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Athletics

Middle School Track & Field Sprints to Conference Glory

May 15, 2025

The MS girls’ track & field team extended their dynasty last week, capturing its eighth consecutive conference championship in spectacular fashion at home. The Chargers dominated, outscoring the second-place team by a staggering 115 points, and earning more points than the second, third, and fourth place teams combined. Eighteen athletes contributed to the historic total.

Record Setters:

Waverly Williams, ‘29, blazed her way to a championship and school record in the 200m, shattered the school record in the 100m for silver, and helped secure two relay golds—teaming with Nari Richeson, ‘30, Avni Lutz, ‘29, and Avery Strouch, ‘29, for a championship and school record in the 4x100m, and again with Neleiza Lefevre, ‘29, Avni Lutz, and Maripaz Pulido, ‘30, to win the 4x200m.

Maripaz Pulido broke her own school record to win the discus in a new championship record and claimed another gold in the 100m hurdles.

Avni Lutz took conference gold in the long jump.

Molly Na, ‘30, smashed her own school record to win the 600m.

Maya Murthy, ‘29, set a personal best to claim gold in the 800m.

On the boys’ side, the Chargers wrapped a strong season with a 5th place conference finish and multiple school records. At the championship, Roman Steele-Combs, ‘29, set a new school record in the 200m to earn bronze.

A dominant finish to a record-setting season. Go Chargers!

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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MS Science Olympiad Team Finishes in Top 10 at States

May 1, 2025

Our Middle School Science Olympiad team capped off their season with an impressive 10th place finish out of 142 teams at the 2025 North Carolina State Tournament this past weekend. They were also honored with the Tournament Spirit Award, recognizing their positivity, teamwork, and support for fellow competitors.

The team earned top-10 placements in more than half of the 24 events, including 1st in Scrambler, 3rd in Crime Busters, and 3rd in Experimental Design. Standout moments included a Scrambler run that stopped just 5.33 mm from the target, a precisely engineered three-step Mission Possible machine, and a bullseye on the first shot in Air Trajectory.

Congratulations to all the students, coaches, and volunteers for their dedication throughout the unforgettable season.

 Aarnavi Boppana, ’29 & Julia Ricketts, ‘29 – Scrambler – 1st Place

Celia Chen, ’29 & Sophie Liu, ‘29 – Crime Busters – 3rd Place

Aarya Parekh, ’29, Aashritha Kathrik Kamu, ’31, & Krystal Xu, ‘29 – Experimental Design – 3rd Place

Raahi Desai, ’31 & Vivaan Kesharaju, ‘29 – Coastal Countdown – 5th Place

Celia Chen & Sophie Liu – Ecology – 6th Place

Aarnavi Boppana & Krystal Xu – Meteorology – 6th Place

Ryan Xu, ’31 & Sylvie Knott, ‘30 – Mission Possible – 7th Place

Annika Liu, ’29 & Lexi Cai, ‘29 – Air Trajectory – 8th Place

Aarnavi Boppana & Sophie Mei, ‘31 – Reach for the Stars – 8th Place

Sophie Mei & Yuna Kim, ‘30 – Dynamic Planet – 9th Place

Amy Zheng, ’29 & Sylvie Knott – Fossils – 10th Place

Annika Liu & Yuna Kim – Metric Mastery – 10th Place

Aarnavi Boppana & Annika Liu – Write it, Do it – 10th Place

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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MS Science Olympiad Team Shines

February 17, 2025

Congratulations to the MS Science Olympiad Team!

The team delivered a stellar performance at the Regional Tournament on Saturday, securing 6th place out of 17 teams and earning a coveted spot at the State Tournament at NC State University on April 25-26. 

Now in its fourth year of competition, the team showcased remarkable skill, focus, and determination. Coaches praised the students’ dedication, highlighting standout performances across a range of challenging STEM events—including Air Trajectory, Crime Busters, and Anatomy & Physiology—that contributed to the team’s success. Several students took home medals, reinforcing the team’s depth and talent. 

