By Sneha Advani, Co-Editor of the Campitor
As usual, there have been a lot of changes this year at Cary Academy: new students, new teachers, new classes, new policies. For example, this year, CA classes have transitioned from using the StudentTree and MyCA websites to using a new online environment: Veracross. Although Veracross brought its own learning curve in the beginning of the year, for both teachers and students, this change has made the process of entering and checking grades easier and more efficient. There have also been interesting additions to the selection of CA courses, with an especially profound emphasis on Blended Learning courses and online courses. These courses have allowed us students to experiment with many learning formats and, as Ms. Clarkson emphasizes, “own our learning.”
Cary Academy has also been working on some more gradual changes in the way it operates; for example, teachers’ classrooms are now no longer located in the Upper School based on grade level, but instead based on subject. Many teachers often rotate through a single classroom, and while this may have been confusing at first, I think it will slowly develop into a more organized layout. There was also a new showcase for Cary Academy students and guests called the Celebration of Innovation and Creativity; this event replaced the traditional Grandparents Day, and it featured a variety of students’ academic and extracurricular work.
Students themselves have also been working on making their impact on the CA community and bringing their own changes to the table. Of course, there have been many new clubs brought to campus, and the incoming freshman class has brought its own unique contribution to the community. In addition, though, Student Council has been hard at work with its own changes. Some students have voiced concern over Cary Academy’s dress code policy, so Student Council held an open meeting to discuss potential changes. This year StuCo also decided to introduce a Blue and Gold team system in the Spirit Cup, in which the sophomores and seniors constitute the Blue Team, and the freshmen and juniors constitute the Gold Team. With this system, grades not only will compete against each other, but also will compete against their opposing Blue or Gold joint-grade team. With this fun new addition, StuCo hopes to promote school spirit and inter-grade bonding.
As a senior at Cary Academy, all of these changes are unfamiliar and strange, but they are nonetheless expected. The Cary Academy community is constantly evolving and improving, and I’m excited to see more of the changes that will take place even after I leave Cary Academy.
Are there any changes you would like to see CA make in the future? Leave some ideas in the comments below!