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The second class to have attended Cary Academy from sixth through 12th grade, the Class of 2005 looked back with fond memories on their years at Cary Academy. Steven Wilson recalled joining hands with his classmates and circling around the oak tree when it was planted in the quad during their sixth grade year. Although the tree is gone, he said that the circle they created physically is one that remains emotionally. “I feel like we all have a circle of family and friends at Cary Academy, and I think that’s what we’re all going to miss,” he said. Cartoonist and novelist Doug Marlette was the keynote speaker, and he reminded students that high school is only a beginning. “High school is not the final word on you – it is a long and winding road,” he said. “You have just begun.”
Good luck to the Cary Academy Economics team, which will compete in the 2005 National Economics Challenge Championship, Adam Smith Division, May 21-23 in New York, NY. The Cary Academy team consists of Nikhil Gupta (‘05), Ryan Jamiolkowski (‘05), Travis May (‘05) and Steven Wilson (‘05).
Congratulations to the new 2005-2006 PTAA Executive Board: President Tricia Tumminello, Vice-President Michael Curran, Treasurer Sarah A. Rajala, Secretary Curlee-lyn Petty, Middle School Activities Leaders Liz Eubanks and Charlotte Laverick and Upper School Activities Leaders Nikki Dunn and Lisa Graybeal. Thank you to all parents and staff who voted on our first E-Ballot. It was a success!
For the sixth consecutive year, R.N. Rouse & Co., Inc. served as Grand Sponsor, contributing more than $10,000 to need-based scholarships. The generosity of all the golfers will help Cary Academy continue to offer need-based financial aid to a higher percentage of its students than most of its peers in the Southern Association of Independent Schools.
The #4 seeded Varsity Boys Tennis team won its first round game May 10 by an 8 – 1 score over the #5 seeded Hawks of Charlotte Latin School. Thus, the Cary Academy boys now advance to the “Final Four” of the NCISAA State Championships. That match will be on Friday, May 13, at 12 noon against the top-seeded Furies of Forsyth Country Day School, and it will take place at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh.
Congratulations to Nick Gupta, Ryan Jamiolkowski, Travis May and Steven Wilson, who recently won the regional Economics Challenge championship in Baltimore. This competition gathered the top economics students in the mid-Atlantic. In May, the Cary Academy team will compete in the national championships to be held in New York. A Charger Cheer goes out to the team and their coach RJ Pelliccotta. Each of the students has been awarded a $1,000 savings bond.
The Spring 2005 issue of The Oracle, the Middle School’s Literary Magazine, is now published and you can access it by clicking here. A special thanks to Nick Makansi for posting the issue on the web and to Bonnie Dodwell for laying out the hard copy magazine. Also, please join the students and teachers for MS Writers Night on Wednesday, May 11, 7-8 p.m. at the Cary Barnes and Noble. Middle School students and faculty will read original and favorite writing.
Cary Academy’s Quiz Bowl Team will compete on live TV in the 2005 Public Library Quiz Bowl State Championship April 23 at 1 p.m. on UNC TV. The station also interviewed the team April 11 at the school. The Quiz Bowl members are Swapanthi Nagulpally (‘07), Eric Smith (‘05), Grif Friedman (‘05), Amelia Niemi (‘05), Mark Hallen (‘06) and John Nelson (‘08). Robert Coven is head coach and Teresa Cook, Upper School biology, is the assistant coach. The Cary Academy team will compete against eight other teams and is sponsored by the Wake County Public Libraries.
The following Cary Academy students have been invited to join the National Honor Society: Caitlin Daniels, Christine Ernst, Caitlin Farren, Sam Fuchs, Clay Hane, Sarah Helfer, Liz Heller, Sarah Ashley King, Brendan Kiu, Shannon Mentock, Kelsey Nix, Alex Rosen, Kelly Shipkowski, Zoe Vulgaropulos, Abby Weathers and Emily Winslett. An official Induction Ceremony will be held April 25 at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre.
