Happy, memorable day for Class of 2009

Happy, memorable day for Class of 2009
Record 103 receive diplomas on May 22
Transform the world
Before Dunlap took to the lectern,
senior-elected speakers Miguel Alecio (‘09)
and Firoz Jameel (‘09) addressed their
classmates. Other seniors involved in the
ceremony were Lauren Jamiolkowski (‘09),
who presented the opening reflections,
and Andy Walsh (’09), who expressed a
“thank you” to parents.
Drawing on the memory of a seventhgrade “manners week” hosted by his
teacher, Todd Shy, in which he learned the
value of saying thank you, Alecio heartily
thanked his teachers, family and classmates. “Each and every one of you had an
influence on me,” he said.
Alecio, who also received the Founder’s
Award, closed by urging his fellow seniors
“to be free from your own fears and
liberate others.”
Jameel reminded his classmates that all
their trials and endeavors at CA had helped
them grow into well-rounded individuals.
The constant in this maturation, he stated,
had been the support from the
community.
“Our teachers have given us the tools to
be innovators, to adapt and accept
changes,” he added.
Jameel predicted this class would use
these tools to transform the world. “We
will be able to react to and shape the
future,” he said.
A happy crowd
After Dunlap showered his wish of
happiness upon the seniors, they set
about getting a great head start on fulfilling
that desire.
Following the conferring of diplomas,
the beaming seniors filed out of the SEA,
flanked on both sides by clapping and
Miguel Alecio (‘09)
(continued on page 2)
Mock crash drives message home
SADD urges students to consider consequences of drunk driving
Fact: Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among youth ages 15-20.
Fact: More than 25 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in motor vehicle
crashes in 2005 had been drinking.
SADD sponsors event
On May 20, this most recent information,
courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, was relayed to Cary Academy
students in the most realistic way possible —
through a mock car crash that the Cary
Academy chapter of SADD (Students Against
Destructive Decisions) sponsored.
The event, which featured three speakers and a crash demonstration on the track, was
intended to help the Upper School students think critically before making destructive
decisions of their own.
While in the theater for the assembly, the students heard from three speakers including
a State Trooper, an AirCare worker for UNC Hospitals and a criminal lawyer from Wake
County. Each addressed the importance of making good decisions from each of their own
perspectives and what it meant in terms of safety and the law.
(continued on page 6)
1
Cary Academy May/June 2009
Happiness was the word for the day.
From the grins as wide as Harrison
Avenue on the graduating seniors to the
commencement address on happiness
itself, good feelings and warm thoughts
punctuated the graduation exercises for
the Class of 2009 held Friday, May 22, in
the SEA. A record 103 students received
diplomas.
Dr. Benjamin Dunlap, president of
Wofford College, delivered the keynote
address.
Referencing Aristotle and that philosopher’s belief that happiness, or eudaimonia,
is the realization of each person’s highest
potential, the affable Dunlap told the
seniors that “the education you have
received here at Cary Academy is an
essential ingredient” in future happiness.
“The pursuit of happiness is not just
what we want but can do for others,”
added Dunlap, bedecked in a doctoral
crimson robe. “I wish nothing better for
you bold seniors than you be truly happy.”
Don Berger, Head of School
Graduation day words of welcome
Cary Academy May/June 2009
2
Since this issue of
Access has a cover story
on our 10th commencement, I thought it would
be a good idea to include my opening words of
welcome from that special day:
“This is a very special day for me, because not
only are we honoring 103 students, Cary Academy’s
largest graduating class, but one of those students is
my daughter, Sarah. Consequently, in the audience
today are my four daughters, my wife, and my mother,
which means that this will be the only time this
weekend that I’ll be able to speak without being
interrupted. It also presents a real challenge because
these wonderful ladies are my toughest critics. How
am I doing so far, mom? Look, shined my shoes this
morning.
Seniors, the best piece of advice I can give you
today is to keep your moms happy. Dads, you’re likely
thinking, ‘Hey, what about me?’ Dads, just keep their
moms happy, too.
Now, Sarah, I realize your seven years at Cary
Academy have been difficult at times because your
father is the head of school. As you join your sister at
North Carolina State, I’m sure you are relieved that you
will finally be out from under your father’s watchful
eye. But I thoroughly enjoyed having you and your
sister at school with me, and I recently noticed that NC
State has a few administrative openings. Well, I was
all set to apply for a position, and then I remembered I
have a daughter who is still here.