Congratulations to all the students for their hard work and success! Next stop: the State Tournament, where they’ll take on the top teams in North Carolina. Go Chargers! 

CA MS SciOly Team:

Varsity Medalists: 
Annika Liu, ‘29 & Lexi Cai, ’29 – 2nd place in Air Trajectory 
Celia Chen, ‘29 & Sophie Liu, ’29 – 2nd place in Crime Busters 
Celia Chen & Sophie Liu – 4th place in Anatomy & Physiology 
Sophie Mei, ‘30 & Amy Zheng, ‘29 – 5th place in Dynamic Planet 
Annika Liu & Krystal Xu, ‘29 – 6th place in Entomology 
Amy Zheng & Sylvie Knott, ‘30 – 6th place in Fossils 
Aarnavi Boppana, ‘29 & Krystal Xu – 5th place in Meteorology 
Aarnavi Boppana & Sophie Mei – 6th place in Reach for the Stars 
Aarnavi Boppana & Julia Ricketts, ’29 – 5th place in Scrambler 
Aarya Parekh, ‘29 & Aashritha Karthik Kamu, ’31 – 6th place in Wind Power 

JV Medalists: 
Evan Zhang, ‘31 & Ryan Xu, ‘31 – 3rdn place in Potions & Poisons  
Shriya Shah, ‘31 & Raahi Desai, ’31 – 3rd place in  Wind Power  
Aanya Chakunta, ‘30 & Lanlan Huang, ’30 – 3rd place in Crime Busters  
Ahmed Bilal, ‘30 & Sebastian Tiwari, ’31 – 3rd place in Disease Detectives

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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Science In Action

January 7, 2025

From creative podcasts and engaging comics to 3D models and poetry, last year, eighth-grade scientists in Rachel Bringewatt’s and Andrew Chiaraviglio’s classes tackled global water and energy challenges with ingenuity, passion, and purpose. These are their inspiring end-of-year projects.

Hydropower in Brazil and Paraguay 

Tej Prabhu, Margot Perkinson, and Mahika Kadumpalli created Energy 360, a dynamic podcast aimed at making renewable energy topics accessible to non-scientists. In their pilot episode, they took a humorous and approachable dive into hydropower, examining its extensive use in Brazil and Paraguay—where it generates the majority of electricity—to explore its potential as a global solution in the fight against climate change.

Sugarcane Biomass 

Reed Stallings and Vivi Willis conducted a case study on the Guatemala Sugarcane Biomass project, which converts fibers left from sugarcane harvests to create a clean and renewable energy source. They created a 3D sculpture modeling the mechanism and process by which the fibers, known as bagasse, are burned to heat water, creating steam that is piped to a turbine powering an electric power generator.  The remaining char from the bagasse can be used as a fertilizer for future sugarcane crops.

Desalination Plants 

As climate change worsens droughts, desalination, the process of converting seawater into freshwater, has become essential. Yet many plants rely on non-renewable energy. In their compelling short story and companion audiobook Project in Paradise, Charlotte Lavin and Sofia Townsend-Lopez explore a real-world solution: a desalination plant in the Canary Islands powered by renewable energy like wind and solar. Through relatable characters and an accessible storytelling style, they bring the science of desalination to life, highlighting its potential benefits for audiences who might not otherwise engage with the topic.

Seawater HVAC Systems 

Tara Viswanath and Jackson Gupta developed a science advocacy comic aimed at encouraging business owners and developers to invest in seawater air conditioning (SWAC) systems. Designed to be both engaging and accessible to a general audience, the multi-page comic brought the technology to life with vibrant illustrations. It clearly explained how SWAC systems work, highlighted their ecological advantages over greenhouse gas-emitting traditional AC systems, and showcased their potential cost savings for end users.

