This year, the North Carolina German Day Competition took place virtually due to the pandemic, with a mix of live online events and prerecorded submissions. German Day is hosted by local universities (this year led by Appalachian State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and organized by the N.C. chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG). Congratulations to the following winners!
Middle School:
A Capella Song: 1st place: Gavin Koo (Level B) 2nd place: Aubrey Bundy, Sebastian Escobar, Kelley Felix, Alexander Ferretti, Mirabelle Greenwolfe, Jonas McMullin, Tess Perkinson, Riley Powell, Rishi Ramesh, Hogan Wendt and Rajan Wood (Level A)
Song with Choreography: 1st place: Izzy Bottorff, Anurag Gaddu, Reagan Lee and Max Leuchtmann (Level A)
Song with Musical Accompaniment: 1st place: Sebastian deSouza, Nora Leuchtmann and Zelin Ye (Level B)
Cary Academy hosts COVID-19 vaccination clinic for Triangle-area educators and other front-line workers
March 10, 2021
On Friday, March 5, in partnership with Health Park Pharmacy, Cary Academy hosted a coronavirus vaccine clinic in the Center for Math and Science gym. In addition to CA faculty and staff, CA invited members of the Cary Police department, an RTP-based firm that manufactures syringes for vaccination, and faculty and staff from thirteen Triangle-area elementary and secondary schools: Bright Horizons, Cardinal Charter, Carter Community School, Central Park School, Cresset Christian, Dream Academy, LatinxEd, Mills Park Elementary, Neal Magnet Middle School, Reedy Creek Elementary, Research Triangle High School, The Raleigh School, and Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
“The question of where to go and how to arrange a vaccination is made a lot easier when we’re able to offer vaccinations – not only to our own employees, but other educators and community members,” said Dr. Mike Ehrhardt. “And we’re really grateful to all the partners that helped make this happen.”
By the end of the day, 450 school staff and faculty, front-line workers, and at-risk individuals from Durham and Wake Counties received an injection of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine from the Health Park Pharmacy team and their volunteer vaccinators.
If you are a healthcare professional interested in volunteering to help distribute vaccines during future vaccination clinics in and around Wake County, contact Health Park Pharmacy nurse manager Lauren Crotty.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
Athletics
Charger swimmers close out the 2021 season as State Champions, Runners-Up
Ubuntu inspires students to think about themselves and their communities
March 5, 2021
At Cary Academy, the final Friday in February always marks the Middle School’s Ubuntu program – CA’s celebration of community that supports our mission by helping students see how they can impact the school, their community, and the world. Ubuntu allows students to experience different cultures, food, work, and other topics through different lenses, piquing their interests and inspiring them to take a deeper dive into a variety of issues.
This year, in the interest of keeping our students and community members safe and healthy, the Ubuntu Celebration was spread across the week, last week. On Tuesday and Thursday, Middle School students in the Blue and Gold learning cohorts had the chance to sample foods from across the globe during lunch. On Friday, each Middle School grade attended virtual discussions with scholars, activists, and artists whose work serves to inspire us to think about ourselves, our roles in our communities, and our place in history.
The sixth grade was inspired by Jaki Shelton Green, the third woman and the first African American to be honored as North Carolina’s state poet laureate. Shelton, who teaches documentary poetry at Duke University, challenged the Class of 2027 to each choose an object or experience that has particular significance to them and then craft a thoughtful personal statement on how it’s shaped who they are. In preparation for her workshop, “What We Keep Keeps Us,” Shelton Green asked the students to consider having a conversation with their family about the object, its meaning to them, and its meaning to their family.
