’07) and Michael Kahn (’09).

Recently this brother-and-sister duo put in motion the Darfur Project, an awareness campaign to inform their fellow students about their role as global citizens and to teach them how they can get involved. The two enlisted the help of fellow concerned classmates and put together T-shirt, multi-media, poster, assembly and letter writing committees.

An assembly for the Upper School was held Jan. 24 and clips of the documentary Save Darfur were shown. Cori Lindler (’07) and Alana Daley (’07) organized the T-shirt sale. They sold 171 shirts emblazoned with Stop Genocide in Sudan and received many donations. Money also came in through Dimes for Darfur. Letters to congressman and news outlets were mailed Feb. 9.

All of the money raised by the project ($1,500 as of Feb. 9) is going to Genocide Intervention Network and to the Darfur Diaries Education Project, an initiative to fund schools in the destroyed villages.

US Set to Present American Classics

Two classics of the American stage, Waiting for Lefty and The American Dream, are set to be performed by the Upper School. Dream is an example of American absurdist drama, and Lefty is a work of agit-prop theater.

Performances will be Thursday, Feb. 15; Friday, Feb. 16; and Saturday, Feb. 17.  Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Get your tickets here.

All seats are reserved, general admission seats. For this production the audience will sit in a semicircle on stage. Performances begin at 7:15 p.m., and each show will run about 50 minutes.  Because of the proximity of the audience to the performing area, there will be no late seating. 

NHS Inducts 12; Kota Makes Magazine; MS Poetry Goes Online

The National Honor Society inducted 12 new members, all juniors, Feb. 5. They are: Arjun Chandran, Mark Easley, Katherine Ernst, Clayton Gladieux, Andrea Green, Max Hamilton, Sarah Hussey, Michelle Luo, Matt Nemetz, Hart Nunnally, Nicole Rothman and Diana Woodall.

Based on work Anirudh Kota (’08) did last summer at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in Research Triangle Park, he has been selected to present at a toxicology workshop in March. The latest NIEHS magazine has a story on Kota. Read it here: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/factor/current.pdf.

The students of the seventh grade are now published poets. An online collection of their original poetry is now up on the Web. Language arts instructors Anthony Risko and Briarly White assisted the students with the collection as part of a poetry unit. Students crafted their own poems, designed their own Web pages for the project, and they came up with the alliterative title A Patchwork of Poetry. Just click on this link, http://project1.caryacademy.org/7thGradePoetry/06-07/default.htm, to access the project homepage. Find and click on a student’s name, and read a rich variety of verse.

Click the image for a larger version.

MS Poetry Goes Online

The students of the seventh grade are now published poets. An online collection of their original poetry is now up on the Web.

Language arts instructors Anthony Risko and Briarly White assisted the students with the collection as part of a poetry unit. Students crafted their own poems, designed their own Web pages for the project, and they came up with the alliterative title A Patchwork of Poetry.

Just click on this link, http://project1.caryacademy.org/7thGradePoetry/06-07/default.htm, to access the project homepage. Find and click on a student’s name, and read a rich variety of verse.

January 2007

State of School Address Given at PTAA Meeting

Head of School Don Berger presented the State of the School address Jan. 22 during the PTAA general membership meeting. If you missed the meeting here is a link to the Powerpoint presentation.

The address touched on issues such as standardized testing, college admissions, the tablet PC program and diversity.

The Jan. 22 general membership meeting minutes and amended bylaws are posted on the PTAA website.  The next PTAA general membership meeting will be held April 23 at 7 p.m.

Annual Fund Near Goal; Challenges Made

As of Jan. 25, the Annual Fund has reached $167,125. To spur giving and help increase percentages, three challenges have been issued.

If 100 percent of the seventh grade families contribute to the AF campaign, a gift of $5,000 will be made in honor of the seventh grade by a generous family in the Middle School. The class stands at 70 percent now.

Another generous family has issued a challenge to the whole Middle School. If 95 percent of all Middle School families contribute $10 or more to the Annual Fund, a gift of $5,000 will be awarded. Currently, the sixth grade stands at 59 percent, the seventh grade at 70 percent and the eighth grade at 70 percent.

A giving 11th grade family has offered a challenge to all 11th grade families who have never contributed to the Cary Academy Annual Fund: Each gift will be matched dollar for dollar! Gifts must be a minimum of $10 and each gift will be matched up to $100.

If you haven’t given to the CELEBRATE campaign yet this year, please consider sending in a gift. Pledges can be made online and paid anytime before June 15, 2007: http://web1.caryacademy.org/advancement/annualfund/06-07/annualfundgift.htm. Checks and credit cards are accepted. Send your tax-deductible payment to the school and mark it Annual Fund. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dorrys McArdle at dorrys_mcardle@caryacademy.org or 228-4542.

Notable Student Achievements From Past Week

The past week has seen some noteworthy achievements by CA students.

Based on work Anirudh Kota (’08) did last summer at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in Research Triangle Park, he has been selected to present at a toxicology workshop in March.

Seth Johnson (’09) was in the North Carolina Theatre musical "A Man of No Importance," which ran Jan. 20-28.

Congratulations are in order for Rachel Parks ('07), Colin Everett ('08), Patrick Kenna ('10) and Ben Vig ('10) who auditioned for the East Region All-State Jazz Band on Jan. 20 at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville. Parks was selected to participate with the other three narrowly missing.

Sixth Grade Studies Middle East and Whole School Benefits

For years, the sixth grade World Cultures curriculum has studied the countries, customs and geography of the Middle East, but this year they got a true taste of the region.

The World Cultures instructors decided to incorporate food into the curriculum as a way for students to experience and relate to the ancient cultures of the area. When approached about the idea, Dining Manager Sam Monsour decided to prepare a special Middle East menu for the entire school lunch on Jan. 22.

Dishes for the day included Turkish lentil soup, roasted garlic hummus, Israeli spice chicken and rice pilaf.

Click the image for a larger version.

Career Connections Feb. 9; Update on Scholarships, Colleges

The PTAA and Upper School sponsored Career Connections, an event which introduces US students to possible career paths, will be held Friday, Feb. 9. The US will dedicate the entire half-day to the program. The morning will begin with a breakfast for students. At 8:30, Dr. Don Azevedo will give a keynote address. Dr. Azevedo is a dynamic speaker who works with people on ways to integrate interests and talents in work.

From 9:30 to noon, students will attend three seminars on topics of interest. The Career Connections committee is recruiting speakers from over 20 fields, based on feedback from the 2005 program and from surveys students completed during advisory.  Seminar speakers include people working in politics, design, chemistry and engineering, law, medicine, art, writing, producing, business, music, international development, architecture, and much more. Students will have a chance to choose three sessions of interest.

Three seniors have advanced to the semi-finalist stage in local merit scholarship competitions. Caitlin Daniels and Allison Yim have both been named semi-finalists for the Park Scholarship at NCSU. Sarah Helfer has been named a semi-finalist for the Morehead Scholarship at UNC.

Other seniors have heard from colleges through early or rolling-decision plans. A few seniors have already completed their college search through Early Decision (binding) admission to the following colleges: American University, Bucknell University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, and Virginia Tech. Other non-binding early acceptances have come from a range of colleges, including Boston College, College of Charleston, Elon University, Guilford College, Indiana University, UNC-Charlotte, NCSU, Appalachian State University, UNC-Greensboro, Tulane University, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Georgia, University of Pittsburgh, Ursinus College, and more. UNC-Chapel Hill recently notified applicants in their first round of admissions, and over a third of the Class of 2007 has already been admitted to Chapel Hill. But the majority of college decisions will come later this spring. Seniors will then have to May 1 to make a final choice.

Smith Honored by Raleigh Sports Club; Orchestra Students Recognized

Senior basketball player Bryelle Smith was honored as the high school athlete of the week by the Raleigh Sports Club's Wake County branch on Jan. 17.  Smith was chosen from all varsity athletes in Wake County, public and private. This is CA’s first such honor.

She met with the club for its weekly luncheon at Highland United Methodist Church. Her coaches, Randy Bennett and Kim Cherre, attended as well. Smith gave a brief speech in which she thanked the club for her award. Ron Wellman, the athletic director at Wake Forest University, was the featured speaker.

Nine orchestra students auditioned for the 2007 Eastern Regional All State Orchestra on Jan. 13, and six of them were selected: Murphy Chang, third flute in symphony; Vann Mitchell, first clarinet in symphony; Damien Jiang, third clarinet in symphony; Nathaniel Ting, first violin in string; Jeffie Chang, viola in symphony; Michelle Wang, cello in symphony. They will participate in the ERASO festival during the weekend of Feb. 23-25.

Second Annual Burdick Fellowships Starting

The PTAA and the Middle and Upper School English Departments are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Charles M Burdick Young Writers’ Fellowship.

The $1,000 award, presented to one seventh-grader and one ninth-grader annually, allows the recipient to study at a summer creative writing program of his or her choice.

Applications are currently available through the PTAA webpage, the English Department webpage and English teacher websites. The due date for the application is Feb. 15.

Sixth Grade to Party at the Roller Rink

The sixth grade roller skating party, sponsored and funded in part by the PTAA, will be held at Jellybeans Super Skate Center at 1120 Buck Jones Road on Friday, Feb. 9, from 12:45 to 2:45 p.m. Feb. 9 is an early dismissal day.

The cost is $4 per student and includes regular skate rental, pizza, and drink. Students may bring their own rollerblades or skates. Rollerblade rental, additional food and arcade tokens will be available for an additional fee at the rink.

