SPRING 2017
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PA C E A C A D E M Y
My Teaching Partner Professional Development at its Best
Knight of Jazz Five Years of Magical Musical Moments
Leadership Pace
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Winter Sports Highlights
Our trip to Chile was lifechanging. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we helped construct a house for a very deserving family. Read all about it on page 27.
Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
w F ollo ! Pa c e
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR My office sits in a top corner of the Castle, overlooking the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, the Inman Center and the Gardens. I see a great deal from my perch—students walking to lunch, impromptu games of catch, the occasional picnic or class outside. My broad, birds-eye view seems appropriate given that my position requires me to observe and document, to pop into places to capture a photo or make a quick announcement. It’s a job that facilitates relationships across the Pace community, and I’m grateful for those many and varied connections. But every now and then, it’s nice to disconnect and really dig into a specific aspect of the Pace Academy student experience. I had that opportunity when I traveled with my colleagues REBECCA RHODES and JOE SANDOE and 19 Upper School students to Chile on an Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tour (page 27). There, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, our group constructed a house for a family whose infant son had been hospitalized since birth due to severe medical conditions. Our project would allow him to come home. It was my great honor to work alongside these students as they mastered basic construction skills and attempted to communicate in Spanish. But more than that, I was proud of their ability to connect with the individuals we met, to reflect on their privilege and to understand their power for positive change. For these students, our time in Chile was a lesson in the importance of crossing borders and appreciating someone else’s story—a lesson they were eager to learn. It’s reassuring to know that the future is in good hands.
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404-926-3727 or pacecares@paceacademy.org
T H E MA G A Z INE OF PACE ACADEMY
CONTRIBUTORS
KnightTimes 966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327
KATELYN E. CLOONEY After receiving a bachelor’s in communications/sports journalism, KATELYN E. CLOONEY is now pursuing a master’s in sport administration at Georgia State University. She is a graduate assistant in Pace’s athletics department, where she assists with communications and operations. Clooney is also a member of Georgia Tech’s game-day staff. A proud native of Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, Clooney loves few things more than the New England Patriots.
www.paceacademy.org
Head of School FRED ASSAF
Division Heads
HANNAH KELLY ’15 HANNAH KELLY, a former intern for the Pace communications department, is a sophomore at Duke University studying English and computer science. While at Pace, Kelly was a member of the Barbara and Sanford Orkin Society, the National Honor Society and the Cum Laude Society. In her free time, she enjoys reading, running and playing with her cat.
MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School JOHN ANDERSON Head of Middle School SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School
Communications Department
CONTENTS 06 NEWS What you need to know 10 SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS
36 GLOBAL LEADERS Highlighting individuals who set the pace outside of school
12 PACE LEAD
36 FACULTY PROFILE Meet MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI and KATIE SANDLIN
14 SPIRIT WEEK
38 MENTOR DAY
15 DONOR SPOTLIGHT The ELIZONDO FAMILY
39 LLS STUDENTS OF THE YEAR
12 AROUND PACE A look at what's happening on campus
16 ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS 19 WINTER SHOWCASE 20 MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL
22 WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Swimming & diving, girls basketball, basketball cheerleading and wrestling 25 MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS
26 ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership 26 SPRING STUDY TOURS 30 ANTARCTICA 32 CLIMATE ACTIVITIES
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CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, Editor
KnightTimes | Spring 2017
40 MY TEACHING PARTNER A groundbreaking professional development program
44 KNIGHT OF JAZZ An annual highlight of the arts calendar celebrates five years
48 BOYS BASKETBALL The varsity squad makes history by winning its second state championship in as many years
52 ALUMNI UPDATES
RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager
Staff Writer LIZ WIEDEMANN Stewardship Manager
Contributing Photographers FRED ASSAF GEMSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com LAURA INMAN SMAX PHOTOGRAPHY www.smaxart.com
Our Mission To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy.
60 OUT & ABOUT 62 KNIGHT CAP 64 LEADERSHIP PACE
To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Jones at caitlin.jones@paceacademy.org.
We traveled to Antarctica in March with polar explorer Robert Swan, OBE. Read about our adventure on page 30.
Dear Pace Family, The phrase “citizen of the world” took on new meaning for me this spring as I traveled with Upper School students to Antarctica on an Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tour. In partnership with the 2041 Foundation, our group explored this year’s ICGL theme of CLIMATE at the epicenter of the environmental crisis. Eighty individuals representing 34 countries joined us aboard the Ocean Endeavor, and as our students engaged in conversation, research, and leadership training with our shipmates, I marveled at their ability to lead discussions on global issues, celebrate difference and learn from environmental leaders from around the globe (read about our study tour on page 30). Diving deep into a theme each year has allowed the Pace Academy community to see what happens when students truly embrace a topic and begin to understand its complexities—when an interest becomes a passion, and a passion inspires action. Our goal is student leadership; immersing students in complicated issues helps them develop these necessary global-leadership skills.
ON THE COVER Supported by an army of Knights fans, senior WENDELL CARTER JR. charges to the goal during the Elite Eight matchup. Pace defeated Westside-Macon 53–50 at home. Read about the boys' incredible season on page 48. Photograph by FRED ASSAF.
In this issue, we celebrate the myriad passions represented in the Pace community and the actions our students and faculty take in pursuit of deeper understanding. We reflect on the evolution of MyTeachingPartner, an innovative, collaborative form of professional development (page 40); we go behind the scenes at Knight of Jazz (page 44); we applaud our boys basketball team’s second state championship (page 48); and we tip our hat to the work that takes place in the classroom, on the playing field and on the stage. Every day, members of the Pace community live into our mission, and together, we create prepared, confident citizens of the world. Thank you for joining us on this journey! Sincerely,
FRED ASSAF HEAD OF SCHOOL
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NEWS What you ne ed to know
OFFICIALLY…
A GREAT PLACE TO WORK IT’S OFTEN SAID that happy teachers make happy students and, according to the Atlanta JournalConstitution, Pace Academy teachers are really happy. For the second consecutive year, Pace was named to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Top Workplaces—a list of the best places to work in the Atlanta metro area. To determine which companies and organizations make the list, the newspaper engages research firm WorkplaceDynamics to gather employee feedback and measure specific aspects of workplace culture. Based on survey responses from faculty and staff, Pace was one of 150 companies selected for the 2017 Top Workplaces Award and ranked 37th on the list of Top 50 Midsize Workplaces. TOP: On Jan. 31, faculty members DANNY DOYLE, PATRICK CAMPBELL, JOHN ANDERSON, STEWART TARVIN, JACK WALKER and JULIE HALL performed for the Middle School student body. Pace employees are encouraged to get involved and share their talents with the school community.
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A Unified
LIBRARY EXPERIENCE “I THINK a great library should add richness and depth to school-wide programs and classes,” says Director of Libraries MATT BALL. It makes sense, then, that Pace Academy’s library would be school-wide as well. To that end, as the spring semester commenced, Ball, who previously oversaw the Woodruff Library (which serves the Middle and Upper Schools), added oversight of the Lower School Library to his list of duties. Under the new library umbrella, Ball and his team will continue to build programs that reflect and support initiatives such as the Isdell Center for Global Leadership and character education. Ball will also design a unified scope-and-sequence plan for all grades to ensure consistency in students’ library and research experiences as they move through divisions. The library team will continue to work closely with teachers to provide services and resources that support their coursework, and will collaborate with partners in Design Thinking, STEAM, computing and other areas to find additional ways for the library to tap into academic life. “I’m enjoying working with Lower School librarians DAVIS JAMES and LISA FROOMAN to support the good work they’re already doing, and to reimagine with them—and the students and teachers—creative and exciting ways to expand the library program,” Ball says.
NEWS
GANNON INDUCTED INTO GEORGIA LACROSSE HALL OF FAME Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON joined the Georgia Lacrosse Foundation’s Hall of
Members of the Gannon family at the induction ceremony
Fame during a January ceremony. Gannon, an All-American lacrosse player for the Brown University Bears, launched Pace
Academy’s lacrosse program in 1999. He served as varsity head coach until 2008, taking the Knights from a
winless inaugural season to back-to-back state-championship appearances in their second and third years. A GHSA Coach of the Year, Gannon has since coached at the junior varsity and middleschool levels. Pace lacrosse alumni from over the years attended the ceremony.
Pace lacrosse alumni with Gannon at the ceremony
Howard
Kumar
Trimble Smith (left) at the induction ceremony in February
ANNOUNCING OUR NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS Seniors CHRISTOPHER HOWARD, PRASHANTH KUMAR and WILL TRIMBLE have been recognized as 2017 National Merit Scholars, the National Merit Scholarship Program’s highest honor. Scholars are selected based on their performance on the PSAT and their “abilities, skills and accomplishments.” They receive a $2,500 Merit Scholarship. All of Pace Academy’s 2016–2017 National Merit Semifinalists— seniors KYLE DUVAL, AVERY HERMAN, Howard, Kumar, KATY LEITZ, JULIA ROSS and Trimble—received Finalist recognition.
SMITH JOINS CALLAWAY HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME Varsity boys basketball head coach DEMETRIUS SMITH, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 2016 and 2017 All-State Coach of the Year, joined another exclusive association when he was inducted into the Callaway High School Hall of Fame in February. At Callaway, Smith excelled in football, basketball and track, and was twice named GHSA Class A Basketball Player of the Year. After leading the Callaway basketball team to the state semifinals his senior year, Smith played basketball for the University of Alabama
and was part of a team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Smith has continued his winning ways at Pace and led the Knights to backto-back state titles (see story on page 48).
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Chess Champions THE GEORGIA CHESS ASSOCIATION (GCA) believes that playing chess “has many benefits in developing young growing minds and maintaining mental sharpness throughout adulthood”— and there’s no doubt that the members of Pace Academy’s Lower School chess team are a sharp bunch. At the GCA MLK Scholastic Chess Tournament, the Knights, under the leadership of coach JIM MUNDY, came away with the championship trophy in the kindergarten-throughfifth-grade division. In total, Pace students brought home three team awards. Second-grader CHRIS LEE, fourth-graders ENRIQUE ALVAREZ and DYLAN HIROKAWA, and fifth-graders COLE BELINFANTE and TED MILLER also won individual honors.
SINGING FOR A STATE TITLE EACH YEAR, the Georgia High School Association’s State Literary Championship tests students’ writing, dramatic, and vocal talents in events such as Extemporaneous Speaking, Oral Interpretation, Rhetorical Essay, Solo, Trio and Quartet. Pace Academy performers, the defending state champions in the Girls Trio and Girls Solo categories, put in another impressive performance this year. Senior WILLIE LIEBERMAN, a member of the 2016 winning Trio, brought home the Girls Solo title and, with senior ELLIE DUNCAN and junior PAIGE DEMBA, won third in the Girls Trio category. In addition, senior MILES HSU took second place in the Argumentative Essay competition.
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NEWS
COMMENDATIONS
IN CLAY A HISTORIC
THE GEORGIA High School Ceramic Arts Awards & Symposium selected seven Pace Academy Upper School students for inclusion in its 2017 competition: seniors JOSIE CROSS, PRASHANTH KUMAR, and JUSTIN RAYMAN, and juniors ISAIAH KELLY, ZOE MALLOY, CAMERON PERCHIK and CATHERINE SWEENEY. The symposium, held in March at the University of West Georgia, included work by students from across the state. Sweeney’s ceramic sculpture took first place in the competition, while Kelly’s piece won the Best High School Wheel Work category.
CAREER
THERE’S NO DOUBT that senior WENDELL CARTER JR. is the most decorated student-athlete in Pace Academy history. Throughout Carter’s Pace career, his leadership on the court and on campus caught the attention of elite college basketball programs and the national media, from ESPN to the Boston Globe. Carter, who averaged 22.7 points and 15.5 rebounds per game, received the 2017 Wootten National Player of the Year Award, given to the player who “best exemplifies outstanding character, leadership and excellence in academics.” As a junior, Carter led Pace to its first boys basketball state championship, earning Atlanta Journal-Constitution First Team All-Metro and All-State honors; USA Today named him First Team All-USA. He also was a member of the USA National Team, which brought home gold at the FIBA U17 World Championship. In 2017, on the heels of a back-to-back state championship run (see story on page 48), Carter was selected to play in three national all-star games: the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit. He was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s All-Metro and All-State Player of the Year, and was a member of the Naismith High School Boys AllAmerican First Team and the All-USA Georgia Boys Basketball First Team. He also garnered a national following through his USA Today blog. After narrowing his college selection to Harvard, the University of Georgia, Duke University and Georgia Tech, Carter announced his commitment to Duke via the Bleacher Report. Carter’s next title? Pace Academy alumnus.
Kelly
Cross Perchick
Kumar
Rayman
Sweeney
Malloy
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NEWS
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Students honored with 2017 Scholastic Awards are:
GOLD KEY, AMERICAN VOICES NOMINEE Grace Dwyer, humor ❶
GOLD KEY
Lizabeth Frohwein, photography Marina Hashim, digital art Katie Jordan, photography Sari Leven, photography portfolio ❷ Catherine Sweeney, ceramics ❸
SILVER KEY
HONORABLE MENTION
Delvalo Baitey, flash fiction Mckenzie Baker, short story, poetry Sophie Blasberg, ceramics, painting Josie Cross, ceramics (2), mixed media Emma Downey, poetry Carter Ferguson, photography (2) Sam Hawn, poetry, poems Carly Irvine, ceramics Sienna Goren, drawing/illustration Miles Hsu, editorial cartoon Isaiah Kelly, ceramics Prashanth Kumar, ceramics Davis Mathis, personal essay/memoir Justin Morris, flash fiction Reilly Murtaugh, poetry Veronica Sandoval, sculpture Anna Stone, science fiction/fantasy Eliza Waldrop, painting, drawing/illustration
Mckenzie Baker, poetry Josie Cross, ceramics (2) Emma Downey, poetry Grace Dwyer, personal essay/memoir Lizabeth Frohwein, photography portfolio Julia Gray, poetry, personal essay/memoir, short story Andrew Ladden, sculpture Mia Wright, poetry, personal essay/memoir EACH YEAR, students from across the U.S. submit work to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. Twenty-seven Pace Academy students received 43 awards in this year’s competition, in categories ranging from digital art and photography to personal essay and editorial cartoon. In addition, five Gold Key writing entries from each region are chosen as American Voices nominees, a prestigious prize that honors the “best in show.” This year, one American Voices nomination went to junior GRACE DWYER. Dwyer is the third Pace student to receive the nomination in as many years.
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KnightTimes | Spring 2017
NEWS
MORE THAN A
MENTOR Spotlighting a unique classroom connection
PACE ACADEMY has always been known for the quality of its student-teacher relationships, but STAR Student-Teacher duo, senior PRASHANTH KUMAR and Science Department Chair DR. JOHN PEARSON, epitomizes this strength. Each year, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation honors students and teachers through its STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program. The senior who achieves the top SAT score on a single test date and is in the top 10 percent of his or her class is recognized as a school’s STAR Student. Kumar, Pace’s 2017 STAR Student, selected Pearson as his STAR Teacher.* The two met four years ago in a freshmen physics class in which Kumar’s infectious curiosity caught Pearson’s attention. “I was immediately impressed by how engaging Prashanth was in class,” Pearson explains. “No matter the topic, he came every day with a smile on his face and with an unparalleled eagerness to learn.”
