SUMMER 2016
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PAC E A C A D E M Y
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PACE PATRIARCH
RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR. PACE ACADEMY CELEBRATES THE
ARTS
GRADUATION
2016
ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
THE YEAR OF
THE CLASS OF
CLIMATE
and
Spring Sports Coverage
Save the Date 10 • 29 • 16 Pace Academy’s day off
A Totally Fall Fair paceacademy.org/fallfair
#pacefallfair #liketotallyawesome
SUMMER 2016
The 2016 Pace Race was a huge success! Read all about it on page 31.
LE TTER FROM TH E EDITOR
I
Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
’m 100 pages into this year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) recommended reading, Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change, and already I’m concerned. “The world is now warmer than it has been at any point in the last two millennia,” Kolbert writes. “The arctic is melting… Between the 1960s and 1990s, sea-ice depth in a large section of the Arctic Ocean declined by nearly 40 percent.” This is not good news; in fact, Field Notes from a Catastrophe paints a pretty bleak picture of the future of this planet we call home. And yet, I’m cautiously optimistic. I’ve seen how knowledge can change habits. I turn off the tap while brushing my teeth and avoid bottled water as a result of the ICGL’s Year of WATER. After examining FOOD, the meat and veggies in our house come from nearby farms, delivered by a local CSA. We compost. If exploring the ICGL’s themes has changed the way I live, I have to think that it has affected other members of the Pace community, and together, our small changes have to be making an impact, right? So, I’m resolved to remain hopeful, and I’m looking forward to discovering what the ICGL’s Year of CLIMATE has in store.
CONTENTS 6
NEWS What you need to know
10 AROUND PACE A look at what's happening on campus 11 MIKE GANNON: 20 YEARS 12 EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP ROBERT SHEFT and DARON PAIR sign off 14 RETIRING TEACHERS CHARLOTTE BROWN, NEVA MORRISON and JANE SIBLEY 16 UNDERCLASSMEN AWARDS Acknowledging excellence in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools
18 ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS Celebrating our talented visual and performing artists
24 SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow Pace!
Baseball, golf, tennis, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, and track & field
32 ICGL
facebook.com/ paceacademy
pinterest.com/ paceacademy
instagram.com/ paceacademy
twitter.com/ paceacademy
Wrapping up the Year of FOOD
38 GLOBAL LEADERS Highlighting students who set the pace outside of school
40 GRADUATION The Class of 2016 goes out in style
46 RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR. We profile a Pace patriarch
52 THE YEAR OF CLIMATE Introducing the 2016–2017 Isdell Center for Global Leadership theme
56 ALUMNI 56 UPDATES 62 ALUMNI OUT & ABOUT 63 GOLDEN KNIGHTS 63 A PRICELESS GIFT MICHAEL JEROME ’66 gives back 64 LEGACIES
T H E MA G A Z INE OF PACE ACADEMY
CONTRIBUTORS WILSON ALEXANDER ’14 WILSON ALEXANDER is a rising junior at the University of Georgia, where he’s studying journalism. He also covers football and is an assistant sports editor for The Red & Black. While at Pace, Alexander was the co-editorin-chief of The Knightly News and a four-year member of the swimming, football and baseball teams. In his free time he enjoys traveling, watching sports, and relaxing with his family and friends.
FRED GLASS ’89 After graduating from Pace, FRED GLASS attended the University of Georgia as a business major and went on to receive his MBA in finance from Georgia State University. He is a financial planner and strategist with Glass Financial in Atlanta. He is the husband of ELIZABETH GLASS, a member of the Pace Academy Office of Advancement, and father of MERRITT ANN GLASS ’19 and KATHLEEN GLASS ’22. The Glass family lives in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.
ELIZABETH HETZEL ELIZABETH HETZEL is an Atlanta native. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Georgia's College of Journalism and Mass Communication, then obtained a master’s in English from the University of West Georgia and a master’s in teaching from Georgia State University. Hetzel is a freelance writer, a teacher at Holy Spirit Preparatory School and an adjunct instructor at Kennesaw State University. She resides in Atlanta’s Garden Hills neighborhood with her husband, RUSS HETZEL ’92, and two teenage daughters, Rebekah and Sarah.
JIBRIL SADIQ ’17 JIBRIL SADIQ is a rising Pace senior and a member of the Knight Gallery staff, the Student Advisory Board and the cross-country team. He’s looking forward to taking Advanced Art Studio this year and plans to pursue art in college. In his free time, Sadiq enjoys drawing, writing and painting. Over the summer, he interned with Pace’s communications and advancement departments.
PACE CARES When our families and staff are in need, Pace Cares. Contact us to deliver a meal: 404-926-3727 or pacecares@paceacademy.org
KnightTimes 966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org
Head of School FRED ASSAF
Division Heads MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School JOHN ANDERSON Head of Middle School SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School
Communications Department CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, Editor RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager
Staff Writers TROY BAKER Director of Athletics LIZ WIEDEMANN Stewardship Manager
Contributing Photographers FRED ASSAF GEMSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com LAURA INMAN
Our Mission To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy. To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Jones at caitlin.jones@paceacademy.org.
The Assaf family on graduation day. From left to right: FRED, SAM '19, MARTHA, MICK '16, HANK '15, JACK '13 and TOMMY '21
LE TTER F ROM TH E HEAD OF SC HOOL
Dear Pace Family, The speed at which time passes continually amazes me. Was it really 11 years ago that the Assaf family joined the Pace Academy community, and the Class of 2016, then entering second grade, welcomed our son MICK into its ranks? What a journey it has been, and what a joy it was to celebrate our most recent graduates this spring. In his Baccalaureate address, REV. DR. TONY SUNDERMEIER, a Pace parent, urged our graduates to steward the privilege and experiences of their Pace education. “This experience at Pace is a gift,” Sundermeier said. “You don’t deserve it any more or any less than anyone else, so be grateful for it… and demonstrate your gratitude by stewarding it, not just for your own gain but for the sake of the world.” Sundermeier’s words reminded me once again of the importance of our mission: “To create prepared, confident citizens of the world.” To work in the spirit of this mission means that we as a community must steward our gifts, talents, resources and experiences so that our graduates will go on to do good in whatever arenas they choose to participate. In this issue, we look back on the many ways in which we endeavored to live out our mission this past year. We celebrate student and faculty accomplishments, as well as successes in the arts and athletics; we reflect on the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s Year of FOOD (page 32) and begin exploring next year’s global theme of CLIMATE (page 52); and we pay homage to S. RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR., an early believer in Pace Academy’s power to shape citizens of the world (page 46). As we enjoy the final days of summer and enter into a new school year, may we remain focused on our mission and steward our Pace experiences to change the world.
ON THE COVER
Sincerely,
Sophomore ELIZA WALDROP’S painting will be used to promote next year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership theme of CLIMATE. Read about Waldrop's process on page 54.
Fred Assaf HEAD OF SCHOOL
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NEWS What you need to know
HOME OF THE KNIGHTS GROWS Softball field to be added at Riverview Sports Complex
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KnightTimes | Summer 2016
THE PACE ACADEMY Knights’ Sports Complex on Riverview Road is about to get bigger. In March, the Board of Trustees announced that Pace will consolidate satellite athletic facilities at the Riverview site after reaching an agreement to sell its Warren Road Softball Complex to the Galloway School. Proceeds from the sale of Warren Road will be used to construct state-of-the-art facilities for softball and middle-school baseball at Riverview. Plans include an all-weather, artificial turf softball field, four covered batting cages, locker rooms and bathrooms. These facilities will enhance the 23-acre complex, which currently consists of Walsh Field, Charlie Owens Baseball Field, a multipurpose field, locker rooms and a snack bar.
Com ing Soon !
The new field will front Riverview Road and sit adjacent to Charlie Owens Baseball Field and the entrance to the complex. In addition, the infield of Charlie Owens Baseball Field will be converted to artificial turf. Construction of the space is underway and should be completed late in the winter of 2016. To accommodate construction, softball will be played on Charlie Owens Baseball Field during the 2016 fall sports season, the infield of which will be temporarily converted for softball. The Diamond Knights will play on their new softball field in 2017. “We are thrilled that, with the completion of this project, baseball, softball, football, soccer and lacrosse fans will all be able to gather at Riverview to support the Knights,” says ROBERT SHEFT, chair of the Board of Trustees.
NEWS
Head of Middle School JOHN ANDERSON presented Williams with his award on May 10.
Williams Receives ABC Young Leaders Award DILLON WILLIAMS will tell you he’s shy, but that hasn’t stopped this sixth grader from making an impact during his first year at Pace Academy. “Dillon is a quiet leader who makes an effort to establish connections with others and to move everyone forward,” says Associate Director of Middle School Admissions FÉ PATRICIU. An excellent student, a member of the swimming and track teams and the Middle School’s most frequent host for prospective students, Williams is one of two sixth graders nationwide to receive the 2016 A Better Chance Young Leaders Award. The annual award is presented to A Better Chance (ABC) Scholars who demonstrate academic excellence and leadership within their school communities; it includes a gift of $250. As an organization, ABC strives to “increase substantially the number of well-educated young people of color who are capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.” Its college preparatory schools program annually recruits,
refers, and supports about 500 A Better Chance Scholars at more than 300 of the nation’s leading boarding, day and public schools. Pace has been a proud ABC partner for 35 years. “Dillon has always had a love for learning, and Pace has given him a platform to be himself while being academically challenged and involved,” says his mother, VEMINDA WILLIAMS. “The level of commitment that Pace faculty and staff demonstrate and their dedication to academics are more than we could have hoped for. Becoming a part of the Pace community has been wonderful for our family.” The ABC Young Leaders Award also serves as a continued call to action, encouraging recipients to live into their leadership potential and contribute to their communities—something Patriciu feels confident Williams will do. “Dillon’s journey is just beginning, and I, along with his teachers and coaches, am excited to see the amazing things that he will do.”
A Published Poet MARIT UYHAM may have a future in songwriting or storytelling. The fifth grader received first prize in the February 2016 Cricket League poetry competition. Cricket magazine, which “features the best short stories, poems, and articles by the world’s finest children’s authors and is illustrated by the best artists from here and abroad,” coordinated the contest. Each entrant was asked to submit an original poem about love. Uyham’s poem
How to Make a Valentine appeared in the Cricket League section of the magazine’s May/June 2016 issue and on the Cricket website.
VENIMUS, VIDIMUS, VICIMUS!
LATIN is alive and well at Pace Academy! As the school year came to a close, students in the Middle and Upper Schools endured epic battles of wit to conquer linguistic challenges. In April, Upper School students participated in the Georgia Junior Classical League State Convention, where they brought home a first-place trophy for points earned per delegate in the medium school division. Individual top-five awards went to freshmen CATHERINE BRENNAN, CARTER FERGUSON, MERRITT ANN GLASS and JACOB SLOMAN, sophomore JACKSON FULLER, junior KYLE DUVAL (pictured above at last year's Club Fair) and senior ANDREW WU. Students also took the National Latin Exam (NLE) with impressive results. Perfect Papers were awarded to seventh-grader HARLEY RYAN, eighthgrader ALAN TAPPER, and freshmen ABIGAIL LUND and Sloman. Twenty-one Pace students earned NLE gold medals. Juniors Duval and PRASHANTH KUMAR received Book Awards for four consecutive gold medals, while Wu and senior JOHNNY REECE were recognized for five consecutive gold medals. And, in The Classical Association of the Middle West and South’s Latin Translation Contest, both Wu and junior JULIA ROSS received Letters of Commendation, placing them amongst the top 20 percent of entries.
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NEWS
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COLLEGIATE COIN The Office of College Counseling welcomes former college admissions director JONATHAN FERRELL ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR of College Counseling JONATHAN FERRELL knows exactly what distinguishes one college application from another—he’s been on the receiving end of the college-admissions process for more than a decade. Ferrell comes to Pace Academy from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., where he served for three years as associate dean of admission and director of recruitment before becoming director of admission in 2013. Under Ferrell’s leadership, prospective student interest increased to record levels, enabling Millsaps to exceed targets for student enrollment, diversity and academic quality. He oversaw the college’s overall admission and recruitment strategy, helped design and implement a strong merit scholarship program and worked with partners to craft a financial-aid model that supported institutional growth. Ferrell also worked in multiple roles within the Centenary College of Louisiana’s Office of Admission. Ferrell received his undergraduate degree from Centenary College of Louisiana and holds a MBA from Millsaps. He is an active participant in the National Association for College Admission Counseling and serves on Southern Association for College Admission Counseling’s board. In his new role, Ferrell will mentor and assist Pace students and families in the college search, support programming and education around the college process and build relationships with institutions of higher education around the world. “At a time when many independent schools struggle to survive, Pace continues to gain strength and momentum,” Ferrell says. “I have been fortunate to interact with Pace students for the past 10 years, and these young people have blown me away in every encounter. These things have made it easy for me to make the decision to ‘switch sides of the desk’ and join the Pace community.”
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KnightTimes | Summer 2016
BIG THINKING STARTS SMALL MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI joins the Lower School as director of Design Thinking AMONG her many hobbies, MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI lists tennis, cooking and “creating new possibilities in the form of projects that can change the world”—no small task, but as Lower School director of Design Thinking, Bongiovanni and her aspirational, problem-solving “hobby” will undoubtedly shape global citizens. Design Thinking is a human-centered approach to problem solving that strives to cultivate innovation through hands-on challenges, ultimately teaching the four Cs: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication. It’s a methodology that perfectly aligns with Bongiovanni’s pedagogy. “I work to create an educational experience that allows every child to benefit from the transformative power that results from meaningful, scholarly collaboration,” she says. “I make choices about what matters most: students learning in ways that show high-order thinking, real-world connections, self-confidence and a deep respect for others. I maximize interdisciplinary efforts in order to investigate the complex intersections of knowledge and learning so that students and teachers can fuel the power of collaboration.” Bongiovanni earned her undergraduate degree at William Smith College and went on to receive a master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She holds certifications in K–12 administration and professional coaching and was a semifinalist in the 2016 XQ Super School Challenge, which tasks participants to use their “knowledge, rigor and creativity to create a new model for school itself.” Over the course of her career in education, Bongiovanni has played a variety of roles—from classroom teacher, servicelearning coordinator, and director of pedagogy to educational, organizational and Design Thinking consultant. Her work has garnered awards and commendations from city councils and school districts in her native Pennsylvania, and she’s excited about bringing her passion for collaboration to Pace.
NEWS
The 2015–2016 staff of The Knightly News. Photo courtesy of the Pacesetter.
Newsworthy News Coverage FOR MANY YEARS, the Georgia Scholastic Press Association (GSPA) has awarded The Knightly News, Pace Academy’s Upper School student newspaper, a rating of “Excellent” in the General Excellence category of its annual statewide newspaper competition. This year, however, for only the second time in its history, The Knightly News earned a “Superior” rating, the highest rating awarded by the GSPA. The Knightly News website, entered in a separate category, received a rating of “Excellent.” LEE WILSON is The Knightly News faculty advisor, and senior Co-Editors-in-Chief DORI GREENBERG and JOE LOUGHRAN led the 2015–2016 staff.
Funstonov&itz Movs
A Debate Update PACE ACADEMY’S varsity debate team completed another successful year under the leadership of coach SHUNTÁ JORDAN. At the close of the regular season, the team of senior REID FUNSTON and junior JAKE MOVSOVITZ ranked 16th in the 2016 National Top 25 High School Debate Coaches Poll, placing them amongst an elite group of policy debaters. At the National Debate Coaches Association’s national championship in April, Funston competed with junior MISHA ANDRA-THOMAS. The duo finished the preliminary round of the competition with a 4–2 record and earned a berth in the elimination debates. When all was said and done, Funston and Thomas finished 19th in the nation.
Members of the Pace Academy debate team.
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AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace
CELEBRATING GENEROUS GIVING ON APRIL 28, Pace Academy and its Board of Trustees thanked more than 250 Pace supporters at the annual Knights of the Round Table celebration. Hosted by TED and CATHERINE MCMULLAN, the event honored Pace Fund Committee volunteers and all Pace supporters who gave $1,500 or more to the school this year. The celebratory gathering was held at The Stave Room at American Spirit Works, a new venue located in the Sweetwater Design District. Previously held each fall, the Knights of the Round Table party has moved to a springtime gathering.
THE STARRIEST OF KNIGHTS
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KnightTimes | Summer 2016
ON APRIL 2, the Pace Academy Parents Club hosted its annual Gala & Auction, this year themed “Starry Knights: Where Knights Become Shining Stars.� Pace parents ALICIA GANT and SUSAN MCCAFFREY co-chaired the beautiful evening, which took place at the RitzCartlon, Buckhead. Nearly 500 members of the Pace family joined the party. Thanks to Parents Club President AMY DWYER, more than 150 parent volunteers, and all those who donated auction items, sponsored the event, or attended and bid, Starry Knights raised more than $560,000. The proceeds directly benefit the entire Pace community by supporting programs like the Isdell Center for Global Leadership, Design Thinking, the arts, athletics, and professional development for faculty and staff.
Gannon with CARLY SHOULBERG '16 —the first-ever recipient of The Mike Gannon Award for Excellence in History.