The Class of 2005 has enjoyed remarkable success in the college search process this year. The 93 seniors have received acceptances from 124 different colleges and universities all over the United States and abroad. Students have been admitted to colleges in 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., England, Scotland, Canada and even Australia. Colleges in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania were among the most popular with the seniors, with students receiving offers of admission from 19 different colleges in North Carolina, 11 in Pennsylvania, and 10 in Massachusetts. The range of colleges to which seniors applied and have been admitted include liberal arts colleges such as Swarthmore, Mt. Holyoke, Kenyon, Spelman, Lafayette, Guilford, Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Amherst, Davidson; to midsize universities including Duke, Stanford, Tulane, Yale, Furman, Wake Forest, University of San Francisco, Emory, George Washington University, Dartmouth, Harvard; to larger state universities such as UNC, NCCU, UNC-Wilmington, NCSU, University of Illinois, UVA, Georgia, Virginia Tech; to arts colleges such as Parsons and Rhode Island School of Design; technical universities including Cal Tech, RIT, and Georgia Tech; and music conservatories, such as Berklee College of Music and Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. Overseas, universities in Scotland, England and Canada were most popular, with several students very seriously considering offers of admission from Edinburgh, London School of Economics, and Queens University of Canada. Students have until May 1 to notify colleges in the United States of their final choice. In addition to the impressive offers of admission, many seniors were also offered merit scholarships. For more information about these, please click here.
For the second year in a row Cary Academy teams placed both first and second in the North Carolina Council on Economic Education's Economics Challenge. The team of Ryan Jamiolkowski, Travis May, Andrew Bryson, and Charles Noneman placed first, edging out the team of Nick Gupta, Steven Wilson, Jarad Mason, and Matt Ham in the final round quiz bowl to determine the champion. Cary Academy also had the individual state champion for the second consecutive year, as Nick Gupta placed first with a near perfect score. Also participating for Cary Academy were Michael Cvelich, Val Chen, Kevin Kline, and Sam Behrend. Cary Academy now advances to the Regional Economics Challenge in Baltimore to compete to win a trip to New York City to compete for the National Championship.
Cary Academy earned a total of 10 awards, including the Grand Champion Award by the Upper School Jazz Band, at the Music Festival held in Williamsburg, Va. Band Director Eric Grush said it was the most successful day in the history of the school’s band program. The Middle School Band placed first in class with a rating of Superior. The percussion section, which consists of Cameron Bridges (‘09), Ryan Dunn (‘09), Andrew Kennedy (‘10), Kenny Thomson (‘09), and Brandon Wilson (‘10), received the Outstanding Section Award. The Upper School Band placed first in class with a rating of Excellent. Joelle Portzer (‘06) received the Outstanding Soloist award for trumpet. The Upper School Jazz Band placed first in class with a rating of Superior. The rhythm section, which consists of Tenny Crawford (‘07), Aaron Feierstein (‘07), Peter White (‘08), Josh Nardin (‘06), Katie Hayes (‘05), James Curtiss (‘05), and Chris Wehner (‘07) received the Outstanding Section Award. Josh Nardin received the Outstanding Musician Award while Peter White and Saurabh Aneja (‘05) received Outstanding Soloist Awards. The Grand Champion Award is given to the highest-scoring band of the day.
Bryan Abadie (‘09’) represented Cary Academy Middle School and tied for 5th place in the 2005 North Carolina National Geographic Bee State Finals. The finals, hosted at the Exploris Museum in Raleigh April 1, featured the top 100 students as measured by a written exam administered to all school level bee winners in the state. The state competition consisted of two rounds: preliminary and finals. In the preliminary round students were challenged with answering eight questions with the top 10 scorers advancing to the finals. Questions consisted of domestic and international geography knowledge with a focus on economic/cultural geography as well as current events. Bryan was one of only four students to answer all preliminary round questions correctly and as a result advanced to the final round. Bryan was proud to represent Cary Academy and would like to donate his 5th place award (an Atlas) to the Middle School.
Jarad Mason (‘05) and Mark Hallen (‘06) will represent Cary Academy and North Carolina in the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam April 15 at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics. Only 15 students in the state are selected based on the results of the first-round exam, with a maximum of two from any one school. The top scorers on the national exam are selected to attend a summer camp at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. During that camp, the final team is selected to represent the United States in the international competition. The 2005 International Chemistry Olympiad competition will be held in Taiwan.
Cary Academy is sponsoring an American Red Cross blood drive on April 19. Come to the SEA building between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. to donate. Cary Academy’s goal for the blood drive is 60 donors. Every donor that helps reach this goal receives a Red Cross t-shirt. In order to give blood you must be 17 years of age, weigh 110 pounds and have not donated in the past eight weeks. Donors must bring an ID or proof that he or she is over the age of 17. Donors are encouraged to eat a good meal a few hours before giving blood and must be able to restrain from doing any strenuous activities for the rest of the day. For more information contact Cheryl Cotter at Cheryl_cotter@caryacademy.org and read the PDF file, ‘Who May Recycle Life’, as some eligibility requirements changed as of March 2005.
