Student Life
Student Life at Cary Christian School
Students have abundant opportunities to pursue the fine arts, engage in leadership and service opportunities, attend school dances, and much more.
FINE ARTS
The fine arts are a vibrant and rich expression of God’s creation in all its joy, sorrow, tragedy, and comedy. CCS students may study music (band, chorus, music appreciation), theatre (
BAND & CHORAL ARTS
Our Logic School and Rhetoric School band and choral programs offer a welcoming and inclusive environment for students who enjoy making music together. While the programs do not heavily focus on competition, they provide meaningful opportunities for students to grow musically and perform publicly.
Each year, the ensembles present two concerts, where students share their progress and passion with the school community.
Looking ahead, both programs aim to encourage and support student participation in competitive district events and regional auditioned ensembles, helping students further challenge themselves and expand their musical experiences.
VISUAL ARTS
At Cary Christian School we believe that creativity reflects the image of our Creator. Whether students are beginning their artistic journey or preparing for advanced study, our curriculum offers students the opportunity to develop foundational skills as well as build on and exercise those skills in a supportive environment. Through exhibitions, contests, and portfolio development, we help students build confidence and appreciation for the power of visual communication.
CCS students have celebrated many accolades over the years in the following competitions and programs; NCDOT Aviation poster competition, Congressional Art Competition, NCMA Artists in Process Exhibition, Fine Arts League of Cary Teens Inspired Exhibition, The ACCS Blakey Fine Arts Competition, and many more!
THEATRE ARTS
In addition to our popular Main Stage productions, students present one-act competition pieces each year. Productions consist of both classical and modern work and have included pieces by Shakespeare, Wilde, Brontë, Wodehouse, Poe, and Austen, as well as Wilder, Saroyan, and Kaufman and Hart.
Both Logic and Rhetoric Drama students participate in the North Carolina Theatre Conference Regional Play Festivals, where many of our pieces are student-directed.
Drama students are encouraged to participate in every aspect of the production experience, from playwriting to set design to lights and sound. The program Directors, Choreographer, Choral Consultant, and Set Designer sport impressive resumes and bring a wealth of creativity to our productions.
Our CCS Theatre Program has come to be highly respected, both with our audiences and within the greater North Carolina Middle and High School Theatre realm.
Recent Productions Include:
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Jane Eyre
- Macbeth
- A Murder is Announced
- Pride and Prejudice
- The Three Musketeers
- The Jungle Book
- Snow White: The Queen’s Fair Daughter
- Litte Red Riding Hood: Grandmother’s Tale
- Our Town
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- You Can’t Take It With You
- The Curious Savage
- It’s A Wonderful Life
- War of the Worlds
LEADERSHIP & SERVICE
CLASS REPRESENTATIVES
Class Representatives serve as liaisons between the student community and the CCS Administration, sharing feedback from a student perspective. Class Representatives are nominated by students and appointed by teachers and the CCS Administration. The Class Representatives and School Administrators engage in rational, loving conversations addressing issues concerning our classrooms, our culture, and our campus.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Student Leadership roles also include planning and organizing events and activities in the life of the school. The student leadership application process occurs in the spring for the upcoming school year. Students work with staff advisors to lead the following teams:
(1) House Exec Team – This team is responsible for leading, planning, and implementing House events. The House system provides opportunities for what we call “vertical unity.” Rather than the standard categories of grade and age providing an identity, House encourages younger students to look up to and interact with older students, while the older students are given the opportunity to lead and care for the younger students. All 6th – 12th grade students and teachers are assigned to a House. Through the years, students from the same family are assigned to the same House to build and nurture the legacy of community interactions. In the House system, we embody the love that God has given in how we live and what we do.
