SUMMER 2018 ALUMNA ON THE GO WITH THE Juniors work it during Discovery Celebrating the CA community Voices carry: debate, dialogue & participation page 10 The Magazine of Cary Academy SUMMER 2018 ALUMNA ON THE GO WITH THE WHO page 16 Juniors work it during Discovery Term page 4 Celebrating the CA community page 8 Voices carry: debate, dialogue & participation page 10 CONGRATS TO THE CLASS OF 2018!Kevin’s last class of the day was beginning strings. While Mr. Qiao, his teacher, helped students tune their instruments, he also tried to quiet the room. But each “shh” gave way to a swell of noise – fidgety 12-year-olds couldn’t resist the urge to strum, bang, or tap. Tuning complete, Mr. Qiao pointed to the notes on the board. As the middle schoolers tentatively plucked their violas and cellos, slowly – from a cacophony – arose a familiar melody: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Mr. Qiao looked up from his podium, beaming. Why do I love this story? Normally, I might’ve popped in for five minutes, seen only the fray, and wondered if Mr. Qiao’s kids were learning anything. As an educator and parent, I sometimes ponder if we’re making progress across the ups and downs of our students’ journeys. But this time, in my 45-minute visit, the value of being patient – of trusting the system – came into stark relief. That long-term view was reinforced by Cary Academy’s first alumni commencement speaker, Lianne Gonsalves ’06, who spoke about how the skills and mindset she developed at CA helped guide her to her current position at the World Health Organization. (Read her story on page 16.) Or look to Ben Davalos ’15, a UNC- Chapel Hill senior whose organization, NC Sli – which promotes academic and life skills training in the Latinx community – is leading a tutoring partnership with CA. Or Madeline Thornton ’14 and her efforts with WISER, an international non- governmental organization that works toward the social empowerment of underprivileged women through education and health. Or Lindsay Wrege ’17, an NC State student who created 321 Coffee, an organization that provides work opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This isn’t to say the only meaningful path is working toward social justice; it’s to say that, over their entire journeys through Cary Academy, our students nurture a compassion for others, develop a deep set of complex skills, and hone the curiosity and drive that allow them to move boldly within the world – wherever their interests may take them. And to think, it all starts with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” One of my favorite memories from this past year came while “shadowing” Kevin, a sixth grader, throughout his school day. Mike Ehrhardt, Head of School FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOLIn this issue 4 (Work) experience makes the best teacher Rising seniors are taking their futures for a test drive. Through CA’s Work Experience Program, they spend two weeks tackling internships tailored to their interests. 10 Finding common ground From debating to legislating to creating healthy dialogues, we’re showing students how to have powerful, informed, change-making conversations. 16 Alumni spotlight: Lianne Gonsalves ’06 Gonsalves goes global What does it take to shatter stigmas around the world? For Lianne: a passport, a candid conversation, and a mind for changing minds. Snap- shots 8 Campus News 2 Alumni News 22 The Big Question 24 The Magazine of Cary Academy SUMMER 2018 COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Michael Ehrhardt Kathleen Mason Dean Sauls COMMUNICATIONS INTERNS Maya Agnihotri ’19 Alex Bandong ’19 Kennedy Byrd ’18 Lily Lee ’18 DEVELOPED AND DESIGNED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MINDPOWER INC. PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Muir Evan Pike Teresa Porter The CA community HEAD OF SCHOOL Michael Ehrhardt UPPER SCHOOL HEAD Heather Clarkson DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Jason Franklin DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES Jess Garcia DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS Denise Goodman DEAN OF FACULTY Martina Greene MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD Marti Jenkins DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Karen McKenzie CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Deborah Reichel is published three times a year by Cary Academy. CARY ACADEMY 1500 N. Harrison Avenue Cary, North Carolina 27513 (919) 677-3873 www.caryacademy.org Shakespeare. Home Ec. And… chickens? Students and teachers are dreaming up curricula for the subjects they’re most curious about. page 24The American Association of German Teachers interviewed CA German instructors Wendy Burgbacher and Gabriele Verhoeven for a video about German band Einshoch6’s U.S. tour (youtu.be/qH1-voL3KbA). US history teacher and S.T.E.P. club advisor Robert Coven received his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from NC State University. Video Manager Steven O’Neill earned a Graduate Certificate in Teaching, Training and Education Technology from NC State University. Richard Pellicciotta , US economics teacher and debate CA ATHLETES FINISH 4TH At the end of the 2017–2018 year, Cary Academy finished fourth in the prestigious Wells Fargo Cup. The Cup is the cumulative performance ranking of the entire year of varsity athletics. CA’s fourth place finish came behind the three big Charlotte area schools (Providence, Latin, and Country Day). Ravenscroft finished 6th and Durham Academy finished 8th. Check out highlights of the spring season and updates about our Athletic Leadership Academy at: https:// wp.me/p5S2zV-bJX. CARY ACADEMY GRADUATES 109 CA hosted its 19th graduation ceremony on May 25, 2018. The 109 newly-minted alumni were accepted to 131 different schools and are headed to 56 different colleges and universities in 21 states, DC, and Japan. The schools with more than two CA students attending are: UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, Davidson, Rice, Duke, Brown, and Cornell. ? The Magazine of Cary Academy Two THANK YOU, AND GOOD LUCK! This spring, we shared our memories and gratitude to celebrate our retiring faculty members: Katy Allen – US science teacher, former department chair, former grade leader, and Student Council advisor; Cheryl Cotter – Service Learning Director, Grade 10 Leader, and former PTAA president; Denise Goodman – Director of Admissions and Financial