April 16, 2020
Finding connection through virtual dialogue
Cary Academy has long been committed to providing a holistic learning experience that puts student wellness front and center, one that addresses social and emotional health in addition to academics. That’s why, when the Center for Community Engagement began brainstorming themes for dialogues this year, it seemed like a no-brainer to use this powerful method to dive deeper into ongoing community conversations around social and emotional health. Why dialogue? I’ll let one of our student leaders, junior Clay Thornton […]
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January 30, 2020
Ubuntu: a celebration of community
Members of the Upper School’s Indian Subcontinent Affinity Group (ISAG) teach Bollywood dance in the Middle School during Ubuntu 2019. As the great Nelson Mandela says, “In Africa, there is a concept known as ‘Ubuntu’—the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in […]
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January 23, 2020
Winning at social
On January 14, the tenth grade tackled questions of how to navigate social media with positivity, integrity, and responsibility, in partnership with The Social Institute. Instagram. Snapchat. Tik Tok. Finsta. VSCO. YouTube. Reddit. Twitch. Kik. Tumblr. Houseparty. Whisper. And, even, the old (person) standby (dinosaur?) – Facebook. The list of active social media platforms goes […]
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January 16, 2020
The Drive to Discover
The road to discovery is often full of unexpected twists and turns. When an opportunity to build upon his Spring 2019 Discovery Term course arose, rather than pump the brakes, Upper School math teacher Shelton Shepherd put his students in the driver's seat.
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November 7, 2019
Building many skills necessary for life
As the Director of Equity and Community Engagement, I have the privilege of working with students in a variety of capacities. Whether it’s supporting students who are doing a coat drive for local migrants, getting excited about what prototypes our students are creating for the Conrad Entrepreneurship Challenge, or working with students through dialogue, our […]
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October 10, 2019
Education in the Round
The junior was standing in front of U126. Twenty students had scattered themselves about the classroom, slouching in chairs, sprawling across the couch, or propping their elbows on tables. They were chatting and surreptitiously scanning their phones and trying to ignore my presence. I had walked in, a few moments late. “Ok,” the junior said, […]
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September 26, 2019
Starting-up Startups
I arrived in our nation’s capital after a sleepy five-hour bus ride with the junior class. As I stepped off the bus on to The George Washington University’s campus, I looked around at the many students, food trucks, and scooters. The energy palpable, I was struck by GW’s intimate campus environment despite its location in […]
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September 12, 2019
Backpack Buddies: A true community effort
Impactful service learning is a cornerstone of the Cary Academy experience. Addressing childhood hunger has long been an aim of sixth grade service learning. For years, the sixth–grade team has partnered with Interfaith Food Shuttle and Reedy Creek Elementary School for the Backpack Buddies program, which provides weekend food bags for students whose families are […]
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August 29, 2019
Walking the Bifurcated Walk: Urban Design for Social Justice
By Kathryn Chao, Hannah Gordon, Clay Thornton, and Michael McElreath This summer, CA’s Center for Community Engagement offered a new intensive experiential course: Urban Design for Social Justice. Designed, organized, and sponsored by CA, the course was a pilot initiative to explore authentic opportunities for CA students to collaborate in impactful ways with their peers […]
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