Since then, Pearson has taught Kumar in two yearlong independent-study math courses (Kumar completed Pace’s math curriculum his sophomore year). While a one-person class might sound strange, through a series of trials and errors, the pair has made it work. Pearson has tailored his teaching style to Kumar, who prefers to learn by doing. When studying a new topic, they brainstorm a series of questions together, and Pearson orders the questions by increasing level of complexity. “I look forward to this class every single day for the same reason—I can’t fully describe what a typical day is like,” Kumar says. “Since it’s just me and Dr. Pearson in a room, the actual class has a very fluid structure.” Kumar is not the only one learning from this open-ended curriculum: the independent study has affected some of Pearson’s other classes as well. After seeing Kumar’s calculations for determining the curvature of a Möbius strip on a whiteboard, Pearson’s ninth-grade students begged to be taught more about the concept. Happy to encourage their curiosity, Pearson obliged and scrapped his original lesson plan for the day. “Their intense wonder and desire to learn made it a memorable day of teaching,” Pearson says. “Prashanth has this amazing
ability to infuse a joy of learning in those around him.” The duo’s mutual love of learning has also led to new discoveries for Pearson. After teaching Kumar about the gamma function, Pearson gained insights that allowed him to develop a new method to prove Knar’s Formula, a 150-year-old theorem, which he has since submitted to a math journal for publication. “Dr. Pearson has a natural curiosity for new knowledge regardless of where it came from, and he is always open to new ideas,” Kumar says. “He has taught me one of the most important life lessons—to learn for the sake of learning, not for the grade on the paper.” Honoring Pearson as STAR Teacher was an obvious choice for Kumar. “[Dr. Pearson] has been an integral part of my learning experience and sparked a passion for learning in me.” *Kumar and Pearson won this year’s STAR competition at both the school-system and region levels. — by HANNAH KELLY ’15
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AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace
DELAY, DELAY, DELAY Pace LEAD provides drug-and-alcohol education for parents in an effort to postpone student use.
Addiction begins in adolescence. According to Freedom from Chemical Dependency, individuals who begin drinking at age 21 are 8 to 10 percent more likely to develop addiction, while those who start at 18 are 20 percent more likely. Children who begin drinking at age 15 or younger are 43 percent more likely to become addicted.
AROUND PACE
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hen my son was in Middle School, I felt a gnawing sense of dread as the clock ticked towards the potential dangers of high school: booze, driving and sex. Pace Academy consulting psychologist DR. MARK CRAWFORD’S lectures on the unique vulnerabilities of the teenage brain—a heightened need for excitement and an inability to put on the brakes—helped me understand what might lie ahead, but I still felt my low-level anxiety morphing into borderline panic. When my husband and I learned that the Pace Parents Club partners with the school’s counseling team to facilitate a parent organization called LEAD (Leadership and Education regarding Alcohol and other Drugs), we attended one of the group’s house parties. There I discovered what we could do to improve the chances that our boys would put off drinking for as long as possible. When I heard that LEAD was recruiting, I nervously volunteered, hoping that my experiences as a psychologist would contribute to LEAD’s mission of keeping our kids healthy and safe. That first year, fellow Pace parents MONICA EITH, JOHN REECE and I learned the ropes from past LEAD members. We arranged and hosted a number of wellattended house parties where we shared helpful information and connected with other parents to discuss our children’s safety. But when our terms ended and it was time to pass the torch, no one grabbed it. I continued to assist with LEAD programming while waiting for new parent volunteers to join the effort. This past fall, ninth-grade parent JILL MOREHOUSE LUM showed up, eager to become involved. She recruited fellow Middle and Upper School mothers SARAH ASHER, LORI LYLE BAKER, FORREST CATON, JENY MATHIS, UMA SASHTI and KATIE SUNDERMEIER, and these women have infused LEAD with new energy and fresh ideas. We changed LEAD’s structure, assigning two parent representatives per grade for grades eight through 11. Each grade-level team has focused on its class’s specific concerns—everything from the freedoms and dangers accompanying new drivers to the risks surrounding post-prom parties. This
past March, LEAD representatives hosted two house parties per grade, disseminating information and facilitating sharing and connection with more than 100 parents. LEAD’s Facebook page now has nearly 150 followers, and we post the latest research on drugs, alcohol and teens, as well as podcasts and interviews with authors and experts in the field of addiction and prevention. We also created a new page on myPACE, the Pace website’s password-protected parent portal, with resources such as a sample teen driver’s contract and “exit lines” to help children manage uncomfortable situations. Parents also will find informative videos, including one in which representatives from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) share results of a recent survey regarding Pace students’ attitudes and behaviors around drugs and alcohol. Over the past 11 years, students in grades eight through 12 have taken FCD’s survey four times, allowing us to see interesting trends. AND THERE IS GOOD NEWS: • Between 2007 and 2015, Pace students’ overall alcohol and marijuana use decreased. • Ninety-eight percent of Pace students have never used alcohol or drugs before or during a school dance, school sporting event or other school-sponsored event. • Eighty-seven percent of Pace students report that they “have never used marijuana at all.” • Seventy-five percent of Pace juniors and seniors do not drink at all or drink once a month or less. On LEAD’s myPACE page, parents also will find a video produced by students in PASS (Pace Academy Student Support), an Upper School non-use group that mentors fifth and eighth graders throughout the year. We asked PASS kids to tell us why they choose to stay sober and how their parents influenced this decision. The resulting video is pure gold—how often do we as parents get to listen as teens talk about what their parents do right? After six years with LEAD, I’ve learned that helping our kids postpone that first drink significantly lowers their chances of developing addiction. I’ve learned that teens really care
what parents think; they are watching and taking notes on how we handle alcohol. I’ve learned that communication and maintaining a positive connection is key. My husband and I talk openly with our boys—a rising college junior and a rising Pace senior—about drugs and alcohol. While we give our high schooler the freedoms he has earned, he also knows we will call other parents and use a phone tracking app as back-up confirmation. As Head of School FRED ASSAF often says, “Trust, but verify!” We’ve remained (relatively) calm throughout our boys’ teen years, and I believe this has helped them navigate the Upper School without any major incidents. (It’s hard to type while crossing fingers and toes and knocking on wood…) The cure for panic is empowerment. The cure for denial is action. Parents, your involvement in LEAD helps strengthen our collective ability to, borrowing a phrase from FCD, “hold the culture of delayed use.” Join Pace LEAD. Volunteer to host a house party. Enthusiastically attend LEAD-sponsored events, and bring your spouse and friends. Check out our page on myPACE, watch the PASS video and “like” us on Facebook. The more informed you become, the better equipped you and your teen will be to navigate the choppy seas of the teenage years. Remember, we’re all in the same boat! — by DR. DINA ZECKHAUSEN
LEFT TO RIGHT: Jill Morehouse Lum, Katie Sundermeier, Zeckhausen and Forrest Caton Pace parent Dina Zeckhausen chairs the Pace Parents Club’s LEAD committee. She is a psychologist, author, speaker, playwright and founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network.
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AROUND PACE
SPIRIT W E E K 2017
THE TRADITION CONTINUES Returning to school following winter break was made a little more bearable by Spirit Week, the Upper School’s annual competition between classes. This year, students endured late-night rehearsals and the threat of winter weather to pull off Spirit Week’s grand finale—a series of skits and choreographed dances with themes ranging from Harry Potter and The Incredibles to The Wizard of Oz and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Nineteenth-century literature emerged victorious as the seniors’ three little pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretl claimed the 2017 Spirit Week prize.
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KnightTimes | Spring 2017
THE ELIZONDO FAMILY Pa c e F u nd D o no r Sp ot li g ht
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hen she grows up, Pace Academy firstgrader SCARLETT ELIZONDO wants to be “a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci; an artist, a scientist and an inventor.” At least that’s how she responded when the classic question arose for a school project. Her mother, BANU ASIK ELIZONDO, liked that even though a simple name for Scarlett’s professional aspirations may not exist, it didn’t stop the 7-year-old from answering the question exactly as she wanted to. Banu, a Pace Fund Committee member this year, is amazed by her daughter’s outlook on life after two years at Pace. “That sense of detail, self-awareness and determination is what I love about my daughter. We are lucky to be at Pace, a place that appreciates and welcomes these character traits,” Banu says. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Banu shares her daughter’s spirit of determination. “I went to an [all-girls] Catholic French school in Istanbul. I was the ‘rebel girl,’ who needed to go to college in America despite abundant—and free—options in France and Turkey,” she says. At age 16, she began after-school tutoring classes to learn English, and she enrolled at Duke University the following year. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Banu began working on Wall Street, in a role through which she later met her husband, PAUL ELIZONDO. Paul was born in the Philippines, but his family moved to the U.S. when he was about 2 years old. While his family lived in several U.S. states during his childhood, they settled in a small town outside of Charlotte, N.C. Factoring in two different stints living in Atlanta, Paul considers himself a Southerner. “Education and my studies were instilled as the cornerstone of my character as a
child,” he says. “Both my parents were working professionals, my mother as a physician and my father as an architect.” But it was their pursuit of a better life for their family in the U.S.—coming from a third-world country—and their own family backgrounds, Paul says, that drove his parents’ successes both academically and professionally. He says they instilled the same values in his own life. “It was always ingrained in me to have humility whenever I achieved success and to appreciate family, our values, friendship and community,” he says. Humility, empathy and perseverance were the character traits Paul’s mother emphasized through her promotion of education, the arts, and giving back to their church and community. The Elizondos hope to pass those values on to their daughter, and they plan to continue contributing to Pace with a likeminded motivation. When asked what sets Pace apart from other schools, the Elizondos respond in a word—community. As an international student at Duke, Banu’s friends became her family. She believes that the friendships built in-between classes and the experiences shared by a community shape a child’s education. “We joked that no matter where Scarlett ended up [attending school], we would still want to come volunteer at Pace,” Banu says, having been impressed with the mature, self-confident students she met while touring the campus. “The school choice was not one we took lightly as a family. That’s why supporting Pace in any way we can—whether it is financial or through volunteering—is a natural extension for us and the way we invest in Scarlett’s education,” she says. While a single gift to The Pace Fund may
not seem to move mountains, Banu points out that every contribution counts in terms of participation—a critical metric of overall support. “The [participation ratio] helps secure substantial funds from corporations and big foundations that are seeking to contribute to educational institutions. Therefore, any contribution to The Pace Fund, no matter [what size] could help change the school,” she says. Banu admires how her husband, an investment banker with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, has leveraged his professional expertise and passions to engage with Pace students via the Upper School’s Women Mentoring Women program. “[The program] helps to educate female high-school students about business and finance, but also about public speaking and executive presence,” he says. Education still plays a significant role in his professional life today, he says, as the head of a large team. “While it’s not teaching in the academic sense, focusing on continuing to develop and train employees in the workplace has parallels to school. When you take the time in that endeavor, it helps to build a positive culture and drives profitability.” Banu, with an extensive career as a finance executive and investment manager, considers her recent philanthropic work to be a personal highlight. A volunteer with Ian’s Friends Foundation, she supports the organization’s work in pediatric brain tumor research. But it’s becoming a parent, with the responsibility of “raising an individual, a member of the community and a citizen,” that is her most transformational achievement, she says. “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.” ●
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ARTS
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1. IMITATING ART Students in TIM HORNOR’S AP Art History class channeled the masters and inserted themselves into “selfie” recreations of the famous artwork they have studied.
2. ROCKIN’ OUT IN THE RANDALL HOUSE The fifth grade dedicated its performance of Randall House Rock to the members of the Class of 2017, who debuted the show when they were fifth graders.
3. WILD ABOUT WONKA Third graders brought to life Roald Dahl’s classic story in their musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
4. CELEBRATING PHOTOGRAPHY
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Pace and Atlanta Celebrates Photography presented the 26th annual Georgia Photography Awards and Exhibition, including work by students from 23 schools. Junior ALEX TOLLIDAY won a third-place award, while Honorable Mentions went to senior SARI LEVEN and juniors MARC MITCHELL, ZEKE DIAMOND, CANON LYNCH and MOLLY RICHARDSON.
5. LAUGHTER FOR A CAUSE Students raised more than $300 for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America at the annual Middle School Improv Throwdown, a game-show-style performance featuring improvisation and audience participation.
6. TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD Our bands and choruses traveled far and wide this spring. Middle School ensembles headed south to perform at Universal Orlando Resort and the Orchard Heights Gracious Retirement Home, while Upper School musicians boarded the Majesty of the Seas and sailed to the Bahamas, performing onboard and in the Nassau Marketplace.
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7. OPEN STUDIO 12
Middle School studio art students hosted a reception to open their spring exhibition and share their work with family, friends and faculty.
8. ON THEIR OWN For the first time, Lower School strings students presented a concert without their Middle School counterparts. Strings instructor NIRVANA KELLY directed the ensemble of 40.
9. FACULTY TALENT ON DISPLAY The annual Art Faculty Exhibit included incredible works by visual art teachers DONICE BLOODWORTH, KATY COWLES, FRANCE DORMAN, SUSAN EDWARDS, LAURA INMAN, MARK KNOTT, ANNA MURPHY and SCOTT SARGENT.
10. STRIKE UP THE BAND Musically inclined faculty members assembled to perform the national anthem at several spring sporting events.
11. EASY LISTENING
From the Lower School studio and the Fine Arts Center to Orlando, Chicago and the Bahamas, here’s a look at where creative imaginations have flourished this semester…
The Middle and Upper School strings pops concert featured works by Adele, Ed Sheeran and One Direction, as well as rock classics, movie themes and pieces arranged by director TARA HARRIS.
12. CHICAGO! Faculty members SEAN BRYAN, BAILEY PLAYER, and CAITLIN TERRY and 12 Upper School theatre enthusiasts took in seven shows, two tours and one acting workshop during their three-day study tour to Chicago. Highlights of the trip included performances of Love’s Labor’s Lost and Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth, a stop at the famous Second City Playhouse and a production of Broadway blockbuster Hamilton: An American Musical.
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ARTS
Celebrating Spring Arts Festival EXCELLENCE in the arts has long been a Pace Academy tradition, and the school community applauded visual and performing artists during the annual Spring Arts Festival in March. The weeklong celebration included the opening of the seventh- and eighth-grade Studio Art Exhibit, Middle and Upper School improvisation workshops with Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, the Middle School’s Improv Throwdown, master classes with Emory University’s Vega Quartet and student performances in assemblies. Throughout the week, the Upper School also saluted its 2017 Arts Laureates, selected by their classmates for excellence in one or more areas of the arts. This year’s Arts Laureates were freshmen PAUL-LOUIS BIONDI and NIKKI RUBIN; sophomores CATHERINE BRENNAN and EMILY SCHMITT; juniors KATE SNYDER, SIENNA GOREN, IBUM OBU and PAIGE DEMBA; and seniors WHIT FITZGERALD, WILLIE LIEBERMAN, CARSON MYERS and TAYLOR UPCHURCH.
Knights of the Arts THE LOWER SCHOOL recognized outstanding student artists during its second annual Knights of the Arts assembly in March. Nominees were chosen by their peers and teachers for exhibiting excellence, dedication, and passion in one or more area of the arts, including, but not limited to, dance, visual art, drama and music. Our 2017 Knights of the Arts were Pre-First students LIBBY SOBER and COLESON MOSELEY, first-graders ELIZA SMITH and HENRY SUKENIK, second-graders ALEX EACHUS and PAIGE VADNAIS, third-graders SYDNEY GAITHER and JON SOREN UYHAM, fourth-graders TOWNSEND ADAMS and CHARLES SMITH, and fifth-graders COLE BELINFANTE, CARLY CANNON, CLARA ELLIS and BLAIRE ICHTER.
ARTS
AN EVENING OF THE ARTS Upper School Winter Showcase highlights visual and performing artists Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN enjoys collaboration, experimentation and celebrating all forms of the arts. So, for this year’s winter play, Bryan joined forces with visual arts faculty and students to present a theatrical event that combined drama, music, painting, photography and ceramics. During the Winter Showcase: An Evening of the Arts, attendees traveled around campus to take in a series of scenes from plays such as Steel Magnolias, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night and David Ives’ Words, Words, Words, as well as student-written and directed works. The “theatre hike” also included a stop in the Fine Arts Center lobby, where band and strings students performed, and select visual artists discussed their work as they edited photos, painted or sculpted ceramics pieces.