Sustainable Wastewater Treatment 

With creativity and keen insight, Somer Parekh and Ved Vainateya explored the Marselisborg Wastewater Treatment Plant in Denmark, an exemplar of sustainable innovation. Through a poignant poem, they underscored the vital importance of clean water, using emotional appeal to spark interest in the often-overlooked topic of wastewater treatment. Paired with a detailed PowerPoint presentation that offered a deeper scientific dive, their work highlighted how the plant reduces water pollution, generates renewable energy, and achieves carbon-negative operations.

Off Grid Boxes 

Blake Deutsch and Derek Qi crafted a compelling infographic showcasing their research on Off Grid Boxes—innovative, all-in-one systems that provide solar energy and purified water. Focused on their deployment in Tanzania, where 70% of the population lacks reliable access to clean water and 16% live without electricity, the infographic used clear visuals to illustrate the region’s water and energy challenges. It also broke down the technology behind Off Grid Boxes in an accessible way, demonstrating how these systems generate clean water and power.

Learn more about the Middle School Water Planet curriculum

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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Water Planet

January 7, 2025

In CA’s Middle School science labs, students don’t merely learn the facts and figures of science. Instead, they transform into engaged scientists, activists, and communicators thanks to an evolving year-long teaching and learning approach that blends classroom science with immersive experiential and social-emotional learning opportunities and equity-minded service.

Moving beyond theory to engage with science tangibly, students in the eighth grade explore topics from water chemistry to marine biology and develop an understanding of how science intersects with broader societal issues and can serve as a tool for advocacy and change.

Student response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We seamlessly combined writing, claim-evidence-reasoning (CER), lab stations, and real-world connections. My work in the class felt exciting and meaningful. You couldn’t help but stay engaged,” shares Emma Curtis Maury, ‘28, who discovered a passion for molecular biology last year in science teacher Rachel Bringewatt’s eighth-grade classroom. 

“We could see how what we were learning in our science class could make a real impact. It connected those dots for us in meaningful ways,” offers Margot Perkinson, ’28, and Sofia Townsend-Lopez, ’28, who also discovered their shared interest in science communications. 

A SCIENTIFIC SPIRAL 

CA’s Middle School science program has evolved over the years to be more focused on environmental stewardship while retaining some of its early characteristic spiral design. From grades six through eight, some core scientific disciplines—biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science—are intentionally revisited at increasing levels of complexity. This approach ensures students build a strong, interconnected foundation while steadily developing their scientific knowledge and skills.

“The spiral approach is designed to minimize gaps in students’ understanding while avoiding unnecessary repetition,” explains Andrew Chiaraviglio,  a longtime faculty member instrumental in shaping the eighth-grade curriculum. “It’s about revisiting topics with greater depth each time, helping students connect ideas and build a cohesive framework for understanding science.” 

The various disciplines are woven into a cohesive narrative each year by anchoring lessons in a thematic framework, ensuring that science becomes a rich, interconnected exploration rather than a collection of disconnected facts.

“We’ve found that anchoring lessons in a narrative helps unify what students learn. It contextualizes concepts and makes connections among disciplines more accessible and meaningful,” explains Chiaraviglio. 

Key scientific practices, like collecting and interpreting data and constructing arguments through claim-evidence-reasoning (CER), are introduced early and reinforced throughout the middle school years. These skills prepare students not only to analyze scientific claims, but also to engage critically with the world around them.

A YEAR OF INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING 

The eighth-grade curriculum is anchored in a “Water Planet” theme. 

 The year begins with the basics—water’s molecular structure and chemical properties—establishing fundamental principles that students will apply throughout the year. Then, throughout the fall, students explore how land use, human activity, and water quality are connected. They also develop key lab skills that enable them to assess water quality and environmental indicators of ecosystem health.

After focusing on freshwater ecosystems, students take a deep dive into marine biology and water-energy connections. The Water Planet theme also encompasses the human body, a seemingly unexpected but natural connection highlighting water’s essential role in cellular processes like osmosis, photosynthesis (essential for food production on which humans depend), and respiration. “We want students to see science as the study of a dynamic system where elements are interconnected,” shares Chiaraviglio.

