KnightTimes Spring 2018

WINTER ATHLETIC V I C T O R Y

ARTISTIC

M I L E S T O N E S

T R I P S

The Castle Circle Preserving the Legacy of Pace for Future Generations

A F R E S H LO O K AT

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Pace students, parents and faculty gathered at the Atlanta Community Food Bank Product Rescue Center on April 14. Read about our Community Engagement program on page 38.

FROM THE EDITOR

Caitlin Jones (left) and Director of Lower School Global Leadership REBECCA RHODES talk to students at the ICGL Study Tour Fair last semester. Read about Rhodes’ spring break study tour to Thailand on page 31.

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I often find that writing and editing this magazine are easiest when I’m at home— particularly in the spring, when my laptop and I can camp out on the front porch on a sunny Saturday and knock out article after article sans interruptions.

For this issue, however, I think I’ve taken the home-office thing a bit too far. As I write this letter, I’m approaching day 40 of bed rest, nervously awaiting the arrival of two tiny future Knights. And while my forced solitude and immobility have no doubt been challenging, they have reminded me of the strength of the Pace Academy community.

Not a day has gone by without texts, emails and calls from colleagues and Pace parents “just checking in.” Fellow mothers of twins in our school community have reached out with words of wisdom and encouragement; gifts and meals have showed up at my doorstep; and my wonderful team has ensured that everything has kept humming in my absence.

I’m grateful to MELANIE POPE, DANA RAWLS, HAYLEY SHOJI, RYAN VIHLEN and our guest writers for jumping in to ensure the seamless production of this and the forthcoming issue of the KnightTimes. And I’m looking forward to introducing my children to the incomparable Pace family.

Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

PACE CARES When our families and staff are in need, Pace Cares.

Contact us to deliver a meal: pacecares@paceacademy.org

TH E M A G A ZIN E OF PA C E A C A D EM Y

GUEST WRITERS BOBBI BOYER After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, BOBBI BOYER worked in sales and marketing in the commercial window business. She decided to follow her love of sports by becoming involved in coaching and pursuing a master’s degree in sports management through Liberty University. Boyer is a community coach at Pace Academy and is interning with Pace Athletics to complete her degree.

LARA GOODRICH EZOR ’06 LARA GOODRICH EZOR graduated from Whitman College in 2010 and received her master’s in food policy and applied nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in 2015. She writes, hikes and teaches yoga and dance in Durham, N.C., where she lives with her husband, ZACK EZOR ’06, and dog, Ruby.

HANNAH KELLY ’15 HANNAH KELLY is a rising senior at Duke University studying English and computer science. While at Pace Academy, 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.

SLOAN WYATT ’18 Graduating senior SLOAN WYATT has participated in seven seasons of varsity sports, including softball, track and field, and lacrosse. She is the news editor of The Knightly News, a member of the National Honor Society and a Pace admissions ambassador. In her free time, Wyatt enjoys hiking, writing, reading and volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association. She hopes to pursue a degree in journalism and will attend the University of Texas at Austin in the fall.

CONTENTS 06 NEWS 12

AROUND PACE A look at what's happening on campus 16 LIFE TRUSTEE PROFILE BARBARA LAGER

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ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS 20 MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL 23 UPPER SCHOOL WINTER SHOWCASE

24 WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Swimming & diving, basketball, wrestling and basketball cheerleading 28 ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership 28 SPRING BREAK TRIPS

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36 GLOBAL LEADERS Inspiring individuals within the Pace community 36 FACULTY PROFILE JONATHAN FERRELL 37 LLS STUDENTS OF THE YEAR KHAKI LOUGHRAN and JORDAN SHOULBERG 38 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Making engagement a student priority 45 THE CASTLE CIRCLE The importance of planned giving 48 ALUMNI UPDATES 54 ALUMNI PROFILE MARC WILSON ' 92 56 SERVICE ABOVE SELF KATHI FRANKEL ’79 and JULIE APPEL ’81

KnightTimes 966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org

HEAD OF SCHOOL FRED ASSAF

DIVISION HEADS MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School GRAHAM ANTHONY Head of Middle School SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, Editor OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN Digital Content Producer RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS FRED ASSAF GEMSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com LAURA INMAN SMAX PHOTOGRAPHY www.smaxart.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DANA RAWLS HAYLEY SHOJI ’12

OUR MISSION To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy.

To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Jones at caitlin.jones@paceacademy.org.

Dear Pace Family,

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL THIS PAGE The department of history faculty during the 1972–1973 school year: Helen Smith, Susan Thomas, Elizabeth Lynn and Neely Young

Forty-five years ago, what is now Pace Academy’s community engagement program was born in DR. NEELY YOUNG’S senior humanities class. It began as an after-school tutoring initiative and quickly grew to encompass a wide range of activities that touched lives across Atlanta—none more than those of the Pace students and faculty involved.

In this issue of the KnightTimes, we explore the evolution of this student-led program— from “service learning” to “community engagement”—and the ways in which it connects today’s students to the world around them, complementing our curriculum and helping us shape prepared, confident citizens of the world (page 38).

We also examine how members of The Castle Circle are ensuring the future growth and success of Pace (page 45) through planned giving, and salute longtime faculty member HELEN SMITH, one of our first Castle Circle members. We are excited to launch an initiative to bring Castle Circle membership to 60, in conjunction with Pace's 60th year, this coming school year. This will be a crowning achievement for Pace as we reflect on our first 60 years while looking forward to all our future holds.

Of course, no issue of this magazine would be complete without a review of student and faculty accomplishments, recent on-campus activities, Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tours and alumni updates.

Thank you for all that you do to give back to Pace—I am forever grateful for your partnership!

Sincerely,

ON THE COVER On April 14, ANSLI HENNINGS '24 and CHARLOTTE VADNAIS '23 volunteered alongside fellow Middle School students at the Blue Heron Nature Preserve. Read all about Pace's commitment to community engagement on page 38.

FRED ASSAF HEAD OF SCHOOL

Photograph by LAURA INMAN

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ANNO UNCING O UR

LEW I S

F U L L ER

CART ER

NEWS What you ne ed to know

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS

Seniors JEB CARTER, JACKSON FULLER and HARRISON LEWIS have been recognized as 2018 National Merit Finalists and have advanced to the final round of the National Merit Scholarship Program’s annual competition.

National Merit Scholars are selected from the group of Finalists based on their performance on the PSAT and their “abilities, skills and accomplishments.” They each receive a $2,500 merit scholarship.

Scholars will be announced later this spring.

ROBE RT KAUFMAN POE T B magazine, the luxury lifestyle magazine of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty in Texas, published Upper School English teacher ROBERT KAUFMAN’S poem Ode on a High-rise in its fall/winter 2017 issue.

“The poem was inspired by my new apartment and John Keats’ odes,” Kaufman says. Its publication follows the debut of 29, a book of 29 poems written in Kaufman’s 29th year, with each poem representing a letter of the alphabet.

The book, written while Kaufman pursued a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Dartmouth College, won the Thesis Excellence Award.

Kaufman incorporates the study of poetry into his classes through Poetry Fridays, which encourage students to explore the art in its many forms.

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NEWS

ROBOKNIGHTS BRING HOME SUPER REGIONAL HONORS In January, two sixth-grade robotics teams participated in the Super Regional round of First LEGO League (FLL) competition. Both teams presented their projects to a panel of judges, solved team challenges, discussed their robot designs and completed three rounds of robot missions.

At the end of the day, one Pace Academy team claimed the award for Core Values, while the other won the Project award for its Scanner Bot 2024, which monitors rainwater collection. Both teams earned season-high scores in the robot mission portion of the competition; one placed fourth for overall points, while the other was seventh.

MEET OUR 20 18

STAR STUDENT

SMITH

LEWIS

Each year, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education partner to present the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program.

The program requires that nominees achieve the top SAT score on a single test date and be in the top 10 percent of their class. STAR Students then choose a STAR Teacher who has inspired them to strive for excellence.

Senior HARRISON LEWIS was named Pace Academy’s 2018 STAR Student. Lewis then selected Upper School math teacher JASON SMITH as his STAR Teacher. With a wide variety of interests and activities, Lewis exemplifies the well-rounded Pace student. He won back-to-back state championships with the varsity basketball team; serves as a peer leader to ninth-grade students and a Pace Admissions Ambassador; and is a member of the math team, National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society.

An Orkin Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction, Lewis volunteers with the Northside Youth Organization and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

He also founded Pace Academy Entrepreneur Mentor Day, an event that facilitates shadow days at local startups for Upper School students.

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NEWS

IN FEBRUARY, six Upper School students competed in the Georgia Thespian Conference, an event that brought together more than 5,000 drama students from across the state for workshops and showcases, as well as acting and technical competitions.

The Pace Academy delegation, competing for the first time, came away with outstanding results. Sophomore LAUREN O’SULLIVAN earned an Overall Superior rating in the costume design category, while ratings of Overall Excellent went to juniors ANIA BRISCOE and RAINA WILLIAMS for acting; juniors ABBY RAY, EMILY SCHMITT and Williams for musical theatre; and sophomore JULIA KELLY for costume construction.

theatre success AT THES CON

BROWN

MOSELEY

S I LV E R B O A R D

FREUDENSTEIN

GRICE

KALLINGAL

ROSS

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WRIGHT

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KnightTimes | Spring 2018

TEN MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL students have been recognized at the state level for excellence in musicianship.

Eighth-graders CAROLINE BROWN, RAINA MOSELEY and ALLISON SILVERBOARD and seventh-graders CARTER FREUDENSTEIN, DAVID GRICE, AMARTYA KALLINGAL and OWEN ROSS were accepted into the University of Georgia Band Festival in Athens, Ga. Kallingal also received Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) All-State Orchestra recognition.

In addition, eighth-grader MAGGIE LYON was named to the GMEA Middle School All-State Chorus, while senior IBUM OBU and sophomore GABE WRIGHT represented Pace Academy in the GMEA All-State Chorus at the high school level.

Selection to these elite ensembles requires passing a rigorous audition process and participating in performances.

NEWS

For the third consecutive year, Pace Academy has been 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 human resources consulting firm Energage 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 2018 Top Workplaces Award and was ranked 32nd on the list of Top 50 Midsize Workplaces.

PACE ONCE AGAIN MAKES THE AJC’S LIST OF BEST PLACES TO WORK.

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UPPER SCHOOLERS WIN Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

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Gold KEY MOLLY RICHARDSON, photography ❷

Silver KEY GRACE DWYER, writing portfolio SOPHIE LETTES, photography ZOE MALLOY, painting JUSTIN MORRIS, poetry LUKE MOUSSA, poetry

ABBY RAY, photography (3) MOLLY RICHARDSON, photography (2) ALEX TOLLIDAY, photography portfolio, photography LILY WAGONER, photography

Honorable MENTION CATHERINE BRENNAN, comic art GRACE DWYER, poetry (4) CARTER FERGUSON, photography JULIA GRAY, poetry ELIZABETH MARR, poetry CHRIS MCCAFFREY, poetry

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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.

This year, Pace Upper School students received 31 Scholastic Awards in categories from painting and photography to poetry and ceramic sculpture. Junior ABBY RAY and senior MOLLY RICHARDSON received Gold Keys for their photography. Gold Keys represent “the very best work submitted to local programs” and are automatically submitted for national-level recognition. Students honored with 2018 Scholastic Awards are:

ABBY RAY, photography ❶

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JUSTIN MORRIS, ceramic sculpture LUKE MOUSSA, poetry REILLY MURTAUGH, poetry portfolio MOLLY RICHARDSON, photography portfolio, photography (2) DREW SCHIFFER, sculpture

VISUAL ARTISTS SELECTED TO CERAMIC ART AWARDS Congratulations to seniors BEN BERNSTEIN [2], ISAIAH KELLY [6], ZOE MALLOY [3] and JUSTIN MORRIS [1]; juniors LAWSON STRICKER [8], DREW SCHIFFER [5] and BILLY SNYDER [4]; and sophomore RYAN KANN [7], whose work was selected for the Georgia High School Ceramic Arts Awards & Symposium, which took place on March 24 at Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga.

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NEWS

IN JANUARY, 12 Upper School students participated in the Atlanta High School Model Arab League at Marist School. Sponsored by Upper School faculty members HELEN SMITH, DON DUPREE and KAYLAN HAIZLIP, Pace Academy’s policy simulation program is now in its 30th year of building research and public-speaking skills, and encouraging the academic component of global citizenship.

