Cary Academy Magazine | Fall 2022

The Magazine of Cary Academy

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Friends of Cary Academy,

What a difference a year (or two) makes!

It has been an absolutely delightful first half of the 2022-2023 school year as we’ve begun to work our way back into many of our normal school operations and traditions.

This year’s focus on community and community building—“showing up for one another,” as it has been said—has been especially joyful. Important community traditions such as the handshake ceremony, Charger Cup, and Friday Night Lights have felt more meaningful and appreciated after their absence. The Middle School has also been busy building new ways to connect through mission-based Community Days, and the Upper School, driven in part by Student Council and X Factor, has interjected a variety of new community builders and spirited competitions taking place throughout the fall.

In all, it has been wonderful to get the full experience of what it means to be a “learning community.”

Toward that end, I hope you enjoy reading this issue of ?, The Magazine of Cary Academy. Our feature on Upper School English teacher Kara Caccuitto illustrates how our faculty—and Ms. Caccuitto in particular—has been working hard to enhance the learning and growth

opportunities across all dimensions of a student’s experience.

In our feature on the Upper School Wilderness Club, we highlight how getting students outside of their comfort zones can lead to profound personal and leadership growth—even if in the moment, such as a 34-hour “rain event”—it may not seem like all that much “fun.”

And finally, I hope you enjoy our story on the journey of alumna Kelly Bright, ’17, from the CA softball field to storytelling for the NFL. There are truly remarkable opportunities available for our students, and it is a joy to hear first-hand how they are making their way through life after Cary Academy.

Thank you all for your continued support of our school and its wonderful community.

Mike Ehrhardt, Head of School

In this issue

FALL 2022

COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

Mandy Dailey

Ellie Sammons

Dean Sauls

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ellie Sammons

The CA Community

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Michael Ehrhardt

DIRECTOR OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT

Heather Clarkson

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Mandy Dailey

HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

Robin Follet

DEAN OF FACULTY

Martina Greene

DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES

Tony Hinton

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Josette Huntress Holland

DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Danielle Johnson-Webb

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Kevin Jones

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Karen McKenzie

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Twanna Monds

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Ali Page

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Deborah Reichel

Character Construction

From shaping CA’s advisory program to shepherding students through self-discovery by way of literary exploration, Upper School English teacher Kara Caccuitto has dedicated her career to empowering students.

Into the Great Wide Open

CA’s popular Wilderness Club has grown exponentially in recent years, evolving into a truly student-led program that has Upper Schoolers flocking to the back country to test their limits and grow as leaders.

CARY

Gridiron Insider

A lot can happen when a young CA softball player is asked to step into the role of team captain. For one alum, that leadership role became the playbook for a standout collegiate athletic career and later—a trailblazing storytelling role at NFL Films.

Cleopatra or Charles Darwin? Marie Curie or Michelangelo? Who in history would you choose to trade places with for a week? CA’s community weighs in. Page 28

Art by advanced portfolio artist Anne Lan, ’23. Photograph of hand-crafted mixed media miniature studio with a digitally-illustrated figure.

Cover photo courtesy of Gray Rushin.

Make way for Middle School

Now that the Upper School community has had some time to live in their newly renovated main building, attention has turned to the Middle School. Brainstorming and design have taken place throughout the fall, and should inflationary and supply-chain challenges prove manageable, we hope for construction in the summer of 2024.

GIVE TODAY, CHANGE TOMORROW

Mark your calendars for CA’s next annual day of giving celebrations on May 3, 2023. Stay tuned for details on how your gift of any size can impact Chargers of today and tomorrow.

CINDY LAUGHLIN RETRES

For 26 years, Cindy Laughlin has been the first smiling face you encounter in the Middle School front office. Serving on the original team to design and build CA, Laughlin has spent over two and half decades warmly attending to the needs of Middle School faculty, parents, and students with respect, integrity, and care. Now, we offer our deep gratitude and

best wishes as she embarks on all the adventures that await in her retirement.

TEDxCARYACADEMY MAKES AN IMPACT

The fourth biennial TEDxCaryAcademy took place in October. Themed "Impact," speakers tackled topics ranging from the intersections of STEM and its numerous life-saving benefits to the importance of mourning an eating disorder, the necessity of comprehensive financial literacy skills, and how our wardrobes are a window into the world in which we live.

CHARGERS CELEBRATED DURING SIGNING DAY

This fall, CA athletics celebrated two seniors who committed to continue their sports at the collegiate level. Jerry Fox, ‘23, will join the swimming and diving team at North Carolina State University, and

CA TO HOST ISEEN WINTER INSTTUTE

CA is honored to have been selected host for this year’s Independent School Experiential Education Network’s (ISEEN) Winter Institute. In January, nearly 150 educators from all over the United States and Canada will arrive on campus for a hands-on, multi-day experiential learning conference that will showcase the immersive and innovative ways in which CA delivers on our mission every day.

