Upper School - Cary Christian School | K-12 Classical Christian Education

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Not a College Prep School

Darla McDonald

Cary Christian School is not a college prep school. Wait, what? Now, before any of you begin to question the robustness and efficacy of our academic program here at Cary Christian School, let me explain. A plethora of college prep...

School Dances

Kristen Clarkson

Something magical happens when our ladies and gentlemen arrive at school for Snowball, Protocol, and even Hoedown. As they trade their uniforms for formalwear (or western wear), they step into a tradition even older than Cary Christian School. Historically, dances...

Great Books: Encounters with Truth, Goodness, & Beauty

Kristen Clarkson

In half a dozen classrooms they gather then,—here to follow the love song of Dido, here to listen to the tale of Troy divine; there to wander among the stars, there to wander among men and nations,—and elsewhere other well-worn...

2020 Valedictory Address

Ryan Bishop, Class of 2020

Cary Christian School’s class of 2020 graduated on June 11. This year our salutatorian was Sua Cho and our valedictorian was Ryan Bishop. One of the highlights of every CCS graduation is the privilege of hearing the wise and eloquent...

Read Well, Live Well: Learning Virtue Through Great Literature

Kristen Clarkson

“Education is teaching our children to desire the right things,” Plato asserted millennia ago. Classical Christian educators, faculty, and parents herald this idea, yet struggle to identify the “right things.” As college applications and standardized tests loom over the Upper...

2019 Commencement Address

Caroline Kraehe

Good Evening CCS Board, administration, faculty and staff, parents and families, students, and to you, the class of 2019. In Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the return of Sauron was possible because the creatures and men who peopled Middle...

2019 Valedictory Address

Zoe Vestal, Class of 2019

Cary Christian School’s class of 2019 graduated on May 16. This year our salutatorian was Matthew Stikeleather and our valedictorian was Zoe Vestal. One of the highlights of every CCS graduation is the privilege of hearing the wise and eloquent...

From Tragedy to Hope: How Classical Literature Points Students to the Gospel

Kristen Clarkson

“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering,” wrote C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain, “and you find that you have excluded life itself.” Man has always suffered, and we have always tried to cope. The urge to understand suffering...

Is Your Child an Excellent Student?

Darla McDonald

Is your child an excellent student? How did you answer that question? If you’re like most, your mind immediately evaluated your children’s report card grades and arrived at a response. You probably answered in the affirmative if your child receives...

Who Am I?

Aaron Hartley

I enjoy having my students answer and write about very open-ended questions: What is virtue? What is a role-model? How can we engage in dialogue with those with whom we vehemently disagree? These can be deeply philosophical questions, but also...