At Cary Academy, we want our students to develop self-knowledge and community identity through relationships. We know that physical, social, and emotional balance is essential for learning and well-being. Assistant Head of Upper School Josette Huntress Holland shares how an innovative new Flex Day program combines volleyball, peer mentorship, and Charger spirit to help inspire, empower, and embolden our youngest students. Read it on CA Curious.

How do you encourage students to examine their place in their communities and the broader world? Experiential learning through service teaches empathy and challenges students to think about the community around them and aspects of their own identities that carry privilege. As Service Learning Director Maggie Grant explains, the service learning program at Cary Academy provides numerous opportunities for students to own their learning and embrace leadership opportunities. In collaboration with community partners, service grounded in an understanding of equity can provide students with leadership opportunities that are truly transformative. Read it on CA Curious.

How do you help families make an informed decision about their children’s education when facing our largest-ever applicant pool and less in-person opportunities to authentically connect? Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Heather Clarkson reveals how CA’s admissions team leveraged our core values and learning community to help interested families determine if we were the right choice for them. Read it on CA Curious.

When technology plays a critical role in the learning environment, it falls to Information Services to ensure that CA's students and staff are properly equipped for today and tomorrow. As Karen McKenzie, CA's Director of Technology and Innovation explains, keeping the entire campus up to date is no small task -- especially when global supply chains are disrupted. Read it on CA Curious.

What are the traits of a leader who responds effectively to a crisis, and what are the hallmarks of a successful response to a crisis? How do we inspire and instill these traits and skills in our next generation of leaders? After much consideration and collaboration by the Center of Community Engagement team, a potential answer: a new, interdisciplinary, experiential cross-grade level curriculum that engages students in the complex intersectionalities of race, gender, and class relations in America. As Dr. Michael McElreath and Palmer Seeley explain, the Upper School’s Leadership During Crisis students recently had the chance to present their lessons and insights gained in the course of a productive and eye-opening year to the NC Association of Independent Schools Diversity & Inclusion Conference. Read it on CA Curious.

After nearly a year on the back burner, the time has come to bring accreditation front and center once again. Dean of Faculty Martina Greene shares the myriad changes to both the way accreditation is being conducted and how the review will account for all the ways 2020 affected our practices, including our commitment to and prioritization of anti-racism and equity work. Read it on CA Curious.

At CA, one of our primary goals in world history is to instill a mindset of genuine, respectful, and ethical curiosity about other cultures and empathy for other people. Through exploration and discovery, we aim to broaden our students’ perspectives, encouraging them to develop a more nuanced and intricate understanding of other countries, peoples, and cultures. As Middle School social studies teachers Lucy Dawson and Alicia Morris explain, earlier this month, the seventh grade took part in our first-ever annual Celebrate Africa Day. An immersive experience designed to supplement the world history curriculum and study of the African continent, this community event was an opportunity for students to move beyond a single story of Africa and its people.