The conference will invite deep conversations about the role of outside partnerships, student leadership, and equity work in all we do as educators and feature two keynote speakers: author Dr. Bettina Love, and Laura Deisley, founder and thought leader at Lab Atlanta.

Leah Wiebe, ‘23, will row at Hobart and William Smith College. Go Chargers!

A memorable fall athletics season

For the fall 2022 season, CA’s seven varsity teams produced conference champions, All-State athletes, and lasting memories. Congratulations to our fall teams, athletes, and everyone who contributed to their successes!

Some highlights include the following:

• Boys’ soccer concluded an impressive season with their deepest playoff run in recent school history.

• Girls’ golf offered a strong performance in the NCISAA State Meet, securing 4th place—the best team finish for the program to date.

• Field hockey ended their season as conference champions—a feat they have now accomplished in back-toback seasons.

• Volleyball started their season with a bang, winning the bronze division in the Charlotte Tournament in August, and ended their season with a bye in the first round of the State Tournament before hosting the second round.

• Cross country completed yet another remarkable season, with the girls’ team finishing second in their conference and the boys’ team finishing first. The boys’ team finished as State RunnersUp at the NCISAA meet.

For a more in-depth look at the season, including All-Conference and All-State athletes (spoiler alert: there’s a bunch!), see Amy Snively’s, ‘23, full roundup at bit.ly/CAChargersFallSeason

CHARACTER CONSTRUCTION

For the last 13 years, Upper School English teacher Kara Caccuitto has been shepherding CA students toward their best selves by way of literary exploration. Her approach— reflecting a carefully struck balance between challenge and support and heartfelt compassion coupled with unyielding high standards—is designed with a thoughtfully considered goal in mind: student empowerment.

Caccuitto has been a voracious reader and lover of literature since childhood. (She waxes nostalgic about birthday excursions to her local bookstore and the Scholastic book fairs of her youth. “That was party time for me!” she laughs.)

In her high school English class in New Jersey, a teenage Caccuitto found her enthusiasm for literary exploration—for teasing out the nuanced meanings of stories, exploring worlds different than her own, or feeling the emotional gut-punch of a powerful narrative—mirrored by teachers who found her perspective and voice valuable despite her young age.

It was an empowering feeling, lifealtering, even: the recognition that her contributions and opinions could excite others, inspire deeper conversation, and yield better understanding.

Now—in spirited classroom discussions about the nature of humanity as evidenced in Camus’s The Stranger, or thoughtful considerations of the evolution of individual identity in Lahiri’s The Namesake, or perhaps while drawing parallels between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in Miller’s The Crucible—she ushers students toward similar self-actualizing discoveries. Along the way, she challenges them to engage thoughtfully, not only with the text at hand, but also with the world and each other.

“I want my students to step into who they are, into their power. I want them to ask

questions and draw their own conclusions, to be thoughtful consumers of media, to be critical thinkers and empathetic participants in the world,” she explains. “I hold my students to a high standard because I respect them. I want them to know that they can meet it, to know that I believe—that I know—they can.”

POWERFUL WORDS

At the heart of Caccuitto’s passion is a deep appreciation of literature’s power to challenge, inspire, and connect.

“Great literature can challenge us to think about things we may not otherwise ever experience. It can allow us to be in uncomfortable places and address challenging issues and themes with a little distance. It’s a powerful tool for selfreflection, one that fosters empathy and a deeper appreciation of the human condition, a better understanding of ourselves and each other,” she offers.

She’s aware that the introspective work she fosters in her classroom requires a vulnerability and authenticity that can be challenging, even uncomfortable, to some students. To bolster students against that discomfort, Caccuitto offers compassion and a diligent commitment to establishing an environment of trust and respect.

MEANINGFUL BONDS

As an educator that places a high value on the relationships she forms with students, it is perhaps no wonder that Caccuitto has emerged as a leading voice in CA’s advisory program. (In the Upper School, advisory is home base, a ready-made community where students can come together with a trusted adult to parse through any issues they may be having, in or out of the classroom.)

In addition to helming her own advisory group, Caccuitto also serves as lead advisor for the larger program, a responsibility that offers her the opportunity to get to know students with whom she might not otherwise interact. She values the mentorship opportunities it affords, whether coaching Student Council officers in leadership, helping an advisee process a thorny social interaction, or offering practical stress reduction tips to make life feel more manageable for an overwhelmed junior.

“Nothing in my own experience— no really worthwhile growth—has ever come without a little challenge, a little discomfort. I want students to learn how to lean into that, to embrace it. But to do so knowing that they have my full support and that I care about them as people. You can’t ask someone to be uncomfortable with you if they don’t trust you.”

Her work provides a unique perspective into the overall character and pulse of a grade—the things that make them tick, or the unique worries and stresses that may be preoccupying the group consciousness. She shares these insights with grade-level leaders as part of an ongoing evaluation process designed to continually improve the overarching program and fine-tune it to meet the needs of an ever-evolving student body.

