Worldwide hit Les Misis coming to CA

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Worldwide hit Les Mis is coming to CA
School play to be performed Feb. 7-9
A concert version
But viewers will see
a variation of the musical
when they enter the CA theater. Director
Jacquie Holcombe has decided to stage a
concert version of the famous stage performance. This means the cast must rely
on its voices to convey the emotions of
their characters.
“It’s going to be challenging because it
is all vocal,” said Katie Lipscomb (‘11), who
is playing Cosette, the daughter of Valjean
and the lover of Marius. “We won’t have
the props that we would have so we are
going to have to rely on our facial and
vocal expressions to convey the meaning
of our songs.”
“Les Miserables is completely sung —
no spoken lines,” added Holcombe. “The
actors will mostly remain in place but be
staged a bit. There will be costumes, and
we will use technology, lighting and sound
effects in the show.”
A difficult performance for professionals, this year’s cast has quite a challenge
ahead of them to make this musical work.
Holcombe, however, has no doubt that the
students can do it.
“This year we definitely have the talent
to perform it. There is nothing we can’t fill
vocally,” said Holcombe.
“Les Mis is a very difficult musical to
pull off as a high school,” added Alex
Morgan (‘11), who will be playing the role
of Marius. “I think that we have so much
talent in our school that, for us, pulling
off Les Mis
should be
no big feat.”
Grueling rehearsals should pay off
This musical is not going to come
without hard work. With approximately 90
students participating, rehearsals are an
integral aspect in making the musical run
smoothly. Each afternoon until the performances Feb. 7-9, students will be working
diligently from 3:30 to 6 p.m. to perfect
their characters and fine
tune their voices.
Preparation that
began even
before September will take months to fit all
of the pieces together.
“Of course, I love seeing it on the stage,
but the process is very rewarding,” said
Holcombe. “I enjoy the rehearsals because
I get to see the cast going from not knowing
what to do, to gradually getting it and working
together. I know they will sound really great.”
“I am excited to take on the
challenge of this performance…”
(continued on page 6)
Homecoming scores with community, teams
All four teams win contests Dec. 19
With enthusiastic crowds of students, alumni and community members cheering them
on, each Cary Academy team in action for homecoming on Dec. 19 brought home a victory.
The varsity girls’ basketball team put on a clinic of teamwork against Kestrel Heights
and won charging away, 63-12. The boys‘ team then took the hardwood against KH, and
following the lead of the
girls, won 67-32.
In the night’s other
action in swimming and
wrestling, CA kept up its
winning ways. Taking on
Cary Christian School and
Trinity Academy of Raleigh
in the same meet did not
faze the CA swim team.
The girls beat CCS 79-12
and then dispatched of
TAR 75-11. The boys beat
CCS 66-20 and TAR 72-14.
The varsity girls’ basketball team breaks through a banner during
(continued on page 5)
the pep rally team introductions.
1
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
First, it wowed readers as a novel, and
years later blew away audiences all over the
world as a musical. Now, Les Miserables is
set to take the Cary Academy community
by storm.
Based on the novel
by Victor Hugo, Les
Miserables follows the
struggles of the people
in 19th century France.
From prison scenes to a
lover’s strife, there is
never a dull moment in
this well-known musical.
Don Berger, Head of School
Plugging into Generation Z
Keeping up with kids in their high-tech world
One of my annual goals
this year is improving my
own technology skills
and knowledge. When I
arrived at Cary Academy 13 years ago, I was capable,
even confident, when it came to technology and its use
by students. But now, when I look around and see my
daughters, as well as all our students, constantly twittering, skyping and texting away with their laptops and
cell phones, I find that I’ve fallen far behind. So, to
catch up a bit and meet my annual goal of improving
my technical skills, I met with our Upper School Council
and asked them, “What do I need to know about technology to better understand students and their
social/academic experience?”
The Technology Quartet
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
2
What I learned is that I need to
understand four areas, the Technology
Quartet of today’s youth, if you will:
Facebook, text messaging, blogs and
YouTube.
Facebook is the most popular social
networking tool used by
secondary school students.
The site receives estimated
traffic of 52 million people
per month in the U.S. alone
(quantcast.com). Many of you
reading this likely have a profile on
Facebook. I do. Facebook has become a
cultural phenomenon, and our students use it to form
new social connections, do most of their social planning, and just plain socialize. This is why it is useful
for me—for all of us—to understand Facebook and
social networking.