AROUND PACE
History Prize Honors Gannon’s 20 YEARS AT PACE It’s hard to surprise MIKE GANNON. As Head of Upper School, knowing the goingson of all students at all times is part of his job description. Yet Upper School History Department Chair TIM HORNOR succeeded in shocking his levelheaded leader when he interrupted Gannon’s Senior Honors Program presentation in May. “Today marks an important, historic day… what I hope is a historic midpoint,” Hornor told attendees, “and that is, this year marks Mike Gannon’s 20th anniversary here at Pace Academy. “[Gannon’s] true loves are his family, teaching students here at Pace and lacrosse. Like all organizations, schools reflect their leaders, and we as a faculty and as a school are so incredibly fortunate to have Mike Gannon as our Head of Upper School and… a member of the history department…. [As a teacher,] he provokes and prods, he challenges students to think more creatively, gets them to demand more from themselves than they ever thought possible, and he promotes discussions sorely needed in the nation at large about citizenship, history and America’s place in the world.” On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Head of School FRED ASSAF, all Pace faculty and the Upper School history department, Hornor announced the renaming of the annual history department prize to The Mike Gannon Award for Excellence in History. Hornor went on: “This year and for many years to come, this award will honor those students who reflect those qualities that have come to exemplify Gannon’s stewardship of his classes and this school: academic rigor but with an understanding of history that extends beyond the textbook, beyond the classroom, and beyond, into life.”
Gannon in 2003
SAVE THE DATE Friday, Oct. 21, 2016 • 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. • Pace Tennis Courts Calling all Pace moms! Play a fun day of tennis and have lunch with moms from Lower, Middle & Upper Schools. • • • •
Exciting prizes Yummy lunch Awesome party favor Lots of music & fun
Queens
OF THE COURT
AROUND PACE
BOARD CHAIRMAN ROBERT SHEFT BIDS FAREWELL
Sheft with Assaf in 2015
When ROBERT SHEFT’S term as chair of the Pace Academy Board of Trustees concludes this summer, Sheft will leave in his wake a better Pace Academy. He and his wife, HOPE SHEFT, came to Atlanta more than 15 years ago and wasted no time in becoming actively involved in Pace life. As supporters of annual giving and capital campaigns and volunteers for any needs that arose, the Shefts considered no job too big or too small. Sheft displayed the same tireless commitment to Pace as a Trustee for 11 years, during which time he co-chaired the largest capital campaign in Pace history. “Robert quickly became one of my favorite people after co-chairing the Aim High campaign with him,” says Aim High Co-Chair ELIZABETH RICHARDS. “He is incredibly smart, and his generosity is admirable. He likes a short, efficient meeting that doesn’t start early in the morning—which is probably my favorite trait of his. Robert has a great sense of humor, and I have loved being able to work alongside him to serve the Pace community.” Sheft views leadership decisions through the lens of what is best for Pace students. As Board chair, his goal was to ensure that all voices were “heard, debated and, where possible, resolved in a manner that serves the long-term interests of the Pace community.” According to Head of School FRED ASSAF, Hope and Robert Sheft understand and embrace the heart of the Pace community and did all they could to leave it better than they found it. “It is nearly impossible to measure the impact the Sheft family has made on Pace—both Hope and Robert have invested their time, talent and treasure at every turn,” Assaf says. Another living example of this commitment is the Sheft Family Academic Resource Center in the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School—a visible and powerful statement, rooted in Pace’s mission to serve all of its students with the best possible resources. “For this and so many other gifts they have given to the school, we express our most sincere gratitude to Hope and Robert,” Assaf says. The Shefts have two sons, MILES SHEFT ’13 and ELIJAH SHEFT ’15.
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KnightTimes | Summer 2016
DARON PAIR rolls off Pace Academy’s Board of Trustees this year, having contributed invaluably to every major building project at Pace since 2010, the year he became a Trustee. Pair has served on the Board’s finance and properties subcommittees, and joined the executive committee when he was appointed properties committee chair in 2011. His consistent leadership will leave a lasting mark among his peers, Pace administrators and the extended community. “Words wouldn’t do [Pair’s] service to Pace justice,” says Pace parent BOB MILLS of University Development Services. “I can’t recall a time that I was not impressed by his quick understanding of complex issues, and without fail, his pragmatic guidance has always been spot-on… He gets it!” Within a remarkably short timeframe—about six years—Pair played an integral role in completing projects that define Pace’s landscape today. Highlights include: the sale of Pace’s Warren Road Softball Complex; expanded parking and a new softball field at the Riverview Sport Complex; the new Walsh Field; Inman Center renovations; the Academic Village; and, undoubtedly a crowning achievement for Pace, the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. At the helm, steering each of those endeavors, was Pace’s Director of Facilities DAVE FORTIER, who summed up Pair’s contributions in a single comment: “I want to grow up to be like Daron Pair!” “It was a privilege to be a part of so many exciting new building projects at Pace during my time on the Board and to work with such a talented group of people,” Pair says. “It was truly a team effort, and I am very proud of the impact we have had on the Pace community for future generations.” Daron and his wife, TERRACE PAIR, are the parents of EMILY PAIR ’13 and WILLIAM PAIR ’15.
DARON PAIR
PROJECT MANAGER EXTRAORDINAIRE
Pair at the ribboncutting ceremony for the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School on Aug. 18, 2014
l Medieva Banquet
Pre-First Fun Day
Year-End Excitement
Physics Phlotilla
Team ge Challen
Come springtime, there’s no shortage of activity on the Pace Academy campus. Time-honored traditions like Lower School Principal of the Day, Great American Picnic, the sixth grade’s Medieval Banquet, field days, Physics Phlotilla and Middle School Team Challenge ensure that memorable merriment abounds.
L ower School Picnic
F ield
Days
Photo by ELOISE GAUDET '23
Great n America Picnic
of
Principal y the Da
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CHARLOTTE
JANE
AROUND PACE
BROWN
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“CHARLOTTE BROWN is a logical thinker, so you might think that leaving Pace—a place where she raised her two children—is an illogical decision,” Lower School Learning Specialist DEB COOK told students as the school year came to a close. “However, Mrs. Brown has a new grandson. It’s only logical that she move to be closer to him!” No one can argue with that reasoning, but thousands of the Pace “children” and “grandchildren” Brown has claimed as her own over the years are sad to see her go. Brown and her husband, former Upper School science teacher MIKE BROWN, and their children, LAUREN BROWN ’95 and GREG BROWN ’97, arrived at Pace in 1990. During the course of her 26 years as a Knight, Brown moved throughout the Lower School, at different times teaching in the second, first and fourth grades. When the Lower School established a hands-on science lab for its youngest students in 1999, Brown jumped at the chance to immerse herself in science, one of her favorite subjects. Not long after, computer instruction was added to her list of responsibilities. In the classroom, Brown used exploration to guide students to a deeper understanding of scientific concepts, always looking for new ways to explain complex ideas and, more recently, integrating the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s annual global
KnightTimes | Summer 2016
SIBLEY
themes into her lessons. She coordinated summer science camps, tutored individual students in math and helped perpetuate Pace traditions. For her contributions, Brown earned the Kessler Excellence in Teaching Award and, more importantly, the eternal respect and admiration of her colleagues. “[Brown] always had high expectations for her students and knew the value of hands-on instruction,” Cook says. “Her instructional focus was always to encourage students to think and make cognitive connections.” Assistant Head of Lower School PHYLLIS GRANT calls Brown “innovative,” “a collaborator” and “phenomenal.” Upon arriving at Pace in 2014, Head of Lower School SYREETA MOSELEY says she “quickly learned that [Brown] is extremely passionate about creating fun, innovative activities for students. She enjoys finding new ways to challenge them, while supporting them every step of the way. Charlotte Brown has touched the lives of many students, parents and peers, and she will be thoroughly missed.” •
OVER THE COURSE of her 33 years at Pace, visual arts teacher JANE SIBLEY amassed many collections: 34 miniature chairs for an annual drawing unit, tubes of paint stacked in Tide detergent boxes, newspaper clippings of Pace coverage, and student artwork of all shapes and sizes. But Sibley’s most valuable collection is made up of the moments she shared with people—students she brought into her fold during AP Art History courses, study tours to India and Italy, Student Council meetings, home-cooked meals and classroom conversations. Her Pace career began in the Upper School, which then included grades seven through 12, and came to a close in the Middle School, where Sibley oversaw an expanding visual arts curriculum. She arrived at Pace after stints at Atlanta Public Schools and the Lovett School, and she modeled for her students a commitment to lifelong learning and community involvement. For nearly half a century, she shaped lives—not only those of young artists, but of all young people she encountered. “Jane Sibley’s classroom was a place of freedom and expression,” says Assistant Head of Middle School KATHIE LARKIN. “She encouraged students to think outside the ordinary and see the world in different ways… great teachers touch the hearts and souls of students. Jane inspired many of
NEVA
MORRISON
School in order. She made a nearly impossible, oftentimes stressful job appear simple. And while Morrison may have bid farewell to her second stint in the registrar’s office, she’s still not quite done with Pace; she plans to provide part-time administrative support on a seasonal basis. Morrison will devote much of her retirement to quality time with husband Al Morrison, daughter HILLARY SMITH CURRIER ’87 and Currier’s family—which includes two very fortunate grandchildren —in Portland, Ore. •
AROUND PACE
her students to go on to careers in the arts. What can be more of a testimony to her great teaching?” Sibley’s colleagues admired her ability to connect with students, to meet them where they were and encourage growth. “Jane Sibley is the ideal teacher—not just because she is an expert in her field, not even because she is smart and wise, kind and patient,” says Head of Middle School JOHN ANDERSON. “Mrs. Sibley is the ideal teacher because she sees the best in each of us, and she knows how to bring it out. She is a visual artist who sees beneath the canvas and makes each of us a better person.” To honor Sibley upon her retirement, the Middle School organized “Jane Sibley Day,” a surprise assembly during which students and faculty celebrated this beloved teacher. “Mrs. Sibley’s legacy goes beyond teaching perspective and the color wheel,” Larkin told those gathered. “Her gift is helping students be more than they thought they could be, finding their hidden talents, the interesting thought, the courage to be open to new ideas… goodbye, dear friend and colleague. It is time to make art for yourself and create wonderful memories in the world beyond Pace.” •
“NEVA MORRISON has been trying for years to leave Pace,” Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON joked during a year-end faculty lunch. “We just won’t let her.” It’s true. Morrison (pictured above in 2003) came to Pace in 1987 after teaching English at Fulton High School, Ridgeview High School and Yeshiva Atlanta. For two decades, she served the school in multiple capacities, among them administrative aid, registrar and advisor to The Knightly News, the Upper School student newspaper. Morrison retired in 2007, but she couldn’t escape the confines of the Castle and, four years later, returned to work on a part-time basis, assisting with administrative tasks for several departments. In 2013, when Gannon found himself in desperate need of an Upper School registrar, he knew just who to call. Morrison agreed—on an interim, short-term basis—to tackle the myriad logistical challenges inherent in assembling academic schedules for more than 450 students and 70 faculty members. That was three years ago. “Honestly, I’ve been looking all this time for a suitable replacement for [Morrison],” Gannon says, “but there’s just no one quite like Neva.” With her attention to detail, keen organizational skills, calm demeanor, sense of humor and vast institutional knowledge, Morrison was the perfect person to keep the Upper
NEW BEGINNINGS The three faculty members retiring this year represent 84 years of service to Pace Academy. Over the decades, each has become an irremovable part of the Pace family; so, we won’t say, “goodbye,” we’ll say, “see you later!”
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CELEBRATING SUCCESS AROUND PACE
End-of-the-year awards recognize exceptional students and faculty LOWER SCHOOL Citizenship Award
Marit UyHam & Jack Wagreich ❶
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Cara Isdell Service Learning Award Bobby Mills & Joelle Zelony ❻
Columbia University Book Prize
Eno Reyes
John Propst
Harvard University Book Prize
Crissa Noelle Hawkins Scholarship Award
History Department Award
Julia Ross
Sanford and Barbara Orkin Scholars
Kate Trimble & Mitchell Zwecker ❺
Sixth Grade: Raina Moseley & Grant Thompson Seventh Grade: Isabel Battista & Riley Fox Eighth Grade: Zoie Freier & Harris Greenbaum
Dartmouth College Book Award
Jefferson Book Award
Dean’s Award for Character
Jim and Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award
Jim & Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award Seventh Grade: Josh Mininberg & Laura Romig ❷ Eighth Grade: Quill Healey & Claire Wierman
BJ Hayes Good Citizenship Award Ethan Lowry & Mary Paige Pope ❹
Daughters of the American Revolution Youth Citizenship Award Emily Caton & Will Rehmert ❸
Zoe Weitzner
Class of 2019: Merritt Ann Glass & Andrew Konradt Class of 2018: David Roos & Alex Tolliday
Eric Hay Henderson, Jr. Friendship Award Carson Myers & Rob Warren
Faculty Award for Scholarship Class of 2019: Abigail Lund & Jacob Sloman Class of 2018: Marina Hashim & Michael Simon
Frances Felicité Thomas Award Margaret Bethel
UPPER SCHOOL UNDERCLASSMEN
Frank Woodling Community Service Award
Agnes Scott College Book Award
Georgia Institute of Technology Mathematics Award
Alyse Greenbaum
Alumni Scholar Award Prashanth Kumar
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Georgia Institute of Technology Science Award
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Landon Goldstein & Alyse Greenbaum
Prashanth Kumar
Brian Sloan
Whit FitzGerald
Class of 2019: Kayla Ross & Charlie Warren Class of 2018: Ibum Obu & Jonathan Rushton ❿ Class of 2017: Mckenzie Baker & Jonathan Boss
Lance and Shield Award Class of 2019: Andrew Jenkins & Ann Rafeedie ❽ Class of 2018: Jack Douglass, Gunnor Faulk & Presley Marxmiller Class of 2017: Julia Ross & Andrew Thomas
Mike Murphy Courage to Strive for Excellence Award Class of 2019: Sam Assaf & Raina Williams Class of 2018: Canon Lynch & Jamaree Salyer ❾ Class of 2017: Tonyia Johnson & Mick Stone
Jeb Carter & Ben Thompson
Renaissance Award for Visual and Performing Arts Class of 2019: Ania Briscoe, Carter Ferguson, Jack Ferguson & Abby Ray Class of 2018: Isaiah Kelly, Will Nulty, Ibum Obu & Kate Snyder Class of 2017: Josie Cross, Thomas Hoover, Carson Myers & Justin Rayman
Sewanee Book Award for Excellence Jack McMillin
Smith College Book Award Sophie Zelony
Social Entrepreneurship Challenge Award
Emma Downey, Taylor Upchurch & Mitchell Zwecker
University of Pennsylvania Book Award Christopher Howard ❼
Vanderbilt University Book Award Avery Herman
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS
Board of Trustees 40 Years of Service Award
THE KESSLER AWARD is presented to members of the Lower and Upper School faculty who exemplify Pace’s motto, “To have the courage to strive for excellence.” The Alumni Association and the Kessler Foundation co-sponsor the award, which includes a stipend for a travel study experience. With the addition of the Middle School in 2005, Pace and the Alumni Association began presenting a similar award to Middle School teachers. The award is given each year to a teacher who makes a positive difference in the lives of students. The 2015–2016 Excellence in Teaching Award winners are CHERYL LASSITER (Lower School), EDNA-MAY HERMOSILLO (Middle School) and BRIANNA KORB (Upper School).
Class of 2013 Outstanding Teaching Award
Pace Parents Club 20 Years of Service Award Mike Gannon & Linda Teague
Cappy Lewis
Krista Wilhelmsen
Cum Laude Society Teaching Award
AROUND PACE
Mimi Ann Deas Award
Elizabeth Kann
Knight Capital Investment in Education Award Cappy Lewis
Lolly Hand Schoolkeeper Award Sara Eden
Jane and Herman Hipp English Department Fellowship Emily Washburn
Jesse C. Crawford Excellence in Teaching Award John Pearson
Pacesetter Dedication Rick Canfield
Board of Trustees 30 Years of Service Award Rick Canfield
Wellesley College Book Award Annie Nottingham
Yale University Book Award Will Movsovitz
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ARTS
Middle School spring band concert
SPRINGTIME CONCERTS
ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS It’s a good time to be an artist at Pace Academy! This year, eighty-four percent of Upper School students participated in the arts; 132 Middle and Upper School students made up the band; and our visual artists and creative writers earned 50 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. We added acting classes in the Upper School; our vocalists earned two Literary Meet state titles; Middle School ensembles went on tour; and Lower Schoolers shared their talents through class plays, lunchtime concerts and early morning performances. This spring, creativity reigned supreme.
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The school year concluded with a series of concerts by band, chorus and strings students in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
Johnson
A CELEBRATION OF PACE ARTS
Frohwien
Goldman
Each year, the Pace community gathers to celebrate outstanding visual and performing artists in each division during the Spring Arts Festival. Artists share their talents through performances and lectures in special assemblies and, in the Upper School, students select as Arts Laureates artists who excel in their respective crafts and embody the courage to strive for excellence. This year’s Arts Laureates were freshmen GRACE POTTORFF and GILLIAN WEITZNER; sophomores JEB CARTER and ELIZA WALDROP; juniors ELLIE DUNCAN, LIZABETH FROHWEIN, ALYSE GREENBAUM and SANDY XIE; and seniors GRACE FERRY, JARED GOLDMAN, XORI JOHNSON and HOPE LENNOX. (Freshmen recipients are not shown below.)