Having a daughter in the class 2009 has allowed
me to get to know these graduates better than I
usually know a graduating class, and they are truly a
remarkable group.
The Class of 2009 has achieved impressive
successes in every area of school life.
In interscholastic sports, the class of 2009
provided the leadership and skill behind conference
championship teams that included:
Girls’ Volleyball
Boys’ Cross Country
Girls’ Swimming
Boys’ Baseball and
Boys’ Tennis. And the Boys’ Tennis team, with
four members of the class of 2009, won the State
Championship for the second consecutive year.
The boys, for the first time in school history won
our conference’s Prestige Cup for the school with the
best overall athletic record, and our girls’ teams were
a close second.
Twenty of the entire senior class earned
all-conference recognition and an incredible 10
different seniors were named to all-state teams.
In the arts, the class of 2009 also had all state
recognitions:
One in All-State Chorus and two students in
All-State Orchestra
The class of 2009 further distinguished itself in
the arts by providing the leadership for our outstanding
production of Les Miserables, with seniors winning the
awards for best actor and best supporting actor at
North Carolina’s Capitol Awards, our state’s high
school version of the Tony’s.
And members of the class played leading roles in
our exceptional advanced studio art exhibit, and in our
Jazz Band and Boys Chorus, which both performed at
the annual North Carolina Music Educators
Conference, only the second time in this North Carolina
conference’s long history that one school had two
musical groups selected to perform.
Finally, our award winning Orchestra was
selected to play at Chicago Symphony hall this past
February.
In the academic realm:
The class includes a state winner in the annual
Chemistry Olympiad Exam, two qualifiers for the
National Debate Championships next month in
Birmingham, Alabama, and a team that won the Public
Forum debate at the prestigious Columbia University
forensic tournament in New York City.
The class boasts an Average SAT score of 1300
and 21 percent of the Class received National Merit
Scholarship recognition
Finally, in the area of school and community
service, members of the class of 2009 were the
driving force behind the following accomplishments:
Producing 600 Seconds, our daily morning news
show, for the first time accomplishing this without
direct faculty support
Starting a women’s self-defense class that has
been offered each trimester for the past two years
and has trained 76 girls
Continuing our Global Awareness program for a
third successful year
Winning a Presidential Gold Medal Service
Award
Raising $15,000 to add five additional automatic
electronic defibrillators to our campus
Leading the Resurgence of the X-Factor, our
spirit club that has organized strong student support
for every CA team
There is no doubt that the Class of 2009
established a stellar record. The faculty and staff of
Cary Academy are extremely proud of you.
I will conclude my welcome with a quote from the
great American 19th century poet and philosopher
Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his essay Self-Reliance,
Emerson states: ‘Do not think the youth has no force,
because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! In the
next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic.
Bashful or bold then, he will know how to make us
seniors very unnecessary.’
I am confident that graduates of the Cary Academy
Class of 2009 have the foundation needed to soon
take their places as leaders in their communities and
in this country and prove Emerson’s words true.
Thank you.”
Happy day (continued from page 1)
gown-cloaked faculty and staff, to the campus quad for a reception. Under a ceiling of
blue, hats flew, digital cameras snapped and bear hugs ensued as friends, family and
well-wishers mingled with the students and offered congratulations. Everyone wore a smile, grin or sported a laugh.
Wearing a white tassel with his gown signifying a full sevenyears of attendance at CA, Jonathan Jakubowski (’09) smiled
when he said he would remember his friends whenever he
thought of Cary Academy.
“I’ll absolutely stay in touch with all of them,” said the
incoming NCSU freshman.
Edward Sutton (’09), who will be attending Campbell
University in the fall, credited the
school with changing him, literally.
“I started here in the ninth grade as
an introvert, real quiet,” he said. “I saw
myself branch out and grow because
of the comfortable environment here.
The school helped me out.”
Josh Rowsey (‘09),
Laura Schramm (‘09) and her mom.
above, gets a hug from
Helen May (‘11).
Class of 2009 offered by more than 140 colleges
The 103 students in the Class of 2009 received offers of admission from more than 140 colleges and universities in 20 states in the U.S. They
are listed below. Ultimately, the seniors chose to enroll in 47 different colleges across the country (in bold). Approximately half will stay in
the Tar Heel state. The others will head out across the country to California, Arizona, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and more.
One student will take a gap year in Israel before enrolling in a U.S. university in the fall of 2010.
