GRADUATION THE MAGAZINE OF PACE ACADEMYSUMMER 2022 P L US! SHREK THE MUSICAL, T HE Y EAR OF T ECHNO L O G Y & A S A L UTE T O R E TIRING F A CU L T Y DEBATE Resurgence THE CLASS OF 2022 IS GO FOR LAUNCH! CHAMPIONS Springtime
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Admittedly, my interest is shrouded in a good deal of fear and anxiety. Thankfully, visions of impending doom are somewhat assuaged by my profound belief in today’s young people. Every year, I watch and listen as Pace students, guided by expert faculty, ask hard questions, think critically, solve problems, and care intensely for one another and the world around them. I find great hope and courage in their creativity and sense of purpose. Learn more about the 2022–2023 annual theme on page 27, and join the Pace community as we embark on The Year of Technology. Worriers, take heart. We are in good hands.
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This year, OLIVER LOREE ’23 won the ICGL's Annual Global Theme Poster Award Contest. This original artwork exemplifies and communicates the 2022–2023 theme of Technology. Learn more about the contest on page 28.
When our families and staff are in need, PACE CARES
I’VEEDITORTHEAMASSEDQUITETHELIBRARY
Contact us to deliver a meal: pacecares@paceacademy.org
AWARD-WINNING ART
CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 DIRECTOR
CARESPACE
OF COMMUNICATIONS
over the past nine years as, alongside the Pace Academy community, I’ve learned more about each of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) annual themes. From Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto to Charles Fishman’s The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, the ICGL’s recommended reading and subsequent programming have made me think deeply about the global issues facing our world and have affected the decisions I make on a daily basis.
This summer, my reading list included The Future is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler (full disclosure: I haven’t finished it yet). As a mother of young children and someone who is begrudgingly but undeniably glued to my phone, I’m interested in how Technology —this year’s theme—will shape our lives in the coming years, for better or worse.
RILEY ALKIRE ’23 Riley Alkire has attended Pace Academy since Pre-First. She plays on the varsity volleyball team and has a passion for philanthropy. A member of the National Charity League, Alkire has spent several summers working with the Agape Youth and Family Center and has received two President’s Volunteer Service Awards. During the 2021–2022 school year, she was one of four Isdell Global Leaders charged with investigating the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s theme of Education. As a result of her experience, she plans to study public policy in college. This summer, Alkire furthered her education-related studies through an internship at the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education.
966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org HEAD OF SCHOOL FRED DOROTHYDIVISIONASSAFHEADSA.HUTCHESON Head of Lower School GRAHAM ANTHONY Head of Middle School MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School CAITLINDEPARTMENTCOMMUNICATIONSGOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, editor DIDIER BRIVAL Digital Content Producer MARY STUART GRAY ’16 Communications Associate RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager GEMSHOTSCHRISFREDPHOTOGRAPHERSCONTRIBUTINGASSAFALUKABERRYPHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com LEO PHOTOGRAPHER www.leophotographer.com SMAX PHOTOGRAPHY www.smaxart.com CONTRIBUTING WRITER DANA JACKSON 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 caitlin.jones@paceacademy.orgat CONTENTS 07 NEWS 07 LOWER SCHOOL CHESS TEAM COMPETES AT NATIONALS 07 AMAZON FUTURE ENGINEER SCHOLARSHIP WINNER SYDNEY