Those insights have been instrumental in shaping the advisory program into the CA signature that it is today. Caccuitto is particularly proud of two key changes made in recent years: the creation of a designated advisory time in the academic schedule and the continuity of advisory for a student’s entire Upper School experience. She credits them for building the requisite space to form meaningful bonds between not only a student and their advisor, but also between advisors and parents as well.

“These changes are important public declarations of the value CA puts on these relationships and the important work that is done during advisory,” offers Caccuitto. And that work is critical—creating a foundation of trust that is requisite for social-emotional learning and student mental health.

“It’s important for students to have someone to confide in, someone to process with, someone to whom they feel comfortable saying, ‘I’m having this issue.’ They are more likely to reach out to me now, having developed a relationship over the course of years.”

CLASSROOM INNOVATION

Given her evident passion and talent, in hindsight, teaching seems an obvious career choice for Caccuitto, but it wasn’t always so. Ultimately, it was a serendipitous assignment during graduate school at Boston College— teaching a first-year undergraduate writing class—that set her on the path to the high school classroom. (She would go on to earn a Master in English Literature and Letters and a Master in Secondary Education.)

“That experience lit the fire,” says Caccuitto. “I realized that my future was about teaching instead of just being a literary scholar. As much as I loved literature or reading or stories, I realized I loved interacting with young people and teenagers the most.

“Planning lessons, diving into a new book, figuring out how to draw students in, determining what themes to explore, how to share the parts I love with them, and how to get them to share their thoughts with me? That’s what I love doing.”

At CA, Caccuitto puts that passion to good use. Most recently, she collaborated with her colleagues in the thoughtful restructuring of CA’s English elective program, a project driven by the realization that the traditional way junior and senior English classes had been structured was increasingly out of sync with CA’s mandate for student-centered learning that is personal, relevant, and flexible.

In place of more traditional year-long seminars in American literature or “Great Books,” students can opt instead for semesterlong courses whose titles and themes—like “Evil and Villainy in Literature,” “Literature and Censorship,” or “Women in Literature,” also known as “Wonder Women,” where Kate Chopin is read alongside Alice Walker and Warsan Shire—read like those you might find in a college course catalog.

“We wanted to give students more choice in their learning, and faculty the flexibility to teach something about which they are passionate. It’s about giving students ownership over what they are learning and offering subjects and works that can invite

them in and engage them in ways that maybe traditional classes might not,” offers Caccuitto. And engaging a wider swath of students is key. In a STEM-obsessed world where the humanities are often under attack, Caccuitto is quick to point out the universal value of literature studies.

“Literary analysis—taking a piece of literature and breaking it apart and peeling back the layers to figure out what is really going on under the surface—is a transferrable skill that our students will use no matter what they go on to do.”

Recent CA alum Emily Wang, ’22, agrees. “Ms. Caccuitto taught me to be keen about asking ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ To not just accept things for what they seem, but to probe deeper and consider the broader social context. I've found myself using this mindset in my classes in college, in book discussions about the university's role in facilitating democracy, during seminars on political theory, and while writing midterm papers on language and identity.”

BUILDING INCLUSIVITY

Over the years, Caccuitto’s abiding love of stories has grown beyond those found between the covers of a book to extend more broadly to humanity: to the stories contained within each of us and to those that connect us.

“Talking to people about their lives, learning about their relationships, about how they see the world—that’s what makes life worthwhile to me,” she explains.

At CA, she has leveraged that curiosity in service of inclusivity as a leading voice for equity work. Caccuitto was instrumental in introducing some of the earlier iterations of CA’s equity programming—the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity). It was a humbling experience that has led to ongoing thoughtful consideration of her identity and how it operates in interactions with students and colleagues.

“I grew up in a fairly diverse area. I had a lot of friends who were different from me in a lot of ways. I think that naturally put me in a position of curiosity and maybe some discomfort,” reflects Caccuitto.

“But equity work has made me much more deliberate and thoughtful. It’s made me consider what my identity means and how I bring it to the table without even realizing it. To ask how I show up for students, or what I

am not doing, or maybe more importantly, what I might be doing that could be inadvertently hurtful.”

More recently, Caccuitto co-founded and co-leads CA’s Anti-Racist White Teachers Affinity Group. The group creates a space for CA faculty to discuss whiteness, white supremacy, and their role as anti-racist allies/ disrupters in the larger community through deep dives into anti-racist resources and pedagogical practices.

For Caccuitto, it represents a lifelong learning commitment that honors her students, reflecting what is always top of her mind: how she can better show up, connect, and lead for their benefit.

NURTURING EXCELLENCE

Twenty-six years in the classroom, and Caccuitto still marvels at her good fortune.

“It's amazing. After all these years, I still have moments where I think, ‘I am so lucky. What a privilege, what a delight, to be in this room with all these young adults working through this book.’ I mean, that’s my job!” she exclaims, a note of wonder in her voice. “That’s so cool.”