In addition to the offers of admission, seniors reported being offered nearly 3.5 million dollars in scholarship awards. The list of scholarship
offerings may be viewed at: http://www.caryacademy.org/uploaded/Academics/College_Site/Documents/2009MeritScholarshipsOffered.pdf.
Congratulations to the Class of 2009!
LIST OF COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES FOR CLASS OF 2009
Bold=matriculant. If more than 1 matriculant, the number is indicated in parentheses.
Fordham University
Franklin and Marshall College
Furman University
George Washington University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gettysburg College
Guilford College
Hampden Sydney College
Hampton University
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
High Point University
Howard University
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Johns Hopkins University (2)
Kenyon College
Knox College
Lewis & Clark College
Loyola College Chicago
Loyola University New Orleans
Marquette University
Maryville University
Meredith College
Middlebury College
Morehouse College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
New York University (2)
North Carolina State University (16)
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Oglethorpe University
Olin College of Engineering
Pennsylvania State University
Pomona College
Providence College
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design
Skidmore College
Soka University of America
Southern Methodist University
St. Olaf College
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
The Cooper Union
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
University of Arizona
University of California-San Diego
University of California-Santa Barbara
University of Chicago
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Illinois-Chicago
University of Maryland
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Missouri-Kansas City
University of North CarolinaAsheville
Chapel Hill (20)
Charlotte (2)
Greensboro
Wilmington
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of South Carolina
University of Southern California
University of Tennessee
University of the South: Sewanee
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University (3)
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University (4)
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis (2)
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
West Virginia University
Williams College
Wingate University
Winthrop University
Wofford College
3
Cary Academy May/June 2009
American University
Appalachian State University
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Barton College
Belmont University
Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University (2)
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Campbell University
Carnegie Mellon University
Clemson University
College of Charleston
College of Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
College of Wooster
Columbia University
Cornell University (2)
Creighton University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Dickinson College
Drexel University
Duke University (6)
Duquesne University
East Carolina University
Elon University (6)
Emerson College
Emory University
Fairfield University
Golfers come out to support
The golfers at Cary Academy’s 12th Annual Scholars’ Golf Classic didn’t let a little rain
stop them. They played through the drizzle and below normal temperatures to raise
$64,710 for need-based scholarships at the school.
With a shotgun start, 54 teams spread out over two courses at Prestonwood Country
Club May 11.
For the 11th year, R.N. Rouse and Co. Inc. served as the grand sponsor of the event.
The money raised will go to the Scholarship Fund, which enables the school to extend
the benefits of its education to an economically and socially diverse population.
The winning teams from the day’s action were:
FAIRWAYS
First Place
Lifetouch/Hunt Ward Photography
• Hunt Ward
• Ben Taylor
HIGHLANDS
• Fred Owen
First Place
• Eddie Crowder
Bonitz Flooring Group
Second Place
• John McDonald
Brady Trane Sales
• Joe Wilson
• Evan Bundros
• John Muter
• Joe Miller
• Bucky Westmoreland
• George Hachiem
Second Place
• Mark Skiff
Precision Walls, Inc.
Third Place
• Brian Allen
• Neil Frank
• Steve Hubrich
• Steve Gibbon
• Courtney Dunkin
• David Wheeler
Cary Academy May/June 2009
4
Third Place
SAS
• Jim Goodnight
• Ray Rouse
• Jim Davis
• Keith Collins
A winning poker hand, left.
CA’s own David McAllister, Jimmy Welch and
Gregg Warren played, above.
Jason Smith, right, won the putting contest.
He accepts his check from Prestonwood’s
Tony Mabini.
Ray Rouse and Dr. James Goodnight
Cary Academy students
GRAND SPONSOR
BLUE TEE/GREEN SPONSOR
R.N. Rouse & Co. Inc.
Basepoint, Inc.
Bryant-Durham Electric, Inc.
George Finch/Boney & Associates, P.A.
New Horizons Computer Learning Center
of RTP
PBM Graphics, Inc.
SAGE Dining Services
Davis Kane Architects, P.A.
Preston Development Co.
Revels Turf & Tractor/John Deere Golf
SAS
SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORTER
Ernst & Young
First Citizens Bank
FACULTY FRIENDS
Aon Risk Services
Atlantic Tire & Service
Baker Roofing Co.
BioSignia
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of North Carolina
Bonitz Flooring Group
Brady Trane Sales
Capital Associates
Cary Car Care
Cary Nephrology
CEI - The Digital Office
Cherry Huffman
Architects, PA
Contract Steel Sales Inc.