Learning extends beyond the classroom throughout the year. Students engage in fieldwork, testing water quality at SAS’s nearby pond, and analyzing real-world case studies, such as PFAS contamination and hog farming impacts on North Carolina waterways. Additionally, students are introduced to ArcGIS, a powerful tool used around the world by environmental scientists and city planners.

“At Cary Academy all students have access to ArcGIS, which can be used to analyze any data with a spatial/geographic component,” continues Chiaraviglio. “This tool also includes a variety of apps with which the user can craft effective visual presentations with many-layered, data-rich maps”.

Thanks to a collaboration between Bringewatt and Chiaraviglio, and the Center for Community Engagement’s Service Learning Director Maggie Grant and Program Coordinator CJ Bell, the eighth-grade science curriculum includes experiences with the broader community.  Over the last two years, students have had the opportunity to learn from real-world local experts, including guest speakers from organizations like the Haw River Assembly and Chapel Hill’s Stormwater Management Division, Great Raleigh Cleanup, and North Carolina Central University. They have even engaged in virtual dialogue with a scientist involved in international collaborative research focusing on the impacts of climate change on plankton populations in the Arctic. 

In the winter, after learning from experts, students develop their presentation skills. In a peer marine biology symposium, students share their research about specific ocean ecosystem environments and their threats, including climate change, invasive species, and microplastics. This collaborative experience not only sharpens their research and critical thinking skills, but also builds confidence and fosters scientific identity. 

“I love seeing them explain their work to each other,” says Bringewatt. “They stop looking to me for answers and start turning to each other—seeing themselves as scientists.”

By spring, the budding scientists are ready to tackle broader and more complex global issues like the water-energy nexus—the thorny revelation that the water crisis is inextricably intertwined with global energy concerns—and grapple with the lack of singular solutions. They evaluate real integrated water energy solutions for their scientific soundness, practicality for the communities they intend to serve, and scalability to other communities, devising creative ways to share their findings with peers.

Students are encouraged to communicate their work through creative formats that resonate with them, such as poems on hydropower, sculptures of off-grid water technologies, or podcasts on pollution. 

“Science isn’t isolated from the community. It is a part of it,” says Bringewatt. “Scientists are not just responsible for understanding the data but for communicating it effectively to nonscientist audiences.”

GETTING HANDS-ON 

Service and experiential learning opportunities are thoughtfully woven throughout the year to augment learning. To date, students have engaged with local experts from advocacy groups like the Walnut Creek Wetland Community Partnership, watched an environmental justice documentary during a Community Day, and used X Days to organize stream clean-ups, among other things.  

“These intentional experiential and service opportunities help students develop critical social-emotional skills like empathy, self-awareness, and collaboration,” explains Maggie Grant, Service Learning Director. “They teach students to engage ethically with their communities, critically examine privilege and power, and recognize systemic inequities in environmental harm.”

This approach empowers students to become advocates for social and environmental justice, a thread that starts with conversations in the fall and continues into the spring. For example, last spring, students explored tools for inclusive science communication. They also analyzed links between inequitable water accessibility and adverse health consequences and considered the historical and systemic factors perpetuating these inequities.  

“We want our students to think critically—not just about the data, but about its larger context,” shares Bringewatt.  “Who is impacted by water pollution and water accessibility? How can we use science to address inequities? What is our responsibility as scientists to interrogate data critically, communicate findings, and advocate for change?” 

CJ Bell, Program Coordinator for the Center for Community Engagement, underscores the importance of these connections: “We want students to see science not just as a collection of facts but as a tool for understanding and improving the world.”