In 2008, more than two trillion text messages
were sent worldwide, according to Research and
Markets. Texting among our youth is rampant. My
daughters text each other from different rooms in the
house! Two years ago, I picked up my stepson at the
airport and shook his hand, surprised at his stonecrushing grip. I commented on this, and he showed
me the rippling back muscles of his hands. “This used
to come from gaming, but now it comes from texting,”
he proudly stated.
Texting has become so popular it has crossed generational lines. At this past Grandparents’ Day on Nov. 7,
I stopped to admire a grandmother texting away in the
hall. While I will win no texting contests (and they do
have these—in 2007, 13-year-old Morgan Pozgar, of
Claysburg, PA, won $25,000 when she texted the first
three song lines of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in
15 seconds), I am improving my texting skills to stay
up-to-date with this omnipresent form of communication.
Blogging and YouTube
Blogs have become the 21st-century version of
diaries. Now, anyone can communicate
their ideas and thoughts to the world via
the conduit of a blog. As of Feb. 2008,
Technorati states it is tracking more than
112.8 million blogs, a number that
obviously does not include all the 72.82
million Chinese blogs as counted by The
China Internet Network Information
Center. Blogs are more powerful than a
common Web page
because they are interactive: A reader may
leave comments and
start a dialogue with the
writer. This is such an
important communication tool that I’ve started
my own blog. Please
read my blog
(http://www.caryacademy.org/page.cfm?p=1484)
and leave your comments. This is one way to get
my ear.
Chances are if you have an email account, someone has sent you a YouTube video. In December 2008,
YouTube hit 100 million U.S. visitors (alleyinsider.com).
Ever wanted to go to Hollywood? It’s now as close
as your computer. With YouTube, anyone can be a
producer, actor
and/or director.
Also, political candidates use YouTube
to reach audiences and
news events have been
posted there. While
YouTube does expand the realm of news and
current events coverage, it is immeasurably the
place our students go most often for entertainment.
And that alone makes it a site I need to understand.
To meet my annual goal of improving my technological skills and in the process better understand our
students, I am determined to learn all I can of the
Technology Quartet of Facebook, texting, blogging and
YouTube. And I encourage you, as parents and community members, to learn these four areas along with
me, for the more we know about how our children
communicate, the easier it will be to communicate
with them.
Cyber Cotillion
for Parents
Parents, come learn more about your student’s cyber life in and out of the classroom
with these seminars. Seats are limited to provide hands-on experience and individual guidance. You may register for one or both series to learn about technology at CA and how your
students use it. First come, first serve. Both series run from 8 to 9:30 A.M. on campus and
cost $30 (or register for both at $50). Contact Rosie Benzonelli at chgardensuite@gmail.com
to reserve your place.
Series One: 21st Century Classrooms and How They Work.
Jan 13. Take CA’s much requested technology tour.
Jan 20. Participate in a guided simulated classroom experience with the
technology tools students use daily.
Jan 27. Learn about the strategies and tools students use including RSS feeds,
podcasts, blogs.
Series 2: Join the Cyber Party: Social Networking and More Fun Times
Feb 3. Explore the many different social networking venues. Set up a social
networking page using Facebook.
Feb 10. Dig deeper into the social networking experience.
Feb 17. Overview of gaming: Learn what the most popular games are with
students and why. Hands-on experience with World of Warcraft.
Community flocks to Holiday Shoppe
The sixth annual Holiday Shoppe at
Cary Academy drew a steady flow of
customers during its three-day run from
Dec. 4-6, with all proceeds going toward
need-based scholarships and community
outreach.
Chair Melinda Bissett said, “We continue
to receive wonderful support from the CA
community. Plenty of parents pitched in
with watching booths, running registers,
running errands — they were wonderful.
With their help, this Holiday Shoppe came
off extremely well. Also, the customers
seemed really happy with our selection of
vendors this year.”
Some of the 100 vendors at the 2008
Holiday Shoppe included The Purple
Paintbrush, Wearever, To Do Designs, Party
Putts, Splash Funwear, Sew Chic, Fish Out
of Water, Books Are Fun, Choose Joy, Surf
By Design and Prissy Pots.