ARTS
Knight Stars at Philips Arena
AN UP-TEMPO GAME
Upper School spring band concert
Atlanta Hawks fans were in for a treat when the Pace Knight Stars, our Lower School ensemble, performed at Philips Arena in April. The pre-game act, coordinated by Hawks Membership and Group Sales Consultant KATIE ABRAMS ’10, showcased the Knight Stars’ hard work and allowed them to shine in front of their teachers, parents and classmates. The Pace Arts Alliance generously funded the Pace family event.
Lower School spring strings concert
A special Musical Mornings performance
"Mr. Popper's Penguins"
"The 13 Colonies"
Lower School authors were in for a treat when students in Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN’S acting class paid a surprise visit to Musical Mornings and performed scenes they had adapted from the young writers’ stories and poems. “The goal was to empower [Lower School] students and encourage their love of writing,” Bryan says. “We wanted to reinforce their work in the hopes that they might do more. It was also tremendous for my Upper School students to take a piece of writing and adapt it for the stage.”
MAKING MUSIC IN MUSIC CITY
LOWER SCHOOLERS STEAL THE SHOW History and literature came to life through this year’s third- and fourthgrade plays. In The 13 Colonies: A History Lesson by George and Martha Washington, fourth graders performed popular songs, rewritten to describe American milestones, and in Mr. Popper’s Penguins, third-grade students portrayed the characters in Richard and Florence Atwater’s classic children’s book.
CREATIVE COLLABORATION
Strings students visit Nashville
Strings students in the seventh and eighth grades took Nashville by storm during their April tour. On the trip, led by strings instructor TARA HARRIS, the young musicians participated in a jazz fiddle workshop, visited Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and the Country Music Hall of Fame, recorded two pieces at the famous RCA Studio B and competed in the Music City Class Festival, where they earned a second-place medal.
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ARTS
A NEW LEVEL OF ARTISTRY Senior HOPE LENNOX has become well known in the Atlanta area for her sui generis glitter portraits. Lennox takes a creative approach to crafting self-portraits and landscape paintings by incorporating untraditional and eye-catching materials like glitter and rhinestones. With these tools, she fashions texturized art pieces that attract anyone who gets a glance. Lennox began using this method in the ninth grade when Martha Stewart, one of her inspirations, released a collection of gemstone glitters. The materials soon became the main medium for Lennox’s fashion-inspired pieces, which wow her audiences with their creativity and evidence of hard work. In the fall, Lennox will attend New York’s Pratt Institute, where she’ll join the Communications Design Department and study graphic design, illustration and advertising. — by JIBRIL SADIQ ’17
NOVEMBER 2014 Lennox poses with her installation in the Garcia Family Middle School.
ARTS
Award-Winning Photography For the 25th year, Pace partnered with Atlanta Celebrates Photography to present the Georgia Photography Awards and Exhibition. The April exhibit, coordinated by visual arts instructor FRANCE DORMAN, included works by students from 20 independent and public schools around Atlanta. Seniors LINDSEY SAMPLE, HALEY HARTMAN, LIAN SHEPHERD and ELIZABETH HAWN, and juniors LIZABETH FROHWEIN and SOPHIE ZELONY received Honorable Mention awards.
CIARA SADAKA
Celebrating Senior Artists Students in visual arts independent studies and DONICE BLOODWORTH’S Advanced Studio class worked tirelessly all year to create bodies of work for the Visual Arts Senior Art Show. The Pace community celebrated these talented artists at an opening reception.
LIZZIE DUPREE
LAUREN PICKMAN
LIAN SHEPHERD
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ARTS
You Can’ t Take It With You TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE
A
cting icon Stella Adler once said, “Theatre is… the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.” Theatre should pose questions and ask viewers to reflect on their own lives. The Upper School spring play, You Can’t Take It With You, directed by Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN, did just
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that. The comedy offers a glimpse into the Vanderhof family, a household filled with dreamers, writers, dancers, artists and entrepreneurs—individuals committed to pursuing their passions, no matter how zany or trivial they may appear. Hilarity ensues when the Vanderhof’s daughter falls in love with her businessman boss and must introduce his traditionalist parents to her own. During its three-day run, Pace’s production of You Can’t Take It With You challenged audience members to take stock of their choices, interests and passions. It asked, “Are you collecting things… or collecting experiences?”
Amid exams and award celebrations, a smaller, quieter end-of-the-year ceremony took place in the Fine Arts Center’s scene shop. Seniors who have participated on stage crews for no less than six Pace productions and have served in a critical technical role at least once, may claim a brick in the shop. “This is a tradition that takes place behind the scenes—for the students who work behind the scenes—to give our plays and musicals that touch of professionalism we have all come to enjoy and expect,” says Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT. “It is a tradition nearly as old as the Fine Arts Center itself.” This year, seniors JACK EICHENLAUB, ROHAN MALIK and MAX SHARPE (pictured below, left to right) each chose a brick to sign and decorate to commemorate their time in the Pace theatre.
ARTS
Facu
Spot
lty light
MARK KNOTT MARK KNOTT (pictured above in 2014) has always been enchanted by water. Growing up in Laguna Beach, Calif., an oceanfront town an hour’s drive south of Los Angeles known for its art community, he spent plenty of time in the ocean. The Upper School ceramics teacher worked on fishing boats when he was younger, and when he goes on vacation, it’s to nearby Mexico for its beaches. “Anytime I can get out of Atlanta, I’m usually finding some water somewhere,” Knott says. Knott’s fascination with water can be seen in the colors and designs of his art, and that’s no coincidence. “There’s a lot of patterning and routine patterns and references to oceans and landscapes that are important aspects to me in the work,” he says. Knott’s passion for art began in high school. His alma mater purposely left the doors to its art rooms unlocked after school, and Knott and his friends would take full advantage of the open spaces. There he
began to develop his talent. “I liked making art,” he says. “I liked the process and hoped it would always work out.” With a successful career that has spanned 35 years, it’s safe to say that art has worked out well for Knott. He held two separate exhibits this spring, one in Kansas City, Mo., in conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, and the other at the Signature Contemporary Craft gallery in Atlanta. According to Knott, an artist has a large exhibit every year or so. He had two in two months. Knott considered both exhibits successful, but as a former student at the Kansas City Art Institute, he found that showcasing his work there was particularly special. While producing and exhibiting his work, Knott has continued to teach at Pace, his home for the past four years. Prior to his arrival at Pace, Knott had taught adult art classes and workshops across the country, but teaching high-school students presented a new challenge. “The
first year at Pace was frightening, to be honest with you,” Knott admits. Especially because Knott, like the oceans from which he draws inspiration, is freefloating and loose, and he prefers to run his classroom in the same manner. “Being structured enough to keep kids interested, even for an hour, is something that has been challenging for me,” Knott says. “I tend to lean towards people just working, rather than giving tons of assignments.” Over the past three years, Knott has established more structure in his classroom. He still allows students to run with ideas they may have, but he provides criteria and a foundation from which students can draw upon and apply to their assignments. Teaching is much harder than he ever expected, but he says he loves it all the same. His students love him right back. — by WILSON ALEXANDER ’14
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SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
OUR Director of Athletics DR. TROY BAKER on the Knights’ historic year
How does one sum up a year like this?
TIME
Well, Pace Academy teams brought home two state championships and five runner-up titles; our swimmers won gold medals in three state events, and Knights earned silver medals in diving, wrestling, swimming and track; 16 varsity teams advanced to the state playoffs. Led by 102 coaches, 636 student-athletes on 67 teams competed in 875 games, matches and meets; 87 percent of Middle and Upper School students played a sport; 17 members of the Class of 2016 committed to compete in college athletics; Knights fans of all ages packed the stands at home and away, and the sense of pride on campus was palpable. Needless to say, it was a great time to be a Pace Knight!
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T HE YEAR IN REVIEW
S TAT E C H A M P I O N S * FOOTBALL BOYS BASKETBALL
* Since 1948, only six other schools have won both GHSA football and basketball championships in the same school year.
INDIVIDUAL S TA T E T I T L E S GIRLS 200 MEDLEY RELAY
I’m often asked if, when I arrived at Pace a year ago, I could have imagined such success. And the truth is, I did. I wholeheartedly believed our students and coaches would accomplish great things this year. I believed in our leadership, our parents and the community as a whole. I just felt it was OUR TIME. I’ve truly relished reveling in the accomplishments of this unprecedented year— from community bonfires and spirited send-offs to trophy presentations filled with happy tears. As a coach, I know that celebrating success is essential, but so too is reflection. So, as we embark on a new season, let’s look back and ask what the year taught us about ourselves and about the Pace community, what our student-athletes learned about commitment and overcoming adversity. Did our successes strengthen relationships within our school? More importantly, would we be just as proud of our student-athletes without the accolades? I believe the answers to these questions reveal the essence of Pace Academy.
GIRLS 200 FREESTYLE
Pace is a special place, and I unequivocally trust that next year—and the years to come—will be special as well. Each year is a new journey. On the heels of our success, we will continue to support our student-athletes and to cheer for our teams on and off the field, in victory and in defeat. We will continue to expect our student-athletes to be well-rounded individuals, and we will continue to stress the importance of personal relationships, sacrifice and dedication. We will be cautious about crossing the fine line between belief and expectation. We will remember that we are a school first and create opportunities for students to take risks, to develop leadership skills, to succeed and to fail. This year was not an anomaly. Our student-athletes and coaches will no doubt go on achieve high levels of competitive success. Perhaps championships will be part of the equation, but accolades will be viewed as products, not inputs. Because, after all, Pace Knights have the courage to strive for excellence. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about the future of Pace Athletics.
BOYS DIVING
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GIRLS 500 FREESTYLE
S T AT E R U N N E R S - U P BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY BOYS GOLF BOYS SOCCER BOYS TENNIS GIRLS TENNIS
I N D I V I D U A L S TAT E RUNNERS-UP BOYS 3200 METERS BOYS WRESTLING (2)
REGION CHAMPIONS BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY BOYS BASKETBALL GIRLS TENNIS
AREA CHAMPIONS GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS PRASHANTH KUMAR
JOSH NASH
Nicole Shafer
VA R S I T Y BOYS TENNIS Coached by NEIL DEROSA The varsity boys tennis team made its second consecutive run at a Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state title and finished the season as state runner-up in a championship match characterized by courage, grit and sportsmanship. During the playoffs, the boys emerged victorious over the Darlington School (3–1), Dublin High School (4–0), Bleckley County High School (3–0) and Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (3–1). They fell 3–2 to Lovett in the state finals. While the team loses senior NICHOLAS KRATZ, the Knights hope to build on the momentum established and the experience gained in previous seasons to bring home the 2017 state title.
Nicholas Kratz LEAH MAUTNER
Julia Stern (left) and SOPHIE ZELONY
VA R S I T Y GIRLS TENNIS Coached by MATHEW MARSICO
CHARLIE HIRSCH
Region champions
After a quarterfinals appearance in the 2015 GHSA state tournament, the varsity girls tennis team had high hopes for 2016—and the Knights more than lived up to their expectations. The team’s nemesis proved to be the defending region and state champions from Wesleyan. The Knights defeated the Wolves to claim the 2016 Region 6AA title, but fell just short of the state championship, losing to Wesleyan 3–2. On the road to the finals, the Knights defeated Model High School (4–0), St. Vincent’s Academy (3–0), Berrien High School (5–0) and the Darlington School (3–0). The team graduates seniors CAROLYNE EITH, HALEY EPSTEIN, NICOLE SHAFER and JULIA STERN.
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DAVID ROOS
JACK RUBENSTEIN
Molly Jacoby
LINDSAY FISHER speaks with HANNAH SCHRAGER and EMMA DOWNEY
VA R S I T Y BASEBALL
BEN BERNSTEIN
Katy Leitz
Coached by GUS WHYTE, SETH LAFERA and JASE WRIGLEY ’94 The varsity baseball team ended its season with a 7–18 overall record and noteworthy wins over Lovett, Darlington, Greater Atlanta Christian and Our Lady of Mercy. Freshman ANDREW JENKINS was named First Team All-Region, while seniors ANDY BAINTON and ALEX RAFEEDIE were selected Second Team All-Region. The season marked the end of Pace athletic careers for six senior Knights: PEYTON ATTRIDGE, Bainton, JACK EICHENLAUB, SEAN MURTAUGH, MATTHEW PLISKO and Rafeedie.
Andrew Jenkins
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VA R S I T Y GYMNASTICS Coached by STEVE CUNNINGHAM, MARY LIEBMAN ’00 and TALISA SLADE Jill Rawls
With an impressive 8–4 record, the varsity gymnastics team quite literally vaulted to new heights this season. The Knights racked up victories over Westminster, Lovett, First Presbyterian Day School and Centennial High School, among others. Freshman JILL RAWLS and juniors MOLLY JACOBY and KATY LEITZ anchored the team, and in her final meet as a Pace Knight, the team’s lone senior, MACKENZIE GREENBAUM, achieved a personal-best score of 8.0 on the floor exercise, contributing to the team’s season-high score of 93.9.
SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
VA R S I T Y B O Y S G O L F Coached by BAILEY PLAYER, SCOTT SHUPE and DEMETRIUS SMITH
Jack Dwyer
It’s been more than a decade since a group of Pace golfers has come so close to bringing home a state title. After a stellar season, seniors KYLE ORR and JAKE RICHARDS, juniors BARRETT BAKER, JACK MCMILLIN, and ALEX ROSS and sophomore MARC MITCHELL traveled to Augusta to compete in the GHSA Golf State Championship. At the end of the day, the Knights came in second behind Greater Atlanta Christian School, finishing one shot over third-place Lovett. Ross was the team’s low scorer with an even par of 72, and his performance over the course of the season earned him a spot on the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association All-State Golf Team. Ross finished the year with a stroke average of just 1.78 over par. The team bids a fond farewell to seniors JACK DWYER, KIERAN LEHANE, JOE LOUGHRAN, Orr and Richards.
Jake Richards State runners-up
Sophie Beck with Coach Tim Walsh
VA R S I T Y GIRLS GOLF Coached by TIM WALSH and KEVIN BALLARD With four members, this season’s varsity girls golf team may have been small, but its players were mighty. Freshmen SOPHIE BECK and ALEKS GOLDE and junior SANDY XIE qualified for the region tournament, where Golde’s performance earned her a spot in the sectional tournament and, later, the GHSA state competition. At state, Golde finished as the low medalist among individual competitors in Class AA, shooting a 94, her best round of golf for the season. Next year, the team will miss senior JUNE BRENNER.
Aleks Golde
Sandy Xie
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SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Eden Kerker
VA R S I T Y B O Y S LACROSSE Coached by GRADY STEVENS, MATT FORTIER and WES FORTIER Sound senior leadership, defensive strength and offensive execution paid off for the varsity boys lacrosse team as the Knights ended the regular season with a string of wins over North Atlanta, Decatur High School and Kell High School to advance to post-season play. The Knights faced Class AAAA Marist in the first round of the GHSA state tournament. The back-and-forth match came down to the final seconds, and the Knights ultimately fell to the War Eagles 17–16 to end the season with an overall record of 11–7. Sophomore RYAN HOFSTETTER was named Second Team All-State, and the team bids a fond farewell to seniors MICK ASSAF, JEAN-LUC BROWN, OWEN MONCINO and JACK WALSH.
Jean-Luc Brown
Emma St. Amand
SAMMY TANENBLATT
Lindsey Sample
Mick Assaf
VA R S I T Y G I R L S LACROSSE MIA WRIGHT
CHARLIE WARREN
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Coached by COURTNEY MORRISON, BOBBY BOYER and TY RICHARDSON The varsity girls lacrosse team picked up steam as the season progressed, concluding the year a 5–12 record and wins over East Paulding High School and East Coweta High School in its final two games. Area coaches selected freshmen MADELINE ARENTH and EDEN KERKER to the A–AAAAA All-Area 2 Girls Lacrosse Team. Next year, the team will miss the leadership of seniors KELLYANN MALONE, LINDSEY SAMPLE and EMMA ST. AMAND.
CHRISTOPHER HOWARD celebrates the Knights' Final Four victory over Greater Atlanta Christian
VA R S I T Y BOYS SOCCER
Johnny Reece
Coached by BROOKS FLEMING, KEVIN NUTTING and DECLAN TRAQUAIR It was a spectacular season for the varsity boys soccer team—one that took them all the way to the GHSA Class AA State Championship. In the finals, Pace faced rival Wesleyan, a team that had dealt the Knights their only previous loss of the season. Pace went into the half trailing by three but fought hard during the remaining period, ultimately falling to the Wolves 4–0, ending an 18–2 season. On the road to the state championship, the Knights earned post-season wins over Armuchee High School (10–0), Benedictine Military School (1–0) and Bremen High School (9–0) before defeating Greater Atlanta Christian School in a Final Four thriller that went to penalty kicks. The team graduates seniors ETHAN FREISHTAT, MARK HANDLER, HOBIE MALIK, JOHNNY REECE, ETHAN ROBINSON, ETHAN SCHNEIDER and SAMUEL SLOMAN.
