by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Arts The school's art courses include architecture, ceramics, computer animation, design, drawing/sketching, graphics, painting, photography, sculpture, technical design and production, textiles, and video and film production. In addition, the school's music courses include band, choir/chorus, jazz band, and orchestra. Cary Academy also offers performance arts courses including creative writing, dance, drama, poetry. Foreign language and exchange The school offers four language courses—Chinese-Mandarin, French, German, and Spanish—starting in middle school. In addition, a foreign exchange program that allows 100 upper school students to travel to Argentina, Austria, Chile, China, or France each year. Between 95 to 98% of students participate in this program. Technology From its inception, Cary Academy has placed a heavy emphasis on technology. From 1997 until 2006, Cary Academy featured desktop computers in every classroom, as per the "one-computer-per-student" policy in use at the time. For the 2006–07 school year, these were replaced with tablet PCs issued to every student. Extracurricular activities Athletics Cary Academy is a Division 1 member of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA). It is also a member of the Capital Area Middle School Conference. Boys athletic teams include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Girls athletic teams include basketball, cross country, cheerleading, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. NCISAA State Championships Girls Swim Team, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Boys Swim Team 2015, 2019 Boys Cross Country 2017 Varsity Girls Cross Country 2006, 2012, 2017 Varsity Boys Tennis Team 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 Girls Track and Field, 2012 Clubs Student clubs include the Art Club, the Chess Club, Community Service, Debate, the Drama Club, the Foreign Language and Culture Club, Math Club, National Honor Society, the Robotics Club, SADD, the Science Club, the Step Team, Student Council / Government, and the Technology Club. Speech and debate Cary Academy's Speech and Debate Team participates in competitions of the Tarheel Forensic League. In 2004, the team was state champions, winning the Governor's Cup. The Cary Academy chapter of the National Speech and Debate Association received the Leading Chapter Award for the Tarheel East District in 2007, 2013, and 2015. The National Speech & Debate Society named Cary Academy #28 on the Top 100 Schools, which includes both public and private schools, for the 2020–21 school year. Team State Championships