FAUX ’22 earns recognition from the world's largest online retailer 08 AROUND PACE A look at what’s happening on campus 08 BOARD MEMBERS ROLL OFF Saluting BRUCE CARROLL, JOE MATHIAS and NATASHA SWANN 11 NEW FACES ON THE DEI TEAM DR. JASON BROOKS and TARA HARRIS become DEI coordinators 12 RETIREE PROFILES PATTI ALEXANDER , ANNA BUSH, MARSHA DURLIN, ROBBI HUDGINS, MARK KNOTT, KATHIE LARKIN, CAPPY LEWIS and RHONDA PECK O GORMAN 88 16 CELEBRATING THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE 17 MIDDLE SCHOOL CHESS TOURNAMENT 18 END-OF-THE-YEAR EVENTS 20 YEAR-END ACCOLADES 22 LIFE TRUSTEE PROFILE HAYNES ROBERTS 24 ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership 24 AN ISDELL GLOBAL LEADER RECAPS THE YEAR OF EDUCATION 27 TACKLING TECHNOLOGY The 2022–2023 ICGL Theme 30 ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS 30 COLLEGE-BOUND ARTISTS 32 FOURTH-GRADE PLAY 33 FIFTH-GRADE PLAY 34 SHREK THE MUSICAL The Upper School spring musical 36 THE SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY OF MAKENZY SLOAN ’22 38 SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS Baseball, boys golf, girls golf, gym nasitcs, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, girls soccer and girls track & field 44 COLLEGE-BOUND ATHLETES 46 GOLDEN SPRINGTIME State championships for boys soccer, boys tennis, girls tennis and boys track & field 50 A NEW ERA FOR PACE DEBATE Highlighting a young, growing and reinvigorated debate team 54 GRADUATION CELEBRATION The Class of 2022 blasts off 60 ALUMNI 60 ALUMNI UPDATES 67 ALUMNI LEADERSHIP 67 ALUMNI SCHOLAR AWARD WINNER CARTER FREUDENSTEIN ’23 68 ALUMNI EVENTS 70 COAT OF ARMS Our legacy families get a new name 72 GENERATIONS OF GYMNASTS The Braithwaite family’s legacy in Pace gymnastics GUEST WRITER
In this issue of the KnightTimes, we look back on the final months of the 2021–2022 school year and celebrate the sense of community and the accomplishments that continue to define Pace. We salute the Class of 2022 (page 54) and our spring-season state champions (page 46); we applaud our performers and visual artists (page 30); and we zoom in on Pace Debate, a flagship program in the midst of an exciting resurgence (page 50).
Thank you for your continued partnership. The future looks bright for Pace
Sincerely,Academy.
LETTERSCHOOL FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
We also look ahead. In the coming year, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) will guide students and faculty on a deep dive into the global issues surrounding Technology, our annual ICGL theme (page 27), and Pace Knights will take to the skies as we resume international travel through the ICGL. In the first weeks of 2022–2023, we’ll debut our 2022–2027 Strategic Plan—more on that in our fall issue—and we’ll welcome the team conducting our reaccreditation through the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Needless to say, I’ve never been more excited to be a Pace Knight, and I hope you feel the same.
Once again, we find ourselves on the precipice of a new school year. As I’ve taken time to relax and reflect this summer, I have found joy in revisit ing the moments that made 2021–2022 at Pace Academy so memorable—lunch with my friends in Pre-First, conversations with our graduating seniors about their Pace experi ences, shared laughter with my colleagues, electric crowds at sporting events and the anticipatory pre-show buzz in the Zalik Theater.
In April, the Upper School production of Shrek The Musical transported audi ences to the Kingdom of Dulac as Donkey and Shrek set off on their epic quest to free the swamp from Lord Farquaad and return the fairytale creatures to their homes. See more on page 34.
FRED ASSAF HEAD OF
THE COVER MCLEAN EAGLESON ’22, Valedictorian KARGIL BEHL ’22 and XAVIER AGOSTINO ’22 celebrate the start of graduation fes tivities at Baccalaureate.