Susan Riddle of Holly Springs made it
to her first-ever Holiday Shoppe.“I love it!”
she said as she filled her green plastic
shopping basket with gift items. “I’m finding gifts for people I didn’t think I could
find gifts for. I’ll be back next year.”
Henry Dyke of Raleigh attended this
year’s Holiday Shoppe with his wife and
her friends. “I’m serving as a pack mule,”
he said laughing. “But, seriously,
I have found a couple gifts
myself plus one or two things
for me.”
After Cary Academy students graduate
and head off to colleges and universities
across the country, many will fondly reminisce
with friends of their high school days as a
Charger. “Remember that homecoming pep
rally junior year?” Or, “Can you believe how
sad we were during our senior night
game?” Or maybe even, “I still am mad at
Coach for making us run all those suicides!”
Students can thank the Athletic
Department and their hard work for all of
these memories. The department is given
the oftentimes overwhelming task of bringing the entire Cary Academy community
together— faculty, staff, students and
families — for sporting events. A team of
five employees make up the Athletic
Department, and each one is essential to
the continued success of Charger athletics.
Kevin Jones, in his first year as athletic
director, insists the department does a lot
more than what people usually give it credit for. Jones begins his day by checking his
e-mail, which he must do constantly considering more than 100 messages flood his
inbox on a daily basis. He balances the
budget for each sport, sees to proper field
and equipment maintenance, and completes hiring and evaluations of coaches.
“One of the most demanding parts of
the job is making sure each coach has
what he or she needs to run their program
effectively,” he says.
With 16 teams in the fall and spring and
11 in the winter, Jones and the Athletic
Department staff certainly have their work
cut out for them. Cary Academy boasts 17
varsity-level sports teams overall.
Jones also acts as an event planner for
a large portion of his job. Games, transportation and tournaments must all be
coordinated through the Athletic
Department. Different groups often rent
out Cary Academy facilities in the summer,
so communication with rental companies
also constitutes as a necessary task.
The department also updates the athletic Web site, creates informative bulletin
boards, and works with the Charger Club
(CA’s booster club) and X Factor, a student
group that encourages fan support and
school spirit.
Luckily, Jones has Ray Pope, assistant
athletic director, and Becky Watkins, the
department’s administrative assistant, to
help him with his long list of duties and
responsibilities. All three work together to
complete the office work as well as the
See how great this looks on you!
The three-day Holiday Shoppe
2008 thrilled customers with
its selection.
(continued on page 4)
3
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
necessary communication between coaches, parents, student-athletes, opposing
teams and outside parties.
Pope coaches the varsity baseball team
and teaches US health and physical education
in addition to his assistant AD duties. Pope,
who is in his fifth year at Cary Academy
and first as assistant AD, is most proud of
the caliber of the school’s coaching staff.
“Watching kids develop, not just on the
field but also in life in general, is a tribute
to the coaching staff we have. Adversity,
responsibility and leadership are all skills that
are taught in addition to the game,” he says.
Watkins takes on more logistical tasks
and says she makes sure “coaches and officials and opponents are all at the right field
at the right time to play the right games.”
Another crucial member of the Athletic
Department team is David McAllister, who
was hired as the original athletic trainer
when the school opened in 1997. He evaluates student-athlete injuries and decides
on the best course of action for the injury,
both initially and during recovery.
“As they undergo the treatment and
rehabilitation of their particular injury, I try
Follet to study graphic novel process
English teacher recipient of Bridges Fellowship
Robin Follet, Upper School English teacher and English Department chair, will soon
learn more about the growing phenomenon of the graphic novel.
In late March 2009, Follet will travel to Cullowhee, where he will attend the North
Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching conference center as a Teacher-Scholarin-Residence. He will spend five days constructing an original graphic story and exploring
ways for Cary Academy students to take on a similar project.
Follet will attend the center as the recipient of this year’s Robert E. Bridges Honored
Educator Fellowship.
The endowed fellowship honors Robert E. Bridges, who was a teacher and administrator in the public school system before serving on the Cary Academy board of directors
from 1997-2002.
Follet has been a faculty member at Cary Academy for six years. His involvement in
the community reaches beyond the classroom, however. He and his wife have two
daughters enrolled at CA, Cailey (’11) and Lia (’14).
As a Teacher-Scholar-in-Residence, Follet will focus on his project proposal to craft a
graphic novella and will have the opportunity to plan his own
schedule. Follet describes a graphic novella as being
“like a comic book minus the superheroes” and
is very interested in the increasing popularity of
combining art with writing.