FAME Fest, Cary Academy’s food, art, music and entertainment night will be held on April 29. This event features traditional art displays, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. New additions to FAME Fest this year include a student art market and guest artist, Jonathan Daniel displaying and selling his work. Daniel is an African wire artist who will be visiting Cary Academy the week of FAME Fest. This event offers a wonderful opportunity to enjoy refreshments, live music by Tri-M Music Honor Society, and purchase original artwork. FAME Fest will be held in the Fine Arts Building from 3:10 to 5.
Ryan Jamiolkowski (’05) is the first Cary Academy student to be named a recipient of the Morehead Award at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The John Motley Morehead Foundation named a total of 43 recipients this year. Moreheads are selected based on excellence in four areas – capacity to lead and motivate fellow students, scholastic ability and extracurricular attainments, moral force of character, and physical vigor, according to the foundation. The Morehead pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, including the costs of a laptop computer and four summer enrichment experiences. The scholarship value is approximately $80,000 for each in-state student. The winners will have until April 15 to accept The Morehead.
Instead of sleeping in their first day of Spring Break the Middle School Robotics Club traveled to NC A&T University to compete in a FIRST Lego League Robotics Competition. FIRST is an acronym that stands for For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology. “The students competed against 15 other skilled teams from around the state in four different categories: robot performance, technical design, teamwork, and project presentation,” Middle School faculty member and club advisor, Eric Himburg said. The Cary Academy team walked away with the “Judges Award” for excellence performance in all four categories. “It is a testament of our team’s ability to be given this award as the judges were Ph. D. engineers and this was our first time participating at a robotics competition,” said Himburg. Over two trimesters, the students have taught themselves how to build and program LEGO Mindstorms, researched and listened to talks about devices to help people with disabilities, and built a robot that could perform simple tasks to assist a person with physical disabilities. The Middle School Robotics Club members are: Maggie Kneifel (’11), Robert Murphy (’09), William Moon (’09), Jason Wainwright (’10), Patrick Vander Bee (’09), John Peebles (’09), Brett Carlson (’10), Allison Parker (’11), and Lauren Phillips (’11). The advisors for club are Eric Himburg and Dawn Gartlehner.
Seven Cary Academy Orchestra students have been selected to perform with the combined Honors Orchestra for the April 2005 National Invitational Band & Orchestra Festival of Gold. More than 200 instrumentalists from 20 different bands and orchestras auditioned for this opportunity. The seven Cary Academy students selected include: Bryce Poll (’05), first violin, 10th chair; Nathaniel Ting (’09), first violin, 15th chair; Aparna Chatterjee (’06), second violin, 11th chair; Abraham Chen (’06), second violin, 13th chair; Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08), second violin, 15th chair; Jeffie Chang (’10), viola, seventh chair; and Murphy Chang (’07), flute, fifth chair. The seven orchestra members will perform at the Encore Concert in Boston Symphony Hall on April 25 during the Festival of Gold event. The conductor will be Maestro Keith Lockhart, Music Director of the Utah Symphony and the Boston Pops Orchestra. These Cary Academy students will attend the 2005 National Invitational Band & Orchestra Festival of Gold with 35 of their classmates. In total, 42 members of the Cary Academy orchestra will attend after receiving a Gold level performance award in the Heritage Festival in the fall, qualifying them to attend the Festival of Gold.
Val Chen (’05) was recently named a semi-finalist in the National Beta Club Scholarship Program. The National Beta Club Scholarship Program offers scholarships to outstanding Beta Club members in their senior year. Just over 200 scholarships are awarded each year. They range in value from $1,000 to $15,000. Selection of National Beta Club Scholars is based on a number of factors with special emphasis placed upon academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, character and school/community service. Finalists will be announced in April.
Massengill and White had spent most of the winter training for the event. White finished in 1:48 and Massengill finished in 2:00. “We were very excited with our results,” Massengill said.
An evening filled with food, dance, musical entertainment and storytelling will highlight countries from around the world during the third annual Nationality Night on Feb. 25. The event will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. From 5:30-7 p.m., visitors can enjoy food from 14 different countries, such as Indian, Swedish, French, Spanish and American foods, and visit booths detailing cultural and historical information from countries around the world. From 7-8:30 p.m., visitors will be treated to an international performance, again showcasing other cultures, which will include story tellers, musicians and dancers. The cost to attend the event is $5 per person, with food available for an additional charge. All proceeds will benefit the Reedy Creek buddies program – Cary Academy students’ tutor/mentor partnership with Reedy Creek Elementary School.