CA alumnus Josh “Rowdy” Rowsey ’09 sat down with the seventh grade to discuss how developing one’s voice and a strong sense of self helps us strive towards social justice. Rowsey, an educator and hip hop artist who uses music, writing, and performance workshops to mentor youth across the nation, is the Program Director at the downtown Durham Afrofuturist Teen Center, Blackspace. During Rowsey’s workshop, entitled “Afrofuturism: Taking SPACE as a form of Social Justice,” students created and performed spoken word and lyrics inspired by John Lewis’ autobiographical March trilogy of graphic novels, co-written with Andrew Aydin, and illustrated by Nate Powell. “Josh’s electric energy and welcoming spirit encouraged students to take a risk and courageously perform their pieces before the entire seventh grade,” says MS language arts and social studies teacher Lucy Dawson.
Brie Starks, the Children and Families Program Coordinator at we are, a Durham-based organization dedicated to disrupting structural racism in the education system and promoting youth engagement on racial injustice, spoke with the students and faculty of the eighth grade. Starks worked with the Class of 2025 to better understand cultural identifiers, bias, and how they can take action to effect real, meaningful social change in her workshop, “Unpacking Identity and Implicit Bias.” Starks, who holds a Master of Social Work, has worked on a number of advocacy efforts for students of color, underrepresented youth, persons living with disabilities, and building campaigns around trauma awareness.
About the presenters
Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and has been named the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Her publications include: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, Conjure Blues, singing a tree into dance, breath of the song, Feeding the Light, i want to undie you.On Juneteenth 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album, The River Speaks of Thirst, produced by Soul City Sounds and Clearly Records.Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing writing retreats for women writers in Sedona Arizona, Martha’s Vineyard, Ocracoke North Carolina, Northern Morocco, and Tullamore Ireland.
Joshua Kevin “Rowdy” Rowsey is a National Recording Artist, Writer, Actor, and Educator based in the North Carolina Triangle Area. Rowdy has been featured on BET, NPR, PBS Kids, and has given a TEDX talk on the importance of Hip Hop Culture. Rowsey is a U.S. Hip Hop Ambassador through the U.S. Department of State and the Next Level Hip Hop Program. On stage Rowsey is part of the national collective No9to5 Music and plays with a live Jazz Band (J) Rowdy & The Night Shift which was nominated for a 2017 Carolina Music Award. They’ve been able to share the stage with the likes of Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Ari Lennox, Childish Major, Snow Tha Product, Murs, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, and a plethora of other national recording acts. Currently Rowdy is the founder of two triangle area cyphers – The UNC Cypher (UNC-CH) and the Med City Cypher (Downtown Durham). He also holds the position of Program Director at the Downtown Durham – Afrofuturist Teen Center Blackspace. Through UNC Greensboro’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program Rowsey continues his mission to spread southern hip hop at a national and international level through performance, writing and educational workshops inspiring the culture through the craft.
Brie M. Starks, MSW is a proud Detroit, MI native. Brie is a proud alumna of the University of Michigan where she obtained a B.A. in History, Political Science, and Afro-American and African Studies. She also holds a Master of Social work from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Instead of a clinical based MSW, Brie chose to pursue a macro-focused MSW in community organizing and obtained a certificate in Global Human Rights at Penn. Brie has worked on a number of advocacy efforts for students of color, underrepresented youth, persons living with disabilities and building campaigns around trauma awareness. She enjoys DIY projects and anything that allows for maximum creativity. Brie is the Children and Families Program Coordinator for we are.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
Too often—whether in the news or media representation in movies and television and beyond—Africa is presented in monolithic, flattened, and exoticized terms. These racist and otherwise damaging narratives flatten and stereotype the African experience, failing to reflect the rich history and diverse peoples and cultures represented on the continent.
At CA one of our primary goals in world history is to upset such narratives, to instill in our students a mindset of genuine, respectful, and ethical curiosity about other cultures and empathy for other people. Through rich opportunities for in-depth exploration and discovery, we aim to broaden our students’ perspectives and encourage them to develop a more nuanced and intricate understanding of the countries, peoples, and cultures of the African continent.