At the model, the Pace delegation representing Qatar received Honorable Mention recognition, and five students were honored for individual performances. Seniors JEB CARTER and CHRIS MCCAFFREY were named Outstanding Delegates from Qatar; senior JAMAREE SALYER, a member of the Joint Defense Committee, received Honorable Mention; and sophomores INDIA BEHL and NEIL SASHTI were named Outstanding Delegates from Mauritania.

Other participants included seniors GRAEME DAVIDSON, MOLLY RICHARDSON and SLOAN WYATT; junior MERRITT ANN GLASS; and sophomores AIDAN GANNON, JACKSON HAMEL and ANDREW MILLER.

3 DECADES OF

POLICY SIMULATION

Greene during a match-up against Westminster on Aug. 31, 2017

GRE E N E S ELE CTE D TO PR E P VOLLE YBALL

FROSH 59

Following the Knights’ first-ever state championship, freshman volleyball player KALISSA GREENE was named to Prep Volleyball’s Frosh 59 List, making her one of the top 59 freshmen players in the country. An All-State honoree, Greene earned 850 assists and 93 aces, both team highs, and added 159 digs and 83 kills over 102 sets.

“Kalissa is a fierce competitor and a selfless team player,” says Coach ANNA BUSH. “Her instincts and feel for the game are incredible for a girl her age. I’ve never coached anyone as mature and calm under pressure.”

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AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace

COLLEGE, HERE THEY COME!

they enter the college process,” says Director of College Counseling JONATHAN FERRELL. To that end, in January, 10 students traveled with Ferrell and Upper School teacher CAITLIN TERRY to California, where they visited The Claremont Colleges, Whittier College, California Institute of Technology, Occidental College, the University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Then, in February, Ferrell took 38 sophomores and juniors to the Carolinas to visit Clemson University, Furman University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Elon University, Wake Forest University, High Point University and Davidson College. Upper School faculty and staff members ERICA BARBAKOW, GRADY STEVENS, BEN WESCOTT, GUS WHYTE and SHAKILA WILLIAMS served as chaperones.

“As a result of the trip, I learned more about admissions and how colleges choose applicants,” reports sophomore MATTHEW QUINTANA. “I also learned that academics play a big role in the application process, but they are not the only thing that colleges consider; they want us to be well-rounded. And I didn’t realize that the size of a college would be so important to me. I thought that I wouldn’t care, but I found that size will play a role in my decision.” l

SOPHOMORE/JUNIOR COLLEGE TRIPS TAKE STUDENTS TO THE GOLDEN STATE AND THE CAROLINAS. The college-search process can be daunting for students and their families. In pursuit of the perfect fit, students must determine if a large public university or small college suits their personalities; if they want to stay close to home or explore a different part of the country; or if the draw of a specific academic program outweighs an education centered on liberal arts.

Pace Academy’s Office of College Counseling aims to minimize the stress of the search by ensuring that students enter the process armed with knowledge about their many options, as well as an understanding of themselves.

In addition to on-campus programming for parents and students, College Counseling offers annual college tours to interested sophomores and juniors. “Even if it’s simply walking through a college campus, seeing campuses early in the search process can help students have a better idea of their likes and dislikes once

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AROUND PACE

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRANDPARENTS & SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY IN FEBRUARY, the Garcia Family Middle School opened its doors to more than 300 VIP guests for Grandparents & Special Friends Day. The event, which takes place in the Middle School every three years, included a special assembly featuring performances by band, chorus and strings students, as well as scenes from the Middle School’s production of The Lion King Jr. Following the assembly, guests enjoyed visiting classrooms and meeting the Middle School faculty and staff.

MLK S

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ON JANUARY 14, in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service, Pace Academy students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni joined together on campus for “Sunday Supper,” a collaboration with Hands on Atlanta. Nearly 80 attendees engaged in conversation about King’s Poor People’s Campaign, which focused on economic equality, particularly through jobs and housing.

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AROUND PACE

CELEBRATING

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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February marked the 48th Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month, an annual celebration to honor the achievements and contributions of black Americans in U.S. history. To educate the Pace Academy community and facilitate meaningful conversations during this monthlong celebration, Director of Diversity and Inclusion JOANNE BROWN, in partnership with faculty in each division, planned age-appropriate activities for students.

Throughout the month, displays in the Woodruff Library highlighted African-American heroes and works by black authors, while in the Lower School, classes participated in a monthlong trivia contest with questions relating to AfricanAmerican history and about black leaders in areas such as business, education and sports. “Students were not allowed to look up answers on the Internet,” Brown says. “Instead, the goal was to inspire discussion about these individuals and events.”

In addition, the Lower School enjoyed a special luncheon of comfort foods and desserts from a local restaurant, and the fifth grade’s yearlong study of human rights continued with a visit to The Carter Center, where students participated in a live performance of Marshalling Justice: The Story of Thurgood Marshall. Lower, Middle and Upper School students also enjoyed performances and workshops by Djoli Kelen, a West African dance troupe.

In the Middle School, Assistant Head of Middle School for Student Life MARK SOMMERVILLE shared “Inspirational Moments” related to black history in morning assemblies.

Additionally, STEAM & Design students worked on projects related to the National Civil Rights Museum’s MLK50 Pledge, a commitment to a year of peace and action.

Upper School morning assemblies also included reflections from faculty and staff of color. The month concluded with a presentation by the National Center For Civil and Human Rights’ education coordinator, Ted Ward, regarding the Atlanta Student Movement, an effort by students of the campuses of the Atlanta University Center, a consortium of historically black colleges and universities, to end racial segregation and advance human rights. Breakout discussions followed Ward’s presentation.

“Black History Month provided me the opportunity not only to share my own personal story with our students, but also to create opportunities to help our community better understand the profound impact that African-American men and women have had in history,” Brown says. l

AROUND PACE

S PI R IT

WEEK

2018

a Walk Through Wonderland

Students returned to school following winter break ready to show their Pace Academy pride during Spirit Week, the Upper School’s annual competition between classes. Campus decorating sessions, late-night rehearsals and perseverance from abundantly talented artists culminated in the week’s rousing grand finale—a series of skits and choreographed dances with themes including Grease, Phineas and Ferb, Monopoly and the competition winner, Alice in Wonderland, performed by the Class of 2018. The eighth grade offered a preview of talent to come, parading a banner featuring the Peanuts characters.

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AROUND PACE

“I found so many friends at Pace among the other parents, faculty members and students. I continue many of these friendships today and still feel a strong bond to the Pace family.�

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KnightTimes | Spring 2018

AROUND PACE

P

ace Academy Life Trustee BARBARA LAGER has celebrated some unexpected blessings in her life. Perhaps the most life changing was in 1989, when she and her husband, JIM LAGER, learned they were expecting a baby—a joyful surprise since they hadn’t believed children were in their future.

That happy news was the very beginning of the story of Lager’s journey as a member of the Pace Academy community—first as a mom searching for the right school; next as a Pace “mom volunteer” extraordinaire; and eventually as a Pace Board member and Life Trustee.

Barbara discovered Pace in 1995 when their older daughter, PAIGE LAGER ’09, was soon to turn five. By then, their second daughter, ASHTON LAGER ’10, two years younger than Paige, had arrived. The Lager’s neighborhood school, which enrolled mostly children from non-English-speaking families, didn’t feel like a fit for the girls or for Lager, who had stopped working and was eager to make new friendships and engage in the school community. “I’m a people person; being involved fits my personality,” she says.

Much about Pace captured the Lagers’ interest, including hands-on attention from the caring admissions team—even though Pace could not accommodate Paige that first year. “Pace stood out to us compared to other schools we had considered for Paige because it encouraged parent involvement. We also liked the family-centered, open-door, small-school feel.”

Paige Lager began in Pre-First at Pace the following year, and Lager began to volunteer. She says, “I started as a grade representative in Pre-First, then volunteered in the Lower School office and Lower School campus store. From there, I went on to chair Auction acquisitions and the Fall Fair, then I served as president of the Parents Club, and next as Auction co-chair.” She also assisted Pace’s advancement efforts, volunteering for parent outreach with The Pace Fund when the girls were in school, and later chairing Pace Fund outreach to parents of alumni.

When the Board asked her to become a of Citizens & Southern National Bank (C&S), trustee, it was an unexpected invitation. “I later NationsBank and now Bank of America. was surprised,” she says. “I’d never wanted Lager adds, “Eighteen years of banking is to be on the Board; I'd always enjoyed being a lot easier than 18 years of being a parent. active as a mom volunteer,” she explains.

When your children are born, you don’t “Then I realized what an honor it would be to know how they will turn out. With a loan, serve in that way. I believed all of my other you can tell in three to six months if the volunteer activities would bring knowledge business will pay you back.” and experience to a board position.”

Today Paige Lager is a law firm associate Lager stepped into the role with practicing in Dallas, after receiving degrees characteristic enthusiasm, contributing from the University of Texas School of Law time, energy and ideas for six years, from and the University of North Carolina at 2006–2012. She continChapel Hill. Ashton Lager, a University of ued to serve the Board Georgia alumna, has recently come to work after her daughters had in the family business. “Ashton is my boss,” graduated. She says, Lager says. “Now she tells me what to do.”

“That allowed me to work She notes that Ashton’s contributions to with faculty and staff the business include developing a presence outside the lens of having online, which allows retail stores to access children at the school.” products in between trade shows—which During her tenure, she has helped improve sales volume. served on the Nominating Proud of her grown daughters, Lager Committee, the Strategic credits Pace for helping raise them. “It was Planning Committee and so comforting to drop our daughters off at the Executive Committee. She received the the Lower School and see [retired] headmishonor of Life Trustee in 2012. tress ANNA VALERIUS standing at the front Lager is now directing her energies to door to welcome them with a handshake helping her husband run the family business, each morning. The [retired] head of the Diamond Traders International. Reflecting Middle School, JOHN ANDERSON, was on their respective career paths, she says, “I always there with sound advice during those began as a teller at C&S Bank, now Bank of middle school years. I also experienced a America, and worked there for 18 years. Jim smooth leadership transition in the Upper was a bank customer—we met when I was School when LOLLY HAND retired and assistant manager. He’d moved to Atlanta MIKE GANNON became the new head.” from Wisconsin for a job with Oscar Mayer, “Upper School history teacher TIM selling hot dogs to grocers, then left that HORNOR, Upper School English teacher job to join the military. When he came home, MARSHA DURLIN, Head of School FRED he decided he didn’t want a corporate job.”

ASSAF—and so many others—were there She explains, “Jim was a stamp collector to encourage our daughters to strive for since childhood, and he took advantage of excellence. There are too many to count,” an unexpected opportunity to buy a local she adds. “I found so many friends at Pace stamp business he’d frequented.” He then among the other parents, faculty members partnered with a coin collector, Bill Scott, and students. I continue many of these and the two sold rare stamps and coins— friendships today and still feel a strong bond and eventually jewelry. Now more than four to the Pace family.” decades later, the business is among the She believes Pace still “maintains the three largest in the country specializing in character of a family-centered school and the niche market of “closeout” jewelry— remains small enough for students to experi“we’re the Tuesday Morning of jewelry to ment with all facets of education.” She adds, the wholesale trade,” Lager says.

“Pace gave me opportunities to be a part of While her husband was growing the their lives at school—while Pace was ‘raising’ jewelry business, Lager was pursuing her them each school day, I got to be involved.” career, eventually becoming senior credit l officer for 50 of the 100 Georgia branches

life trustee profile

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All About PACE ARTS

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OUR LITTLEST MAESTROS

A THEATRICAL JOURNEY TO NARNIA

Lower School strings students experienced the joy of performing— many for the first time—at their spring concert. Directed by Visual & Performing Arts teacher NIRVANA SCOTT, students treated audience members to favorites like Mary Had a Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and the fifth grade performed Rossini’s William Tell Overture.

The fifth grade staged an impressive production of C.S. Lewis’s beloved tale The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Class of 2025 dedicated its performance to the members of the Class of 2018, who performed the play seven years earlier, when they were fifth-graders.

MUSIC FROM THE SILVER SCREEN

KNIGHT OF JAZZ

Middle and Upper School strings students, under the direction of Visual & Performing Arts teacher TARA HARRIS, presented a TV- and movie-themed concert, featuring highlights from favorites such as Moana, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Jurassic Park and La La Land.

The Upper School concert band, vocal soloists and ensembles took to the Fine Arts Center stage in early March to perform the sixth annual Knight of Jazz. Guest artists from the band Mango conducted workshops with students prior to the production and joined them onstage to perform jazz favorites.