A NEW CAPSTONE 

This year, Chiaraviglio and Bringewatt hope to continue building on the curriculum and students’ experiences in eighth-grade science. Thanks to one of CA’s Innovation Curriculum grants, the spring will include a new six-week capstone project developed collaboratively by Bringewatt and Chiaraviglio. Designed to be an authentic, hands-on application of the year’s learning, the capstone will ask students to explore environmental issues through one of four focus areas: data experimentation, communication, policy analysis, or systems exploration.

“We want to give students multiple avenues to engage deeply based on their interests with topics that matter to them,” says Chiaraviglio. 

A student might study freshwater fish populations in North Carolina, gathering data from local streams or creating visual infographics using data available on the web to communicate findings in a way that is easily accessible to non-scientists. Others might explore policies related to water quality regulations or investigate how environmental inequities affect marginalized communities. 

 For Bringewatt, Chiaraviglio, Grant, and Bell, the goal isn’t just to prepare students for the next science class. 

“We are teaching them to engage with the real world and figure out who they want to be as scientists,” reflects Bringewatt. “There is more to science than lab work; there is policy, communication, advocacy, and activism. We want every student to leave the lab with a sense of who they are as scientists and how their work can fit into our broader community and world.” 

EMPOWERING STUDENTS 

The revamped curriculum’s impact is clear. The first cohort of students has transitioned to Upper School, bringing their enthusiasm with them.

Now a freshman, Curtis Maury recently co-led a genome science-themed X Day for Middle Schoolers alongside her former teacher.  “It was fun learning to teach younger students and make them love science—just like Ms. Bringewatt’s class did for me,” she says.

Inspired by their eighth-grade experiences, Perkinson and Townsend-Lopez have founded a science communications club in the Upper School. “I discovered I could help others, and that made science exciting,” says Perkinson, who created an environmental podcast about hydropower as her final project in Bringewatt’s class year.

“Our science communications club focuses on making science entertaining and fun for everyone,” continues Townsend-Lopez, who created a fictional narrative about renewable energy incorporating real scientific principles for her eighth-grade project. “We want to educate people who might not otherwise have access to or engage with this knowledge,” continues Townsend-Lopez.

For Bringewatt and Chiaraviglio, these transformations are the ultimate reward. 

“It’s amazing to see students who once hesitated to call themselves scientists now confidently engaging with environmental policy or water quality data,” she reflects. That spark of passion, that connection between the classroom and the real world—if I could bottle that moment, I would.”

Learn more about students’ year-end Water Planet projects

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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Spotlight On: Advisory Program

July 15, 2024

At CA, we want everyone to feel valued for their authentic selves, that they belong, and that they have a trusted adult cheering in their corner—someone with a bird’s eye view of all their needs, challenges, goals, and future aspirations. That’s where our advisory program comes in.

Comprised of a faculty member and a small group of peers, advisory includes social-emotional learning opportunities, grade-specific discussion topics, and even the occasional chillax session. In addition to supporting students, advisors also work closely with parents, communicating feedback and offering personal and academic guidance.

In Middle School, advisory is where students might explore what it means to be a good community member and friend, or learn to navigate complex social situations and how advocate for themselves. It’s an important part of the social fabric of the Middle School, with students meeting regularly to socialize and participate in team-building activities designed to help them find their place within our community.

In Upper School, students are with the same advisor and advisory peer group for their entire four years. Tight and trusted bonds form in these groups. Here is where students might learn to work across differences, lean into challenging conversations, find and use their voices, and plan for what comes next.

Advisors are there with students every step of the way, offering individual, personal, and academic guidance and shepherding students through self-reflection and goal setting.

Sound serious? Don’t worry—fun is built in, too, with lots of opportunities for camaraderie with fellow advisees.

Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications

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Science Olympiad starts the season off right.