“Over the past two decades, the graphic novel has
grown from a fringe genre into a respected and studied
method of storytelling,” he said.
Study of graphic novels at the collegiate level continues to increase in the United
States. Many prestigious institutions such as Stanford University have explored this
unique form of art and writing. As part of the current English department curriculum at
CA, Follet says students study Maus, a graphic novel portraying the Holocaust that won
the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.
The ultimate goal for Follet is to gain knowledge of how to effectively implement his
graphic novella project into Cary Academy’s Integrated Humanities program.
“By writing and drawing my own story, I plan to observe how to improve and
streamline the process for students,” he stated.
— Hayes Tilson, Intern
MLK celebration
features civil rights leader
Dr. Gardner Taylor mentored Dr. King
Dr. Gardner C. Taylor of Raleigh, a civil
rights pioneer who served as a mentor to
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and provided an
important base of support for King’s work,
served as the guest speaker at the MLK
Day celebration on Jan. 16 in the theater.
Taylor, 90, is one of the 20th century‘s
most celebrated preachers. For 42 years,
Taylor served as senior pastor at the
14,000-member Concord Baptist Church of
Christ in Brooklyn, NY. Concord gained a
reputation for its social activism and community outreach under Taylor’s leadership.
He played a prominent role in the
religious leadership of the civil rights
movement of the 1960s and co-founded
the Progressive National Baptist
Convention with King. In 2000, Taylor
received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom from President Bill Clinton.
“We set up the stage like a living room,
with Hillary Aarons (’11) interviewing
Dr. Taylor as if it were an informal ‘fireside’
chat,” said Director of Diversity Shani
Barrax-Moore.
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
4
That’s what they do
“He was asked several questions
(continued from page 3)
to set goals for them, so that they can see their progress. My primary goal is to try and
get them back to activity as quickly and as safely as possible,” McAllister says.
Eric Moore is the final staff member. He works part-time in the department as the
strength training and conditioning coach. Moore also coaches the varsity wrestling
team and works as an Informational Services consultant. Because student-athletes
require different strength and conditioning plans to suit their bodies and lifestyles,
Moore’s job keeps him very busy.
“Strength and conditioning is not always about lifting a bunch of heavy weights or
even machines or free weights at all. Because of so many programs, systems and theories
to choose from, it takes constant research and development to stay current and weed
through what may work well for one student-athlete and not for another,” he says.
Although continual daily tasks keep Jones and the department on a tight schedule,
they still look toward the future with a number of goals in mind. Jones says he hopes
to implement a yearly banquet recognizing all teams. He also wants to complete and
update every sport’s record board in the gymnasium.
Despite the daily onslaught of responsibilities, Jones still finds great value in the work
he does. “Watching games and seeing students perform is by far my favorite aspect
of the job. The pride I feel for Cary Academy as I watch students compete, especially
when teams perform well, makes all the work worthwhile.”
— Hayes Tilson, Intern
regarding his interactions with Dr. King
and what his legacy means to us now.
We tried to encourage students to think
about how they can continue his legacy,
and students were able to ask him
questions from the audience.”
Students continued with what they
learned during the presentation with
follow-up discussion in their advisories.
The event
will be available
for the Cary
Academy community to view
online soon.
Dr. Gardner C. Taylor
Homecoming
(continued from page 1)
The wrestlers also took on two opponents,
defeating Green Hope High School (JV)
45-36 and St. David‘s 55-18.
Many alumni returned to campus for
the games and gathered for fellowship
with one another in a hospitality suite in
the Fitness Center hosted by Alumni
Coordinator Melinda Bissett and community
volunteers. And the parents weren’t left
out of the festivities. The PTAA and its
Alumni Parent Committee sponsored a
Homecoming Parent Social for parents
past and present in the SEA.
The Step Team
performs.
This year’s CAF chairs, Dr. Mark Graham (far left) and Dr. Laneta
Dorflinger (far right), presented last year’s chairs, Jennifer Weiss
and Bruce Hamilton, with a gift at halftime of the girls’ game.
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
5
Parents Denise Carson, Victor Lerch and
Susan Marshall visit at the Parent Social.
Les Mis
(continued from page 1)
From the main characters to the behind-the-scene work, each
member of the musical is an essential aspect to the performance.
