The Magazine of Cary Academy | Winter 2021

The Magazine of Cary Academy WINTER 2021

The numbers (don’t) speak for themselves Page 4

LIFE RECASTS ALUM FROM ACTOR TO ACTIVIST Page 14

CELEBRATING FIVE STRAIGHT STATE SWIMMING TITLES Page 3

Setting the stage for discovery Page 7

The team behind the scenes Page 22

Growth mentality Page 28

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Hello CA Community, This edition of ?, The Magazine of Cary Academy comes to you one full year into the pandemic—but at a very hopeful time.

In our Campus News section, you will learn that we hosted a vaccine clinic in March for our employees, as well as local educators and first responders. In addition, at the time this issue went to press, plans were under way to begin a transition to Yellow Mode, which will provide for four days of on-campus instruction per week.

While continued diligence and adherence to our established COVID protocols—health monitoring, wearing masks, social distancing, and sanitizing—will remain necessary, we cannot imagine a better way to welcome spring!

On top of that, this issue is full of wonderful stories of learning, growth, and impact. Our profile of Aaron Harrington ’10 is a clear reminder of the importance of remaining open and curious to new opportunities … as well as jumping in with both feet when doors open (or curtains rise, in this case).

This issue also features stories about CA community members who work behind the scenes, literally and figuratively, to deliver on CA’s mission.

Our feature on theater teacher Glen Matthews highlights the importance of collaboration and creativity in a CA education (and in pulling off a much-anticipated musical this spring). Our new Director of Facilities, Tony Hinton, shares how he, alongside his hardworking team, set the stage for on-campus discovery day in and day out.

We are delighted to share all this, and more, with you—and are looking forward to brighter and better days ahead.

Mike Ehrhardt, Head of School

The Magazine of Cary Academy

In this issue

WINTER 2021 COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Mandy Dailey Dean Sauls Dan Smith PHOTOGRAPHY Dan Smith The CA community HEAD OF SCHOOL Michael Ehrhardt DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS Heather Clarkson DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Mandy Dailey HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL Robin Follet

Informative and incalculably interdisciplinary art in the CMS—the product of a collaboration by US art and design teacher Cayce Lee, US math teacher Kristi Ramey, and US math chair Craig Lazarski.

DEAN OF FACULTY Martina Greene DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES Tony Hinton HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL Marti Jenkins DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Danielle Johnson-Webb DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION Karen McKenzie DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Ali Page CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Deborah Reichel

4 Stats and storytelling

22 Facing forward

Where can you find the newest, most eyecatching, avant-garde, and informative student art on campus? Why, in a math classroom, of course.

7 All together now

How do you create and maintain a thriving learning community that’s always ready for the next leap forward? First, you start with a strong foundation and an outstanding team of players.

28 All according to plan

Theater teacher Glen Matthews has been empowering students to shed their skins and reveal their most creative selves throughout his 23-year career at Cary Academy. The secret to his success? Cultivating safe spaces that empower students to work together, take creative risks, and grow.

Facilities innovation is crucial in keeping CA and its students on the cutting-edge. This summer, CA’s Upper School will undergo a long-awaited (and remarkably fast) transformation to better meet the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—students.

14 Role of a lifetime 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

How do you respond when the world turns upside down? For one CA alum on a meteoric musical theater career trajectory the choice was clear: channel that energy into changing his industry for the better.

Campus News

Snapshots

Alumni News

The Big Question

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Family means different things to different people, and according to CA’s students, staff, and faculty, it can mean magic, monsters, and mouth-watering donuts. page 32 On the cover: TISAC Co-Swimmers of the Year Nisma Said ’21 and Abby Newman ’21

Campus News

Hope on the horizon With March marking a year since Governor Cooper first announced the COVID-19 emergency in North Carolina, increased testing capacity and the availability of vaccinations have offered much-needed glimmers of hope on the horizon.

At CA, we welcomed students back to campus from winter break with a pair of drive-through COVID testing clinics, with more than 340 members of the CA community participating. Beginning in

VIRTUAL HOLIDAY SHOPPE A REAL SUCCESS For 2020, the annual Holiday Shoppe moved to a virtual format for the safety and convenience of the CA community, vendors, and Holiday Shoppe fans. Dozens of vendors—both longstanding and brand-new, including a student-designed online Charger Corner—took part in the month-long, virtual event, which attracted shoppers from across the country.

Proceeds raised by vendor registrations will help fund various CA initiatives.

STUDENTS PRESENT ON LEADERSHIP AND RACIAL JUSTICE In February, the Leadership During Crisis Program cohort of twelve 10th–12th graders presented at the NC Association of Independent

January, student athletes and employees have had the opportunity to undergo weekly surveillance testing in the Dining Hall.

Another round of drive-through testing was offered on Friday, March 12, to help ensure peace of mind as we returned from spring break.

On Friday, March 5, in partnership with Health Park Pharmacy, CA hosted a vaccine clinic in the Center for Math and Science gym. In addition to CA faculty and staff,

CA invited faculty and staff from thirteen Triangle-area elementary and secondary schools, and essential workers—including the Cary Police Department and employees from a RTP-based firm that manufactures syringes for vaccination.

By the end of the day, 450 educators, frontline essential workers, and at-risk individuals from Durham and Wake Counties received an injection of the Johnson & Johnson singledose vaccine.

Schools Diversity & Inclusion Conference. The program, co-taught by Michael McElreath and Palmer Seeley, is a response to the historical and ongoing crisis of racial injustice in the United States. In a well-received Zoom panel, the students shared their explorations of the complex intersectionalities of race, gender, and class relations through the lens of non-fiction scholarship and works of historical fiction.

representation of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work, ultimately issuing a call to action for us all to strive towards creating the society that King envisioned.

UPPER SCHOOL MLK DAY SPEAKER URGES STUDENTS TO ACTION As part of the Upper School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance, CA, in partnership with Durham Academy, welcomed acclaimed scholar Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr.. In his keynote address, Lessons from the Later Dr. King, Dr. Glaude offered a complex and nuanced

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NICKY ALLEN RETURNS TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN A NEW ROLE After an exhaustive search, the Middle School found a familiar face to fill the position of Assistant Head of Middle School, vacant since June 2020. In early February, former Middle School sixth-grade math teacher and team lead Nicky Allen accepted an offer to rejoin Cary Academy as Assistant Head of Middle School for next year. According to Dr. Ehrhardt, “she is thrilled to be coming back, and we look forward to having her expertise and energy back in the building.”

FIVE IN A ROW FOR GIRLS’ SWIMMING CA’s varsity girls’ swim team captured their fifth-consecutive NCISAA State title, earning more than double the points of second-place Charlotte Country Day. Seniors Anna Newman and Nisma Said were individual state champions, winning their individual events. They were joined

by Sydney Martin ’24 and Elena Zayas ’21 in receiving All-State honors with a convincing win in the 200 Medley Relay. The varsity boys swam to State Runners-Up. In six of the eight individual events at least 3 CA boys scored points. Both Alex Lim ’22 and Oliver Wang ’22 turned in school record-setting performances.