For questions or to volunteer to chaperone, please contact Sue Haberberger at 363-7225 or suehab@bellsouth.net. Please RSVP by Feb. 5.

PTAA Meeting, State of School Address Jan. 22

Please mark your calendars for the next PTAA general membership meeting on Monday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Lecture Hall of the Fine Arts Building. Light refreshments will be served at 6:45.

Head of School Don Berger will present the State of the School Address and speak to current issues affecting the school community.

The next general membership meeting will be held April 23 at 7 p.m.

Hee-Yahh! MS Students Learn Self-Defense

The sixth- and eighth-grade students of physical education instructor Kim Cherre learned a little self defense recently.

On Jan. 4-5, Sensei Rodriguez and two of his disciples from Niji No Hashi Dojo in Cary taught the students self-defense techniques.

The three men demonstrated parries, throws and blocks for a variety of attack scenarios. In addition, Rodriguez led the students in group drills.

Click the image for a larger version.

Click the image for a larger version.

Three Make All-District Bands

Eleven Cary Academy students auditioned for the 2007 All-District Bands on Saturday, Jan. 6, and three were selected. Peter McNeill ('09) made it to the high school band for the central district, and Emilie Chen ('11) and Trevor Pearce ('11) made it to the middle school band for the central district. Chen is eligible to audition for the All-State Band on March 3.

The audition consisted of learning a very challenging solo piece, memorizing and playing seven or eight major scales with arpeggios, and also sight-reading a piece of music students had never seen. Students selected to one of the HS All-District Bands will participate in the performance weekend, Jan. 26-27, at UNC in Chapel Hill. Students selected to one of the MS All-District Bands will participate in the performance weekend, Feb. 2-3, at Asheboro HS in Asheboro. 

Seventy-one Cary Academy Band students have been selected to All-District Bands since 1998. There has been at least one Cary Academy student selected to an All-District Band each of the past 10 years.

Cary Academy Wins National Leading Edge Award

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) has announced that Cary Academy has been selected as one of the 12 winners of the 2007 Leading Edge awards.

CA was honored in the programmatic sustainability category for large schools for Joselyn Todd’s Advances in Medical Technology Program (AMTP). The award will be bestowed to CA at the NAIS annual conference in Denver on Feb. 28-March 2.

The NAIS Leading Edge Program honors only 12 programs every year out of more than 1,300 NAIS member schools. The schools are honored with an award and video display at the annual conference, and their programs are profiled in NAIS publications. The Leading Edge Program's goal is to showcase model programs and best practices from which all schools can learn.

Doctor to Address CA Community on Breast Cancer

Dr. Glenn Coates of Wake Radiology will talk about recent advances in the detection and treatment of breast cancer at a presentation Jan. 18 in the theater of the Fine Arts Building from 7-9 p.m.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of premature death among women, but new methods of breast imaging are available, and greater knowledge of options for diagnosis and treatment can help women make informed decisions about their health.

Dr. Coates will review facts about breast cancer and describe the promise Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) holds for cancer detection.

The presentation is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Cary Academy, Wake Radiology and the Cary Academy PTAA.

Click here to see the flyer.

CA Girls Win Holiday Tourney; Soccer, Bball Players Receive Honors

The varsity girls’ basketball team again won the Cary News Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament held Dec. 28-30. The team defeated Harding 38-34. The boys lost to Durham Academy 58-48 in the fifth place game. Click here to see the All Tournament teams.

Two seniors on the girl’s team have been officially recognized as McDonald’s All America candidates. Clemson University signee Bryelle Smith and UNC-Wilmington signee Brittany Blackwell have both been nominated for the prestigious award.

In soccer news, on Dec. 16, 2006, the finals of the North Carolina Youth Soccer and the Presidents State Cup were played in Greensboro, and Cary Academy was well represented. Alex Berger’s (’07) 89 Triangle Futbol Club Navy Team won a hard fought NCYSA championship over another local soccer club team, the 89 CASL Elite. Berger also is a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) team for North Carolina. Jackie Bennett (’09) and Nihad Mansour (’09) are members of the 90 CASL Spartan United team that won the Presidents Cup State Championship.  Their team will travel to Tampa in June to compete in the regional tournament and have the opportunity to make it to the national tournament.  Bennet is also playing ODP soccer. Lauren Jamiolkowski (’09) is a member of the 90 CASL Elite team that won the NCYSA championship. Kelsey Gauger’s (’10) 91 Elite team won the state cup title over Charlotte Blue 3-1. Gauger made first team All Tournament at the USY National Championships in Florida in November.

December 2006

Homecoming Scores Big on all Fronts

The week of homecoming festivities raised spirits as well as gifts for charities.

At the Wacky Olympics Dec. 15, the Class of 2007 tied the Class of 2009 for points in events such as Casino Royale and Happy Feet. On Homecoming Day Dec. 19, the varsity girls’ basketball team defeated St. Mary’s before a packed house, and the varsity boys dropped a close one to Rocky Mount Academy. A record number of alumni returned for the games and the night’s events and made great use of the hospitality suite.

During homecoming both schools pitched in to make the holidays a little better for the area’s needy. In the Middle School, a food drive collected 1,479 cans for the Raleigh Salvation Army family assistance program, and students and families donated gifts for 40 children in the Wake County ad Litem relative placement program. In the Upper School, a coat drive collected 65 items for the Salvation Army, a fundraiser selling hot chocolate and apple cider before school raised over $284 for the crisis in Darfur, and a food drive spearheaded by the Beta Club collected two pallets of cans for the Durham distribution center of the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina. Also, students and families donated gifts to 130 foster children in the Johnston County Foster Program.
 

Alumni Gather.	Ming-An Lee welcomes back Joelle Portzer ('06).
Wacky Olympics.

Todd Has Been Busy

Middle school science instructor Joselyn Todd has been keeping busy over the past week with student-related technological projects.

She aided students in producing the first podcast from CASP (Cary Academy Student Productions). CASP’s purpose is to provide informative podcasts on a regular basis. The Web address is http://camswebclub.wordpress.com/, and if you would like to subscribe to future podcasts through I.E. 7.0 or an aggregator, enter the address http://camswebclub.wordpress.com/feed/. If you would rather subscribe to the podcasts and vodcasts on your iTunes and then transfer them to your iPod, go to iTunes, “Advanced” (in the toolbar), “Subscribe to podcast”, enter- http://project1.caryacademy.org/CASP/podcasts_vodcasts.xml.

Todd’s science students have created a wiki, a type of collaborative Web site that allows the students to add, remove and edit content. Seventy chemistry students spent two days creating a wiki for atomic structure. The site can be viewed at: http://science7chemreview1.wikispaces.com/.

Soccer, Lacrosse Coaches Announced

Jeff Costa, the varsity boys’ soccer head coach has been named the Chargers varsity girls’ soccer head coach. Cary Academy graduate Melih Onvural returns as the JV girls head coach this spring. Coach Onvural brings a superior knowledge of soccer to the pitch and will use his boundless energy and enthusiasm to continue developing the Chargers program. Both teams are in need of assistant coaches. Those who may be interested should contact the Cary Academy Athletics Department.

The Athletics Department has announced its boys’ lacrosse coaching staff for the spring season. Andy Gillis will take over as the new varsity head coach. Coach Gillis served as an assistant coach for the Chargers last year. Additionally, his resume includes 9 years as head coach at Simsbury HS in Simsbury, CT, and 2 years as head coach at Southington High School in Southington, CT. During that time period Coach Gillis led his teams to six conference championships, three division championships, and eight state tournament appearances. Coach Gillis also was selected as the 1994 Connecticut Coach of the Year, served as the Senior All-Star Coach in 1990, 1994, and 1997, and coached the North team in the North-South Senior All-Star Game in 2003.  MS math instructor Michael Raskevitz will serve as the new MS head coach.

The two head coaches will be assisted by a very strong staff. Chris Iorio presently works as the club coach at North Carolina State University and runs the local indoor leagues at Dream Sports. Patrick Fitzgerald has most recently served as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the St. Andrews Presbyterian College women’s team. Instructor Andrew Currier will round out the assistant coaching staff. Coach Currier most recently served as the head coach at New Hampton Prep. Prior to leaving private business to teach and coach, Coach Currier had played as a midfielder in high school.

Counselor’s Article Appears in N&O

Laura Sellers, associate director of college counseling, wrote an article for The News and Observer’s “Your Schools” section that appeared Nov. 29.

The article dealt on the details of applying to college. In her article, Sellers offered tips on essays and early decision.

To read the article, click here.

Calendar Draft for 2007-08 Announced

A draft of the calendar for the new school year of 2007-08 has been put together.

You can access the calendar draft here.

Please feel free to peruse the calendar and send comments, questions or suggestions to Kim Fogleman by Friday, Jan. 5, 2007. The Leadership Team will finalize the calendar in mid-January.

Holiday Shoppe 2006 the Best Yet

Holiday Shoppe 2006, held Nov. 30-Dec. 2, has been hailed by event planners as the best and biggest Holiday Shoppe ever. Vendors expressed pleasure at the turnout, and shoppers praised the selection. A large crowd attended the Sip ‘n Shoppe Preview Party, held Nov. 29, as well. Money raised from the event will go to community outreach and student scholarships.

Rae Marie Czuhai of In the Spirt of Giving said this shoppe attracted more customers than a year ago, when she brought her booth to the shoppe for the first time. “This has been great,” she said. “It’s been very busy. The crowd has been steady, more than last year’s.”