Image by FRED ASSAF
2022 | Summer 5
Image by CHRIS ALUKA BERRY
Dear Pace Community,
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It’s time to pre-apply for the 2023 GEORGIA PRIVATE SCHOOL TAX CREDIT PROGRAM. TAX CREDITS LIMITS HAVE INCREASED! This education credit is better than a tax deduction because it gives you, the Georgia taxpayer, a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the amount you owe in Georgia taxes. You receive 100% credit on your state tax return for the amount of your contribution. Visit www.paceacademy.org/tax-credit to submit your form electronically or print and mail the form. QUESTIONS? Contact the Office of Advancement at advancement@paceacademy.org or call Debra Mann at 404-240-9103 with any questions. DEADLINE TO PRE-APPLY: DEC. 15, 2022 JOIN US FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 & SATURDAY, OCT. 1 Festivities include the Homecoming tailgate party and football game, Golden Knights brunch, Knight School with HELEN SMITH, and lunch and an open house in the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. Additionally, classes ending in “2” and “7” are celebrating reunions. ALUMNI GIVING CHALLENGE Show your school spirit and participate in the Alumni Giving Challenge, running concurrently with Homecoming & Reunions. Proceeds benefit The Alumni Fund. Donate online today! REGISTER BY SEPT. www.paceacademy.org/homecoming-reunion-weekend23
This past spring, SYDNEY FAUX ’22 was one of only 11 students from Georgia and 250 nationwide to receive the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship. Winners earn $40,000 toward college tuition and participate in a paid internship following their freshman year of college.
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Selection criteria for the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship includes academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, community involvement, work experience, future goals and financial need. This year’s recipients come from more than 30 states and U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and, for the first time, an American military base in Europe. More than 70% of scholarship recipients identify as Black, Latinx and Native American, and 50% are women—all currently underrepresented in STEM.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NEWS 2022 | Summer 7
After finishing second in the state of Georgia, the Lower School chess team— HUNT LOWRIE ’30, BRYSON VIEIRA ’30, RYAN SCEUSI ’29 and SETH YEHUDAI ’29 —headed to Columbus, Ohio, for the 2022 National Elementary (K–6) Championships. In the team’s first-ever national competition, the Knights came home with a third-place title in their divi sion, and Yehudai placed 18th overall in the division. l
FAUX
“I applied for the scholarship because I wanted to help pay for college and also for the amazing opportunity to complete an internship with Amazon,” says Faux. “I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work on real-world software engineering projects, and I hope that the experience will help me determine whether I want to pursue research or academia in computer science, or immediately enter the workforce after I graduate.”
RECEIVES AMAZON FUTURE ENGINEER SCHOLARSHIP
Over the course of her high-school career, Faux distinguished herself as a thought leader. Her science project exploring the carbon footprint of artificial intelligence won gold at the Atlanta City Regional Science Fair, and Faux went on to receive the top prize in the Systems Software category at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, where she also earned second honors across all projects and won a University of Georgia Mathematics Award. At the 2021 International Science and Engineering Fair, Faux placed fourth in her category and received a fourth-place award from the Association of Computing Machinery. She was one of two recipients of the Frank D. Kaley Award, Pace’s highest honor, and will attend Stanford University in the fall. l
8 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy AROUND PACE A LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PACE
Joe Natasha Farewell
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Swann says, “Serving on the Board over the past nine years brought a wide range of experiences—from the challenge of COVID to the success of the Accelerate Pace campaign. It has been a privilege to participate in navigating the school through it all.”
In addition to his Board roles, Carroll has participated on the school’s Planned Giving Committee, serving as the committee’s liaison to the Board. Former Board member and Life Trustee GARRY SCHAEFER, who invited Carroll to join the committee, states, “Bruce has been a great asset to the committee—he’s an advocate of planned giving as well as a really nice guy! We have appreciated having him, as a Board member, give the additional time required for this committee and value his efforts to advance the planned giving initiative among the Trustees.”
Bruce Carroll
Director of Advancement HEATHER WHITE developed strong ties with Carroll over the years and describes him as “dedicated to making an impact through service as well as philanthropy.” She adds, “Bruce takes the concept of giving time, talent and treasure seriously. He and Gabriela have been among Pace’s most steadfast supporters, and it’s impossible to fully thank them for all they have done.”
AIDAN CARROLL ’23 joined the Pre-First class three years later.