EMILY PULVER
Ethan Robinson
Brian Sloan Stephanie Novellas, Cadie Schiffer and Hannah White
Cater Carlton
VA R S I T Y G I R L S S O C C E R Coached by LIZ TUTT, RON APOLLON, CAROLINE TROTTER ’06 and GRAHAM TUTT Led by seniors CATER CARLTON, FRANCES CRISLER, HALEY HARTMAN, NATALIE NOVELLAS, STEPHANIE NOVELLAS and CADIE SCHIFFER—all veterans of the Knights’ 2014 state-championship squad—the varsity girls soccer team advanced to the GHSA state semifinals. The Knights went undefeated in their first 14 games of the season and entered the playoffs with only two losses. In post-season play, the team defeated Dade County High School (8–1), East Laurens High School (10–0) and Union County High School (10–0) before losing 2–4 to St. Vincent’s Academy of Savannah. Freshman HANNAH WHITE and Schiffer were named First Team All-Area, while junior JESSICA HAIDET and senior Natalie Novellas were selected Second Team All-Area. In her final season as a Knight, Schiffer set a new school record for career goals scored.
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Xori Johnson
CARLY IRVINE
MYLES TODD
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
CATHERINE SWEENEY
Coached by JOLIE CUNNINGHAM It was a strong season for the varsity boys track and field team. Ten Knights advanced from the region meet to sectionals competition. Sophomore JACK DOUGLASS was the Region 6AA champion in the 3200 meters and finished second in the 1600 meters. The 4 x 100 relay team of senior XORI JOHNSON, juniors TREY BLOUNT and DEON JACKSON and sophomore TONY ADDISON finished second in the region as well. From sectionals, Douglass and junior ROB WARREN advanced to the state meet, where Douglass finished fourth in the 1600 meters with a personal record of 4:36. He ran again in the 3200-meter race and was the state runner-up with a personal and school record of 9:47. Warren was sixth in the 3200. The team bids farewell to seniors Johnson and ALEC ROGERS.
Alec Rogers TAHIRIH WILLIAMS
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD Coached by JOLIE CUNNINGHAM Led by seniors LAUREN ARCHER, CAROLINE HARDISON and JILLIAN SNYDER, the members of varsity girls track team put in record-setting performances throughout the season. In the Region 6AA meet, sophomore IBUM OBU earned the region title in shot put. Both she and junior JULIA ROSS advanced to the state competition, where Obu finished 11th in the state; Ross set a personal record and finished fifth in the 800 meters.
Tony Addison
TONYIA JOHNSON and Alex Tolliday
Jack Douglass
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ALEX TOLLIDAY
Student-athletes sign letters of intent at a ceremony on Feb. 3.
A NEW LEVEL OF COMPETITION A record 17 seniors—16 percent of the Class of 2016—committed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Congratulations to the following student-athletes:
A PACE RACE TO REMEMBER ON APRIL 9, a record 707 walkers, joggers and runners—including three wheelchair teams from the Kyle Pease Foundation—came out to support the Booster Club at the 34th annual Pace Race. The event, co-chaired by Pace parents JASON IBARRA, FARAZ ZUBAIRI and CHRISHAUNDA LEE PEREZ, included live music, food trucks and entertainment. For the first time, registration was available via Active.com, and the course was USATF sanctioned, which means it served as a qualifier for the Peachtree Road Race. The Pace Race supports athletic programs in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
BRENNER APPEL Davidson College, swimming MICK ASSAF University of Notre Dame, football JEAN-LUC BROWN Mercer University, football TIMOTHY COLEMAN Furman University, football PHILIP ELLIOTT Lafayette College, football GRACE FERRY University of Pennsylvania, swimming MADISON GRAHAM University of Tennessee, swimming JORDAN HARRIS Furman University, football SPENCER HEMMINGWAY Brown University, football ZACK KAMINSKY University of Pennsylvania, basketball OWEN MONCINO Texas Christian University, diving MATTHEW PLISKO Macalester College, baseball JOHNNY REECE Massachusetts Institute of Technology, soccer SAMUEL SLOMAN Miami University, Ohio, football ANTHONY TRINH Stanford University, football ANNA VAN ZYVERDEN Rollins College, swimming JACK WALSH University of Virginia, wrestling
MONCINO NAMED ALL-AMERICAN This year’s Georgia High School Association 1-meter diving state runner-up has added another accolade to his list of athletic accomplishments. Senior OWEN MONCINO was named an All-American following the 2016 season. In 2015, Moncino finished fifth in the state with a score of 440.85 and All-American consideration. He also placed fifth in the 2013 state meet and was sixth as a freshman. He garnered All-State recognition in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Next year, Moncino will dive for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.
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ICGL A global education for every graduate
ONE LAST BITE
Finishing off the ICGL’s Year of FOOD The Pace Academy community has wrapped up its yearlong study of FOOD, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) annual theme. From poverty and human rights to compost and community service, here’s how we fed our hunger for knowledge and gained a meatier understanding of FOOD.
POWER IN PARTNERSHIP Thanks to the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Advisory Board and this year’s ICGL partner organizations for making the Year of FOOD possible:
• ATLANTA COMMUNITY FOOD BANK
• CARE • GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL
• LEVEL UP VILLAGE • MCKINSEY & COMPANY • NATIONAL CENTER FOR
CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS
• SECOND HELPINGS ATLANTA
• SUNTRUST BANK • WORLD LEADERSHIP SCHOOL
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1 MIDDLE SCHOOL MAKES IT HAPPEN As the school year came to a close, students in the sixth and seventh grades spent a day volunteering with food-related nonprofits across the city, including the Midwest Food Bank, Project Open Hand, Our House, R.E.D.E.E.M Community Outreach, Sandy Springs Mission, Rhodes Health Center and Community Service Assistance Center. Pebble Tossers, an organization that “makes it easy to find fun, age-appropriate service projects for kids and teens,” helped coordinate the event.
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In addition, the Middle School offered six food-related volunteer projects for families at organizations such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Project Open Hand. More than 80 individuals participated!
2 A TASTE OF LATIN AMERICA The Upper School Spanish club hosted an event during which students tasted foods and beverages from different Spanish-speaking countries. On the menu? Mate, dulce de leche, guaraná and materva.
3 CELEBRATING SECOND HELPINGS The Lower School was honored to help Second Helpings Atlanta commemorate a milestone this spring. Second Helpings fights food insecurity and waste by rescuing food from local restaurants and grocers and delivering it to hungry families via partner organizations. The Pace cafeteria provides food to Second Helpings, and this year, 23 Lower School families volunteered as delivery drivers. On May 21, Pace drivers arrived at Costco Cumberland Mall to pick up Second Helpings’ 5,000,000th pound of food and deliver it to Progressive Hope House, an organization that provides supportive, transitional housing for men facing homelessness and seeking recovery from addiction.
4 FEEDING THE HUNGRY Lower School students partnered with the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB) to learn about the organization’s work to provide food to low-income Georgians who suffer from hunger and food insecurity. Each Lower School class visited the ACFB to better understand its collection and distribution process, and ACFB Education and Outreach Manager Lindy Wood participated in a year-end celebration at Pace. Following a divisionwide food drive, fifth graders loaded a truck full of food bound for the ACFB.
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5 FOOD AROUND THE WORLD Seven of the ICGL’s 2015–2016 study tours incorporated FOOD into their learning goals. In post-trip surveys, Upper School students reported the greatest growth in cultural appreciation and global mindedness, while Middle School students felt they had developed in terms of cultural appreciation, international skills and engaged citizenship. Photo from a March trip to Vietnam.
6 A COMPOSTING CRASH COURSE What happens when kitchen and yard scraps sit in a bin for six months? JUDY BODY’S second-graders will tell you—soil and worms! In the fall, the class used compost when planting lettuce seeds and decided to create their own carbon-rich soil using waste from each student’s home. As the lettuce grew, the scraps decomposed and, when the time came to harvest and eat their crops, students found the perfect planting mix for their next project.
7 EDIBLE ATLANTA As a global hub, Atlanta offers myriad opportunities to experience food from around the world, so eighth graders explored international cuisine during springtime global food adventures. The day began with a scavenger hunt at the Buford Highway Farmers Market and included a visit to the Drepung Loseling Monastery’s Center for Tibetan
Buddhist Studies & Practices. Students enjoyed lunch at nearby Korean, Vietnamese and Colombian restaurants. On a separate occasion, eighth graders visited Global Growers Network to learn more about the organization that works to create opportunities in sustainable agriculture by providing economic opportunities for international farmers, many of whom came to Georgia as refugees of war.
8 HUNGER & HUMAN RIGHTS How does the context of one’s birth affect one’s daily life? That’s the question posed by Oxfam America’s Hunger Banquet, in which Pace fifth graders participated this spring. The interactive, mealtime event brings hunger and poverty issues to life by placing participants into low-, middle- and high-income groups based on the luck of the draw. Those in the low-income group are given a cup of rice, and those in the middle-income group receive beans and water, while high-income individuals enjoy whatever dishes and delicacies they desire. The activity, facilitated by Pace parent JILL LUM, challenged the way students think and feel about food issues and their place in global society. The fifth grade’s discussion of food continued with a visit from nutritional consultant, author, blogger and Pace parent LANDRIA VOIGT, who examined health issues as part of the students’ food-science unit.
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ICGL
Images from the recent IGL trips to Maine and Virginia
The Maine Thing “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings,” the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka wrote in The OneStraw Revolution. Fukuoka’s philosophy aligns with Pace Academy’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) approach to learning, which posits that by focusing on an annual global theme, examining the issue from all angles, nurturing critical thinking around the theme and cultivating understanding, students become more capable, more confident and more effective citizens of the world. Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs) juniors THOMAS HOOVER, ANNIE NOTTINGHAM, and LEX TREVELINO and senior EMMA ST. AMAND explored the 2015–2016 ICGL theme of FOOD, planting, watering, growing, and harvesting knowledge in their journey toward maturation and understanding. Through the IGL program, select Upper School students, guided by faculty advisors, spend a year digging deep into the ICGL annual theme; study tours form the framework around which the IGL curriculum is structured. In the fall, IGLs traveled to central California to examine large-scale
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Isdell Global Leader THOMAS HOOVER reflects on life on the farm
farming practices, and in April, their second study tour took them up the east coast, first to ICGL Visiting Scholar Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farms in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and then on to MEG LIEBMAN MITCHELL’S ’05 South Paw Farm in Unity, Maine. During Salatin’s visit to Pace the previous fall, “America’s most famous farmer” met with IGLs, sharing innovative farming techniques and lessons learned over a lifetime of farm work. “We saw these ideas and techniques in action when [Salatin] gave us an extensive tour of Polyface Farms,” Hoover says. “He uses mobile fences that allow animals to be moved around the pasture, providing the animals fresh grass and [ensuring Salatin] doesn’t have to mow his fields. We also saw huge piles of compost mixed with corn. Pigs were in the pen with the compost, and since they were constantly digging for the corn, it stirred the compost, providing vital oxygen to fuel the composting process.” While exploring Polyface Farms’ 550 acres, the IGLs saw how elements of nature work together in a closed-circuit system, Hoover says. The group’s time in Maine offered insight into a different, smaller kind of farm. Mitchell and her
husband, Ryan, own and operate South Paw, which, at 65 acres, produces mixed vegetables and organic tree fruit and includes 42 acres of pasture and forests. The Mitchells sell their produce to retail and wholesale buyers and provide options for nearby residents to participate in South Paw’s CSA (community supported agriculture) program. What the Mitchells lack in innovative machinery, they make up for in sweat equity—a fact not lost on Hoover as he and his IGL cohorts worked alongside the South Paw team. “We saw how joyful they were while working such a hard job,” Hoover says. “It was awesome working with a Pace alumna because it showed us how people from Pace or the ‘Buckhead bubble’ can go out into the world and do whatever they have a passion for. It inspired me to follow what I love instead of what society pressures me to do… I plan to continue engaging in and learning about food-related issues for many years to come.” Next up for the IGLs? A summer trip to Ghana and Malawi in partnership with CARE, where students will explore sustainable agriculture in developing nations. Look for a recap in the fall KnightTimes.
ICGL
EIGHTH GRADE
CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP IN APRIL, the eighth grade hit the road for an informative journey into the Civil Rights Movement. The trip tied into students’ study of historical struggles for civil and human rights, and their exposure to these important movements consisted of viewing the films Selma and Suffragette, and visiting the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta History Center and Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Day one of the trip was spent sightseeing in Montgomery and Selma, Ala. While in Montgomery, the students visited the Rosa Parks Museum and Children’s Wing, where they went back to the 1960s in the Cleveland Avenue Time Machine. In Selma, they trekked across the Edmund Winston Pettus Bridge and visited the Southern Poverty Law Center, which highlights struggles from both the past and present. Following a busy, informative day, the group spent time at the McWane Science Center, learning by playing with everything from bubbles to lasers. On the second day, students traveled to Kelly Ingram Park, the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. These landmarks highlighted the struggle and loss that epitomized the Civil Rights Movement and led to change. Students absorbed all that they saw, but also had time for fun activities, such as an afternoon at Red Mountain Park, where they hiked, climbed an 80-foot tower and sped down a 1,000-foot zip line. — by JIBRIL SADIQ ’17
PACE PARENTS MAKE IT POSSIBLE THANKS to the Pace Academy Parents Club’s Citizens of the World Travel Grant, student participation in 2015–2016 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tours remained high. The generous grant covers the cost of a student’s airfare once in Middle School and once in Upper School; this year, 68 percent of the 214 students traveling on the ICGL’s 16 study tours took advantage of the program. Thank you, Pace parents!
If you pay taxes in the state of Georgia, it’s time to pre-apply for the Georgia Private School Tax Credit program for the 2017 tax year! Applications must be received by DEC. 15, 2016. This education credit is better than a tax deduction because it gives you a dollar-fordollar reduction in the amount you owe in Georgia taxes and supports need-based financial aid for deserving students to attend Pace Academy. You receive a tax credit on your state income taxes and a charitable deduction on your federal taxes. A win-win for both you and Pace! Thank you to the 376 parents, alumni, grandparents and friends of Pace who contributed more than $660,000 for the 2016 tax year. Since Pace began participating in the program nine years ago, over 60 students in all divisions— Lower, Middle and Upper Schools—have benefited from these tax-credit dollars. By participating in this program, you help make a Pace education and experience available to every qualified child. If you are new to the program, PARTICIPATION IS EASY! Visit www.paceacademy.org/taxcredit to learn more. Submit your form electronically, or print and mail a completed form to the address provided on our website.
Deadline to Pre-Apply DEC. 15, 2016
Questions? Contact the Office of Advancement at advancement@paceacademy.org or call 404-240-9103.
ICGL
A POWERFUL PERSPECTIVE Castro’s daughter reflects on life in Cuba
Fernández speaks with senior CARLEE POKALSKY
The Intersection of
EMPATHY, DIVERSITY & INNOVATION THE DESIGN THINKING methodology strives to cultivate in students the four Cs: collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and communication. It’s a human-centered approach to problem solving that has become a pillar of the Lower School curriculum in recent years. This year, third-grade Design Thinkers were asked to place themselves in the shoes of those who cannot see and design tools to help individuals with visual impairments stay well, remain active and become part of a community. Following a process that included ideation, research, design, testing, modification and marketing, third graders unveiled products such as Xtreme Terrain Crocodile Walkers, which use monster wheels to allow individuals to safely walk through various terrains, and Braille Ball, an instructional tool to teach visually
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impaired children Braille and reinforce skills once certain competencies are met. Throughout the invention process, special guests visited to share their experiences and educate students about the challenges individuals with disabilities face. Pre-First teacher RHONDA PECK O’GORMAN '88 and her daughter, Adair, stopped by to discuss the work Adair’s school, Ellis School of Atlanta, is doing for its students. And Empish Thomas (pictured above), a public educator for the Center for the Visually Impaired, shared her story as well. “[Through this Design Thinking challenge], we aimed to have meaningful and rich conversations with students around the subject of disability,” said Lower School Director of Design Thinking JASMINA PATEL. “Our objective throughout this project was to discuss disability through lenses of diversity and empathy, with an obvious focus on 21st-century skills.”
“Saying that going to Cuba is like traveling back in time seems cliché… but then, I went, and it hit me,” Upper School Spanish teacher DR. PAULA PONTES wrote following a March 2016 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tour to the island nation. “[I traveled] to a time in history in which most countries in Latin America dreamed about change, about freedom and about trying to look for answers that were not easy to find.” Alina Fernández was one of those dreamers. At 10 years old, Fernández learned that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was her father, and she went on to oppose his regime as a member of the political dissident movement of the 1980s. She escaped the country in 1993 and now lives in the U.S. Fernández visited Pace Academy in April to discuss with students her intimate account of life in Cuba and the varied, rapid changes affecting the country today. She spent time with the 13 Upper School students just back from the place of her birth, eager to hear of the transformations they observed as a result of the restoration of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations. “It was amazing for us to have experienced Cuba before speaking to Ms. Fernández because we related to what she said,” recalls senior CARLEE POKALSKY. “We referred to specific places and customs, and she understood what we were talking about… Ms. Fernández spoke freely about how she felt towards Cuba, and we discussed our points of view as well.”