Shopper Meredith Krysiak visited last year’s event and said she was enjoying the variety at this year’s shoppe. “There is a lot to look at and pick from,” she said. As she squeezed a couple of green baby towels from Monkeywraps, she smiled, “Anything for the grandchildren interests me.”

Homecoming is Here

The seventh annual homecoming week of activities is upon us. This year homecoming also serves as a celebration of CA’s 10th anniversary.

If you would like to attend the homecoming dinner on Dec. 19 at 5 p.m. in the dining hall, here is the registration form. The Kiernan family – parents Chris and Carla and student Devin (’09) – developed the homecoming T-shirt.

Pre-orders of the homecoming T-shirts will be delivered by the end of the week. A limited number of extra homecoming T-shirts will be available for sale in the Charger Corner on Dec. 18-19 for $10.

A summary of the week’s events:

Wednesday, Dec. 13
Food drive campaign begins

Friday, Dec. 15
Wacky Olympics (2:30 pm – 3:10 pm)

Monday, Dec. 18
Sports/Collegiate Apparel Day

Tuesday, Dec. 19
Blue-n-Gold / Charger Pride Day
Pep Rally (2:30 pm – 3:10 pm)
MS Girls Blue host St. Michael’s (4 pm, SEA)
JV Girls host St. Mary’s (4 pm, Fitness Center)
Spaghetti Dinner (5 pm – 7 pm, Dining Hall)
JV Boys host Rocky Mount Academy (5:15, Fitness Center)
MS Boys Blue host St. Michael’s (5:15 pm, SEA)
Varsity Girls host St. Mary’s (6:30 pm, Fitness Center)
Varsity Boys host Rocky Mount Academy (8 pm, Fitness Center)
Homecoming dance (9:30 pm – 11:30 pm)

Wednesday, Dec. 20
Pajama Day
Food drive ends (8:00 am)
SADD program during upper school meeting

Thursday, Dec. 21
Traditional Dress-down Day

Events taking place in the Middle School:

Canned Food Drive
Collections will be accepted Dec. 13 through 8 am on Dec. 20. All donations will be sent to the Raleigh Salvation Army. Collection barrels are located in M106 (A. Rothrock) for sixth grade, M206 (J. Todd) for seventh grade and M221 (B. Rochelle) for eighth grade. The grade level that contributes the most will receive a dress down day in January. Please make sure that all donations are placed in the appropriate grade level rooms. Please do not drop off donations in the Middle School office.

Spirit Week
Monday, December 18
Wacky Wednesday

Tuesday, December 19
Blue/Gold Day

Wednesday, December 20
Sports Day (collegiate or otherwise)

Thursday, December 21
Think Pink Day

Robotics Club Does Well; GeoBee Held

The Middle School Robotics Team, under the team name RROS (Robots Rock Our Socks), placed second out of 38 teams in the category of Robot Design at the FIRST Lego League state competition held this past Saturday in Greensboro. The team consists of students from the seventh and eighth grades. See more of the team’s work at its website: http://web1.caryacademy.org/clubwebs/camindstorms

Harry Lambert (’11) won the 2006-07 Middle School GeoBee, and Cameron Mankin (’12) placed second. Lambert was second in last year’s geography bee. The decisive question that Lambert answered correctly to win, was the following: “In April 2006, pro-democracy demonstrations in Kathmandu and the surrounding countryside resulted in the king transferring power to the Parliament in which Asian country?” (Answer: Nepal)

Lambert will go on to take a written test to try to qualify for the state-level competition early next year. Other finalists included Alex Evans (’11), Charlotte Kelley (’11), Justin Ketzler (’11), Rachel Holt (’12), Valerie Saunders-Duncan (’12), Benjamin Shpurker (’12), Elizabeth Brock (’13), and Thomas Worm (’13).

Chorus Concert 12/17; Two Make Honors Choir

The Middle School and Upper School Combined Chorus concert is Sunday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. in the Cary Academy theatre.  This concert will feature all the chorus classes along with members from the Honors Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.  The concert will feature music of the season and music of well-known and historical composers.  In an effort to celebrate Cary Academy’s 10th year anniversary, there is hope that many chorus alums will join the concert to celebrate the season.

Clayton Casper (’07) and Cori Lindler (’07) have been selected to participate in the National American Choral Directors Association High School/University Multicultural Choir Honor Choir.  Students from all across the nation ranging in age from 15 to 22 were offered the opportunity to audition for the Honor Choir. 

Cary Academy had seven students send in audition tapes with two being selected.  There were 13 students selected to the choir from North Carolina.  If Casper and Lindler choose to accept the invitation, they will receive a packet of music to learn and travel to Miami for rehearsals and performances at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in early March. 

November 2006

Holiday Shoppe a Smash with Vendors, Patrons [top]

A packed parking lot and lots and lots of shoppers greeted the opening of Holiday Shoppe 2006 on Nov. 30. Vendors have expressed pleasure at the turnout, and shoppers have praised the selection. A large crowd attended the Sip ‘n Shoppe Preview Party, held Nov. 29, as well.

Shelley Morrissette of Usborne Children’s Books said the shoppe is “off to a great start.” In her third year at the shoppe as a vendor, Morrissette added, “It’s going to be another great year. I keep having to fill in the rack (with books) as they fly off.”

Shopper Meredith Krysiak visited last year’s event and said she was enjoying the variety at this year’s shoppe. “There is a lot to look at and pick from,” she said. As she squeezed a couple of green baby towels from Monkeywraps, she smiled, “Anything for the grandchildren interests me.”

The shoppe continues through Dec. 2. The hours are: Friday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from Holiday Shoppe go to community outreach and need-based scholarships.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Get Preview Party Tickets Now; 2006 Holiday Shoppe Bigger, Better [top]

The annual Sip ‘n Shoppe Preview Party kicking off the 2006 Holiday Shoppe is set for Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 7-9 p.m. It’s not too late to join the Cary Academy community for an evening of music, food and shopping! Bring your reservations ($15/per person) to the Advancement Office, MS Office or US Office.

The Holiday Shoppe will run Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Over 100 vendors will be on hand to display their handmade jewelry and pottery, their purses, ornaments, baby clothes, food, hostess items, apparel, and home accessories.

The hours for the Holiday Shoppe are: Thursday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from Holiday Shoppe go to community outreach and need-based scholarships. For more information about the Holiday Shoppe, click here.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Holiday Shoppe, please email wbandrews@nc.rr.com .

Blackwell and Smith Sign LOIs [top]

Surrounded by family, friends and teammates, CA girls’ basketball players Brittany Blackwell (’07) and Bryelle Smith (’07) signed NCAA letters of intent Nov. 10 during a noontime event in the lobby of the Fitness Center. Blackwell inked with UNC-Wilmington and Smith signed with Clemson University.

Addressing the audience before the signing, both girls thanked “everyone who has given us support over the years, especially our dedicated coaches.”

Blackwell averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five picks a game last year for the Lady Chargers. Smith, a point guard, led the team to the NCISAA 3A State Championship game last year scoring 14 points a contest and handing out over five assists a game.

Bryelle Smith

Quiz Bowl Teams Kick Gray Matter [top]

Cary Academy’s teams did extremely well at the regional Quiz Bowl tournament Nov. 11 hosted by Raleigh Charter.

One team grabbed first place, and the other broke to the quarterfinals.  In addition, two team members took individual honors with Felipe Lima (’08) and Max Hamilton (’08) earning the first and second highest number of points, respectively.

The tournament focused on popular culture, a topic area in which advisor Robert Coven said the CA teams are usually fairly weak.  “The results bode well for success in both Brain Game and future Quiz Bowl tournaments,” said Coven.

Classes Enter Global Warming Contest [top]

Heidi Maloy’s Advanced Environmental Science classes have submitted ideas to a google.educators challenge on how to slow global warming. The winning ideas from the contest, Global Warming Student Speakout, will be published in The Washington Post after Thanksgiving.

The classes’ top ideas are:

• Establish off-shore wind farms. Saves land space and produces reliable power.

• Use parking lots with built-in pipe fields to naturally heat up water and produce energy.

• Make all lights motion-sensor regulated, and then they can turn off at night, as well as during the day when not needed.

• Create a tram system powered by solar energy to eliminate so many cars traveling on the highway.

• Phytoplankton farms to reduce CO2 and to use the dead remains as a saleable product for fill for construction sites.

• Limit house dimensions on new construction based on number of person occupancy, but do not limit land size for a single family house.

• Make the age to obtain your license later (age 18), thereby decreasing number of cars on the road at any given time.

• Get a tax deduction if you use local recycling centers.

• Government funds for planting trees. When somebody cuts down a tree they have to pay a certain amount of money towards the fund.

• Promote rooftop gardens, making buildings more “plant-like.”

Girls Take Fall Prestige Cup; Team Awards Announced [top]

The girls’ teams of Cary Academy have won the conference award for the best overall fall athletic program within the conference. The girls beat out Durham Academy for the Triangle Independent School Athletic Conference (TISAC) Prestige Cup, and the boys came in second. CA presently holds the girls cup from last year.

The final standings are:

• Girls – CA, Durham Academy, Ravenscroft, NRCA, Saint Mary’s

• Boys – NRCA, CA, Durham Academy, Ravenscroft

Team, conference and state awards for CA’s fall teams also have been announced.  Click here for the full list.

Turning Jeans into Insulation [top]

The CA Environmental Club delivered 4 ½ barrels of blue jeans, an estimated 200 pairs, to the NCSU Textile School Nov. 6. Spearheaded by Katherine Ernst (’08), Angela Hayes (’08), and adult leaders Matt Greenwolfe, physics instructor, and Lee Leal, visual arts instructor, the denim collection benefited the denim drive of Cotton Incorporated’s national Dirty Laundry Tour.