Athletic Director Kevin Jones exclaimed, “The coaches are extremely proud of both teams! It was simply a joy to watch.” Way to go, Chargers!

STATS AND STORYTELLING Some of the newest, most eyecatching student art at CA isn’t in Berger Hall; it’s in a math classroom (no, that’s not a typo).

real-world data to conduct sophisticated analysis, tease out important conclusions, and depict them in compelling and beautiful visualizations.

Those beautiful suncatchers? They reflect student learning in sampling methodologies and complex data analysis. Each represents an opinion data set collected from peers and faculty and parsed using analytical tools that students learned from class. In an array of carefully calculated designs, they offer insights into our community’s preferences—from favorite colors to superhero movies, Hogwarts’ houses sorting to family relationships, sleep habits to dietary choices, and more.

“Your first impression may not be that these are numbers that you’re looking at, but once you think about what you’re seeing, it becomes what Kristi calls a ‘gut-punch’; it communicates something important in a powerful way,” says Lazarski.

The windows of classroom 128 in the Center for Math and Science—the last classroom in the math wing—are lined with transparent vinyl “stained-glass” suncatchers. When struck by sunlight, colorful railroad cars, peacocks, butterflies, lightning bolts, food pyramids, and abstract hearts throw their colors around the room to magical effect.

Make no mistake—these aren’t just eye(and sun-) catching artwork. Produced by Upper School Statculus students, they are the latest student-generated data visualizations to grace the Center for Math and Science— every element a deliberate choice to draw the viewer in, to convey a compelling story behind the numbers.

Led by Upper School math department chair Craig Lazarski, Upper School math teacher Kristi Ramey, and art and design teacher Cayce Lee, Statculus offers a deep dive into the connection between calculus and statistics, with a hefty dose of visual arts mixed in. In class, students engage with

POINT OF ORIGIN

And that, of course, is precisely the point.

The ability to work with, interrogate, and powerfully communicate data is particularly timely in a world awash in statistical claims.

“The misunderstanding that people can ‘lie’ with statistics is one of the key reasons

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everyone should take statistics,” offers Ramey. “It’s not that the statistics are lying; it’s that you don’t know how to interpret the data or that the data is being visually misrepresented.”

Created by Ramey and Lazarski as the product of a 2018 Curriculum Innovation Grant, Statculus was conceived to expand CA’s statistics offerings to better meet the needs of our academically diverse student body.

“We had a wide spectrum of skill levels in a single statistics class—from students who were taking collegiate-level Calculus 3 to those who had recently completed Algebra 2,” explains Lazarski. “Rather than repeat material for students who had already taken calculus and try to bring students who hadn’t up to speed, we decided to offer a more specialized statistics for those students already versed in calculus.”

The result—Statculus—is something akin to a graduate-level statistics course, uniquely tailored to their students’ skills. (It doesn’t hurt that both Ramey and Lazarski are currently pursuing graduate degrees in statistics at NC State University and regularly incorporate material they encounter into their classes).

The NCMA’s Fellowship for Collaborative Teaching pairs educators from various fields of study who are committed to using art to engage students in new ideas and deepen their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. On hearing of the opportunity, Lee immediately thought of partnering with Ramey, who had long expressed an interest in combining art and math in the classroom.

Selected for the fellowship, in the summer of 2019, Lee and Ramey joined ten fellow educators from across the state in a series of intensive seminars and workshops to design curricula that combined art with other disciplines in meaningful and engaging ways.

As the first math-focused pair selected for the fellowship, Lee and Ramey broke new ground for the NCMA program, then in its fourth year, according to Jill Taylor, Director of School and Teacher Programs at NCMA. For both, it was an eye-opening and fruitful experience, one that underscored not only the vital role of data visualization in statistics, but the importance of visual arts—of color and composition and narrative—in data visualization.

However, they are quick to point out that mathematics is only one part of the statistics puzzle; communication of the data is equally important. “Statistics is all about communicating. It’s what distinguishes statistics from its calculus lineage,” explains Ramey.

GETTING AN EYE FOR VISUAL LEARNING

That’s why, in recent years, Statculus has evolved to include a significant and crucial data visualization component, courtesy of a collaboration with Upper School art and design teacher Cayce Lee, and facilitated by yet another professional development opportunity—this one from the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA).

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As the suncatcher project was conceived, students were granted control over the data they would collect and analyze, as well as the designs that their suncatcher would use to visualize their results. Students collected and analyzed the data outside of class and then used weekly Flex Days to collaborate and develop their data-driven artwork.

To prepare, Lee introduced students to artworks that incorporated data in thoughtprovoking ways, such as Timo Aho and Pekka Niittyvirta’s light-painted series on sea-level rise, Mike Knuepfel’s sculptural interpretation of keyboard letter usage, and Blake FallConrony’s Minimum Wage Machine, which provides a tangible sense of how much work is required to earn so little.

It had an impact.

“Usually, when we ask students to take data and do something more with it, what results is a bigger bar graph,” smiles Lazarski. “But our students, inspired by what Cayce had shared, really ran with the suncatcher project.

They put careful consideration into the questions they would ask and the best way to produce them as impactful visuals.”

“I have always thought that math is beautiful, but I was excited to present it beautifully!” reflects Shannon Jenkins ’21.

“I think my favorite part of the project may have been measuring out the angles that my partner, Sanjana Chillarege, and I used. We had to constantly adapt our methods to make sure that our proportions were accurate.”

“When we first were assigned the project, I was a little overwhelmed—I had no idea how to approach it,” says Samantha Lattanze ’21.

“Working through the project step-by-step helped me enjoy the process and provided me with a new lens on math.”

For the teachers, too, it was a rewarding experience. “It’s been fantastic to see students in a different context than the art studio,” offers Lee. “Getting to revisit a key lesson I teach during the ninth-grade art and design class—that visual communication is the most universal form of communication—with realworld applications is particularly rewarding.”

“With artful data visualization, statistics can achieve an emotional response from the audience,” offers Ramey. “Data visualization allows us to provide a point of view along with communicating data. Instead of ‘here’s a pie chart,’ it’s ‘oh my gosh, that was really impactful, and I now see it differently.’”

CLARITY OF VISION

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting students’ opportunities to work together in large groups, Lazarski, Lee, and Ramey had to rethink the scope, scale, and purpose of this year’s Statculus data visualization project.

“Last year, we focused on developing students’ communication skills, and their grade was mostly derived from their presentations. Virtual and hybrid learning made that next to impossible, so this year, we leveraged a partner art project to provide that opportunity for them,” says Lazarski.

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Lazarski agrees, “Every year, I get emails from young alumni who say, ‘I’m so glad that I took statistics at CA; I use it so much in college, and I wouldn’t have gotten so far without taking it in high school.’”

Across campus, CA students are taking note of the increased visibility of statistics thanks to the installation of Statculus students’ data visualization pieces. “Students in other classes have been intrigued by the suncatchers,” says Lazarski.