Her delight is evident—in the joy reflected in shared discoveries of a beloved story, in lightbulbs of recognition, and laughter that you can hear down the hall.

“That’s what comes to mind first,” shares alum Sidney Tai, ’22, fondly remembering her time in Caccuitto’s classroom. “A familiar image of Ms. Caccuitto—her laughing freely, with her head thrown back, as the sound of it echoes through the room. I saw it nearly every day of class. It was a constant reminder of how her energy creates a comfortable, nurturing environment for students to challenge themselves, struggle, and ultimately succeed.”

INSIDER

Working in creative production at NFL Films, Kelly Bright’s, ’17, day-to-day life is enough to make your head spin.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, you might find her poring over football game footage from the weekend, cutting together segments for both in-house and NFL-partner projects. (“We own all the rights to all of our football footage,” she explains.)

The rest of her week might be dedicated to researching stories and editing segments for Peyton’s Place or Eli’s Place, the two shows she helps to produce for ESPN+. Or reviewing the mountains of footage generated for HBO’s viral reality show hit Hard Knocks, cherrypicking moments that are sure to connect with an audience. (The show, which uses 30plus cameras, follows an underdog team as they attempt to mount a comeback season.)

On weekends, you’ll probably find her on the sidelines or behind the scenes, conducting interviews with players or football coaching legends like University of Alabama’s Nick Saban or Notre Dame’s Hall of Fame Head Coach Lou Holtz.

For now, Bright’s career demands long, unpredictable hours, particularly in these early years while she’s “paying her dues.” You won’t hear any complaints, though. To her, it is nothing short of a dream come true.

“It's kind of a cliché in this industry that when you work in sports, it doesn't feel like work, but I can truly attest that is the case,” she says with a grin.

HEART

At the heart of Bright’s work is an enthusiasm for storytelling coupled with an infectious and lifelong love of athletics.

She’s passionate about crafting the kind of stories that made her fall in love with sports as a child watching Patriots’ games with her dad. She’s partial to those that inspire an emotional response or forge a human connection, that make sports accessible and meaningful even to those who might not identify as diehard sports fans.

“People who don't know football might not understand the coverage of a cover two package defense. But they do understand the story of an underdog facing a giant,” offers Bright.

“Maybe everyone can’t relate to the exact logistical details of the story, but the emotions and themes that come across? We can all relate those to our own lives. For me, good storytelling is about distilling things down to raw emotions so people can connect, understand, and empathize.”

HUSTLE

Bright’s path to storytelling for the NFL is one defined by experiences and lessons learned during her own time on and off the field.

She graduated from Fordham University— chosen for its academic rigor coupled with an exceptional athletics program—with a BA in journalism and an MA in public media in 2022. Located in New York City, Fordham afforded her the unique opportunity to cover both collegiate and professional sports as a student—a rare privilege.

Bright threw herself fully into every opportunity. (Advice she’s quick to share? “When it comes to your career, say yes to everything. If someone gives you an opportunity—even if you think, maybe I’m not good enough, or I don’t have enough experience—take it. You never know where it will take you, the doors it might open, the connections you might make.”)

Her open-minded enthusiasm and perseverance were rewarded with several influential internships—as a digital content producer for Fordham Athletics, a beat reporter covering the New York Knicks for WFUV Public Radio, and, later, as a creative production intern at NFL films. Together, these offered crucial on-the-job experience and network connections that paved the way for her position with NFL Films today.

LEADER

In college, while Bright was hard at work covering some of the biggest names in sports, she was also showing out on the field, racking up an impressive record as a star athlete in her own right. As team captain for the Fordham Rams, she led her Division One softball team to three conference championships.

It’s an impressive achievement that got its start on Cary Academy’s softball diamond when Coach Kevin Jones first asked Bright to step up as team captain. She credits that CA experience for introducing important leadership skills—including accountability and selflessness—that ultimately set her up for success on the collegiate stage.

“Becoming team captain in high school forced me to grow up a little bit. I realized I had other people looking up to me. I had to be accountable, not only to myself, but to others. It forced me to set a higher standard for myself.”

For Bright, that “higher standard” translated to a leadership style and insatiable work ethic that has been directly transferrable, and critical, to her career. (Her personal motto, courtesy of legendary NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice, is “Do today what others won’t, so you can do tomorrow what others can’t.”)

“Being a producer is very similar to being a captain of a team. You must manage multiple groups of people. You have to address the bad and celebrate the good. It’s not just about being in control or being bossy; leadership is about bringing people together around a common goal,” she offers.

“While I’ve hung up my cleats, the leadership lessons I learned, the qualities I developed during that time as captain— those are honestly what’s helped most in my career, more than any discrete skill. I might edit videos for a living, but, really, my success is defined by how I work with a team, how I am able to take on projects, and how I can unite with others to bring out the best work.”

