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.
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
As Jared Carson learned at CA, when it comes to sustainability, it’s often the little things we do as individuals that add up to the biggest community impacts. At CA, our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint and increase our sustainable practices come from every corner of campus.
The newly formed Middle School Green Club is looking at ways to reduce campus waste. They aim to reduce printing by at least 25 percent through an information campaign that advocates utilizing smaller fonts, double-sided printing, and electronic distribution of materials.
The Sustainability Committee of the Upper School’s Delta Service Club has worked with Upper School science department chair Heidi Maloy to revitalize the garden behind the Center for Math and Science; volunteered with NC State to help realize their goal of a zero waste football gameday; screened the documentary An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power for interested students; and spun plastic yarn from plastic bags to create sleeping pads for distribution to local non-profits that support people experiencing homelessness.
The CA SEEDS Club has been working to increase the amount that we compost and reduce trash and recyclable use. The club has created new signage and re-thought the arrangement of waste bins in the Dining Hall to reduce bottlenecks and promote better waste practices. From the beginning of the school year to February, CA has diverted 20,287 pounds of food waste to the compost pile, avoiding 2,368 pounds of methane production (nearly as much as 400 cars produce in a week).
Sustainable dishes and utensils are already in use in the Dining Hall, but their use is becoming more widespread throughout campus. The new café features paper straws and compostable cups. And all CA employees have been provided reusable tumblers in order to enjoy their beverage of choice with a minimal environmental impact.
For the first time, Taste and Toast utilized 100 percent reusable drinkware and dishes. And Ubuntu’s International Café used compostable materials, diverting more than 2,700 plates, 1,700 utensils, and 325 gallons of waste from the landfill. For future events, the PTAA has stocked 40 reusable table covers that will reduce the use of single-use plastic tablecloths for events of all sizes.
When we return to campus, a joint effort between the PTAA’s new Green Committee and CA’s Business Office will encourage parents to turn off their car engines while waiting to pick-up or drop-off students during carline.
Finally, our Business Office has worked with Wake County’s Habitat (Re)Store and the Public Schools of Robeson County to provide furniture from classrooms and the Dining Hall for reuse, rather than disposal.
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
Though innovation and technology are often used interchangeably when talking about education, at CA, educational technology—EdTech, for short—is one of many tools that our faculty use to create personalized learning opportunities that are flexible and relevant.
In the Middle School, Technology Facilitator Chair and math teacher Leslie Williams works hand-in-hand with Information Services to help lead the charge to bring innovative tools to our Middle School classrooms—teaching students and colleagues alike. Be it Minecraft, augmented or virtual reality (AR/VR), or computer-aided design and 3D printing, this technology lends itself to deeper learning and retention, while encouraging students to develop crucial skills that they will use throughout their lives.
We recently had an opportunity to sit down with Ms. Williams to talk about the role and impact of EdTech at CA.
How does EdTech help CA deliver on its mission?
Technology allows me to tailor the way I teach to the different ways my students learn. And it gives me some much-needed flexibility in their assessment, a different approach to see if and how they are mastering the material.
I’m always amazed to see those kids—the ones who are a little bit quiet—come out of their shells when they are designing in TinkerCad, learning in Minecraft, or exploring with augmented reality. EdTech allows them to tap into their tech interests and skills to really show off what they can do—what they are learning—in ways that play to their strengths.
It allows them to show me that they’ve attained mastery of a subject in a way that would likely be overlooked if I were to just say, ‘tell me the answer out of the book,’ ‘do a problem on the board,’ or ‘write out the essay.’ In CA-speak, it empowers them to “own their learning” in transformative ways.
What’s one of your favorite EdTech approaches?
In my classroom, I like to use gaming. It engages kids and gives them instant positive reinforcement. Each time they demonstrate mastery of a topic, they earn virtual currency that they can use to buy prizes. All of this gets them very excited about learning.
Many of us use actual video games catered to education in their classrooms—Minecraft and Prodigy are fantastic examples. With Minecraft for education, kids build entire worlds from books they are reading; it lets them visualize geometry and even study chemistry. Prodigy allows students to review and learn math in a collaborative gaming environment much like Pokemon, which is familiar to students.
What sort of skills are you promoting via EdTech in the classroom?
I think EdTech gives us more robust, immersive ways to increase student mastery and nurture crucial soft skills. As a math teacher, I can use it to hone spatial skills in a way that working geometry problems on paper or the board simply can’t.
Take, for example, our implementation of TinkerCad. In sixth grade, students learn about spatial thinking and the ins and outs of using TinkerCAD; in seventh grade, they use these skills to solve problems by creating virtual objects that they then print. That’s a real-world application of mathematical concepts—and it leads to a deeper understanding.