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ARTS
ONCE UPON A
MATTRESS The Middle School stages a masterful musical comedy
Those familiar with Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea may not have recognized much from the classic tale in the Pace Academy Middle School’s production of Once Upon a Mattress, a musical adaptation of Andersen’s work. Under the direction of PATRICK CAMPBELL, Middle School thespians, assisted by a student technical crew, rehearsed for more than 100 hours to stage the show, which included love, romance, a rubber fish, a 10-foot-tall bed and a princess from the swamp. “Once Upon a Mattress is one of the best examples of musical comedy around and was good-natured fun for the whole family!” Campbell says.
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HIGHLIGHTS
INTER SPORTS 22
McRae Oglesby
Julian Alexander
Charlie Kaye
Photograph by River Oak Photography
Photograph by River Oak Photography
CARTER FROOMAN
RA AST M A L WO ST N I W te St a S AL ME D
Connor LaMastra
VA R S I T Y B O Y S SWIMMING & DIVING
Photograph by River Oak Photography
Coached by JOHN AGUE, GRACE ALEXANDER, JIM EBERT and LYNN WILMOTH After breaking several school and pool records during the regular season, the varsity boys swimming and diving team continued to alter the record books at the state championships. Competing against more than 100 teams in Classes A through AAAAA, the 200 medley relay team of seniors JULIAN ALEXANDER, ALEX KAYE and CONNOR LAMASTRA and sophomore CHARLIE KAYE placed sixth at the state meet and set a new school record in the event. The same four student-athletes also had an impressive eighth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Individually, Charlie Kaye earned a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke, setting another school record.
LaMastra stood on the medal stand twice at the championships, as he was named state runner-up in the 100 butterfly and placed third in the individual medley with All-American Consideration time, breaking his own school records in both events. LaMastra will graduate with more school or pool records than any swimmer in Pace history. Overall, the Knights took sixth place among the five classifications and earned a Class AAA fourth-place finish. The team will miss seniors Alexander, Alex Kaye, LaMastra, MCRAE OGLESBY and MITCHELL ZWECKER.
VA R S I T Y G I R L S SWIMMING & DIVING
WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Jonathan Boss
Coached by JOHN AGUE, GRACE ALEXANDER, JIM EBERT and LYNN WILMOTH With 10 freshmen on the team, the varsity girls swimming and diving team continued its success in the 2016 season and assured strength for years to come. After finishing the regular season 9–2, the team sent seven student-athletes to the state championships and, for the first time in school history, participated in all three championship relay events, with each relay team advancing to the finals. The 200 freestyle relay team of senior OLIVIA BAKER, junior ELIZABETH MARR, sophomore LUISA WHITNEY and freshman ERIN HOOD finished in ninth place among a field of more than 100 teams from Classes A through AAAAA. Baker also had an impressive performance in the 100 breaststroke and placed sixth. Overall, the Knights finished in 18th place at the state meet and fourth among Class AAA teams. The team bids farewell to seniors Baker, ALEXIS BENSON, KATY LEITZ and SANDY XIE.
Elizabeth Marr
CHARLIE WARREN
Olivia Baker
VA R S I T Y WRESTLING
Photographs by River Oak Photography
Elizabeth Marr, Catherine Sweeney and KELLEE KINDLE
Coached by MARK SOMMERVILLE, GRADY STEVENS and GUS WHYTE Erin Hood
Catherine Sweeney
Kellee Kindle Frank Houser
ELI ASHER
After moving up to Class AAA, the varsity wrestling team showcased its strength throughout the season. Competing against a strong 13team field, juniors JUSTIN MORRIS and CHIP RATCLIFF each placed sixth at the area meet, competing at heavyweight and 120 pounds, respectively. Junior FRANK HOUSER was named area champion in the 138-pound classification, finishing the day 4–0. After a third-place finish at sectionals, Houser advanced to the state championships, where he lost a close match in the quarterfinals, but won his next three matches to finish third in the state. The team says goodbye to seniors MICHAEL CHEN and JONATHAN BOSS.
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WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
VA R S I T Y BASKETBALL CHEERLEADING Coached by JOCELYN ROPER The varsity basketball cheerleaders energized and impressed fans throughout the season as they showcased a variety of dance and acrobatic routines. The 14-member squad joined the girls and boys basketball teams as they competed in the region and state playoffs, helping to create an electric atmosphere in the Inman Center and on the road. Next year the squad will miss senior CAMERON RUSS.
Zoe Weitzner
Julia Ross
Samantha Moreland
VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL Coached by TROY BAKER, BOBBI BOYER, TY RICHARDSON, JOE SANDOE and STEPHANIE SOSEBEE In its second season under head coach TROY BAKER, Pace Academy’s varsity girls basketball team more than doubled the previous year’s win total and emerged as Region 5-AAA runner-up. The team’s relentless defense allowed only 435 points during the regular season, the fewest in the region. After a thrilling late-season victory at Lovett, the Knights defeated Westminster in the first round of the region tournament. The team then edged out No. 1 seed Cedar Grove before falling to Redan in the championship game. The Knights advanced to the state tournament, but the momentous season ended with a first-round loss to North Hall. Sophomore JOELLE ZELONY and senior JULIA ROSS earned All-Region honors. The team bids farewell to seniors MCKENZIE BAKER, SAMANTHA MORELAND, Ross and ZOE WEITZNER.
Mckenzie Baker
Joelle Zelony
KENDALL WILLIS and ALEX ALLEN
KAYE WINS MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVING STATE CHAMPIONSHIP EVER since she broke the Pace Academy Middle School diving record in her first meet two seasons ago, eighth-
grader LIZZY KAYE has continued to improve and impress. This season, in a field of student-athletes from more
than 20 schools, Kaye claimed first place at the Georgia
Middle School Swim & Dive Championships. Competing in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform events, she finished the season undefeated.
Kaye also advanced to the USA Diving National Cham-
pionship this past summer, and she was a finalist in the 100
backstroke, finishing fourth at the state swim meet. She will no doubt be a force on the varsity team next year.
Overall, the Middle School girls swimming and diving
team finished in fourth place at the state meet among a
field of 34 teams; the boys placed 11th. The AquaKnights combined for a seventh-place school finish.
8th Gra de
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS SHOOT TO SUCCESS WHILE Pace Academy’s varsity boys basketball team continued its run toward a second-straight state championship (see story on page 48), the Middle School boys basketball teams also found post-season triumph. The seventh-grade team finished its regular-season slate 10–3 with a spotless 8–0 league record. The Knights defeated Landmark Christian in tournament play, then topped a strong Paideia team 41–30 to finish as champions of the Atlanta Area Middle School Basketball League. The eighth-grade Knights followed a 10–4 regular-season campaign with a convincing victory over Decatur Middle School in the tournament quarterfinals. After defeating Landmark Christian in the semifinals, the team ultimately fell to Paideia in the championship game and was named league runner-up. As the young student-athletes move up to the varsity and junior varsity levels, Pace’s boys basketball program looks to remain strong for years to come.
7th de Gra
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ICGL A global education for every graduate
Hab
ita Hum t for Chil anity: e Ed itio n
THE ACADEMY ABROAD ICGL trips crisscross countries and continents.
ICGL
GERMANY January 7–16 Following the winter break, Upper School History Chair TIM HORNOR bundled up and returned to wintertime Germany with Pace Academy students for the fifth time. Faculty and staff members JASON SMITH and LIZ WIEDEMANN accompanied Hornor and 15 Upper School students on their journey through history. The group braved snow and frigid temperatures to understand the culture, economics, and politics of Germany’s past and present. In Munich, they took in a performance at the Bavarian State Opera, visited the Marienplatz and Hofbrauhaus, explored Baroque and Rococo architecture, and studied the rise of the Third Reich at Dachau concentration camp. Visits to Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Pergamon Museum, Hitler’s bunker and the Reichstag furthered their understanding of the country’s complex history. “Being in a place that was integral to shaping world history filled in the gaps in my textbooks,” says senior SETH SWIECICHOWSKI. “I gained a new appreciation for another country’s way of life and saw in real life locations where history took place.”
public transportation on an all-day, cell-phone-free scavenger hunt. Other stops included the Lachine Canal, Chinatown, the Notre-Dame Basilica, Jean-Talon Market, the Olympic Village Biodome, and the Montreal Insectarium and Botanical Garden. Students also ziplined above the illuminated Place des Festivals and port of Montreal and discovered how Montrealers stay warm in the city’s 19 miles of underground tunnels. Curling lessons, ice fishing and dog sledding in Quebec followed, as did an overnight stay in an ice hotel. “I chose the Canada trip because it looked very fun and interesting,” says eighth-grader LIZZY KAYE. “I ended up loving it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I learned so much.”
Ber
sch Cas
S
Sou ans
wan st tle ein
ci
lin Mid dle Sc Jet Set hool ter s
CHILE March 2–15
CANADA March 2–10 Winter is more than a season for Canadians—as Middle School students learned over spring break, it’s a way of life. On this climate- and culturethemed study tour, led by faculty members EDNA-MAY HERMOSILLO, TY RICHARDSON and KATE ECKHARDT, 15 Middle School students learned what it’s like to live in a society shaped by snow, ice and cold. The journey began in Montreal, where the group tried maple syrup, cheered on the Montreal Canadiens at a hockey game and navigated
Neu
ian nad a C ry ! Fur nds Frie
Each spring, Pace partners with Habitat for Humanity International to provide a service-focused immersion experience for Upper School students. This year’s Habitat study tour, led by REBECCA RHODES, JOE SANDOE and CAITLIN JONES, took 19 students to Chile, where Habitat works with families of children with serious illnesses, renovating or constructing houses that allow these children to live at home while receiving medical treatment. After two days in the capital city of Santiago, the group traveled west to the coastal town of Paredones, where students spent a week renovating a home for a family with an 18-month-old boy who had lived in the hospital since birth. Work included installing ceilings
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ICGL
IRELAND March 3–13
and insulation, hanging dry wall and siding, painting and varnishing. During construction, the group came to know the family; they shared breakfast and lunch each day, assisted with household duties and conversed in Spanish. “I learned that I am better at Spanish than I thought I was,” reports junior ALEX TOLLIDAY. “It was so cool to be able to communicate with the family and the Habitat Chile team!” “This trip changed my perspective,” says junior BEN THOMPSON. “It gave
Read more about our students' adventures on the ICGL Student Travel Blog at: icgl.paceacademy.org/travel
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me a chance to see things through the eyes of a family on the other side of the world, exposing me to their everyday lives and struggles.” Following the build, the group journeyed south to Chile’s Patagonia region, where they spent time with the indigenous Mapuche people, learning about their history, traditions and culture. Then, students hiked the region’s mountains, volcanoes and glaciers and observed climate change’s impact on the area’s biodiversity.
“Travel. Soccer. Social change,” is the third half’s mantra. For more than 60 years, the organization has used the power of soccer for cultural and educational transformation, and this spring, Pace was proud to partner with the third half for a second ICGL study tour. Over the break, 17 Upper School students and faculty advisers TROY BAKER, JOANNE BROWN and GRADY STEVENS, traveled to Ireland, a country plagued by racism and the social exclusion of minority groups. In Dublin, students joined forces with SARI (Sport Against Racism Ireland) to explore how sport can be an agent of social change, particularly for refugee families. “Initially, I thought that the [refugee children] we met were going to be a lot different than we were,” sophomore ADARA ANTHONY-JONES wrote on the Student Travel Blog. “Little did I know, the kids were exactly like us, enjoying their lives and playing the sport they love.” Through leadership workshops, cultural exchanges, study of Ireland’s history and culture, and lots of soccer, students built relationships and increased their understanding of complex global issues. “Our group decided that being a global citizen is to go into every situation with an open mind, and we reflected on the advantages of a diverse community,” junior JOSEPH MATHIAS wrote. “Many may not realize that if everyone were the same, then none of us would be prepared to interact with people with different backgrounds and different values. To be global leaders we need to be sensitive to and understanding of other people’s experiences.”
“Going to Chile was an amazing experience in and of itself. However, working alongside a family to build a [Habitat for Humanity] home that would allow their child to leave the hospital and live an easier life was an experience I will never forget. The house represents much more than a team of builders—it is a structure full of memories that both our Pace team and the family will cherish throughout our lives.” — senior PRASHANTH KUMAR
SOUTH AFRICA March 2–14 Climate and adventure—specifically great whites and “The Big Five”— compelled 14 Upper School students to spend spring break in South Africa with faculty members TRISH ANDERSON, JONATHAN FERRELL and NIKKI MCCRARY. Their adventures began in Cape Town, where they explored Robben Island, Table Mountain, and the Alfred and Victoria Waterfront. Then it was on to Mossel Bay, a harbor town
known for its diversity of nature and climates—as well as its abundance of predatory sharks. In partnership with Oceans Research, students engaged in real and current marine and terrestrial research projects. “Our time at Oceans Research reawakened my passion for marine biology,” says sophomore ABBY RAY. “I learned how climate directly impacts the ecosystems we studied and how drastic the effects of climate change can be on life in those environments. I also learned that sharks, especially great whites, are amazing and complex
creatures. Humans should work to protect them—not kill them and make them villains.” From Mossel Bay, the group traveled to the Schotia Game Reserve, a wildlife reserve in which more than 40 mammal species and approximately 2,000 animals make their home. Students’ research focused on “The Big Five”—rhinos, elephants, buffalo, lions and leopards. “This trip was the best experience of my entire life,” Ray says. “Even though we were halfway across the world, it felt like I was finally home.”
THANK YOU!
Thank you to the 443 parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and friends of Pace Academy who contributed approximately $800,000 in tax credits for the 2017 tax year. Your participation helps strengthen Pace's financial-aid program, making a Pace education and experience available to more qualified children every year.
Questions? Contact the Office of Advancement at advancement@paceacademy.org or 404-240-9103.
Our Isdell Global Leaders explore the earth's last great wilderness.
ACROSS THE ANTARCTIC IN 1959, 12 countries entered into an agreement that would protect Antarctica from development, designating the world’s southernmost continent for “peaceful purposes only” and for “the freedom of scientific investigation.” The Antarctic Treaty, now acceded to by 53 nations, states that no country can claim “territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty [there].” Signed in 1991 and ratified in 1998, the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty bolstered the initial agreement, designating Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science” and establishing principles regarding human activity, in particular, prohibiting drilling and mining. For nearly 60 years, the world’s last wilderness has remained largely untouched by human civilization, open only to scientific missions and highly regulated tourist expeditions. Its rich mineral deposits, oil and natural gas fields, and the creatures that swim in its waters and thrive on its ice shelves have been spared exploitation. Antarctica has become a center of scientific discovery, particularly in the field of climate study; it is a laboratory for the world. Yet Antarctica’s future is uncertain. Upon the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Protocol on Environmental Protection, its
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bans on drilling and mining will be reviewed, and Antarctica’s status as a protected, neutral territory may be in jeopardy. Enter Robert Swan, OBE. Swan, a polar explorer and environmental advocate, has made preserving Antarctica and combatting climate change his life’s mission. His goal is to increase awareness of Antarctica’s fragility and to garner support for its conservation by the year 2041, 50 years after the signing of the Protocol on Environmental Protection. This year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Visiting Scholar, Swan shared his vision with students while visiting Pace Academy this past fall. In addition to tales of his adventures—he was the first to walk to both the North and South Poles!—Swan met with Pace’s four 2016–2017 Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs), Upper School students selected to spend the year exploring the ICGL’s annual theme of CLIMATE through travel, research and customized learning experiences. Swan told the IGLs about the 2017 International Antarctic Expedition and his 2041 Foundation, an initiative that strives to build “committed leaders [in] every corner of society, working together to create a sustainable world.” He was looking for young people to “embrace the challenge of sustaining all forms of life—in their families, communities, organizations and the planet—and who know
that now is the time for action in policy development, sustainable business generation and future technologies.” Before Swan left Atlanta, Pace’s IGLs had received an invitation to the Antarctic. Antarctica wasn’t on the IGLs’ initial itinerary. In the fall, they traveled to Manitoba, Canada, to explore Arctic climates in partnership with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and in April, they partnered with the University of Hawaii to study the effects of climate change on tropical environments (more on that trip in our summer issue)—but they couldn’t pass up the opportunity for research in the climate capital of the world.