Cary Academy was the winner of the local Quiz Bowl competition on Feb. 5. Quiz Bowl is an academic program for high school students throughout North Carolina. Cary Academy will now go on to represent Wake County in the District Competition on March 19. The District event take place in Vance County. Five members of the Cary Academy Quiz Bowl Team competed in the event: Grif Freidman (‘05), Swapanthi Nagulpally (‘07), John Nelson (‘08), Amelia Niemi (‘05), and Eric Smith (‘05). Ten other local high schools were represented in this year’s local Quiz Bowl including, Apex, Athens Drive, Broughton, Cardinal Gibbons, Enloe, Leesville Road, Millbrook, Raleigh Charter, St Mary’s, and Sanderson. The Cary Academy Quiz Bowl Team consist of: Grif Friedman (‘05), Lianne Gonsalves (‘06), Matt Horowitz (‘06), Megan Jacobson (‘06), Swapanthi Nagulpally (‘07), John Nelson (‘08), Amelia Niemi (‘05), and Eric Smith (‘05). The coaches are Robert Coven and Teresa Cook.
The 2005 Cary Academy Science Olympiad team returned victorious from the NC Gardner Regional Science Olympiad tournament on Saturday, Feb. 5. Coach Rusty Parks and Co-Coach Teresa Cook led the 16 ninth-12th graders to compete against 16 high schools from Wake, Durham, and Johnston counties. The team competed in 26 science-related events and received medals in 13 of the events. Their fifth place finish earned them a spot in the April 16 State Tournament, to be held at N.C. State.
Students from sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Chinese classes presented what they had learned about the holiday. Students researched everything from the history of fireworks to the good luck color – red. Soo-Hoo followed Chinese tradition and gave students a small red package which holds a gift. Along with the little packages the students enjoyed good luck candy which was also cover in red. Students were thrilled to receive their gifts but the best part about the experience was the understanding they had of an important Chinese tradition. When asked what her favorite part of the celebration had been Jaclyn Udell (’10) said, “learning about the Chinese culture”. Students Arielle Keesling (’10), Catherine Sheffield (’10) and Melissa Geiss (’10) said they enjoyed the different foods and sharing what they learned about the Chinese New Year with friends. In the past classes individually celebrated the Chinese New Year. This was the first year that all the classes have combined, according to Soo-Hoo. The official first day of the Chinese New Year for 2005 is Feb. 9.
Two Cary Academy students were recently named finalists for two of the area’s most prestigious college scholarships. Emily Gordon (’05) was recently named a finalist for the Park Scholarship at N.C. State University and Ryan Jamiolkowski (’05) was recently named a finalist for the Morehead Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Park Scholarship provides a four-year award (valued at $55,000 in-state) including a computer stipend for top-of-the-line technology specific to each major; coverage of tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, personal/miscellaneous expenses and transportation; opportunities for academic enrichment; and grants for research, artistic and service projects. The Morehead pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, including the costs of a laptop computer and four summer enrichment experiences. The scholarship value is approximately $80,000 for each in-state student. Forty-six Park Scholarships will be awarded this year, with 75 percent going to North Carolina residents. Scholarship awards will be announced the first week of March 2005. Jamiolkowski and the other finalists will interview with the Morehead Central Selection Committee in March. Winners will be announced March 11.
Mark your calendars now for the Cary Academy campus social event of the year – the Mardis Gras auction. On Saturday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m., the Cary Academy Parent Teacher Administration Alliance (PTAA) invites you to stroll down the streets of “N’awliuns” for a true Mardis Gras celebration. Advance ticket sales are underway and seating is limited to 450. Go to the Mardi Gras Link for additional information. Plan to join the Mardi Gras committee members for the soulful sounds of jazz and “N’awliuns” cuisine catered by Copeland’s Famous New Orleans Restaurant. Mardi Gras Auction Co-Chairs, Celeste LeFort, Wendy Andrews and Charlotte Laverick, are pleased to announce that auctioneer, Larry Carter, will direct participants on their search for Lagniappe (A Louisiana French word used especially southern Louisiana to denote an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.). Acquisition Committee Chair Nikki Dunn promises to fill the streets of “N’awliuns” with those “must have” Silent and Live auction items. New this year, the committee has chosen to have an ‘all-electronic’ catalog of auction items. The catalog is available for viewing on www.caryacademyptaa.org. A Tuition Raffle will again be offered. The Cary Academy community is encouraged to use this fundraising event as a “friendraiser” by inviting family and friends to attend. This year’s goal for the PTAA’s only fundraiser is $80,000 Advanced ticket purchases are recommended and reserved table seating is available. Make your plans early, don your Mardi Gras attire and join the Mardis Gras committee members to experience New Orleans on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Upper School students will present Ionesco’s Rhinoceros this weekend, Feb. 10-12. Tickets are on sale on the Cary Academy Intranet. Drama teacher Michael Hayes says, “In the past, we’ve presented Broadway musicals, Shakespeare, contemporary comedy, serious contemporary drama, Greek tragedy, epic fantasy, and others. We felt this would be a good time to explore the Theatre of the Absurd, and Ionesco’s Rhinoceros, as a classic of that genre, presents a real challenge for performers and audience alike.” In the play, two characters, Berenger and Jean, meet to have Sunday breakfast at a sidewalk café. Suddenly a rhinoceros charges through the town. Local townspeople meet to discuss the meaning of the rhinoceros and Berenger and Jean find themselves in a heated argument that almost leads to blows. The characters later learn that people are turning into rhinos and Berenger must face the possibility of being the last man left.