February 8, 2024

Earlier this month, the Middle School and Upper School Science Olympiad Teams competed in their first tournament of the season, the NCSO Raleigh Regional Tournament. Overall, The MS varsity team earned an 8th-place trophy! The Upper School varsity team placed 6th overall- earning a bid to the state tournament in April at NCSU. Cary Academy also won the first-ever Division C Conen Morgan Spirit Award. Nominations noted our students’ friendliness, politeness, thankfulness, and willingness to help other teams by lending materials and giving advice. See below for a complete list of finishes:

Middle School Results
JV:
4th in Disease Detectives – Sophie Mei (’30) & Zofia Wang(‘30)
Varsity:
6th Anatomy & Physiology – Celia Chen (’29) & Sophie Liu (‘29)
3rd Disease Detectives – Xinya Pan (’29) & Samantha Kordus (‘28)
7th Ecology – Aarnavi Boppana (’29) & Jaden Hong (‘28)
5th Forestry – Amy Zheng (’29) & Annika Liu (‘29)
6th Microbe Mission – Samantha Kordus (’28) & Mia Rochman (’28)
4th Reach for the Stars – Aarnavi Boppana (’29) & Mia Rochman (‘28) 

Upper School Results
JV: 
4th in Scrambler – Annalise Davies (‘25) & Isabel Chang (‘24)
5th in Forensics – Wells Lin (‘26) & Katie Shen (‘24)
Varsity:
2nd Air Trajectory – Alister Davis (‘26) & Ryan Chen (‘26)
2nd Forensics – Riya Bhatnagar (‘27) & Bella Huang (‘24)
5th Experimental Design – Alister Davis (‘26), Joyce Xu (‘26), & Jasmine Ye (‘24)
5th Fossils – Ian Chen (‘24) & Jasmine Ye (‘24) 
6th Forestry – Ian Chen (‘24) & Jasmine Ye (‘24)
6th Geo Mapping – Ian Chen (‘24) & Angelika Wang (‘24)
7th Astronomy – Audrey Song (‘26) & Joyce Xu (‘26)
7th Scrambler – Alister Davis (‘26) & Sebastian de Souza (‘25)

Written by Jack Swingle

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Uncomfortable Magic

November 16, 2023

As Service Learning Director, I have the unique honor of helping push our students outside the comfort of our familiar school environment and into the wider world. Time and time again, I have seen firsthand the incredible learning and self-discovery these uncomfortable and unfamiliar moments often yield.  

Consider: a spark of unexpected human connection with someone you perhaps thought was so different. A new perspective gained on learning firsthand the daily barriers with which some live—roadblocks that seem unimaginable to you. The development of compassion and kindness as we think beyond ourselves to discover and appreciate the humanity in all our neighbors. The sense of belonging and purpose created by addressing a social issue that is personally relevant and meaningful.

These impactful moments are the magic of service learning—the ones that help prepare our students to go out into the world as kind, ethical, and empathic changemakers. 

Indeed, service learning offers unique opportunities for students to put the social-emotional learning curriculum of the classroom and advisory program into meaningful community practice. Empathy is woven into all of CA’s service-learning initiatives, from Special Olympics to Delta Service Club’s work to the annual Giving Tree program, Backpack Buddies, and beyond.

I don’t do this work alone, of course. I’m supported in it by CA’s mission and core values, our incredible employees, and a host of community partners. These partnerships—which balance community needs with CA’s student learning and development goals—are developed with humility, intention, and a genuine desire to understand social problems. After all, it is only in an environment of trust and respect that we can work together towards solutions, whether through direct community service or advocacy work.

Across CA and within the Center for Community Engagement (CCE), students, faculty, and staff are challenged to engage in discussions, experiences, and unfamiliar, eye-opening, and exhilarating learning. In our Middle School, I’ve worked closely with our faculty to integrate service learning into their curriculum, advisory time, and Community Days. 

Just check out what we’ve been up to this year (and its only November!).

In sixth grade, students learn about local food insecurity and engage in our Backpack Buddies program. The initiative begins with a day of experiential service learning, visiting local food stores to explore food costs, nutrition, and accessibility. They hear from the Interfaith Food Shuttle staff and are challenged to think about what it might feel like to go hungry over a weekend or not have an adult at home to help fix a meal. Throughout the school year, students run targeted food collection campaigns and think about how to engage the resources of our CA community for the benefit of students who go to school just down the road. Sixth graders pack 120 food bags each month for our partner school, Reedy Creek Elementary, which CA parents deliver. 