ICGL
From left to right: Director of the PASEC TOMMY HATTORI, Zwecker, Upchurch, Downey and Head Mentor FARAZ ZUBAIRI
THE APP for FOOD ALLERGIES
safEats wins third annual Social Entrepreneurship Challenge
NOW IN ITS THIRD YEAR, the Pace Academy Social Entrepreneurship Challenge (PASEC) asks Upper School students to develop innovative solutions to issues related to the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) annual theme—this year, FOOD. Throughout the yearlong competition, participants worked with mentors to develop and refine business plans, taking into account the quadruple bottom line: purpose, people, planet and profit. They then presented their business plans to a group of judges. Juniors EMMA DOWNEY, TAYLOR UPCHURCH and MITCHELL ZWECKER emerged victorious with safEATS, a mobile app that creates easier access to information for those with dietary restrictions by acting as a database and crowd-sourcing hub for restaurant menus’ food-allergy information. With the app, a user creates a profile that includes his or her dietary restrictions and can then access menu information for all safEats’ partner restaurants. Users can add restaurant information that is not already in the safEats database to allow for a larger breadth of information. Restaurants are then scored based on their friendliness to users’ dietary restrictions, thereby allowing users to make better food decisions. The team faced several challenges while developing its product. “The hardest part was figuring out how to make [the app] work,” Downey reports. “We could have millions of great ideas, but if we couldn’t make them a reality, then the app wouldn’t get off the ground.” Building team chemistry and discovering each other’s strengths was essential. Upchurch focused on research and presentation content; Zwecker, who had two PASEC competitions under his belt, found that his knowledge of finance and science paired nicely with Downey’s love of biology. “Mitchell and Emma’s more rational and scientific ways of thinking coupled nicely with my out-of-the-box ideas to create a dynamic and ingenuitive app,” Upchurch says. The team received $10,000 to launch safEats and is already working to partner with local restaurants and gather existing information from larger chains.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUG BITES EARLY Pace Academy students don’t have to wait until Upper School to get their entrepreneurial juices flowing—Lower School students are launching businesses right and left! This year, through after-school Juniorpreneur programs, students in grades four and five worked with faculty members to hone their critical-thinking skills, embrace collaboration, and turn business ideas into marketing plans and proposals. Finished products demonstrated students’ understanding of the "Five Ps of Marketing": product, packaging, place, price and promotion. Lower Schoolers also put their sales skills to the test, inviting parents and friends to act as consumers at a business-launch event. The Juniorpreneurs are happy to report that each company sold out of its products, and all proceeds benefited charitable organizations of their choosing.
— with contributions from JIBRIL SADIQ ’17 KnightTimes | Summer 2016
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GLOBAL LEADERS
SCOUTING’S HIGHEST HONORS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES During Pace Academy’s Senior Honors Day program, five members of the Class of 2016 were recognized for earning Girl Scout Gold Awards, the most prestigious prize a Girl Scout can receive. Fewer than five percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the leadership and service award. To achieve Gold status, a Girl Scout must identify a community issue that she cares about and attempt to solve that problem—“not only in the short term, but for years into the future.” “[A Girl Scout Gold Award then] requires the completion of prerequisites, seven steps that involve research, planning, approvals, fundraising, doing the actual project and writing up a detailed report to be submitted to a final board for review,” says Pace parent and Troop 25312 Leader ANNA DANCU. The process typically takes up to two years and requires a minimum of 80 hours of work. Members of Troop 25312 since first grade, seniors LAUREN ARCHER, TORY DANCU, LEXI RUBIN, CIARA SADAKA and QUIN WALDROP brought home the prestigious prize. “That’s pretty unusual for any Girl Scout troop, and a Pace record, as far as I can determine” Dancu says. The Girl Scouts organization reports that Gold Award recipients rate their general success significantly higher than their peers and report greater success in reaching their goals in areas such as higher education, career and life skills.
WHERE EAGLES SOAR The Class of 2016 also boasted five Eagle Scouts: seniors JACK DWYER, KIERAN LEHANE, STEPHEN REISNER, ALEC ROGERS and JACK ZOOK. In the world of Boy Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America status of Eagle Scout marks the program’s highest honor, achieved by the completion of an Eagle Scout Service Project. Only six percent of all Boy Scouts achieve Eagle Scout status, and the process requires hard work, tireless hours and dedicated leadership through service. A contender must “plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school or [his] community.” For example, Dwyer’s Eagle Scout Service Project, building benches located in an outdoor space in the Lower School, benefited the Pace community directly. Eagle Scout Service Projects must be completed prior to the applicant’s 18th birthday and are evaluated based on impact. Successful projects such as Dwyer’s leave a long-lasting mark of leadership. — with contributions from JIBRIL SADIQ ’17
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ANDREW YOUNG EMERGING LEADERS
IN JUNE, seniors XORI JOHNSON and SYDNEY SOMMERVILLE and junior MIA WRIGHT attended The Andrew Young Emerging Leaders Johnson Summer Institute in Atlanta, a three-day program facilitated by The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation and the Andrew J. Young Foundation. The Institute supSommerville ports students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) by developing their leadership skills with an emphasis on understanding the entrepreneurial, social, Wright technological, economic, environmental and political trends and events that are likely to occur over the next 20 years— ultimately preparing students to be “leaders and change agents for the world community.” “The week was very inspirational as we shared time with 20 intelligent black leaders from other HBCUs. In addition to being inspired, it was a huge honor and privilege to pick the brains of so many accomplished black leaders such as Judge Glenda Hachett, Ambassador Andrew Young, Dr. C.T. Vivian and Paul Howard,” says Jonhson, who will attend Morehouse College. Sommerville has enrolled at Spelman College. Overall, the camp was an enlightening experience for the students, and they received some insight on the important connections that are made in college and beyond. — by JIBRIL SADIQ ’17
KnightTimes | Summer 2016
GLOBAL LEADERS
Glob Lead al er Spot ship light
DECLAN TRAQUAIR by WILSON ALEXANDER ’14
JUDGING by appearance alone, one might guess that DECLAN TRAQUAIR (shown in 2014 with his class) is of Scottish decent— his red hair, equally red beard and blazing blue eyes all scream “Scottish.” Then, he begins to speak. Traquair’s heritage reveals itself, his accent unmistakable and Scottish roots undeniable. The third-grade associate teacher was born in Glasgow, Scotland, as one of seven children. From birth, the game of soccer was engrained in him. After all, he grew up 15 miles from the Celtic Football Club’s stadium and attended his first match at just six months old. “I’m so into soccer,” he says. “If I’m not watching it, I’m playing it. If I’m not playing it, I’m playing FIFA on the Xbox.” Soccer is what brought Traquair to the United States. In July 2008, he was offered a scholarship by Young Harris College to be a defender. He left a month later. “I came here with two backpacks full of clothes,” Traquair says. “That was it.”
Photograph by LAURA BJORKHOLM
ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE Now, eight years later, Traquair is entering his third year as an associate teacher at
HOLLAND CARLTON COMEBACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
While in Belize, Traquair and his colleagues spent three days in a local inland village that has existed for several hundred years. They helped build two fences for a local school and spent time with people in the community to better understand their way of life. Traquair says the manual labor was difficult under the hot sun, but that it was worthwhile all the same.
Pace Academy and is an assistant coach for the varsity boys soccer team. This summer, he and eight other members of the faculty traveled to the Central American country of Belize. Traquair represented the third-grade faculty in this Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) trip to learn about the coming year’s IGCL global theme of CLIMATE. As someone from Scotland who enjoys eating blood pudding and haggis, Traquair brought a different, valuable perspective to the trip. “I feel like I am so different [from the other Lower School teachers],” he says. “My upbringing is different. My culture is different from almost every teacher in the Lower School.” From June 26 through July 3, the group traveled around the coastal country to learn about its sub-tropical climate. Traquair is a big believer in studying abroad, which should come as no surprise based on his past. “You get a broader perspective on things and you’re more accepting of other people, other things, other cultures when you travel,” Traquair says. “Actually immersing yourself in their culture and food and sleeping the way they do, just living the way they do, you get a better sense how other people are living.”
AN INSPIRED LESSON PLAN The group also spent time on the tiny Belize island of Tobacco Caye, known for its overwater beach cabanas. “We met with a local guide who was a snorkeling instructor, but she studied marine biology,” Traquair says. She accompanied the group on snorkeling tours and to meet scientists at the Belize Smithsonian to learn about the effects of global warming on the coastal community. “Thirty-three percent of the island we stayed on has eroded in the past 20 years,” Traquair says. “Because of erosion and rising sea levels, these islands are disappearing.” The goal for Traquair and his colleagues was to learn more about climate in order to more effectively teach Pace students about complex climate issues. It’s obvious that they accomplished that goal, and Traquair hopes to build a lesson plan around what he learned about erosion and how it is affecting the state of Georgia. “I think we got a lot more experience than we expected,” Traquair says. “We got a lot of information. There were a million other ideas that we discussed. It was very worthwhile. Not just for myself, but for everyone.”
IN NOVEMBER 2015, freshman HOLLAND CARLTON was named Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s (CHOA) Comeback Athlete of the Month after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor only eight months before. Coincidentally, Pace parents DR. JOSHUA CHERN and DR. ANDREW REISNER performed the nine-hour operation. As an Athlete of the Month, Carlton, a member of the varsity girls soccer team and the junior varsity volleyball team, was
eligible for CHOA’s Athlete of the Year Award. Following a public voting period, Carlton and her amazing comeback won the prize. The award included a $500 check for Carlton to donate to the sports league or organization of her choice—and Pace Athletics was the fortunate recipient!
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GRADUATION
Celebrating the spirit of the Class of 2016
THE STUFF
BY COMPETITIVE STANDARDS, it’s hard to imagine a more successful year for Pace Academy. Led by the Class of 2016, Pace students brought home titles and trophies, garnered awards and accolades. It was a remarkable school year, “truly like none other,” Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON said in his farewell to the senior class. “We started winning, and we just didn’t stop. In seemingly everything.” The Class of 2016’s successes will no doubt go down in the annals of Pace history, but their importance pales in comparison to the lessons learned on the road to those triumphs—and to lesser-known failures.
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“I’m filled with a great deal of pride when I think about what this class has accomplished,” Dean BROOKS FLEMING told his advisees at Senior Honors Day. “Not just the collective accolades and achievements, but the personal growth I’ve seen. That to me is more important than the plaques, trophies and impressive list of colleges… I’ve witnessed some wonderful developments over the years—intellectual growth, compassion for others and a growing awareness of the world you’re about to inhabit.” It was this set of qualities the Pace community celebrated during the Class of 2016’s graduation festivities.
The celebrations commenced with a Baccalaureate service during which REV. DR. TONY SUNDERMEIER, a Pace parent and senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, delivered the keynote message. Sundermeier’s address focused on stewardship, “the power and capacity to change people’s lives and to change the world for good.” He encouraged graduates to steward two specific areas of their lives: “the privilege and experience you have had at Pace Academy” and the “suffering, pain and losses you have experienced.” Sundermeier asked students to use these experiences to discover their calling and
GRADUATION
OF LEGENDS their purpose in the world. “Know that the practice of stewardship begins with a posture of gratitude,” he said, “knowing that all of life is a gift.” The next morning, Gannon and Fleming bid goodbye to the class during Senior Honors Day, which was followed by lunch in the Pace Gardens and the Seaman Family Student Commons. Commencement took place later that afternoon at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. During the graduation exercises, Valedictorian ANDREW WU charged his classmates to “follow what you feel deep inside your chest. To measure thoughts and actions lest
they cause consequences much too grand and result in weakness before you take a stand. And remember always to lend a helping hand.” Salutatorian JOHNNY REECE then introduced surprise commencement speaker Mike Reiss, an Emmy Award-winning comedy writer best known for his 25 years on The Simpsons. Reiss advised students to have a good sense of humor, to “laugh at things you don’t agree with.” “The Simpsons has taught people to laugh at things that used to shock and offend them,” Reiss said. “It’s taught them that the more you open your mind, the
more you’re going to learn and the more fun you’re going to have… Doctors tell you that laughter is good for your heart, and books like the Bible tell you that laughter is good for your soul. So to the Class of 2016, I wish you all a long life of love, of learning and especially of laughter.” Head of School FRED ASSAF closed the ceremony by offering his thanks to the Class of 2016. “You own the spirit of Pace Academy,” he told graduates. “You have taken our school to a new level, and as you go forward, you will do the same where you land.”
