Cary Academy - In The News

Cary Academy SummerQuest 2003 - Lego Mindstorms Robotics, cooking and computer camps are some of the most popular picks for pre-teens and teens this summer at Cary Academy.

SummerQuest 2003 is in full swing, with 15 or more camps taking place each week from June 16-Aug. 1 (except the July 4 holiday week).

Students are launching hydro rockets, creating their own computer games, perfecting their volleyball skills, creating mosaic tile artworks, and much, much more this summer. SummerQuest 2003 - Hydro Rockets

During the first two weeks of camp, computer animation, robotics, ceramics, cooking and a Babysitting Boot Camp were among the many camps that filled up.

On Wednesday, June 25, WRAL-TV visited the Robotics with Lego Mindstorms camp, led by Cary Academy Middle School teachers Zack Fisher and Josh Hartman.

Interested in a SummerQuest camp experience? There’s still space in some camps. Visit http://www.caryacademy.org/summer/index.html to learn more.

Foreign Exchange Students Return from Overseas [top]

Cary Academy Students on Exchange Trip in France Rising seniors are returning from their overseas experiences with wonderful stories to tell this summer.

Sixty members of the Class of 2004 traveled to France, Spain and Germany for the annual junior exchange program. They visited schools in the country they traveled to and took in the sights.

One group of students traveled to Rennes, France, another to Tours, France. Spanish language students traveled to La Coruña and to Oviedo, both in Spain. Students traveling to Germany are visited a school in Rottenburg.

“Spain was absolutely amazing,” said Amberly Killmer. “Not only was the country gorgeous, the people were generous and friendly to all of the Americans.”

Heather Wiles, who traveled to France, said she was struck by the beauty of the country.

“The city of Rennes, the capital of Brittany, is itself filled with historical beauty,” she said. “The houses are works of art themselves.”

All students came away feeling that they had gained a second family.

A true exchange program, Cary Academy students stayed with host families overseas.

This spring, the French students had hosted students from Rennes and Tours at Cary Academy and in their homes.

In the fall, the exchange will be completed, when students from Spain and Germany visit Cary Academy.

Eighth Graders Celebrate Their Middle School Experience [top]

Eighth grade students closed out their Middle School careers on June 6 with a graduation ceremony and celebration. The ceremony, held in the theater, featured student speakers, musicians and singers.

Speakers included Stephanie Bauman, Emma Morgan, Rachel Parks and Morgan Smith, while Meg Hewitt presented the class gift to the school – a Shumard Oak to be planted at the school. Sara Baker, Cori Lindler, Florence Lumsden, Nicole Huber, Caitlin Daniels and Allison Yim sang, while Brendan Kiu, Alexander Rosen and Murphy Chang had instrumental solos.

The eighth graders finished their day with a celebration in the dining hall.

Cary Academy 8th Grade class of 2003

Class of ’03 College Acceptances Show A Bright Future Ahead [top]

Cary Academy Class of 2003 Yale, Harvard, Duke and the United States Naval Academy are just a few of the names in an impressive list of college and university acceptances and enrollments for the Class of 2003.

The 87 recently graduated seniors will head to 48 colleges and universities that are as close as Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, and as far away as Colorado – the University of Colorado at Boulder, California – Stanford University, and even Scotland.

One member of the Class of 2003 will head to the University of Glasgow, a university in Scotland dating back to the mid-fifteenth century.

“We are pleased to see that the Class of 2003 continued to apply to a wide range of colleges and universities,” said Susan Staggers, director of College Advising. “One hundred forty-two colleges received applications from Cary Academy seniors this year. Members of the Class will be attending 48 different college or universities, 35 of which are out-of-state.”

A full list of acceptances and college choices for the Class of 2003 can be found at:
http://web1.caryacademy.org/college/acceptances0203.htm.

Sixth Graders Donate Mosaic Table to Glenaire Retirement Community [top]

Cary Academy 6th Graders at Glenaire with donated Mosaic Topped Table A group of sixth grade students visited the Glenaire Retirement Community on June 3 to donate a mosaic-topped table to residents.