Echoes, a web site created by Cary Academy students in Middle School Language Arts teacher Delia DeCourcy’s class has been selected by, Writing Magazine to appear in their January publication. Students in DeCourcy’s 2002-03 and 2003-04 classes have completed the web project in which each student creates a biography of a poet, sample poems with literary analysis, and student poetry inspired by the poet. The students work has been compiled and is displayed on their web site http://project1.caryacademy.org/echoes/main/echoesmain.htm. The goal of this project is to continue to add to the list of poets and encourage other middle and high school classes to create their own pages to link with Echoes, according to DeCourcy. “In addition to it being featured in Writing, I have presented the project this year at NC State to a few education classes and to a group of North Carolina educators at Middle Educators Global Activities (MEGA),” she stated. This will be the second time Echoes is featured by a magazine. It appeared in MidLink Magazine, Volume 10: 2003-2004, March-May number 2 and can be found in the archives of the web site. Writing Magazine is also featuring the work of former Cary Academy student Lindsey Hume. In 2002-03 Hume wrote the poem, Denver, Colorado which was inspired by Nikki Giovanni’s poem Knoxville, Tennessee. It is featured in the January edition of Writing Magazine. Hume is currently in the 10th grade at Ridgefield High School in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Hamilton received the award during the Jan. 11 Cary Academy Board of Directors meeting. This award was established at Cary Academy in honor of former Board member Robert E. Bridges honoring all that he has done for students and teachers in North Carolina. In addition to being a former Board member, Bridges also served at superintendent of Wake County Public Schools. Bridges was on-hand on Jan. 11 to present Hamilton with the award. Through this scholarship, Hamilton will have the opportunity to attend a seminar through the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). Part of the University of North Carolina Center for School Leadership Development, NCCAT offers a full complement of professional development activities for North Carolina teachers. NCCAT is located in Jackson County and offers more than 80 residential seminars each year.
The new members are Lila Battis (’06), Charles Hendren (’06), Tyler Graybeal (’06), Shannon Miller (’06), Glen Wright Colopy (’06), Rob Smithson (’06), Mark Hallen (’06), Emily Pace (’06), Kate Heighington (’06). Holly Metter (’05), NHS President, led the new and current members in the reciting of the pledge and explained the club’s purpose and goals. At the conclusion of the ceremony the students and parents celebrated with refreshments and fellowship. The new members will be formally inducted in April.
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Cary
Academy’s Class of 2005 enjoyed a graduation ceremony filled with
laughter and reflection during the school’s sixth commencement event
on May 21.
This year’s Scholars’ Golf
Classic raised more than $70,000 to benefit the school’s
scholarship fund. More than 240 players participated in the
tournament, held at Prestonwood Country Club on May 9.
School
nurse, Jennifer Massengill and Middle School Language Arts teacher,
Briarly White recently completed the Dasani Half Marathon in Myrtle
Beach on Feb. 19.
Students
in Nancy Soo-Hoo’s Chinese classes gathered to celebrate the
Chinese New Year on Feb. 8 with student presentations, food
and excitement. 
Congratulations
to Upper School English teacher Carole Hamilton, the first recipient
of the Robert E. Bridges Scholarship at Cary Academy.
The
National Honor Society held its traditional “Tapping” Ceremony on
Jan. 25. In NHS tradition, the new members were tapped by current
members as an invitation for membership and lead in to the
Administration Building lobby where their parents were waiting. The
National Honor Society “Tapping” Ceremony is an important part of
the club tradition and has taken place at Cary Academy for the past
three years.