The enthusiasm from the actors helps keep the excitement alive.
“I am excited to take on the challenge of this performance,
progress as an actor and maybe even learn a thing or two about
myself,” said Seth Johnson (’09), who is playing the main role of
Jean Valjean. “Valjean‘s psyche will force me to dig deep and
embrace the instincts necessary to act this role effectively.”
In addition to the fabulous voices of the cast, the musical will
be using a unique program called OrchExtra. This innovative program will help the musical sound as if it has a full orchestra. This
additional aspect will further add to the dramatic appeal of the
musical while still encouraging musicians to participate.
Although still in the rehearsal process, February is approaching
quickly and the actors are anxiously anticipating sharing this musical
with an audience.
“I’m excited to work with the music that I love,” said Nikki
LeFort (‘13), who is playing the role of a prostitute. “I am looking
forward to sharing this music with others, and hope I can help
them to love it as much as I do.”
— Julia Fariss, Intern
Les Miserables performances
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 P.M.
Sunday, Feb. 8 at 3 P.M.
Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 P.M.
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
6
Chorus
Soprano Lia Follet (’14), Laura Bright (’15), Shantal Jayawickreme
(’14), Andrew Crater (’15), Nikki Randall (’10), Sarah Higgs (’10),
Ellyse Julian-Dalton (’11), Alisha Gumber (’11), Lauren Kalin (’11),
Aditi Dholakia (’14), Elizabeth Brock (’13)
Alto Laura Renshaw (’11), Lauren Knott (’14), Raven Watson (’15),
Ivana Premasinghe (’15), Julia Sawchak (’15), Kaayva Sawchak (’11),
Maia Szulik (’11), Meg Kennedy (’12), Meggie Niles (’11), Aimee
Rosen (’11), Laura Gauger (’11), Kelsey Parker (’09), Sydney Branson
(’12), Abby Andrews (’09), Claire Bridges (‘11), Carrie Hartsfield (’12),
Emily Apperson (‘12), Jessica Rowsey (’12), Maya Wilson (’12),
Kerri Stanton (’14)
Cast
Jean Valjean
Seth Johnson (’09)
Javert
Joe Johnston (’09)
Chain Gang
Andrew Paschal (’09),
Trevor Pearce (‘11),
Kramer Hines (’11),
Tyler Hodgdon (’12),
Jeff Thomas (’12)
Constable
Michael Laverick (’11)
Farmer
Andrew Park (‘12)
Laborer
Hudson Farren (‘10)
Bishop of Digne
Anthony Lantigua (’09)
Fantine
Jane Goehkre (‘10)
Foreman
Mark Larus (‘09)
Factory Workers
Olivia Banks (’12)
Maggie B. Corbett (‘13)
Factory Girls
Connor Roebuck (‘12),
Erika May (’12),
Helen May (’11),
Alix Sotomayor (‘12),
Rachel Holt (‘12)
Sailors
Paul Vandergrift (’11),
Josh Landry (’11)
Bamatabois
Aaron Harrington (‘10)
Old Woman
Corinna Egge (‘13)
Pimp
Ivan Bobashev (’12)
Fauchelevant
TBD
Young Cosette
Aileen Daly (’15)
Madame Thénardier
Hillary Aarons (’11)
Thénardier
David Deerson (’09)
Gavroche
Joshua Henderson (’15)
Eponine
Hannah Goetz (’13)
Enjolras
Korey Weaver (’12)
Marius
Alex Morgan (’11)
Cosette
Katie Lipscomb (‘11)
Brujon
Alex Spancake (’11)
Babet
Jeff Thomas (’12)
Montparnasse
Trevor Pearce (’11)
Combeferre
Griffin Sanford (’13)
Feuilly
Scott Kenney (’11)
Courfeyrac
Thomas Graham (’12)
Joly
Graham Anson (‘09)
Prouvaire
David Sierra (’10)
Lesgles
Andrew Paschal (’09)
Grantaire
Matt Lee (’12)
Ladies of the Night
Liz Galbraith (’11),
Ava Britt (’09),
Lauren Jamiolkowski (’09),
Ashley Allen (’12),
Nikki Lefort (’13),
Katelyn Mitchell (’11),
Lizzy Kelley (’11),
Mary Grove (’10)
DIRECTOR Jacquie Holcombe
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Michael Hayes
ACCOMPANIST Linda Velto
COSTUMING Heather Clarkson
COSTUME APPRENTICE Alix Sotomayor
Tenor Ryan Chronowic (’12), CJ Miller (’12)
TECH DIRECTOR Shannon Clark
Bass Sam Andrews (’11), Declan Lockheed (’11), Patrick Luo (’11),
JT Jamieson (’11)
MOVEMENT COACH/REHEARSAL ASST Betsy Ward Hutchinson
STAGE MANAGERS Erin Lerch, Therice Morris
Michael Averell (’13), for the second year in a
row, bested the field to win the Middle School
Geo Bee Dec. 12.
