September 20, 2018
The power of community giving
How does a $5 senior donation build a new chemistry lab? What does STEM have to do with my passion for the arts? Why is an updated fitness center considered innovative? These are all questions floating around the school lately. As we embark on our fourth year of the five-year Campaign for Cary Academy, our […]
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September 12, 2018
Celebrating Cary Academy Alumni
Pictured above: Members of the Class of 2017 came back to talk to the class of 2018 before graduation to give them tips on making a smooth transition to college Our alums (all 1,764 of them!) are a crucial part of the Cary Academy community. As networked problem-solvers and creative thinkers that are changing the […]
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September 6, 2018
Middle School reflections
It was truly terrific to see so many parents join us last Thursday at Middle School Meet the Teacher Night. This event for parents is much like the first days of school for the students. There were new parents getting to know other new parents and returning parents catching up with one another. There were […]
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August 30, 2018
Center for Community Engagement
As an educator and a historian, I am sometimes struck by how much of what I learn can also be described as what I re-learn. I think we all have learning experiences that are powerful partly because they recall for us important lessons we had, if not forgotten, at least allowed to recede for a […]
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August 23, 2018
I’m a Collector
“Stories are a communal currency of humanity.”–Tahir Shah, in Arabian Nights Walking around campus these last couple of weeks, I’ve been collecting images, sounds, and moments, tucking them away as if they were precious artifacts. Some highlights: A construction paper star with a wish and advice for a new sixth grader from a rising seventh […]
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August 16, 2018
It all starts with Twinkle, Twinkle
I can’t stop thinking about that smile. It came while I was shadowing Kevin, grade 6, last fall. We had arrived in last period: beginning orchestra. Mr. Qiao was helping students tune their instruments — violins, violas, cellos. He asked them politely to refrain from strumming, banging, or tapping while he made his rounds. Alas, […]
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May 17, 2018
Reimagining the High School Transcript
What would school be like if the traditional transcript—that all-important list of courses taken and grades earned—went the way of the dinosaurs? That is the express aim of a fast-growing education reform group called the Mastery Transcript Consortium, or MTC. The MTC is a coalition of more than 130 independent schools united in the belief […]
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May 10, 2018
It’s Good to be Heard
Many of you have heard me greet members of our community with the phrase, “It’s good to see you.” And, the response can be “It’s good to be seen”. Well, I’d like to add a little bit more to that lineup; “It’s good to be heard.” Lately, I’ve been observing the public discourse displayed in […]
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May 3, 2018
The Paths in Life
While walking through the sixth-grade hall this week, I noted a quote on a wall from the great naturalist, John Muir: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” The quote reminded me of my conversations with various sixth grade students about the Citizen Science projects they […]
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