Swann values the strong friendships made at Pace and looks forward to watching the school continue to strive for excellence. “It’s been an honor to have served while the school has grown in so many positive ways. I’m so impressed with Head of School FRED ASSAF, as well as the Board chairs over my time, who have all exhibited fantastic leadership in advancing Pace to the next level.”
As Mathias rolls off, what stands out most is his family’s positive Pace experi ence. “It's hard to believe it has been 17 years since Joseph came to Pace as a Pre-Firster! I can’t begin to tell you how appreciative Carol and I are that our family has been part of the Pace community,” he says. “What an amazing school Pace has been for all of our boys—we will cherish forever so many great memo ries and friendships.”
Head of School FRED ASSAF says, “Joe has been a respected voice on the Board and the Executive Committee, and we will miss his leadership. He and Carol and their boys have been part of the school community since 2005, and their contributions are innumerable. We appreciate their incredible generosity to Pace, given in so many ways.”
Longtime Board members BRUCE CARROLL, JOE MATHIAS and NATASHA SWANN step down as terms conclude.
Swann and her husband, CHRISTOPHER SWANN, are longtime Pace parents who joined the Pace community in 2008, when the oldest of their three sons, ALEXANDER SWANN ’21, entered Pre-First. Their younger sons, ANDREW SWANN ’23 and WILLIAM SWANN ’27, also enrolled in Pre-First.
NATASHA SWANN, who served as a member of the Board’s Advancement, Governance and Planning Committees, occupied a crucial role in the strategic planning process as chair of the Enrollment Subcommittee for the 2016–2021 Strategic Plan.
AROUND PACE 2022 | Summer 9
Departing Trustee BRUCE CARROLL and his wife, GABRIELA CARROLL , became part of the Pace community in 2007 when their older son, DILLON CARROLL ’20, enrolled in Pre-First.
“I consider it an honor and a privilege to be selected to serve Pace in this role,” Carroll said when he joined the Board in 2013. I hope to contribute to Pace’s success.” Reaching comple tion of his third three-year term, the maximum for a Pace Trustee, Carroll has done exactly that. During his nine years, Pace’s Board has overseen impactful projects ranging from three capital campaigns to the creation of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership. Carroll’s Board contribu tions include six years chairing the Community & Communications Subcommittee for the 2016–2021 Strategic Plan as well as service on the Finance and Governance Committees.
Joe Mathias
JOSEPH “JOE” MATHIAS concludes his service as a Pace Trustee after six years, as his youngest son, ALEX MATHIAS ’22, graduates, and he and his wife, CAROL MATHIAS, move into a new role: parents of Pace alumni. The Mathias’s two older sons also attended Pace: MATTHEW MATHIAS and JOSEPH MATHIAS ’18, a PaceMathiasLifer. served two three-year terms during which he was active on the Finance and Planning Committees and also spent three years on the Executive Committee in the role of Board Secretary.
Natasha Swann
Swann’s fellow Trustees appreciate her dedication to making a positive impact at Pace. “At every turn, Natasha has found ways to contribute to the Board and to the Pace community,” Board Chair ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS says. “She has been an engaged Board member and a leader among parents, wearing many hats and always willing to give her time anywhere she could make a differ ence. The Board will miss her energy.”
THROUGH STUDENTSFORMORECENTERTHEACOLLABORATIONCROSS-DIVISIONALNEWINITIATIVEFROMACADEMICRESOURCEMAKESMATHAPPROACHABLELOWERSCHOOL
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the ARC and programs like this,” another said.
irector of the Lower School Academic Resource Center (ARC) JUDITH INNISS arrived at Pace Academy in the fall of 2021, the same time that the Lower School imple mented Math in Focus, a curriculum that helps students become mathematical thinkers using hands-on manipula tives and abstract representations of real-world problems.
During the program’s first seven-week cycle, Caton, Davis, Loomis and Shields held office hours before school twice a week, meeting in the Kam Memar Lower School’s new ARC with small groups of Lower School students to work toward a specific learning target, set by Inniss and the students’ classroom teach
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As students and teachers adjusted to the new curriculum, Inniss thought that the ARC could assist with the transition. “My primary goal was to alleviate any frustration with learning new math con cepts by providing positive role models and helpers,” Inniss says. “But more importantly, I wanted Lower School students to build their confidence and perseverance when approaching math.”