Sixth graders Therice Morris, Amanda Pieper, Taylor Russell, Misha Sims, Sydney Norton, Maya Vulgaropulos and Lauren Jamiolkowski traveled to Glenaire as representatives of the sixth grade class. Middle School Beta Club Advisor Dawn Bates and Service Learning Coordinator Tami Kaiser-Polge accompanied the girls on the trip. They presented the table to Activities Director Sheila Bullock and members of the Glenaire community.

The table, nearly two months in the making by members of the sixth grade class, was made possible through a grant from the PTAA and much hard work by art teacher Margo Smith and the sixth graders.

The mosaic design on the tabletop portrays brightly colored flowers. It will sit in a patio area outside at Glenaire.

The sixth grade girls had cookies and drinks with several residents and told them that the table was the sixth grade’s way of saying “thank you” for letting them visit Glenaire throughout the school year.

Four Students Selected for All-State Band [top]

Five Cary Academy students auditioned for the All-State Band on April 26, with four selected for the honor.

All-State consists of three bands – one for 11^th- and 12^th-grade, one for 9^th- and 10^th-grade, and one for middle school students.

Zack Hobbs ('04) was awarded first chair String Bass for the 11-12 Wind Ensemble; Adam Pedersen ('04) was awarded first chair Tenor Sax, 11-12 Wind Ensemble; Roger Shaw ('04) was awarded 11th chair Clarinet, 11-12 Wind Ensemble; and Eric Smith ('05) was awarded sixth chair French Horn, 9-10 Wind Ensemble.

Saige Clark ('07) narrowly missed a spot in the middle school band, being named third alternate.

Students had to earn one of the top chairs (positions) in the District Band to be eligible to audition for All-State. There are six band districts in the state. Cary Academy’s district, the Central District, is traditionally the strongest and most competitive, according to Eric Grush, band director.

Eighty-Seven Members of the Class of 2003 Celebrate Graduation Day [top]

Class of 2003 waiting for Diplomas The 87 members of Cary Academy’s Class of 2003 turned their tassels in a Friday evening ceremony on May 23, held in the gymnasium due to wet weather.

Lee V. Stiff, professor of mathematics at N.C. State University and past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, gave the commencement address. He told seniors that the answer to the question “what is success?” can be found within themselves. Dr. Lee Stiff - Commencement Speaker for Class of 2003

“Find a way to convert your passions into your own sense of success,” Stiff told the Class of ’03.

The commencement ceremony featured class speakers Will Duke and Reed Malin, while Megan Anderson, Eric Helfer and Brian Block contributed to the ceremony as well with the opening reflections, special thank you and closing reflections.

During the commencement ceremony, Malin was also recognized as this year’s recipient of the Founders Award, given each year to a senior who has acted as a role model to all Cary Academy students.

Some of the Class of 2003

Foreign Exchange Trips Depart [top]

Exchange programs to France and Spain departed Saturday and Sunday for their three-week adventures overseas, while the German exchange program will depart the first week of June.

One group of students will travel to Rennes, France, while another heads to Tours, France. Earlier this year, a group of students from each of those towns in France visited Cary Academy.

Meanwhile, students headed to Spain will travel to La Coruña and to Oviedo. Students traveling to Germany are headed to Rottenburg.

Students and faculty planning to travel to China for their exchange program were unable to make the trip this year due to the SARS outbreak in Asia.

To read the story that local news station WTVD did on this cancellation, please visit http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/news/042403_NW_sarscaryacademy.html.

Students return from France, Germany and Spain in mid-June.

F.A.M.E. Fest Celebrates the Arts at Cary Academy [top]

Differnt Art Projects on Display at F.A.M.E 2003 It was indeed an afternoon of Fun, Art, Music and Entertainment on Friday, May 9 as Cary Academy’s budding artists showcased their talents at F.A.M.E. Fest.

The celebration took place in the Fine Arts Building, where Middle and Upper School artists displayed works from paintings to sculptures to Student Talks about his Art Project mosaic pieces.

In addition to their displays, the artists also did demonstrations, showing off talents such as weaving and making mosaic tile artwork.