Thomas Graham (’12) took the lead early and
held on for a third-place finish at the USATF
National Junior Olympic Cross Country
Championships on Dec. 13 at Pole Green Park
in Mechanicsville, VA. Alex Coeytaux (’12)
also ran well in the highly competitive race,
placing 64th (14:31) out of the 269 finishers.
Both competed in the 4k Youth Boys division
(13-14 age group). The CA running duo got to
the national championships by competing
Nov. 22 at the USATF Region III Junior
Olympic Cross Country Championships
(Georgia, North Carolina, Potomac Valley,
South Carolina, Virginia) in the 4 km run, CC
Youth Boys (13-14 age group). Graham dominated to win the race, and Coeytaux pulled off a
fourth-place finish by two seconds over fifth
place and by seven seconds over sixth place.
ESPN RISE and the Gatorade Player of the
Year Program have selected Graham as a candidate for Boys Cross Country Runner of the
Year in North Carolina. Over the Thanksgiving
break, Graham competed in the Footlocker
Cross Country South Regional. He placed
24th overall, but he was the top finisher from
North Carolina, defeating all of the top public
school runners in NC.
On Dec. 2, Dr. Joselyn Todd, chair of the
Middle School science department, conducted
a workshop on programming and robotics at
the North Carolina Educational Technology
Conference in Greensboro. Twenty teachers
attended. Four CA eighth-grade students,
Sarah Thalheimer (’13), Richard He (’13),
Katie Birmingham-Corbett (’13) and
Alexandre Pauwels (’13), acted as assistant
teachers for Todd.
On Nov.15, Cary Academy participated in the
Duke Math Meet, which involved a number of
team-based and individual rounds, against the
top mathematical talent in the southeastern
U.S. Teams from Thomas Jefferson High School
and all-star teams from the Atlanta area attended, as did local teams such as Enloe and the
North Carolina School of Science & Math.
Against this competition, CA’s team finished
17th among the 35 schools. CA’s team consisted of Therice Morris (‘09), John Peebles (‘09),
Allen Yang (‘12), Jason Chow (‘10), Thomas
Kweon (‘11) and Paul Helms (‘09).
Richard He (‘13) is the state winner in this
year‘s Music Teachers National Association
(MTNA) Junior Piano Competition.
Both schools sponsored Giving Trees over the
holidays. Donations to the Middle School tree
went to children in the Wake County Guardian
ad Litem ‘Relative Placement‘ program. This is
a step between parents and foster care, but
attempts to keep them with a relative willing
to take them in. Often these relatives are
struggling relations or grandparents who may
not be physically or financially prepared for a
young child in the house. Several enrichment
groups and individual families graciously fulfilled many wishes on the children‘s wish lists,
including everything from basic necessities to
bicycles! The MS Student Leadership Club
sponsored the tree. For the ninth year, the US
Student Council brought the Johnston County
Adolescent Parent Program and Foster Care
Giving Tree program to CA. The tags on the
tree expressed the dreams and wishes of
61 children in the Adolescent Parent Program
and 48 in the Foster Care program. Some
benevolent CA families even sent ‘extras‘
along. On Dec. 15, students loaded a truck full
of the donated gifts (pictured).
The dance students put on a concert Dec. 11
in the theater. The Middle School students
performed fun and colorful dances inspired by
class discussions of ”how to be green in the
world.“ The Dance Company performed a
dance about what we see (or choose not to
see), while the Upper School students performed a dance about what it is like to lose
one‘s voice. These dances were enhanced by
the art work of Jason Franklin‘s students. As a
special treat, former CA dancer Carolyn
Usanis (‘04) performed a solo dance that
instructor Betsy Hutchinson created as part of
a video dance, Dust.
m
u
l
A ni
notes
Alumni: Contact melinda_bissett@caryacademy.org with your updates!