ROLE MODEL

And that’s no small challenge, particularly for a young female journalist making waves in a male-dominated industry.

She recalls one of her very first assignments— as a beat reporter for the New York Knicks—as one of the first times she sensed a double standard: that she would have to prove herself in ways not asked of her male colleagues, that her gender alone could make her an outsider or render her nearly invisible in a pressroom to which she had worked so hard to gain entry.

“The people working in that space, the New York fans—they were pretty old school. On my first day, I walked into the little press room, and it was this Legally Blonde moment. I was wearing a pink blazer. And I looked around the room and it was 20 middle-aged white men all in navy suits. No one said hi; no one even acknowledged me. And I had this moment, this oh, I don’t know if I am supposed to be here.

It was both a sobering and rallying wakeup call. Thankfully, her breach in confidence was short-lived, bolstered in part by mentors who encouraged her along the way, even inspiring her to tackle gender inequality in sports broadcasting as the subject of her master’s thesis project.

Now, Bright draws strength from the trailblazers that have come before her, many with whom she has been able to establish relationships, icons like Kristin Ledlow, a sports anchor for the NBA, and Candace Parker, a pro-basketball player for the Chicago Sky, who together co-founded and co-host Ledlow and Parker, one of the first podcasts dedicated to the WNBA. She’s proud to work alongside women in her field, like Shannon Furman, the head director of Hard Knocks (NFL Films’s first female director) or cinematographer Hannah Epstein (NFL Films’s sole female cinematographer).

“As sports journalists, we’re all here to do the same job. We may not look alike. We may have

completely different backgrounds. We probably have different interests, but I deserve to be in the room just as much as the guy with the suit does. I’m just as capable, just as creative, and talented. There shouldn’t be another standard,” offers a now-confident Bright.

CHANGEMAKER

She is also acutely aware that with her resolve comes a responsibility—at turns heavy and inspiring—to be a role model, to make it easier for those coming behind her.

“I’m here sitting in the production department of NFL Films. How I perform, how I handle my work? That’s going to determine whether or not another woman can come in and have my position in the future,” explains Bright.

“Is that fair? Probably not. But it is the reality. I have to work extra hard because if I want there to be more women in this building, the women that are here now have to do a damn good job.”

And, for Bright, bringing more women in the building is crucial to changing an industry that some have labeled as having a “misogyny problem.”

“The more representation there is—of women, and of people of color as well—the more those coming up can see themselves in these positions, the more they are going to believe these opportunities exist for them.”

Already, Bright is shouldering her responsibility and paying it forward to the next generation of up-and-coming women sports broadcasters. She was recently approached by a Fordham sophomore impressed by her work, who sought advice on an internship opportunity at NFL Films. Bright immediately jumped in to help, FaceTiming and offering counsel. Her protégé ultimately got the internship, and Bright helped NFL Films bring “another woman in the building.”

“I was so happy to help her, to impact someone else’s career. I’m only 23, and I’m only in the very early stages of my career, but already there is another girl, a 19-year-old, looking to me for advice.”

It was proof positive that Bright is on the right track. In a voice tinged with equal parts gratitude, awe, and resolve, “It was so cool to see,” she said. “This—my work, helping other women—it matters.”

INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN

As a longtime repeat chaperone of CA’s Wilderness Club trips, Head of School Mike Ehrhardt has experienced his fair share of unforgettable moments with students and colleagues on the trail.

Some seem positively magical in the retelling: ascending out of cloud cover to be rewarded with a sparkling, sun-drenched vista after a soggy uphill morning slog. A perfect-weather twilight spent swapping stories and laughing around a crackling campfire, relaxed in camaraderie and warmed by a shared sense of group accomplishment.

Others make for captivating, edge-ofyour-seat stories (or, as Wilderness Club leaders call it, “type two fun”). Harrowing moments—huddling against ground strike lightning in an electrical storm, rising rivers coupled with falling darkness miles from camp, days upon days of drenched socks courtesy of an interminable rain that defeats even the best rain gear—are rendered enjoyable in the hindsight of the present, and the satisfaction of challenges overcome.

Among those memories, perhaps some of Ehrhardt’s favorites, rewarding time after time: the return home.

“I’m always touched watching students reunite with their parents. Their pride is evident. You can see the sense of accomplishment in their expressions and body language: what it meant to them to meet the challenge, to have done something they may not have been sure they could do at the outset. On the trip, in front of their friends, they often hold it in. But in front of their parents, you can see it.”

HITTING THE TRAIL

And just what are those well-earned accomplishments? Consider this fall’s trip to Wilson Creek Wilderness area, where 57 Upper School students embarked on three days of self-contained and self-powered wilderness travel. Together, they traversed over 25.2 miles of backcountry, experiencing over 8,594 feet of elevation change, 27 stream crossings, several polar plunges into frigid mountain waters, and a relentless 34-hour rain event (remember those drenched socks?).