The display of talent did not stop at the visual arts as singers, musicians and actors also performed for members of the Cary Academy community and guests.

Percentage Nights at Barnes & Noble Raise Funds and Book Donations [top]

MS Chorus sings at Barnes and Noble for the Book Fair The Parent Teacher Administrator Alliance (PTAA) earned more than $1,150 from the May 1-2 book fair at Barnes & Noble in Cary.

This was the second time this year that Cary Academy offered percentage nights at Barnes & Noble. The PTAA received 20 percent from sales of $2,000-$10,000 and 25 percent from sales over $10,000.

In addition, a special Cary Academy wish list table was set up for anyone interested in purchasing a specific title for donation to the library. Fifteen books were donated to the library collection.

Shoppers on the evening of May 1 received a special treat as Jacquie Holcombe and talented members of her Middle School and Upper School chorus performed at the store.

Middle Schoolers Show Their Athletic Skill [top]

Charger Cup - Basketball Middle School students participated in the Charger Cup on May 1 – taking part in games from basketball shoots to pizza box relays.

The sun was out and the heat was on, but that Charger Cup - Pizza Relay didn’t slow the groups as they rotated from the soccer goal to the track to the tennis and basketball courts.

Middle Schoolers split up into Blue and Gold teams by grade level to compete against each other in the afternoon events.

French Exchange Students Visit Cary Academy [top]

French Exchange students spent more than two weeks with Cary Academy students, learning about academic life and American culture.

Two separate groups: one from Tours, and another from Renne, France visited the school in April.

The groups stayed very busy visiting classes, touring museums, bowling, a party at the Salls’, and even a Bluegrass festival.

The juniors in the program will complete the second half of the exchange this May; after a few days in Paris, half will be going to Tours, and the other half to Renne.

Cary Academy Seventh Graders Recognized By Duke TIP Program [top]

Earlier in the school year, 81 seventh graders were identified, on the basis of their ERB results – standardized tests taken by sixth through tenth graders – by Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (TIP) as eligible to participate in the talent search program.

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) identifies gifted children and provides resources to nurture the development of these students. Through Duke TIP a range of activities and programs are accessible to parents and teachers to meet the individual needs of gifted children, according to the TIP web site.

The seventh grade students were provided the opportunity to take the SAT or ACT. This year, 38 students took advantage of this opportunity to take the SAT or ACT and the test results are back. Nineteen of the students who took the standardized tests scored well enough to receive special recognition. One student scored well enough to receive grand recognition. These seventh grade students include: Grand Recognition – Michelle Luo; State Recognition – Elizabeth Atkins, Arjun Chandran, Yera Chokshi, Austin Curry, Mark Easley, Nick Fair, Max Flesher, Stuart Gordon, Aubrey Hamilton, Rodrigo Haragutchi, Angela Hayes, Cameron Hayes, John Nelson, Meaghan Quindlen, Kim Ray, Sona Shah, Scott Stanton and Christina Wieand.

Those who scored 510 or above on the math or verbal sections of the SAT or 21 or above on the math or English sections, or 22 or above on the reading or science reasoning sections of the ACT will receive state recognition at a ceremony to be held in May.

Students who scored 650 or above on the SAT math or verbal, or 28 or above on math or English on the ACT, 30 on reading on the ACT, or 27 on science reasoning on the ACT, will receive recognition at the grand ceremony on Duke’s Campus on May 19.

Sixty Students Take Part in American Mathematics Competition [top]

In March, 60 Cary Academy students participated in the American Mathematics Competition. These mathematicians distinguished themselves in many areas.

The team ranked among the top 17 percent of schools participating. In the grades nine and ten, the school winners were Mark Hallen and Katie Hayes whose scores were in the top one percent. In Grades 11 and 12, the school winner was Yuriko Tamura whose score was also in the top one percent.

In addition to the performances by these students, Ryan Jamiolkowski, Katie Cheng, Andrew D. Bryson, Erica Helfer, and Natalie Case all qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam. Each of these achievements represent school firsts.

Five CA Ensembles Earn “Superior” Ratings [top]

Five Cary Academy Ensembles earned “Superior” ratings at the recent Music Showcase Festivals in Virginia.

