W E L C O M E
T O
PAC E AC AD EMY
S TA R T
S M A L L .
T HINK BIG.
1931
1958
1959
1961
Construction of Pace Academy’s iconic “Castle,” originally the private home of the Ogden family, is completed using stone quarried on the property.
Pace’s founders imagine an educational environment open to fresh ideas and debate. They acquire the Ogden family estate and open Pace Academy for the purpose of “training and educating children and operating a school and kindergarten.” Pace’s initial enrollment is 178.
Frank D. Kaley becomes Pace’s first headmaster and serves from 1959 to 1972. Kaley creates the school’s coat of arms and motto, “To have the courage to strive for excellence.”
Bridges Hall opens its doors. The building includes classrooms, a cafeteria and a library. New fields support the school’s burgeoning athletics program.
Our Past Every family has a story. For the Pace family—our students, teachers, staff, parents, alumni and friends—the story begins more than 60 years ago when an interfaith group of community leaders envisioned a stimulating learning environment based on Judeo-Christian values. They imagined an intimate academic community that prepared students to THINK BIG about themselves, about others and about the world around them.
1964
1971
1972
1976
Pace graduates its first senior class of 13 students and adds Boyd Gymnasium to its growing campus.
A natatorium is erected behind Boyd Gymnasium. One hundred new students join the student body, and Pace launches its successful debate and service learning programs.
George Kirkpatrick becomes the school’s second headmaster.
Pace purchases the Randall family property adjacent to the school. First used to house fine arts programs, the Randall House later becomes the Lower School.
Under the leadership of the school’s dynamic first headmaster, Frank D. Kaley, and his successors, Pace grew into an institution focused on academic excellence and the development of the whole child—a community in which each student is known, loved and encouraged to live out Pace’s motto: “To have the courage to strive for excellence.” It is not insignificant that our first classroom building was once a home, for it remains so today. Our footprint has expanded and our family has grown, but Pace’s core values and commitment to excellence endure.
1990
2000
The state-of-the-art Pace dedicates Fine Arts Center the multi-purpose opens. The Atlanta Inman Student 1996 Chapter of the Activities Center, American Institute which includes Michael Murphy, of Architects names previously Head of athletic facilities, the building one Lower School, takes a new cafeteria, of 10 outstanding faculty offices over as interim architectural and additional headmaster and is additions to the city. parking. officially named headmaster in February of 1997.
4
2004 The 57,000-squarefoot Middle School opens and includes 25 classrooms and labs, a 200-seat natatorium, faculty offices, an assembly hall and art, music and computer facilities. For the first time, Pace is segmented into three divisions: the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.
2005 Pace welcomes current Head of School Fred Assaf.
2005
2009
2014
2017
The Board of Trustees embarks on an ambitious long-range and master campus plan that outlines its commitment to remaining a small, family school and educating the whole child. The school acquires property for two satellite athletic facilities: an 8-acre baseball/softball complex and a 23acre tract that accommodates football, baseball and practice fields. The Lower School facility expands.
Pace launches a global education program to offer curriculumbased travel opportunities.
The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School opens. The 75,000-squarefoot facility includes the Woodruff Library, a Student Commons, stateof-the-art classrooms and labs, an Academic Resource Center and a College Counseling suite. The global education program grows to become the Isdell Center for Global Leadership.
Following the sale of its satellite softball facility, Pace constructs a new home field within its Riverview Sports Complex.
“We, the students, realize we are not just names in a file, but, as individuals, are considered of utmost importance to Pace. We will proudly wear the name of the first graduating class of Pace Academy.� LYNN BALLOU Class of 1964
Our Motto To have the courage to strive for excellence.
Our Core Values We create success through partnership with parents, students and faculty. We are dedicated to developing the whole child. We have respect for others and their unique ideas and beliefs. We have pride in our accomplishments and our heritage.
Our Present We’d like to think that Pace today is exactly what our founders had in mind. We are a community of engaged, energized individuals committed to fulfilling our mission to create prepared, confident citizens of the world.
We accomplish that mission first and foremost by emphasizing close studentteacher relationships; our students question, explore and succeed because they know they have the support to THINK BIG.
And while we touch hearts, we teach minds. Our rigorous academic curriculum and college-placement success rank Pace among the nation’s finest independent schools. Innovative programs like Design Thinking, Social Entrepreneurship, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership and Community Engagement encourage students to think critically, solve problems, embrace failure, strive for excellence and ultimately discover their passions.