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Senior at Lunch safs' the As
“You can’t manufacture spirit. It grows over time through investment, hard work and authentic respect for each other. Class of 2016, you have redefined the spirit of Pace Academy.” —Head of School FRED ASSAF
t ncemener e m m o C Speak s is Mike Re
orian Valedicetw Wu Andr
“We are now global citizens… Regardless of what your career and life plans are… remember you can make a difference. You have the tools and the ability to do so. And if you have a cause worth fighting for, first, check that you’re standing on solid ground, and then remember, you have the power to enact change for the better.” —Valedictorian ANDREW WU
Baccala urea Speaketre Rev. D . Tony Sunderrm eier
Senior Honors Day
Saluta Johnnytorian Reece
“Time erases many memories, but this year and this class will not soon be forgotten. It is the stuff of legends.” —Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON
THE CLASS OF 2016… • Will matriculate to 54 colleges and universities in 25 states, the District of Columbia and Scotland • Includes seven National Merit Finalists and one National Merit Scholar • Earned 35 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards • Averaged 90 hours of community service in the Upper School • Traveled the world, visiting destinations such as India, Italy, Cuba, South Africa, Romania and Vietnam
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GRADUATION
SENIOR AWARDS Atlanta Journal-Constitution Cup Andrew Wu
Career Contribution to Athletics Award June Brenner & Jack Walsh
Charlie Owens Letter Blanket Award Brenner Appel, Mick Assaf, Andy Bainton, June Brenner, Jean-Luc Brown, Cater Carlton, Retta Carolin, Frances Crisler, Jack Dwyer, Jack Eichenlaub, Haley Epstein, Grace Ferry, Ethan Freishtat, Madison Graham, Mark Handler, Jordan Harris, Haley Hartman, Zack Kaminsky, Joe Loughran, Hobie Malik, Kellyann Malone, Owen Moncino, Sean Murtaugh, Natalie Novellas, Stephanie Novellas, Kyle Orr, Jillian Paul, Lauren Pickman, Matthew Plisko, Alex Rafeedie, Johnny Reece, Stephen Reisner, Jake Richards, Ethan Robinson, Alec Rogers, James Sadlo, Lindsey Sample, Cadie Schiffer, Ethan Schneider, Lindsey Schrager, Nicole Shafer, Samuel Sloman, Sydney Sommerville, Emma St. Amand, Anna Van Zyverden & Jack Walsh
Daughters of the American Revolution Citizenship Award Tory Dancu ❶
Eagle Scout Recognition
Alec Rogers, Jack Dwyer, Jack Zook, Kieran Lehane & Stephen Reisner
English Department Award Morgan Kelly
Frank D. Kaley Award
Jack Eichenlaub & Johnny Reece ❹
George G. Kirkpatrick Pace Knight Award
Mary Stuart Gray & Mark Handler
George Mengert Lifetime Achievement Award
Tory Dancu, Ryan Duvall, Jack Eichenlaub, Payton Gannon, Jared Goldman, Mary Stuart Gray, Morgan Kelly, Harrison Ray, Brad Rubin, Lexi Rubin, James Sadlo & Lindsey Sample
Girl Scout Gold Award Recognition Lauren Archer, Tory Dancu, Lexi Rubin, Ciara Sadaka & Quin Waldrop
Gladys Johnson Award Alex Rafeedie & Julia Stern
Headmaster’s Award
Pace Literary Prize
Jordan Harris & Ashley Little ❷
Pace Senior Citizens
Brenner Appel, Elise Bradshaw, Cater Carlton, Retta Carolin, Frances Crisler, Tory Dancu, Ryan Duvall, Philip Elliott, Haley Epstein, Madison Graham, Mackenzie Greenbaum, Jared Goldman, Mark Handler, Haley Hartman, Mitch Inman, Erica Kahn, Morgan Kelly, Ashley Little, Joe Loughran, Kyle Orr, Lexi Rubin & Nicole Shafer
Pace Silver Knight Award Mick Assaf
Jean-Luc Brown, Payton Gannon, Elizabeth Hawn & Alec Rogers
Peter F. Hoffman Honor Scholarship
Hilton and Philippa Kort Service Above Self Award
Ralph Lee Newton Literary Award
James De La Fuente Fine Arts Award
Raymond Buckley Award
Ethan Robinson
Lexi Rubin & James Sadlo
Jim and Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award
Cater Carlton & Johnny Reece
Kent C. Taylor, Jr. Award
Elise Bradshaw, Philip Elliott, Grace Ferry, Jordan Harris, Jake Jenkins, Hope Lennox, Lauren Pickman & Samuel Sloman
Margery Russell Wilmot Spirit Award Andy Bainton, Frances Crisler, Ryan Duvall, Bailey O’Sullivan, Carlee Pokalsky & Lindsey Sample
Mike Gannon Award for Excellence in History Carly Shoulberg
Mike Murphy Courage to Strive for Excellence Award
Rachel Nemeth & Brendon Pace ❸
Joe Loughran & Jillian Paul
Carolyne Eith, Reid Funston, Dori Greenberg & Joe Loughran
Mick Assaf & Madison Graham
Robert A. Yellowlees Award Grace Ferry & Lian Shepherd
Salutatorian Johnny Reece
Science Department Award Harrison Ray
Sydney Rushin Mathematics Prize Lauren Pickman
Valedictorian Andrew Wu
World Language Department Award Elise Bradshaw (FRENCH) Andrew Wu (LATIN) Lindsey Schrager (SPANISH)
COLLEGE CHOICES Brenner Appel, Davidson College Lauren Archer, University of St Andrews, Scotland Mick Assaf, University of Notre Dame Peyton Attridge, Elon University Andy Bainton, University of Georgia Elise Bradshaw, Washington University in St. Louis June Brenner, Rhodes College Jean-Luc Brown, Mercer University Cater Carlton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Retta Carolin, University of Alabama Ailisha Casey, University of Alabama Callaway Chase, University of Mississippi Darby Cochran, Elon University Timothy Coleman, Furman University Julie Covall, University of Pennsylvania Frances Crisler, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tory Dancu, Pomona College Aaron Davis, University of Pennsylvania Claire Di Meglio, Scripps College Lizzie DuPree, Macalester College Ryan Duvall, Northeastern University Jack Dwyer, Auburn University Jack Eichenlaub, Northwestern University Carolyne Eith, University of Georgia Philip Elliott, Lafayette College Haley Epstein, Indiana University at Bloomington Grace Ferry, University of Pennsylvania Ethan Freishtat, University of Georgia Reid Funston, Dartmouth College Payton Gannon, Brown University Emma Laura Gash, University of Mississippi Jared Goldman, University of Texas, Austin Madison Graham, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Mary Stuart Gray, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Mackenzie Greenbaum, Elon University Dori Greenberg, University of Michigan Mark Handler, Wake Forest University Caroline Hardison, University of Georgia Jordan Harris, Furman University Haley Hartman, New York University Elizabeth Hawn, Southern Methodist University Spencer Hemmingway, Brown University
Caroline Hopkins, Loyola Marymount University Mitch Inman, Chapman University Jake Jenkins, Georgia Institute of Technology Xori Johnson, Morehouse College Erica Kahn, University of Arizona Zack Kaminsky, University of Pennsylvania Morgan Kelly, University of Southern California Nicholas Kratz, Tulane University Kieran Lehane, Purdue University Hope Lennox, Pratt Institute Ashley Little, Auburn University Joe Loughran, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Hobie Malik, College of Charleston Rohan Malik, University of Georgia Kellyann Malone, Georgia Institute of Technology Molly Marks, Auburn University Philip Markwalter, University of Alabama Owen Moncino, Texas Christian University Sean Murtaugh, University of Georgia Rachel Nemeth, University of Pennsylvania Natalie Novellas, Southern Methodist University Stephanie Novellas, Southern Methodist University Bailey O’Sullivan, Auburn University Wallis Ohlhausen, University of Alabama Kyle Orr, University of Georgia Brendon Pace, College of William and Mary Jillian Paul, Wake Forest University Conor Pelletier, University of Georgia Lauren Pickman, Washington University in St. Louis Matthew Plisko, Macalester College Carlee Pokalsky, University of South Carolina Alex Pottorff, Auburn University
Alex Rafeedie, Georgia Institute of Technology Harrison Ray, Georgia Institute of Technology Johnny Reece, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stephen Reisner, Vanderbilt University Joseph Richards, University of Georgia Ethan Robinson, University of Texas, Austin Alec Rogers, Middlebury College Brad Rubin, Georgia Institute of Technology Lexi Rubin, Northeastern University Ciara Sadaka, University of Florida James Sadlo, Emory University Lindsey Sample, Vassar College Cadie Schiffer, University of Arizona Ethan Schneider, University of Michigan Lindsey Schrager, Vanderbilt University Nicole Shafer, University of Michigan Maximilian Sharpe, University of Michigan Lian Shepherd, Auburn University Carly Shoulberg, University of Pennsylvania Samuel Sloman, Miami University, Oxford Sydney Sommerville, Spelman College Emma St. Amand, Miami University, Oxford Julia Stern, Washington University in St. Louis Parkes Tesler, University of Mississippi Kassia Toure, Elon University Anthony Trinh, Stanford University Anna Van Zyverden, Rollins College Quin Waldrop, Georgia Institute of Technology Jack Walsh, University of Virginia Paige Williams, Auburn University Maggie Wray, Auburn University Andrew Wu, Princeton University Lali Zamora, Elon University Jack Zook, University of Mississippi
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Yielding
The life of S. RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR. and his place in Pace Academy history
A GOOD NAME
In the third in a series of articles about those who shaped our school, ELIZABETH HETZEL introduces us to S. Russell Bridges, Jr., her grandfather-inlaw, and FRED GLASS ’89, tells Bridges' Pace story.
What’s in a Name? The Bridges family’s first house was located on Forest Avenue (now Ralph McGill Boulevard). The street teemed with a melee of black-clad and hatted pedestrians, clanking streetcars, horse-and-cart salesmen, and high-hooded Model Ts that puttered haphazardly through a burgeoning metropolis that had no traffic lights. This was the Atlanta into which SAMUEL RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR. was born and was destined to change. In the post-WWI era of Progressivism, he witnessed the city’s incredible transformation and indeed played a significant role in shaping both the community and its people.
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Named after his father, young Bridges always carried with him his father’s legacy, a daunting expectation for hard work, leadership and service. As a young man, his father worked as a gopher for the president of a small south-Georgia college near his hometown. When the president died unexpectedly early in the school year, Bridges senior was the only person who knew the intricacies of the president’s work—and the board saw his promise. He was asked to serve as interim president before even setting foot in a college classroom. The following year, to pay for his schooling at Emory College in Oxford, Ga., Samuel Russell Bridges, Sr. worked for the Alkahest Celebrity Booking Company, bringing to town Winston Churchill, Enrico Caruso, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. He earned the Atlanta-based organization recognition along the entire East Coast for his “refreshing” business model in the otherwise cutthroat entertainment industry. Lyceum Magazine described the senior Bridges as one who held “his committees with tenacity, for they accept[ed] his judgment and talent.” That unflinching confidence and deft leadership would be seemingly innate to his namesake, Samuel Russell, Jr., born in 1911.
Junior Makes a Name for Himself Young S.R., as he was called by his parents and intimates for many years, spent his early boyhood in downtown Atlanta, where gas lamps lit the corners of wide city streets by night, and by day the sunlight shone over the smattering of high-rises, which topped little more than 14 stories. After a fire destroyed their home in 1917, six-year-old S.R. and his family relocated to the “outskirts” of town, on Penn Avenue. This was Midtown before the iconic Fox Theatre, when nothing flanked the Georgian Terrace but magnolias and oak trees. Pedestrians strolled along wide unpaved “city” streets waving to the occasional passing motorist. In this quaint suburban setting, S.R., his older sister, Eugenia, and his younger brother, Ralph, were instructed in the value of “good citizenship... respect for authority and good will for others,” Bridges would later recall. “My father and my mother both loved me and encouraged me to achieve, and to live a life that would yield a good name.” That journey to a good name began during S.R.’s days at Boys’ High, one of Atlanta’s first two public schools for young men. The other public high school, bitter rival Tech High, shared the Midtown campus of what is
now Grady High School. Boys’ High was the first school of its kind, dedicated to preparing young men for one of the hallmarks of American Progressivism: advancement into higher education—a chance to grow the middle class. Inside the school’s red brick walls, S.R. and his classmates would learn rhetoric, science, history, government, and mathematics, as well as principles of business, law and engineering. Outside of class, S.R. mastered the snap, the dribble and the backhand. He was intelligent, witty, athletic—and very popular.
“Best All-Around” On the field and in the classroom, the moniker S.R. was synonymous with excellence. In a letter to the Bridges family, long-time friend and Emory University classmate Judson “Jake” Ward wrote that S.R. “was an outstanding student, one of the seven most outstanding.” And “he loved the sports programs at Emory.” The initials S.R. could be heard across Emory’s emerald Quad, beneath the red terracotta tiles of its buildings, and in the halls of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, where he served as president of the fraternity. S.R. darted from the library to the locker room, adding a five-sport rotation to a full class load. By his college days, S.R. had topped out at 6’2”, a height advantage that he would leverage in football, basketball, tennis, golf and wrestling. When some sports shared the same competitive season, S.R. would, for instance, show up to shoot hoops in his wrestling singlet, forearms mat-burned from pinning practice and skin clammy with sweat.
Determination earned S.R. the distinction of Emory’s first five-sport letterman, and he was awarded the Jeff McCord
Trophy for best all-around athlete in 1932. S.R. and his equally athletic younger brother, Ralph, inaugurated the Bridges Award in 1946, supplanting the McCord Trophy, to honor Emory’s outstanding male and female competitors.
From “S.R.” to “Russell” When S.R. entered Emory University in the fall of 1929, the country was in the throes of the Great Depression. Tuition was $75 per academic quarter—roughly $3,000 per year in today’s dollars. But much like his father before him, S.R. capitalized on his inborn industriousness, juggling up to five jobs at a time to pay for classes. Besides working as a rep for Zachry’s Clothing store on campus, as a promoter for a local tea room, as support staff for a real estate agent and as Emory’s freshman tennis coach, S.R. gave private lessons in ballroom dance. In 1931, during his third year at Emory, 14-year-old Julia Colquitt was a student of S.R.’s. Towering over this near-child by almost a foot, S.R. told Julia that she moved like she had a sack of lead tied to her middle. That effectively ended S.R.’s tutelage. Four years later, a young woman caught S.R.'s attention on the dance floor; he was taken with her immediately because she danced so beautifully. The now-graceful debutante was re-introduced to her former instructor—this time as “Russell.” Julia asked this striking young man if he were any relation to S.R. He answered, “No,” showing his signature wry humor, as “You’re not really kin to yourself.”
When on their fourth date someone hollered “Hey S.R.!” from across the room, Julia was livid. He explained, “I told you the truth; I’m not really related to myself.” Having taking a liking to him, Julia stayed with him, but christened him Russell because the man she was getting to know bore no relationship to “that jerk, S.R.” While Russell was a different man than the condescending teacher Julia had encountered four years prior, he would never relinquish the doggedness characteristic of his S.R. days. Upon graduating from Emory in 1933, he entered the insurance field and would later earn a master’s degree from Harvard Business School, and study for and pass the Georgia Bar exam without ever attending law school.
From “Daddy” to “Dad” to “Uncle Russ” When Russell Bridges married Julia in 1936, he was 26 years old and already a rising star with Prudential. His early success as a life insurance agent allowed him to establish his Atlanta residency on his own terms. And just as Bridges senior had done, Russell sought the placidity of moving further out to the suburban vistas of the emerging Northside area. For a total cost of $10,000, Russell purchased land on Arden Road and contracted the building of a two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath slate-accented brick home at the top of a winding drive. Expansive verandas on the back side of the house were shaded by a 100-year-old oak tree. It was the perfect setting to raise a family.
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RUSSELL BRIDGES
I saw him as an intelligent man who ran his family with strength and a big heart. On Nov. 12, 1939, Russell Bridges earned a new name, “Daddy,” when his firstborn child, Dianne, arrived. Theirs was a special bond from the beginning. “He had a protective nature about his little girl,” says Dianne Bridges Hetzel. She grew up hearing the story of how she cried out in the night for her father. When he came to her rescue, the small child begged Daddy not send in her mother, “the lion.” Like most young men of his generation, Daddy left his wife and daughter behind to serve his country. From 1941 to 1945, the family would be separated, later to reunite in Seattle, and then resettle on Arden Road to expand the Bridges name. Five sons would follow; the family would lose one to heart failure four and a half months after his birth, leaving Russell Bridges “Daddy” to Dianne and “Dad” to four sons: Terry, Bob, TOM ’67 and DAVID ’72. While their only daughter was graduating from Northside High School in 1957 and preparing to leave home, the Bridges faced the prospect of having a house full of boys
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for the first time. The couple researched exchange programs and offered themselves as a host family through American Field Service. Looking through the paperwork, the Bridges found a promising candidate: 17-year-old Bjorn Christophersen. They settled on the Norwegian because of a strong athletic connection: like Terry and Terry’s dad, Christophersen played tennis. Christophersen fit in immediately, calling his host father “Uncle Russ,” even though “He was really my American dad,” Christophersen recalls. “He felt it was good for my roommate Terry and the other three boys in the family to have the experience of living with a person from outside the U.S., and, fortunately for me, he took it as a personal challenge to help develop me from a naive, inexperienced 17-year-old foreign boy into a man!” Christophersen spent a year with “the Bridges clan,” then, after a brief period back in Norway, returned to Atlanta at the encouragement of Uncle Russ to join the family legacy of Emory alumni: S.R. senior, S.R. junior and Dianne, who had trans-
ferred to Emory from Randolph Macon Women’s College. As a father, Russell Bridges trained his children to be confident in their judgment. “In my view, he ran his family like a company. He was the boss,” says Christophersen. But for someone who ran his family like a business, “He did listen to his... employees!” Christophersen learned from Uncle Russ that “it was important... to make my own decisions so I could learn from them. This is good business management.” After graduating from Emory in 1961, Dianne told her Daddy that she was contemplating the Peace Corp. Incredibly, he was supportive. “My father taught me to make wise decisions, and yet I think he appreciated the fact that I said, ‘[if I don’t do this], I will always wonder.’” He encouraged Terry to pursue law. Terry subsequently graduated from the University of Virginia’s law school after completing undergraduate work at Yale University and eventually made a name for himself with Troutman Sanders law firm. Like his father,
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Bob has helped change the face of Atlanta through real estate development and commercial real estate sales. Tom followed his father’s faith; as his namesake Thomas Russell, he became a Methodist minister, leading congregations all over the state of Georgia. And David completed the circle of international culture that his father brought to the family in the form of Christophersen, by leaving what was familiar to work abroad in Germany. Christophersen acknowledges the sometimes-formidable public figure who was Russell Bridges. “Uncle Russ was thought by many to be somewhat of a bully with a super-strong will. I saw him as an intelligent man who ran his family with strength and a big heart.”
The Many Hats of Russell Bridges In his professional life, Bridges served as the chairman, president and CEO for Piedmont Life Insurance Company in Atlanta, and later as president and director for Georgia International Life Insurance Company. But his leadership transcended boardrooms and chair meetings. As a boss, he had an opendoor policy, welcoming agents into his office to discuss business, but also to advise them on marriage, parenting, finances and other personal matters. More important was his influence in the greater community. Having one child matriculate through Northside High School and another go through Westminster, Bridges saw the need for a different type of school. He combined some of the best aspects of Atlanta public and private school models and, along with other community leaders, founded Pace Academy in 1958. Bridges served as the school’s second chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1960 to 1970. Former Pace Headmaster MIKE MURPHY called him the “spiritual leader of the Trustees.” His spiritual leadership was also central to the founding of Northside United Methodist Church. According to Gil Watson, senior minister of NUMC, Bridges was “Mr. Methodist… instrumental… in developing a pension plan for ministers in the North Georgia Conference” and widely visible “teaching Sunday school to classes of all age.”
Despite his personal beliefs, however, of paramount importance to Bridges was that Pace remain independent, unaffiliated with any particular religious institution.
“Granddaddy” When I first met S. Russell Bridges, Jr., he was introduced to me by another name, a name he bore with perhaps the most pride. This was “Granddaddy” (with his own emphatic insistence upon sounding out the two middle Ds) to his 10 grandchildren spanning 18 years and to three great-grandchildren born during his life. On Thanksgiving Day 1991, the clan gathered at the Bridges’ dwelling on Wood Valley Road, where Russell and Julia had settled in 1986. I had been prepared to meet the Great Lady, JULIA BRIDGES, whose reputation for Southern hospitality and resonant joy had preceded her. But nothing could have equipped me to meet the family patriarch. I was led to the family room, and Granddaddy was stationed in front of the fireplace, an aged version of some of the pictures on the mantel behind him. There were images of the couple in their heyday, those monochromatic stills that captured the elegance of some society dance. The elbow-length gloves, the tuxedo. The real-life Russell Bridges was older, of course, and a bit less polished in his red cardigan. His eyes squinted from behind thick black frames, the hair in a wispy ring around his head. And though his back was slightly bent now, he still towered over my 5-foot frame. I shook his hand, that smooth, paperthin skin, that could once palm a pigskin. In the characteristically measured cadence of Granddaddy’s deep monotone voice, I stood up against his piercing line of questioning: Where did I go to school? What sports did I play? What were my college plans? He scared me a little, like my own mother’s father scared me. Both men were highly educated, had been hard-working. Men of the Greatest Generation. I kept eye contact while I answered his questions and used “sir” a lot. Evidently, I passed the test. I would be a part of many more formal and informal family gatherings at the Bridges home, and my affection for Granddad grew with each visit. I loved that he
took my boyfriend—his grandson RUSS BRIDGES HETZEL ’92—to task for failing to open the door for me “like a gentleman should.” I loved that he always offered me pie with ice cream or cheese. I loved how unafraid he was of silence, and the way he allowed the quietness to gather around the end of a good chuckle or after the “Amen” of a prayer.