With a record-breaking number of participants, the trip marked a momentous milestone for the club, necessitating the first-ever split squad. One group trekked

northbound, the other south; a quick cross in the middle allowed for an impromptu hello to friends.

The trip is a testament to the success of the club, which has become one of the most popular on campus. Participants engage in two multi-day trips and various supplemental X Day and Discovery Term excursions each year. Student leaders have the option of participating in additional intensive leaders-only trips, where they test their limits and advanced survival skills, covering upwards of 18 miles per day across all manner of terrain. (They head to Patagonia this winter.)

The recent growth of the club has necessitated a reorganization to accommodate its burgeoning size. The new structure mimics a hierarchy you might find in a professional organization, with a multitiered leadership structure that includes middle management and apprentices. At the top, two to three CORE leaders—positions currently held by seniors Will Capps and Jenna Pullen—hold the most responsibility, responsible for overseeing overall trip planning and general club management, including the management of the now 24-member (and growing) leadership team.

The expansion has been beneficial in broadening student leadership opportunities. However, it has also presented real-world leadership challenges akin to those you would find in the workplace—think communication, personnel, and management issues—that go hand in hand with leading a large, distributed team. (In true CA style, Capps is working on rolling out a new digital project management platform to club participants, Notion, to help keep track of it all.)

LEANING INTO LEADERSHIP

Over the last 10 years, the club has undergone a metamorphosis. Instead of the faculty-organized supervised backpacking trips of the past, today’s Wilderness Club is a truly student-led holistic learning experience that transcends the trail. Student leaders are responsible for all dimensions of the Wilderness Club, from trip planning to club management to peer teaching and mentorship (all under the watchful sideline guidance of longtime club advisor Upper School chemistry teacher Gray Rushin).

“Now, that we have our experienced leaders co-leading with apprentice leaders, they are figuring out how to manage that dynamic as a leadership team,” reflects Rushin. “They are learning when to step up and when to step back, how to show other students the ropes, how to share tasks, how to evaluate someone and offer constructive feedback.”

HIGH STAKES

“We've totally revamped how it works this year,” explains Pullen. “Once a club participant has gone on two trips, they can apply to become a LIT, a leader in training. LITs work with Team Leaders who have at least three trips of experience. Together, they manage mini teams of about three to six participants each.”

Mini teams prepare together for trips, establishing a familiar, small group that will be tasked with designated responsibilities at camp. It’s a high-stakes exercise in leadership, communication, and collaboration.

“Building a fire for the night, collecting water, boiling and passing out the water, hanging the food so rodents can’t eat it—it’s different from doing a group project at school,” offers Pullen. “It must be done and done correctly, or else you could put everyone at risk.”

In before-school sessions and during X Days, leaders work to mitigate that risk. They guide participants through student-designed training modules that tackle everything from gear selection to cooking in the wild, properly packing (hint: your waterproof compression sack should always be in the bottom) to pitching a tent—even how to go to the bathroom in the woods (“‘Cause people freak out over that,” shrugs Capps.)

BACK TO BASICS

And that’s just the learning that happens on campus, long before students even make it to the trailhead.

Arguably, it’s away from civilization where some of the most impactful and memorable—and, yes, fun—learning takes place.

“The wilderness classroom throws the kids into an environment that's profoundly different. The learning curve is much steeper and more intense,” shares Rushin.

“You might be able to veg out or decline to participate in the classroom, but you can’t opt-out in the wild,” agrees Ehrhardt. “It forces you to be present. You have to push yourself to rise to the experience, to the challenges that emerge.”

That primal, higher-stakes environment presents a unique

combination of intellectual, mental, and physical challenges that are irreplicable in the classroom. How to navigate the unfamiliar, how to stretch yourself, to rebound from adversity, to adapt when things don’t go according to plan—these are just a few of the lessons taught by the unpredictable and unforgiving natural beauty of the backcountry.

SELFLESS SACRIFICE

Team Leader Danica Ginsberg, ‘22, discovered her passion for backpacking during an early Flex Day (now known as X Day) activity in tenth grade. Now, as a senior, she has ascended to the role of Team Leader and also signed-on as a student in Rushin’s experiential Outdoor Leadership course. (Now in its second year, it offers an even deeper dive into backcountry leadership.) Her experience has taught her a new appreciation for the reward and confidence that comes

with selfless leadership and sharing your passion with others.

“As Team Leaders, we’re there to give participants the best trip they can have. That might mean hanging back when I could go faster, sweeping behind the group to make sure everyone is keeping up, or setting up others’ tents first instead of my own,” she shares. “It’s those sacrifices that have made me much more confident in my own abilities.

“Helping others and leading others— seeing them succeed—it’s more fun than just doing it myself. I already know my limits. The reward comes in seeing other people achieve what they never thought they could.”

“Seeing people go from being total beginners who know nothing to seeing those same kids later leading other beginners is super rewarding,” agrees Capps. “Those full-circle moments are really cool.”

