We had yet another splendid graduation this year at the Pyramids. Our signature graduation has always been unique. 
Last school year, Keegan Baca grade 12, Yomna El Shabrawy, Noor Ramzy grade 8 and Cadence Wisniewski grade 6, took part in the Film Festival competition offered by the Student Voice Organization. They created a 2 minute film responding to the prompt “In Another’s Shoes” showcased at a live film screening celebration at ISTE 2018 in Chicago, IL USA
If you were around in the 70’s you probably remember Mr. Rick Field, who was the Athletics Director and Coach at CAC. Below is his recount of his days in CAC, taking us on an incredible journey back to the 70’s.
“You ask who were the CAC’ers of the 70s? - Why were they so special?
It is really very simple - they did more with less than CAC’ers in more recent times – but then again life in Egypt was far different back then – the 70’s gang lived through the October 6th war, the death and funeral of Umm Kulthum, and they learned to live without imported products and having no American Embassy until 1974, went to school in prefab buildings - many without a/c - ran around a dusty gravel track and played basketball on an outdoor clay and then a tile court (had no gym, no pool, no assembly hall, no wellness center, etc.) – but they somehow endured and they both thrived and succeeded!
Their classmates came from more than 50 different countries, their athletic teams not only competed all across Egypt but also across the Middle East and into Europe. They developed a reputation for being fierce competitors and having great pride in their school. Outsiders came to Maadi to see for themselves what the Screaming Eagles were all about. They stayed in our homes, walked the halls of our school, chilled out Zacki’s back gate, shopped in the souk, and began to understand why there was so much pride worn on each of the CAC jerseys of the boys and girls who gained victory after victory over the more seasoned athletes from the much bigger international schools in Iran, Greece, and Europe. One great example of this dominance was the fact that CAC’er won the first three 5k Pyramids runs that was the signature event of the annual Screaming Eagles international track meet hosted by CAC. Again, very simply, our athletes just trained much harder and longer and Ahmed’s famous late bus got later and later every week…
Yes, our CAC’ers from the 70s were a potpourri of FIRSTS – 1st model UN, 1st debate trip outside of country, 1st band trip outside of Maadi, 1st burying of a time capsule, 1st sports banquet, 1st graduation at the Pyramids, 1st sports trip to Beirut, to Iran, to Bahrain, to Greece, to Europe, 1st hosted MESA Sports Tournament, 1st hosted international track & field meet with teams from Beirut, and Iran, 1st hosted 7-a-side soccer tournament (Luftansa Cup), 1st rugby matches with other clubs in Cairo (the French, Brits, and the Russians), 1st community softball leagues on campus, 1st sports boosters club, and many Egyptian National Champions amongst CAC’s super-fast female runners, etc.
CAC’ers back then were first whenever possible - they never gave up or accepted the easy way.
We also shared our campus every Friday for several years with a group of Russian professors and their families from the University at Helwan. We competed against them in soccer and basketball and they helped officiate many of our games during the school year and even participated in some of their own sports events they held for their own families. We never had a single problem that could not be resolved with a handshake or pat on the back despite ongoing political and diplomatic battling between our two countries.
One testament to our prowess was how a group of graduates from the 70’s dominated the various sporting competitions we hosted at the CAC 2000 Reunion as we competed against teams from the 80’s and 90’s…us old folks still had that magic! “ Rick Field, Director and Coach of Athletics.