KnightTimes | Spring 2018

ARTS

OPEN STUDIO Students in Middle School studio art classes shared the fruits of their labors with their parents, teachers and friends during a reception on April 19 celebrating the opening of their spring exhibit.

FROM CLASS PLAYS and jazz classics to extraordinary exhibits, Pace studentartists showcased their tremendous talents throughout the semester.

LIFE IS A CABARET

THE FINEST FACULTY

The Middle School’s annual talent show, Cabaret, included vocal performances, dance numbers and student bands. Eighth-grade emcees NILE BENNETT, BERKELEY HAMEL, SHALIZAH THOBANI and LEWIS TODD kept the audience laughing and engaged as 34 performers showcased their talents.

Our talented visual arts teachers joined forces once again to present the annual Art Faculty Exhibit. The collection of works by DONICE BLOODWORTH, KATY COWLES, FRANCE DORMAN, SUSAN EDWARDS, LAURA INMAN, MARK KNOTT, ANNA MURPHY and SCOTT SARGENT ran throughout February in the Fine Arts Center.

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ARTS

THE

LION JR. KING

ROARS ONSTAGE

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IN FEBRUARY, the Middle School drama department, under the direction of PATRICK CAMPBELL, staged its most ambitious production to date: The Lion King Jr. For three sold-out performances, student-artists and a talented technical crew delighted audiences with the classic tale of good versus evil, coming of age and family, set in the African Pride Lands.

Creative costumes by Atlanta designer Emmie Tuttle and puppets by Campbell and veteran Atlanta actor Spencer Stephens complemented Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT’S enchanting sets. Choreography

by Campbell and local dance choreographers Angela Christy and Zac Phelps, and music direction by Shane Simmons, an Atlanta musician who is the brother of Upper School visual and performing arts teacher SUSAN WALLACE, brought to life numbers such as The Circle of Life, Hakuna Matata and I Just Can’t Wait to be King. Other local production technicians included Joel Coady, who served as lighting designer, and Brett Rodgers, who oversaw sound design with his student crew.

“I really pushed the students with more difficult dancing, larger-than-life puppets and intricate costumes,” Campbell says. “And we made sure every aspect of the show aligned with the Middle School drama program's goal to have students do as much of the work as possible. They rose to the challenge and presented an epic production.”

“I really pushed the students with more difficult dancing, larger-than-life puppets and intricate costumes.”

— Patrick Campbell director

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ARTS

N E W Y O R K , N E W Y O R K !

UPPER SCHOOL CHORUS TOUR TAKES STUDENTS TO THE BIG APPLE Fourteen members of the Upper School chorus, along with faculty advisors SUSAN WALLACE and DANNY DOYLE, traveled to New York City during spring break, March 8–11. The group’s activities included a choral performance at Grace Cathedral and participation in master workshops offered by Broadway performers. Also, the students attended two Broadway musicals, Waitress and Once on This Island, as well as the smash hit, The Play That Goes Wrong.

PACE ARTS ALLIANCE ENRICHES STUDENT EXPERIENCES

VISITING ARTISTS INSPIRE EACH YEAR, the Pace Academy Arts Alliance works with faculty members to bring professional musicians, visual artists and performers to campus to share their expertise with students. This semester, the Arts Alliance sponsored four visiting artists.

In January, Jimmy King ❶, trumpeter for singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, conducted a workshop with the seventh- and eighth-grade bands. King worked with students on jazz style, shared his personal experiences in the music industry and discussed some of his favorite performances—including two Super Bowl halftime shows!

Upper School students in DONICE BLOODWORTH’S visual arts classes were in for a treat when portrait artist Janay Everett ❷ conducted a three-day winter workshop. During her visit, Everett demonstrated her distinctive style of oil painting and worked with students to start their own oil pieces.

Actor Spencer Stephens shared his experiences as a resident puppeteer at the Center for Puppetry Arts with members of the Middle School’s Lion King Jr. cast in February. Stephens, an Atlanta theatre veteran, helped student-artists manipulate their complex puppets and costumes to bring to life the animals of the African Pride Lands.

Additionally, just after spring break, nationally and internationally renowned sculptor Beth Cavener ❸ visited the campus for a three-day workshop in the Fine Arts Center. Visual arts students observed Cavener creating an actual sculpture. Students from several other Buckhead schools attended as well.

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ARTS

A STUDENT-CENTERED SHOWCASE F

ans of Pace Academy theatre never know what to expect when it comes to the Upper School’s annual Winter Showcase. The evening of dramatic arts takes audience members on a theatrical journey around campus as performing artists present scenes from various plays.

The student-driven Winter Showcase, introduced in 2016 by Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN, has grown in size and scope. In 2017, 28 students participated, while 45 students—approximately 10 percent of the Upper School—were involved in this year’s production. Performances included scenes from Forbidden Broadway, Controlling Interest and The Role of Della, as well as three original plays, all written and directed by students.

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////// WINTER ////// SPORTS ////// HIGHLIGHTS WINTER SPORTS Highlights

B Y

B O B B I

B O Y E R

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VAR S I T Y B OYS BA S K E T BAL L Coached by: GREY BLYTHE, LENNY JEFFERSON, KABEYA KABONGO, JUSTIN RUFEN-BLANCHETTE and DEMETRIUS SMITH In its eighth season under head coach Demetrius Smith, the varsity boys basketball team started the season working hard to establish itself, while attacking one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Knights overcame tough challenges and adversity to finish the year as the region runner-up, with a playoff run to the Sweet Sixteen. The team ended the season with an 11–4 record in region play and an overall record of 18–12.

Freshman COLE MIDDLETON and senior ISAIAH KELLY were named to the Region 5-AAA All Region team. Kelly put an exclamation mark on his Pace career as he easily exceeded the 1,000-point milestone, finishing with 1,350 points.

The team will miss the leadership of seniors Kelly, ZACK LEVEN, HARRISON LEWIS, MICHAEL SIMON and JACK WRAY.

//

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VAR S I T Y WRESTLING Coached by GRADY STEVENS and GUS WHYTE The varsity wrestling team put together a strong 2017–2018 season. In its second season competing in Class AAA, the Knights were able to build off previous success and produce impressive team and individual performances.

Senior FRANK HOUSER finished his Pace career by surpassing the 100 career wins milestone.

Along with Houser, fellow senior ELI ASHER and junior AHSAN HENNINGS qualified for sectionals with strong performances at the area tournament.

Asher, wrestling at 145 pounds, and Hennings, at 220 pounds, each placed fourth in sectionals to qualify for the state championship tournament where both eventually fell in the quarterfinals.

The team bids farewell to an impressive senior class which includes Asher, JACKSON FULLER, WALKER HARRIS, ALEXANDER HOLMANN, Houser, JUSTIN MORRIS, LUKE MOUSSA, CHIP RATCLIFF, GEORGE SHEPHERD and BEN THOMPSON.

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WINTER SPORTS

VA R S I T Y B OY S SWIMMING & DIVING Coached by JOHN AGUE, JIM EBERT and LYNN WILMOTH The varsity boys had a strong showing throughout the 2017–2018 season with impressive individual and relay performances.

The team continued its record-breaking ways at the GHSA State Championships.

CHARLIE KAYE lowered Pace alumnus CONNOR LAMASTRA’S 100-meter freestyle record, finishing as the state runner-up.

Kaye brought home the state championship by lowering his own 100-meter backstroke record. His state championship performance earned him All-State honors for all classifications. Kaye finished his junior season with a state championship and 11 Pace records.

VA R S I T Y G I R L S B AS K E T BAL L Coached by TROY BAKER, BOBBI BOYER, TY RICHARDSON and STEPHANIE SOSEBEE After graduating a stellar senior class in the 2016–2017 season, the Knights had big shoes to fill. Although this year’s team had zero seniors and their opponents were often towering in height, the team continued to build positive momentum for the program. The juniors, PAIGE FLEMING, MADELINE JANKI, ANN RAFEEDIE, KAYLA ROSS and JOELLE ZELONY, who started their careers with a 6–13 season followed by a 13–12 season, continued the trend of growth and improvement. The Knights finished the season with a region record of 11–3, and 16–9 overall. The Knights also made a second consecutive appearance in the 5-AAA Region Championship, defeating Westminster and Cedar Grove along the way. They brought home the runner-up trophy and secured a spot in the state playoffs.

The future is bright for the Knights, as the entire roster will be returning next season. Juniors Rafeedie, Ross and Zelony were named to the Region 5-AAA All-Region team, as well as the Region 5-AAA All-Tournament team.

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The boys relay teams put in strong performances during the championships. HENRY BERMAN, Kaye, JASON ROSENBLOUM and CARTER FROOMAN placed 10th in the medley relay with their best performance of the season. Kaye, JACKSON HAMEL, Rosenbloum and Frooman all had personal best splits and finished in ninth place in the 200 free relay. In the final relay, Berman, Hamel, Rosenbloum and Frooman finished just outside, making the final. Overall, the Knights finished 11th at the GHSA State Championships.

Additionally, the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Team Scholar Award recognized the Knights as a silver award winner for the team’s average GPA of 3.696.

With no seniors on the roster, team members are excited for next season as they continue to build off this year’s success.

Action photos by River Oak Photography

VA R S I T Y BAS K ETBALL CHE E RLEAD I N G Coached by JOCELYN ROPER The varsity basketball cheerleaders pumped up the Inman Center crowd during the 2017–2018 season through a mixture of cheers, dances and acrobatic routines. The squad helped energize players and Knights fans during the team’s run in both the region tournament and state playoffs.

The team will miss seniors JULIA GRAY, MAGGIE CUSHMAN, NICOLE ORTIZ and ANNA STONE.

VA R S I T Y G I R L S SWIMMING & DIVING Coached by JOHN AGUE, JIM EBERT and LYNN WILMOTH The varsity girls team continued its success in the 2017–2018 season as it finished with three top-10 relay winners, two top 10 individual events and a state champion.

Freshman LIZZY KAYE dominated the whole season and showed great poise at the GHSA State Championships. She put on a stellar performance at the diving championships to bring home the 1A–3A State Diving Championship. Her performance set a new 11-dive school record and earned her All-State honors.

Kaye’s championship dive was good enough to place her third in all classifications and set her up for All-American consideration.

The varsity girls represented well at the GHSA State Championships and finished tied for fourth place overall. Sophomore ERIN HOOD had a strong individual performance, swimming her best times in both events. Hood finished in third place in the 100 breaststroke and placed fifth in the 200 individual medley.

The medley relay team of Hood, seniors SOPHIE FERRY and ELIZABETH MARR, and freshman AMALIE LITTLE finished in third place. Seniors MELANIE CRAWFORD and CATHERINE SWEENEY, Kaye, and Marr finished in seventh place in the 200 free relay, just two seconds off the school record. The final relay of the meet was a seventh-place finish in the 400 free relay, which featured sophomore MEGHAN MCMILLAN, Crawford, Sweeney and Hood, all swimming personal best splits.

The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) recognizes the girls as gold award winners for their combined GPA of 3.766. Crawford, Sweeney and SARAH TREADWAY were named Academic All-Americans through the NISCA. The varsity girls swim team wishes good luck to its graduating seniors: Crawford, Ferry, Marr, Sweeney and Treadway.

Action photos by River Oak Photography KnightTimes | Spring 2018

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ICGL A global education for every Student

READ MORE about our students' adventures on the ICGL Student Travel Blog at: icgl.paceacademy.org/travel

Pace students travel the world on winter and spring break study tours. by HANNAH KELLY ’15

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ICGL

CHINA

MAR. 6–18

On this journey through China, 20 Middle School students traveled to Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and surrounding villages with faculty advisors KATE ECKHARDT, GEORGE SOKOLSKY, JANIE ROWE, KATY COWLES and GRAHAM ANTHONY. The group partnered with The Hutong, a cultural-exchange organization that allowed the students to participate in a series of outdoor activities and initiative exercises, including partner-

SWITZERLAND

ing with local students to play games and cook, which required some creativity in overcoming language differences.

Students explored China’s rich history and culture through visits to markets, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall, and took a food tour, sampling delicacies such as cow’s heart, rabbit’s brain, pig ears and goose intestines. A highlight was volunteering at the Panda Base in Chengdu, where they donned jumpsuits

and cleaned enclosures before feeding the pandas by hand. Eighth-grader GRACE HEINEMAN loved the experience, saying, “I felt special to be able to not only get up close and personal with the pandas, but also to be a part of the conservation efforts to help save them.”