To that end, earlier this month, we were thrilled to invite our seventh graders to campus for our first-ever annual Celebrate Africa Day. An immersive experience designed to supplement the world history curriculum and study of the African continent, this very special community event was an opportunity for students to move beyond a single story of Africa and its people.
The morning kicked off with great energy and fun, courtesy of dance teacher Jasmine Powell, who led students and advisors in an incredible Zoom dance activity.
Within their advisory groups, students got on their feet to experience Ethiopian “Eskita” celebratory dance, Malian West African “Lengin” rite of passage dance, and Nigerian “Sango/Yemaya” religious dance, among others. Ms. Powell—who has an extensive background in African dance—explained the movements in detail, sharing her vast knowledge about the hidden meanings and purposes of the many dances. It was an energizing and fascinating start to the day.
From there, students rotated in small groups to hear from six different CA family members who each hail from different African countries.
Samson Berhan from Eritrea (father of Bemnet Samson ’26), Chi Ugwa from Nigeria (mother of Ike Ugwa ‘25), Monsio Love Joof from Liberia (aunt of Sam and James Joof ‘24), Memezie Kiadii from Liberia (mother to Tori Kiadii ‘25), Adeola Lawal from Nigeria (mother of Oyinlola Lawal ‘20), and Seif Oduor from Kenya (father of Kai Oduor ’26) shared beautiful artifacts from their home countries, as well as aspects of their culture, languages, and experiences. Students learned about Igbo, Yoruba, and Luhya tribal ethnicities and phrases in Kiswahili and Tigrinya.
Perhaps the most powerful aspects of the presentations were the personal stories about childhood, tight-knit familial communities, and artisanal skills and craftsmanship. We are so lucky to have such incredible diversity within our community and extend a special thanks to all those that were willing to share of themselves, their experiences, and their knowledge so that our students could have such a rich learning experience.
One of the rotations featured a National Geographic Giant Map of Africa, on loan to us from West Forsyth High School teacher Debra Troxell in Winston-Salem. Using a map that spanned half a basketball court, students actively explored the geography of the continent.
In teams, students “tiptoed to Tanzania,” “flew a plane from Cairo to Cape Town,” and dove head-first into the Indian Ocean. In conjunction with their study of Great African Civilizations, students walked the path of the hajj across the Sahara Desert like Mansa Musa, sailed their dhow along the Swahili Coast, and made a powerful posture like Queen Nzinga in modern-day Angola. Not only did students learn more about the countries, cities, and bodies of water in Africa, but they got a chance to more fully appreciate the tremendous size of the continent, as well as the boundless diversity of landforms, climates, rivers, and historical attractions.
The morning ended on a communal and celebratory note with lunch catered by Goorsha, a Durham-based Ethiopian restaurant owned by CA parent Fasil Tesfaye (father of Abben Fasil ’25). Students and teachers got to taste the wonderful cuisine of the horn of Africa, including authentic Injira (Ethiopian flatbread made with teff grains), Zilzil Alecha (beef with garlic, onions, and ginger), and Fosolia (carrots and green beans in a rich tomato sauce). The food was delicious—and very graciously paid for through a generous PTAA grant! It was so wonderful to see the students eating together on the field and patio while sharing reflections on the morning’s events.
To put the day’s events into context, seventh graders have been studying the African continent since early December. We began with the immense size of Africa and the incredible linguistic, topographical, and cultural diversity that the continent contains. We also addressed the way Africa is often portrayed in the media and “the danger of a single story,” a phrase coined by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We discuss the ways Africa gets flattened into a monolith, both its people and its places, and how we must do the work to seek out many, many more stories to add texture and variety to this singular and problematic narrative.
Students then launched into an annual research project where they chose a Great African Civilization or ruler of their choice. These ranged from the powerful ancient Egyptian and Nubian empires, to the Almoravid’s who conquered the Iberian Peninsula, to the advanced artistic society of the Nok, and many, many more.
