WELCOME
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PACE ACADEM Y
“Pace Academy is a school that you should not be afraid to leave. No matter how long your stay at the Academy was, you are definitely now more prepared to take on the challenges of the ‘real world’ than you were upon entering.” WILL MOVSOVITZ Class of 2017 and a Pace Lifer
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Our Past Every family has a story. For the Pace family—our students, teachers, staff, parents, alumni and friends—the story begins over 60 years ago when an interfaith group of community leaders envisioned a stimulating learning environment based on Judeo-Christian values. They imagined an intimate academic community that prepared students to THINK BIG about themselves, about others and about the world around them. In 1958, this visionary group established Pace Academy in the former Ogden estate on W. Paces Ferry Road. Classes took place in bedrooms, in the basement and in the spacious bathrooms on the building’s top floor. The former dining room served as a cafeteria, and students enjoyed recess in the estate’s expansive gardens. Under the leadership of the school’s dynamic first headmaster, Frank D. Kaley, and his successors, Pace grew into an institution focused on academic excellence and the development of the whole child—a community in which each student is known, loved and encouraged to live out Pace’s motto: “To have the courage to strive for excellence.” It is not insignificant that our first classroom building was once a home, for it remains so today. Our footprint has expanded and our family has grown, but Pace’s core values and commitment to excellence endure. Our founders may have started small, but their vision was BIG.
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“We, the students, realize we are not just names in a file, but, as individuals, are considered of utmost importance to Pace. We will proudly wear the name of the first graduating class of Pace Academy.� LYNN BALLOU Class of 1964
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Our Motto To have the courage to strive for excellence.
Our Core Values We create success through partnership with parents, students and faculty. We are dedicated to developing the whole child. We have respect for others and their unique ideas and beliefs. We have pride in our accomplishments and our heritage.
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Our Present We’d like to think that Pace today is exactly what our founders had in mind. We are a community of engaged, energized individuals committed to fulfilling our mission to create prepared, confident citizens of the world. We accomplish that mission first and foremost by emphasizing close student-teacher relationships; our students question, explore and succeed because they know they have the support to THINK BIG. And while we touch hearts, we teach minds. Our rigorous academic curriculum and college-placement success rank Pace among the nation’s finest independent schools. Innovative programs like Design Thinking, Social Entrepreneurship, Global Leadership and Community Engagement encourage students to think critically, solve problems, embrace failure, strive for excellence and ultimately discover their passions. We focus on further developing each child’s interests and strengths through our outstanding athletics and arts programs, and we encourage students to participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. You see, there’s no such thing as a typical Pace student. You’ll find one of our track stars playing trumpet for the fall musical and a state-champion debater broadcasting live from a Friday-night football game. And while we know that excellence in academics, arts and athletics is vital to a well-rounded education, we also understand that an education today is more complicated than the three As; it’s about providing global perspectives in the classroom and an integrated experience before and after the bell rings. That’s why building character is at the heart of everything we do. Pace students, guided by our outstanding faculty and staff, develop a deep understanding of the world and the people around them. Our graduates want to be successful, and they realize that true success means making a positive difference. They THINK BIG.
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“As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, and we are lucky to have such wonderful families as part of our village.” BANU ELIZONDO Pace Parent
“At Pace, ‘to have the courage to strive for excellence’ means that you aren’t afraid to do the best you can do. You don’t give up. You just keep trying.” RILEY WALSH Class of 2024
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Our Mission To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy.
Because of our founders’ ability to THINK BIG, we now create prepared, confident citizens of the world who do the same.
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Our Future Pace has been a vibrant part of the Atlanta community for more than 60 years and continues to make an impact on our city—and world—today. But we’re nowhere near finished. While our 2016–2021 Strategic Plan holds fast to our founding principles, it celebrates growth and envisions an ever-greater place for children to live and learn, prioritizing academic and institutional excellence, global citizenship, student life, school culture and community. Our task going forward is to expand our efforts to ensure that Pace students become ethical, empathetic, innovative, culturally competent and adaptable citizens of the world. We work toward that mission in a number of ways. Age-appropriate character-education programs in all divisions support our focus on “the whole child” and emphasize traits such as respect, collaboration, curiosity, perseverance and resilience. We reinforce these values through our curriculum and extracurricular offerings, putting into practice the core values we as a community hold dear. Our faculty champions these values as well. We seek out and cultivate diverse teaching talent, providing opportunities for teachers to grow personally and professionally as citizens of the world, thereby enriching our students’ lives. In addition, our Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) ensures that all educational experiences are viewed through an overarching global lens. By exploring an annual theme, the collaborative, cross-divisional program supports a well-rounded global education for every graduate. Our strategic vision ensures that Pace’s culture of inclusion and respect remains intact for future generations, and that our alumni continue to strive for excellence in the ever-changing world they encounter. We THINK BIG.
Our Pace Pace is an institution rooted in history and tradition, yet we embrace new ideas and innovation while adapting to our ever-changing world. We start small and THINK BIG. We are Pace.
“As a parent of two Pace students and three alumni, a classroom teacher and a member of our administrative team, I can think of no better place for a child to live, learn and be loved than our school. Pace has been the best decision of my life.� FRED ASSAF Head of School
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“My teachers at Pace taught me one of the most important life lessons—to learn for the sake of learning, not for the grade on the paper.” PRASHANTH KUMAR Class of 2017
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“Our family believes Pace’s continued success will be measured by the contributions of its graduates to enhancing the quality of life for Atlantans, Georgians, Americans and our fellow citizens of the world.” DR. STEPHEN DAWKINS Former Pace Parent and Life Trustee
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“Global education is the platform we use to help students become leaders. If we honor the idea of a ‘citizen of the world,’ we really can develop cohorts of young people who go on to make the world a better place by wanting to lead and doing so naturally.” KATIE SANDLIN Lower School Teacher
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Learn more about life at Pace, our curriculum and the application process on our website, www.paceacademy.org.
966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org