Namesakes Atlanta is a city, a community, forever shaped by S. Russell Bridges, Jr. through both Pace Academy and Northside United Methodist Church. His influence is evident in the various structures and family members who bear his name. From Emory’s Sports Hall of Fame, to Pace Academy’s former Bridges Hall, to a Norwegian godchild and two grandsons who share some “Russell”—S.R., Daddy, Uncle Russ, Granddaddy—remains central to the hearts of the lives he touched. In his will, S. Russell Bridges, Jr. acknowledged his parents’ legacy. They “encouraged me to achieve, and to live a life that would yield a good name.”Or in his case, some very good names. — by ELIZABETH HETZEL
Read on for more on Russell Bridges, Jr. and the early days of Pace Academy.
SOURCES: An All-’Round Alumnus Remembers, Emory Wheel An Unfinished History of Pace Academy, Suzi Zadeh New Georgia Encyclopedia Online S. Russell Bridges, Pace Supporter, Insurance Executive, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cato Bass Last Will and Testament of S. Russell Bridges, Jr. The Lyceum Magazine, Volume 29, October 1919, edited by Ralph Albert Parlette Note of appreciation to Dianne Hetzel from Judson “Jake” Ward, Emory University Obituary of S. Russell Bridges, Jr. Funeral program of S. Russell Bridges, Jr.
Photographs courtesy of Elizabeth Hetzel
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RUSSELL BRIDGES
The Courage TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE S. Russell Bridges, Jr. and Pace Academy’s early days
Not long after Pace Academy opened its doors in September of 1958, a committee of school leaders was assembled to recruit new members to the Board of Trustees. BOB REGENSTEIN, Pace’s first Board chair, led the committee, which included MILLS B. LANE, JR. and RICHARD L. MOORE. Lane felt strongly that the Board needed what he referred to as a “shot in the arm”—stimulus and inspiration from outside individuals who were respected for their success, knowledge and talents in Atlanta’s business community. Lane had been a longstanding member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), a group that the committee identified as a potential pipeline for the type of individuals they were seeking. That network proved fruitful, and shortly after Pace reorganized its charter, restructuring from a for-profit business to a nonprofit organization, YPO member S. RUSSELL BRIDGES, JR. answered the committee’s call for Board service in early 1959.
A School for the Common Good Bridges would go on to chair Pace’s Board from 1960 to 1970, a decade many would characterize as Pace’s most formative. Bridges was responsible for numerous decisions of lasting significance, including the selec-
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tion of FRANK KALEY, “the father of Pace Academy,” as the school’s first headmaster; guiding Pace through the tumultuous currents of racial integration; and creating the unique ethos of Pace that remains very much alive in the school’s culture today. But perhaps the most notable feature of Bridges’ influence was his insistence that Pace remain independent and not become a “church-affiliated” school—meanwhile, Bridges and his wife, JULIA BRIDGES, were deeply devoted Christians. The Bridges applied the same philosophical conviction to their views on racial integration. They were unwavering in their belief that racial integration was morally right, a belief based principally in their Christian faith. Finally, a member of the “Greatest Generation,” Bridges served as an executive officer at a Nazi prison camp outside of Seattle, Wash., during WWII. He would serve as chairman of Pace’s Board of Trustees during the precise time at which his generation’s fundamental values were being called into question. Viewpoints of an older generation began to clash with the growing voice of a younger population, churning up palpable tension and turbulence, hallmarks of the 1960s. That political climate would contribute substantively to Pace’s institutional character.
The Call for Leadership Bridges’ first task as a Trustee was to lead a search for Pace’s first headmaster—a testament to the Board’s high esteem for Bridges’ character and discernment. JANE TUGGLE, Pace’s founder, had proved indispensable in Pace’s initial establishment, but her insistence on a for-profit agenda led to her separation from the school. The Board was given Frank Kaley’s name in the summer of 1959, and Bridges drove out to meet him at his home. Bridges arrived at Kaley’s house to find its owner “greasy and dirty, underneath an automobile of ancient vintage, working to put it together.” Fortunately, Bridges was an excellent judge of character and made Kaley an offer that very day, “in spite of the fact that he looked more like a grease monkey than a headmaster,” Bridges once said. Kaley accepted the offer, becoming Pace’s first headmaster, on July 1, 1959.
Integration Bridges’ son TOM BRIDGES ’67 recalls that the subject of racial integration was a very personal matter for many Pace parents and members of Northside United Methodist Church. Many angrily accused Bridges of “selling out,” but Bridges knew that the time had come to integrate Pace, and he
RUSSELL BRIDGES
was determined to stand by that decision. Tom Bridges remembers some rather raucous encounters with Pace parents at the Bridges home. It was his mother who acted as the peacemaker, drawing from her faith to cool off tempers and redirect the focus to Christian teachings—and what was best for their children and the school. Former Head of Pace’s Upper School BOB CHAMBERS says that Bridges “had wisdom and style and an approach to leadership that brought people together.” Chambers remembers clearly when, in 1967, Pace received its first application from a black prospective student. The event prompted quick action from the Board to ensure that the school’s bylaws adhered to clear non-discrimination policies. When the student tested favorably, Pace accepted the student and officially integrated in the summer of 1967. Integration was a major factor in Bridges’ view that Pace remain independent—rather than Pace being forced to integrate, Bridges saw great value in the decision being made actively and by choice, by the entire Pace community. Tom Bridges says that while other private schools in the area were “pushed” to integrate, the decision at Pace came from within, thanks in large part to his father’s leadership. Chambers notes with conviction that Pace has never in any way discriminated on the basis of race, color or creed. Many agree that integration at Pace might have been very different without the Bridges’ wisdom and his gentle but steadfast guiding hand. In fact, without Bridges and Kaley, Pace would likely not have endured its first decade.
Founded on Judeo-Christian Principles In Bridges’ own words, “Pace has never been a church-related school. However, throughout its history, Pace has possessed a spiritual tone, and its leaders have held to a divine faith that through God all things are possible.” PAT PATTERSON, a member of Pace’s original Board of Trustees, remembered Bridges as a “very high-minded person and a very dedicated Christian,” and those traits
greatly impacted fellow Board members. “Whenever a problem arose and needed to be discussed, [Bridges] approached it in terms of ‘how does this fit into Christian ethics?’” said Patterson. Tom Bridges, a retried Methodist minister, recalls that his father “had a strong faith and talked about religion and faith in a practical, interesting, humorous and inspirational way.” In no particular order, Tom says four things were most important to his father: Piedmont Life Insurance Company, Pace Academy, family and church.
Pace Ethos Bridges was “intimately involved in the lives of each of his five children. He knew well their strengths and weaknesses, and family time was very important to Russell Bridges,” says Tom Bridges. Every evening, during the family’s 6 p.m. supper, Bridges asked about each child’s day. The same reverence for family inspired Bridges’ realization of the niche that Pace could fill. As a small, family-oriented school with a “family feel to it,” Pace was already filling that need, but Bridges’ ability to identify the importance of a student-centered approach to learning would become Pace’s educational philosophy. Today, that philosophy is still at the core of Pace’s “family school” appeal. Chambers agrees that Bridges’ philosophy is what ultimately set Pace apart. “Russell would often describe Pace’s purpose as ‘to strive for academic excellence while always striving to focus on helping each individual child. The individual student is the most important thing at Pace Academy.’ While many schools focus on promoting excellence [through] competitive academics, Pace pursues excellence through cooperation and support, based on each student’s unique strengths and talents,” Chambers says. Rather than competition or elitism driving the college preparatory experience, Chambers says the focus at Pace has always been to identify the strengths and talents within each student, and the college that would best serve that particular student. Together, Bridges and Kaley established Pace’s motto, “To have the courage to strive for excellence.” Chambers notes that that
motto is very unusual—unique when compared to other school mottos. “Respect for the individual” is inferred, he says. “Excellence is very difficult to attain, but constantly striving for excellence is always a prerequisite. And to strive in any endeavor requires courage,” Chambers says. A key tenet in Christianity, the pursuit of excellence was a theme Bridges exemplified throughout his own life.
Convictions The Class of 1968 dedicated that year’s Pacesetter to the Board of Trustees, and Bridges gave the commencement address at graduation. “It is trite to say that you are reaching adulthood in a world that is mystifying to all of us, young and old, but it is an exercise in futility to conclude that all is chaos, and that there is nothing anybody can do about it.” He suggested that the students respect the “natural laws that govern and discipline the world, both the moral laws made by God and secular laws made by man.” He warned that a “default of authority creates dangerous vacuums that threaten to destroy our great American Heritage.” Bridges concluded with a call to action: “America sorely needs men and women, patriots who will work for goodwill among [individuals] of all races, who will uphold our constitutional government, and who, like their forefathers, will pledge their lives and sacred honor to preserve the dignity of the individual and the glory of our great nation.” Russell Bridges had a lifelong love of people and a great sense of humor. He was a “man about town,” who attributed his success in business to “The Golden Rule.” When fiercely challenged by his businessschool peers who insisted that there was no profit to be made from that approach, Bridges’ characteristic retort remained, “The only way to conduct business profitably is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” • — by FRED GLASS ’89
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THE YEAR OF
The Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s 2016–2017 theme
Weather might be the hottest conversation topic of all time. For thousands of years, humans have speculated as to what might fall from the heavens; we’ve bemoaned dreary days, commiserated in the cold and celebrated sunny skies. Weather is what we talk about when we have nothing else to say. And in these unending exchanges, the word weather often becomes interchangeable with climate. It’s a common mistake, certainly understandable given the interconnectedness of the two forces, but it’s a gaffe members of the Pace Academy will soon cease to make. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines weather as “the short-term changes we see in temperature, clouds, precipitation, humidity, and wind in a region or city.” Climate refers to a region or city’s “typical weather… averaged over many years.” Weather changes minute to minute and day to day; climate changes “on the scale of tens, hundreds and thousands of years.” As Mark Twain once said, “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” But what happens when the climate we expect is not the climate we get, when climate change accelerates at rates far faster than ever before? How are humans affected
if average temperatures rise? Do we play a role in those rising temperatures, in shifting climates? Is the earth’s climate actually changing at all, or is recent warming part of its natural cycle? During the 2016–2017 school year, the Pace community will attempt to think critically about CLIMATE, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) third annual global theme. Students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends of the school will explore climate as it relates to science and technology, culture and arts, social entrepreneurship and business, service and environmental sustainability, public policy and international relations—and our individual lives. Teachers will incorporate climate issues and study into their curricula with the goal of building awareness, fostering understanding and encouraging engagement. We’ll hear from experts like ICGL Visiting Scholar Sir Robert Swan; explore the interplay between climate and food and water, our previous ICGL themes; travel to destinations experiencing climate change and discuss its impact with those effected; and talk to skeptics and scientists, diving headfirst into the storm. So, grab your raincoat, ski boots, sunscreen and umbrella… and prepare to brave the elements.
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THE YEAR OF CLIMATE
CRAWFORD
IRVINE
2 016 – 2017
ICGL G LOB A L THEME
CEFALU
LEUTTERS
Illustration by ELIZA WALDROP ‘18
A CLIMATE
OF EXPLORATION
In the coming school year, rising seniors ROSS CEFALU and MAX IRVINE, rising junior MELANIE CRAWFORD and rising sophomore JENNY LEUTTERS will suit up for an expedition into the world of CLIMATE, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) annual global theme. Following an extensive application process, Cefalu, Crawford, Irvine and Leutters were selected to make up the Isdell Global Leaders (IGL) Class of 2017. They’ll spend the next year exploring climate through research, travel and an independent-study course. ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON and Upper School teachers KEVIN BALLARD and CAITLIN MORRIS will serve as IGL advisors, traveling with students on two climate-related study tours. The first study tour will take the group to Churchill, Manitoba, one of the few human settlements where polar bears can be observed in the wild. The group will stay at the Churchill Northern Studies Center, a scientific research station with the mission to “understand and sustain the North.” The Center, located on the Hudson Bay seacoast, sits at the meeting of three major biomes: marine, northern boreal forest and tundra. The trip will provide students and faculty with a hands-on, immersive research experience. On the second tour, the IGL team will explore the Everglades and Florida Keys, where they will partner with the National Park Service to explore the effects and environmental consequences of rising sea levels and temperatures on subtropical wilderness areas.
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CLIMATE’S POSTER CHILD Each year, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Poster Competition challenges Upper School students to explore the ICGL’s annual global theme through art. Pieces of all mediums were accepted, and the winning piece was required to accurately represent the theme in a creative and inspiring way. Sophomore ELIZA WALDROP’S painting emerged victorious and will be used to promote next year’s theme of CLIMATE. In the piece, Waldrop represents global warming, pollution and rising sea levels. “I connected the factory smoke to the iceberg in order to show how pollution has a direct effect on polar bears and the melting of icecaps,” Waldrop says.
THE YEAR OF CLIMATE
MEET ICGL VISITING SCHOLAR
SIR ROBERT SWAN
Levin Nottingham
McCaffrey Shelton
Boddie
Much Hoover
Trevelino
Guest
Many Pace Academy faculty, staff and students have spent the summer engrossed in author Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change. Grab a copy and join the discussion!
Herman
One discovers a great deal when traveling great distances. Explorations and expeditions have changed the course of history, connected people across continents and shaped our view of the world. In October, Sir Robert Swan, one of the world’s preeminent polar explorers and environmental leaders, will visit Pace Academy as the 2016–2017 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Visiting Scholar. At age 33, Swan became the first person to walk to both the North and South Poles, and his 900-mile journey to the South Pole stands as the longest unassisted walk ever made. During his expeditions, Swan experienced the effects of global warming at both Poles. In Antarctica, his eyes forever changed color after prolonged exposure under the ozone layer’s hole. In the Arctic, his team survived near-death encounters in a melting ocean, prematurely caused by global warming. These experiences helped to shape and focus Swan’s life’s goal: working towards the preservation of Antarctica as the last great wilderness on earth. A lauded motivational speaker, Swan will share his experiences and environmental expertise with the Pace community, bringing a unique perspective to global climate issues.
RECOMMENDED READING
CREATING CITIZENS OF THE WORLD Pace Academy’s mission to create prepared, confident citizens of the world serves as a mandate for school leadership, faculty and staff, but also for Pace students. This fall, 10 Upper School students will take an active roll in ensuring the fulfillment of that mission. As the newly formed Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Student Advisory Council, GAVIN GUEST, ETHAN MUCH, CHRIS MCCAFFREY, DONN BODDIE, JEREMY LEVIN, AVERY
HERMAN, THOMAS HOOVER, LAURA SHELTON, LEX TREVELINO, and ANNIE NOTTINGHAM will coordinate and promote events around the ICGL’s annual global theme of CLIMATE. In addition, the council will “be actively engaged in providing interesting, thoughtprovoking, and appealing ways to explore global issues and the annual global theme for Upper School students,” says ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON.
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1) Hurst Williamson (center); 2) Rahima Dosani (center) with her family; 3) Chip Wile; 4) Heather Allen; 5) Allen with her colleagues; 6) Eric Estroff; 7) Andrew Riley; 8) Zeena Lattouf; 9) The cover artwork for the Lattouf-produced documentary Zaatari; 10) Alex Bussey; 11) Kelsey Jones Pratt
CHIP WILE ’98 was recently promoted to president of Daytona International Speedway, International Speedway Corporation’s (ISC) flagship motorsports facility. He had served as president of Darlington Raceway since 2013. In his new role, Chip oversees all speedway activities, including live entertainment, fan amenities and ticket sales. He hopes to “better position ISC to meet the challenges of the existing business landscape and to capitalize on growth opportunities.” Chip and his wife, CATHERINE RIGSBY WILE ’98, have three young children: twin boys Rigsby and Woodson and daughter Jane Alyce. In May, JOHN LYNCH ’99 graduated with a Ph.D. in management from the University of Georgia. In the fall, John will start as an assistant professor in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Managerial Studies department.