“Climate is a politically charged issue, but at the root of it is science, morality, behavior and community, and all of these things together speak to what’s happening with our students and how they’re leading for the future. How will they understand the political, scientific and moral challenges of a planet that’s changing? I can’t think of a better place to put these issues than in the hands of kids.” — Head of School FRED ASSAF
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ICGL
On March 4, the IGLs—sophomore JENNY LUETTERS, junior MELANIE CRAWFORD, and seniors ROSS CEFALU and MAX IRVINE—along with Head of School FRED ASSAF, ICGL Assistant Director ZEENA LATTOUF ’12, Pre-First teacher RHONDA PECK O’GORMAN ’88 and senior climate enthusiast CHRIS MCCAFFREY, set off for Buenos Aires. They spent a day touring Argentina’s capital before traveling south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. There the group boarded the Ocean Endeavor, sailed down the Beagle Channel and crossed the Drake Passage. Thirty-four countries were represented among the ship’s 80-something passengers, all taking part in Swan’s Leadership on the Edge program, which combined outdoor exploration, lectures and presentations, debate and leadership training. The goal was “a deep dive on Antarctica,” Lattouf says. “We wanted to understand the value of the continent to our world and the importance of preserving that place.” For four days, the group explored the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula on foot, by kayak and in Zodiac boats. “We learned all about the different species of penguins,” O’Gorman says. “We saw humpback, minke and orca whales, leopard seals, fur seals and crabby seals. We saw beautiful icebergs and glacial ice that’s millions of years old. We went stand-up paddle boarding—we even took a polar bear plunge!” The majesty and vastness of the environment struck the group. “I’d been to the Rockies, to places with big mountains before,” McCaffrey says. “I’d seen beautiful oceans and diverse terrains, but Antarctica seems to combine all of the most beautiful places from everywhere else in a single location—and then you throw in all of this wildlife that doesn’t exist anywhere else on earth, and it’s just incredible.” In the midst of their explorations, students interacted with their fellow passengers, sharing ideas for sustainable projects and swapping stories about climate-related experiences in their respective homes. “We heard so many different perspectives,” Crawford recalls. “In the U.S., [the topic of] climate is very political, but that’s not the case around the world, particularly
in places where people can actually see climate change happening. In Atlanta, climate change isn’t an everyday reality, but we met people from places like India, where smog and trash and extreme weather affect their daily lives. We might not think we’re directly related to these people or these issues, but because our world is so globalized, we are.” “Interacting with people from all over the world gave our students context around where we live and our place in the world,” says Lattouf. “But more than that, it allowed them to realize that other people are working toward similar goals. Now, these students have a truly global network.” Comprehending the existence of that network had a significant impact on Irvine. “I hadn’t realized that everything is so interconnected,” he says. “Being on a ship with so many different perspectives on one topic made me understand how a single issue can affect people in so many different ways. [This experience showed me that] I’m one of 7.5 billion people in the world. I hadn’t contextualized that until this point.” And while the IGLs absorbed knowledge from their elder shipmates, they also served as teachers. “Our students were celebrities because they’d already been to the Arctic to study polar bears, and they were heading to Hawaii to study climate change there,” O’Gorman says. “Every single person aboard that ship was floored by how articulate, kind and thought-provoking our students were, by how they were able to look at climate change through a different lens and appreciate the beauty of this place in their hearts and souls. They were phenomenal.” So how does one’s life change after visiting the end of the earth? “You can’t see ice shelves breaking into the sea and not think about your
own carbon footprint,” Assaf says. “You can never undo an experience like that. You just can’t think about the world in the same way. In going out and looking at a problem through a global lens, you start to think about your own community. These international experiences allow students to think bigger, and we hope that they’ll go deeper into these issues so they become the change. That’s what leadership is.” Already, the IGLs are taking action. “We’re educating ourselves on this topic to see what we can do at Pace and in our own lives to enact the changes we think the world needs to make,” Cefalu says. So they’re investigating ways to eliminate plastic bottles from the Pace campus; they’re eating less red meat, which requires incredible resources to cultivate and produces significant amounts of harmful greenhouse gases; they’re sharing their experiences and educating their peers. “It’s not about telling people what to do,” McCaffrey says. “It’s about educating them as to why we need to make a change, letting them know that the little things really add up.” Luetters has embraced those little changes as a result of travel, research and study (ask her for documentary recommendations—she has a long list), but she’s also taking a long-term view, thinking big. “Being in Antarctica gave me aspirations to find a way to do great things, to make an impact,” Luetters says. “I want to pursue science—maybe medicine or something related to the environment—but more so, I want to be ready when the time comes and people need leaders. When 2041 rolls around and Antarctica needs a voice, I want to be able to speak about my experience and get people to really listen so that the right choices are made.” ●
LEFT TO RIGHT: Zeena Lattouf, Robert Swan, Ross Cefalu, Jenny Luetters, Melanie Crawford, Max Irvine, Fred Assaf and Rhonda O'Gorman
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ICGL
SEEING CLIMATE CLEARLY The ICGL’s Year of Climate continues Pace Academy’s yearlong study of CLIMATE, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) annual theme, may be nearing its end, but that hasn’t stopped our global leaders. From vertical gardens and tree nurseries to wind turbines and urban heat islands, here’s how we’re weathering the Year of CLIMATE.
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CLIMATE IN THE CLASSROOM [1]
HARNESSING THE WIND [5]
Lower School teachers continue to incorporate climate into their classroom curricula. First graders’ study of Australia has included investigation of coral reef bleaching due to climate change, while second graders designed “shade-ama-bobs,” portable, collapsible solutions to shield island residents whose homes have been compromised due to rising sea levels. In their Animals unit, fourth graders explored the effects of climate change on a variety of species, and fifth graders have examined changing climates in Alaska. Learn more about climate, Design Thinking and STEAM initiatives in the Lower School on page 34.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, America’s wind energy industry is the country’s fastest-growing energy sector, creating jobs, reducing consumer costs and providing a low-cost source of renewable energy. Sixth- and seventh-grade students jumped on the wind-energy bandwagon and, using their scientific and design knowledge, conceptualized, prototyped and engineered wind turbines. Head of School FRED ASSAF stopped by to help students test their climate-themed creations.
CLIMATE CHANGE AROUND THE WORLD [2] Students in Middle School teacher EDNAMAY HERMOSILLO’S Honors French class put themselves in the shoes of their French-speaking counterparts around the world to understand how climate change affects individuals’ daily lives. Students’ research projects covered climate change in countries such as Madagascar and Senegal, as well as Haiti, Canada and the Dominican Republic, places Middle School students have visited, or will soon visit, on ICGL study tours. While presentations focused on problems caused by climate change, students also proposed ideas for adaptation and mitigation.
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERTS [3] The Middle School’s conversation about climate continued with a visit from Georgia Tech Professor Dr. Kim Cobb, who researches the variability of the El Niño phenomenon with regard to climate change. Cobb uses geologic archives such as coral and stalagmites to tell a longer climate story than modern-day instruments can provide. Cobb discussed her research with students, specifically describing her investigation of the effects of the most recent El Niño on her research site in the Pacific Ocean near Christmas Island. She also spoke about her work with Georgia Tech students, including a climate-emissions challenge whereby students work with community partners like CocaCola and Delta to reduce carbon emissions.
PILLARS OF PLANTS [4] Why read about hydroponics when you can see it in action? To understand the science of growing plants in environments other than soil, second graders selected seedlings to plant in Tower Gardens, vertical beds fed by water and nutrients. Studies suggest that hydroponic systems grow plants “three times faster and produce 30-percent greater yields on average”—claims our students are testing while watching their gardens grow.
UNDERSTANDING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS [6] Eighth-grade science teacher KELLY COLQUITT and Director of Design DR. KIRSTEN BOEHNER joined forces to provide Earth Science students a deep dive into urban heat islands. After studying these metropolitan areas made warmer as a result of human development and activity, students were challenged to use their knowledge to propose some kind of intervention to either mitigate or adapt to an urban heat island. Resulting projects proposed a wide range of solutions—from addressing health concerns for vulnerable populations to mitigating heat through rooftop gardens or variable building materials. After presenting their projects to their classmates, students visited Georgia Tech’s Urban Climate Lab to share their work with researchers and learn more about the lab’s network of heat sensors. “The ultimate goal is for students to bring this knowledge to bear on creating our own heat-sensing network here at Pace,” Boehner says.
GLOBETROTTERS IN GUATEMALA [7] The Middle School Globetrotters club has been on a mission. Following an inspiring visit from the Alliance for International Reforestation (AIR), students decided to take action to help promote sustainable farming and conservation in low-income areas of Central America. Thanks to the Globetrotters’ fundraising efforts, there’s now a Pace Academy AIR tree nursery in Guatemala!
RAISING MONEY & AWARENESS Ü Every spring, sophomores host a yard sale to raise funds for the next year’s prom. This year, in addition to second-hand furniture, athletic equipment and used books, the Class of 2019 sold Coca-Cola syrup ingredient drums repurposed as rain barrels. The drums could be painted and positioned under gutter downspouts to collect rainwater to water plants and lawns.
ICGL
The Future of Business In the Lower School, the entrepreneurial bug bites early.
1) Middle School robotics students 2) Students in the MiniPreneur program developed business ideas to launch at Market Day 3) Upper School RoboKnight Seth Swiecichowski
“ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Buckhead resident CHLOE WILBERT has already achieved every entrepreneur’s dream: to develop and sell a business,” Mickey Goodman wrote in the November/December 2016 issue of Simply Buckhead magazine. “The precocious Pace Academy sixth grader launched a website called Periwinkle that sells subscription earrings suitable for young girls. It was so successful that six months later, a Portland, Maine, company, Ironplane, made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.” Periwinkle was born when Wilbert participated in the Lower School’s JuniorPreneur program, a 13-week after-school course in which teams of fourth and fifth graders learn the basics of entrepreneurship by creating their own companies. The program, now in its third year, has expanded to include a session for second- and third-grade “MiniPreneurs,” and when the 59 students enrolled this semester officially launched their businesses at Market Day, Wilbert delivered the event’s keynote address. “We saw what the Isdell Center for Global Leadership was doing with the Upper School Social Entrepreneurship Challenge, and we thought we could do something similar but age-appropriate,” says Lower School Spanish teacher POLI APARICIO, who started the JuniorPreneur program with former teacher JASMINA PATEL. “It just evolved—and then it exploded.” The Junior and MiniPreneur programs have become so popular that Aparicio had to cap enrollment and enlist additional teachers to serve as mentors. Now, under the guidance of Aparicio, Assistant Head of Lower School PHYLLIS GRANT, Director of Design Thinking MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI and Lower School teacher PASCALE BIENNE, students spend afternoons channeling their interests and passions into business ideas; innovating, prototyping and problem-solving to craft unique products; creating marketing materials and perfecting their elevator pitches. “There’s a vocabulary for each lesson,” Bongiovanni says. “We want them to learn the language of critique so they can bring that into the classroom.” Students also learn from parent guest speakers, entrepreneurs who share their stories of success and failure. “Children need to understand that they can’t always meet with success,” Grant says. “If something doesn’t go right—for example, a raw material isn’t delivered on time or learning to sew is harder than they’d anticipated—they need to be able to rethink a situation, to problem-solve. That’s not an easy lesson to learn, but it’s an important one.” As students research and develop their products—this semester, everything from handmade soaps and key chains to robots and special knee pads—they bounce ideas off each other and their teachers, often arriving at school early to work on a project or perfect a new skill. “Students begin to understand that it takes a village to accomplish great things,” Bienne says. “It’s okay if you don’t know everything about a specific subject. What matters is that you ask for help from someone who does.” Students’ excitement and investment in the process is contagious, and many students participate in the program multiple times. That, Aparicio says, is the point. “The goal isn’t necessarily to develop a product. It’s about the journey, about developing creative mindsets and the skills that come with them. We want to start nurturing these habits early so that when the time comes to implement them in the real world, our students are ready.”
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STEAM Education in Action
ICGL-INSPIRED ARTWORK
Robotics teams in all divisions reach new heights.
Travel and photography combine in an award-winning and life-changing experience.
PACE ACADEMY’S mission to “create prepared, confident citizens of the world” mandates that students leave Pace equipped to lead in the global community—in whichever arenas they pursue. To foster these global leadership capabilities, Pace’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) offers opportunities in five focus areas: Science & Technology, Culture & Arts, Social Entrepreneurship & Business, Service & Environmental Sustainability and Public Policy & International Relations. This year, programming within the Science & Technology focus has expanded with the addition of Middle School Director of Design DR. KIRSTEN BOEHNER, Middle and Upper School courses dedicated to engineering and robotics, and an emphasis on further integrating Design Thinking and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) into our existing curricula. The result? Increased innovation and critical thinking in and outside the classroom, and new levels of success for our robotics teams. The Lower School RoboKnights set the bar high in their first year of competition. The team, made up of fifth-grade students and led by Pace parent JULIE GOLDSTROM and Upper School physics teacher BRIANNA KORB, participated in the First Lego League (FLL) Regional Competition and advanced to Super Regionals. There, the RoboKnights’ robotic buoy, created to help baby sea turtles find the ocean, earned the award for best project. The Middle School RoboKnights’ season came to a close at the FLL Georgia Tech State Championship, where, under the leadership of coach TY RICHARDSON, the team received the state trophy in the Strategy & Innovation category. The honor capped off an award-winning year in which the RoboKnights also brought home the Champions Award at Regionals and the Project Award at Super Regionals. The Upper School RoboKnights, coached by Korb and computer science instructor CHRISTINA SNYDER, began the year by hosting the FIRST Technology Challenge Kick-Off, a first for Pace. The team performed well throughout the season, ranking sixth out of 34 teams at a state-qualifying event and earning accolades for innovation and their control system. Sophomore SOPHIE BECK and senior SETH SWIECICHOWSKI represented the team at the state competition, finishing in the top half of all teams in Georgia. “As a result of our teachers’ increased focus on STEAM initiatives, we have a growing contingent of students who are interested in the field and becoming increasingly skilled in a variety of STEAM-related topics,” says ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON. “They’re now motivated to reach new heights.”
“I READ about the [2015 Isdell Center for Global Leadership] India trip, and its focus on photography interested me,” senior SARI LEVEN recalls. “I really liked photography and wanted to pursue it more. Plus, India isn’t a place you go on a family vacation—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How could I not go?” So Leven, then a rising junior, packed her Nikon D500 and traveled with fellow students and faculty members KATY COWLES, NEIL DEROSA, FRANCE DORMAN and JANE SIBLEY (now retired) to India. There, Leven discovered a culture unlike any she had experienced. “[India] is a hard place to be,” she explains. “There’s so much poverty, and the way men perceive women is very different. It was eye opening. Observing everyday life in a place that’s so foreign was new for me; I realized that there were so many things to learn in India.” To take it all in, Leven employed a “shoot-now, edit-later” approach to photography. “I took so many pictures of the same scene and just hoped that I got a good one,” she recalls. “And I discovered that I really like photographing people.” Leven returned home with thousands of images of the individuals she encountered. She spent the following year sorting through files, editing photographs and trying to find “the really good ones.” She selected eight images, all featuring people, to submit to this year’s prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards—and her work garnered a coveted Gold Key. Other images from India, this time in black and white, made up Leven’s April independent study exhibit, the culmination of a semester of one-on-one work with Dorman. “Traveling to India made me very interested in other cultures,” Leven reports. “I hope to travel or study abroad in college.” But first, she’ll participate in this summer’s climate- and art-themed ICGL study tour to New Zealand. “I’m really excited about the trip,” Leven says. “I’m going to take lots of pictures there, photographs that I hope to take with me and work on in college photography classes.”