John J. Kirlin, LLC
Langdon & McKenzie Inc.
lenovo…for learning
McGuireWoods, LLP
National Rebar Fabrication
Pinnacle Masonry
Precision Walls, Inc.
St. Moritz Building Services, Inc.
Stock Building Supply
CARY ACADEMY FRIENDS
Charles Abadie
Allied Fire Protection, Inc.
Dave Andrews
Cary Academy
Timothy Clements
David Allen Company, Inc.
Cecilia Davis
Mike Dunn
Steve Eubanks
Neil Frank
Steve Gibbon
John Goehrke
Bruce Hamilton
Billie Higgs
Hill, Chesson &
Woody
Charles Hughes
Mark Jones
Blaine Laverick
Lifetouch/Hunt Ward
Photography
McNeely Associates PA
Damian McHugh
Michael G. Curran Family Foundation
John Miller
Bakul Modie
Leo Nemetz
Joe Owens
Greyson Quarles
Royalwood Associates, Inc.
STX, Inc.
Timmons Group
Chris Walker
FRIENDS/NON-PARTICIPANT
CMC South Carolina Steel
Economy Exterminators, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Friday
James Romano
A special thanks to our host,
Prestonwood Country Club, and our
other sponsors who helped make the
12th annual Cary Academy Scholars’ Golf
Classic a success.
We appreciate your support!
18 Seaboard
42nd Street Oyster Bar
Brigs Restaurant
Café Luna
Coca-Cola Bottling Company
5
Danny’s BBQ
Edwards Mill Bar and Grill
Embassy Suites Cary
Harris Wholesale
LeBleu Five Gallon of Raleigh
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood
Restaurant
Neo-China Restaurant
Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley
Stonewood Grill and Tavern
Sysco Food Services
The Brass Grill
Umstead Hotel and Spa
University Ford
Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club
Watts Grocery
Cary Academy May/June 2009
ENDOWMENT CIRCLE
Head of School
Don Berger
addressed the
golfers during
the reception.
Boys’ tennis repeats as state champs!!
Team beats Charlotte Country Day 6 –3
They did it last year. They did it this year.
to repeat after losing a few very important
Next year??
players after last season. It took a lot of
On May 16 at the 2009 NCISAA 3-A State
dedication, training and, most of all, a drive
Championship at
to win not only for yourself
Forsyth Country
…this pressure fueled us but for the team.”
Day, the No. 2
Aneesh Kodali (’10) and
as we trained properly
seeded Cary Academy
Tyler Hodgdon (12)
boys’ tennis team beat
in order to defend our titles. also won their
Charlotte Country Day
doubles match.
6-3 to repeat as state champions.
Kodali said the team had a target on its back
The Chargers finished the season 18-1,
all year.
led by All-State selections James Atkinson
“Considering that other schools, mainly
(‘10) and Zach Sarnoff (‘09).
Charlotte Country Day, were out to beat us
Michael Kohagen (’10), who with partner
and/or get revenge, we were a main target,
Zach Miller (’09), won his doubles match in
and we sort of felt pressure. However, this
the championship said, “It was very difficult
“
”
Mock crash
(continued from page 1)
After the speakers finished, the assembly
continued on the track where a fatal car
crash was reenacted for the students, and
every aspect of the aftermath of a crash was
played out.
Cary Academy May/June 2009
6
pressure fueled us as we trained properly in
order to defend our titles. We didn’t want to
be headstrong or egotistical, but we felt that
we were well in the running to be state
champions with our elite team of players.”
Powerful demonstration
While fire trucks, ambulances and police
cars made their way to the scene — with
horns blaring and sirens whirring — the
audience was captivated by the interaction
between the actors and the professionals.
Several CA SADD members pretended to
be the drivers or passengers in the mock
crash presentation, and after the procedure
was executed, powerful was the word that
was most often used to describe the
demonstration.
Kayvan Daragheh (’10), who played the dead
teenager on the hood of the drunk driver’s car,
said, “I definitely think it was a powerful
experience. I think it helped to relay both
SADD’s message to the students and also help
the students realize how much their decisions
can impact the school community.”
Another SADD member, Liz Galbraith
(’11), who played a passenger in the drunk
driver’s vehicle, had a genuine reaction to
the sight of her friend Daragheh on the hood
of the car.
“While pretending to be emotionally
affected by this crash,” Galbraith said, “I, and
the passenger sitting next to me, actually
started crying. The sight of Kayvan on the
hood of the car really shook me. Tears were
coming down our faces.”