Leslie Williams
EdTech also allows us to incorporate design-thinking into the classroom in meaningful ways. Students design products to solve real-world challenges, print them, test them, refine them, and try again. They have to keep working toward a better solution, rather than simply completing a project and moving onto the next without really learning whether it worked or not. And that nurtures crucial skills like risk-taking, resilience, and perseverance. These lessons are echoed not only in my classroom but throughout the Middle School.
Beyond improving spatial and design-thinking skills, our students are also developing an important digital literacy: the ability to use a CAD program. And that will serve them in the Upper School and beyond. It’s a win on multiple fronts.
How are you using virtual reality (VR) in the classroom?
We’ve been using virtual reality in the Middle School for some time now, across the curriculum and disciplines, and we’re widening its use.
In the sixth grade, social studies teachers Katie Levinthal and Matthew Ripley-Moffitt use VR to help students explore the Indian subcontinent in their world history classes. That’s one of the most common uses of VR—going somewhere that’s difficult to visit. Lucy Dawson and Alicia Morris use it similarly, for the seventh grade’s world history of empires. They visit places like Machu Picchu, France, Spain, and England.
The eighth-grade science classes use VR and AR to study human anatomy; both allow students to move around inside the body, study the different parts of the heart, and even simulate surgery.
All of this allows us to take textbook information and make it come to life in a way that’s exciting, fun, and memorable for the kids.
What is something on the horizon that excites you?
I’m currently working with language arts teachers Katie Taylor and Katie Levinthal to use augmented reality (AR) to teach the sixth grade’s new book, The Wizard of Earthsea.
AR uses “triggers”—real-world objects, images, or QR codes that serve as links to virtual content when viewed through an app—to augment, rather than replace, the real world. I’m really excited. The students will build a map of the world in the story and then utilize triggers on the map to pull up additional materials that they develop. It might be pictures they create to tell parts of the story, narrative videos, or even locations and scenes that they recreate in storytelling platforms like Minecraft and Animaker.
There’s also a new tool called a MERGEcube that I’m particularly excited about. It is a six-sided QR code that allows you to interact with a virtual object in 3D space. These virtual objects could be anything from a model of the human heart to the Apollo Lunar Module. Because the cube has orientation—that is, each side of the cube has a unique QR code, so the app knows which way is up—students can move the modeled object in the real world, just as if they were holding the real thing. They can interact with the virtual model through their phone.
All of this enables our students to become hands-on with something that either doesn’t exist or that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to in the real world. It allows them to brainstorm, to think creatively, and creates opportunities for them to use storytelling to show us what they know.
EdTech Leadership Club
Thanks to a newly-formed club, students that are interested in technology will soon have an opportunity to step up as tech leaders within the Middle School. The EdTech Leadership Club (ETL) will provide additional leadership and technology training to students interested in EdTech.
Working at their own pace, club members will be tasked with mastering all the EdTech that CA has to offer and sharing that expertise back out to the community. As they master skills, students will earn micro-credentials that can be proudly displayed on student-designed wrist bands, necklaces, etc.. These signal to the community what tools club members can support, what skills they carry in their “virtual backpack.”
“As we so often to do at CA, with the ETL, we’re putting kids in the driver’s seat,” explains Williams. “The students will be responsible for learning all these different pieces of software and hardware—truly playing to learn. Once credentialed, they will take those skills to the classroom, assisting with the deployment of technology and offering tech support services to their peers and teachers alike.”
By empowering students, Williams thinks the entire Middle School EdTech program will be strengthened, even expanded. “While I have a basic understanding of each software tool in their toolkit—I may not be an expert in all the finer intricacies of each of them. The kids, however, they live and breathe these new technologies. They become true experts—and they can also get their friends excited and engaged. By supporting their passions and empowering them as leaders, we increase the number of students that we can reach, the number of projects that we can support in the classroom.”
One of Williams’ priorities with the ETL is to ensure that its member composition reflects that of CA’s diverse student body. She hopes the club might spark interests in those students that might not typically consider themselves suited for STEM-related fields or those students, particularly girls, who often feel social pressure in Middle School to do things other than spend time on STEM activities. At the end of the day, Williams’ goal with the ETL is to create savvy tech users—perhaps even tomorrow’s tech leaders—that are well-prepared to succeed in today’s technology-driven world. As she notes enthusiastically, “this sort of flexible learning gives those kids that might not otherwise have the opportunity in a more traditional setting, to step-up and thrive as leaders. It gives them meaningful opportunities to hone their leadership, technology, and communication skills to the benefit of our entire community.”