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& GLOBAL LEADERS
MARY BETH
BONGIOVANNI KATIE SANDLIN i Bong
“B
eing a citizen of the world means that you are connected, engaged, intertwined, and deeply concerned about threats to humanity, stories of humanity, and the ethics of interdependence, resilience and transformation,” says Lower School Director of Design Thinking MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI. She believes that achieving global citizenship is a lifelong process—one that, for Pace Academy students, begins as soon as they enter the Lower School. To fulfill Pace’s mission to create “prepared, confident citizens of the world,” Bongiovanni has collaborated with Lower School faculty to develop a contiguous Design Thinking program within the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL). Design Thinking—a hands-on, humancentered and team-based approach to problem solving—requires that students
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ovan
ni
communicate across a wide range of subjects about issues and ideas that are meaningful to them. And incorporating these subjects into a topic with a wider focus, like this year’s ICGL global theme of CLIMATE, takes a great deal of coordination amongst faculty members. For example, Bongiovanni works with art teacher SUSAN EDWARDS to integrate climate and design into student projects, and she collaborates with the Lower School Library team to ensure students have access to necessary resources. “Our media specialists are a critical piece to the initial phases of the design process in which students learn about their topics and review current research specific to innovation,” Bongiovanni says. Another particularly notable partnership has developed between Bongiovanni and Lower School science and technology
teacher KATIE SANDLIN. Their collaboration was initially inspired by a scheduling coincidence; Bongiovanni taught half of a class while Sandlin taught the other, and the teachers soon began to devise projects the classes could share. Their goal was to create assignments that could travel between Sandlin’s science and technology courses and Bongiovanni’s Design Thinking lessons, allowing students to immerse themselves in a single project across the three classes. Now, Pre-First students act as “Toyland Designers,” who engineer solutions to imaginary problems; first graders are “Pollution Problem Solvers,” who study and inform the community about the greenhouse effect; second-grade “Energy Experts” examine the differences between fossil fuels and renewable energy; third graders participate in a parent-adjudicated challenge to design
F a c u lt y S pot l ig ht
GLOBAL LEADERS
San
“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 science & technology teacher
dlin
new furniture for the Design Thinking lab; fourth graders are “Water Wizards,” tasked with building water-filtration devices with easily available materials; and fifth graders create a 3D “Geometry Village” under the guidance of Pace parent DR. KIRSTEN TRAVERS-UYHAM. These dynamic, cross-curricular projects offer students a more “STEAM-tastic” experience, providing repeated exposure to life-sustaining systems and mechanisms by employing science, technology, engineering, art, math and Design Thinking. The effect of these combined classes stretches beyond the classroom—and that’s intentional. Bongiovanni and Sandlin want to change the way their students think, to help them become leaders. For example, through the Knights of the Green Table club, fifth graders take on independent tasks
in an effort to raise awareness of environmental issues. HANNAH WHITE organized a “lights-out day,” while JAXON PRAISE PEREZ interviewed the founder of Noah’s Ark, a nearby sanctuary for exotic animals. In Sandlin’s mind, independent projects like these advance global citizenship. “At Pace, global education is the platform that we use to help students become leaders,” she says. “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.” Together, Bongiovanni and Sandlin strive for simplexity, a concept conceived by educational leader Michael Fullan whereby educators “identify a small number of key factors that need to gel to achieve success,” laying the foundation for future success.
In their first year of collaboration, Bongiovanni and Sandlin’s complementary skill sets have gelled. “It is an honor to work with someone who knows as much as Katie does about STEAM and innovation in elementary school technology,” Bongiovanni says of Sandlin, a two-time Teacher of the Year. “She has the skills to break that down, to share it and to make it visual for students so that they can drive their own learning.” “My background is in science and technology,” Sandlin says. “Mary Beth’s is project-based learning, curriculum development and Design Thinking. Together, we are finding that we can provide Pace students with dynamic new resources that we couldn’t have created alone.” — by HANNAH KELLY ’15
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HARRISON LEWIS |FOUNDER
GLOBAL LEADERS
A SUMMER INTERNSHIP MOTIVATES ONE STUDENT TO START SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER. For junior HARRISON LEWIS, the entrepreneurial bug bit during a summer internship with GridQuire Labs. The company creates location-intelligent mobile advertising, and it’s headquartered in Atlanta Tech Village, a growing hub for technology startups. “During my internship, I learned many important lessons about business—the importance of customer acquisition, satisfaction and the use of data analysis—but I was also inspired by the energetic atmosphere at GridQuire Labs and Atlanta Tech Village,” Lewis recalls. “It was exciting to realize that someone can have an idea and, with hard work, research, a good business plan and guts, bring that idea to reality.” When Lewis discussed his time at GridQuire Labs with his classmates, many expressed interest in pursuing similar opportunities. “I knew that I couldn’t necessarily find internship opportunities for other students, but I thought that I might be able to give them a taste of the excitement of entrepreneurship and business,” he says. And so, like the entrepreneurs he strives to emulate, Lewis decided to start something. He approached Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON and proposed creating Pace Entrepreneur Mentor Day, a daylong “shadow” opportunity for his fellow students. It was an offer Gannon couldn’t refuse. Once given the green light, Lewis recruited Upper School teacher KEITH NEWMAN as his faculty advisor and began reaching out to local startups to establish partnerships. Twelve companies—Alliance Marketing Partners, Benevate, Buckhead Life Group, Cardlytics, Frogtoon Music, Goza Tequila, GridQuire Labs, Kabbage, Sharecare, TestGrid, Treehouse Holdings and WideAngle—agreed to participate. On March 31, 17 Upper School students headed to work instead of school and learned the ropes with some of Atlanta’s most innovative and influential professionals. “My hope was that this would be an exciting and rewarding experience for each student,” Lewis says. He certainly accomplished his goal. “Pace Entrepreneur Mentor Day was really valuable,” says junior KHAKI LOUGHRAN, who spent time at Kabbage, a technology company that quickly connects small businesses with capital. “Not only did I get to observe what went on in the workplace, but I learned important skills by doing interviews and sitting in on meetings.” Senior ROB WARREN had a similar experience at GridQuire Labs. “I learned all about how a startup attracts customers. I got to listen to a pitch, and I had GridQuire’s cool location-based technology explained to me,” Warren says. “Overall, [Pace Entrepreneur Mentor Day] was really helpful. It gave me insight into what life in the business world is like. I highly recommend this program to anyone interested!”
GLOBAL LEADERS
Fighting Childhood Cancer SOPHIE BLASBERG & MOLLY LEVINE LLS ATLANTA’S STUDENTS OF THE YEAR
Seniors SOPHIE BLASBERG and MOLLY LEVINE were paying attention when DARBY COCHRAN ’16 and MORGAN KELLY ’16 won The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) of Georgia’s inaugural Student of the Year (SOY) competition this past spring. “Participating in the competition seemed like something I would want to do,” says Levine, an executive service leader. “Sophie and I reached out to Darby and Morgan, and they told us SOY was such a great experience, so we decided to do it.” The six-week competition is part of LLS’s Student Series, a leadership-development and philanthropy program that challenges select high-school students to raise funds for LLS in honor of a “Honored Hero,” a child battling or in remission from a blood cancer. With guidance from LLS staff, students develop and execute their fundraising campaigns, gaining valuable networking and fundraising skills while competing for a chance to win college scholarships. Blasberg and Levine spent six weeks recruiting sponsors, sending letters and emails, coordinating proceeds nights with local restaurants, collecting silent auction items, and hosting events such as yoga sessions and cupcake sales to “honor those who continue to fight and those who’ve lost their lives to childhood cancer.”
“The most memorable experience of the campaign was walking into OK Cafe to ask the general manager to participate in a proceeds night,” Blasberg recalls. “He looked at Molly and me, pointed to a hospital bracelet on his wrist and said, ‘My son is in the hospital with Leukemia right now.’ That moment and others like it stuck with me and reminded us that cancer touches everyone’s life in some way.” Blasberg and Levine’s initial goal was to raise $45,000, a milestone they hit early in their fundraising efforts. “People’s generosity and connections to the cause inspired and encouraged us to raise our goal to $116,000, the most that had ever been raised [in the contest at the national level],” Blasberg says. When all was said and done, Blasberg and Levine raised more than $120,000 and accepted their award at the Grand Finale Gala at the Fernbank Natural History Museum. “[This campaign] taught me publicspeaking and leadership skills, fundraising strategies and how rally a community,” Levine says. “But more than that, I learned that with enough determination anything is possible.”
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A
cademic excellence at Pace Academy begins and ends with our teachers,” says Head of School FRED ASSAF. “We hire individuals who are masters of their crafts, but who also understand that ‘having the courage to strive for excellence’ means that learning is an enduring endeavor. The most effective teachers model lifelong learning for their students.” As an educator and school leader, Assaf holds himself to the same high standard; he constantly looks for programs and pedagogies that will benefit Pace students and teachers. So when, in 2012, Bob Pianta, dean of the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, told Assaf about UVA’s MyTeachingPartner (MTP) program, Assaf, a Curry alumnus, wanted to know more. The program, a product of UVA’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL), is an evidence-based system of professional-development support for teachers. In the traditional MTP model, an outside consultant observes teacher practice through videotaped classroom instruction and coaches the teacher through a structured, five-step reflective process. Results of MTP programs in middle and secondary schools showed significant increases in student and teacher engagement, as well as improved outcomes related to positive class environments. Convinced, Assaf decided Pace would become the first independent K–12 school in the country to pilot MTP. Under the guidance of DR. MARLA READ CAPPER, then a research scientist and professional-development specialist at UVA, Pace launched the program during the 2013–2014 year.
MyTeachingPartner at Pace To ensure MTP’s efficacy at Pace, Capper modified the traditional MTP design. Participation was voluntary, and the outside consultancy model morphed into a peer-to-peer system in which teachers trained in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) coached their colleagues. CLASS focuses on the processes that take place in classrooms: student-teacher interactions (academic and social), relationships and the implementation of curriculum. “These factors matter more than standards, materials or even teacher training,” Capper wrote in an earlier article for this magazine. “When these processes are in place, children are more engaged and achieve more—a finding supported by research and practical work.” Six Pace teachers, two in each division, received CLASS training and served as coaches for their colleagues. Those who participated in MTP during its inaugural year raved about the program. “MTP is unique in that it’s a formalized structure that morphs into wonderful learning and teaching moments with a peer,” first-grade teacher AMY TRUJILLO said. Middle School English teacher PETE POPE called it “the most positive experience I have ever had with an evaluator.”
The Evolution of MyTeachingPartner Capper built upon MTP’s first-year success and, as time went on, made additional modifications to ensure the program suited Pace’s needs and interests. “We tried to evolve and change based on what Pace teachers wanted,” Capper says. “So many of our teachers are
“Through monthly coaches meetings, I’ve established relationships with faculty in all divisions, and we share ideas and learn from each other. MTP pushes me and allows me to have that ‘grad-school feeling’— it’s the rush of learning without the stress of grad school.” Fourth-grade teacher AMANDA MCGEHEE (pictured) “MTP has been more beneficial to me than regular professional development because it’s ongoing. Because I’m choosing the domains in which I want to work, and I’m looking at the same students throughout the year with the same coach, I work more purposefully over a longer period of time.” Upper School Latin teacher ELIZABETH KANN
Partnerships for Lifelong Learning MyTeachingPartner evolves into a groundbreaking professional-development program—specific to Pace.
Reflective
PARTNERS Director of Professional Development and Curriculum Studies DR. MARLA READ CAPPER discusses a new team approach to professional development.
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While I worked for the University of Virginia’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, colleagues and I experimented with a MyTeachingPartner (MTP) team format. We tried the format in an independent school and had success, and I was interested in replicating it with some adaptations at Pace. Head of Middle School JOHN ANDERSON welcomed my idea. We decided to capitalize on Pace’s strong team of sixth-grade teachers, many of whom had participated in MTP in previous years and showed interest in furthering their professional development. We called this new team format Reflective Partners. This year’s Reflective Partners—LISA DUBOVY, ERIC WILHELM, JESSE MARSHBURN, SCOTT SHUPE, STEWART TARVIN and KATY COWLES—meet monthly. Assistant Director of Athletics COURTNEY MORRISON and I co-facilitate meetings in which we introduce the CLASS dimensions, or behaviors that matter for student outcomes. We share video clips from teachers’ lessons that exemplify our monthly goals and highlight what is working in their classes. We then ask teachers to record a lesson based on a goal and to select a video clip from that lesson that demonstrates progress toward the goal. After a year of Reflective Partners, participating teachers say they most enjoy watching footage of what they do well and observing strategies other teachers employ. While building camaraderie, Reflective Partners participants also see how their students respond in other classes and to other teaching techniques. Participants report that Reflective Partners is different from other professional development because, “Nobody talks at you”; instead, these teachers choose what to focus on and which classes to record. “We’re more invested in this process because these are our classrooms, our students, our classes,” they say. “We have a say, and we are part of the direction of this program.” And while Reflective Partners is based on solid research, buzzwords and theory are not the focus. When asked how Reflective Partners has enhanced their teaching or team, I hear comments such as, “We have more conversations about our teaching practice and what works with our students—not just in Reflective Partners, but at other times as well.” And, “We often want to visit our colleagues’ classes, but we don’t have the time or schedule. This solves that problem.” This year’s Reflective Partners pilot surpassed my expectations. We collaborated to shape how we wanted the program to function and flow, and it has been exciting to see how these already exceptional teachers have responded to the challenge—and have flourished. They exemplify the growth mindset, optimistic attitude and collaborative spirit that every teacher should bring to a teaching team. Dr. Marla Read Capper
MY TEACHING PARTNER
“Watching videos that focus on students’ reactions to specific lessons has been very insightful. It’s clear that using MTP’s teaching concepts effectively engages children in the lesson and promotes deeper understanding. I find myself focusing on the concepts daily.” First-grade teacher SUZIE HARPER (pictured)
committed to coaching athletic teams or advising extracurricular clubs; we wanted to be sensitive to their time constraints, while also accommodating their interests in growing as professionals.” Capper, who officially joined the Pace faculty as director of professional development and curriculum studies in 2015, streamlined MTP in its second and third years. “We began seeing coaching formats more fluidly and experimenting—on a small scale—with their design,” Capper says. She implemented a one-to-one structure in which one teacher worked with one coach, as well as MTP “families,” two or three teachers mentored simultaneously by a single coach. A hybrid structure, in which a teacher serves as a coach while also being coached, was introduced as well. In MTP’s fourth year, Capper adapted the process on a larger scale by piloting several different approaches, including Reflective Partners (see opposite page). Despite its many iterations, MTP’s key components have remained the same: Teachers engage in purposeful reflection about their instructional practices, collaborate with colleagues, observe and
analyze their own teaching by recording their lessons, and use CLASS as a common language to frame reflection, observation and discussion.