Currently in its second year, the Dirty Laundry Tour, dubbed Cotton. From Blue to Green, visits 14 college campuses across the country to educate students about cotton. This year, the denim campaign was added to benefit post-Hurricane Katrina construction.

The jeans are shredded and converted into all-natural cotton insulation. The insulation will be donated to help rebuild an elementary school in Baton Rouge.

Shy Reviews Book for N&O [top]

Middle School social studies instructor Todd Shy’s review of Measuring the World appeared in The News and Observer Nov. 5 in its Arts and Entertainment section.

The German novel by Daniel Kehlmann is set in the 1800s during the height of German intellectual activity. Philosopher Immanuel Kant and artist and humanist Johann Goethe appear in the novel as characters.

The book “has been identified as a kind of pivot toward high-brow lightness and the recovery of humor in a land whose literature remains shadowed, if not shrouded, by the need to account for World War II,” wrote Shy in his positive review.

Book Event More than Fair [top]

Once again the CA library has benefited greatly from the Barnes & Noble book fair and the Grandparents’ Day book donations. For the second year in a row, the book fair, held Nov. 4-5, surpassed the $10,000 mark in sales, netting the library over $2,500. In addition, the library received donated books totaling over $1,200 from its wish table.

Grandparents’ Day was held Nov. 4, and CA families donated over $2,100 in books and money during the day. Please take the time to stop by the library after the trimester break and see some of the new resources available. They will be on display and on the shelves available for checkout as soon as the librarians get them all cataloged.

Librarians Carol Winslett and Liz Smith want to thank all the Middle School and Upper School visual art students who lent them their work for the Thursday night art display at Barnes & Noble as well as parents Diana Harris, Pam Ray and Jan Richards for their invaluable help.

Grandparents’ Day Impresses Guests [top]

The annual Grandparents’ and Special Friends Day, held Nov. 3, brought in another full house of admiring, happy and impressed visitors.

After welcoming remarks and breakfast in the cafeteria, the visitors were treated to a display of singing, dancing and music by CA’s artistically talented students in the auditorium. The guests then attended classes with their student hosts. This year, a free blood pressure checking station was provided by instructor Joselyn Todd and her students.

Special thanks to Constituency Coordinator Chris Gilmore for organizing the event, and to Michael Hayes, Jacquie Holcomb, Eric Grush, Betsy Hutchinson, and Yiying Qiao for helping put on the talent show.

Click here for larger image.

Community Band Will Perform in Honor of Anniversary [top]

In celebration of 10 years of instrumental music at Cary Academy, the Upper School band, along with any parent, employee or student with instrumental experience, will perform Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson Nov. 30.

“It is a wonderful way to celebrate the collaborative spirit that has helped the instrumental music program to thrive and is sure to be a lot of fun,” says Eric Grush, director of bands. “It is an opportunity for the entire community to enjoy playing a holiday favorite.”

Grush estimates that 30 to 40 people will play in the event. He is providing music and even instruments to those who want to participate.

Participants are required to have one individual meeting with Grush and attend a rehearsal at 6 p.m., Nov. 30.

Halloween Celebrated at CA [top]

Ghouls and vampires, as well as Dr. Suess characters and Batman, paid a visit to Cary Academy Oct. 31. Enjoy these pictures.

Meanwhile, over at the Upper School, the junior class won the annual Halloween hallway decorating contest. The sophomore class came in second. The Class of 2008 will receive one dress-down day in honor of its first-place finish. The Class of 2007 will receive one dress-down for having the highest percentage of students in costume.

Click here for larger image.

Click here for larger image.

Cooking, Tennis and Juggling to be Offered Over Break [top]

A cooking class, a tennis camp, and a course on juggling and magic, three new auxiliary programs, will be offered over trimester break Nov. 13-17.

Cuisines of the World is open to all CA students, and the cost is $250. Students will prepare, taste, serve and evaluate traditional/regional dishes of the world. Emphasis will be placed on ingredients, flavor profiles, preparations and techniques representative of these cuisines. The countries to be covered include: U.S.A., Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Cuba, Jamaica and Samoa. Click here for more information.

The tennis camp, run by Triangle Sports Group and CA, will teach the fundamentals of all strokes, as well as challenge the more experienced player. Light conditioning and movement exercises are combined with skill development and game play for a full spectrum of the tennis experience. Click here for more info and prices.

Juggling, magic and balloon sculpting will be taught by Flow Circus. This class is for all grades, and the cost is $175. Click here for more information and a registration form.

Click here for the Fall Break Flyer.

October 2006

Boys’ and Girls’ XC State Runners-up; Volleyball Loses in Semis [top]

Congrats to the cross country teams! Both the boys’ and girls’ teams are NCISAA 3A state runners-up. They competed Oct. 27 at Tanglewood in Greensboro in less than stellar field conditions.  More details and photos to follow.

Also at the state tournament on Oct. 27, the girls’ volleyball team lost in the semi-finals to the #2 seed, Cannon School, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18).  To get to this game the team defeated third-seeded North Raleigh Christian Academy 3 – 1 at NRCA. The team would like to thank all the fans who came to NRCA to support them. This is the first time our varsity volleyball team advanced to the semi-finals of the state tournament.

CA Volleyball Wins in the 1st Round of the State Tournament; XC Begins Quest this Weekend [top]

At the NCISAA State Tournament on October 24th, our varsity volleyball team defeated third seeded North Raleigh Christian Academy 3 – 1 at NRCA. The team would like to thank all the fans who came to NRCA to support them in their victory. This is the first time our varsity volleyball team has advance to the semi-finals of the State Tournament. CA volleyball will travel to Charlotte Country Day School on Friday, October 27th to play The Cannon School from Concord, NC. The game will be played at 2:00 pm. If the girls are victorious on Friday, they will play in the championship game Saturday at 11:00 am. Go Chargers!!!

Cross country begins competition in the state tournament Friday, Oct. 27, at Tanglewood in Greensboro. The girls start at 1 p.m., and the boys take off at 1:40.

For the entire brackets, please go to the NCISAA web site: www.ncisaa.org

Book Fair This Week Nov. 2-4 [top]

The CA Annual Book Fair at Barnes & Noble will run Nov. 2-4. CA will receive 20% from sales of $2,000-$10,000 and 25% for sales over $10,000. The store, located at 760 SE Maynard Road in Cary, is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day. All proceeds will go to enhancing the school library collection.

On Thursday, Nov. 2, from 7-8 p.m., an artists’ reception featuring the work of Margo Smith’s 7th and 8th grade visual art students and selected works from Upper School art students will be held. The Middle School students will be showing off decorated ceramic houses they have created. Light refreshments will be served.

On Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. best-selling author Nicholas Sparks will be signing his new book, Dear John.

In addition, during the three days, there will be a special Cary Academy wish-list table located in the store if you are interested in purchasing a specific book for donation to the CA Library. Book fair vouchers are available on-line from the CA home page and also will be available at each Barnes & Noble cash register. Additional questions? Please contact Carol Winslett, CA librarian, at 677-3873 ext. 4547.

Cooking Class, Tennis Camp to be Offered Over Break [top]

A cooking class and a tennis camp, two new auxiliary programs, will be offered over trimester break Nov. 13-17.

Cuisines of the World is open to all CA students, and the cost is $250. Students will prepare, taste, serve and evaluate traditional/regional dishes of the world. Emphasis will be placed on ingredients, flavor profiles, preparations and techniques representative of these cuisines. The countries to be covered include: U.S.A., Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Cuba, Jamaica and Samoa. Click here for more information.

The tennis camp, run by Triangle Sports Group and CA, will teach the fundamentals of all strokes, as well as challenge the more experienced player. Light conditioning and movement exercises are combined with skill development and game play for a full spectrum of the tennis experience. Click here for more info and prices.

October Packed with Fun, Achievements [top]

October is just about up, but it has been one busy month for Cary Academy and its students.

On Oct. 14, 14 members of the Beta Club, along with members of the Key Club, participated in the 16th annual Yam Jam at a farm near Smithfield. This year’s event gleaned over 84,500 pounds of sweet potatoes for the N.C. Food Bank.

Two students took home honors from the recent State Fair. Alex Rosen (’07) received Best of Show for his bread in the baked goods competition. Ivana Zelov (’07) received Honorable Mention in the high school art division for a butterfly-shaped mosaic made of glass tiles, clay tiles, marbles, beads and other materials.

The annual Charger Cup, held Oct. 20, divided Middle School students into the Blue Team and the Gold Team. The teams competed for points in a variety of games including Nerf ball toss, pizza box relay, H2O Handoff and a shoe toss. This year, the Gold Team won the Charger Cup trophy. Their gold ribbon will hang from the trophy, which is on display outside of the Middle School office, throughout the year. This event was made possible by the PTAA and more than 70 parent volunteers.

Damien Jiang won a national math contest held earlier in the month. In the National Assessment and Testing exam, Jiang received the highest score in the nation on the test for a ninth grader.

Click here for larger image.

NCISAA State Tournament---Here Come the Chargers!!! (part 2) [top]

Congratulations to the varsity volleyball, tennis and cross country (boys and girls) teams as they advance to the NCISAA State Tournament this week. (See schedule below.)

Tennis and volleyball athletes begin their quest for the title Oct. 24, and if they advance, compete again on Friday. The cross country runners charge forward on Friday, Oct. 27. If you are interested in attending, the volleyball games are hosted by North Raleigh Christian School; tennis matches by Forsyth Country Day School; and cross country by Tanglewood in Greensboro.