Ultimately, the students’ final assessment will include the preparation of a persuasive presentation targeted at the North Carolina Board of Education for why their topic, and Africa in general, should be studied more thoroughly in middle school curricula, as the continent is a woefully undertaught region of the world.
After immersing ourselves in the flourishing and vibrant African civilizations of the 11th,12th, 13th, and 14th centuries, the class then spent several weeks studying the very difficult and sensitive topics of the Atlantic Slave Trade and European Imperialism and Colonization.
We purposefully root this study in the in-depth exploration of such powerful and thriving civilizations as the Mali, Songhay, Great Zimbabwe, and Kingdom of Benin to recognize and honor the humanity of those that would ultimately be violently enslaved and colonized—these were not solely victims, but peoples with long, rich histories, communities, and flourishing cultures that are all too often erased in the face of violent history.
To further personalize these historical events, students read a collection of personal narratives and examine primary source artifacts. In doing so, we aim to amplify the empathy our students feel for the human beings taken from their homes or exploited in their own civilizations.
Our goal is that seventh graders not only learn the facts and figures of the Atlantic Slave Trade and colonization but feel the immense emotional and psychological weight and lasting consequences of this historical period. Throughout this unit students read about resistance to the slave trade and the many brave individuals and groups who fought against this oppression in covert and overt ways.
At the end of the trimester, we will end our study of the continent on a high note, with the independence movements in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. To demonstrate their learning, students will write their own original parables, describing in metaphorical terms how the people and countries of Africa have faced tremendous exploitation and cruelty but have fought with great dignity, perseverance, and success to regain independence and splendor.
We will return to the course-long theme of oppression followed by resistance and positive change and we will continue to inculcate within our students a sense of hope and empowerment to make the world a better place. While the study of world history can at times be difficult and full of despair, we believe it is important to also focus on the incredible collective movements that brought about real progress and our students’ ability to effect change in the world.
In broader terms, our hope is to center a part of the world that is often taught peripherally, if taught at all. Our scope and sequence in world history are meant to clearly send the message that Black lives matter and that Black history matters.
What better way to punctuate this message to our young learners than by devoting a whole day to the continent—by listening to personal stories of our CA family members, by exploring the vast and diverse landscape, by communing together over a homemade batch of Injira, and adding more and more stories to their narrative of an amazing continent.
Written by Lucy Dawson and Alicia Morris, MS language arts and social studies teacher and MS social studies teacher
After the first of four contests in the American Computer Science League (ACSL) Programming contest, Cary Academy’s student-led teams rank at the top of the leader boards, having scored 30/30 and 29/30, against some of the best programming teams in the U.S., Canada, Croatia, and Romania.
The written section of the contest consisted of five questions in 45 minutes involving logic and discrete mathematics that relate to how computers analyze information. The programing section involved reading a program statement and specifications in order to write a program within 72 hours to turn five inputs into five output, following the given rules and requirements.
The Middle School’s junior team scored 30/30 and the Upper School’s intermediate team scored 29/30. It’s hard to do much better than that!
Advised by Mr. Jon Noland in the Upper School and Mrs. Leslie Williams in the Middle School, the students practiced with both past programs and written questions during student-led club time and on their own in order to prepare for the contest.
CA’s teams will compete in three more regular-season contests, before the All-Star Contest in May 2021.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
We are now past the halfway mark of the first trimester and adjusting to the recent move from all-virtual to the cohort model – a very interesting, unique, and fluid first trimester.
Every year, with predictability, we run a comprehensive and engaging Middle School program where the focus is spent (and where it should be spent) on teaching. This year, however, our focus has had additional layers and dimensions, as we’ve had to rethink all aspects of our program. A huge amount of time and energy was spent on addressing logistics– from pick up to drop off; from student passing patterns in-and-between buildings to lunch lines, from desk arrangements to sanitizing stations, and so on– so that our community members would be learning and teaching in the safest environment possible.