A perfect blend of education, exploration and environmentalism, this trip fully embodied global education.

adventure and novelty to the group’s daily routine of shopping, sampling local food and photographing the beautiful scenery.

To the students’ delight, more than one meal was fondue; adding to that was another trip highlight: traveling by snowplow to spend the night in an igloo.

The eighth graders also had the opportunity to study the country’s cultural diversity and see conservation efforts up close through trips to Zurich’s Umwelt Arena (an interactive environmental

museum), the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch, Lake Brienz and the Swiss Alps.

CATHERINE CRAWFORD, who loved the trip to the Umwelt Arena, says, “We learned how small things can affect the environment in large ways. Our tour guide gave us little tips on how we can help the environment, like using reusable bags, eating less red meat, using tap water and always recycling. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

MAR. 8–14

Due to the popularity of the summer Switzerland trip, faculty advisor TARA HARRIS decided to lead an additional spring break trip, visiting Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Geneva. During the week, the eighth-grade group traveled to the German, French and Italian regions of Switzerland, allowing students to focus on the culinary and cultural influences of the three countries. Activities like snow tubing, cheese-making, ice skating, kayaking, paragliding and snowshoeing added

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ICGL

GERMANY

JAN. 6–15

After six consecutive years of leading juniors and seniors through Munich and Berlin, it’s clear that faculty advisors TIM HORNOR and JASON SMITH know what they’re doing. Upper School teacher HEATHER MCCLOSKY joined the dynamic duo to lead 12 students through frigid March temperatures in an effort to understand the culture, economics and politics of Germany’s past and present. In Munich, the Upper School group enjoyed a performance at the Munich Opera House; visited the Marienplatz; toured the Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps; explored Baroque, Rococo and Secessionist architecture; and studied the rise of the Third Reich, spending a somber day at the Dachau concentration camp. The group then took a train to Berlin, where it toured the iconic Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, the Philharmonie, the Pergamon Museum, the Museumsinsel, Hitler’s bunker and Potsdam. Throughout the trip, students tried German delicacies, such as schnitzels and sausages, and traveled on the U-Bahn the way locals do. Wunderbar!

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BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO MAR. 8–16

ICGL

Between swimming with the whales, working with local children and researching sea turtles, eighth-grade students on the spring break Baja trip hardly had a minute to relax.

Led by faculty advisors KELLY COLQUITT, CINDY O’NEILL and KEVIN NEELY, 16 students participated in conservation efforts in the arid terrain of Baja California Sur in Mexico. The students began the trip with snorkeling through coral reefs, then turned to volunteering at a school near La Ribera. The visit to the school was one of the highlights of the trip for SAM BROOKS, who says, “The service felt rewarding compared to other things we’ve done. Even a monotonous task such as peeling paint was satisfying, knowing that we were helping someone.” The group then shifted its focus toward conservation, through a camping trip on an island next to the Baja peninsula. At the camp, there was ample opportunity to see marine life up close. Students got to pet gray whales while whale watching, to measure and tag sea turtles while aiding research efforts and to swim with whale sharks and sea lions. The hands-on conservation experience made it a truly unforgettable trip.

THAILAND

MAR. 8–18

For the past seven years, Pace has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International to provide a service-focused immersion experience for Upper School students. This year’s Habitat study tour, led by faculty and staff members REBECCA RHODES, GUS WHYTE and ZEENA LATTOUF, brought Upper School students to the town of Chiang Mei, in Thailand, to build a home for (and with) a local family. Before and after the build, students had the opportunity to explore some of the sites in Thailand, including the temples of Wat Arun and Wat Phra Chetuphon, the rubber and pineapple plantations in Phuket and the elephant conservation centers in Bangkok.

Students took nearly every mode of transportation imaginable to reach these sites, including the metro, the skytrain, airplanes, taxi boats, buses, bikes and Tuk Tuks.

During the build, the group established a base layer for the house, dug a hole for a septic tank, laid bricks for the internal and external walls, created bases for the window frames and built a patio. The build ended with a dedication ceremony, which was an emotional and meaningful occasion that reminded students of their reasons for choosing this trip.

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ICGL

SOUTH AFRICA

MAR. 8–18

For the second year in a row, faculty members TRISH ANDERSON, JONATHAN FERRELL and NIKKI MCCRARY led a group to South Africa for a trip focused on wildlife conservation, particularly of the dolphin, the Great White shark, the rhino, the elephant, the Cape buffalo, the lion and the giraffe. The group partnered with Oceans Research, a program in Mossel Bay dedicated to helping students become researchers and conservationists. Disconnected from WiFi and ready to engage in their surroundings, students spent extended periods of time on the water in research vessels, participating in real-life marine research projects. On the second half of the trip, the group shifted its focus to exploring terrestrial conservation efforts.

In addition to undertaking research expeditions and adventures, students spent several days in Cape Town exploring Robben Island, Table Mountain and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The highlight of the trip, however, was going to Schotia Safaris. Junior JILL RAWLS explains, “We’ve all grown up learning about how dangerous lions, rhinos and elephants are, and then suddenly we were feet away from them and they were just minding their own business, completely uninterested in any of us. I’ve never appreciated the beauty of animals as much as I did seeing them in their natural habitat, and I can’t put into words how different it is from seeing them contained in a zoo.”

Join us for one or more of the many camps that will be happening at Pace Academy this summer. We have kept our most popular camps, and have added exciting new ones.

These programs are for all ages and interests. Pace is the place to be this summer. Register today! w w w. p a c e a c a d e my.o r g /p r o g r a m s /s u m m e r- p r o g r a m s

ICGL

CHINA

MAR. 8–18

The great cities of China were the perfect lens for faculty advisors HELEN SMITH, KAYLAN HAIZLIP and SCOTT SARGENT to help students understand arts, culture, sustainability and public policy from a global perspective. In Beijing, the group focused on understanding China’s past by visiting five UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and the Ming Dynasty Tombs. This was a great way for students to be able to see the city that has been China’s political center for much of the past eight centuries.

After focusing on the past, the group shifted its focus to the present, in Shanghai, the modern, economic center of China—and the most populous city in the world. There, the students climbed the Oriental Pearl Tower, rode the Maglev, visited the beautiful You Yuan Gardens and explored the 19th-century architecture of the Bund. The trip ended with the opportunity to focus on conservation at the Shanghai Center for Sustainability, where students learned more about China’s attitude and response to climate change and perspective on sustainable, responsible growth.

Junior LILY WAGONER summarizes the trip well, saying, “Traveling to China with Pace was absolutely incredible. We did everything from visiting the Great Wall in Beijing to meeting with Google in Shanghai. I felt very fortunate to have had this opportunity like no other!” l

THANK YOU!

Thank you to the 450 parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and friends of Pace Academy who contributed more than $810,000 for the 2018 tax year through Georgia’s private school tax credit program. Pace uses these tax-credit dollars to provide need-based financial aid to qualified students enrolling in Pre-First or first grade, or any grade, if the student previously attended a public school. Because of your participation, we are able to make a Pace education and experience available to every qualified child.

Questions?

Contact the Office of Advancement at advancement@paceacademy.org or 404-240-9103.

FOCUS ON ANIMALS

# 1–2

The fourth-grade class completed an animal conservation project in science, with students working individually or with partners to research an animal.

The research focused on interesting facts about the animal as well as its habitat, threats it faces, its significance to the environment and other species, and protections in place.

In social studies, students included regional conservation efforts on their reports about the Midwest. They learned about issues ranging from water contamination in Flint, Mich., to wolves at risk in Minnesota to overfishing throughout the region.

BREAKING NEWS

# 3–5

Fifth-grade Spanish students are creating newscasts related to conservation issues in Spanish-speaking countries. Spanish teacher POLI APARICIO, Director of Design Thinking MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI and Learning Support Specialist/Director DEB COOK collaborated to launch a student-driven green screen production called Conservation News, or Noticias de Conservación. For the production, fifth-grade students researched problems impacting animals and habitats in Central and South America. Working with Aparicio and Cook, students drafted stories to share with viewers. They wrote dialogue, evaluated story possibilities, formatted scripts and used presentation techniques to guide dialogue and action. Through the project, they learned to simplify a conservation topic for news segment length and intent. Spanishlanguage learners acquired new technical vocabulary and saw how people in Central and South America face environmental challenges, and how organizations like the World Wildlife Fund create new solutions. Delivering the newscasts allowed students to use iPADs, import and edit videos with the green screen app and self-evaluate their presentation skills of expression, articulation, fluidity and pace.

Plans are underway to replicate the process, as an ongoing process, allowing students to curate videos for a video file that documents their growth and development as communicators, commentators and global citizens.

FOR THE LOVE OF LEMURS

# 6–8

Inspired by their visit to the Duke Lemur Center and their study of the endangered species, fifth graders organized “Lollies for Lemurs,” a weeklong fundraiser that raised more than $700 for Duke’s Adopt-a-Lemur Program.

CONSERVATION TAKES CENTER STAGE # 9–11 The second-grade play, Earth, We’re in This Together, included fun facts, poems, songs and dances about conservation, specifically as it relates to animals.

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ICGL

THE YEAR OF

Pace Academy’s yearlong conversation about CONSERVATION, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) annual theme, continues in the Lower School.

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GLOBAL LEADERS

“

I choose to think that I am more than a college counselor—I am an educator,” explains JONATHAN FERRELL, director of college counseling. “I am an educator who happens to use the college process as my teaching tool.” According to Ferrell, the college process is an opportunity for students to be introspective, to be patient and to learn how to advocate for themselves. This open-minded and growth-oriented outlook has allowed him to flourish since coming to Pace Academy two years ago.

Prior to Pace, Jonathan was Director of Admissions at Millsaps College, in Jackson, Miss., where he oversaw overall admissions

and recruitment strategy, helped design and implement a strong merit scholarship program and worked with partners to craft a financial-aid model that supported institutional growth. Although he loved his 12 years in college admissions, Ferrell decided to transition to college counseling so that he could develop closer advising relationships with the students he served.

He was attracted to Pace because of its students, remembering his own visits as a college admissions officer. He says, “Every time I came as a visitor, the kids were always good kids. They’d say things like, ‘thank you for being here,’ or ‘thank you for your time,’ and that

just doesn’t happen everywhere. I knew there were good kids here that were open to the process, and that’s critical.”

Ferrell knows that being open to “the process” isn’t always easy for students, which is why one of his major goals as a college counselor is to get to know them outside of the college counseling office. To him, that means deeply engaging in the Pace community—he believes that teaching a freshman transitions class and attending students’ sporting and theatre events allow him to organically become a part of his students’ lives. Developing these connections helps raise students’ comfort levels throughout the college counseling process, making it a more honest and transparent experience for everyone.

Ferrell’s first effort to meet students outside of the college admissions process was through the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) on a trip to Budapest, Hungary, with faculty member HELEN SMITH and the Model U.N. team. There he saw students from all over the world directly interacting and discussing international policy with one another. It was through this lens of global leadership that he first saw Pace students practicing skills he considers essential for the college process and beyond—learning how to interact with different types of people from different backgrounds and being open to exploring unfamiliar places.

After the trip to Budapest, he agreed to join faculty chaperones TRISH ANDERSON and NIKKI MCCRARY for a conservationfocused trip to South Africa. He found so much value in those first trips that he agreed to chaperone both again this year. Wherever he is, the highlight of the trip remains the same. “Everything we do is really cool, but the best part is seeing the kids get really jazzed up about something new or different,” he explains. “As an educator, I look for

FAC U LT Y

their eyes to light up about something.”

Ferrell is passionate about making sure that every student who wants to go on a global education trip is able to, and he does his part by making sure the college process doesn’t interfere with students’ travel schedules. The college counseling office is intentional about its timeline so that the SAT testing schedule, application deadlines and college essay due dates don’t stand in the way of the trip of a lifetime for students.

His colleagues describe him as “the quintessential strength finder,” who is really good about listening and giving autonomy to his people; in addition, he’s gained the reputation as the best-dressed teacher on campus.

For Ferrell, success in his role as a college counselor is making sure his students feel that they’ve gotten to know themselves well, that they’ve visited various types of colleges in different locations and that they’ve confidently navigated the application process in a way that leaves them with options at the end of the day. Many of these goals are linked to his goals as a global leader. Getting to know his students and stretching them to their limits on trips fosters in them independence and a sense of self-confidence, which stand at the core of his philosophy as an educator. He concludes, “I don’t measure success based on outcomes; I measure it based on the process. When the process is done well, good outcomes tend to follow. ” — by HANNAH KELLY ’15

VIDEO EXTRA! Learn more about Ferrell at www.paceacademy.org/media.