The Results When it comes to teaching, the old proverb, “Two heads are better than one,” certainly rings true. To date, 60 current or former members of the Pace faculty have participated in MTP in some way and, just as “iron sharpens iron,” teachers pushing each other toward a common goal breeds excellence. “I have learned so much from watching [those I’ve coached] teach this year,” says fourth-grade teacher AMANDA MCGEHEE. “I’ve gleaned ideas from what I saw them try in their classes, from conversations during our conferences and from our discussions about pedagogy—and I’ve tried to apply those ideas to my own classroom. I now reflect on how my own lessons after working on a skill and CLASS marker with my colleagues. I am very surprised how much this process has affected my teaching.” Academic Resource Center Director MICHAEL CALLAHAN agrees. “MTP truly
allowed me and [Upper School Latin teacher ELIZABETH KANN] to cut out time in our
busy schedules to sit and discuss teaching and learning,” Callahan reports. “Elizabeth is such a great teacher! MTP serves as a conduit that allows me to affirm the amazing strategies she implements in her classroom while also pushing her to reach her personal goals. Although I don’t teach in the traditional classroom, MTP has made me more intentional while working in the classroom and individually with students.” And, in the end, excellence in teaching leads to excellence in learning. “MTP reminds us how important it is to create a safe environment for learning, build rapport with our students, provide multi-modal strategies of infusing material, and receive quality, authentic feedback from students,” Callahan says. “All of this positively affects students in the classroom.” ●
Wanda Gold
MyTeachingPartner & Reflective Partners (past and present) John Ague Patti Alexander Graham Anthony Poli Aparicio Erica Barbakow Michael Callahan Marla Read Capper Christine Carter Kevin Coale Katy Cowles
Jonathan Day Megan Dickherber France Dorman Lisa Dubovy Don Dupree Cristian Eden Laurie Elliott Stacey Flamm Holly Girten Wanda Gold
Julie Hall Suzie Harper Stephanie Harrell Tara Harris Andrew Heacock Davis James Elizabeth Kann Mark Knott Cheryl Lassiter Andy Lopuszynski
Jewell Marable Jesse Marshburn Amanda McGehee Beck McRae Courtney Morrison Katharine Norton Ginny Parrino Jasmina Patel John Pearson Kim Peterson
Bailey Player Paula Pontes Pete Pope Allison Riley Rebecca Rhodes Barbara Scott Scott Shupe Helen Smith Sara Snavely Emily Stevens
Stewart Tarvin Tara Terry Amy Trujillo Liz Tutt Emily Washburn Gus Whyte Dianne Wilbur Eric Wilhelm Krista Wihelmsen Lynn Wilmoth
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KNIGHT OF JAZZ
Jazz
all that Knight of Jazz celebrates five years on the Pace stage.
Cafe 290 sits on the ground floor of a twostory Sandy Springs shopping center. It’s not much to look at from the outside—in fact, you might miss its marquee amidst signs for businesses that share the beige façade and offer grooming and tax services, acupuncture and dental implants. But those who know jazz know Cafe 290. For nearly three decades, the club on Hilderbrand Drive has welcomed world-renowned musicians and aspiring artists alike. And while owner John Scatena’s menu of seafood and pasta may attract newcomers,
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the regulars come for the mix of mainstream, contemporary and funk jazz that bursts from the stage. For years, Atlanta-based band Bumpin’ the Mango has played a standing Monday-night gig at Cafe 290. Led by arranger Paul Garrett on trumpet and front man Ian Michael Bruh, the 10-man ensemble describes itself as “THE horn band in Atlanta” and dishes up “the best music that the genre has to offer.” Visual and Performing Arts Chair DR. DANNY DOYLE, a trumpeter himself, had heard good things about Mango’s music and decided to stop by Cafe 290 to check out the band. It was 2011, and Doyle was just months into a new job as Pace Academy’s Middle and Upper School band director. He had an idea he wanted to run
by the men of Mango. “When I arrived at Pace, the Upper School band performed two concerts a year,” Doyle remembers. “I think high-school bands should be more performance-oriented, so I needed to add an event in early spring. BETH BARROW-TITUS, [then Upper School chorus director], had planned a Valentine’s Day concert and wanted to attract a wider audience, so I suggested that the band accompany the singers and play jazz. She jumped at the idea.” But Doyle needed backup. With only 29 students and limited time, the Upper School band couldn’t learn enough music by February to accommodate all the singers. Enter Mango. “As I recall, Dr. Doyle showed up to one of our regular concerts at Cafe 290,” Garrett
KNIGHT OF JAZZ
says. “He had heard about us through the grapevine and wanted to hear the band and discuss the possibility of us coming in and working with his students. He loved the idea of the kids interacting with top professional musicians in the Atlanta music scene, who are also experienced teachers in their own right.” Garrett and the band agreed to help, the Pace Arts Alliance provided the funding, and Knight of Jazz was born. That first year, Mango members spent three days prior to the concert with students. They shared their expertise and offered performance tips, while Dr. Geoff Haydon, a professor of jazz piano at Georgia State University, worked with student vocalists. “Pace students dazzled the audience with such favorites as String of Pearls, Blue
Moon and In the Mood,” we reported in the spring 2012 issue of this magazine. “Beth Barrow-Titus sang a heartwarming rendition of I Remember You, and Mango treated the audience to a set of its own selections that had attendees dancing in the aisles and rocking in their seats.” While Doyle counted the inaugural Knight of Jazz a success, he had bigger plans for the band program. He hoped to grow the group in size, skill and spirit, to infuse in his musicians a sense of pride and to open opportunities beyond the classroom. He believed Knight of Jazz could help accomplish those goals. Garrett, Bruh and their bandmates returned to Pace prior to the second annual Knight of Jazz—and the third, fourth and fifth. And
they’ve watched as Doyle’s vision for Pace’s band program has come to fruition. The Upper School group now boasts 57 students, many who also spend Friday nights playing in the pep band, or have traveled to the Bahamas and Orlando on tour. As the band has grown and evolved, so too, has Knight of Jazz. Doyle and Upper School Chorus Director SUSAN WALLACE, who joined the performing arts department following Barrow-Titus’s retirement in 2012, now start selecting music 10 months in advance. “We want to find the right arrangements, pieces we feel confident we’ll be able to do well,” Doyle says. When they can’t locate exactly what they’re looking for, they turn to Garrett, Assistant Band Director JACK WALKER or Composer in Residence WILL
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“Performance opportunities are so important for high-school students, whether or not they pursue music in college. Performing gives students the confidence to be in front of an audience, to know what it’s like to be nervous but to power through the nerves to accomplish a goal.” IAN MICHAEL BRUH, lead vocalist for Bumpin’ the Mango
Student Performers on
Knight of Jazz
“Knight of Jazz taught me that it’s extremely important to be able to ‘sell’ your song to the audience. When you’re performing, if you aren’t enjoying what you’re doing, the audience likely will not enjoy it either. Always put everything you have into every performance and leave it all on the stage.” Senior JULIAN ALEXANDER, soloist
“Knight of Jazz has helped me grow as a musician. I’ve learned all the nuances of the jazz technique— playing with a jazz band is very different than playing with a concert band! And I’ve learned how to play with singers. When you’re backing up vocals, you really learn how to work as a band and to listen to the singer. It’s a team effort!” Senior ALEXIS BENSON, flute
KNIGHT OF JAZZ
PITTS to create new arrangements. Doyle’s goal is to find approximately five pieces that the band will perform on its own and another five on which they’ll play with Mango or a jazz trio of other local professionals, the same group that provides accompaniment for the remainder of the program’s numbers. Meanwhile, Wallace assembles a vocal ensemble from the Upper School’s extracurricular groups and selects soloists. This year, any student interested in performing a solo could sign up. “I’ve had kids come in and say, ‘I want to sing this song,’ and if we think it will work, we let them,” Wallace says. “But Danny and I also like to give the kids songs they won’t pick for themselves, so in most cases, we select pieces based on students’ voices and on what the band can play. We also take into account the age of each singer. I want every soloist to experience singing with a full band behind them before they graduate.” The key is to take all of these elements— the Upper School band, Mango, vocal soloists and ensembles—and create a balanced program, one that first and foremost expands students’ skills, but also represents the scope of the genre and will provide an enjoyable experience for the audience. Once the program has been determined, band members learn the new pieces in class, and Wallace works with soloists and ensemble members as they become comfortable with their material. One month before the show, Garrett, Bruh and the professionals come in, and
“Performing in Knight of Jazz over the past three years has introduced me to new genres of music. I usually sing musical theatre, classical or pop, so figuring out how to give my voice a more jazzy tone is something I’ve had fun learning how to do.” Senior WILLIE LIEBERMAN, soloist
pieces begin to fall into place during classtime and after-school rehearsals. “They first work with students on the structure of each song,” Doyle says. “Because these guys are immersed in jazz, they’re able to give the students tips on how to approach each piece in a truer sense of the style.” Bruh coaches vocal soloists as they prepare to step out on stage alone, some of them for the first time. His goal is to ensure that they know how to connect with an audience, communicate the emotions in each song and develop the confidence to make a performance their own—things easier said than done. He also shares tricks of the trade; for example, he instructs students to hold the microphone close to their mouths to block out the sound of the band behind them. Two weeks out, the band and singers come together for the first time—but it’s not always a smooth amalgamation. “Accompaniment is far more complicated than people realize, because everything the band does has to match the soloist or ensemble,” Doyle explains. “There have been some times when the singer comes in, and it changes everything.” But that, Doyle says, is the point of collaboration; it necessitates growth, adaptability and careful musicianship; it’s where true teaching and learning take place. Guided by Doyle, Wallace, and professional mentors in Mango and beyond, students learn to truly listen to their fellow performers, to practice playing melodies in their heads and to improvise, when appropriate. Over
time, that attention to detail and determination pays off—on stage at Knight of Jazz, during Friday-night football games and holiday concerts, and on tours near and far. “I know excellence is one of Pace’s core values,” Garrett says. “Excellence happens in music, too. There’s a work ethic involved in preparing for Knight of Jazz, and it’s hard work. You work on your own ability; then you apply that to a group dynamic. That’s music. That’s life. That’s Knight of Jazz.” Doyle agrees. “With the continued support of the Pace Arts Alliance, Knight of Jazz has helped us create a culture that celebrates the process,” he says. “We’re not putting on a show for the sake of putting on a show. It’s not just to provide entertainment. What goes on before we step on stage is far more important than what happens when we’re out there.” Like that first concert, this year’s Knight of Jazz included familiar jazz classics—Feelin’ Good, Unforgettable and Jump, Jive and Wail. Vocalists donned eveningwear, and Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT’S set, with its chandeliers and soft lighting, evoked a 1950s nightclub. But this time around, there was a swagger that wasn’t quite as evident five years ago, a sense of confidence, of professionalism, of ease. The kids felt the music, and so the audience did too. ●
“I absolutely loved “As a performer, working with the being exposed professional musito jazz music has cians before Knight of helped me expand my Jazz. I was nervous about some new range of musical knowledge. It’s concepts, but they were so helpful taken me out of my comfort zone and encouraging. I learned that if and taught me to rely on my ear to everyone puts in a lot of effort and play. Working with professional does their part, the result can be musicians was an incredible incredible. Also, I’ve learned that experience; it allowed me to hard work can be fun!” improve as a musician by learning from people who play for a living.” Sophomore LILY RECKFORD, percussion Senior MITCHELL ZWECKER, tuba
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BOYS BASKETBALL
BACK TO BACK
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BOYS BASKETBALL
“[Winning a second state title] has been a goal, and I’m getting a little emotional,” senior Wendell Carter Jr. told the Atlanta JournalConstitution following the Knights’ win. “It’s my last high-school game, and we went out with a bang. I’m happy.”
Varsity boys basketball brings home a second state title. FOR SENIORS BARRETT BAKER, WENDELL CARTER JR., PARKER PAYNE and MARK SOMMERVILLE, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAA Elite Eight game was more than another playoff contest. It was their final opportunity to play in the Pace Academy Inman Center. The opponent, Macon’s Westside High School, was the favorite to win the AAA state championship, but the bracket dictated a coin toss to determine home court. The Knights’ wily veteran Assistant Director of Athletics TIM WALSH won the coin toss, rousing some palpable energy in the Inman Center. Even with the home-court advan-
tage, the Knights needed all the support they could get. In true Pace fashion, the community rallied and helped will the team to a thrilling double-overtime victory. “That was definitely the loudest environment I have ever played in,” Sommerville says. “I couldn’t even hear myself call a play. If we didn’t have homecourt advantage in that game, I’m honestly not sure how the game would have gone. I began to feel bad for [Westside] at points, because I know some of those kids have never experienced a fan base like that going against them.” Many have described the matchup as the
best basketball game ever played in the Inman Center. The performance and atmosphere were nothing less than spectacular. As with most things spectacular, the power lies in the story behind them. The Elite Eight game and a packed gym were just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath that shiny surface was a long journey, built by adversity and carried by relationships forged over time and under tremendous pressure. The Knights started the 2016–2017 season with a 5–2 record, which by all accounts was less than stellar. During winter break, the team traveled to Florida and South Carolina
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REIGN WATKINS
BOYS BASKETBALL
The atmosphere at the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum on the day of the GHSA Class AAA Basketball State Championship was nothing like the energy the Knights experienced in the Elite Eight. Those who packed the gym on West Paces a week prior were enjoying spring break all over the globe. Knights
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fans tuned in from around the U.S. and from Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tours in Ireland, Antarctica, Chile, Canada and South Africa, but the arena was overwhelmingly red and white and very vocal in its support of Morgan County High School, Pace’s opponent. Many teams would have folded, but the Knights had already experienced adversity. They were battle tested. Amongst the cheers for Morgan County, a small but mighty crowd of Pace fans made their presence known as the team sealed the deal on back-to-back state championships with a 54–46 win. The differences between this year’s title run and the 2016 championship were minimal. Positive energy, sacrifice and doing the job were still the focal points. Personal relationships and learning from adversity remained common themes. We don’t know what lies ahead for the boys basketball team, but the Pace community is grateful and proud of the legacy that these seniors are leaving. The building blocks are still in place; the process is proven. Congratulations to Head Coach DEMETRIUS SMITH and his coaching team, the seniors and the entire 2016–2017 varsity basketball squad for making history! ●
Mark Sommerville
Wendell Carter Jr.
ISAIAH KELLY
Photo by Pace parent WARREN SAMS
to compete in two of the nation’s premier basketball tournaments. At the City of Palms Classic, marketed as the nation’s No. 1 high-school basketball tournament, the Knights faced Memphis East High School of Tennessee, Florida’s Mariner High School and nearby Class 7A Norcross High School. All three opponents would reach their respective state-championship games, and Memphis East finished the season ranked among the top 10 teams nationally. Though the Knights could not secure a victory in Fort Myers, they pushed Mariner into overtime. More importantly, the team began to grow. “Team chemistry is something organically developed over the course of the season,” Baker says, “but the extensive traveling we did over winter break and long weekends proved to be extremely beneficial to our success.” The team began to gel at the Beach Ball Classic as the Knights tallied victories against New York’s McQuaid Jesuit High School and Westchester High School out of California. The team lost its final two games in Myrtle Beach but, once again, became battle tested in an overtime matchup. Facing some of the highest-ranked players and teams in the country, the Knights continued to develop, adjust and improve. Over Martin Luther King weekend at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., the Knights went neck-and-neck with The Patrick School out of Elizabeth, N.J., then the No. 14 team in the country. Before a live ESPN audience, commentators remarked on how “well-coached” the Knights were, and on the cohesiveness of the team. A nationwide audience was introduced to Pace basketball. Moreover, the loss would be the last of the season for the Knights.
JONATHAN RUSHTON
Individual Accolades
Photo by Pace parent WARREN SAMS
The basketball community recognized several Knights for their performances this season:
ST AT E I ON S ! P M A H C
HEAD COACH DEMETRIUS SMITH • Atlanta Journal-Constitution AllState Class AAA Coach of the Year
MYLES TODD
Barrett Baker
BARRETT BAKER • All-Region Second Team
WENDELL CARTER* • Atlanta Journal-Constitution AllClassification Player of the Year • Atlanta Journal-Constitution AllState Class AAA Player of the Year
HARRISON LEWIS
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta/South Fulton All-Metro Player of the Year • Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta/South Fulton All-Metro First Team • All-Region Player of the Year
Parker Payne
ISAIAH KELLEY • Atlanta Journal-Constitution AllState Class AAA Second Team • Atlanta Journal-Constitution Atlanta/South Fulton All-Metro Second Team • All-Region First Team
* See page 9 for more on Carter’s historic season.