On top of providing input and planning for this critical safety piece, the Middle School faculty re-envisioned their curricular objectives and teaching delivery so they could instruct our young learners more effectively virtually and face-to-face for longer blocks of time. We were challenged to think in new ways; what had worked beautifully with students on campus in a 45-minute daily class did not necessarily transfer to the modified structure.
While we were fortunate to have good feedback from our community members about last spring’s foray into virtual learning to inform our efforts, last trimester’s program was an abbreviated, crisis-response version of school. Our goal this year has been to transform that experiment into a longer-term, sustainable, engaging program that continues to embody the full CA experience despite the evolving circumstances of the pandemic. And, despite our faculty committing extra time over the summer to plan for the cohort model, it has proven to be time-intensive, thought-provoking, and challenging work.
PE teachers ponder how to teach students virtually or how to teach in-class participants with limited or no contact between students. Performing arts faculty wonder how to handle ensembles and practices when the band or chorus classes now meet outside. All teachers grapple with how to best group students when some are not on campus. And how does one engage a lively bunch of adolescent learners for extended periods when in virtual mode? As many questions as answers arise and, as thoughtfully and carefully as we have planned, there have been and will continue to be on-going tweaks and adjustments as we learn what works and what does not. In many ways, every day, we’re modeling what we hope to instill in our students: resiliency, flexibility, a willingness to experiment, to take risks, to assess and take advantage of emerging learning opportunities, to stretch, and to grow—all while maintaining our commitment to core values.
Having our Middle Schoolers back on campus invigorates all of us and brings a much-wanted sense of normalcy. We have missed the energy, the laughter, the enthusiasm, and the sounds of young people. (A school building devoid of students for an extended period of time is too quiet and unnatural, and, frankly, a little sad.)
Our students seem happy to be back on campus and to be with their peers and engaged in learning. Everyone is getting used to working with the challenges of safety parameters (speaking clearly and listening carefully in a face-covered environment, keeping six feet apart, washing/sanitizing hands throughout the day, and of course, running the daily health app). Even though routines are different from the past, they are still routines, and everyone is settling in. A little predictability and routine has been very welcome in this time of unpredictability.
Over the past months, I have become more conscious and appreciative of the word collaboration in our mission statement. This unique time has forced our employees to be even more collaborative than before. It would be impossible to run the Middle School Program right now without the help of our colleagues in other divisions. Staff members from Advancement, Information Services, Admissions, Security, The Center for Community Engagement, as well as our Head of School are supervising students during lunch, providing a break for Middle School faculty and an opportunity for our students to meet employees outside the instructional areas. Our Facilities staff and Campus Logistics Director work tirelessly to ensure that the buildings are set up to support safety protocols. The examples of individuals jumping in to help are numerous. I am also grateful to parents for their collaborative partnership and for working with us through this journey. The flexibility, support, and constructive feedback has been invaluable.
We are certainly in a different place than we were a year ago, but there will be a day when school is back to “normal.” While unwanted and hugely disruptive, the pandemic has forced us to think outside of the box and to reimagine our Middle School program. The lessons we are learning now will ultimately make our program even stronger when we return to school as usual.
Written by Marti Jenkins, Head of Middle School
Athletics
Charger swimmers close out the 2021 season as State Champions, Runners-Up
Traditionally, as the school year comes to a close, works by Middle School arts majors and sixth-grade art students are exhibited in Berger Hall as part of the Middle School Arts Showcase. With the move to virtual learning, CA’s traditional showcase isn’t possible. Thanks to Middle School visual arts teacher Alyssa Armstrong, you can enjoy the work of CA’s talented Middle School artists in our virtual visual arts showcase.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
What does virtual learning look like at Cary Academy? How do you create an environment focused on an innovative, student-centered, holistic approach to learning, when students and faculty are not in the same room (or even the same zip code)? How do we remain true to our mission pillars—discovery, innovation, collaboration, and excellence—and offer opportunities to keep learning flexible, personal, relevant, and connected during a period of stress, caution, and social distancing? As we head into the final weeks of Trimester 3 and our second month of distance learning, faculty from the Middle School and Upper School share stories of how they and their students have adapted to (and taken advantage of) the virtual learning environment.