- The Edwards House: Named after eighteenth-century American theologian and Pastor Jonathan Edwards
- The Lewis House: Named after C.S. Lewis, twentieth-century scholar, author, and theologian at Magdalen College, Oxford University
- The Luther House: Named after sixteenth-century German Reformer, pastor, and theologian Martin Luther
- The Schaeffer House: Named after Francis Schaeffer, twentieth-century author and apologist
House activities are scheduled for every Friday (Logic School) and one Friday per quarter (Rhetoric School). These are led by the House Leadership and House Advisors. Our KnightsFest competition is held in Quarter 3.
(2) Social Exec Team – This team is responsible for leading, planning, and implementing social events. The social events currently include Homecoming Week, Hoedown dance, Snowball dance, and Christmas activities.
(3) Service Exec Team – This team is responsible for leading, planning, and implementing service opportunities at CCS. The Service opportunities consist of activities with at least one activity per quarter (e.g., interactions between Lower School and Upper School students, Angel Tree, note writing, food drives).
(4) Worship Exec Team – This team is responsible for leading, planning, and implementing one community worship night per quarter.
(5) Communication Exec Team – This team is responsible for working with all student leadership teams and clubs, with oversight from the Director of Marketing and Communications, to manage student communications for the The Knightly News (weekly school e-newsletter), Commons Area message board, hallway bulletin boards, and social media posts.
SENIOR SERVICE PRACTICUM
Each year our senior class has the opportunity to travel and serve together. We have developed ministry partners through our annual trip to Newport, Tennessee. Our students use their Spanish skills as they interact with community members in our Coats for the Cold service project. They also engage in meaningful construction projects and spend time as role models with the local Boys and Girls Clubs. We have built relationships in this community and are honored to have the opportunity to serve with them each year.
CLUBS, SOCIAL, & RETREATS
CLUBS
Clubs at CCS are student led with staff advisors. This structure allows for students to learn valuable leadership skills while giving their schoolmates an opportunity to gather in groups, sharing common interests and ideas. There is an annual club proposal and application process each spring to determine club offerings for the following school year. A few long-term clubs include: Art Club, Chess Club, Cross Culture Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Literature Club, and Society of St. Monica’s.
8th GRADE TEA
The 8th Grade Tea is a CCS tradition where the 8th grade students practice elegance and social skills. This event offers an opportunity to dress up, spend time with classmates and table hosts (parents and Rhetoric School students), and enjoy tea and refreshments together.
DANCES
CCS hosts three dances for our Rhetoric School (9-12) students:
- Hoedown (Western theme) – Fall event
- Snowball (Semi-formal) – Winter event
- Protocol (Formal for Juniors and Seniors) – Spring event
Something special happens when our ladies and gentlemen arrive for school dances. As they trade uniforms for formal or western wear, they step into a tradition older than Cary Christian School. Historically, dances were anticipated a central social event. Dances fostered a sense of community, offering participants a chance to engage in something beautiful and orderly. Our culture has lost this perspective, but we believe it is worth reclaiming.
In Rhetoric School, we aim to cultivate wisdom, eloquence, and elegance. At our dances, the students continue to practice elegance, but in a context different than our classrooms. Don’t be mistaken-the dances are not austere or stuffy! The students have fun; they laugh, clap, and cheer throughout the night! The sight of the whole Rhetoric School dancing intricate steps as gracefully as they can is elegance embodied. We teach students the dance steps during the school day in advance to help replace awkward self-consciousness with joyful participation. The students are very skilled in these dances by their senior year.
We hope that our dances impart in our students a freedom to be different from what is dictated to them by their culture. Instead of a high-pressure prom where students are concerned with being asked to dance or even how to dance, we cultivate an elegant, community-focused environment. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Our school’s dances are one way we attempt to carry out this mission and bless our students with times of fun and memorable fellowship.
RETREATS
Our annual retreats offer students the opportunity to strengthen relationships with their teachers and classmates, spend time outdoors enjoying God’s creation, consider their own faith journey, and have fun.
- 5th Grade – One-day, off-campus retreat for student and their parents
- 8th Grade – One-day, off-campus retreat for student and their teachers
- 9th-12th Grade – Overnight (3 days, 2 nights), off-campus retreat for students and their teachers