“After taking part in the surveys, they have been fascinated by how the results were presented and the notion that meaningful data could be visualized in a non-traditional way. And that you can have fun and make an impact in the process.”

And it is perhaps that real-world application that best prepares Statculus students for what comes next—helping them to better grasp the material by getting truly-hands on, encouraging them to delve into areas of knowledge that they might not have sought to explore, all while honing communications skills that will serve them long after their time at CA. “Almost every field is about collecting information and analyzing it in today’s world,” says Ramey. “Either you’ll have to interpret data analytics or interpret data yourself. Those communication skills are key in a world increasingly driven by data analysis.”

Data Art This year’s sun catcher project is not the first data visualization project to adorn the Center for Math and Science. Through Lee and Ramey’s NCMA fellowship, last year’s Statculus students were invited to visit the North Carolina Museum of Art and leverage the museum’s collection as data points for a data visualization project.

Breaking into teams, students analyzed the museum’s vast collections based on artists’ gender, nationality, media used, and composition. With data sets in hand, and in consultation with RTI researcher and data visualization expert Simon King via Zoom (before it was the cornerstone of meetings in 2020), students worked with Lazarski, Lee, and Ramey to design an art installation that would shed light on the strengths and shortcomings of the museum’s holdings while engaging viewers to learn more.

programming, and robotics teacher Betsy MacDonald, the students created three-dimensional coxcomb spheres that are suspended in the Center for Math and Science’s atrium lobby.

Inspired by Florence Nightingale’s pioneering data visualization work, Diagrams of the Causes of Mortality, which used a coxcomb—a more sophisticated form of a pie chart in which the slices are subdivided and vary in radius in proportion to the data set—and utilizing the cutting-edge tools of the CMS Makerspace and know-how of design,

Each sphere—crafted from a Wiffle ball, wedges of plexiglass, and transparent vinyl appliques—is mounted on spindles that allow them to rotate. Putting the data in motion seeks to engage viewers, allowing them to see the relationships between the complex layers of data in greater detail.

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ALL TOGETHER NOW Theater teacher Glen Matthews vividly remembers standing transfixed in the quiet dark of backstage Berger Hall. Before him, Evan Zhu ‘23, playing Simba in the 2017 production of The Lion King Junior, was grieving his father Mufasa, newly killed in a wildebeest stampede.

“He was kneeling over his father’s body and saying ‘Dad! Dad! Wake up, wake up!’” recalls Matthews, his voice breaking with emotion at the memory. “We hadn’t seen anything like it in rehearsals—he was truly living that moment, living that grief; he was weeping, fully transformed.”

“To be able to do that as an actor in front of 500 people, regardless of your age—to be that authentic in a moment—that’s difficult

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stuff. Actors work their whole life to find that, and here was this young person who allowed themself to just shed their skin—it was beautiful and powerful, a privilege to witness.”

For Matthews, such moments are a triumph, not only as testaments to the artistic growth of his student actors, but as a reflection of the success of the entire ensemble that helps usher them to life on the stage, and for the powerful connection that they forge with the audience.

ENSEMBLE ETHIC

“I knew that I wanted the CA theater experience to be broader than just a focus on what it means to be an actor. Early on, we grounded the work in the ensemble ethic— the idea that we are a diverse group of people working together towards a common goal.

“We spend a lot of time at the beginning of any class exploring what that means. What does it mean to be a part of a group that has invested their resources, their time, and their talents into accomplishing a goal? What are my responsibilities to you? What are your responsibilities to me? To each other? And how are we all contributing to the growth and the maintenance of this wonderful, beautiful thing?” explains Matthews.

Once those relationships and boundaries are established—trust earned and developed—the ensemble becomes the foundation upon which everything is scaffolded, from stage makeup application to combat choreograph, scenery design to, of course, acting exercises. In everything, the ensemble, collaboration, and the collective journey are paramount—at times leading to unexpected learning opportunities.

“I have a sense of what’s going to happen each day, but what’s exciting is that even though there’s a plan, it really depends on the energy of the room—what the students bring into the space, where they are at that moment,” explains Matthews. “Meeting them where they are, saying ‘okay, wherever we end up today is where we are supposed to be,’ is important.

Helping his students bring such visceral experiences to life—and he’s quick to point out that there have been many during his 23-year tenure at CA—is one of the things Matthews loves most about his role.

Matthews joined CA in 1998—before the campus even had a theater space—arriving after a brief detour as a theater teacher with Neal Middle School in Durham, from acting with The Burning Coal Theater company, which had recently located from Manhattan to North Carolina.

He remembers those early days fondly, meeting with Performing Arts Director Michael Hayes on the second floor of the Admin Building as they began to collaboratively explore what a theater program at CA might look like. What would it emphasize and value? What would it ultimately seek to instill in its students?

“A lot of people, when they hear theater, they’re thinking, ‘oh, well, that class is just going to be about acting,’” offers Matthews.

“And, yes, actors are important and, yes, you have to have someone to tell the story. Before you can even get to that part, though, you must have a story to tell.”

And Matthews will tell you that the magic of discovering and telling that story is found in the collaboration of the entire group that supports its production—in the cultivation of the ensemble.

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And determining what we can learn from that together—that’s exciting; it’s powerful.”

Matthews’s students will tell you that it is an empowering approach.

“Mr. Matthews’s ensemble approach helps everyone grow together and feel like they can experiment with different things,” offers alum Evan Snively ’20. “It really frees you to make your own artistic choices.”

Chioma Modilim ’22 agrees. “Mr. Matthews is always encouraging us as students and actors to step outside our comfort zones and to explore our creativity.

Whenever I ask him what I should do as the character in a particular moment or scene, he always responds with, ‘just play with it.’ He is great at balancing guiding us with letting us make our own decisions, and that freedom is something that I’ve really come to appreciate.”

his whole life. From an early age, music and performance were important in his life, whether singing solos in his southern Mississippi church choir as a young child or playing piano in elementary school or the trombone in his high school marching band.

He credits his sixth-grade music teacher for helping him discover a passion and talent for theater. “Mrs. Pugh recognized something in me,” he reflects. She began to take him to see musicals produced in the broader area, ultimately escorting him to his first audition—a civic production of The Wizard of Oz. He would land the part of a munchkin—a small role that would have a big life-long impact, setting a creative trajectory towards a career in theater.

A creative coincidence, his early start got a little boost from contemporary pop culture—thanks to the meteoric rise of the wildly popular musical Annie. “Everything was about Annie, and the sun will come out tomorrow! I had the album, and I was, you know, I was convinced that I was going to be the next Annie,” he laughs. “Obviously, I wasn’t, but it was certainly a driving force.”

His newly discovered love of musical theater would carry him through numerous workshops and community performances before finally leading to the pursuit, first, of a BFA in musical theater from William Carey College and, later, an MFA in directing from the University of Southern Mississippi. It even led him to his partner of 24 years, Gary Williams, a fellow thespian and theatrical collaborator who has been hugely important in his creative journey.

FAILING BOLDLY

At its heart, the ensemble ethic is about creating a safe space, one in which everyone is valued and empowered to tap into their most imaginative and creative selves, emboldened to take creative risks—the kind that lead to significant growth and learning.