Emily Turner, vocal music teacher
What does Emily Turner, director of the Cary Academy Singers, do when virtual choir rehearsals on Zoom simply aren’t possible? She calls in a favor from an old high school friend who just happens to be a Broadway star. While trying to think of ways to keep her Upper School chorus students connected to each other and excited about singing, Emily decided to reach out to her high school friend, Drew Gehling, to ask if he would join a CA Singers Zoom call to talk about his career and offer some inspiration to the students during this virtual learning time.
When she received his response, “Utterly happy to!”, she began emailing the students with one picture clue per day to reveal their mystery Zoom guest. During the call, Drew began by sharing the impact his high school choral music experience has had on his Broadway career, sharing behind-the-scenes stories highlighting the journey to some of his iconic Broadway roles in Jersey Boys and Waitress, as well as his most recent role in the new musical, Almost Famous, from the film of the same name.
The Cary Academy Singers had an opportunity to ask questions and even got to step back in time as Mrs. Turner waxed nostalgic, sharing photos of the two from senior prom and spring break. We are so grateful that Drew could take the time to be with our students and share his positivity and encouraging spirit!
Dr. Paige Meszaros, Upper School social science teacher
As many of us turn to streaming video to pass the time while staying safe at home, documentaries like Tiger King have sparked many questions amongst CA students about the ethics of the exotic animal industry and conservation of endangered species.
During advisory on Monday, May 11, the Class of 2022 took a virtual field trip to the Carolina Tiger Rescue located in Pittsboro, NC. Students met with Katie Cannon, Director of Education, for the tour and a Q & A. Ms. Cannon talked with the students about the history of the site, the care of the animals, and the differences between animal conservation and rescue centers, like the CTR, and other institutions such as amateur zoos and the exotic pet industry.
In particular, the presentation set the context for the recent success of Tiger King and the negative consequences of big cat breeding to produce white tigers. Students and advisors had the opportunity to ask questions about how current disruptions to the meatpacking industry impact the care of the animals.
Sarah Zhao ’22 said, “The tiger field trip was so cool! Seriously…I was taking pictures of the tigers on my phone!” Advisor and Upper School Math teacher John Noland thought, “[it gave] the students (and the advisors) a different look for advisory.”
Connecting the virtual field trip to the 10th grade advisory curriculum focus on community and service, students were able to see an important part of North Carolina’s commitment to good animal stewardship. Many participants have never been to the CTR; the opportunity arose through the efforts of 10th-grade advisor and math teacher, Caydee Revelle. The extended advisory time of 45 minutes and the virtual environment allowed the 10th grade an experiential learning opportunity that would be impossible on campus.
Jasmine Powell, dance teacher
How do the performing arts and physical education – both of which rely on movement in space translate to virtual learning? That’s exactly the conundrum that faced dance teacher Jasmine Powell in her Movement for Athletes class. Like her colleagues, she had to pivot the content and application of material to a virtual learning platform, giving her the opportunity to try something new: Parkour.
For Powell, Parkour is less about jumping from building to building, and more about laying the foundations of learning movement technique. Even when confined to basic vaults out of safety concerns, Parkour has much to offer athletes by challenging their risk-taking skills in the process of obtaining growth.
After working to ensure students took safety precautions and used proper technique (teaching proper alignment while landing in a low squat, showing how to fall properly to facilitate a smooth rebound to get back in the game as quickly as possible, etc.), Powell’s students designed parkour courses via hand-drawn plans or in Minecraft virtual environments, before putting them to the test in the real world.