Tuesday, October 24
# 6 Cary Academy Volleyball (11-5) @ # 3 North Raleigh Christian Academy (10-3) – 5 p.m., NRCA
# 6 Cary Academy Tennis (9-5) @ # 3 Forsyth Country Day School (15-1) – 4:30 p.m., FCDS

Friday, October 27
Varsity Girls and Boys Cross Country at NCISAA Championships, Tanglewood in Greensboro
Girls 1:00
Boys 1:40

For the entire brackets and to see when and where our volleyball and tennis teams will play if they advance, please go to the NCISAA web site: www.ncisaa.org

NCISAA State Tournament---Here Come the Chargers!!! [top]

Congratulations to the Varsity Volleyball, Tennis and Cross Country (boys and girls) teams as they advance to the NCISAA State Tournament this week. Tennis and Volleyball athletes begin their quest for the title tomorrow, October 24th and if they advance compete again on Friday. The Cross Country runners charge forward on Friday, October 27th. Please wish these dedicated athletes the best as they move forward in the championship and represent our school. If you are interested in attending, the volleyball games are hosted by North Raleigh Christian School; tennis matches by Forsyth Country Day School and cross country by Tanglewood in Greensboro. More details are available from AD Jon Powell. GO CHARGERS!!!

Caron Inducted into Barton College Athletic HOF [top]

This past Friday the 13th proved to be a lucky day for Melanie Caron, a physical education instructor and the head volleyball coach at Cary Academy. On that October evening she received induction into the Barton College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Caron, a former Lady Bulldogs Most Valuable Player in the sports of softball and volleyball, becomes the first softball player to be inducted. She was a three-year all-conference performer in softball and volleyball.

In her speech Caron mentioned several slogans that she dedicated to her coaches, teammates, current players at Cary Academy, and family members.

Athletic Director Jon Powell says that Caron is a huge asset to the school’s coaching staff. “She is not only a tremendous athlete who continues to participate in professional volleyball, but she is a great role model for our female, and male, student-athletes,” said Powell. “It is a real struggle to not ask her to do more than she already does in our athletics and physical education departments simply because she has so much to share. Cary Academy is fortunate to have someone of Melanie’s caliber on campus. I just hope that our student-athletes recognize the talents that Melanie brings.”

Ninth-graders See the Bard Live [top]

The ninth-grade class, along with eight teachers, saw The Taming of the Shrew Oct. 11 at the Fletcher Theater in Raleigh. The play was performed as part of the 30th season of the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. The NCSF traditionally performs at its theater in High Point, but it performed in Raleigh for one week.

“The performance was excellent, one that all the students seemed to enjoy,” said English instructor Robin Follet. “They experienced Shakespeare in one of the best ways possible: through a live performance.”

Tickets were generously paid for by the PTAA.

Medical Examiner Visits Classes [top]

Clyde Gibbs, the state’s medical examiner specialist who serves as the state’s forensic anthropologist, visited the anatomy class of Katy Allen and the forensic science class on Oct. 17.

Gibbs discussed with the classes how to distinguish commonly found animal bones from human bones and how to read the bones to determine the big four questions in his line of work: the gender, age, race and manner of death of skeletal remains.

He discussed past cases including those in which skeletons remain unidentified.

Alas, poor Yorick.

Ben Vig to Play State Gig [top]

Ben Vig ('10) has been selected from a group of highly gifted musicians from across North Carolina as the Lead Tenor Saxophonist to play in the UNC-Greensboro Honors High School Jazz Band.

The two-day event will be comprised of big band rehearsals, clinics, and improvisational master classes and will conclude with a performance by the Honors Jazz Band and the UNCG Jazz Ensemble in Greensboro on Nov. 19. Renowned saxophonist Mike Murley will join in on the performance.

To earn this honor, Vig prepared and submitted an audition CD to demonstrate his talent in improvising, as well as the ability to play prepared music. For the audition, Ben was accompanied by UNC-CH teacher Ed Paolantonio and played Oleo, Blues for Alice and Spain. Vig is only the second student from Cary Academy ever to be selected, and the first to earn a position as the lead player. What is even more amazing is that this freshman beat out all the other sophomores, juniors and seniors who applied.

Students Make Middle and High School Choruses [top]

The Middle and Upper schools have placed students on state honors choruses.

Earning spots on the 2006 North Carolina High School Honors Chorus are: Danielle Curran (’08), Alto 1; Allison Yim (’07), Soprano II; Julie Cooper (’08), Soprano II; and Seth Johnson (’09), Tenor I. Clayton Casper (’07), Bass II, and Elizabeth Atkins (’08), Alto II, also represented Cary Academy in the auditions. 

The following students have been selected to participate in the 2006 North Carolina Middle School Honors Chorus: Louis Vaught (’11), Alex Morgan (’11), Katie Lipscomb (‘11), Matt Lee (’12), Maggie Birmington-Corbett (‘13) and Victor Walker (‘13). 

Dancer Helps Students See Past Limitations [top]

Dance teacher Betsy Hutchinson invited Cornelia Kip Lee, a dancer who has Post-Polio Syndrome and who sometimes uses a wheelchair in her dance routines, to educate her students on how to embrace who they are and express it on the dance floor. She visited the class the week of Sept. 25-29.

“The objective we tried to meet while she (Lee) was here was to make a dance for our winter dance concert with the theme of limitations in ourselves and how we deal with them and asking questions like, ‘Who is a dancer?’” Hutchinson said.

Lee understands that concept better than most. Her left leg was affected by childhood polio, which led to ankle fusion surgery and little to no muscle development in her calf muscle — all significant obstacles in becoming a dancer.

Middle School Has Been Busy, Busy [top]

The first Middle School dance was held Sept. 29. A donation in the amount of $302 (for the 302 Middle School students) was made to Mix 101.5 Bill and Sheri’s Backpack Buddies. In the seven Triangle region counties, over 80,000 students depend on the free lunch program. The money donated from CA will be used to provide backpacks loaded with nutritious foods to help these students get through the weekends when they don’t get food at school.

Crop harvesting, delivering meals to senior citizens and repairing trails with mulch describe some of the activities eighth-graders participated in during their annual Day of Service on Sept. 29. During the Day of Service, the 8th grade as a whole typically leave the classroom setting and go out into the community to perform various service projects, allowing them to see the results of their work. Some of the organizations that benefited from the Day of Service are Stop Hunger Now, The Men’s and Women’s Healing Place, Food Shuttle and Bond Park.

The annual Y1K Festival took place in the crowded bazaar between the MS and Fine Arts Oct. 5. The students worked hard to sell their wares, and it paid off handsomely, with a record amount of $1,439.31 raised. This bounty will go to Doctors Without Borders.
 

Click on image for a larger view

Click on image for a larger view

New Parent Party Oct. 14 [top]

The New Parent Party, an adult social event for the parents of new Cary Academy students, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Dining Hall.

The New Parent Party promises to be a fun-filled evening for all that you won’t want to miss. We welcome parents of new students to attend, meet other Cary Academy parents and faculty and enjoy a wonderful meal provided by Biaggi’s.

Please RSVP by Monday, Oct. 9, to 677-3873 or admissions@caryacademy.org.

Blood Drive Pulls in 62 Pints [top]

This year’s 7th annual fall blood drive, sponsored by the Upper School Beta Club, brought in 62 pints on Oct. 3.

Typically, 70 appointments are needed to reach 50 pints. With help from the 19 senior class volunteers, parents and CA employees, the school exceeded its 50-pint goal with just 65 donors.

Twenty-three donors were first time donors – the Red Cross even ran out of ‘First Time Donor’ packs. Three donors were “Double Red Cell” (DRC) Donors,” basically giving two pints at one time. The stalwart DRC donors were instructors Jeff Killmer and Aaron Rothrock and parent Jeff Kenney.

Seniors Receive Recognition [top]

The Class of 2007 already has a lot to be proud of this fall.

Seniors Caitlin Daniels and Allison Yim have been named the school’s nominee for the Park Scholarship at North Carolina State University. Stephanie Bauman and Sarah Helfer were named the school’s nominees for the Morehead Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill.

In addition, 28 percent of the Class of 2007 has been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program for their outstanding results on their junior year PSAT.

Seven students have been recognized as National Merit Semifinalists, placing them among the top 16,000 scorers out of 1.4 million test takers on the 2005 PSAT/NMSQT. These students continue on in the competition to compete for some 8,000 Merit Scholarship awards worth $32 million. These scholarships will be awarded in the spring. Cary Academy’s semi-finalists are seniors Caitlin Daniels, Sarah Helfer, Brendan Kiu, Ashton Lai, David Marron, Swapanthi Nagulpally, and Nick Tarleton.

Cary Academy also has 18 students named Commended Students in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship Program. Although these students will not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who took the 2005 PSAT/NMSQT. Seniors recognized for this honor are Chelsea Block, Clayton Casper, Murphy Chang, Jake Hartsfield, Lauren Kahn, Tom Marty, Rachel Parks, Alex Rosen, Morgan Smith, Mandy Stein, Bryan Still, Vinny Tumminello, Lauren Viehbacher, Alex Vig, Nilesh Wani, Ryan Watson, Jordan Wolfinger, and Allison Yim.

In addition, two Cary Academy seniors have been recognized by the National Achievement Scholarship Program. Jordan Washington has been named a National Achievement Semifinalist, placing him among the top one percent of more than 130,000 Black Americans who took the PSAT last October. He will continue on in the competition for scholarship monies from colleges and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Juneve Gracieux has been named National Achievement Scholarship Program participant, recognizing her for scoring among the top five percent on the PSAT.