“I spend a lot of time trying to create that safe space for my students. I want them to know that, when they are here, they can shed their skin, they can be vulnerable,” explains Matthews. “I have a sign in my classroom in the Black Box; I put it there for myself, but I share it with my students. It says, ‘risk all, fail boldly.’

A CREATIVE CALLING

While Matthews is himself no stranger to the spotlight of center stage, having taken many turns acting with various professional troops, directing and teaching has proven his true calling. He credits the pivotal role his own teachers played in sparked his passions, as well as his mother—a kindergarten and daycare provider—as inspiring his love and reverence for the classroom.

“That concept is something that I stumbled upon years ago while working with adult performers. We all need to be reminded that it is okay to fail boldly. That’s when we learn.

That’s when we grow as artists, certainly—but even more importantly—that is when we grow as human beings.”

Matthews, whose roots in performing arts run deep, has been taking creative risks

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“After undergraduate and graduate school, I had a lot of friends who asked, ‘why aren’t you going to New York?

Why aren’t you going to LA?” explains Matthews. “Truthfully, I just never felt like that was my calling.

“Teachers had always guided my path; my mom was involved in education, so teaching always resonated with me.

And I think directing, which has always been a passion and what I pursued in my own education, has a lot of overlap with teaching. It requires a lot of guiding and supporting—so teaching was a very natural choice, a natural transition.”

At CA, it has proven an incredibly gratifying one, in large part because of the connections he has forged with students and colleagues alike, whether in the classroom, as a student advisor, during an extracurricular production, or leading the Middle School Rollercoaster Madness and Stage Combat Clubs.

GRATIFYING IMPACT

“One of the wonderful things about teaching in the arts department is that we get introduced to the students in Middle School. We have opportunities to continue to impact their lives and watch them grow and learn from them as they move all the way through 12th grade. That’s something that I don’t think I would have the opportunity to do

anywhere else. To be able to be a part of a student’s growth and journey over seven years—it is amazing.”

That appreciation runs both ways.

“It’s difficult to put into words the impact that Mr. Matthews has had on both my time at CA and my life,” reflects alum Kevin Pendergast ’14. “He has been a driving force in shaping my approach to theater, my views of the world, and largely the person I am today.

“Mr. Matthews taught me that theater forces us to embark on work that is often emotionally and mentally taxing.

He taught me that to give justice to this work we must ‘spit’ away the baggage of the outside world before we even enter the room. He teaches us to dig within ourselves for answers and work together in the trusting environment he provides to share our findings with an audience.

By gathering together and taking a collective breath, Mr. Matthews facilitates insurmountable levels of individual and community growth. He is a driving force in the ensemble of our world.”

COMMUNAL CATHARSIS

In April, Matthews and a group of Upper School students, many of whom he has been working with for years, will bring a new production, The Theory of Relativity, to the CA stage. It will mark Matthews’s 28th performance at CA.

Mounting such a production amid a pandemic has not been without challenge, but it is an undertaking that Matthews and his students feel is more important than ever.

“Theater is important. We all have stories to tell, and we all appreciate hearing each other’s stories. I think now, in particular, we need communal experiences—opportunities to celebrate, to mourn, to give honor, to connect and build empathy, to heal.”

Ever the teacher, Matthews offers a history lesson to make his point, sharing how the ancient Greeks were early proponents of the cathartic power of theater.

“The Greeks believed, in coming together to experience the plight of mythic characters suffering through significant tragedy, that they themselves would feel and be purged,” explains Matthews.“I believe that is why theater still exists today. In coming together to live a story all at the same time—we feel, we purge. Hopefully, we walk out those doors better people as a result.”

It is a lofty goal, to be sure, and one that he teaches his students carries significant responsibility rooted in our connection to each other.

“As theater artists, not only do we have the opportunity to help people feel, but in doing so, we can inspire change,” offers Matthews. “I have the privilege of seeing our students do this all the time, through the stories that they tell and how they choose to tell them, together, in the ensemble.”

He pauses, “If a student only remembers one thing from their time with me, I hope it is the importance of the ensemble—that we are stronger and more powerful when we choose to combine our abilities with those of others, to learn from the people around us. Working together as artists, our impact—their impact—is significant. It matters.”

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SPOTLIGHT ON: THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY The first time Glen Matthews came across The Theory of Relativity he knew it was the perfect musical theater piece for his students—ideally suited to this particular moment in their lives.

“I felt like I was listening to our students,” offers Matthews. “Both in terms of the styles of contemporary music, but also the content and the stories of the characters.”

Written by Drama Desk Award nominees Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, The Theory of Relativity is a song cycle— a set of related songs that together tell a larger narrative—inspired by the life experiences of college students.

Explicitly penned to be easily accessible and authentic for young actors, it wrestles with issues that loom large in students’ lives—navigating divorce, loss of loved ones, difficult choices in relationships, first loves, and more.

“Ultimately, at its heart, the piece is about our interconnectedness and the need we have for connection,” reflects Matthews. “It resonates on so many

levels—as individuals, as a school, as a community, as a society—and particularly against the backdrop of the pandemic.”

For Matthews, staging a production— and particularly this production—had a unique urgency this year.

“We have a large number of seniors that have been significantly involved in extracurricular productions since they were in Middle School,” explains Matthews. “We wanted to do our very, very best to provide them with a special experience this year, realizing that it would probably look very different.”

Indeed, it takes a lot of preparation—and an army of committed, imaginative, and passionate artists—to pull off a piece of musical theater amid a pandemic. However, where there are will and dedication, there is a way. ?

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Modeled after the successful example of athletics, strict COVID protocols were established for rehearsals. Actors underwent health checks and adhered to strict sanitation practices. Scenes were blocked to meet social-distancing dictates.

Vocal rehearsals required actors to rotate through a series of locations, ensuring that they never performed in any one space longer than thirty minutes.

Vocalists did not return to previously occupied spaces for another thirty minutes to allow for an adequate number of air cycles to clear the air.

The cast and crew also experimented with various mask styles—from singing masks that have deeper profiles to clear plastic masks that allow the audience to see actors’ expressions. Solutions were reached to address mask-specific challenges—amplification issues and how to effectively keep singers hydrated during rehearsals.

Challenging, yes, but Matthews takes it in stride—the ends justifying the means.

“Here’s the thing, there are always going to be obstacles, and the obstacles are different for each production. So, we’re used to having to maneuver through and around obstacles. And admittedly—whoa—there are a lot with this one.

“But I think all of us, from the students to the adults involved, we’re just so excited to be able to create, to do something together—to have this opportunity for connection and interaction. It hasn’t felt the same, but it kind of gets us back to feeling like something we remember from the past.

And that’s a good thing.”

While there will be no live performances, the company will be recording the production over a series of Flex Days in April. Tickets to view the completed production online will go on sale at the end of April.