Follow-up took place in group discussions about the process and shared lessons about fitness and hand-eye coordination. Students really enjoyed being assigned the task of going outside and being physically fit, while practicing parkour. It’s not every day that a graduating senior can say they learned parkour in high school!
Katie Taylor, Middle School language arts department leader
“Shabazz Week” with local poet Phillip Shabazz has been a fixture of the 6th grade curriculum since the late 1990s. Since students and Shabazz couldn’t be together, the 6th grade team found creative ways to transition in-person experiences to a virtual world, having Shabazz connect with students via Zoom.
There was a snag, though: Shabazz had never used Zoom before and didn’t have a computer with the necessary hardware. Cary Academy’s IS department (in particular Kevin Rokuskie) was able to loan Shabazz a tablet and meet with him to help him become a whiz with the Zoom software.
Though the faculty team would have preferred an in-person workshop, the students had a great experience. One student remarked, “My poem writing I think has gotten a lot better and quicker; this is because now I know the steps to writing a poem and even got professional suggestions. Now I know how to write a clean and smooth poem!”
In addition, the 6th grade team was excited to add a mindful movement workshop to this year’s curriculum, through a PTAA grant, to welcome Wake Forest’s “Flow Circus” to campus on March 26. When CA made the transition to virtual, cancelation looked inevitable.
Wanting to support our local partners and knowing how much students would love it, the team worked with Flow Circus to create a video series specific to Cary Academy that students can watch as their schedules allow. These videos are packed with lots of little inside jokes and specific curriculum geared towards our students’ needs.
Students have enjoyed watching the videos and learning how to juggle: “I really like how we are doing something fun aside of classes.”
Meredith Stewart, Middle School social studies department leader and David Snively, MS social studies teacher
Exploration of history took on a very contemporary twist as the 8th grade Watergate trial simulation took place on Zoom this year, in the same way actual U.S. courts have moved online.
Taking place in an alternate version of history, where Nixon decides not to resign after being impeached by the House of Representatives, in the simulation, 8th graders act as attorneys arguing before Senators (played by Upper School students) as to whether Nixon should be removed from office. Other 8th graders serve as witnesses called to testify about their interactions with Nixon and other players in the Watergate scandal.
Hewing true to the alternate history scenario, two different simulation sessions produced different results: Nixon was exonerated in one trial and removed from office in the other.
Shawn Nix, debate teacher
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, the Speech and Debate team was in the process of prepping for the most competitive part of the year: district qualifier to the annual National Speech and Debate Association Championship in June, the Tournament of Champions, NCFL championships and our North Carolina State Championships.
While the NCFL and State Championships were cancelled, the other major competitions went forward, virtually. That meant CA Speech and Debate had to figure out how to use a new platform to create reasonably professional videos of our speech competitors, learn how to share evidence between partners — across town from each other — during live debates in Public Forum and how to capture attention to speak in large Zoom congressional sessions.
Aside from a few starts and stops — from “please put a cushion on your chair so the judge sees more than your forehead”, to well, some expressions of “frustration” on the 10th attempt to perfect a speech, with limited space to move and a verbal slip-up on minute 9 – CA Speech and Debate students rose to the occasion!
Shawn Nix found the number of hours her students gave to perfecting their performance, getting their tape just right and figuring out how to debate on-line inspiring. Despite the difficulties, the team has many qualifiers for the big dance in June, including Will Aarons ’20 in Lincoln Douglas, Saajan Patel’20 and Jay Sagrolikar ’21 in Congress (Congress qualifying in February), Vicky Jin ’21 and Anisha Rustogi ’21 in Extemp, Bayla Sheshadri ’21 in OO, Sydney Tai ’22 in POI, Arielle Curtis ’21 in Dramatic Interpretation, Alex Lim ’20 in Humorous Interpretation with others making it to the final rounds.