Arts in Full Swing at CA [top]

There was a whole lotta’ dancing and jazzing going on last week with CA students.

Middle School dance students took a field trip to St. Mary’s School Sept. 29 for a “Middle School Day of Dance.”  They participated with other schools in dance classes in modern technique, choreography and African dance with master teachers in the area.

The day before, Dr. James Ketch, the professor of trumpet and the director of jazz studies at UNC, spoke to and performed with the CA Jazz Band.  He offered pointers and advice to the young musicians.
 

A True Evening of Entertainment [top]

The annual Evening of Entertainment took place in the theater the night of Sept. 28.

This event offered the CA community a chance to come together to dine, socialize and be entertained in a casual and fun atmosphere. Somewhat like a talent show, the Evening of Entertainment showcased some of the best entertainment from students, faculty and parents.

The Evening of Entertainment included a lasagna dinner provided by Pizza Pasta Café.

En Garde! [top]

Fight director and actor combatant Jason Armit, who recently choreographed the violence for the world premiere of the Broadway musical The Color Purple, worked with the seventh and eighth grade theater majors the week of Sept. 25 on armed stage combat technique.

With a warm sun as a witness, and theater instructor Glen Matthews offering help, students paired off on the quad and went through each lesson as Armit yelled out directions.

The students worked with rapiers and learned cuts, thrusts and parries, as well as how to execute fight choreography safely.

Jason Armit

Debaters Score Points at Wake Tourney [top]

The debate team participated in the Wake Forest Earlybird National Debate Tournament held the weekend of Sept. 15, and the team did quite well.

Earning recognition were: Robert Thorstad (‘08), who went 6-0 in prelims and broke to octafinals, the top 16 out of 100 varsity LD debaters; David Thorstad (‘08), who cleared to semifinals, the top four of the 60 junior varsity LD debaters, with a 5-1 prelim record; Ryan Watson (’07), who received two perfect scores of six on two of his congress speeches; and Ben Goldhaber (’08), who made it to semifinals in extemp.

Elizabeth Atkins (‘08) just missed the cut to semis by one placing. The Public Forum team of Tyler Phillips (‘07) and Vinny Tumminello (‘07) made it to quarterfinals, the top eight of 50 teams. CA ranked 13th out of 156 schools from across the country at the debate.

September 2006

7th Grade Fights Hunger; Holds Alma Mater Idol [top]

Wrist bands and posters are just some of the ways that seventh-graders raised awareness this past week of hunger, the theme this year of their community service project. Seventh-graders assembled in the Fine Arts Lecture Hall on Sept. 18 and were distributed a “Bracelet of Life.” This replica of bracelets used by Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization, is used to determine if a child 5 years of age or younger is suffering from malnutrition.

Seventh-graders made posters promoting the sale of blue-and-yellow “Stop Hunger” wrist bands to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. They sold the bands for $5 each, selling out all 300 and raising over $1,200, which is equivalent to 9,000 meals. “What was really nice was that even after the bands sold out, some students donated the money they had anyway without receiving a band,” said advisor Eric Himburg.

On Sept. 15 students participated in Alma Mater Idol. Many students, solo and in groups, stood up in front of the entire class in the seventh-grade hallway and sang the alma mater by memory. After their crooning, each received a prize. Even the teachers joined in on the fun, gathering to warble the alma mater to the applause of the students.

“Freeebirrrd!!”

Haleigh Morgus, Sydney Branson and Kelsey Miller sing the alma mater.

New online application [top]

The online application for Cary Academy admission became available on Sept. 1.  The application is available on our website at http://www.caryacademy.org/admissions/onlineapplication.html. 

The application, applicant questionnaire and parent questionnaire are to be completed online; the recommendation forms and transcript request form are available on the website as PDF files for printing.  Testing and the student visit/interview can only be scheduled within the online application.  Since visit dates are limited (last potential day to visit is Dec. 15), it is strongly recommended the application be completed as soon as possible so the visit can be scheduled.  Siblings applying to sixth grade will receive sibling priority if they complete the application by the first consideration deadline on Jan. 8, 2007. 

For more information, contact Denise Goodman, director of admissions, (denise_goodman@caryacademy.org, direct line 228-4550) or Tanya Lucas, assistant director of admissions (tanya_lucas@caryacademy.org, direct line 228-4559).

Science Teacher’s Class to Study Creek Pollution [top]

Biology and chemistry teacher Heidi Maloy’s Advanced Environmental Biology class will be spending the school year analyzing the waters of Black Creek, located in northern Cary and adjacent to Black Creek Greenway.

Maloy’s class will plot specific points for assessment at Black Creek, and will examine the levels of ph, oxygen and nitrates in the water. Students plan to go to the creek weekly – but at least twice a month – and will be assisted with their research by NCSU grad students.

The study is part of a larger project, the Black Creek Watershed Assessment, a collaboration between NCSU and the Town of Cary and is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Beginning Band Strikes a Chord with Parents [top]

Proud parents packed the band room Sept. 21 to hear the first public performance of the sixth grade beginning band.

After a five-note warmup, the class segued into “Merrily We Roll Along.” Then the band performed original compositions by some of its members. Those compositions were Test by Alec Ade, The Fun Day by Ruchi Desai, My Homework by David Mayhew, Jazzin’ It Up (Cool Version) by Lloyd Branch and The Firebird by Patrick Lambert.

Musician’s licenses were awarded at the conclusion of the show.

Click on image for a larger view

Head of School Harry [top]

It’s good to be the king, even if it’s just for a day.  Ask Harry Lambert (’11), who takes over from Don Berger as head of school on Sept. 20.

Lambert received this honor through last year’s PTAA auction, an annual event to raise money for the school.  His day as head of school will consist of declaring a dress-down day, doing homework in Berger’s office, touring the administration offices, eating a catered lunch with three of his friends in the boardroom, and attending an afternoon meeting with Berger.  Berger will take Lambert’s place in Pat Martin’s math class.

“I look forward to relaxing while Mr. Berger goes to my math class,” Lambert said.  “Another fun thing will be riding on the golf carts to a couple of classes.  I am quite excited about being head of school for a day and hope to have a lot of fun while I’m doing it.”

Parents, Students Flock to Fun Fest [top]

The weather cooperated with a clear, sunny sky.  Music pumped from speakers and kids ran back and forth between a multitude of events arrayed on the field behind the Middle School.  Families gathered to talk and eat under tents.  Fun Fest 2006, the first all-community celebration recognizing the school’s 10-year anniversary, entertained students and families alike Sept. 15.

With new attractions like micro cars and an obstacle course added to favorites like the mechanical bull, temporary tattoos and the football toss, students had a lot of fun activities to choose from.  Fun Fest kicked off at the end of the school day and ended at 7 p.m.

Click on Image for a larger view.	Click on Image for a larger view.
Click on Image for a larger view.

Alum’s Website Helps with College Essay [top]

Travis May (’05) knows how to write a good college application essay.  His helped him get into Harvard, where he is a sophomore.

Now he is spreading his wealth around with a new website he created that helps college applicants with their essays.  At www.Ivyadmits.com visitors can read more than 65 essays from students who were accepted by Ivy League schools.

The News and Observer covered Travis and his website in a Sept. 13 article.  A reprint of his essay accompanied the piece.  You can access the article at http://www.newsobserver.com/146/story/485636.html.

Students Mark 9/11 with Pinwheels for Peace [top]

On Sept.11, Middle School students participated in the Pinwheels for Peace project, a nonpolitical art installment started by two teachers in Florida in 2005. 

Students were encouraged to think about what peace means to them, including feelings about tolerance, cooperation, harmony, unity, or simply peace of mind.  Students wrote their thoughts about peace on their pinwheels and then planted all 302 outside the entrance to the Middle School.  Coverage of the event should appear in the Sept. 20 Cary News.

In September of 2005, about a half-million pinwheels were displayed in over 1,000 locations throughout the world, according to www.pinwheelsforpeace.com.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Orchestra Students Garner Honors [top]

Three orchestra students have been selected to play for the N.C. Honors Orchestra, and they will perform at the State Music Educator's Conference in Winston-Salem Nov. 12. 

The three students are:  Murphy Chang (’07) – flute, Nathaniel Ting (’09) – violin, and Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08) - violin.  This annual event is organized by the NCMEA orchestra division, and all members are selected from the previous year’s Eastern and Western Regional All State Orchestra Festivals. 

Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08) has been selected to perform at the 11th Annual National Festival Orchestra on Jan. 11-15, 2007, in New York City.  He will perform Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 at Carnegie Hall. 

AP Results in and Looking Good [top]

In May 2006, 150 Cary Academy students took 369 Advanced Placement examinations in 23 areas.  The College Board recently returned the results to the school, and the final numbers are impressive.

Eighty-five percent of the scores were 3, 4, or 5.  Twenty-nine percent of the scores were perfect 5s, and 30 percent of the scores were 4s.

Some of the 23 test subjects were biology, calculus, statistics, physics, history, English literature/composition, and U.S. government and politics.  The languages of German, Spanish and French were also covered.

Don’t Miss out on Fun Fest [top]

Fun Fest 2006 will be held Sept. 15 from 3:15-7 p.m. behind the Middle School.  If you haven’t registered yet, please do so as soon as possible so you don’t miss any of the fun.  A count has to be in to the caterer soon.

Please send your registrations to the US or MS offices.  See Upcoming Events for more info and a registration form.  