SPOT L I GH T

J O N AT H A N

FERRELL

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GLOBAL LEADERS

competition. Prior to the campaign launch, the students attended information sessions with LLS Senior Manager of Special Events Chantal Robertson. They also practiced writing letters to major corporations, drafting emails and delivering pitches. “Candidates and their team members receive ample guidance and mentoring from experienced LLS staff and past candidate mentors to develop and execute a plan each year; [however], this is their campaign to own and implement,” Robertson says.

Team Fighter approached fundraising from several angles. They reached out to 19 businesses including Dickey Broadcasting Company, Global Payments and TSYS, released a homemade music video to Keith Urban’s 2017 hit “Fighter” and hosted a fundraiser at Scofflaw Brewing Co. Furthermore, Loughran and Shoulberg enlisted the help of both family and friends in the community. When asked what their secret to success was, Loughran replies, “we just had fun with it.”

THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY’S

F

Students of the Year Campaign

or seniors KHAKI LOUGHRAN (pictured right) and JORDAN SHOULBERG (left), cancer hit home. Loughran’s younger brother, Pace seventh-grader JORDAN LOUGHRAN, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of two, and Shoulberg’s late uncle, Pace parent SCOTT SELIG, battled stage IV lung cancer. What sets these young women apart from many millions of other families that experience cancer every year is their response. Loughran and Shoulberg took on the challenge of raising funds toward a cure for the disease.

This past winter, Loughran and Shoulberg competed in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual Students of the Year (SOY) campaign under the name “Team Fighter.” “The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) was integral in research for the drug that helped to treat my brother,” says Loughran. “I wanted to show my thanks to them while at the same time joining the fight, so other people can hear the words ‘you’re cancer free.’” Sporting “F*** Cancer” bracelets and neon pink shirts, the pair fought their way to victory in the competition.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s mission is “to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” The SOY campaign is a seven-week competition dedicated to teaching students philanthropy and leadership through fundraising. In 2018, 69 high school students from the metro-Atlanta area participated in the

Having fun, obviously, was the perfect tactic. On March 3, Shoulberg and Loughran were named this year’s SOY winners. Raising over $350,000 in seven weeks, the duo embodied what it meant to be a fighter in every sense. “[My uncle] taught me to embrace the now and not worry as much about the future,” Shoulberg says.

“After he passed away, I knew it was my time to make a difference.

I needed to embrace this now.” The funds raised by Team Fighter nearly tripled the amount raised in the past by any Atlanta SOY team and have put Loughran and Shoulberg in the running for a national LLS title.

Loughran adds, “Jordan is now healthy, happy and cancer-free.

With such a personal experience involving blood cancer, my family was inspired by SOY—it showed us all the new treatments coming to light and gave us hope that a cure for blood cancer is around the corner.”

Shoulberg and Loughran were not the only Knights to support SOY’s cause; juniors CHARLIE HIRSCH, KYLIE BLANK and ANNABELLE CRITZ also participated in the campaign. In fact, Blank and Hirsch were the runner-up team, raising $242,706. “The passion, drive to make a difference and hard work from Khaki, Jordan, Kylie, Charlie, Annabelle and past Pace Academy candidates truly set the example for all students for years to come,” Robertson says.

— by SLOAN WYATT ’18

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SPENCYR ARONSON '20 and TANNER WALTON '20 sort donated food during Pace's Community Engagement Day at the Atlanta Community Food Bank Product Rescue Center on April 14.

A FRESH LOOK AT

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 38

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

E N GAG I N G STUDENTS FOR A BETTER COMMUNITY

N

ot so long ago, ZEENA LATTOUF ’12, the associate director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), was a Pace student, balancing academics and other school activities. As a result, Lattouf, who returned to Pace in 2016, understands the challenge that full Pace schedules present to students and parents alike—especially when it comes to setting aside time to volunteer.

In her role, Lattouf is responsible for community engagement at Pace, a pillar of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), which promotes and supports student engagement in community endeavors outside their usual academic, athletic and arts commitments. She says that although Pace students lead very busy lives, most still find time to contribute to the community in valuable ways.

“Looking beyond one's self to find ways to better the community—whether that community is outside of school or within the Pace community—has been part of the Pace culture for decades, and our students are really involved,” she explains.

To ensure all Pace students are able to engage in outward-looking activities, Lattouf is working to make engagement a more coordinated part of the student experience.

Lattouf acknowledges, “One of the bigger challenges for Pace students is balancing their school-related commitments with community engagement activities.” She is working with Director of Athletics TROY BAKER to coordinate Pace-organized volunteer opportunities with Pace’s athletics schedule, with the vision of making concurrent participation more accessible to students.

Aligning the two makes sense, she says. “Many people don’t realize how much community engagement and athletics have in common,” she explains. “When you are on a team, you are working with others you trust for the greater good. And that is what community engagement is—selfless acts to benefit the community rather than yourself.

“We’ve found that many students prefer to engage in efforts that involve their sports teams,” she says. “This may be because students associate their respective teams with trust and camaraderie, as well as that notion of placing the group’s best interest above their own.”

Baker supports Lattouf’s vision of greater alignment. He explains, “Team members are already part of a group that represents Pace—that’s a natural by-product.

Community engagement activities are an opportunity for them to represent Pace in another, very powerful, way.” He sees this as “a natural fit, because it’s easy to get team members moving in the same direction.”

Pace’s athletics program is working to build character in the context of sports, he explains—teaching student-athletes that “there’s more to being on a team than winning or losing.” He believes that community engagement offers team members new opportunities to develop character, adding: “Our athletic teams are already engaging in the community in a number of ways—we’ll make an even greater impact if our activities are coordinated with Pace’s overall efforts.”

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ENGAGEMENT A LEGACY OF ACTION

HISTORY & MISSION The seeds for the community engagement program were planted at Pace Academy in 1972, when then humanities teacher DR. NEELY YOUNG assigned his students a project to volunteer with children at a nearby school in need of tutors.

After more than 45 years, the program has grown and flourished, and now underpins the goals of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership to create empathic and culturally aware global leaders. Today the program encourages and supports student-volunteers and seeks to further the mission of Pace to create prepared, confident citizens of the world.

THE PROGRAM’S MISSION IS: To create deep understanding of the dignity and worth of all people, while developing awareness and practices of environmental stewardship. Its goals are:

❶ To connect engagement efforts across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, as well as across divisions, in conjunction with the Athletics Office and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

❷ To instill in students an understanding of

the value of an authentic investment in our Pace community and beyond.

❸ To develop empathy, cultural awareness and teamwork abilities to inspire action.

The community engagement program streamlines Pace initiatives and education around community issues in all three divisions.

This cross-divisional interaction can either be thematic or partnerbased. l

David Schlosberg '98

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In addition to coordinating with the Athletics Office, Lattouf is partnering with JOANNE BROWN, director of diversity and inclusion at Pace, in developing community engagement programming. Lattouf says, “Using the lens of diversity, we can accomplish the goal of building cultural awareness and understanding in our student-volunteers.”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: THE CHANGING LANGUAGE Beyond coordination of community engagement with school departments, Lattouf is focused on the language used to describe Pace students’ involvement in outside activities. “How you describe something impacts the attitudes and beliefs that surround it,” she says.

“We have transitioned to the name ‘community engagement’ to describe the program; before, it was called ‘service learning.’ We believe the new name better conveys the real purpose—which is for each student to make an authentic investment in the community and contribute in productive ways,” she says.

“Calling the program ‘service learning’ also suggested that there was a learning component,” she says, “but that’s not how the program works—we don’t teach a class on service. But more importantly, Pace has evolved beyond the idea that service is something students go out to do.”

She explains, “We want Pace students to think more broadly than ‘I’m going someplace to help someone on this one day and then I’m finished.’ It’s more important for them to experience becoming invested in the community and engaging in a lasting way.”

Senior GEORGE SHEPHERD, who has tutored children at the Latino community organization La Amistad for the past three years, can speak to the experience of engagement. “I think it’s important for members of a community to build a relationship with others in that community,” he says.

By volunteering twice a month, Shepherd knows many of the children well and has come to understand their needs. “I’ve learned that each and every one has strengths, although sometimes these aren’t easily identifiable. It can take time to see who is gifted in what areas, but it’s incredible when you recognize what they are.” Shepherd notes that he speaks to the children in Spanish, which brings a special connection, since most of the children’s teachers and La Amistad volunteers speak only in English.

Shepherd has experienced the two-way connection community engagement provides. He adds, “I can make an impact on a child’s education and at the same time they can help me grow as a young adult.”

BUILDING CONTINUITY ACROSS DIVISIONS In addition to supporting Pace student-volunteers like Shepherd, Lattouf is working “to connect volunteer opportunities across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.”

“Adding continuity for student-volunteers as they advance through each division will strengthen their engagement experience,” Lattouf says. “One way of accomplishing this is by using a common theme. For example, this year our Lower School fourth-grade classes were exposed to the concept of homelessness.”

Lower School teacher AMANDA MCGEHEE explains that the fourth grade students have learned about this concept by reading books and working on projects during their holiday parties. “Students heard from an Our House representative, who showed a video about the work they do [serving homeless families with newborn babies], and then engaged them in a dialogue around the challenges facing children and families who are homeless,” she says.

“We have a lot of help from one of our room parents, JANE HARDESTY, [the mother of fourth-grader JOHN HARDESTY and eighth-grader MEGAN HARDESTY], who helps

FOCUS ON ENGAGEMENT OUTSIDE OF PACE

MORGAN MARTIN AGAPE YOUTH & FAMILY CENTER

“‘Community engagement’ suggests a longer relationship as well as a connection between people, often with different backgrounds. These kinds of experiences foster both mutual learning and peaceful and productive co-existence, which support Pace’s mission to create global citizens.”

—ZEENA LATTOUF ’12 Associate Director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership

New to Pace Academy in the ninth grade, MORGAN MARTIN was looking for a place to give service hours.

Martin, now a junior, acknowledges this was in part because “my mom said ‘you really need to volunteer.’”

Through Pace, Martin learned about the Agape Youth and Family Center, and she signed up that fall to tutor children in its after-school program.

Over the past three years of volunteering, Martin’s involvement with Agape has grown well beyond an hour or two of service after school—and her commitment today reflects her own passion for the organization and the children that it serves.

She explains that as she continued to volunteer, she became increasingly engaged. “In the summer, I started going twice a week, and sometimes I’d stay late,” she says. “Then they asked me if I’d like to help out by working in the office, so I started working there too.”

That first summer, Dominique Tate, Agape’s director of education and volunteer services, discovered Martin’s talents as a videographer. “I came back from vacation and she asked me about my trip and about what I liked to do,” Martin explains. I told her I was interested in marketing and that I liked videography—and I showed her the video I’d made from my trip. Then she showed it to different people in the office, including the CEO, Nell Benn.”

The Agape staff wasted no time in recruiting Martin to make videos to help the organization share its messages, propelling her to a new level of engagement with the organization and the people it serves.

In recent years, Martin explains, she has produced videos for Agape that are like “mini-commercials.” She says, “One was for the summer camp; another was for the backpack giveaway program; last year and this year I’m making a ‘thank you’ video [for supporters]. The center has moved to a new building, and they’d also like me to make a video for that.”

With her academic workload as a junior and commitment to Pace’s basketball and lacrosse teams, Martin says volunteering during the school year has become more challenging. “I still tutor the kids, make videos and help out with serving dinner sometimes—but I’m able to be the most involved in the summer. I take field trips with the kids to places like the pool at Piedmont Park. I work both as a volunteer and as a videographer.” Martin says she is particularly attached to a young girl named Ena, a third grader she’s tutored at Agape since she began volunteering.

This year, Martin is an Upper School service leader for Agape, along with Pace seniors MELANIE CRAWFORD, MARINA HASHIM and SARAH ANN NINAN. l

ENGAGEMENT PROFILE

BASEBALL BRINGS SMILES On or off the baseball field, Pace Academy sixth-grader GRIFF MILLNER is making a difference with Buckhead Baseball’s Buddy Baseball at Buckhead, formerly known as Challenger Baseball, a program that enables children ages 5–18 with special needs to play baseball.

An avid baseball fan, Millner arrives early on Saturday mornings during the youth league season and looks forward to spending time with his buddy—catching, hitting and having lots of fun.