Robin Follet, Head of Upper School; Kristi McGauley, Upper School English teacher; Jamie Roszel, U.S. English teacher; and Palmer Seeley, U.S. English teacher
The US English Department was eagerly anticipating a new elective for all juniors this Spring: Rhetoric and Citizenship. The course sets out to combine a classic study of the art of argumentation while empowering students to choose a contemporary social issue to research and explore through a core nonfiction text as well as peer-reviewed, scholarly articles. Students then form panels based on shared areas of interest, develop a guiding panel question, and compose a speech in answer to the question.
By far, the highlight of the course is the Social Issues in America Conference, which follows more than a month of independent research and lessons on — and practice with — identifying and strategically implementing rhetorical appeals, strategies, and devices. The conference consists of a series of panel presentations where groups present their answers to their peers with a follow-up Q&A session.
Panels address a wide range of questions from What is the biggest problem in medicine today, and how should we solve it?to Does a democratic government have a fundamental obligation to be transparent to its constituents?to How can we design our society, through changes in our homes, schools, and workplaces, to help people reach their maximum creative potential?
Once teachers Robin Follet, Kristi McGauley, Jamie Roszel, and Palmer Seeley realized that the panel presentations would need to pivot to a virtual platform, they got to work adjusting expectations and establishing guidelines for meaningful conversations. Using Zoom, panelists have been able to present their speeches from a safe distance. Meanwhile, audience members use the chat feature to pose questions to specific speakers which then allows the panelists to expand on the depth and breadth of their knowledge. At the end of the Q&A, everyone gives a hand clap reaction for a job well done. Where normally CA community members are invited to drop in and participate in the audience, now they can view the presentations via the community Stream channel.
Written by Mandy Dailey, Director of Communications
On a typical day in the Middle School, students in science classes are challenged to think about our environment as any scientist should: consider the human impact on our ecological world, its effect on our quality of life, and how we can be better stewards of our planet. But April 22 isn’t a typical day — it’s Earth Day — and Earth Day (especially the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day) is a big deal at Cary Academy. Not even a shift to virtual learning could keep CA Middle School students from considering their place in and impact on our planet.
On Wednesday, the Middle School did not hold regular classes. Instead, students were asked to go outside, have fun, and explore their world while participating in a selection of activities via a “Celebrate Our Earth” digital tic-tac-toe grid. Recognizing that we cannot heal our planet alone and taking advantage of the undeniable fact that students have an unprecedented opportunity to invite their families to help them “own their learning,” family participation was widely encouraged.
Make a vegetarian dinner to examine fighting climate change with diet change,
Reuse challenge: create a new use for something that’s being thrown out or recycled,
Make an art project out of recyclables or items from nature that represents Earth Day. Tied to “Artists for The Earth,” a global campaign to connect the public with ecologically-minded arts organizations and artists everywhere,
Plant a new plant – grow new plants from kitchen scraps or from cuttings from other plants,
Nature scavenger hunt – look for a list of plants, insects, rocks, etc. in your neighborhood,
Create a poster to bring awareness to an environmental issue,
Documenting and crafting poetry to advocate for the value of nature, and
Natural journal activities.
The MS Science Department felt the importance for CA students (and their families, too) to take a day to enjoy and celebrate our planet with the rest of the world. It was a fun way to encourage everyone to take a break from the virtual classroom, while still learning, with the added benefit of reducing our energy use for the day.
In addition, MS Visual Artists were asked to create Ephemeral Works in Nature, largely inspired by the works of environmental artist, sculptor, and photographer, Andy Goldsworthy.
At the end of Earth Day, more than 444 tic-tac-toe entries were submitted, including some by staff and faculty from across Cary Academy.
Earth Day works
A small sampling of the more than 444 projects, activities, dinners, artworks, and more that CA Middle School students created on Earth Day.
Laptop stand from recycled materials.
iNaturalist entry for a Rosy Maple moth.
An eagle made from recycled materials.
Students planting plants.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
Looking back, charging ahead: Celebrating 25 years