A second, six-week cycle of ARC Office Hours included nine ad ditional Upper School volunteers— ALLISON CHITWOOD ’25, KAI COTTON ’25, LILLIS DAVIS ’25, ETAN GERBER ’25, MARY KILEY PAULOWSKY ’25, MARY OYEFUGA ’25, BRIAN SILVERBOARD ’25, DALLIS WELSH ’25 and MORGAN GOLDSTROM ’24 —which allowed Inniss to expand the program’s reach to impact more students. The feedback was the same.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
ers. Sessions included time for relationship building, activities to enhance fact fluency, content and skill review, and opportuni ties to demonstrate math reasoning while solving problems. The response was overwhelmingly positive. “Teachers commented that they saw noticeable improvement in their students’ confidence and math skills,” Inniss reports.
In partnership with ARC Director MICHAEL CALLAHAN and Upper School Academic Coach JORDAN SILVERBOARD, Inniss identified four students who were willing to serve as Lower School instructional aides: CAMILLE CATON ’23, KATHERINE DAVIS ’24, HARTLEY LOOMIS ’23 and KYLEN SHIELDS ’23. Inniss provided the aides with overviews of the math skills and strategies that they were expected to support and officially launched the ARC Office Hours program in January 2022.
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“Pairing the younger students with upperclassmen is brilliant,” wrote a Lower School parent in a post-program survey. “[My child] was more receptive to an ‘older girl’ than she likely would have been to an adult.”
As Inniss has settled into her role—a new position at Pace— she and Learning Specialists SANDI EPSTEIN and LAURA FITZPATRICK plan to continue to offer thoughtful programs like ARC Office Hours. It’s all part of the mission of the Lower School ARC: To provide equitable support to ensure that all learners reach their full potential. l
FU ’24 and OWEN ROSS ’23
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The NLE recognized 34 Pace Middle School students and 26 Upper School students for outstanding performance on the 2022 exam; 22 students across both divisions received Cum Laude certificates, while 18 received Magna Cum Laude awards. Silver medals (Maxima Cum Laude) went DAVID
AD VICTORIAM:
State Convention in April,
Pace’s
Latin is nowhere near dead in the halls of Pace Academy, thanks to master magistri KIM PETERSON, STEWART TARVIN, ELIZABETH KANN and MICHELLE YANCICH ’13. This past spring, Middle and Upper Schoolers participated in the National Latin Exam (NLE), which strives to encourage students in their study of Latin language and culture by providing a sense of personal accomplishment and success. Students in all 50 states and 24 countries take the exam.
put their language skills
DR.JASON BROOKS
to ANSLEY KIRBO ’28, OLLIE LOCKARD ’28, ARJUN NIRGUDKAR ’28, WALKER WEBB ’28, BRIAN KIM ’27, ELOISE MCDONALD ’27, KYLIE NEWBERG ’27, MACK BYBEE ’26, MATTHEW SKOP ’26, TIERNAN HOFSTETTER ’26, JACKSON WASHBURN ’25, LILLIS DAVIS ’25, CLAIRE JIANG ’25, BRODY MATTHIAS ’24, ANNA ZINMAN ’23, ELEANOR DUPREE ’22 and SYDNEY FAUX ’22. The NLE awards gold medals to top scorers; Summa Cum Laude medal winners were VAN MULLER ’25, ELOWYN ALLEN ’25, STEPHEN YANG ’25, JACKSON GANT ’25,
Harris joined the Pace Academy community as a strings teacher in 2008 and has significantly grown the thriving orchestra program over the past 14 years. She has traveled the world as a professional musician and with Pace’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership, and has served on the school’s Council for Racial Equity. Harris will support DEI programming in the Middle School.