Each earned first place in their classes as well.

The Upper School Wind Ensemble earned a Superior rating and first place in High School Concert Band - Class A.

The Middle School String Orchestra earned a Superior rating and first place in Junior High School String Orchestra class. The Middle School String Orchestra also won the Overall Grand Champion Award. This is the highest award in this competition in the middle school/junior high, grade seven through nine, instrumental groups.

According to judge's recommendation, the Middle School orchestra first violin section earned an Outstanding Section Award and Rodrigo Haragutchi (’08), violin, earned an Outstanding Soloist Award.

The Upper School Jazz Band earned a Superior rating and first place in High School Jazz Ensemble - Class A.

The Middle School Wind Ensemble earned a Superior rating and first place in Middle School Concert Band - Class A.

The Honors Orchestra earned a Superior rating and first place in High School Orchestra/String Orchestra.

According to judge's recommendation, the Honors orchestra’s three soloists: Lorraine Bailey (’03), clarinet, Joelle Portzer (’06), trumpet, and Eric Smith (’05), french horn, earned Outstanding Soloist Awards.

Orchestra Director Yiying Qiao said he feels both the Middle School and Upper School orchestras have improved greatly this year due to the hardwork of his students and his leadership.

Audio files of Performances from the Music Showcase Festivals in Virginia:

Upper School Concert Choir Excels in First Choral Competition [top]

The Upper School Concert Choir participated in its first choral competition on April 11 at the Heritage Festival Choral, Band and Orchestra Competition in Myrtle Beach, SC.

With 32 of 53 members of the choir making the trip, Cary Academy competed in two areas with a Women’s Choir in the Open Category and the 1-A Division for Mixed Choirs.

Each choir performed three selections after which one of the adjudicators conducted a “mini” workshop with the group. The adjudicator stressed the positive points of the performance, offered a verbal critique of each selection and actually worked with the group to enhance the group’s presentation of the selection.

Both choirs scored superior ratings in performance, which is the highest rating given and brought home a second place trophy in each division.

With choirs in attendance from Minnesota, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the group took the opportunity to stay and listen to many choral groups from other areas of the country and to compare its sound and vocal technique to other groups. The weekend also allowed the group time to enjoy Myrtle Beach, playing Putt Putt, shopping, eating and attending the awards banquet, show and dance at Medieval Times.

Science Olympiad Team Places 12th in the State [top]

Cary Academy’s Science Olympiad Team received two silver medals, a bronze, and a fourth and fifth place in the recent state competition for the North Carolina Science Olympiad.

Out of 351 teams from across the state, 42 were invited to the state competition. Cary Academy placed 12^th out of those teams.

Individual winners included: Roger Shaw (’04) and Brad Butler (’04), silver in Sounds of Music; Shaw and Julia Zhang (’03), silver in Feathered Frenzy; Josh Lebenson (’03) and Courtney Redden (’03), bronze in Science of Fitness; Lebenson and Garrett Roach (’03), fourth in Qualitative Analysis; Lebenson and Roach, fifth in Polymer Detectives.

College Representatives Talk Admissions With Students and Parents [top]

Parents and students had an opportunity on April 2 to hear about the admissions process at several colleges and universities straight from admissions officers at those schools.

The evening was hosted by the College Advising Office and featured: Jack Blackburn, Dean of Admissions at the University of Virginia; Barbara Polk, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill; Tommy Griffin, Director of Admissions at North Carolina State; Carrie Williams, Senior Admissions Officer at Duke; and Joe Biedlingmaier, Admissions Officer at Furman.

Sophomore and junior students/parents were the target audience, but interested ninth graders and parents were invited to attend as well.

The college advisors began with some common admissions questions that they hear from students and parents, then opened the floor to student and parent questions.

Questions ranged from the advantages of large and small colleges and universities, to what parts of a student’s application are now most important in the admissions process.

Students Sample Foreign Culture During International Festival [top]

The classrooms of the Middle School were filled with a taste of foreign culture on April 3 as the Cary Academy Foreign Language Department sponsored International Festival.