“Straightforward, concrete experiences give 6th graders the building blocks they need to understand abstract ideas. “Service” can be especially abstract for 6th graders who aren’t old enough yet to participate in many service-centered activities. Backpack Buddies allows them to give back to our local community in a tangible, immediate way. Students organize the food, pack the bags, make friendly cards, and help remind their grown-ups to contribute to our food drives.”– Katie Taylor, sixth-grade

Our seventh graders study migration in history and language arts with a current focus on farmworkers. Here, service learning might include a panel discussion with recent immigrants and those who work in NGOs serving them). It might entail more direct service opportunities—such as gleaning sweet potatoes for donation to food-insecure neighbors—that give students a sense of the grueling work of migrant farmworkers.  Or ask students to use their new persuasive writing skills to develop a compelling call for clothing donations to benefit one of our longtime partner organizations, Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Dunn, NC (this year, students brought in over 1100 clothing items!). 

“Done well, service learning can be the heart and soul of a curriculum—and the means for real, authentic change in communities. At its best, it is about partnerships—about mutuality—about listening and addressing real needs. We have strived to do this with our study of migration in seventh-grade history and language arts. We want our kids to really understand what it means to move to a new place—how hard that can be—and how we can support folks who are new to our area. If we do it well, our kids really put themselves in the shoes of migrants and refugees—and see them as people like themselves. Service learning can be a powerful way for students to be better listeners and more community-oriented people.”  – Lucy Dawson, seventh-grade language arts teacher and team leader. 

This year, in 8th grade, students are engaging in a pilot environmental justice service learning initiative focused on water quality. In science class, students are diving deeply into local ecological justice issues in North Carolina, with case studies on topics such as water contamination, stormwater runoff, and habitat destruction—and conducting hands-on water quality testing at the SAS ponds in order to determine the impact of nearby human activities on the health of this habitat.  This week, students participated in teach-ins with visiting researchers, journalists, riverkeepers, local government workers, and NGO administrators who dedicate their professional lives to keeping water safe and accessible to all members of our community. Students then c

In language arts, they are “taking a stand”— an immersive project that requires them to research, articulate, and persuasively advocate for a cause that is personally meaningful. This cross-curricular project will continue into the spring, where students will learn about student-led advocacy movements in the past and present in their history classes. 

Community-based service learning allows our student scientists to connect what they learn in class to the real world. It asks them to think critically about the role of science in a broader community context. When students participate in environmental justice service learning experiences connected to current and local water quality challenges, they deepen their understanding and see how it can help inform thoughtful action and community collaboration.” — Rachel Bringewatt, eighth-grade science teacher

Service learning is a fiber that is naturally, yet intentionally, woven into the work of CA. In all our service learning initiatives, students reflect deeply on their learning experiences—a critical learning step that helps them develop a sense of self and their place in the world. 

As CCE Project Coordinator & Program Manager CJ Bell put it, “These authentic learning experiences set students on the path to becoming changemakers as they work to resolve persistent issues in our local and global society. What a gift to be starting this work in Middle School!”

Written by Maggie Grant, Service Learning Director

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Time Well Spent

October 19, 2023

It is perhaps a (deceptively) simple question: How is your relationship with time?

I mulled over this question after reading a chapter called “Generosity with Time” in Chris Balme’s Finding the Magic in Middle Schools. As someone who teaches in middle school but lives with teenagers of various ages—especially older ones—I found it resonant, offering essential lessons that extend to kids and parents alike.

Many of us feel anxious about time. We never lose track of it. Ever. We might stand in awe (or horror) of those who breezily do. After all, we have color-coded calendars with a paper planner backup to prevent that exact occurrence. We might just be the ones who breathe a guilty sigh of relief if a surprise thunderstorm cancels a soccer practice; time is scarce, and we are not in control of it.