FORGING CONNECTIONS

For Capps, Ginsberg, and Pullen, the analog and tangible nature of backpacking is particularly gratifying. Without digital distractions and the daily stress of teenage life, there is the discovery of beauty, connection, mindfulness, and joy. In meeting the primal demands of survival, strong bonds are forged that extend across grade levels and beyond established friend groups.

“There aren’t cell phones. No one is spending time on homework. We’re with each other all the time in the tent, around the fire, or hiking in the creek,” shares Capps. “You get to know people on a deep level because you don’t have anyone to turn to other than each other.

It’s a bond that is born out of the vulnerability, humility, and compassion that come with sharing an immersive experience. It offers important lessons about leadership—of helping others to find what they’re capable of by sharing what you know, of motivating others—and empathy.

“You have to be confident about what you know and be willing to be vulnerable and honest about what you don’t,” explains Capps. “Everyone's going to have a moment where they're like, I can't do this. I need help. Everyone's going to struggle with different things.

“You can’t look down at the kid struggling to carry his pack up the mountain. You’re going to have that moment, too. Maybe it’s not carrying a pack; maybe it’s building a fire or falling in the creek. So, don’t be hard on other people; help them out. ‘Cause that is

the only way you’re going to get through this trip: by helping each other.”

GENERATING POSSIBILITY

For Rushin, it is in that stripped-down vulnerability that the magic happens, where the lessons and rewards the wild has to offer are most readily available.

“Our culture is so busy and connected with unlimited and full-time access to information that comes at us from all directions all the time. I think it is a struggle for all ages to manage that flow, to learn to prioritize what’s important, and what’s not; what gets put on the front burner, and what’s on the back. But out there, life simplifies to basic needs. For kids that are new to the experience, that can be terrifying,” explains Rushin.

“Part of the teaching process—for me to the leaders and from leaders to the participants—is that fear is normal. Everyone fears bears and lightning and running out of food. There are so many worries: where to sleep, how to get water, and on and on. But you go out and have this experience and realize that when you simplify it down to just shelter, clothing, food, and water, the fear becomes manageable.

“I see it as a teeter-totter, with freedom on one side, fear on the other. And as you lift away the heaviness of the fears—through knowledge, preparation, and experience—your fear gets lighter, and your freedom grows.

“All these kids start with full heavy fear. And then my leaders—kids that are going out for the seventh, eighth, ninth time—their fears have shifted, and so has their freedom. Now they are empowered. Now they are leading with confidence. Now they have a better sense of what is possible.”

The entire Charger community took to the Quad for an inspiring afternoon of poetry readings, dance, and music performances during this fall’s QUADCHELLA

Snapshots

An altered HANDSHAKE CEREMONY made its anticipated return, kicking off the year with community-wide fist bumps and waves on the track.

The Middle School came together across gradelevels for bonding around CA’s core values during COMMUNITY DAYS.

Replacing the Holiday Shoppe, November’s MAIN STREET MARKET transformed the CMS gym into a marketplace showcasing local entrepreneurs and artisans, including many CA parent, board member, alum, and student Chargerpreneurs!

After a night of tailgating, Charger spirit, and heart-pounding, never-a-dull-moment, leave-it-all-on-the-field intense flag football action, the sophomores and the seniors shut out their opponents and took home trophies during FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Middle School students took to the field for battle in this year’s CHARGER CUP. Once the pizza boxes, frisbees, and shoes had settled, the Blue team stood victorious.

Students, faculty, and staff worked tirelessly to pull off this fall’s all-school theater production, SOMETHING WICKED, a spinetingling and altogether spooky interactive theater experience.

From farming to creating art, volunteering to experimenting (and everything in between), students have followed their passions all over campus and beyond during experiential learning X DAYS.

Halloween was a ghoulishly good time with the HALLOWEEN FLOAT PARADE rolling onto the stadium track as a new celebratory tradition replacing Halloween Halls. Each Upper School grade designed and executed a float around this year’s theme: fairy tales.

2004

Elizabeth Atkins and Felipe Liam visited campus with their kids this fall and were able to introduce them to their favorite debate coach, RJ! While in town, they got together with classmates Taylor Meyer, Stuart Gordon, and their wives and kids at Page Farms. We see a lot of little future Chargers in this pic! 1

2012

Gaurav Judge and his new wife Morgon were married earlier this spring! Their wedding party and guest list were full of Charger friends, including Coach Hall. The couple resides in Cary, and Gaurav serves on the Alumni Board. 2

Reagan Atkins and Eric Fisher (who got engaged on CA's campus over last year’s winter break) were married on October 1, 2022, at Duke Chapel. The ceremony was followed by a reception at The Carolina Inn. 3

2013

Elizabeth Carlton married Derek Mills on October 22, 2022, at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary. Lots of Charger friends were there to celebrate the couple as they said, “I do!” 4

2016

Daniel Kahn and childhood friends were recently named on the Forbes’s “30 under 30” 2023 Education List for their creation of Sparrow, an app that allows students to compare private student loans. The New York-based trio has since raised $6.9 million in seed funding and has delivered loans to 15,000 borrowers. 5

2017

Lindsey Wrege has been busy this year with her business, 321 Coffee, with new locations in Raleigh and Durham, a roasting facility, and a segment on the TODAY Show! Their mission continues to grow and expand while elevating others on the way. 6

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

21ST ALUMNI TRACK MEET

August 6

BOSTON ALUMNI NETWORK HAPPY HOUR

November 10 at Burro Bar

SAVE THE DATE FOR CLASS REUNIONS!