Aid; Barry Rochelle – 8th grade Science teacher, 8th grade Team Leader, MS basketball and tennis coach; Liz Smith – Library Director; Margo Smith – visual arts teacher and artistic director for many CA theater productions. And we thank those moving on from Cary Academy: Melissa Davenport, MS language arts teacher; Pam Hoffman, US mathematics teacher; Eric Grush, Band Director; Joselyn Todd, Educational Technology Specialist; Robin Edelstein, US mathematics teacher; Sue Sheets, US mathematics teacher. Campus News Kudos and congrats to our faculty FINDING THE KEYS TO HAPPINESS – AT CARY ACADEMY? It’s a Herculean feat. But with our happiness- themed NHS Speaker Series, CA’s been ahead of the curve. (After our Series began, 1,200 Yale students made headlines when they signed up for a psychology course known as the “happiness class.”) Speakers Jenn Mann, SAS’s Chief of Human Resources, and Brett Major, a UNC-Chapel Hill behavioral scientist, imparted lessons of creating a sense of well-being at work and having a sense of purpose through civic engagement (respectively). While Teresa Porter ’02, owner of My Friend Teresa studios, shared a humorous take on rebounding from setbacks and the personal quest to be comfortable with one’s self. Check out Teresa’s 2016 TEDxCaryAcademy talk that garnered 30,000 views: youtu.be/Z0xWpECkdYY. co-director, earned a Three Diamond degree of membership from the National Speech & Debate Association Honor Society. MS science teacher Danae Shipp received her M.A.T. in Biological Sciences through the University of Miami (OH) Global Field Studies Program. And Meredith Stewart, a MS social studies teacher, was featured in a fall 2017 Edutopia blog post – written by national journalist and education consultant Suzie Boss – on teaching respectful discourse (edut.to/2AqljCn).THE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DANCE FESTIVAL chose dance teacher Jasmine Powell to be one of its only high school instructors. There, she ran two contemporary African dance workshops while CA students Elena, Adithi, and Shiloh attended contemporary and classical dance workshops.( WORK ) EXPERIENCE MAKES THE BEST TEACHER What if 17-year-olds could perform surgical procedures on temporal bones? Go on the air with a local morning radio show? Design and sew their own shirts and ties? Or build 3-D models of homes? What if someone could do all of that – before they even graduated high school? ? The Magazine of Cary Academy Six Well, for starters, they’d be “co-creators and co-directors of their own learning,” says Michael McElreath, assistant head of the Upper School. McElreath was one of the brains behind Cary Academy’s new Work Experience Program, or WEP, an initiative exclusively for rising seniors to embark on two-week internships in fields and industries that pique their curiosity. First introduced in spring 2016, WEP is a product of CA’s strategic plan. One major goal of the plan: Foster authentic engagement. But, McElreath’s team questioned, what did that even mean? And, most important, what would that look like? It all boiled down to “experiential learning,” hands-on learning opportunities outside of typical classroom settings. The twist? Cary Academy would facilitate experiences specifically catered to each student’s interests. “We wanted students to get opportunities in areas they’re passionate about – and also in areas that they aren’t familiar with to push them outside of their comfort zones,” McElreath explains. Since then, juniors have spent their Discovery Terms at organizations ranging from veterinary hospitals to nonprofits benefitting kids with autism. They’ve shadowed district court judges. Gotten a crash course in newspaper publishing. Toured video game design companies. And even worked with polymers and nanoparticles in research labs. With students immersed in such eye- opening opportunities, it’s no wonder that more and more eleventh graders have signed up for the Work Experience Program every year since it started. In 2016, about 23 students participated. The next year, 55. And this year? About 75 juniors – roughly 70 percent of the class – interned. It was such a big spike in interest that McElreath had to call in reinforcements – the PTAA – to help find internship placements for all of the students. “This year, the PTAA created the Experiential Learning Committee, which helps support the Work Experience Program,” says 2017–2018 PTAA President, Trude Bate. “As a group, we have vast connections in the local business community. While our individual networks vary, working together, we can reach far and wide.” Committee members tapped into those far-reaching professional networks to give rising seniors myriad experiences – like producing a project with a sound engineer and working with a lobbyist while the legislature is in session. “Our primary responsibility is to network and build connections for CA. We’ve facilitated connections with professionals who are delighted to partner with Cary Academy,” Bate continues. And these collaborations have proven wildly successful. On the partner end, professionals get passionate students who are dedicated to putting in the work and “CARY ACADEMY WILL FOSTER THE INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL ELASTICITY NEEDED TO ADAPT AND THRIVE IN THE WORLD.” – STRATEGIC PLAN 2020Seven time it takes to have real, purposeful interactions and experiences. They’re surprised at everything these students do, from researching the companies beforehand to observing operating rooms to using Arduino knowledge learned at Cary Academy to make machines. As one mentor put it, that’s all thanks to “CA providing students with tools for critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.” As for the rising seniors, WEP internships give them brand-new insights into potential career paths. Some face fears, others may have perceptions challenged, and some even change their minds. Which is totally OK, McElreath points out. “Students can really fall in love with a field. Or they can walk away thinking, ‘This really isn’t for me.’ Which is a valuable lesson itself.” The Work Experience Program is about exploration, education, and reflection. Rising seniors get to explore areas they’re curious about and try them, whether it’s broadcasting or forensics. It’s about giving students more opportunities to own their learning. THIS YEAR, ABOUT 70% OF JUNIORS SIGNED UP FOR THE WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM.Next >