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RAHIMA DOSANI ’03 graduated from Harvard Business School in May of 2016. She attended Har-
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vard after working in consulting for three years and for the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Malawi and Myanmar for two years. There she focused on increasing access to vaccines, HIV diagnostics and tuberculosis treatment. Rahima will return to school to complete a Master of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, where she is a Zuckerman Fellow. She looks forward to returning to the field of global health after earning her second post-graduate degree. HEATHER ALLEN ’05 was the winner of the 2015–2016 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show for her work as a show producer on CBS’s The Price Is Right. The winning April Fools Day episode featured a surprise hosting appearance by former Price Is Right host Bob Barker. This was Heather’s first nomination and first win. KELSEY JONES PRATT ’06 was promoted to director, Evidence Translation & Implementation, at Avalere Health, a Washington, D.C.-based advisory ser-
vices company. Avalere provides strategic guidance on healthcare policy and business topics to a variety of clients, including professional societies, hospitals and health systems, healthcare payers and life sciences companies. As a director, Kelsey leads projects to identify and fill gaps in evidence that inform healthcare best practices, as well as support the use of evidence to improve quality of care. Kelsey particularly focuses on efforts to define high-quality care and support its implementation through quality improvement initiatives in hospitals and other care settings. She also helps organizations understand measures used to assess quality of care, develop new measures, and respond to incentives and penalties associated with care quality in the wake of the Affordable Care Act. Kelsey lives with her husband in Princeton, N.J. ANDREW RILEY ’10 received two awards at the 2016 Southeast Emmy Awards in Atlanta. Andrew and his colleagues at Georgia Outdoors were recognized in the Magazine Program category and the Health/Science— Program Feature Segment category.
i n m Alu Andrew is the associate producer for Georgia Outdoors, where he began as a college intern and has since become “a prolific photographer, videographer and go-to guy,” according to his colleagues. Andrew credits his interest in production to a project in Middle School English teacher PETE POPE’S class in which he adapted The Hobbit into a short film. “It was my first experience in the world of video, and it ignited a passion that dominated my highschool experience,” he says. “Pace provided me with an academic foundation, as well as the freedom and faculty encouragement to develop my passion into what is now my career. I’m amazed that my efforts back at Pace—from running Film Society with [teacher] JULIE HALL to launching KnightFlix with [advisors] GEORGE SOKOLSKY and MATT WALKER—have had such sweet rewards down the road.” Andrew is a graduate of Elon University’s School of Communications. JAMIE BOTSCH ’12 successfully defended his honors thesis and graduated from Emory University Phi Beta Kappa and with highest honors.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
A 2016 graduate of George Washington University, ERIC ESTROFF ’12 worked for the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, a White House advisory committee on all things cultural affairs. As a member of the committee, Eric helped coordinate a delegation of 70 American artists who traveled to Havana on behalf of the United States to engage in a cultural exchange with the Cuban people. Artists in the delegation included Dave Matthews, Usher and Smokey Robinson. Eric now lives in New York City and works on the digital marketing and brand partnerships team at Sweetgreen, a destination for simple, seasonal, healthy food. The fast-casual restaurant chain serves made-toorder salads and other healthy options and has raised more than $100 million in funding since it was founded in 2007. As one of the fastest-growing restaurants in the country, Sweetgreen is a player in the fast-casual revolution, led by the likes of Shake Shack and Chipotle. ZEENA LATTOUF ’12 produced Zaatari, a short documentary based on fieldwork she completed to assess the need for improved
education within the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan. Pace faculty and former faculty attended the film’s premiere at Emory University. Zeena graduated cum laude from Emory University with a double major in Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies and Arabic. She received the following honors: Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges & Universities, Emory Graduating Women of Excellence, and the Amy Johnson Research Award, which funded her trip to Zaatari. The full documentary can be found on Zeena’s website at zlattouf.wix.com/mysite. In August, Zeena will return to Pace as assistant director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership. HURST WILLIAMSON ’12 works for SW&A, an Atlanta spoken communications firm, where he writes The View From Base Camp, a new blog that gives a millennial voice to challenges in the workplace. “Its witty (I hope!) tone offers insight into what makes Gen Y tick, both for millennials themselves and for managers all the way up to the C-suite,” Hurst writes.
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ALUMNI
Following the 2015 season, ALEX BUSSEY ’14 was named the Most Valuable Player on the University of New Haven’s women’s volleyball team. She also was named to the Dean’s List, the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Northeast-10 All-Championship Team. Alex is majoring in criminal justice with a concentration in investigative services and forensic psychology. KENNY SELMON ’14 completed his sophomore year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his second season as a member of the Tarheels track and field team. Following the 2016 season, Kenny earned USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors in the 400-meter hurdles—only the third Tarheel to complete this feat. At the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Kenny and his teammates won the 4x400 title; he finished sixth in the 110-meter hurdles and second in the 400meter hurdles.
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Kenny went on to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, where he was the bronze medalist in the 400-meters. He competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in July, where he advanced to the semifinals.
nominate award candidates and, following an application process, a committee of classmates and professors select recipients.
LANE DIKEMAN ’15 was named a College Scholar during the fall 2015 and spring 2016 terms at Middlebury College. To be named a College Scholar is the highest recognition for academic achievement at the liberal arts institution. A College Scholar at Middlebury must carry a full course load of four or more classes during the semester, and achieve a grade point average of 3.6 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher, with no grade lower than a B.
LAUREN CARDON ’96 married Thomas Altman on March 12, 2016, in New Orleans at the Audubon Tea Room. MARCI ADILMAN ‘96, LARA MARGOLIS KROSS ’96, MARY ELIZABETH RUSHING LOTT ’96, KAREN MARGOLIS KAYE ’00 and LAURA ADILMAN ’99 attended. Lauren and Thomas live in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but still travel regularly to New Orleans. Thomas is a business analyst, and Lauren is an English professor at the University of Alabama.
DYLAN STEINFELD ’15 received Georgia Institute of Technology’s Freshman High Performance Award, one of the Scheller College of Business’s prestigious undergraduate honors. Faculty, staff and fellow students
1) Steinfeld; 2) Dikeman; 3) Selmon; 4) Kulinski/Liou; 5) Levi/Staines; 6) Cardon/ Altman; 7) Elliott/Long; 8) Margaret Ann Cranmer; 9) James Caldwell Soldan; 10) Janie Marie Teegarden with family
MARRIAGES
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Brandon and Megan live in Houston, Texas, where Megan is a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Brandon works in oil and gas finance.
BIRTHS BETSY KULINSKI ’02 married Tony Liou on April 16, 2016, in Santa Monica, Calif. LAURA BOLLMAN ’02 served as a maid of honor. CHRIS KULINSKI ’96 and CAROLINE CLEMENTS KULINSKI ’97 attended with their daughter, Sabrina Kulinski, who served as a flower girl. ELIZABETH WESTBROOK HOLDEN ’02 also attended. The couple lives in Hermosa Beach, Calif., where Tony founded Partner Energy, a nationwide provider of energy efficiency and renewable energy engineering services for existing buildings and new construction. Betsy is a manager with Ernst & Young. MARISA LEVI ‘05 and Andrew Staines were married on Oct. 11, 2015, in Charleston, S.C. Pace alumni in attendance included BRETT LEVI ’03, SARAH BRAY ’04, RACHEL CLARK
’05, BEN CLARK ’04, RAHIMA DOSANI ’05, AARON DUCOFFE ’05, ANDREW HENDERSON ’05, AMANDA SIEGEL ’05 and CAMERON SMITH ’05. The couple met seven years ago in New York City and, after two years in London, recently moved back to the Big Apple, where Marisa is director of operations for FutureReach, a social enterprise based in the U.K. Andrew works in the Office of Legal Obligations at J.P. Morgan. MEGAN ELLIOTT LONG ’07 married Brandon Michael Long on April 16, 2016. Pace alumni in attendance included JACOB MINKLEY ’07, KAYLA SCHMANDT ’08, SAM ELLIOTT ’09 and PHILIP ELLIOTT ’17. The proud mother of the bride is fifth-grade teacher LAURIE ELLIOTT.
Susanne and STEWART TEEGARDEN ’99 welcomed Jane “Janie” Marie on May 4, 2016. Janie joins big sisters Mary Wade and Anne Thomas. “She is the perfect third girl,” Stewart writes. The family lives in Atlanta. ASHLEY MORRISON SOLDAN ’00 and her husband, Tom, welcomed James Caldwell on April 16, 2016. James weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces and was 22 inches long. The family lives in Northern Virginia, where Ashley is manager of learning and development at HITT Contracting, and Tom is a litigation attorney. Kristen and PHILIP CRANMER ’01 welcomed their newest addition, Margaret Ann, on Feb. 15, 2016. She joins older twin brothers Harrison and Brandon, 3.
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Pete and GENNA GADDY FRANCONI ’02 had a son, William Emerson, on Dec. 19, 2015. He was 8 pounds, 11 ounces and joins big sister Virginia. Genna works as a team account director at 22squared, an advertising agency in Midtown Atlanta. Sarah and BROOKS FICKE ’03 had a daughter, Savannah Claire, on June 9, 2016. She was 6 pounds, 1 ounce. Brooks recently finished his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and in August, will start a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at UAB. The family lives in Birmingham.
After graduating from Pace, Jennifer attended Southern Methodist University and received a degree in molecular biology from Georgia State University. The family requests that any donations be made to Dr. Judith A. Smith/Whitney Rybert Fund, University of Texas Health, Office of Development, PO Box 1321, Houston, TX, 77251 or online at go.uth.edu/WHIMResearchProgram.
IN MEMORIAM Former Pace staff member CAROLYN “STACY” MARTIN passed away on April 15, 2016. Stacy worked in Student Affairs through much of the 1990s. She is survived by AL MARTIN, her husband of 47 years, son WILL MARTIN ’94, daughter STACY MARTIN PAYNE ’89, son-in-law ANDREW PAYNE ’88 and four grandchildren. “[Stacy] was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and an exemplary homemaker,” her family wrote. “Her biggest interest by far was her family. Her proudest achievement was raising and educating her two children, and her greatest joy was her four granddaughters… She was an avid reader, always having at least one book she was reading. She kept a list of all the books she had read; they numbered in the hundreds.”
1) Savannah Claire Ficke 2) William Emerson Franconi
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JENNIFER RYBERT ’02 passed away on May 27, 2016. She is the daughter of JEAN and FRITZ RYBERT and the brother of TOMMY RYBERT ’96. Jennifer’s beloved sister, WHITNEY RYBERT ’99, preceded her in death. “Jennifer was a beautiful woman who had a smile that lit up the room and a laugh that was contagious,” her family wrote. “Finding humor in the best of times and the worst of times, she was always ‘authentic.’ She had a huge and caring heart that was always open with a love for children and every animal she met.”
EVERETT SUTERS, father of JULIA SUTERS ’84, passed away on Oct. 13, 2015, after a brief illness. “He was not only my dad but my best friend,” Julia writes. “I will miss working with him on a daily basis, but more importantly, I will miss his laugh.”
STEPHEN WALKER ’17 died on June 27, 2016. He was an excellent student, a member of Pace’s varsity swimming team and a participant in the Model United Nations program. He leaves behind his mother, TARA WALKER, and grandparents, Blondie and Emanuel Walker. •
Got something to share? Email alumni@paceacademy.org
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ALUMNI
Kumar accepts his award from Inman (right) and Head of School FRED ASSAF on May 11.
Kumar Receives
2016 ALUMNI SCHOLAR AWARD
SAVE THE DATE
SEPT. 23–24 The Pace Academy Alumni Scholar Award Committee was proud to present the 2016 Alumni Scholar Award to junior PRASHANTH KUMAR. An active member of the Student Council, Kumar approaches all areas of his life with a marked enthusiasm and passion. With a keen interest in math and sciences, he was Pace’s varsity math team captain and plans to pursue cancer research at Emory University this summer. Among his many activities on and off campus, Kumar is captain of the varsity boys tennis team, a peer tutor, a Pace Academy Board of Diversity leader and a member of the robotics club. He spends time in the summers as a bilingual hospital volunteer in India. The Alumni Scholar Award is presented annually to a rising senior who embodies Pace’s values of high moral character, academic achievement, leadership and service, thereby enriching the school community as a whole. In 2015, under the leadership of Trustee and Alumni Scholar Award Committee Chair JOHN INMAN ’83, the committee redefined the award, now regarded as one of Pace’s most prestigious honors. Today, a scholarship of $10,000 is applied to the winner’s senior-year tuition.
Reunion Gatherings for the Classes of 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 & 2011 More information at www.paceacademy.org/ alumni/reunion
#ReUknight
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Alumni Out & About
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1&2) In March, LARA GOODRICH EZOR ’06 and ZACK EZOR ’06 returned to Pace Academy as part of the Office of Alumni Relations’ Alumni Speaker Series. During a special assembly and lunch-and-learn sessions, Lara and Zack shared with students their experiences hiking the entire Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails. 3–5) More than 30 alumni from the New York City area joined Head of School FRED ASSAF for a June happy hour at the New York Athletic Club.
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6) Former Pace track teammates GLEN HARRIS ’12 and KENNY SELMON ’14 reunited at the Virginia Challenge outdoor track-and-field meet in April. Harris runs track for the U.S. Naval Academy; Selmon runs for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 7&8) As the Class of 2016 prepared to head out into the post-Pace world, a panel of recent alumni returned to offer words of wisdom. Seven members of the Class of 2015—BRITTANY ALLEN, MORGAN BAKER, CAROLINE MILLS, ELIZABETH WILLIS, CALLIE CUNNINGHAM, NOAH BROOKER and BOBBY STONECIPHER— shared lessons learned, academic advice, social suggestions and insightful stories from their freshman years.
NEED AN OLD YEARBOOK? Was yours lost, damaged or destroyed? We can send you another copy! Contact Pacesetter adviser RYAN VIHLEN for availability. ryan.vihlen@paceacademy.org
ALUMNI
GOLDEN KNIGHTS, REUNITED “Our schoolhouse was a castle, and our playground was a garden,” —MICHAEL JEROME '66
A Golden Knight’s Priceless Gift IN 2014, MICHAEL JEROME ’66 contacted Pace Academy with the kind of offer you don’t get every day. He planned to donate a beautifully curated collection of historical books to the then-brand-new Woodruff Library. Pace’s answer was yes! Director of the Woodruff Library MATT BALL chose a few select titles from the collection, featuring the art and architecture of ancient civilizations, including Greece, Asia, Northern Africa and Latin America, as a display to showcase the new collection that had been made available to students. Throughout the year, Ball updated the display to highlight various titles within the collection. Jerome was one of 12 students in the Class of 1966, Pace’s third graduating class. During his many years as an Atlanta-based designer, he amassed an amazing collection of books chronicling the history of architecture, art, design and gardening. This spring, Jerome joined his classmates in returning to campus for their 50th reunion celebrations and had the opportunity to see the library display for himself. “I am so pleased with the new [Upper School] and library that I would like to present
a large part of this collection now, so it can be in the new library when it opens,” Jerome wrote in his 2014 letter to the school. He made the gift on behalf of the Class of 1966. “Mr. Jerome was incredibly generous in donating his amazing collection of books, many of which are now only available through rare book dealers. Even before we had the chance to catalog them, we already had interested teachers, students and even Pace parents asking when they’d be available. There are many volumes that will support the arts curriculum at Pace,” Ball says. Jerome describes his relationships at Pace as those of a tight-knit family, that had the opportunity of growing and learning in an environment that often seemed more like a dream than it did a reality. “Our schoolhouse was a castle, and our playground was a garden,” said Jerome. The Pace family extends its sincere thanks to Jerome for his lasting gift to this community.
Pace Academy’s second graduating class celebrated its 50th reunion on May 14. Members of the Class of 1966 were invited to attend the commencement ceremony for this year’s graduating seniors, with a special oncampus dinner event immediately following. Hosted in the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School’s Woodruff Library, members of the Class of 1966 enjoyed a time to reconnect and reminisce, followed by their induction into the Golden Knights Club. Members of the Class of 1964 and 1965, inducted in previous years, also attended the festivities.
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www.facebook.com/paceacademy alumniassociation www.linkedin.com/paceacademy alumniassociation
ALUMNI
MACKENZIE GREENBAUM ’16 and GREG GREENBAUM ’83
STEVE WRAY ’88 and MAGGIE WRAY ’16
DAN EPSTEIN ’78 and HALEY EPSTEIN ’16
ROBERT BRADSHAW ’82, ELISE BRADSHAW ’16, AMY BRADSHAW, and MEREDITH BRADSHAW ’13 The Kahn family, including BRIAN KAHN ’78 and ERICA KAHN ’16
CORINNE ORR ’15, KYLE ORR ’16 and BETSY BRADY ORR ’78 EMMA ST. AMAND ’16 and KAREN GREENBERG ST. AMAND ’81
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PAIGE WILLIAMS ’16 and CAROLYN SINGLETON WILLIAMS ’80
SUSAN CANTER REISNER ’79 and STEPHEN REISNER ’16
KATHERINE BROWN OHLHAUSEN ’84 and WALLIS OHLHAUSEN ’16
KELLY KLUMOK SCHIFFER ’87 and CADIE SCHIFFER ’16
JULIE HORNSTEIN APPEL ’81 and BRENNER APPEL ’16
LEGACIES
GENERATIONS OF GRADS
JOHN INMAN ’83 and MITCH INMAN ’16
Each year, Pace Academy alumni parents are photographed with their graduating seniors during graduation festivities. This year, 15 alumni welcomed children into the Alumni Association.
LEIGH DRAUGHON WALSH ’81, JACK WALSH ’16 and TIM WALSH ’81
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It takes a village! You Set Pace Apart! #PaceFunduKnight
uKnight means more than a dollar amount— it is the collective support that defines the Pace Academy family. Together, we fulfill our singular mission: to create prepared, confident citizens of the world. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/thepacefund.