Millner says, “It’s awesome these kids are able to play because they can’t play in a youth league. They absolutely love baseball and they come out with big smiles.” He adds that he especially enjoys seeing “the kids high-five their siblings or give their parents a hug,” after a Saturday morning on the field. “If you play Buckhead Baseball, you should do this,” he says.

Other Pace sixth-graders involved with the Buddy Baseball at Buckhead program include HENRY LEVENSON, TUCKER AUSBAND, JD MASKE and MAC BARNETTE. l

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

organize all of our activities and visitors,” she adds.

Included among these are preparing knotted fleece blankets for the children of Our House and decorating lunch bags for the residents of the Zaban Paradies Center, a homeless shelter for couples.

Lattouf explains that the opportunities for engagement change as students mature. “The theme looks different as students move through the school,” she says. “For example, in the Middle School this year, the students addressed homelessness in more direct ways—they hosted a bingo night for residents in the Zaban shelter and also made sandwiches and welcome baskets for them.”

Pace’s Upper School students are prepared to engage at an even deeper level, she adds. In fact, in April, 50 students and faculty members participated in the second annual Covenant House Sleep Out, sleeping out together with homeless youth, in a show of solidarity—an endeavor that has raised over $18,000, which will provide housing for one homeless youth for a year as well as workforce training for five youths.

Junior JEREMY LEVIN, who participated in the Sleep Out, says, “I wanted to raise awareness that there are kids our age who do not have homes to sleep in. Spending the night outside in the rain probably did not come close to what these kids experience. But it did give me an appreciation for it.”

Another way of adding continuity to the student-volunteer experience is working with the same community partner throughout the divisions, but in developmentally appropriate ways, Lattouf says. “The Agape Youth and Family Center is an example of one of these organizations—many of our Lower and Middle School families are already engaged there,” she says. “So we intentionally added Pace-directed opportunities for Middle and Upper School students: every other week, through January, a bus takes nearly a dozen students to tutor the children in Agape’s after-school program. [See related story about Morgan Martin, p. 41]

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT INSIDE THE PACE COMMUNITY Lattouf says that Pace students’ contributions of time to bettering the Pace community—in contrast to making contributions in an “external” community—are a different dimension of community engagement. “The value of this investment is just as important,” she says. “Students’ behind-the-scenes involvement at Pace should not go unnoticed— the community engagement program aims to highlight their efforts, as well.”

For example, Lattouf cites the dedication of sophomore JACKSON HAMEL as the reason music, videos and other audiovisual components are up and running in the FAC (Fine Arts Center) for Upper School students and faculty during morning assemblies.

Hamel took the reins from KYLE DUVAL ’17, who held this responsibility in the 2016– 2017 year. “Knightflix is another student-run program that makes a tremendous impact in our community,” she adds. [See article on Will Nulty, p. 43] Exposure to community engagement within the school begins with Pace’s youngest students, according to fifth grade teacher REBECCA RHODES, who is the director of Lower School global leadership. “Fifth-graders are given the opportunity to volunteer as helpers in the younger grades,” she says. “They’re assigned to help out in a particular classroom and they go every Thursday morning—providing them an engagement opportunity and demonstrating engagement to the younger students.”

Rhodes explains that she and Assistant Head of Lower School PHYLLIS GRANT created this opportunity for fifth-graders, many years ago, because they “believed community service starts at home, and one of the best ways kids could get involved was to give back to the classrooms that they had been in,” Rhodes says.

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FOCUS ON ENGAGEMENT WITHIN PACE

WILL NULTY KNIGHTFLIX TAKING ENGAGEMENT SCHOOLWIDE The addition of a school-wide volunteer opportunity is perhaps the most recent indication that the community engagement program continues to evolve—and remains focused on involving the Pace family in new and impactful ways.

In April, a crew of 30 student, parent and faculty volunteers from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools spent a Saturday morning working at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, which provides for the distribution of over 60 million meals to more than 755,000 Georgians in 29 counties (according to the Food Bank’s website). Pace’s hardworking volunteers spent three hands-on hours sorting and preparing food for distribution to the Food Bank’s partner agencies, which deliver directly to food-insecure Georgians—nearly 19% of Georgia’s population. The Food Bank states that this represents more than one in every four Georgia children and one in every 10 seniors.

Lattouf says that Pace’s volunteers, in partnership with Spellman college students and other community groups, salvaged 9,135 pounds of food that morning, providing 6,729 meals for Georgians in need.

Fourth-grader JULIA FRANSEN helped at the Food Bank together with her mother, KATY FRANSEN, and sister, Annabelle Fransen. She says, “I had seen the Food Bank on a tour before, but I didn’t really see how everything worked.”

On this occasion, she watched a video and learned about a family helped by the Food Bank before starting her volunteer job. “Actually working, even though I was mainly stacking boxes, gave me a new point of view,” she says. “I felt like I was helping out—and it was a lot of fun.”

As the community engagement program continues to grow and evolve, Pace students will find more opportunities to engage in meaningful ways. Fransen, for one, believes her family will continue volunteering with the Food Bank. “It was really interesting, and I liked it. I felt happy to be helping.” l

Pace Academy students, parents, alumni and fans of all stripes have come to depend on KnightFlix—the official broadcast component of Pace’s newspaper, The Knightly News—to stream key Pace athletic games and performances live on YouTube, allowing them to be a part of the audience when they can’t attend in person.

Senior WILL NULTY’S engagement with KnightFlix is a key reason behind the channel’s increasing popularity. Since he became involved freshman year, the channel has grown to over 400 subscribers, with some high profile events garnering thousands of views. The boys varsity basketball game against the Westside High School Seminoles during the Georgia High School Association’s 2017 state tournament, for example, has collected over 3,400 views and more than 200 “shares.”

Nulty’s interest in sports commentary sparked his early involvement with KnightFlix, he says.

In the beginning, he spent more time filming than talking, however. “In ninth grade, I couldn’t immediately jump in to calling all the games for seniority reasons, so I spent a lot of games my freshman and sophomore years as a cameraman,” he says.

Over time, his camera skills improved, he says; more importantly, he had more opportunities to call games—his true interest. His junior year, he assumed a leadership role alongside JACK WALLACE ’17—a position that carried with it many responsibilities, including calling almost all the games. This year, he’s “basically run the whole thing, including pretty much all the play-by-play commentary,” he says. “I’ll set everything up before a broadcast, then make sure everything runs smoothly.” He’s also responsible for responding to messages sent to the KnightFlix email account and managing the KnightFlix Twitter feed. In fact, when Pace didn’t have rights to live stream the football team’s 2017 playoff game against Calhoun High School, KnightFlix “live tweeted” the game.

Not surprisingly, Nulty’s time commitment to KnightFlix has been considerable. “Last fall, I broadcast every football game,” he says. “I’ve been part of 43 of the 47 football broadcasts KnightFlix has done since the start of my freshman year.” He explains that football broadcasting involves opponent research as well as equipment setup, testing and breakdown; as a result, he was often one of the first to arrive and last to leave when Pace’s games were at home, at the Riverview Athletic Complex.

The KnightFlix crew of Nulty and sophomore ANDREW NEVILLE, who will take the reins next school year, seeks to broadcast other important Pace events like “arts concerts, volleyball games, student events like Phlotilla and Cabaret, and other Pace programs, such as Van Jones’ visit to Pace last October,” Nulty says. He wishes he’d had the time to broadcast even more, but as a member of the cast of the fall play and of the soccer team in the spring—for each of his years in the Upper School—he’s had little time to spare.

He has no regrets about the time he’s given and appreciates the opportunity he’s had to engage with the Pace community through KnightFlix, he says. “I’ve sacrificed a big part of a normal high school student’s social life—being in the student section during an athletic event—to do this because I love it.”

He adds, “I’ve loved giving the Pace community the ability to watch some of Pace’s biggest moments of a year—whether it’s athletics or arts or anything else—and I’ve loved traveling to places in Georgia I’ve never heard of and having the responsibility of broadcasting something to students, faculty, parents, grandparents, relatives and even fans of the opposing team. KnightFlix has been my way of giving back to a school and community that has done so much for me.“ l

“Our goal for the coming year, which will be the 60th school year at Pace, is to confirm 60 members of The Castle Circle. Those first 60 will be recognized as the founding members.”

— GARRY SCHAEFER, Planned Giving Committee, chair Parent of Courtney Schaefer ’07, Lucy Schaefer Ayres ’08 and Carolyn Schaefer ’11

P L A N N E D

G I V I N G

THE CASTLE C IRCLE Preserving the Legacy of Pace for Future Generations BONNIE HARRIS and her husband of 37 years, JAY HARRIS, are the parents of three children, all Pace Lifers, sons JACK HARRIS ’10 and CAL HARRIS ’12, and daughter KEELEY HARRIS ’17. Harris began volunteering at Pace when her oldest was in Pre-First; from day one she was ready and willing to get involved. Over the years, she gave time to Pace in myriad ways, including chairing the Auction & Gala, founding the Arts Alliance and serving on the Board of Trustees.

Harris says Head of School FRED ASSAF once teased that she seemed to be at Pace more than he was. She admits he had a point—acknowledging she spent countless hours on campus during the 21 years the children were students. She adds that Pace was so often at the center of family life for all five Harrises that she and Jay now believe Pace is among “the most impactful institutions” in their life together.

To express gratitude for all they and their children received from Pace, and to ensure the school continues to flourish in the future, the Harrises have made provisions for a planned gift to Pace through a bequest in their will.

To express gratitude for all they and their children received from Pace, and to ensure the school continues to flourish in the future, the Harrises have made provisions for a planned gift to Pace through a bequest in their will.

“A planned gift allows us to make a lasting difference to the organizations that have been game changers in our lives,” she says. “With a planned gift, it’s important to know the organization is on firm footing—that it will be around and continue to make an impact.”

She adds, “We chose Pace for our children because we felt it was the right place for each one. Looking back, we can say it was one of the best decisions we ever made—Pace has made a tremendous impact on our family. We’ve made this commitment to give back in a lasting way.”

Both Harrises are confident that the mission of Pace is enduring and know that the school will serve generations to come, she explains.

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P L A N N E D

G I V I N G

C O M M I T T E E

*

SE TH ADAMS

BREN T ED EN ’98

B O N N I E HA R R I S

MILES MARKS

AUSTIN McDONA LD ’ 97

S H ERRY PERCH I K

G A R R Y S C HA E F E R

B E T H S P E N C E R ’8 1

“Pace has positively impacted so many lives and planned giving is a meaningful opportunity to help contribute to the sustainability of the school.”

— MILES MARKS, Parent of Molly Marks ’16, Annie Marks ’24 and Ella Marks ’24 By sharing with Pace their plans to remember the school in their estate, the Harrises have become members of The Castle Circle, which provides recognition to individuals and couples who have made provisions for a planned gift to Pace.

The chair of the Planned Giving Committee, which oversees Pace’s planned giving efforts and The Castle Circle, is GARRY SCHAEFER, a former Pace parent and Board member, and now a Life Trustee. Schaefer and his wife, RUTH SCHAEFER, have three daughters, all Pace alumni, COURTNEY SCHAEFER ’07, LUCY SCHAEFER AYRES ’08 and CAROLYN SCHAEFER ’11.

Schaefer says the timing is right for the school to add a focus on planned giving. He explains, “Pace has been so successful in

its advancement efforts over the years—the school today is the result of generous support from the Pace community for decades.”

He views attention to planned giving as “the one missing element” and says he’s excited for the opportunity to help Pace

grow membership in The Castle Circle. “It’s a meaningful way for families to give back to Pace, which is often so important to both the students and their parents,” he says.

“Our goal for the coming year, which will be the 60th school year at Pace, is to confirm 60 members of The Castle Circle,” Schaefer adds. “Those first 60 will be recognized as the founding members.”

To become a member in The Castle Circle, known previously as the 1958 Heritage Society, an individual or couple signs a Castle Circle Letter of Intent to confirm plans for the gift. Members who wish to provide specific details about the gift may do so; however, this is completely optional.

Today Harris continues to volunteer for Pace—now as a member of the Planned

Giving Committee along with Schaefer.

She believes that many Pace families will find that supporting the school through a bequest in their will, or other planned giving approach, provides deep satisfaction.

“People get to a place where they’re

ready to make this kind of commitment,” Harris explains. “Present giving comes out of current dollars; planned giving is another kind of giving. It’s not tied to a person’s means; it’s really a very simple way of giving and making a difference for the future.”