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i n m Alu
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ALUMNI UPDATES 1–2) Images from Kip Pastor's recent film; 3) Andrew Hughes; 4) Justin Leef; 5) Graham Carson, Photo by Chalkbeat; 6) Owen Carson; 7) Richard Haining; 8) Lucy Inman, second from left, and Evans Rainer, second from right
ANDREW HUGHES ’94 is director of digital marketing for CrownAndCaliber.com, an Atlanta-based startup that provides a marketplace for buyers and sellers of luxury pre-owned watches. Internet Retailer recently named Crown & Caliber to its 2017 “Hot 100,” a list of the 100 most innovative e-retailers in the world. Crown & Caliber was selected alongside innovative brands such as Nike. com, Nordstrom.com, DollarShaveClub. com and ChubbiesShorts.com. The company also ranked 29th on the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2017 list of Pacesetters, the 100 fastest-growing, privately held companies in metro Atlanta. Andrew and his wife, SINGER WESTERLUND HUGHES ’94, live in Atlanta. Artist RICHARD HAINING ’97 and his work were featured in the April/May 2017 issue of American Craft, the American Craft Council’s magazine. The Brooklyn-based “maker” is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and crafts chairs, tables and wooden vessels with scrap materials. His pieces counter the pervasive buy-it-cheap, use-itbriefly, throw-it-away-and-repeat attitude. In March, writer and director KIP PASTOR ’00 premiered his new film, How to Stop a Pipeline, at Washington, D.C.’s DCEFF, the longest-running environmental film festival in the U.S. How to Stop a Pipeline explores First
Nations and local community resistance to the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. A multi-billion dollar pipeline designed to pump heavy crude oil from the tar sands to the Great Bear Rainforest, the Northern Gateway was supported by the Canadian government and the most powerful industry in the world. Against all odds, a handful of small communities have effectively stalled the project in its tracks. In the film, Kip and his team traverse 100 miles of the proposed pipeline to better understand the land that would be impacted. The film illustrates the First Nations’ fight for their ancestral land rights, self-governance and social justice. Kip’s previous films include In Organic We Trust and Life on Earth. He also recently produced five short films—including Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson’s directorial debut—as part of The Big Script, a filmmaker incubator program. GRAHAM CARSON ’03, an early childhood teacher in Denver, Colo., has been featured in Men in Early Childhood (MEC), a digital storytelling project that includes interviews with more than four dozen men in early childhood education. MEC was recently featured in Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news source covering education. “The idea [of MEC] is to provide inspiration in a field known for its low pay and high turnover—and create a support system of sorts to combat the isolation that can come
ALUMNI
from being the only man on the job,” Chalkbeat reporter Ann Schimke wrote. Graham teaches at the Denver Cooperative Preschool and has worked in early childhood education for 13 years.
scary leaving a good job and going at it on our own,” Evans says. Fellow alumna LUCY INMAN '02 works at StaffWRX as head of design. Learn more about StaffWRX at www. staffwrx.com.
OWEN CARSON ’04, a.k.a. “The Orchid Hunter,” is a plant ecologist for Equinox, an Asheville-based consulting, planning, and design firm with a focus on conservation, sustainability and environmentally responsible land-development projects. During a recent inventory of a piece of property in Henderson County, N.C., Owen discovered a new population of the fabled small-whorled pogonia, the rarest orchid to occur east of the Mississippi.
Since graduating from the University of Georgia in 2012, JUSTIN LEEF ’08 has worked in the public sector as a committee aide and lobbyist for the Georgia General Assembly, as well as for two Superior Court Judges and the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. In May, he completed a Master of Public Administration/Juris Doctor degree at Georgia State University. Justin recently created New Leef Strategies, an LLC founded as an academic exercise. The company has grown into a foundation for Justin’s future consulting, lobbying and entrepreneurial interests. “I enjoy putting disconnected parties together so they can enjoy mutual benefits,” Justin says. Recent projects include a political-canvassing software that allows campaigns to more efficiently manage volunteers and canvassers, and forging a connection between STAG Vets & Comfort Farms and Ponix, a
EVANS RAINER ’04 has founded StaffWRX, a company that matches employers and temporary workers through an innovative mobile app. Georgia Tech’s technology incubator, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), selected StaffWRX as one of its startups, allowing Evans to pursue entrepreneurial work fulltime. “It’s exciting but a little
California-based startup. “STAG’s goal is to rehabilitate veterans through ‘agritherapy,’” Justin explains. “Ponix focuses on hydroponic agriculture. The latter would stand to benefit from an actual farmer using and proving its technology as a complement to traditional farming practices. STAG stood to benefit from an innovative technological system that would act as a teaching tool for the veterans to learn from and replicate statewide. It would also provide a source of revenue for STAG and its farmers market.” Justin recently wrote, lobbied for and has been involved with the implementation of Georgia’s Medical Amnesty & Naloxone Access Law, in memory of friends who passed away from opioid and alcohol overdose. He founded Georgia Overdose Prevention in 2014, which has saved more than 600 lives to date. “This opened my eyes to the potential of one day lobbying as a career—perhaps operating a public affairs group that advocates for paying clients in addition to causes that benefit all Georgians—a different type of lobbyist,” Justin says.
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ALUMNI
Following graduation and the Bar Exam, Justin will apprentice in the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. He would also love to explore work in public-sector consulting. MEYLAKH BARSHAY '09 is the analytics and technology manager for GiveDirectly, a New York-based non-profit providing unconditional cash transfers to families living in extreme poverty. GiveDirectly was founded in 2008 by Michael Faye, Paul Niehaus, Rohit Wanchoo and Jeremy Shaprio, Ph.D. students at Harvard and MIT. Backed by rigorously evaluated, randomized controlled trials, GiveDirectly has been rated a top charity by charity evaluator GiveWell for each of the past five years. Its work has been recognized by numerous news outlets, including the BBC, PBS and the New York Times. GiveDirectly's most extensive operations are in Kenya, where it is conducting the largest experiment on universal basic income. It also serves families in Uganda and Rwanda. Meylakh lives in Stamford, Conn., a quick metro-north ride from New York City. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in May, JACK ASSAF ’13 will move to San Antonio, Texas, to teach highschool math at St. Gerard Catholic High School, a parochial school with an enrollment of 100. Jack will teach as part of the Alliance for Catholic Education’s (ACE) Teaching Fellows program, a two-year program during which he will earn his master’s in education. Jack will study at Notre Dame in the summers, while spending the school year in San Antonio, living in community with five other ACE Teaching Fellows. MORGAN BREWTON-JOHNSON ’14 presented her Princeton Junior Paper, Improving Healthcare Coordination in Humanitarian Emergencies, to the World Health Organization behind the General Assembly podium at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Morgan’s paper covered the ways in which the huge network of humanitarian organizations that respond to natural, manmade and complex emergencies—such as
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Ebola, the Haitian earthquake or the Syrian conflict—actually complicate emergency response, especially with regard to healthcare. “For example, lots of well-known international agencies like Doctors Without Borders end up overfunded for a given emergency, while domestic organizations like local health clinics end up severely underfunded,” Morgan explains. “Then, the international organizations with all the money aren’t in proper communication with the local organizations that actually know the populations and have existing channels through which they deliver care, and there’s lots of confusion or service duplication—or worse, service gaps.” GRACE FERRY ’16, a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, was named to the Women’s Swimming & Diving All-Ivy Second Team in both the 1,000-yard and 1,650-yard freestyle. “Ferry put together an impressive season in the distance freestyle events in her rookie campaign,” Penn Athletics wrote. “The freshman rose to the occasion at the Ivy Championships, placing second in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:47.77, a mere 17 seconds below her seed time. Ferry carried that performance into the final night of Ivies, taking second at the podium in the 1,650 free with an NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 16:27.38—cutting 22 seconds off her seed time in the process.”
BIRTHS ELIZABETH MCNEILL SILBERT ’99 and her husband, David, welcomed son John Jeffrey on Nov. 28, 2016. He was 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches. Jeffrey joins big brother Ben, 3, who loves animals and playing music. Elizabeth is a partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta, where she practices in the field of international arbitration—meaning her second home is the Atlanta airport. She also co-teaches a course in the subject at the University of Georgia’s School of Law. David left legal practice several years ago to help launch Apogee Legal, which works to innovate automation and artificial intelligence solutions in the legal field. The family spends weekends outdoors,
and is most likely to be spotted at Goldberg’s Deli on Sunday mornings. Summer and SEAN WARREN’S ’99 second son, Grayson Bentley, was born on Feb. 2, 2017, at Atlanta’s Northside Hospital. He joins big brother Micah. Sean is vice president of marketing for Blue World Pools, Inc. “Our business is currently up double digits from the previous year,” he reports. The family lives in the Atlanta area. MAGGIE HAGEDORN FITZGERALD ’01 and her husband, Brian, had their second child, son Horace “Ace” Yeats, on Jan. 31, 2017. Ace weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20.5 inches. He joins his big brother Teddy, 2. “We’re a happy family of four!” Maggie reports. Stacy and JOHNNY STEVENS ’01 welcomed daughter Mary Barrett on Dec. 6, 2016. She was 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches. Stacy works at Edwards Lifesciences on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR); Johnny is managing director at SentriForce.
MARRIAGES SAM CUNNINGHAM ’02 married Meghan Mahoney on March 3, 2017, in Anchorage, Ala., where the couple lives. CAMILLE BARCHERS ’02 and Assistant Head of Middle School GRAHAM ANTHONY, Sam’s roommate at Emory University, attended. Meghan is a high-school math teacher, and Sam is a resource economist working in federal fisheries management. They are looking forward to a summer of hiking, biking and fishing.
1) Grace Ferry, Photo by Penn Athletics; 2) Meylakh Barshay; 3) Morgan Brewton-Johnson; 4) Grayson Bentley Warren; 5) Horace "Ace" Yeats Fitzgerald; 6) Mary Barrett Stevens; 7) John Jeffrey Silbert with family; 8) Mahoney/Cunningham
SAM BIRDSONG ’08 married Annie Bateman Birdsong on Dec. 17, 2016, in Washington, D.C. ROB BIRDSONG ’00, JON BIRDSONG ’03, SCOTTY JOSPIN ’08, CAMERON KENNELLY ’08, HAMILTON REYNOLDS ’08, NICK RHODES ’08, FENWAY MERLINO ’08, JUDSON HILL ’08, CALLY PIRRUNG ’08, MCCREA O’HAIRE ’08, SAMANTHA MOVSOVITZ GELMAN ’08, KATE HEYER MANDRELL ’08, RYAN MANDRELL ’09, CHASE BROWN ’08, JUSTIN LEEF ’08 and JESSE CRAWFORD ’08 attended. The couple lives in Athens, Ga.
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SAMANTHA MOVSOVITZ GELMAN ’08 married Preston Gelman on Sept. 4, 2017, at The Ritz Carlton, Buckhead. Pace alumni in attendance included bridesmaid KATE HEYER MANDRELL ’08, RYAN MANDRELL ’09, LUCY SCHAEFER AYRES ’08, SAM BIRDSONG ’08, NICK RHODES ’08, CALLY PIRRUNG ’08, MCCREA O’HAIRE ’08, SCOTT JOSPIN ’08, FENWAY MERLINO ’08, JUDSON HILL ’08 and CAMERON KENNELLY ’08. Current Pace students also joined the party: Samantha’s brothers, seniors JAKE MOVSOVITZ and WILL MOVSOVITZ, as well as seniors BRIAN SLOAN, SAMMY LETTES and BARRETT BAKER. Samantha and Preston live in New York City with their English bulldog puppy, Manning. Samantha is assistant public relations manager at Gucci, and Preston is an associate director on the Global Markets Intelligence & Perception Analytics team at Ipreo. The couple will honeymoon in Italy in July.
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ALUMNI
KATE HEYER MANDRELL ’08 and RYAN MANDRELL ’09 were married on Oct. 29, 2016, at the Atlanta History Center. STEVE WHIPPLE ’07 was Ryan’s best man, and SAMANTHA MOVSOVITZ GELMAN ’08 was Kate’s maid of honor. Ryan and Kate live in Atlanta, where they hope to buy a home. They recently added “a sweet Goldendoodle puppy named Louie” to their family. Ryan is a vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, and Kate is an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company. Attendees included LUCY SCHAEFER AYRES ’08, JOHN BENTLEY ‘07, SAM BIRDSONG ’08, CHASE BROWN ’08, PAUL CHALKER ’07, SAMANTHA MOVSOVITZ GELMAN ’08, JAKE HARRIS ’07, SCOTT JOSPIN ’08, CAMERON KENNELY ’08, LAUREN KRAVITZ ’07, WILL MACEWEN ’07, JEFFREY MARX ’07, FENWAY MERLINO ’08, CLAY MITCHELL ’07, LIZ NELLIS ’07, JOSH NELSON ’07, MCCREA O’HAIRE ’08, KATHERINE PARKE OSTENSON ’08, ZACK PALKO ’07, ALEX PEARSON ’07, CALLY PIRRUNG ’08, HAMILTON REYNOLDS ’08, NICK RHODES ’08, REID ROGERS ’07, MARY HIPP ROGERS ’06, COURTNEY SCHAEFER ’07, KAYLA SCHMANDT ’08 and JESSE TAYLOR ’07.
IN MEMORIAM BILL OWENBY, father of JODY OWENBY ’83 and TOM OWENBY ’89, passed away on July 11, 2016. A resident Sevierville, Tenn., Bill was a graduate of Sevier County High School and Maryville College. He was co-owner of Holly Haven RV Park and a member of First Baptist Church, Sevierville. Bill is survived by his wife, Ninajo Owenby, his children and their spouses and four grandchildren.