The sixteen-member cast includes Alex Lim ’22, Arielle Curtis ’21, Brandon Yi ’21, Chioma Modilim ’22, Claire Ferris ’21, Clay Thornton ’21, Eden Rosenbaum ’21, Hannah Gordon ’21, Jordan Miller ’22, Kathryn Chao ’21, Koen Chao ’23, Kyle Murphy ’21, Mickey Lewis ’23, Samantha Hoffman ’21, Sara Martin ’21, and Vibhav Nandagiri ’21.

Christina Polge ’22, France Smyth ’24, and Riley Moore ’23 are Stage Managers.

The Tech/Production crew includes Abby Smetana ’23, Claire Moorhead ’24, Jay Sihm ’23, Kendyl George ’22, Laila Taylor ’24, Nathan Rudy ’23, Naya Chawla ’21, Nikhil Jagannath ’23, Renn Guard ’22, Samantha Dorfman ’23, and Vikram Kommareddi ’23.

Special thanks to faculty members Sara Mizelle, Emily Turner, Linda Velto, Jasmine Powell, Les Turner, Yiying Qiao, Alyssa Armstrong, Aaron Yontz, Michael Hayes, and Steven O’Neill.

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Thirteen

Alumni Spotlight

One of Broadway’s rising stars, Aaron Harrington ‘10 has accomplished in just a few short years what some actors might not in a lifetime. Now, having landed two major leading roles, one alongside a Grammy-nominated cast, Harrington eagerly awaits a return to the stage in a post-COVID world.

He’s impassioned and ready to take on another big role—as an influencer activist on a quest to transform the industry he loves.

ROLE OF A

LIFETIME ?

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

TAKING THE LEAP

with whom he had worked on a community theater production of RENT in Raleigh his senior year—forwarded the call for auditions for the national tour. Harrington leaped at the chance.

Familiar with the role, Harrington “showed up to the audition with nothing but my voice.

I later found out was probably the craziest thing I could have done—to go to a New York audition unprepared.”

It was a huge risk—and one that paid off.

Mere months after arriving in New York, Harrington landed his first professional gig—bringing his signature baritone to the role of Tom Collins in the yearlong National 20th Anniversary Tour of RENT. RENT—A Tony-award-winning modern-day retelling of La Bohème—follows a group of young artists as they pursue their dreams against the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“RENT was my first big role, and I still get a lot of grief for it. I consider myself very, very blessed—not a lot of people can book something big within their first year of moving to New York City,” reflects Harrington. “I still to this day can’t believe it happened, but it did.”

Humble, grateful, and quick to count his blessings, Harrington is the first to admit that his creative and meteoric trajectory is perhaps not the norm—a far-cry, even, from the trope of the long-suffering artist.

Graduating from Shaw University in 2015 with a degree in mass communications, Harrington initially pushed aside early dreams of a career in performing. He planned, instead, to parlay his love of music and theater into a marketing career in the entertainment industry. Like so many artists, he set his sights on New York City—ostensibly to pursue a job with a large public relations firm.

It was a daunting transition—a major leap of faith—made possible by his mother and uncle, who, unbeknownst to him, purchased and presented him with a one-way ticket to the city.

“They conspired to push me to follow my dreams,” he reflects in hindsight, and you can hear the smile in his voice. “They knew that there was nothing left for me in Durham.”

Their bold strategy would coincide with the PR job falling through—happily, in retrospect—on his arrival to New York. And then, serendipity: a friend—a choreographer

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

Fifteen

At CA, Harrington got his first introduction to musical theater, albeit an initially reluctant one. “We did a production of Les Misérables in chorus. And, if I am being honest, I had no interest in doing it,” he reflects with a laugh. “But it was for a grade, so of course I did. After the production, I thought ‘that was actually really cool.’”

A trip to see Wicked at the Durham Performing Arts Center courtesy of thenHead of Upper School Mitch McGuigan would seal the deal: “Just watching the magic unfold on that stage—it was another spark.”

On graduation, Harrington headed to Shaw University, nursing a dream to be a backup singer and primed to pursue a degree in music. It was an important decision in his life.

“The dynamic at Cary Academy, a predominantly white institution, versus Shaw a historically black university—they were completely different,” offers Harrington. “It was nice to have that balance; it kept me grounded. I learned a lot at Cary Academy, and I went on to learn more at Shaw, not only academics, but culturally. At Shaw, I was diving back into some of the things that I was familiar with, had grown up with.”

Ultimately, a change in major his senior year would prove fortuitous, opening room in his schedule to return to musical theater.

Over the next two years, he sought out opportunities in community musical theater, including Raleigh’s Theatre in the Park’s annual musical A Christmas Carol that played at DPAC and Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center, and a foreshadowing production of RENT with the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre.

In that work, he discovered a true passion—a spark of interest fanned into full flame.

“Music had always been my outlet, but to combine singing and acting, to have fun on stage, to dress up and be able to look through the lens of someone else and get that story for trade—there is nothing like it.”

FINDING THE SPARK

In truth, Harrington’s foray into musical theater is a relatively new pursuit in a longer creative journey, a return to a passion first ignited at CA that had long been pushed to the back burner.

Harrington, who grew up in Durham, transferred to CA in ninth grade from Durham Nativity School, a smaller independent school.

He credits navigating CA’s larger, tight-knit community with the support of his fellow students and teachers with instilling in him a strong sense of confidence that empowered him to pursue his interests. He threw himself into the community, playing in both traditional band and jazz band and singing in chorus.

An athlete, he wrestled and threw shot put for track and field.

“Cary Academy was able to take this really full of life kid and embrace him,” recalls Harrington. “I transferred into this community of kids that had been together since Middle School, but they welcomed me.

It is an experience that I cherish.” He is still friends with many of his former classmates, many of whom were in the audience when RENT landed at the Durham Performing Arts Center in 2016.

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

JUST DO IT

Harrington, who has debilitating stage fright, credits his willingness to take risks, be vulnerable, and lean into fear as the secrets to his success. The urgency of the pandemic has only served to deepen his resolve to pursue his dreams fearlessly.

“It sounds cliché, I know,” offers Harrington. “But life is short and unpredictable.

COVID has shown us that anything can happen—life can go any kind of way with little warning. So, if you have a dream, embrace it fully—embrace the fear, the excitement, the anxiety.

Take the leap, follow your passion—just do it.”

The lessons of mortality that the pandemic has cruelly taught for so many are those that Harrington himself learned early, with the death of his father when he was a senior in college. It was a dark, but transformative time.

“My father’s death pushed me to stop taking things so easily, to stop just riding the wave. It made me put myself out there instead,” offers Harrington. “That is what I’m currently doing. No matter how scared I am, I just go for it. My dad always wanted his kids to be great—so I’m always trying to make my dad proud, make my family proud.”

That fearless attitude was instrumental in helping him to land his second big role—as Audrey II in the off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors—in early March of 2020. “I found out I booked it March 1, we rehearsed for two weeks, and then, then the world shut down.”

“At first, we thought we’d be back in three months—and that kept me going,” says Harrington. “But then, before you know it, we are hitting a year of life in this pandemic. Thankfully, our producers are committed; they’ve let us know that everyone aims to get the production back up and running. Knowing that in the back of my mind, it makes my future look just as bright as before—and it gives me hope that we will come back stronger.”