Middle School students attended two workshops in the afternoon, followed by a performance for the entire Middle School by West End Mambo, a touring mambo band.

Presenters included: Cesar Oviedo, Latin Music; Lingyun Lou, Chinese Calligraphy; Wael Masri, Conflict and Culture in ArabLands; Vaneep Sandhu, Surteg Singh Sandhu, and Sandeep Pannu, Indian Dance (Bhangra) and Culture; Annette Samborski, Baye Cobb, West End Mambo performs for Cary Academy MS Students and dancers from the School of Scottish Dance, Scottish Dancing; Michelle Draughon, Salsa Dancing; Isabelle Blanco, Making (and eating!) Crêpes; Eloise Robinson, Virtual Tour of Great Museums of the World; Mark Fountain, Polish Culture; Hanyu H. Chio, Chinese Folk Dancing; Mari Asanuma Jameel, Japanese Culture; and Thuy Dancik, Vietnamese Culture.

During the performance by West End Mambo, students who took part in the Latin Music workshop and the Salsa Dancing workshop were invited on stage to perform with the band.

Author and Boy From Haiti Share Story of Hope and Caring [top]

Middle and Upper School students were treated to a special message of hope and caring on April 2 when Canadian author and storyteller, Peter Eyvindson, and a child of Haiti, Soni Derazin visited the school.

The two shared the story of Soni’s triumph over cerebral palsy. Soni presented two dances of his own to the audience.

After meeting Soni in Haiti in 1999, Eyvindson wrote about the true story of Soni’s life in a book called Soni’s Mended Wings.

Soni grew up challenged by cerebral palsy, was abandoned by his family, and spent six years confined to a crib in a home for disabled children in Fermathe, Haiti.

When former street children from St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Port-au-Prince Haiti learned of Soni’s situation, they took over caring for him and other children at the home. With dedication and compassion, the children of St. Joseph’s taught Soni to walk, talk, and dance.

Eyvindson volunteers to tell the tale to audiences of all ages, traveling internationally with Soni several times a year.

Science in Our Community Features 16 Scientists [top]

Sixteen scientists shared their knowledge with Middle School students on March 28 as part of the Middle School Science Department’s Science in our Community event.

PArk Ranger talks to CA MS Students for "Science in the Community" From park rangers to poultry scientists, students learned about a variety of topics in science.

Presentations included: Scott MacLeod, Computer 3D Modeling in Construction; Christine Zone, Bugs and Drugs; Jay Schwartz (Alyssa ’08), Value of Medicines; Dr. Sarah Rajala (Kristen Aanstoos ’04 and Stephanie Aanstoos ’07), Engineering the World Around You; Mike Vaught, PG, (Audrey ’08), Improving the Performance and Health of a Water Well; Dr. Hasan Jameel (Firoz ’09), Paper Recycling; Dr. Pam Rowsey (Kevin ’09), Physical Activity Effects on Immune Function; Dr. John L. Weinerth, The Use of Energy Sources in the Treatment of Kidney Stones; Dr. Vivian Doelling (Hillary, ’09), Baby Chicks Get Vaccinated Just Like Human Babies; Dr. Jim Aanstoos (Kristen ’04 and Stephanie ’07), How Computers Analyze Pictures; Dr. Kaja Lee (Cameron ’08 and Jordan ’05), Radiology: X-Rays are an Important and Essential Diagnostic Tool in Medicine; Dr. Charles Greenberg (Pierce ’07), Moving Molecules from Bench to Bedside: Basic Research in Medicine; Dr. Hawazin Khoury (Mazin ’08 and Nisreen ’05), Quantitating HIV in Patients Blood; Dr. Fred Holt (Kathryn ’07), The Ear: Anatomy, Physiology, and Hearing Loss; Lorin Mueller, The Life of a Park Ranger; and Dr. Subhash Gumber (Natasha ’08), Workings of the Gastrointestinal Tract.

Visiting scientists presented mini-lectures to students. Students had the opportunity in small groups to hear three of the 16 lecturers, with different groups of students hearing different lectures.