This annual gathering for the whole family will be the first all-community celebration recognizing the 10-year anniversary.  Amusements open immediately after school, and supper will be served from 4-6:30 p.m.

Come Tailgate and Support the Chargers [top]

Great games, good food and community camaraderie will be on tap at the Fall Tailgate Event, sponsored by the Charger Club, Thursday, Sept. 14.

Conference rival Durham Academy is coming a’callin’, and the Charger teams need your cheers and support.  Varsity girls’ tennis and girls’ JV volleyball kick everything off at 4 p.m.  Other games involve JV boys’ soccer, girls’ varsity volleyball and varsity boys’ soccer.

The tailgate party cookout by the stadium press box will run from 4:30 to 7 p.m.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks and snacks are a steal for just a buck.  The Charger Corner booth will be open from 4-7 p.m.

Winner of E-lympics a Real No-Name [top]

You may have heard of a man with no name but what about a country with no name?  Such a paradox won the E-lympics, an 8th grade bonding activity, Sept. 1. 

Each enrichment created a country identity for the event and crafted for itself a name, a flag, a history, cheer, song, greeting and pledge of allegiance.  After an opening ceremony where the countries marched in and presented themselves, an afternoon of friendly competitions such as Pictionary, Frisbee golf, a quiz bowl, name that tune, balloon tower build, basketball hotshots and an obstacle course took place.

This year’s overall winner was David Snively’s enrichment known as “             .”  Other countries included Death Island, UMSDPESW, Opatopia, Riskotopia and Zorange.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Clubs, Clubs Everywhere [top]

Guitars strummed and trivia answers rang out as Middle Schoolers roamed from classroom to classroom Aug. 30, exploring their options for after school fun and edification at the annual MS Club Fair.

“I didn’t know trivia could be so much fun,” said Hannah Schwarz (‘12) after leaving a session of the Ultimate Trivia Challenge Club.  “Mr. (Aaron) Rothrock (club advisor) is so much fun.”

This year students can choose from 28 clubs to join, including Guitar Club, Babysitting Certification, Yoga, Sportstopia, Robotics and Great American Movies.

“We got the trivia answer right!” Click on Image for a larger view.

Guitar Club advisor Anthony Risko tells some students about the club. Click on Image for a larger view.

Class Trips to Begin [top]

The annual class trips for the sixth grade and the Upper School are set to begin.

Sixth-graders will depart Sept. 7 for Camp Wayfare, in the western part of the state, south of Asheville in Tuxedo.

The Upper School classes will depart Sept. 6.  The ninth grade will visit Camp Cheerio in High Point.  Sophomores will give Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing in New Castle, VA, a try.  Eleventh-graders are traveling to the nation’s capitol of Washington, D.C.  Seniors will hit the broad sands of Myrtle Beach, SC.

Annual Fun Fest to Expand This 10th Anniversary Year [top]

The annual back-to-school celebration, Fun Fest, will be bigger and better this year with more rides and activities like micro cars and an obstacle course.

Come out and celebrate Fun Fest 2006 on Sept. 15 from 3:15-7 p.m. behind the Middle School.  This is Cary Academy’s annual gathering for the whole family, and this year’s event will be the first all-community celebration recognizing the 10-year anniversary.  Amusements open immediately after school, and supper will be served from 4-6:30 p.m.

Please RSVP to the US or MS office by Sept. 5.  See “Upcoming Events” for more info and a registration form. 

MS Play Cast and Rehearsals Underway [top]

Struwwelpeter:  An Interactive Haunting, the new Middle School play, now has a cast and rehearsals are going on.

Theater director Glen Matthews has adapted the play from Dr. Heinrich Hoffman’s Der Struwwelpter or Merry Stories and Funny Pictures for Children Between Three and Six Years.

Performances will run Oct. 26-28.

August 2006

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Tablet PCs a Hit [top]

“They’re cool; they’re awesome,” said Austin Crockett (’10) of the new tablet PCs.  As he flipped up the screen on his PC and began to type, his friend, David Sierra (’10), sitting nearby with his PC balanced on his knees, chimed in, “They are sweet.  I know mine will definitely help with my homework.”

The school issued new tablet PCs to each student over Aug. 16-17.  Students and faculty alike agree the tablets have gone over well and that it has been a smooth transition from desktops to laptops.

“During the first two days of school, the IS Department and the faculty deployed over 700 new HP tablet PCs,” said Sam Morris, instructional technology director.  “In addition, each student took part in three online video training sessions.  Considering the scope of the task, the deployment has been better than anyone could have expected.  A week into the school year, students are already taking great advantage of their new tool.”

“I’m excited about the possibilities that the tablet offers in the classroom, especially with OneNote,” said Robin Follet, Upper School English teacher.  “The students have really gravitated toward the program as a way of taking and storing notes.”

Click on Image for a larger view.

Click on Image for a larger view.

WWII Vet Inspires Soccer Team [top]

Hal Shook, a decorated World War II fighter pilot, delivered a motivational speech to the soccer team Aug. 17 on leadership and teamwork.

Shook, author of Fighter Pilot Jazz: Role of the P-47 and Spirited Guys in Winning the Air/Ground War in Normandy, 1944, rose to command the 506th fighter squadron during the war.  As commander he received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Drawing on his core leadership principles learned before, during and after the D-Day landing, Shook spoke to the team on how best they could work together to achieve their team goals of winning conference, winning season, going undefeated at home and posting shutouts in half of their games.

10-year Celebration Begins; Cookbooks Arrive [top]

The year-long celebration of Cary Academy’s 10-year anniversary has begun in earnest:  banners have been hung, commemorative T-shirts distributed to students and staff, the “10” photo taken, and the long-awaited cookbooks have arrived.

Pre-orders of the cookbooks can be picked up at the Receptionist Desk.  Cookbooks can also be purchased at the Receptionist Desk at $25 each.  Checks may be made payable to Cary Academy. 

Over the coming months, the school has planned a number of events to keep the 10-year celebration rolling.  Mark these on you calendar and come celebrate with us a decade of excellence. 

 

Date	Event
Sept. 15, 2006	Fun Fest
Oct. 16, 2006	Jazz on the Quad
Nov. 3, 2006	Grandparents’ Day
Dec. 19, 2006	Homecoming
Jan. 2007	TBA
Feb. 24, 2007	PTAA Auction
March 2007	TBA
April 11, 2007	Charger Stampede and picnic
May 19, 2007	10-year anniversary celebration at Regency Park

Honors for Students Already Coming in [top]

Over the last two weeks the accomplishments in and out of the classroom of three students have garnered rewards:  one has been selected to a national orchestra, and two have received athletic scholarships.

CA orchestra student Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08) has been selected to the Eleventh National Festival Orchestra, and he will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Jan. 14, 2007.

Brittany Blackwell (’07) has committed to play basketball for the Seahawks of UNC – Wilmington.  Alex Berger (’07) has committed to play soccer for the Wolfpack of North Carolina State University.  Blackwell averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and five picks a game last year for the state runners-up.  From her defensive position, Berger led the Chargers to their best record in the school’s nine-year history this past spring.  Berger made All-State as a junior, has been selected three times to the TISAC all-conference team, and, most recently, was selected to the North Carolina Olympic Development Team in her age group.

Tenth Year Starts with New Tablet PCs, Record Enrollment [top]

Cary Academy is full of students once again, as the school started its 10th year of existence Aug. 16.

A record enrollment of 711 students filled the classrooms, and each student received a new tablet PC.  Cary Academy is now a tablet environment and all rooms and the campus are wired for Internet access.

Even though this is a new year some things remained the same from past opening days:  the welcoming handshake ceremony, the Middle School group shot (complete with kazoos this time!) and the smiles, hugs and laughs shared by friends glad to see one another after a long summer off.

At the handshake ceremony, Sam Fuchs (’07) was honored for his winning 10-year anniversary T-shirt design.  Each student received one of the T-shirts, and all students, staff and faculty wore theirs during the handshake ceremony.

Click on Image for a larger view.	Click on Image for a larger view.
Click on Image for a larger view.

Tablet PCs Ready for Distribution [top]

The new tablet PCs for each student are ready to be handed out.  The Upper School will issue the machines on the first day of class Aug. 16.  The Middle School will issue theirs the following day.

The imaging of the 708 tablets finished Aug. 10.  Imaging consisted of placing the programs students will use for classes onto the tablets, along with the drives needed to print and scan and all the curriculum programs.

Over two days, Aug. 10-11, 12 volunteers, consisting of students, faculty and staff, assembled the 708 tablets into bags.  Each bag contains the tablet and sleeve the tablet goes in, and all the peripherals:  jump drive, AC adaptor, instruction booklets, luggage tag, modem cable and stylus.

Click on Image for a larger view. Murphy C. (’07) and Kris Wetterling, information services coordinator, work on imaging the tablet PCs.

Click on Image for a larger view. Murphy C. (’07) and Kris Wetterling, information services coordinator, work on imaging the tablet PCs.

Opening Day Kicks Off 10-year Celebration [top]

The year-long celebration of Cary Academy’s 10-year anniversary begins on opening day, Aug. 16, with the annual handshake ceremony.  Over the coming months, the school has planned a number of events.  Mark these on you calendar and come celebrate with us a decade of excellence. 

Date	Event
Sept. 15, 2006	Fun Fest
Oct. 16, 2006	Jazz on the Quad
Nov. 3, 2006	Grandparents’ Day
Dec. 19, 2006	Homecoming
Jan. 2007	TBA
Feb. 24, 2007	PTAA Auction
March 2007	TBA
April 11, 2007	Charger Stampede and picnic
May 19, 2007	10-year anniversary celebration at Regency Park

New Faculty/Staff, Record Enrollment to Greet New Year [top]

Eleven new faculty and staff members are set to join a record anticipated enrollment of 711 students for the 2006-07 school year.