ACTOR TO ACTIVIST

For Harrington—who has discovered an activist calling during his pandemicforced downtime—“coming back stronger” also means a broader, more meaningful embrace of the work of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.

Growing up listening to artists like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, who figured prominently in the civil rights movement, Harrington has always appreciated the powerful connection between music and activism. However, it wasn’t until recently that he felt called to join their ranks and use his craft in the service of anti-racism.

“I’ve always thought my existence in this country, by itself, is activism,” reflects Harrington. “But the deaths of Botham Jean, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and so many others—the repeated injustices and the lack of support and accountability from those who are held so highly, those that have so much influence and power—it broke me. It really got me going, pushed me forward.

I felt called to speak up and speak my mind and to match that with action.”

Harrington’s call to action coincides with a larger, welcome awakening across the entertainment industry. “It’s been great to watch as talent agencies, directors, and production companies begin to ask the right questions—to ask what we need to do to make our industry more inclusive, more anti-racist, more open to diverse voices and experiences.”

For his part, Harrington is committed to partnering with other artists to use his platform and visibility as an influencer to identify issues and potential solutions and to holding the industry, and himself, accountable to promises of positive change.

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

Seventeen

“When Broadway comes back, things still won’t be where they need to be. I want to be one of the voices that say, ‘this is what needs to be fixed, and you don’t know that it needs to be fixed because you’ve never acknowledged that it was broken.’ It is going to be a long process, but it has to start somewhere, and I’m ready to fight tooth and nail for it.”

For Harrington, much of that work turns on representation, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity not only to share the stage but see themselves and their experiences in the work.

“Representation matters,” offers Harrington.

“Lots of shows have been on the right track in terms of casting actors of color, but there is a really big difference between casting from the BIPOC community for a BIPOC show versus casting BIPOC actors for a predominantly white show. And it isn’t just about race; as an advocate and ally for the LGBTQIA+ community, I want to see better representation for the trans community, for the gay community—they also need to be properly represented.”

As for what comes next for Harrington, the future is uncertain but bright. With signs that the pandemic might be waning, he’s looking forward to reuniting with his castmates— recently nominated for a 2021 Grammy award for best cast album (Harrington sadly joined the production too late to lend his voice to the album)—and to bringing Audrey II to life on the Little Shop of Horrors stage.

Beyond that, he’s energized by the prospect of bringing new, transformative productions to the stage and by opportunities to leave his mark on the roles ahead. He’s particularly keen to originate characters that embody authentic, diverse experiences and whose stories are groundbreaking and help to broaden perspectives and spark positive change—just as RENT did when it first premiered over 25 years ago.

“There’s nothing like originating a role, to being the first person to take it to the stage,” reflects Harrington. “The actors that come after you, you know, they give their input, but they will always know that Aaron Harrington did this role first, this is how he did it, these were the choices he made, this was his vision.

And that’s pretty cool.”

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

The seventh grade celebrated AFRICA DAY in a day-long event that included dancing, a half-dozen guest speakers, and authentic Ethiopian food. CA families came to campus to share their own languages, culture, customs, and stories with the Class of 2026.

Snapshots The Middle School celebrated a virtual UBUNTU alongside scholars, activists, and artists whose work serves to inspire us to think about ourselves, our roles in our communities, and our place in history.

Everyone kept cool even though it all went downhill once the FLEX DAY AND SENIOR CLASS SKI TRIPS arrived at the slopes of Beech Mountain.

The X-Factor crew, step, dance, and cheer teams—along with a few masked singing mystery celebrities—put on an amazing HOMECOMING celebration to send 2020 out in style.

SEEDS Lunar New Year celebration

Whether they were hungry for exploring other cultures, service learning, games with friends, letting their creativity climb, or… well, delicious food, Middle and Upper School students got their fill during FLEX DAY.

Empanada extravaganza

Middle School tabletop games

Get Your Feminist On! zine workshop

Upper School rock climbing excursion

FACING FORWARD Tony Hinton joined Cary Academy in January 2021 as the Director of Facilities. Before coming to CA, Tony was Chief of the Lease Compliance and Construction Division with the Maryland State Department of General Services. A member of the Association for Facilities Engineering and a Certified Professional Manager, he brings a broad background to the role, having previously served as a director of facilities and operations, quality assurance manager, and police officer at various points in his career. He is married with five children.

Tony is responsible for overseeing all aspects of facilities’ operations, ensuring not only that CA’s buildings and grounds are properly maintained, but that they follow a mission-aligned path of facility innovation.

Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Tony to discuss his vision for CA’s Facilities Division and the perspective and insights he brings to his new role.

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

Beyond keeping the lights on and

It’s our job to make sure everything you see and touch at CA works like it’s supposed to—to the point where you don’t even have to think about it working; it just does.

maintaining the beautiful campus for which CA is well-known, how does the facilities team support CA’s mission and opportunities for innovative, relevant,

Looking ahead, what challenges are

personalized learning?

most critical for CA’s facilities, and what

The number one goal for the Facilities Division is making sure that the school is ready and able to help students learn every day.

Without classrooms that are comfortable, clean, and support the faculty’s teaching needs, the school won’t be able to perform its whole reason for being. For us, the number one priority is preventative maintenance. Sure, unexpected problems happen, but as Director of Facilities, you don’t ever want to have something go so wrong that you have to close the school.

The environment we create and maintain is crucial to making sure students are ready to learn. Having a welcoming campus makes it more enjoyable to be here each day. It also signals that we take care of our assets, which tells prospective parents that it’s less likely that an HVAC problem or a plumbing issue will prevent their child from learning any given day. Having safe, reliable, eye-catching activity buses does the same—it gets people’s attention and puts CA’s name out there in a way that instills pride.

My team—and I consider us all teammates, myself included—is divided into facilities maintenance and landscaping. We are responsible for all buildings, the grounds, the foodservice facilities, school vehicles, and athletics facilities. My staff includes trained electricians, a plumber, an HVAC technician, and a certified athletic field technician.

You might be surprised to know that there are specific standards by which we have to maintain the athletic fields to host games; there is work that has to be done to the fields before and after every match.

opportunities do those challenges present?

Since it opened, CA has done a great job of introducing and maintaining cutting-edge technology in the classroom. However, the ideas of how to use our spaces—classrooms and offices and the campus as a whole—have changed a lot in the past 25 years. Some of those forward-thinking ideas—like LEED certification and giving faculty offices rather than dedicated classrooms—have been put into practice in the Center for Math and Science. I believe such innovative use of space, green practices, and a greater focus on efficiency should be a goal across campus.

One of the most important ideas shaping educational facilities these days is creating more welcoming, efficient spaces that help make the day-to-day experience even better for students and faculty. Increased natural light is a big part of that, and much of the Upper School renovation project is about increasing the amount of natural light inside the building. I also want to see even more green spaces on campus; we have many of them compared to traditional schools, but I want us to have even more.