We focus on further developing each child’s interests and strengths through our outstanding athletics and arts programs, and we encourage students to participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities. You’ll find one of our track stars playing trumpet for the fall musical and a state-champion debater broadcasting live from a Friday-night football game.
We know that excellence in academics, arts and athletics is vital to a well-rounded education, but we also understand that an education today is more complicated than the three As; it’s about providing global perspectives in the classroom and an integrated experience before and after the bell rings. Educating the whole child starts on our beautiful campus, where state-of-the-art spaces such as the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School and the Garcia Family Middle School fit seamlessly into our residential aesthetic. The warmth you feel as you observe an Upper School assembly in our 600-seat auditorium or dine with Pre-First students in the Lower School cafeteria radiates across our 34 acres, facilitating lasting connections.
While we’ve matured in size and stature over the past 60 years, those connections between our exceptional, nurturing faculty and our students remain fixed. We seek out and cultivate diverse teaching talent, and we provide opportunities for personal and professional growth that ultimately enrich the student experience. Pace teachers are expert educators, passionate about their craft and invested in their students’ success—in the classroom, but more importantly, in life. As a result, building character is at the heart of everything we do. Pace students develop a deep understanding of the world and the people around them. Our graduates want to be successful, and they realize that true success means making a positive difference. They THINK BIG.
Our Mission To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy.
Because of our founders’ ability to THINK BIG, we now create prepared, confident citizens of the world who do the same.
Our Future Pace has been a vibrant part of the Atlanta community for 60 years and continues to make an impact on our city and world today. But we’re nowhere near finished. Our 2016-2021 Strategic Plan holds fast to our founding principles, while celebrating growth and envisioning an ever-greater place for children to live and learn. We’ve structured our strategic endeavors around five focus areas and, within those areas, prioritized specific initiatives: • ACADEMIC AND INSTITUTIONAL EXCELLENCE Faculty development, STEAM education, the Academic Resource Center, college counseling and placement, arts, technology, facilities and physical education • ENROLLMENT Enrollment management, legacy families, diversity and inclusion, financial aid and affordability • GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP The Isdell Center for Global Leadership, community engagement and external partnerships • STUDENT LIFE AND SCHOOL CULTURE Health and wellness, character development, extracurricular programs, athletics and debate • COMMUNITY AND COMMUNICATIONS Parents and parent organizations, alumni, Board of Trustees, advancement and communications, our neighborhood and community Our task going forward is to expand our efforts to ensure that Pace students become ethical, empathetic, innovative, culturally competent and adaptable citizens of the world.
“Pace gave me the incredible opportunity to go to Greece and study ancient history in person. I also traveled to Thailand to build a Habitat for Humanity house. These ICGL trips allowed me to completely immerse myself in very different cultures. Sometimes that meant stepping outside my comfort zone, but I believe that the most growth happens when we grapple with things that are unfamiliar.� LILY RECKFORD Class of 2019
We champion these values through our Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), which frames all educational experiences within an overarching global lens. By exploring an annual theme, the collaborative, cross-divisional program supports a well-rounded global education for every graduate. Baja California Sur, Mexico
Baja California Sur, Mexico
We champion these values through our Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), which frames all educational experiences within an overarching global lens. By exploring an annual theme, the collaborative, crossdivisional program supports a well-rounded global education Iceland for every graduate.
Germany
Botswana
Costa Rica
Our strategic vision ensures that Pace’s culture of inclusion and respect remains intact for future generations, and that our alumni continue to strive for excellence in the ever-changing world they encounter. We THINK BIG.
Our Pace Pace is an institution rooted in history and tradition, yet we embrace new ideas and innovation while adapting to our ever-changing world. We start small and THINK BIG. We are Pace.
“As a parent of two Pace students and three alumni, a classroom teacher and a member of our administrative team, I can think of no better place for a child to live, learn and be loved than our school. Pace has been the best decision of my life.� FRED ASSAF Head of School
“My teachers at Pace taught me one of the most important life lessons—to learn for the sake of learning, not for the grade on the paper.” PRASHANTH KUMAR Class of 2017
“Our family believes Pace’s continued success will be measured by the contributions of its graduates to enhancing the quality of life for Atlantans, Georgians, Americans and our fellow citizens of the world.” DR. STEPHEN DAWKINS Former Pace Parent and Life Trustee
Learn more about life at Pace, our curriculum and the application process on our website, www.paceacademy.org.
966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org