Then there are those people at the other end of the spectrum. Let’s call them the time-abundant mindset folks. Whoever you are, please stand over there; you’re messing up our schedules. 

All joking aside, the world often suggests to us that we should have a scarcity mindset regarding time. Whether real or not, we perceive that we don’t have enough time for All The Things.

It affects our behavior—how we talk about time hints of pressure and victimization. (“Can you hurry up and get in the car? You don’t want to be late to school and make me late to work, do you?!?,” said me, not ever. Never. *ahem*)

Indeed, I would wager that we make some of our poorer decisions as parents because of our own anxious relationship with time (and the tween and teen years are often when even the breeziest of parents shift into a higher-pressure, time-anxious mentality). The behavior that follows is often very controlling, albeit exerted in love.

Have you ever heard yourself say, “We don’t have time to wait for you to pack your gym bag; I’ll just do it for you.”  Ooops, we’ve just accidentally undermined our kid. And so begins (or continues) a generational curse of time scarcity.

Research shows that for middle and high school students to be academically resilient and prepared for all the things college and life offer, they must develop a healthy relationship with time. To get there, we need to trust our kids by granting them the space (and grace) to exercise more autonomy—to practice being in charge of their ‘when’ and ‘whats,’ to learn what time management strategies work (or don’t) for them, to fail, experience boredom, or miss something (and regret it).

Consider a new 9th grader experiencing a cherished free period for the first time. The freedom! The possibilities! THE FRAPS AT THE HUB!!! As a parent, you might be tempted to offer suggestions on how they could best spend that time (because: Homework! Practice schedules! Weekend plans!).

Here’s my advice, however: pay attention, but let these kids figure it out without us putting our anxiety onto them. 

High schoolers need to go through a period of failure with their free periods and sit in the uncomfortable repercussions of not having used their time wisely at least once. In experiencing that natural feedback and the consequences that come with it, the motivation to better manage their time becomes intrinsic. It’s how they learn to balance, pace, and spend their time to meet their academic and health needs.

During free periods, we often see our students on the Quad throwing a ball, sitting together in the winter sun, or chilling to music. We hear their witty banter during video games. Is that time misspent? Could be. (But perhaps not; research shows that mixing social connections with learning brings more focus into their actual class time. But that’s a blog for another day.)

Alternately, we may hear the clickity-clack of the speed typing of those students who may be feeling the effects of their procrastination. Or witness the ‘competitive sleep deprivation’ banter typical of many students—students who simply repeat what feels like a generational expectation, scholars who view sleep deprivation as some sort of signal of dedication.

These stories offer insights into the two opposite ends of a spectrum and underscore the importance of finding a middle ground regarding our relationship with time—one that honors both academic and social/emotional needs. After all, we want our kids to navigate life at CA and beyond with an understanding of how they can meet their academic obligations in healthy ways by effectively managing their time.

Knowing what we know about how WE have been socialized, it’s wise for us parents to be aware of how we talk about time with our children and to address our own time-related baggage. To jump-start that process, I spoke with Ms. Monds, our Director of Student Support Services and Counselor extraordinaire, and we curated this short list of suggested questions to gauge your own relationship status:

  1. Do I think that my child’s idle time will lead to problems? If so, what message is that sending to my child?
  2. Am I giving my child enough credit for managing their own schedule?
  3. Can I sit down in my own home? (If you know why I ask this, you know why I ask this.)
  4. Have I spoken about time without being a victim of it in the last few days?
  5. What do I feel when I have “idle time”?
    • Do I criticize/judge others for being idle?
    • Do I judge myself for being idle?
    • Do I create an environment for other to feel like they can relax?
  6. When was the last time I, myself, had free time that I didn’t fill with errands?

Ask even one of these questions, and we promise it will be time well spent.

Written by Josette Huntress, Head of Middle School

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