Graduation day sends 99 off to college - Cary Academy

Don Berger, Head of School
Welcoming comments from graduation 2010
Mentions class successes, including Morehead and Park scholars
The following are my
In the arts arena, the class of 2010 provided the
the Raleigh News and Observer. I will point out three
welcoming comments
leadership for our jazz band that captured the top prize
that have been particularly powerful:
from commencement 2010, held May 22 in the SEA,
in which UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp delivered the
keynote address:
Dr. Goodnight, Dr. Thorp, members of the board
of directors, faculty, staff, parents, friends and class
of 2010, welcome to Cary Academy’s 11 th
commencement.
Let me introduce you to our graduating class. The
class of 2010 is an extraordinary group of scholars,
athletes, artists and leaders.
It is the first class to have a Morehead-Cain
scholarship recipient attend the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and the first class to have two
Chapel Hill Carolina Scholars. In addition to these
three students, 20 other classmates will attend
Chapel Hill, one of our nation’s finest universities.
Furthermore, one of our proud parents today is
considered by many to be the greatest player in the
history of the Tar Heels men’s basketball program.
Clearly, if there was ever an occasion to have Chapel
Hill’s chancellor speak to our community, this is it.
And clearly, if there was ever a time for this Head of
School to profess his college allegiance, this also is
it. (At this juncture, I donned an NCSU cap.)
at the recent Southeast Regional Heritage Music
Festival. Our outstanding chorus, which we will hear
shortly, boasts nine seniors, and I would encourage you
to take a few minutes following commencement to
view the inspiring work of the class’s advanced art
students, which is displayed in our Fine and Performing
Arts Building Basement Gallery. And three years ago
students from the class of 2010 founded a Thespian
Troupe, which has produced four student-run, directed
and acted plays. Ten seniors from the class have
performed in Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Contemporary
Comedies and As You Like It.
Combining their love of music with a commitment
to service, members of the class of 2010 began a
Share the Music Club, which performed at senior
centers, local children’s hospitals and charity
fundraising events. They also coordinated an
instrument drive to collect sheet music, strings,
instruments and supplies for the Community Music
School in Raleigh, whose mission is to provide
quality music instruction to children from low
income families in the area.
Under senior class leadership this 9 th year of our
Reedy Creek Elementary School Tutoring program
was its most successful yet, as more students
participated than ever before. As a result, Reedy
Creek Elementary School was recognized as one of
the top 10 Wake County Public Elementary Schools
in annual student growth in math and reading.
Reedy Creek students showed more academic
growth than 90% of students in other county
schools, and according to the Reedy Creek
program liaison and school principal, Cary
Academy’s Tutoring Program is directly responsible
for this accomplishment.
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Cary Academy May/June 2010
After all, I do have two daughters who attend
North Carolina State, and my boss, Dr. Goodnight, is
an NC State alum. And because I also have a
daughter who is graduating today, Courtney, this is a
good time to profess my allegiance to ECU as well.
(Now, I donned an ECU cap.)
Returning to NC State, this class additionally
boasts a Park Scholar, which like Chapel Hill’s
Morehead-Cain is extremely competitive and rewards
its recipients with a full tuition scholarship and
special academic and internship programs.
And these are not our class’s only scholarship
recipients. The class of 2010 received more than $4
million dollars in scholarship awards.
In addition to attending many of North Carolina’s
public universities, this class will be our school’s first
to have two students entering United States Service
Academies, Army and Navy, and it also has students
matriculating at some of our nation’s best small
liberal arts colleges, such as Bucknell, Davidson,
Lafayette, Sewanee, Shenandoah, Williams,
Washington and Lee, and Wellesley.
Wolfpack backer Don Berger
As for athletics, 15 members of this graduating
class hold school records. They have led the way in
winning Triangle Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Championships in volleyball, girls’ swimming, boys’
swimming, and boys’ tennis, and have captained teams
that were state championship runners-up in girls’
volleyball, boys’ cross country, boys’ track and boys’
tennis. Furthermore, senior leadership led to our best
seasons ever in field hockey, lacrosse and golf.
One might be inclined to conclude that this class
stands out for its academic, artistic and athletic
accomplishments, but I propose that the class’s most
profound legacy to our school has been its service. The
class of 2010 has given back to our school, Triangle
community and world in numerous ways, many of
which were listed in yesterday’s tribute to the class in
Finally, students in the class of 2010 led our school
in its adoption of a new values statement
emphasizing respect, integrity and compassion. In
addition, this class’ National Honors Society
leaders selected ethics as the topic for its annual
speaker series. At a time when our country seems
overwhelmed by political scandals and corporate
malfeasance, this class’ refocusing our school’s
attention on respect, integrity and compassion
gives cause for optimism. Seniors, you have
helped the Cary Academy community reflect on
how it conducts itself, and not only am I optimistic
that your work and influence will improve the
ethical underpinnings of our school, but I am
optimistic that you will have the same impact on
the colleges you attend and eventually on the
businesses or organizations where you will work.
It is with that sense of optimism for our future, and
for your future as well, that I will soon shake your
hands with pride that you are Cary Academy
graduates. Congratulations.