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
How do you start your day? Since ca opened its doors in 1997, the school day starts for most Middle School students and faculty with a wave and a warm smile from Cindy Laughlin, the middle school’s senior administrative assistant.
Though she’s been described as the heart of the Middle School, Laughlin sees herself in a different role: “I’m sort of like the grandmother,” she laughs. A longtime resident of Cary who had spent years volunteering in education throughout Wake County, Laughlin felt drawn to the promise that Cary Academy represented. “Watching the Goodnights’ and Salls’—CA’s co-founders—innovative involvement in education, I was ready for the next step.”
For Laughlin, being at CA is as exciting today as it was in 1997. “I thrive on the energy that comes from the children, from the collaboration. People come here because they want to be here. Every member of the community gives something of themselves.”
As CA’s very first day of school began, the first incarnation of the now-cherished handshake ceremony took place in front of the Middle School—a fitting location, as the Middle School was the very heart of Cary Academy. “Much of CA’s program was located in the building; it housed Middle School classes, arts, and the library for the whole school. We even had lunches delivered and ate in the classrooms because the Dining Hall wasn’t completed until a few weeks later, in the fall of 1997.”
In many ways, Laughlin has watched CA grow up, much the same way that she’s watched class after class of Middle School students mature before her eyes. “I have the best seat in the house. I get to watch everybody come in on their first day in sixth grade, when everything is new and the students have a sense of wonder. From my desk, I watch all year long as they grow up. If you’ve done it right, when they come back—whether it’s as students in the Upper School or after we’ve sent them out into the world—they look at you, talk to you, and say ‘hi,’ first.”
Laughlin is awed by the growing community of alumni and the physical expansion of campus since opening day, including the construction of the Administration building, Berger Hall, and the Center for Math and Science. However, it is the changes to the Middle School experience—including the shift away from textbooks toward more individualized learning, the Charger Trails program, the change from a static schedule to one that shifts classes across days, and the increased geographic and socioeconomic diversity—that impress her most. “Our founders were not afraid of change. Their vision lets us face new challenges to better help our students.”
One thing that has not changed is Laughlin’s role working alongside Head of Middle School Marti Jenkins. Laughlin likes to joke that she and Jenkins have been working together for so long that are practically “a couple.”
Indeed, it’s a deep relationship that Jenkins says benefits the entire Middle School. “We have been working together so long that we have an innate understanding of what we need from each other to do the best job of moving the Middle School forward on a daily basis.” She credits Laughlin as a critical member of the Middle School team for her role in helping to build a cohesive community and helping students to find their “right-fit” path through CA.
Cindy Laughlin (right) with Head of Middle School Marti Jenkins, in 1998.
“Cindy is an outstanding listener. She has an amazing way of connecting to various constituents in our community. Whether she is talking with a sixth-grader, a faculty member, a parent, a board member, or the Staples delivery person, everyone walks away feeling valued,” offers Jenkins. “She is always professional, completely reliable, steadfastly honest, and is a master at multitasking amid constant interruptions in the busy office. And she loves being around and working on behalf of young people.”
Even before each Middle Schooler first walks past the front office, Laughlin has already been hands-on, working hard to craft their schedule. Laughlin—who has a degree in accounting–says that, while there are software options that could produce student schedules at the touch of a button, such solutions don’t really address the challenge of ensuring that each Middle School student has the opportunities they need to succeed.
“Nobody is a square peg, here. That’s the vibe of the Middle School—kids are not afraid to be themselves. Everybody has a place where they fit. And we work hard as a team to help them find it. If you come to the Middle School, you’ll develop a strong foundation that can help you be successful wherever you go.” Laughlin’s biggest thrills, smiles, and happy tears come from seeing what former Middle School students have accomplished, how they have built on those foundations that she helped lay.
If there is one thing Laughlin hopes students have learned from her, it’s the importance of kindness. As front line support for students, faculty, and parents, Laughlin understands that how she reacts to the challenges faced by those who come to her for help can profoundly impact their day—maybe even their lives. Whether it’s bringing a student her forgotten contacts or guiding a parent to their child’s classroom, small acts of kindness can have a big impact. “That one moment of kindness—even something small, just asking ‘how are you’ or asking about their day—could be something they never forget.”
As for what Laughlin, herself, has learned from students: “as silly as this may sound, they have taught me how to be a grandparent. I feel like I’m a grandmother to a lot of these children. They don’t give me assignments or homework; they give me respect. Being around kids all the time, I’ve developed the patience and appreciation that you need in order to be a wonderful grandmother. I just became a grandmother, and I can’t wait for my grandson to be a little older, so I can show him how silly I’ve learned to be.”
Written by Dan Smith, Digital Content Producer and Social Media Manager