Friday Fellowship Winners Announced [top]

The 2003 William C. Friday Summer Fellowship recipients were announced at the end-of-term faculty and staff meeting on March 14. This year’s winners are Matthew Gardzina, Middle School social studies teacher, and Meredith Steele, Upper School visual arts teacher.

Gardzina will use his fellowship to develop an online, multidisciplinary web site resource center with lesson plans for teaching architectural history. The site will be available for middle and high school teachers who wish to use architectural history as an interdisciplinary tool for teaching history, math, science, and art.

Steele will study landscape painting this summer at the Contemporary Landscape Painting Workshop at Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. There, she will work closely with Gregory Kondos, a highly regarding landscape artist. She will then continue her own work during the summer and produce a minimum of ten paintings. Steele’s paintings will be exhibited at Cary Academy and she will incorporate her newfound skills as a landscape painter into her courses.

Students Showcase Their Talents at the Upper School Variety Show [top]

Step Team performs at US Variety Show Upper School students and faculty performed to a packed house on March 28 in the annual Upper School Variety Show. Band Performs at US Variety Show

The evening featured more than two dozen acts. Students and faculty sang, danced and performed skits.

The event was put on by the Class of 2004 and also featured student directors and crew.

Singers perform at US Variety Show

Senior College Seminar Helps Ready Seniors for College [top]

For the second year in a row, Cary Academy seniors had the opportunity to talk college life with some people in the know during the Senior Seminar held on March 7.

Raleigh Detective talks to Seniors at Senior College Seminar Issues from communication with professors and roommates to safety on campus were covered during the half-day seminar aimed to help prepare seniors for their upcoming college transition.

Visitors to campus included a group from North Carolina State University and the Raleigh Police Department.

Raleigh police Detective J.T. Anderson gave an open talk on the dangers of date rape drugs and, during the final part of the day, all staff and faculty left the seminar to give seniors an opportunity to speak candidly with several Cary Academy alumni who returned to campus to answer questions about college life.

Seniors also received Surviving the College Transiton – An Affectionate Send Off of Material from Cary Academy, a booklet of information covering student life, academics and the social aspects of college life.

Cary Academy’s Fed Challenge Team Heads to Richmond for District Competition [top]

Cary Academy’s Fed Challenge Team is headed to the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank District Competition on April 1 following a win in the final round of the Fed Challenge competition for the Carolinas in March.

The team will compete against winners from Baltimore and Richmond.

Team members include Lorraine Bailey (’03), Melih Onvural (’03), Jillian Vitter (’03), Rosemary Hubbard (’03), Waqaar Khawar (’03), Christina Flood (’03), and Brendan Duckett (’03).

The Fed Challenge is a national competition sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of the U.S. to promote economic education.

A school-sponsored team makes a presentation before economists and bankers, who act as judges, as if the team is the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). They behave as Alan Greenspan and the FOMC members would behave if they were discussing targeting interest rates.

After 15 minutes the judges quiz the team on their understanding of monetary policy, the role of the FOMC, economic conditions in the U.S. and around the world, and more.

“It is very challenging to prepare for and present,” said Clare Adkin, the group’s faculty advisor. “Our students are all Advanced Economics students and have been studying for this competition for over two months.”

Cary Academy Hosts First Spring Writer’s Festival on April 3-4[top]

Cary Academy welcomes musician, screenwriter and author William McCranor Henderson, and award-winning authors Elizabeth Spencer and Carole Boston Weatherford for the school’s first Spring Writers Festival on April 3-4.

This festival, planned primarily by students, is an opportunity to celebrate literature by bringing writers together to share their work with one another and the public. This event is sponsored in part by the Cultural Arts Committee of the Cary Academy Parent Teacher Administrator Alliance.

On Thursday evening, the public is invited to school as the authors participate in a book signing at 7:30 p.m., followed by readings in the school’s Fine Arts Theater at 8 p.m. The authors will sign books following the readings as well at 9:30 p.m.

On Friday morning, April 4, the authors return to campus for a school assembly and visit to various classrooms. In the afternoon, they will participate in a workshop with students from 1 to 2:20 p.m.

For more information visit