In addition to Schaefer and Harris, other Planned Giving Committee members include Pace parents SETH ADAMS, MILES MARKS, AUSTIN MCDONALD ’97, SHERRY PERCHIK and BETH SPENCER ’81; Pace alumnus BRENT EDEN ’98, the husband of Upper School counselor SARA EDEN; and JOHN HARRISON, who attended Pace through the eighth grade, and serves as an advisor.

For more information about planned giving opportunities at Pace and membership in The Castle Circle, visit https://www. paceacademy.org/support-pace/plannedgiving, or contact Dana Rawls, manager of communications and stewardship for the Advancement Office, at dana.rawls@ paceacademy.org or 404-262-3534.

*NOT PICTURED: JOHN HARRISON

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“To teach is to touch a life forever”—Unknown By this measure, Pace Academy history teacher HELEN SMITH’S impact, teaching upwards of 2,500 Pace students over a span of 45 years, is vast. Beloved to

P LA N N E D G I V I N G DO N O R P RO F I L E

H E LE N SM I TH

her former students, she receives emails, notes and in-person visits from alumni of all ages.

In her classroom today, you’ll find the children, and even the occasional grandchild, of her former students from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of these former students are her lifelong friends.

In addition to her years of service to Pace, Smith recently shared that she’s included a bequest to Pace in her will. We are honored to share her story.

Fresh out of Cornell College, a small school in her home state of Iowa, HELEN SMITH moved to Atlanta in the late 1960s to pursue her master’s in history at Emory University.

Passionate about her subject and planning to become a public-school teacher, Smith says Emory presented her an opportunity after her first year, which she accepted, that changed the course of her life.

“They had two extra fellowships available through the National Defense Education Act, and said I could have one if I’d stay to work on my doctorate,” she explains. “So instead of accepting an offer from a large, very good school in the Chicago suburbs, I stayed here.”

Finances on the fellowship were tight, however. Trying to make ends meet, she left her doctoral studies—finding work

down the road from Pace at The Westminster Schools, where she held temporary positions for a semester.

Through her friends at Westminster, she learned that Pace was expanding and hiring teachers. The year was 1972; Pace was 14 years old—and Smith applied for a full-time job teaching history.

Pace’s first head of school, FRANK KALEY, offered her a position, which she accepted; when she began in the fall, George Kirkpatrick had assumed the headmaster’s role.

Pace was much smaller in the early 1970s; yet it was a stark contrast to her own school experience. She explains, “I went to a oneroom country school with no running water and outside toilets. There were 12 children in the whole school. A school board of the parents did all the maintenance work, and the same teacher taught everything.”

Smith says her family’s means were modest when she was growing up, and admits she wasn’t sure what to expect joining the faculty of a private school. But once at Pace, she began to question assumptions she’d previously held about private-school families, she says. “Pace reinforced my basic beliefs about people. I was struck by the human-ness of the environment.”

At Pace, she says she found “a community that is so strong and so caring and so supportive—Pace, to me, is summarized in terms of relationships,” she says. “I can’t imagine not being here.”

As a Midwesterner who grew up in a rural setting, Smith says her background was different from many in the Pace community.

She says her colleagues at Pace provide “wide exposure to people from different backgrounds, which is so valuable.” She

adds, “I’m happy that Pace continues to bring in more and more different voices.”

In addition to the relationships, Smith is grateful for what she calls her “lifetime learning.” She explains, “Teaching wakes you up to new perspectives. Every day I learn something I didn’t know before. Often it’s because of something the kids ask or have researched. Our students have such curiosity and knowledge of the world—it’s inspiring. They care about things you wouldn’t expect—and the environment here allows them to be curious.”

Smith’s experiences and her strong relationships over the years within the school community kindled in her an abiding love for Pace—sowing the seeds for her decision in recent years to remember it in her will, and establishing her as one of the founding members of The Castle Circle, which recognizes individuals and couples who’ve made provisions for a planned gift to Pace.

“Pace has always been a place where I’ve felt very much at home. The Pace family has been so supportive,” she says, “after the deaths of my parents, during knee surgery, back surgery—there was so much support for me personally. From the administration to the teachers to the parents and students, that sense of community is so important, and has meant so much to me.”

She continues, “Just as Pace helps students to become global citizens, it also exposes our faculty to wonderful global experiences. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. My hope is that what I’m setting aside for Pace will help ensure these things are affordable to all Pace students and teachers in the future.”

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ALUMNI

WILSON COVINGTON ’97 recently started his own real estate team, Covington Real Estate Atlanta, under the Keller WilliamsBuckhead umbrella. Wilson’s focus is helping people buy, sell or T A invest in residential and comH W YOU E mercial real estate. The team R A O? motto is “Giving You and AtUP T lanta the Best.” Team members strive to provide the best customer service in the industry, and also to give back to the community. Wilson feels giving back is essential to having a successful business. “We collect clothes and household items from clients as they move, then donate them to charities we have partnered with around the city. It is our way of serving the city that we live in,” said Wilson. Covington Real Estate Atlanta is now open for business, so remember to contact Wilson for help with your real estate needs.

WITT WISEBRAM ‘02 completed the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) on Oct. 10, 2017, (after warming up on the Arizona Trail), hiking over 3,500 miles in five months.

He has now completed the Triple Crown of Hiking, which is the three major U.S. long-distance hiking trails: the Appalachian Trail (2003), the Pacific Crest Trail (2015) and the CDT. The total length of the three trails is about 7,900 miles. As of January, an estimated 350 hikers have been designated Triple Crowners. Witt is now offering private guiding and custom adventures through his recently established business, Triple Crown Adventures. He and his wife Dianna Settles, an artist and printmaker, live in Atlanta where they own Hi-Lo Press, offering custom letterpress, lithography, a design studio and an art gallery.

JORDAN GONZALEZ ’10 started writing and producing The “AI EP” in 2016 when he was living and working as a guitarist in New Orleans. During that time, Jordan played several nights a week, for four to six hours, with bands of different styles—pop, brass, soul, blues, etc. While Jordan loved playing guitar for others, he really wanted to write original songs. Because he was making a living gig-to-gig (and because studio time is prohibitively expensive for most artists), he learned to produce and record the songs

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himself. Jordan worked with a number of talented engineers and producers in New Orleans and Atlanta during the mixing and mastering phase of the record. Ultimately, this project was the result of Jordan learning how to bring a record to life on his own.

Jordan’s goal with this project, and future projects, is to find a new space in pop music. “There’s usually a divide between

ALUMNI

electronic music, instruments and live recordings (meaning recordings in which a real drummer, bass player, guitarist, etc., are playing the instruments the listener hears in the song),” says Jordan. He thinks a lot of bigger artists are finding an interesting space in incorporating both live instruments and electronic music in their recordings.

At the end of the day, Jordan just wants to write catchy songs. He tries to remind himself not to overthink things during the writing process (but often finds himself overthinking anyway).

Currently, Jordan is a student at Yale Law School. He gets a kick out of treating life like an experiment. “If I was on a clear path to a clear destination, I think I would freak out. I am interested in trying things that seem different from each other, and I am excited to see how the different disciplines of law and music will come together,” Jordan writes.

HARRISON MONCINO ’15, a junior at Miami University of Ohio, is a Supply Chain and Operations Management major in the Farmer School of Business. Harrison, an AllAmerican diver in high school who won three state championships, is a member of Miami’s diving team. Outside of diving, he is the treasurer of Miami University’s SCMA (Supply Chain Management Association). The association brings in speakers from companies around the Ohio area to address members about their fields and companies.

This year has been Harrison’s most successful diving season at Miami. He was elected dive team captain and served alongside two other men’s team captains as well as two women’s team captains. At conference, he placed third on one meter with 319.45 points and fourth on three meters with 326.85 points. He earned a place on the All-MAC (Mid-American Conference) Second Team. He also qualified and competed in the Zone Diving Championships—the qualifier for the NCAA championships.

This summer Harrison will be interning in the supply chain department at Bell Fight in Fort Worth, Texas.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

NI M U L A ES T A D UP

1 Wisebram at the end of his PCT adventure 2 Covington 3 Gonzalez 4 Moncino in action 5 Moncino celebrating another great performance

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MARRIAGES KIM OWENS VALENTINE ’94 married Richard Valentine on Oct. 14, 2017, at Folly Beach, S.C. Pace attendees were KELLY OWENS MILLER ’00 and Upper School math teacher CHARLIE OWENS. Kim is a physical scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as a geospatial data manager for the National Ocean Service. She oversees and coordinates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping activities across NOAA, with a special focus in ocean and coastal mapping priorities. Richard owns an independent contracting company, Valentine Paint & Design, LLC, serving the Charlestonarea homeowner community with specialty kitchen and bathroom remodeling. Kim and Richard enjoy spending their personal time with sons Sidney and Ethan (ages 15 and 12), fishing on Folly Beach, and surfing, as well as skiing and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe with close family and friends.

JAKE BOYDSTON ’10 married Callie Boydston on Oct. 22, 2017, in Austin, Texas, at The Vista on Seward Hill. Pace attendees included SAM WISKIND ’10, ALEX HART ’10, WILLIAM MORSE ’10, JACK HARRIS ’10 and ISAAC SUKIN ’10. Jake and Callie love Dallas and are hoping to soon purchase a home. They have a three-year-old black Labrador named Lucy that they love to take for walks on the Katy Trail. In October 2017, Jake started his third position at Texas Instruments, as a GaN Epitaxy Engineer.

“It’s been pretty exciting developing a new technology that has huge potential for TI!” Jake writes.

1 Callie and Jake Boydston 2 Sam Wiskind, Alex Hart, Jack Harris, William Morse and date, and Isaac Sukin and date at the Boydston wedding reception 3 Charlie Owens and Kim Owens Valentine 4 Kim Owens Valentine and Richard Valentine

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BIRTHS NATALIE UNDERWOOD SHIRLEY ’01 and BLAKE SHIRLEY ’01 welcomed Chandler Adams on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 2017.

Chandler joins her older brothers, Blake (Pre-First at Pace) and Jack.

AARON ROSS ’01 and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed Amelia Louise on Dec. 14, 2017.

Aaron is a senior assistant county attorney for DeKalb County, and Kimberly is a program manager for the Georgia Department of Public Health. They reside in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta.

MEREDITH GOULD LITTLE ’02 and her husband, Graham, welcomed Graham Patterson Jr., who was born full of joy at Piedmont Hospital, on Oct. 23, 2017, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

BRAD HUNTER ’03 and his wife, Jen, welcomed a daughter, Hadley Brandt, on Dec. 31, 2017.

LAURA COKER BUSSERT ’04 and her husband, Jarred, welcomed Jack Davis on Jan. 6, 2018. Jack weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 20.375 inches long. DR. DARA PERLOW MATTHEW ’04 delivered Jack.

Laura is a regional human resources manager for Carter’s—specifically its retail stores in the 10 states within the Pacific Northwest region. Jarred is an IS Director at RaceTrac Petroleum. The family resides in Brookhaven.

JULIA WERTHEIM SCHNABEL ’04 and her husband, Michael, welcomed Myles Asher on Jan. 13, 2018, in New York City. He weighed 6 pounds. The proud grandmother is Pace Life Trustee MELINDA WERTHEIM.

5 Graham Patterson Little Jr. 6 Chandler Adams Shirley 7 Jack Davis Bussert 8 Myles Asher Schnabel 9 Hadley Brandt Hunter 10 Amelia Louise Ross

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ALU M N I Challenge Recap

Out & About

For the fourth year, the Pace Academy Alumni Board presented the Alumni Challenge, an opportunity for each class to show its school spirit through support of The Pace Alumni Fund.

Contributions to the fund support need-based financial aid at Pace, providing new generations of students access to the opportunities and experiences Pace alumni enjoyed.

Congratulations to the Class of 1973 for winning this year’s Alumni Challenge with 50 percent participation!

CURRENT STANDINGS 1973 R E U N I O N The Class of 1973 came together for its 45th class reunion in January. Class members cheered on the basketball Knights as the team played The Lovett School on Friday, Jan. 26. They reunited for brunch and a tour of the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School on Saturday, Jan. 27, and capped off the weekend with dinner at Paces & Vine. The reunion weekend was organized by SHERYL FOWLER BUTLER ’73 and JILL PINKERTON HUITRON ’73.

K A T B E L I N FA N T E ’1 0 COMEDY NIGHT KAT BELINFANTE ’10 performed her standup show “Too Much Hot Sauce” in Atlanta in December. In attendance were fellow Pace alumni JOSH BELINFANTE ’95 and KARINA KHOURI BELINFANTE ’95.