Class of 2003
Sarah Kenney is a bilingual health education
specialist for the LATCH (Local Access to
Coordinated Healthcare) and DCHN (Durham
Community Health Network) programs. She
works with the uninsured and Medicaid populations, assisting patients in understanding
their health needs and navigating the health-
care system. Her work is focused on Latino
families and children, especially those with
chronic conditions.
Over the summer he volunteered with Unite
for Sight in Orissa, India.
Class of 2007
Class of 2005
Jarad Mason received the Vagelos Science
Challenge Award at Penn, where he is completing his senior year majoring in chemistry.
Lauren Viehbacher joined Georgetown’s
Division I rowing team and competed throughout the spring of 2008, which included a trip to
Lake Wheeler. She also was selected for the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
7
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
For the second year in a row, Anjali
Nagulpally (’14) used her skills in Adobe
Photoshop and Microsoft Publisher to design
calendars for 2009 as a fundraiser for her
community center. Last year, the calendars
raised about $5,000.
On Dec. 6, the Middle School Robotics Club
traveled to Greensboro to compete in the
North Carolina First Lego League Robotics
Competition. The team competed against 66
other teams from around the state in four
different categories: robot performance, technical
design, teamwork and project presentation.
At the end of the day the team received the
Judges‘ Award for excellent performance in
all four categories.
1500 N. Harrison Avenue
Cary, North Carolina 27513
Telephone: 919-677-3873
Fax: 919-677-4002
www.caryacademy.org
i
mportant dates
MLK Holiday
Jan. 19
Midterm
Jan. 23
PTAA General Membership Meeting
Jan. 27 at 7 P.M.
Les Miserables
Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 P.M.
Sunday, Feb. 8 at 3 P.M.
Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 P.M.
Half-day
Feb. 13
US Exams
March 2-6
12th Annual Scholars‘ Golf Tournament
May 11
Starting the New Year with New Gusto
Cary Academy December 2008 /January 2009
8
Welcome
back! We’re
approaching
the half way point in the year. There’s
so much to look forward to but also
much to reflect on and learn from. This
month I want to remind you about
three PTAA-sponsored events we have
on the horizon and also to highlight
the work of our Health and Wellness
Committee.
First, upcoming events: In January
and February the PTAA is sponsoring a
series of tech seminars, Cyber Cotillion
for Parents, in conjunction with CA’s
Instructional Technology Director, Sam
Morris. There will be two series of
three seminars each. The first series
has been designed to illustrate how
technology is used in the school and
how parents can better use that technology in their own lives. Series two
explores the social uses of technology;
social networking, gaming and more.
Between the two series we have tried to
offer something for the computer savvy
and the less tech-aware. Please check out
the PTAA Web site for more info and sign
up now! Spaces are limited.
On Jan. 27 in the Fine Arts Lecture Hall
at 7:30 p.m., we host our annual State of
the School address by Don Berger. This
will be our second PTAA general meeting
starting with a short PTAA business section,
a brief report on the school’s Fundraising
Activities and Volunteerism Needs
Committee and then Don’s presentation.
Don will talk about what the school has
done in the past year and look ahead to
some of the things we can expect.
On Feb. 21 is the PTAA’s annual auction.
Journey around the World with us to
different continents, sample cuisine and
wine from different nations and find those
one-of-a-kind experiences to bid on.
Come out to enjoy the fellowship and
support your school community. Go to
www.caryacademyptaa.com to buy your tickets
online and browse the catalog.
Health and Wellness Committee
Have you checked out the PTAA Web
site and seen the Parent/Student support
pages? Did you attend the Michael
Thompson evening? Are you signing up for
the Cyber Cotillion? Do you watch the
webinars from the comfort of your home?
All of these programs are the result of
the tireless energy of Rosie Benzonelli and
her team on the Health and Wellness
Committee. An amalgamation of last year’s
Parent and Community Enrichment, the
committee has evolved into a wonderful
resource for parents. It is constantly
researching and exploring opportunities for
our community to be better informed.
Please use the resources members have
amassed for our benefit. If there is an
area of interest you’d like them to investigate contact Rosie at benzonelli@jps.net.
Wishing you a wonderful, warm January.
— Naomi Lambert, PTAA President ’08-‘09