Out of the expected 711 students, 142 will be new to CA.  And of that 142, 31 percent are minorities, which gives the school an overall minority enrollment of 22 percent. 

According to Head of School Don Berger, only one other independent school in NC has reached the 20 percent mark in minority enrollment.

Tablet PC Emails Contain Valuable Information - Please read! [top]

Over the last few weeks, you received important emails from Cary Academy regarding the new tablet PC program for students.

The emails contain key information on the policies and procedures about the new tablet PC program.

It is important that you read the content of these emails so that you will be able to sign the appropriate documentation enabling your student to pick up his or her tablet PC.

Future emails, meant to keep you up-to-date on this new program and other programs at CA, will be sent throughout the year.  Make sure you don’t miss out on these important communications. 

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July 2006

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Parents, Others Meet to Learn About New Tablet PCs [top]

Four information sessions on the new student tablet PCs were held in July to answer any questions parents, students and employees might have had about the machines.

The sessions on the TC4400 from Hewlett-Packard were held July 11, 12, 25 and 27.  Each session averaged 20 to 25 attendees.

For anyone who missed a meeting or has another question about the tablet PCs, a frequently-asked questions page (FAQ) is still being maintained on the intranet.  Questions can be read and new queries submitted at: https://web1.caryacademy.org/tablets.

11 New Teachers to Join CA [top]

Cary Academy is adding 10 new full-time instructors to its staff.  The new employees arrived for their first day of work on Monday, July 31.

The new teaches are:  Andrew Currier, Upper School (US) math; Candice Johnson, Middle School (MS) language arts; Amy E. Pearman, Learning Specialist; Ray Pope, full-time substitute physical educator; Anthony S. Risko, MS language arts; Kimberly Shaw, MS and US physical education; Gregg Warren, MS physical education; Olman Trana Agullar, US Spanish; Michael Raskevitz, MS math; Robin Edelstein, US math; and Shannon Murphy, MS math.

Returning faculty will report for work Monday, Aug. 7.

Hundreds Attend Camps at Summer Quest [top]

Approximately 1,000 campers visited the CA campus this summer from June 12-July 28 to attend 170 Summer Quest camps. 

The truly eclectic range of camps offered a smorgasbord of interests, including anime, game master programming, film studies, sports, real fighting robots, everyday Italian, biology, superheroes, and simple silversmithing.  For the Lemonade Stand camp, 14 rising first- and second-graders created the Lemon Quest Corp.  During the week-long camp, the children learned the basics of how to launch a business, from concept to marketing to production to sales.  No word yet on when the IPO will be offered.    .  

This is the eighth year in a row that CA has offered Summer Quest to the community.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Click on Image for a larger view.

New Middle Schoolers and Ninth-Graders to Attend Orientation [top]

The new sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders at Cary Academy and the rising ninth-graders will attend upcoming orientation classes to help them prepare for these big steps in their academic careers.

Sixth-grade orientation will be held Tuesday, Aug. 15, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Middle School.  Members of the incoming Class of 2013 will meet their teachers and receive a tour of the school.  Seventh- and eighth-grade orientation will take place from 10 to 11:00 a.m. the same day.

The new freshmen will meet Monday, Aug. 14, in the Fine Arts Building lobby at 4 p.m.  Orientation will run to 7 p.m.  Students will meet their advisors over in the Upper School and will be issued lockers.  The night’s activities also include group games and a pizza supper in the dining hall.

Cary Academy Student, Teacher Honored in D.C. [top]

Rob Smithson, a 2006 graduate of Cary Academy, traveled to Washington, D.C., June 24-27 to meet President George Bush and receive recognition as a Presidential Scholar.  CA instructor Carole Hamilton received a Distinguished Teacher award during the Presidential Scholar events.

Smithson, who will be attending the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar in the fall, is one of 141 outstanding high school seniors who were selected by a 27-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by President Bush.

Also honored in D.C. were the Distinguished Teachers who were identified by the Presidential Scholars as the teacher who most influenced them.  Smithson chose Cary Academy Advanced American Literature teacher and Director of Speech and Debate Carole Hamilton. 

The Presidential Scholars and the Distinguished Teachers were feted in the nation's capitol, including a dinner at the Andrew Mellon ballroom and a performance at the Kennedy Center.  Teachers received an engraved plaque from the Department of Education, while students received a large gold medallion engraved with the presidential seal and their names, and posed with the President for a picture

Click on Image for a larger view. Cary Academy graduate and Presidential Scholar Rob Smithson, wearing his gold medallion, and Cary Academy instructor Carole Hamilton.

Cary Academy Donates Computers to Local Schools [top]

Seven schools in the state along with an institute that donates refurbished computers to needy children will soon be 380 computers richer thanks to a donation by Cary Academy.

The New Schools Project, which consists of six information technology-themed schools being created in North Carolina, will receive 250 Dell GX110s.  The Kramden Institute (KI) will receive 75 IBM PL300s.  KI is a not-for-profit charitable institution with a mission to locate, repair and refurbish old, reusable computers to donate to students who work hard in school, but cannot afford home computers.  Durham Nativity School (DNS) will receive 55 Dell GX110s. 

Four CA students, Cameron Bumgarner (’08), Nilesh Wani (’07), Murphy Chang (’07) and Adam Cozyn (’07), are helping with readying the desktops for donation.  They are imaging the desktops and assisting the companies with packaging and relocating the equipment to designated areas.

New Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coach Named [top]

Jeff Costa has been hired as the new varsity boys’ soccer coach.  Costa takes over the Chargers program from Bill Coulthart who retired this spring after 39 years of teaching and coaching.  Costa holds a B.S. in secondary education from Campbell University.  He played varsity soccer for CU.

“Jeff brings a love of the game of soccer as well as a competitor’s intensity to the program.  That combination, along with his skills as an educator in the classroom and on the field, will allow us to build on the successes that Bill Coulthart brought about over the past five years,” stated Athletic Director Jon Powell.

Costa comes to Cary Academy by way of Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, where he was the head varsity coach of both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams for the past two years.  During that time period Costa’s teams sent 10 players to the collegiate level, earned state playoff berths each year, and earned him the 2004 Cap-6 Coach of the Year and Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year awards.  Additionally, Costa coached the 2004 boys’ team to the NCHSAA 4A State Championship.

Smith to Suit up for Clemson [top]

Bryelle Smith, a rising senior point guard at Cary Academy, has committed to play basketball for the Lady Tigers of Clemson University. 

Scoring 14 points a game and handing out over five assists a game last season, Smith led the Lady Chargers to the NCISAA 3A State Championship game.  Against Providence Day in that state title game, Smith scored a team high 17 points.

Smith made the TISAC All-Conference team last year.

Follow Instructor in Alaska [top]

English instructor Palmer Seeley is inviting the Cary Academy community to follow his progress through his personal blog as he uses his Friday fellowship to attend a workshop in Alaska this summer.

Seeley is studying environmental literature at a Bread Loaf School of English program in Juneau, AL.  This program of study will help Seeley design and implement an Upper School trimester elective course in environmental literature at Cary Academy to be offered in spring 2007.

“I’ll update my blog weekly but maybe more once I get going,” said Seeley.  “I’d love to keep in contact with the people I see back home and keep in touch with our community and share my experiences with students, parents, teachers and staff.”

Seeley’s blog can be read at alaskan-sojourn.blogspot.com.  There is also a link to the blog on his faculty web page.

China Blog With N&O a Big Success [top]

The blog kept by students for The News and Observer during their foreign language trip to China was a big success.  According to the N&O, as of June 15 the blog had received 9, 776 page views.

Four Cary Academy students from the exchange group supplied immediate recaps of their experience through the blog that The News and Observer started May 21, the day before the students departed. 

Brittany Sterling (‘07), Diana Chiritescu (‘07) and Alanna Daley (‘07) alternated days on the blog with different diary-like entries of their time abroad.  Lauren Viehbacher (‘07) reported on her time as an intern for NCR.

Summer Ventures Picks Six CA Students [top]

Six members of the Class of 2008 will spend part of this summer intensely studying math and science.

Rising juniors Rodrigo Haragutchi, Jacqueline Lee, Michelle Luo, Anna Morris, Rachel Park and Diana Woodall have been selected for Summer Ventures in Science and Math (SVSM) 2006. 

SVSM is a cost-free, state-funded program for academically talented students who may pursue careers based in science and mathematics.  The program brings rising juniors and seniors together in residential settings for four weeks of intensive study at different UNC system campuses across the state.

33 Students Attend ESL Bootcamp [top]

For the fourth year in a row, the school hosted a free ESL (English as a Second Language) Bootcamp for non-English speaking students from Wake County schools.  From June 12-16, 33 students, ranging in age from 5 to 12, improved their English at the camp through activities such as singing, sports and painting.

Lauren Kahn ((’07) ran the camp with Kelly Hughes (’07).  Travis May (‘05), now at Harvard, started the camp.

Assisting Kahn and Hughes in running the camp were four parent volunteers and more than 30 Cary Academy student volunteers.  Service Learning Coordinator Cheryl Cotter helped recruit the ESL students

Each three-hour day consisted of five sessions that the ESL students rotated through:  tutoring, sports, arts, music, and games.  All activities were completely in English.

Click on Image for a larger view.

Click on Image for a larger view.