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FIRST PLACE CLASS OF 1973 (50 PERCENT) SECOND PLACE CLASS OF 1986 (35 PERCENT) THIRD PLACE CLASS OF 1988 (33 PERCENT) TOTAL PARTICIPATION 13 PERCENT

Parents of the Class of 2017 reunited on the Pace campus to catch up and assemble Valentine’s Day care packages for their college freshmen. The newest members of the Alumni Association received an assortment of sweets and treats, as well as some Pace goodies.

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ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT in Spring Mentor Day On Friday, March 2, Pace students participated in the second annual Pace Academy Entrepreneur Mentor Day. The program, founded by senior HARRISON LEWIS, partners interested Pace students with local startups for daylong “shadow” opportunities. This year, over 30 juniors and seniors shadowed at 20 Atlanta companies, four of which have alumni connections.

BOB GRIGSBY ’88, ANDREW HUGHES ’94, EVANS RAINER ’04 and BEN HIRSCH ’13 hosted a total of six students, explaining daily life at a startup and citing skills learned at Pace which help alumni succeed in the workplace.

PHOTO [ANDREW HUGHES ’94 with Pace junior BILLY SNYDER and senior BEN BERNSTEIN at Crown and Caliber.]

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES Pre-First teacher CHERYL LASSITER SCHRAMM married Eric Schramm on April 22, 2017, at Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga. In attendance were family members BRIAN RANCK ’93, Christy Bennett Ranck and CAILYNN BENNETT ’27. The couple also celebrated with numerous Pace alumni and faculty: PATTI ALEXANDER, ERICA BARBAKOW, KATE BETHEL ’17, LANG FIVEASH, BAILEY GREER, ELIZABETH BALENTINE GURLEY ’01, BECKY JONES, LINDA MCELVEEN, RHONDA PECK O’GORMAN ’88, REBECCA RHODES, CATHERINE SKEEN, MARK SOMMERVILLE and AMY TRUJILLO.

2 0 1 7 – 2 0 1 8

Interested in your company participating next year?

Contact HAYLEY SHOJI ’12 at hayley.shoji@paceacademy.org.

A L U M N I

The following alumni are coaching a variety of teams in both the Middle and Upper Schools. GO KNIGHTS!

C O A C H E S 2008

2008

JASE WRIGLEY ’94 VARSITY BASEBALL ROSS BROWN ’07 MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS SOCCER BRANDON THOMAS ’09 MIDDLE SCHOOL BASEBALL

WRIGLEY

BROWN

THOMAS

SAVARESE

SWAN

LATTOUF

SHOJI

ZWECKER

JACK SAVARESE ’09 MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS LACROSSE JOSH SWAN ’11 VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL ZEENA LATTOUF ’12 VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS HAYLEY SHOJI ’12 JV VOLLEYBALL LINDSEY ZWECKER ’13 VARSITY SOFTBALL

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MARC WILSON ’92 ALUMNI PROFILE

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S P O T L I GHT

LI FE LONG SKILLS F ROM PACE DEBATE — NO ARGUM EN T HERE

I

f you take a walk through the Inman Center and look at all of Pace Academy’s statechampionship banners, one banner stands out from the rest—debate. Pace has a long and proud history of excellence in policy debate, in Georgia and on the national level. For many in the school community, debate is a magical land where students speak quickly, make arguments using literature from obscure academics and ‘get’ to miss a lot of school. For those in the debate bubble, the experience can set the groundwork for lifelong success.

MARC WILSON ’92 was a member of many competitive teams while attending Pace, from the math team to the soccer team, but no experience was as formative as his time on the debate team.

Wilson’s list of debate accolades is extensive and includes three state titles. He spent a great deal of time competing around the country, and he and his debate partners consistently ranked among the nation’s top teams.

Wilson’s debate success didn’t stop after he graduated from Pace. He attended Dartmouth College, where he was continually ranked among the top debaters in the country. Wilson and his partner, a Woodward Academy graduate, won the collegiate Freshman National Championships by beating a former Pace teammate in the final round. Over the following three years, he and his partner finished with collegiate rankings of 15th, 4th and 2nd (senior year).

Wilson graduated from Dartmouth, with honors, with a degree in government and international relations. The three years following college, he worked in Washington, D.C., for the consulting firm Boston Pacific, specializing in energy. At 25, in the middle of the dot-com bubble, Wilson turned down a Woodruff Scholarship to Emory University’s Goizueta Business School to take a chance with three friends and launch a tech company.

Appian started as a software implementation consulting firm. Early clients included federal government agencies such as the U.S. Army. Today, Appian has grown into a leading software development platform provider across multiple markets and diverse industries. The world’s largest brands in financial services, insurance, life sciences and more

use the Appian platform to accelerate their digital transformation programs. The low-code platform allows companies to build unique software applications in a fraction of the time needed for traditional application coding. Customers use Appian to increase customer satisfaction, drive internal efficiencies and develop new digital lines of business.

This past year, Appian went public and became the most successful software IPO of 2017.

Wilson and his three founding partners are still at Appian, overseeing roughly 1,000 employees. One of those employees, CHRIS BOWMAN ’98, is also a Pace alumnus. According to Bowman, “There is no good ‘meet cute’ about how we figured out we were both Pace grads.” After establishing their Pace connection, Wilson used it as a trivia question at company events until the link became widely known.

When asked if there is a specific skill or lesson he learned at Pace that helped him build such a successful company, Wilson passionately responds, “Stop whatever you’re doing and go join the debate team.”

“At the end of the day, the ability to understand, deconstruct and construct arguments is a skill set that is missing out there. Debate really gets you to hone that particular skill,” Wilson says. “Not only in terms of arguments, but in terms of being able to read a room by looking at people’s reactions to what you are saying— and potentially altering what you are saying to cater to the likes and dislikes of your audience. The one thing I have found in the business world is that people really like thought-out and comprehensive approaches to doing things. Bold ideas are great, but you have to back them up with reason and evidence, not unsubstantiated claims.“ Debate also allowed Wilson to become comfortable presenting in front of people and perfect his public-speaking skills. His time at Pace set the groundwork for juggling multiple tasks and managing a hectic schedule—skills he uses daily at Appian.

Sure, debate teaches students to speak at supersonic speeds and read academic papers about international relations theory for fun, but the skills debaters learn reach far beyond the podium and help prepare them for lifelong success.

CHRIS BOWMAN ’98 CHRIS BOWMAN ’98 started at Pace Academy under unusual circumstances— his family moved to Atlanta from England, where he had attended a 600-year-old all-male boarding school, and when he enrolled at Pace in January of his freshman year, he was a year younger than his classmates.

Bowman credits the late DR. ANNE-MARIE BATAC with helping him transition schools and cultures, ensuring that his three-and-a-half years at Pace were some of the most fulfilling of his life. Bowman believes that his time at Pace was key to the development of the person he is today, and he values his Pace education as much as—if not more than—his college experience.

While Bowman did not participate in debate like his colleague and fellow alumnus MARC WILSON ’92, the communication and life skills he acquired at Pace have helped him every day in his career at Appian.

Chris started at the company early on, and over the course of the last decade he has served in a variety of sales-focused roles. Today, Chris leads Appian sales business across the southeast United States.

“The ability to articulately express what you’re thinking in a concise manner is something that not a lot of people have. That is something Pace helped me develop very quickly,” Bowman says.

“I believe it comes from a mixture of different classes. The brevity in saying what you need to say very quickly, a lot of that comes from [Upper School history teacher] HELEN SMITH. You have to be able to answer questions quickly and know what you are talking about.”

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Carole with JULIE APPEL '81

Eric with MAX APPEL '19

During their time at Pace, KATHI FRANKEL ’79 and JULIE APPEL ’81 both received the Gladys Johnson Service Above Self Award. Decades later, the two sisters helped a refugee family from Cameroon resettle in the United States. The friendship they developed with this young family has forever changed them.

IN 2006, when Kathi Frankel was preparing for the bat mitzvah of her daughter Grace Helen, their rabbi suggested that the family find new ways to get involved in the community. In search of a meaningful volunteer opportunity for her daughter and herself, Frankel discovered the Family Mentor Program through the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which matches citizens with a family that has recently resettled in the U.S. Frankel’s first experience as a mentor— helping resettle a family of five brothers, their wives and their children from Uzbekistan— was rewarding but exhausting, so once the family was relatively settled, she told herself she would never do that again. But when it came time for her younger daughter Bea’s bat mitzvah, the Frankels found themselves

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drawn back to working with refugee families, this time providing childcare while the refugee parents learned English.

Following Bea’s bat mitzvah, Frankel was immersed in her work as a neonatal physical therapist at Egleston Children’s Hospital.

Once again, she thought that her involvement with refugee families had come to an end, until one day, a mother with a baby on her back and a young boy in a stroller walked into the hospital lobby. The woman, Nestorine Lakas, carried an IRC folder under her arm, and Frankel immediately knew that she was meant to work with this family.

The family was from Cameroon and didn’t speak English, but since Frankel knew a bit of French, she was able to put some of the pieces together (“Madame Kohn would be proud,” she says). The son, Eric, had expe-

ALUMNI

rienced complications at birth and was born with Cerebral Palsy. Later, while the family was en route to safety, he’d had a grand mal seizure, causing further brain damage.

Carole, the baby Frankel saw on Lakas’ back, had been born in a refugee camp.

Knowing how vulnerable families from different cultures could be in the U.S. healthcare system, Frankel became the family’s advocate during hospital visits, translating between doctors and Lakas.

“She was totally capable of learning what she needed to do,” Frankel says. “But it was all coming at her so fast. And once I became involved, I found the needs were just huge because of her son’s medical fragility, though he was not fragile in spirit.”

While most IRC family mentorships last only few months, Frankel knew that this connection would be for the long haul. Over the next few years, she advocated for the young boy as he moved through the medical and education systems. Having Frankel as a friend, rather than a caseworker, often worked to the family’s advantage.

“When you’re not getting a paycheck, when you’re just someone’s friend, people are more likely to do things for you. If I had been a social worker, I would have been limited in what I could ask for. But as a volunteer, I didn’t really care if they fired me!”

Last January, with Frankel’s help, the family members became American citizens.

Through the long and nerve-wracking process, she felt proud to stand alongside them and amazed by their resilience.

“It’s easy to think that [refugees] are not resilient, but they are so resilient,” she says.

“Imagine if you were going there—to their home in a small rural village. You don’t speak the language, and you have none of the skills to survive in that environment. You would need a friend. Refugees don’t need material things. They need friends.”

Frankel’s sister, Julie Appel, has seen the power of both friendship and private citizenship through her sister’s work with refugee families.

“The current system is not meant to handle the needs of the people we bring to our country, although it is better than what they had in their country,” she explains.

“They need the type of support that only private citizens can give.”

Over time, these relationships have created inter-family friendships that have grown and deepened. In fact, Appel’s son, Pace junior MAX APPEL, raised money in preparation for his bar mitzvah to purchase Lakas’ son an iPad, which has been instrumental in helping him communicate, create and play. A strong bond has developed between the two boys.

“Eric loves life and enjoys himself like any other kid his age without a life-changing disability,” he says. “Being with him puts a smile on my face, and his friendship means the world to me.”

The Appels often take Lakas’ children on outings, and find conversations with the two siblings (who each speak four languages) immensely enriching.

“They are living proof that incredible things can develop through extreme adversity,” Frankel says. “Instead of thinking about how bad everything is in the world and the struggles we all face, we need to change our focus and recognize the simple pleasures in our relationships with others and the world around us.”

Seven years after they first met, Frankel knows that their relationship will continue in the years to come. She wants the family members to feel comfortable, emotionally and physically. She wants to see them lifted out of poverty. She wants them to be happy and safe. She wants people to hear Eric’s story, and to know that her connection with his family has made her a better provider for her patients, a better mother, a better wife and a better friend.

“Anyone who meets this family is forever changed,” she says. “They have taught us how to be human.”

Save the Date SEPT. 21 & 22 The Classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 will reconnect for their class reunions.

If you are interested in serving on your reunion committee, please email Hayley Shoji '12 at

hayley.shoji@paceacademy.org

#Reuknight

— by LARA EZOR ’06

If you are interested in further supporting Eric and his family, please contact Kathi Frankel at kathifrankel@comcast.net.

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WE NEED YOU! Which area is most meaningful to you?

Pace Academy reflects a vibrant community composed of many parts, and 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.