One of the biggest questions I’m wrestling with is how we grow and where we grow. The recommendations in the Master Facilities Plan are based on the idea of CA staying pretty much the same as it was when the original review was done. If we grow—and we have been growing—it’s essential to know which of those recommendations make sense to follow and which would hinder the school over the next five to ten years.

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How does your background influence the way you see your role and potential impact at CA?

I think that having such a diverse background—I’ve been a cop, I’ve worked with ex-offenders who were transitioning out of prison, I’ve worked with homeless populations, I’ve taught in the classroom— has given me the ability to relate to people with many different perspectives. I’ve seen people at their highest heights, and I’ve seen people at their lowest depths. That empathy to understand —to say ‘I may not share your experience, but I understand your joy, pain, needs, and concerns’—I think that’s especially important with students.

Many of our students experience so much stress and face challenges that we, as adults, don’t always understand; they struggle with peer pressure, socioeconomic differences, uncertainty about their future, and a sense of responsibility as the next generation of leaders. CA goes a long way towards helping our students navigate those challenges by giving them the tools to take ownership of their education and their future—and I love that. I think my experience in showing compassion will help support them.

What drew you to the Director of Facilities position at CA?

In a previous role, I had the opportunity to teach sixth-grade science. So, I have a heart for teaching and children learning and a sense of what’s key to helping children learn. I was very encouraged by the ways CA invests in its students and how the school gives them the tools and opportunities to own their learning—the ability to manage their educational pursuits. It was a completely different concept than I’d encountered before.

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Twenty-four

And then I saw the campus setup. CA is like a college campus. It gives everyone—students and faculty—room to relax and decompress when they are not in class. Combined with the chance to find their own way to learn, it gives students the opportunity to get a feel for the college experience at an early age.

I also noticed that many employees have worked here since the school opened. That says a lot about CA as a workplace and the community as a whole.

That said, sometimes, longevity can be a double-edged sword. Some of my first thoughts were: is it going to be hard to innovate and bring change in this role? Are people going to be receptive to new thoughts or new ideas?

When people have had a part in creating a policy or making a decision long ago, they are reluctant when someone new asks, “why do we do this?” But, so far, everyone’s been open to that question and been willing to give new ideas consideration. That’s a big part of my job—to think ahead about what we will need in the future and how we get from here to there, which means sometimes following a different path than what got us here.

What’s the most surprising aspect of working in facilities at a school like CA?

The ongoing investment from the CA community—including the founders—was surprising to me. It’s not something I’m used to. Often, in my experience, facilities’ needs are seen reactively; we will deal with things when they happen, not before—because of the costs involved in being proactive. CA’s openness—not just to fix things when they break, but to sit down and listen to needs and plan ahead on big picture matters—was like a foreign language to me at first. It’s been a welcome surprise.

The Magazine of Cary Academy

CAMPUS MVPs CA is known for its stunning campus and innovative facilities—and our hard-working (and humble) Facilities Division deserves a lion’s share of the credit. Though their dedication and hard work is mission critical—essential for facilitating discovery, enabling collaboration, and ensuring that our students and faculty have an exceptional, beautiful, and healthy learning environment—they often eschew the limelight in the interest of keeping campus humming. Let’s take an opportunity to give credit where it is due and express our appreciation for the Facilities crew’s invaluable contributions to the Charger community.

DON DAVIS Facilities Technician Don Davis is the newest member of the Facilities Division, joining the team as a Facilities Technician last summer. Specializing in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, Davis was very familiar with CA’s systems, having worked on campus systems for years as an HVAC technician with one of CA’s contractors.

Favorite project that you’ve undertaken?

Building the hand-washing stations between the Middle School and Berger Hall and implementing all the air purification protocols to get campus to where it is now, so that students and faculty could return safely during the pandemic.

What do you like most about your job?

The fact that I can come into work every day and make a difference all around the campus.

VINCE McMILLAN Senior Facilities Technician Senior Facilities Technician Vince McMillan is the longest-serving member of the team, having started at CA 23 years ago, working as a contractor when the school first opened. McMillan’s versatile skill set, including expertise in plumbing and electrical, makes him a fixture all over campus as he troubleshoots issues and maintains classroom systems.

Favorite project that you’ve undertaken?

Installing the new campus maps and signs across the campus this past summer.

With all the new buildings, campus has grown so much since I first started. The old signs were difficult to read and didn’t show all of the opportunities and activities that CA has for students and visitors.

What do you like most about your job?

I enjoy coming to a beautiful campus and working together with students, faculty, and staff. On a day-to-day basis, everyone is so upbeat. We all work together to make campus run smoothly.

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

Twenty-five

CAMPU ROY PETERSON Landscape Technician

Roy “Mr. Pete” Peterson has been with CA for more than 22 years, moving to the role of Landscape Technician after six years on the housekeeping staff. For years, Peterson has served as an unofficial strength and conditioning coach, working with students after the end of his workday, following a prompt from wrestling coach Eric Moore.

Favorite CA tradition/annual event?

I love Homecoming. It’s always great to see the kids come back all grown-up, excited to see what’s new and the places they remember well. It makes me proud that this place is so special to them.

Who are you when you’re not at CA? I’m a proud grandfather to my three-year-old grandson.

MATT STANICH Landscape Manager

Matt Stanich describes his job as “keeping things green, growing, and inviting.” Stanich joined the Facilities Division nearly three years ago, rising to the role of Landscape Manager soon after arriving from his home state of Ohio, where he had managed the campus of an all-girls school and supervised the grounds of a golf course.

Favorite CA memory?

I still think about my first handshake ceremony. The feeling of community was overwhelming.

How does your work support CA’s mission?

I like to think our work on campus stimulates curiosity in our students for all things landscaping/horticultural.

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

S MVPs THOMAS THORNTON

Athletic Landscape Technician Athletic Landscape Technician Thomas Thornton arrived at CA a year and a half ago, from the Juniper Level Botanic Gardens in Raleigh where he was a garden supervisor.

Favorite project that you’ve undertaken?

About a year ago we began identifying areas of campus—like walkways, natural areas, foundation plantings around the buildings—where the aesthetics and functionality of the landscape could be improved. Landscapes change dramatically over time, and planned landscapes often need to be revisited and thought about with a fresh perspective. Whether it’s addressing erosion or making sure plantings are the right scale as they grow, noticeable changes have been made across campus.We know the first thing everyone who arrives here notices is the landscape, so we strive to make it look clean, inviting, and interesting.

Who are you when you’re not at CA? I’m a husband and a father. I enjoy gardening and working outside, even when I’m not at CA.

RICH VILLIERS, II Facilities Electrician

Facilities Electrician Rich Villiers, II came to CA seven years ago, on the invitation of then-Director of Facilities Jess Garcia, who had worked with Villiers in two previous roles. As a licensed electrician on a technology-focused campus, Villiers is often in high demand, riding the department’s tricycle all over campus.

Favorite project that you’ve undertaken?

My favorite project would be the installation of cord reels in the classrooms.

Getting rid of the floor outlets may seem like a small change, but it makes the space much more flexible for the kids and teachers. It’s one of many ways I’ve seen campus evolve in just the past few years.

