Strategic Plan Updates
State of the School
At the recent PTAA annual meeting, I shared some information regarding the State of the School. As has been our practice, we use this time to share highlights from the past year and look towards the future. Any such presentation regarding Cary Academy must begin with...
Excellence
It is written on nearly every hallway and classroom; our Discovery Magazine highlights how it comes to life, and any Cary Academy employee, student, or alumni can recite it full or shorthand form: The mission of Cary Academy is to be a learning community dedicated to...
Structuring for Success
There is a tremendous amount of positive energy around the launch of our new strategic plan, and we have begun to pivot from the work of forming a compelling vision to fulfilling big goals. The path from idea to execution can trip up many a well-intentioned strategic...
Own your learning
As I eased myself into the teak rocking chair, I heard a creak. I think it was the chair, but it could have easily been by knees, or my back, or my neck. I lifted the glass lemonade to my lips as I rocked gently back and forth. I was sitting outside the Cary Academy...
What’s in your wallet?
The Dining Hall was buzzing, as 125 employees at Cary Academy shared stories with one another about one of their most personal of objects -- their wallets. Then, with one short phrase from workshop facilitator and Dean of Faculty Martina Greene — “OK, everybody, you...
Standing on Shoulders
We have a plan! At their final meeting of this school year, our Board of Directors approved a Strategic Plan for Cary Academy. Putting it together This plan represents the collective work of our entire community, and more specifically the efforts of 24 members of a...
Innovation by Design
Recently I asked all our employees to describe a time in which they felt most alive and engaged in the life of the school. Many reflected on the school’s start up days, when they were collaborating to execute on the founding vision and build something new and...
Learning from data
We live in a world awash with data. Sometimes that data is helpful, like when you look down at your fuel gauge and see the needle on E and decide based on that information to pull into the nearest gas station. Sometimes the data can be interesting but less helpful,...