1) The Movsovitz/Gelman reception; 2) Pace friends at the Heyer/Mandrell reception; 3) Heyer/Mandrell; 4) Bateman/ Birdsong; 5) Anne Lane with two of her students during the 1987–1988 school year; 6) Andy Drinkard
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Longtime Lower School teacher ANNE LANE passed away in Atlanta on March 14, 2017. Anne graduated from Richmond Academy in Augusta, Ga., attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga., and received a degree from Emory University in 1957. She taught for two years at Morningside Elementary School and for five years at Underwood Hills Elementary School before she joined the Pace family in 1973. For 38 years, Anne’s second-grade classroom
was a place of joy and learning in which all students knew that they were loved. “[Anne] was first and foremost a teacher, to her family and to hundreds of students during her 38 years of teaching,” her family wrote. “Teaching was her calling and her passion, and she thought of her students as ‘gifts,’ many of whom stayed close to Anne and several of whom have become like family… She blessed us all with her overflowing joy and humor, teaching us the importance of laughing at ourselves.” An active member of The Church of the Apostles, Anne retired from Pace in 2004, but her influence continues to impact generations of students today. Her family remembers her as “a prayer warrior, a faithful and tireless caregiver, a hilarious storyteller, and a constant encourager to her family, friends and students.” Anne is survived by her children, HUGH LANE, JR. ’77 and LIZ LANE PORTWOOD ’79; Liz’s husband, Randy Portwood; four grandchildren and a treasured extended family. Memorials may be sent to Leading the Way, P.O. Box 20100, Atlanta, GA 30325; to the Walker Family Cemetery, c/o Russell F. Shearer, 2302 Canebrake Court, Augusta, GA 30907; or to the Hugh Lane Medical Project, Helping Hands Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 337, Tallulah Falls, GA 30573. ANDY DRINKARD ’02 passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 28, 2017. “He was known for being a compassionate, friendly, outgoing, caring and intelligent young man, who reached out to all he met with generosity and kindness of spirit,” his family wrote. After graduating from Pace, Andy attended the University of Colorado and Georgia State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. Following his undergraduate work, Andy taught English in Hsin Chu, Taiwan, and
went on to receive a master’s in psychology from the University of West Georgia. There he met Jen, his future wife and “the love of his life.” They have a young son, Sam. At the time of his passing, Andy worked as a counselor/therapist, assisting clients from the inner city, from broken families, individuals who were suicidal and the elderly. “Andy was born with a rare genetic disorder, which led to many surgeries over his short life, many physical limitations, and worst of all, constant pain,” his family wrote. “Despite these challenges, his mind was as sharp as a tack. He was a great writer and had a sense of humor and dry wit that kept us all laughing. “Although he didn’t attend Georgia Tech, he was passionate about Georgia Tech sports. He loved Saturday afternoons at Bobby Dodd Stadium, going to away games, Georgia Tech basketball, as well as the Atlanta Braves, Falcons and Hawks. He loved playing the drums, listening to his father’s favorite 70s rock groups, especially Chicago, and classical music—the more eclectic and dissonant—the better. He shared his father’s love for banjo and bluegrass, and loved playing bridge and wine tasting with his close friend and high-school band teacher SCOTT CAMPBELL. “He had a special place in his heart for his sister, Jenny, his sidekick of 30 years. He loved his getaway trips to Lake Cherokee in South Carolina and taking cruises in the pontoon boat. He was a passionate stargazer and storm watcher. He loved magic and was quite adept at entertaining a crowd with his tricks. He loved dancing, especially doing
his Michael Jackson imitations, and treasured both his Woodstock, Ga., and Czech heritage, becoming proficient in making a Czech Christmas bread called vanocka. He loved his community of peers at Melson Hall at the University of West Georgia, and was a true example of what it meant to embody humanistic psychology.” Andy is survived by his wife, Jennifer Soignier Drinkard, and their son, Samuel Drinkard; his parents, JAMES and MARIA DRINKARD; his sister, Jennifer Drinkard; and his beloved extended family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to an education fund for Sam Drinkard at www.gofundme.com/samdrinkard.
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THANK YOU TO THE 2017 PACE RACE SPONSORS
PRESENTING SPONSORS The Carland Group Isdell Family Foundation SILVER SPONSORS
THANK YOU
Atlanta Falcons Kyle Pease Foundation The Litvak Family PGA Superstore
Skin Cancer Specialist P.C. & Aesthetic Center The Smith Family
BRONZE SPONSERS The Arnold Family The Bethel Family The Curtin Family Diaz Foods ExamMed The Ferry Family The Hastie Family John C. Keller Kerr & Gavric Dentistry
The Lubin Family The Mallis Family The Marks Family The Owens Family Peachtree Smiles, Evis Babo DMD Steve Rayman Chevrolet The Swann Family The Warren Family
RUNNER SPONSORS The Ganz Family The Ibarra Family
Laura & Jim Gash The Skalla Family
IN-KIND SPONSORS Atlanta Eats Chick-fil-A The Coca-Cola Company DJ Turton Eric Irvin Design The Frushtick Family INTREPY Healthcare Marketing
Ivivva Marco’s Pizza McDonald’s PeaceLoveMom Publix Super Markets StreetWise West Stride Whole Foods Market
Pace Race T-shirt designed by Emily Schmitt, Class of 2019
ALUMNI
A Pace Family Project
Spotlight
Kyle Garcia pays tribute to the Pace legacy with jewelry.
BELOW: Matt and Kyle Garcia (fourth and fifth from left) at this year's Pace Alumni Knight Cap event.
“I had been hearing about Pace Academy long before I set foot on campus,” Kyle Garcia reports. Kyle’s husband, MATT GARCIA ’03, enrolled at Pace as a sophomore; his five siblings attended; his mother, CAROL GARCIA, was an active parent volunteer; and his father, PAUL GARCIA, now a Life Trustee, once chaired the Pace Board. Needless to say, the Garcias are Knights fans. “As a result of Matt’s stories and conversations with our friends and family, I had woven together this amazing image of Pace in my head,” Kyle says. “My already unrealistic expectations were exceeded when I finally had the chance to tour [the Pace campus].” Kyle is the woman behind Kyle Cavan, a collegiate fine jewelry brand based in New York City. At Pace, the designer saw “pride, tradition, and legacies in a tight-knit community of students, parents, faculty and alumni—everything I wished to share and celebrate through [Kyle Cavan’s] collections,” she says. It struck a chord. “I often tell Kyle that Pace taught me three things: work really hard, be honest and, if you’re interested in learning and exploring, you’ll be interesting,” Matt says. “I cannot tell you how much those lessons have helped me in every stage of my life. I feel like I am part of a small group of people who had a truly transformative experience, and I am really proud to be a graduate of Pace Academy. I think Kyle truly understood that the first time she was on campus.” Inspired by her introduction to her husband’s alma mater, Kyle set about designing a jewelry collection that incorporated the Pace Castle. The Iconic Bangle and Cufflink Collection are now available in the Pace Campus Store and online at www.kylecavan.com—and made an appearance in the silent auction at this year’s alumni Knight Cap event. In addition, Kyle is offering free engraving on the Iconic Bangle with the code PACE. “It is my hope that the significant impact Pace has had on those I love so much resonates with others, allowing them to share and celebrate their Knight pride through our Pace Collection. And, as always, I hope our collection serves as a reminder of one of my favorite quotes: ‘Be more than proud of your legacy. Live up to it.’”
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CATHERINE WOODLING ’00 met MAGALI LAPU ’15 in Athens, Ga., while attending a conference at the JW Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. Magali, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, was interning with the Fanning Institute. MEREDITH WINITT FORRESTER’S ’95 daughter, Brooke, was thrilled to meet Sir Winsalot at the Northside Youth Organization’s 2017 Opening Day!
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3–4) The Alumni Association and the Woodruff Library hosted two installments of the Woodruff Library Visiting Author Series this semester. In January, DR. ALERON KONG ’99 discussed his LitRPG series, The Land, while ANNE CORBITT ’00 visited in April and signed copies of her debut novel, Rules for Lying. 5)
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Lower School Director of Design Thinking MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI ran into NATHAN SOKOLIC ’14 while spending spring break in Bryn Mawr, Penn. “We met at a market and began talking about all things Pace,” Mary Beth reports. “I agreed when Nathan told me that I have the best job on the planet. It was such a pleasure to meet this alumnus, who is studying at Haverford College, playing basketball and working as an innovation agent in the projects he currently is designing.”
10) TEMPLE MOORE ’00, BRITT JACKSON GRIFFIN ’00, WHITNEY WHITE ’00, JINSIE WARD PREDDY ’00, DORSEY STINSON BRYAN ’00 and AMANDA ROGERS INMAN ’00 recently gathered for a night out on the town.
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ANDREW TEEGARDEN ’99, SAM STAHL ’99 and CHRIS HOOPER ’99 gathered in Houston, Texas, to cheer on the Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI.
6–8) SARAH-ELIZABETH LANGFORD REED ’96, KATY MERCER CAHILL ’01, CHAFFEE BRAITHWAITE HEILMAN ’95 and JESSICA SUTHERLAND LEVENSON ’93, all former members of Pace’s varsity gymnastics squad, showed up to cheer on the Knights in their final meet of the year.
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Class of 1994 Wins Alumni Challenge! For the third consecutive year, the Pace Academy Alumni Board challenged alumni to show that giving back is part of what it means to be a Knight. Measured by participation rates only, the Alumni Challenge encourages alumni to support The Pace Alumni Fund in a battle of class years. This year, the Class of 1994 earned the title of Most Spirited Class, with an impressive 48 percent of classmates making a gift. Collective annual support from alumni—in any dollar amount—makes a real and immediate impact on Pace students. Congrats, ’94!
ALUMNI: Did You Know…? • All gifts to The Pace Alumni Fund support need-based financial aid, providing new generations of students with access to the opportunities you enjoyed. • It’s not too late to donate and join your fellow alumni on the Honor Roll. Give today at www.paceacademy.org/alumni-fund.
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From the Castle with Love Parents of the Class of 2016 reunited on campus to catch up and assemble Valentine’s Day care packages for their college freshmen. Young alumni across the country received an assortment of sweet and salty treats, as well as Pace paraphernalia.
CURRENT STANDINGS FIRST PLACE CLASS OF 1994: 48% SECOND PLACE CLASS OF 1988: 32% THIRD PLACE CLASS OF 1995: 24% TOTAL PARTICIPATION 9% KnightTimes | Spring 2017
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ALU MNI K NIGHT CAP RAI S ES MOR E T HAN $ 3 0 ,0 0 0 F O R FI NANC IAL AID ON MARCH 18, more than 200 alumni, faculty and friends gathered at Chastain Horse Park for the Pace Academy Alumni Association’s third annual Knight Cap event. The evening included bourbon and wine tastings, food by Avenue Catering Concepts and a silent auction. A critical contributor to Pace’s annual fundraising efforts, the 2017 Knight Cap raised $30,000 for need-based student financial aid, The Pace Alumni Fund’s dedicated cause. CARTER INGLIS ’89 and ANDREW TEEGARDEN ’99 co-chaired the event, which achieved the Alumni Board’s annual goal of covering one student’s full tuition. Congratulations to a fabulous Knight Cap committee and all generous event supporters! All alumni are invited to join the Alumni Association for the 2018 Knight Cap. If you are interested in helping plan or market next year’s event, please email alumni@paceacademy.org.
Leadership Pace 2017
Building Your Village
Seventeen Pace Academy alumni returned to campus in March, willingly surrendering two days from demanding schedules, for something called Leadership Pace—an alumni program about which they knew relatively little. Some participated for the chance to look behind the curtain at the school they once attended. Others were motivated by the promise of candid interactions with school leadership. Many were eager to share their knowledge and networks with the place that helped shape their own paths in life. One motivation was clear—alumni came back because they loved being students at Pace. “Leadership Pace is a mixture of information sharing, problem solving, and requests for [alumni participants’] skills, guidance and knowledge—during and after the program,” MARK JOHNSON ’94 said in his welcome remarks to alumni on the first day of the Sunday–Monday program. Johnson went through the program in its inaugural 2016 year, and he returned in a facilitator capacity this year, as Leadership Pace 2017 chairperson. Over the past several months, Johnson worked closely with the Pace administration to design a two-day agenda that would showcase school life today, while illuminating all the moving parts that, together, keep the motor running here. “Getting an inside look at the cuttingedge academic opportunities that Pace is providing for its students reminded me of the privilege I have to be a Knight and revealed ways in which I can remain connected with the Pace community as an alumna,” said 2017 participant ASHLEY BYNOE ’03. Because the magic of Pace begins with its teachers, alumni heard first from one of Pace’s very best—History Department Chair TIM HORNOR. Evoking moments and faces from school history that would come to define a community, Hornor reminded the room that while Pace has “grown up” in many ways, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Head of School FRED ASSAF and Board of Trustees Advancement Committee Chair ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS addressed an unprecedented decade of success shared by the Pace community, noting that growth across all Pace programs was no accident, and it did not happen overnight. Today, we are reaping the benefits and facing the inevitable challenges that accompany progress. Director of Athletics TROY BAKER fielded wide-ranging alumni questions about the impact of a transformed athletics program. Baker described the positive force of athletic leadership in terms of character development and time management, uniting the campus in school spirit, raising admissions demands and increasing diversity in many respects across the student body. When asked if Pace had to sacrifice academic standards in order to “win,” Baker let the numbers do the talking. Not only must all applicants to Pace qualify academically before being considered for sports, but Pace’s student-athletes are helping to raise the school’s college admissions profile. “Our student-athletes are prepared,” Baker said, citing Emory University, Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University among the college choices of some of Pace’s recent grads who played sports here. Pace parent and member of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) Advisory Board WENKE LEE introduced this year’s Isdell Global Leaders during a dinner presentation. The four student leaders, seniors ROSS CEFALU and MAX IRVINE, junior MELANIE CRAWFORD and sophomore JENNY LUETTERS, showed awe-inspiring photos from their recent journey to Antarctica and shared their findings about climate, the ICGL annual theme.
An Alumni Wish List On day two, alumni participated in a whirlwind, science-fair-style session, getting up-close and personal with program heads who represent key areas of Pace life. Those five areas included STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), the ICGL, College Counseling, the Visual and Performing Arts and the Academic Resource Center (ARC).
In small groups, Pace faculty shared specific ways that alumni could help support their programs. Opportunities for alumni involvement include: • STEAM—facilitate internships for students and young alumni • ICGL—mentor Social Entrepreneurship Challenge teams; speak on ICGL themes; support the Women Mentoring Women program • College Counseling—speak at lunch-nlearns; build a pipeline for networking • Arts—open doors to the film/production industry; share experiences as working artists • ARC—volunteer to tutor students; provide real-world applications; share personal learning experiences Thanks to the talents of a live artist from The Sketch Effect, an Atlanta-based visual communication company, a series of graphic recordings (pictured) captured highlights from the dynamic discussions and idea sharing that happened over the two days. Saving the best for last, alumni enjoyed lively discussion with a panel of Pace students to close out their visit. Juniors JEB CARTER and BEN THOMPSON joined seniors MOLLY JACOBY and PRASHANTH KUMAR to describe a typical day at Pace, praise their teachers, share their favorite Pace memories and lament their occasional sacrifice of sleep. When asked what they loved most about Pace, they responded: “Pace teachers—definitely. They’re almost exclusively kind and considerate, even the ones I haven’t had personally,” said Carter. Kumar cited the small class sizes. “You can still learn something new about [a classmate] every day, but you know everyone,” he said. Students also considered how Pace alumni might be a helpful resource now and during the college transition.
• Mark Johnson ’94, Chair • Russ Allen ’93 • Ashley Bynoe ’03 • Blake Dexter ’90 • Claire Dillon ’11
• Brooks Ficke ’03 • Meredith Winitt Forrester ’95 • Will Frampton ’99 • Michael Hopkins ’11
“I would always prefer to stay with a Pace alumnus during a college visit. It would be great to have a list of recent alumni who attended each college,” Kumar said.
Passing the Torch As Pace nears its 60th birthday, the time is ripe for alumni to engage with the school in ways they find meaningful and take a leadership role in shaping Pace for the next generation. “Pace alumni are talented, passionate and ready to do the work,” said Assaf. “As an institution, Pace is looking now to its alumni leaders to envision the next chapter here—to decide where they can lend support, share their networks and find new value in their alma mater. The annual Leadership Pace experience is a rewarding way for alumni to explore those questions.” In its second year, participating alumni continued to define and improve upon Leadership Pace's structure and outcomes. “So, think of this year as the second dress rehearsal. We may have all of the kinks worked out and establish a repeatable stage performance a few years down the road, but progress on that path is only possible with your engagement and candid feedback,” said Johnson. All alumni qualify for and are encouraged to participate in Leadership Pace. The application-based selection process is designed to ensure diversity of class years, genders, professions and perspectives within each annual group. If you are interested in applying to Leadership Pace, please contact the Alumni Office and look for the 2018 application announcement in the fall.
Leadership Pace 2017
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Brian A. Kahn ’78 Jason Lee ’96 Patrick Mayer ’96 Lindsay Thurman Mullin ’94 • Julie Newman ’96
• Craig Owens ’72 • Tinsley Carter Smith ’87 • Ben Thorpe ’00
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CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED If you have received multiple copies of this publication, please contact the Advancement Office at 404-240-9103 or advancement@paceacademy.org to update your address.
WE NEED YOU! Which area is most meaningful to you? Pace Academy reflects a vibrant community, composed of many parts—we treasure the diverse passions represented within our school family. To ensure that your Pace Fund gift aligns with your Pace priority, you may now elect to support one of seven areas of need. In other words, uCHOOSE. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/thepacefund.