“Performance serves as reminder”
The pseudo-reality of the crash was not
just felt emotionally, but physically for some
of the actors as well. When the car was
being cut from around her by rescue
workers, Galbraith says the paramedic noted
that her heart was beating a little faster than
normal, but it was probably just the result of
a little fear and excitement in front of the
large crowd.
Many students explained that watching
their friends in these roles is what made it
real. One group of students also admitted
that while the talks in the theater were
valuable, it was the scene of the crash that
was able to send the stronger message.
Jason Sigmon (’10) said that this tangible
example of what could happen if you make
destructive decisions resonated with his
peers.
“I think this performance serves as a
reminder to kids of the ramifications of their
decisions if they drive drunk,” he said.
— Natalee Jarrett, Intern
The aftermath of the ”crash.“
While the talks in the theater
were valuable, it was the scene of the crash
that was able to send the stronger message.
Four students and director Jacquie
Holcombe took home awards from
the 2009 Capital Awards on Monday,
May 18.
In addition, the entire Cary
Academy cast of the school play Les
Miserables performed the Epilogue/
Finale at the show.
Hillary Aarons (‘11), Joe Johnston
(‘09), Katie Lipscomb (‘11), Jane
Goehrke (‘10) and Alex Morgan (‘11)
performed with selected students
from all participating schools in a
musical finale that was written and
choreographed by North Carolina
Theater.
The CA winners on the night were:
Outstanding Featured Performer
Joshua Henderson – 6th grade
Outstanding Supporting Actress
Hannah Goetz – 8th grade
Outstanding Supporting Actor
David Deerson – 12th grade
Outstanding Leading Actor
Seth Johnson – 12th Grade
Outstanding Musical Direction
Jacquie Holcombe, Cary Academy
Johnson is
now headed to
Broadway. With
his Capital win,
he has been
selected to perform
at the National High
School Musical Theater
Awards at Broadway’s
Palace Theater on
June 29.
“It was a great
evening for
everyone. The
students dressed in
star-studded
fashion and
walked the ‘red
carpet’ — just like at the Tony Awards,”
said Holcombe. “What was the most
thrilling was all the school spirit filling
the theater. Students cheered wildly
for their schools’ nominees and also
showed great support for all
honorees.”
Snively, Quesada win teaching awards
Middle School teacher David Snively and Upper School teacher Vic Quesada took home
end-of-the-year teaching awards.
On May 11 at a ceremony at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park, Snively, who
teaches social studies and serves as the MS social studies department chair was named the
Cary Academy recipient of a Cary Teacher Appreciation Award from the Cary Chamber
Honor a Teacher program. He received $1,000 and a plaque.
CA parent Mike Curran and his Curran Foundation sponsored Cary Academy this year.
During the sports awards assembly on May 20, Spanish teacher Vic Quesada received the
North Carolina State University Inspirational Teacher Award to recognize excellence in high
school teachers in the United States.
Teachers are nominated by NCSU freshmen each fall and awards are given during the
spring semester. Stewart Gordon (‘08), an AP language class and Spanish Literature student
of Quesada’s, nominated him. Quesada received a thank you letter from NCSU and a copy
of the nominating letter by Gordon.
mni
u
l
A
notes
Alumni: Contact [email protected] with your updates!
Class of 2000
Jennifer (King) Farmer has a daughter,
Fiona, who is nine months old and enjoys
play dates with Kathleen (Markle) Mason
and Ryan and Catherine (Hunter) Fitzgerald
and Grace. Jennifer works as a pediatric
nurse at Wake Med Children’s Emergency
Department, and she and her husband have
a small organic vegetable farm in Angier.
Class of 2001
Souvik Chatterjee is a third-year medical
student at UNC-School of Medicine. He was
recently inducted into the Alpha Omega
Alpha Medical Student Honor Society.
Class of 2002
Claire Cobley is continuing her Ph.D.
studies at Washington University in St.
Louis, and she has just had a paper
published in Angewandte Chiemie International.
Class of 2003
Brian Block is living in Lowell, MA, and
working as a software engineer for Cisco.
Class of 2004
Lillian Goldenthal graduated from UNC in
May 2008 and is working in New York for
Ruder Finn, a public relations firm.
Class of 2005
Jennifer Alston graduated from UNC with a
BA in public policy analysis with a concentration in health policy and a minor in Spanish
for the professions with a concentration in
business.