What do you like most about your job?

What I like most about my job is the diversity of the types of projects that we undertake. There’s always something new and interesting that needs to be done. I also like the fact that what we do is greatly appreciated.

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All According to Facilities innovation is crucial in keeping CA and its students on the cutting-edge. This summer, the Upper School will undergo a long-awaited (and remarkably fast) transformation to create more welcoming and flexible spaces that better meet the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—students, including • a new home for Center of Community Engagement, featuring enclosed offices and an open collaboration space outfitted with flexible-use furniture; • consolidated spaces for student support services, closer to the college counseling center; • a teaching kitchen where students can explore entrepreneurship ideas or sample cuisines from across the globe as part of their world language classes; • multiple, multifunctional “collabolounge” spaces; • renovation of more than 20 classrooms to be more open, modern, and collaborative; and • revision of the entryway and halls to allow for more natural light.

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Alumni News

2008 Rachel (Park) Radnitzer and Isaac Radnitzer welcomed their second son, Miles Daniel Radnitzer, in November 2020. Formerly in NYC, the family of three moved to Boston in late March right as the pandemic struck. 1

2009 As part of CA’s annual Ubuntu celebration, Josh “Rowdy” Rowsey recently Zoomed in to offer the current seventh-grade class a powerful presentation on how developing one’s voice and a strong sense of self helps us strive towards social justice. Josh, an educator and hip-hop artist who uses music, writing, and performance workshops to mentor youth across the nation, is the Program Director at the downtown Durham Afrofuturist Teen Center, Blackspace. He will soon be coming to television screens across North Carolina as the new host of PBS North Carolina’s At-Home Learning Presents: Classroom Connection, which provides literacy and math skills for kids from preschool through third-grade.

2010

of 2019. After a stint at Duke University Hospital on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, she worked full time on a COVID Intensive Care Unit in Greensboro. A passionate health and fitness advocate, she has recently become a certified Health Coach and launched her own business—Moriah Smith Health, LLC (moriahsmithhealth.com)— specializing in keeping weight loss simple for busy professionals. 5

2017 Matthew Mitten will graduate as an Honors Fellow and member of Phi Beta Kappa at Elon University as a Finance and Applied Math double major this May. After graduation, he’ll be moving to Charlotte, NC, to work as a financial analyst in a rotational program at Bank of America. Matt also runs his own clothing company, Climate Change Apparel, which raises awareness and profits to fight climate change. He recently launched an online store, and his products are available to purchase at

1

2011 Emily (Desimone) Kozacek was recently promoted to Director of Global Marketing for SLM Solutions.

2012 2

2014 Moriah Smith graduated from Duke University’s School of Nursing in May

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2019 Ryan Scott and Viraj Shah are a part of the team starting Nova Digital Strategy (novadigitalstrategy.com), a new digital marketing agency meant to help businesses utilize digital marketing strategies to improve their outreach, impact, and consumer retention. Their company offers a multitude of services, including web design, search engine optimization, and videography.

2020 Niki Vilas Boas and Becca Segal are currently attending the University of North Carolina and were recently featured for their joint venture, Wotter. Founded as part of an entrepreneurial project at CA, Wotter produces competitive and empowering swimming accessories designed exclusively for women. (bit.ly/wotter)

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Jane (Goehrke) Curto and her husband welcomed baby boy Beckett in August 2020. 2

Reagan Atkins and Eric Fisher got engaged at the Cary Academy tennis courts in December 2020. Reagan is in CRNA school at ECU pursuing her doctorate in nursing practice in nurse anesthesia. Eric is living in Nashville, Tennessee where he plays country music. They shared a throwback picture of their 7th-grade CA trip to Black Mountain. 3 4

www.climatechangeapparel.net or through Instagram @ClimateChangeApparel. 6

The Magazine of Cary Academy

Alumni News

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5

Left to right: Eric Fisher, Reagan Atkins, Carrie Hartsfield, Alsey Davidson, Caroline Margolis, Grady Rosenkampff

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Save the date: Cary Academy Alumni Day of Giving April 28, 2021 One Word.

What is your one word to describe what Cary Academy means to you? The impact it had. The lessons you learned. The memories you made. Just one word can tell a story.

One Gift.

ALUMNI DAY OF GIVING

Make a gift to Cary Academy in honor of what your time here meant to you. Just one gift can make a difference, and when we all come together, the one becomes many.

Share your word and make your gift at oneword.cary.academy

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The Magazine of Cary Academy

Thirty-One

The Big Question

IF YOU COULD BE PART OF ANY FICTIONAL FAMILY, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY? Thirty-two

SOPHIE HOLLAND

TIMOTHY KAUFMAN

ALEX LIU

BRANDON CARTER

Class of 2027

Class of 2024

Class of 2026

College Counselor

I would be a part of the Weasley family from the Harry Potter books—because it’s such a big family and I really want to live in the Burrow. With so many people in their family, it’d be hard to have nothing to do.

Also, magic would be cool.

I would be part of the Simpsons; I like Homer’s philosophy on food.

My own family. I’m perfectly happy with that.

I’d go with the Winslow family from Family Matters. They were loving and always cracking jokes on each other, but also didn’t shy away from having tough conversations around relationships, race, and other social issues.

DANICA MCCARRON

KATIE TAYLOR

MS Language Arts Teacher

CLAY THORNTON

Class of 2026

Class of 2021

The Weasley’s from Harry Potter, the Starks from Iron Man, the Barrows from Red Queen— they’re all sort of loving families that care about each other, but they’re also not helpless and protect one another.

The Weasley family from Harry Potter because they have so much fun with their magic and I love the vibe of their house.

Katie Munster has a nice ring to it. The Munsters had a cool house, an awesome George Barris-designed hot rod, and a pet dragon.

WILLIAM CHEN

Class of 2026

SOPHIA CURTIS

Class of 2027 I would want to be in the Sorenson family from [Brandon Mull’s] Fablehaven book series because they get to live on an animal preserve with all these different magical creatures.

The family from [the manga] JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. They have a fairly cool family bond—no matter the issues they have, they always find a way to solve them.

But then again, they get killed in some of the stories, but that’s only sometimes.

RICHARD JONES

US English Teacher

ELEYNA ZAYAS

Class of 2021 I want to be part of the Tanners from Full House—they seem fun and nice, and the Pritchett family on Modern Family—they’re eccentric and different. There’s a person for every comedic need and intelligence level. And one of my fears is that when I get older, I’m not going to stay connected with my siblings— that’s so sad to me—but they stay connected, so I would want to be part of a family like that.

I’d be part of the Bluth family from Arrested Development. I won’t say which character I most identify with, though.

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1500 N. Harrison Ave. | Cary, NC 27513 caryacademy.org

WEEK OF LOVE Appreciation of our community (and the scent of sugary treats) was in the air during the Week of Love. Students, employees, parents, and members of the broader community were the recipients of heartfelt gratitude and appreciation.

In accordance with our mission and the law, Cary Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, national and ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.