DC ALUMNI NETWORK HAPPY HOUR

October 27 at The Admiral

CHARLOTTE ALUMNI NETWORK HAPPY HOUR

December 1 at Brewers at 4001 Yancey

If you graduated in a class that ends with a 3 or an 8, we look forward to celebrating with you this spring on April 22, 2023. If you are interested in being a part of the reunion planning, please email Alumni Relations Director Kara Mulligan at Kara_Mulligan@caryacademy.org.

Cole Fekete, ‘22; Sebastian Polge, ‘22; Kendyl George, ‘22; Jacqueline Johnson, ‘22; Matthew Crow, ‘21; Marvin Koonce, ‘21; Kenny Eheman, ‘21; Dane Fekete, ‘20; Conrad Hall; Dylan Lamphier, ‘18; Tommy Bright , ‘17; Davis Braswell, ‘17; Sarah Helfer-Fulk , ‘07; Tray Cooper, ‘03; Bryan Fisher, ‘03

Amy Chang, ‘19; Myra Jo, ‘13; Ruchi Desai, ‘13; Alisha Jarwala, ‘11; Anne McDarris, ‘12; Zekee Rawn, ‘01; Haleigh Morgus, ‘12

Tori Borlase, ‘18; Ryan Chase, ‘22; Kevin Chen, ‘19; Austin Cooper, ‘10; Matt Lee, ‘12; Mason Reece, ‘18; Price Taylor, ‘18; Michelle Wang, ‘10; Thuc Dzu, ‘18

Channing Stuart , ‘13; Alex Udell, ‘15; Cailtlin (Farren) Cameron, ‘06; Dannye DiNizo, ‘06; Alma Nyang’oro, ‘15; Caroline Wagner, ‘15

The Big Question

IF YOU COULD TRADE LIVES FOR A WEEK WITH ONE PERSON FROM HISTORY, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

8th Grade Language Arts and Co-Lead Advisor

Assuming this is a Freaky Friday situation where my mind goes into their body, I'd want to fulfill my middle school dream of being a professional basketball player. For his athletic prowess, calm demeanor, and connection to Wake Forest, I choose Tim Duncan in 1999!

I would trade lives with Betty White because she was loved by so many and had so many amazing accomplishments throughout her life. If I had to choose a time period to live in her shoes, it would be when she got her first big break in Hollywood on Life with Elizabeth

I would like to be Taylor Swift for a week to understand how she lives in her everyday life, especially as a woman in the top tier of the music industry.

If I had to trade lives for a week with someone in history, I would trade lives with Marie Curie. I have a passion for chemistry and physics and would love to see how she was able to defy gender norms in STEM.

Aldo Leopold. He was able to convey a deep understanding of how humans fit into natural systems with magnificent prose. I would love to know how he came to these understandings which were so distinctly different then his contemporaries, John Muir and Gifford Pinchot.

I’d probably go with Neil Armstrong the week he landed on the moon. The feeling of achieving something no other human has ever achieved must have been quite the experience.

I would like to be American swimmer Katie Ledecky for a week. She is a super-fast swimmer, and she has gone to the Olympics and won several gold medals!

I think for one week, I would trade lives with Queen Elizabeth II so that I can eat scrumptious Buckingham Palace dinners and play with the royal corgis. I would also find it fascinating to live lavishly for a week and frolic around London speaking in a British accent.

I would like to be Hillary Knight on the Women’s USA Hockey team. She’s a really good player, and I really look up to her as a woman in sports.

I would be Banksy because everybody loves him and he's created so many great pieces of art.

I would trade lives with Whitney Houston because she is such an amazing singer, and I want to hold 28 Guinness Book Of World Records like her.

SAM BEST

HEIDI MALOY US Ecology teacher

QUINCY LEERBERG Class of 2028

MEGAN HIRST CCE Administrative Assistant & Café Supervisor

DEREK WANG Class of 2024

SOPHIA CURTIS Class of 2027

ANANYA RAVULAPATI Class of 2027

LIV FLESHMAN Class of 2028

AUBREY BUNDY Class of 2027

KAJAL PARMAR Class of 2026

EMMA ESPOSITO Class of 2026

Middle School cheer team brought their Charger spirit to December’s all-school Homecoming pep rally.

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