Class of 2006
Amy Davis traveled to China for six weeks
last summer and will be in Taiwan this
summer for a four-week language program.
Class of 2007
Juneve Gracieux is a rising junior at Duke
University, where she is majoring in
biological anthropology and anatomy and
minoring in chemistry and French.
Class of 2008
Mark Easley will be spending six weeks in
Alcoy, Spain, this summer with the Notre
Dame Summer Engineering Program. He
will be taking two engineering classes and
visiting famous landmarks in Spain.
Cary Academy Class Agent Listing
Class of 2000 Darcy Downs, [email protected] •
Ann Gulley Katsiak, [email protected] • Kathleen
Foley-Mason, [email protected]
Class of 2001 Rose Brown Doyle, [email protected] •
Courtney Singer, [email protected]
Class of 2002 Meagan Singer, [email protected]
Class of 2003 Ashley Parks, [email protected]
Class of 2004 Nikki Schessel, [email protected]
Class of 2005 Kelly King, [email protected] • Alyse
Finkel, [email protected]
Class of 2006 Lianne Gonsalves, [email protected]
Class of 2007 Sam Fuchs, [email protected] • Sarah
Helfer, [email protected] • Morgan Smith, mesmith1@
edisto.cofc.edu
Class of 2008 Jackie Lee, [email protected] •
Elizabeth Atkins, [email protected]
7
Cary Academy May/June 2009
Capital night for CA
at Capital Awards
1500 N. Harrison Avenue
Cary, North Carolina 27513
Telephone: 919-677-3873
Fax: 919-677-4002
www.caryacademy.org
i mpor tant
dat e s
New faculty arrive
July 27
Faculty return
Aug. 3
MS Meet the Team Night
Aug. 6
First Day of School
Aug. 12
US Meet the Teacher
Aug. 20
New Parent Social
Aug. 22
Reflections on 2008-09
Cary Academy May/June 2009
8
It’s been a
great year for
me and my
team. We have truly relished working
with so many fabulous employees and
parents. There is little doubt in my mind
that we are a formidable team when we
work for a common goal, Cary Academy.
The PTAA coordinated thousands of
volunteer hours to ensure continued
enrichment of the Cary Academy experience. Through these efforts every student
is touched by what we do together.
Some specifics:
US students witnessed Mike Wiley’s
amazing dramatization of Blood Done
Sign My Name. They also heard Katie
Koestner, founder of the Webinar series
to which we subscribe, talk about the
dangers of careless use of social
networking sites. Our scholarship
applications hit a new high and gave
many students the chance to try out their
resume writing and interviewing skills.
MS students once again had a poetry
residency with Philip Shabazz, met the
extraordinary holocaust survivor Gisela
Abramson and worked with visiting guest
artists through the Fine Arts programs.
Charger Cup is a favorite of all those
connected with the Middle School.
Regardless of sporting ability, there’s an
event for everyone, supported by the
advisory team. All funded by our PTAA.
Employees were able to complete their
fall conferences earlier because of our
delicious dinner offerings on campus. The
breakfast during fall trimester break got
their work day off to a jolly start and the
personal Valentines notes showed we
really care about them.
Parents are always welcome at Cary
Academy. We want all to feel included at
our many social events including parent
breakfasts, evening social events, Mom’s
lunches, Dad’s night out and more. Beyond
the social, PTAA designs and sponsors the
Cyber Smarts series, offered throughout
the school year. The series will keep you up
to date with technical advances and help
you navigate the tablets, social networking
sites and more. PTAA is behind the
nationally known speakers who come to
campus each year. Last year we had Dr.
Michael Thompson, author of Raising Cain,
who spoke about The Pressured Child. This
year our panel of distinguished speakers
will address Why, When and How to Let
Go – Nurturing Your Child Toward
Independence on Nov. 12. We worked with
IS to establish a Cary Academy Linked In
group. Please make sure you join. The
annual winter fundraiser is an opportunity
to get dressed up, chat with friends and
contribute to paying for all these activities.
We don’t forget Families either. Our
annual Fun Fest is a collaboration with CA’s
Advancement Office and brings the fair to
CA. Volunteers on the New Parent
Committee are the first people your family
meets when you think of applying to CA.
They are an excellent example of how we
work together, school and PTAA, to ensure
the success of Cary Academy.
Please think how you can be part of
what we do. Whatever your availability, we
need all of your support. Have a great
summer!
—Naomi Lambert, PTAA President ’08–‘09