Brooks teaches English in the Upper School and, since arriving at Pace in 2021, has been actively involved in DEI initiatives—a commit ment he demonstrated at Kirby School in Santa Cruz, Calif., where he received the Kirby School Community Service Award. Brooks’s inquiry- and project-based classroom emphasizes equity of voice as well as interdisciplinary approaches to studying literature and the humanities, and complements the work of the DEI team. l
At the Georgia Junior Classical League State Convention, students competed in academic, arts, athletics and spirit competitions.
AROUND PACE
LIVESLATIN ON
arts,
home medals in events such as Mythology, Classical Art, Greek History & Culture and Latin Reading Comprehension. l 112022 | Summer
During the 2021–2022 school year, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) expanded to include three new DEI coordinators—bringing the total number to six, two in each division. All coordinators are Pace employees who support DEI initiatives and programs while serving in their primary roles. With the departure of two DEI coordinators in the spring of 2022, TARA HARRIS and DR. JASON BROOKS will become part of the DEI team for the 2022–2023 school year.
in the quiz bowl competition, and
TARA HARRIS
Latin students also to the test at the Georgia Junior Classical League where students from across Georgia competed in academic, athletics and spirit competitions, both virtually and in person. intermediate Certamen team of Allen and Jiang placed fourth Knights brought
“Our Lower School community will miss Patti’s warmth, quiet humor and love for each and every one of her students,” says Head of Lower School DOROTHY HUTCHESON l
ANNABUSH
KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy AROUND PACE
ALEXANDERPATTI
For 25 years, PATTI ALEXANDER created an exciting and loving classroom environment for her Pre-First students—a place full of smiles, hugs and positivity. She and her only teaching partner, RHONDA PECK O’GORMAN ’88 , formed a dynamic duo, committed to their students’ wellbeing and to the mission of the school.
Assistant Director of Athletics ANNA BUSH arrived at Pace in 2011, charged with building a successful varsity volleyball program. A statechampionship-winning coach at Marist School prior to joining the Pace team, Bush had come to know the school as a parent to CORY BUSH ’14 . She quickly got to work and, over the course of her 11 years as a Knight, Bush and her teams brought home five consecutive state titles.
Alexander began her career in DeKalb County Schools and later taught at St. Anne’s Day School. Her daughter, HANNAH ALEXANDER ’08 , enrolled in Pace’s Pre-First class in 1995, and both Alexander and her son, READE ALEXANDER ’10 , joined the Pace family in 1997.
A master teacher, Alexander received the Kessler Excellence in Teaching Award in 2005, Pace’s highest honor, and she was known for her expertise in designing the perfect activities to keep Pre-First students engaged in the curriculum. Her storytelling abilities were legendary; without fail, students and colleagues were riveted when “Mrs. A” read aloud or shared a story from memory.
More important than the accolades however, was Bush’s impact on her players. She emphasized the importance of remaining focused on the journey rather than the end result—in volleyball and in life. “Volleyball is just a sport, just a game,” she said following her final state championship in 2021. “What goes on in my players’ lives as they develop from age 14 to 18, that’s the most important thing. If they learned how to be better human beings through volleyball, then I did my job.” l
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MARSHA DURLIN joined the Pace faculty in 1979 after teaching English at Briarcliff High School. Upper School English students knew her as a challenging teacher with a passionate love of literature and the enthusias tic host of her infamous Friday dance parties. One of her former students said that attending her class was “like finally being invited to dinner at the grown-up table.”
“I’m grateful to Marsha for sharing her love of literature with genera tions of students and for dedicating her professional life to our school community,” says Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON l
Hudgins’ creative approach to teaching and learning inspired Pace’s youngest critical thinkers, and she was committed to ensuring that her students understood their roles as citizens of the world. To that end, Hudgins helped expand the Lower School Design Thinking curriculum, taking part in the Nueva School’s 2014 Design Thinking Institute and sharing her learning with her colleagues. She also traveled with students to Costa Rica through the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL).
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ROBBI HUDGINS joined the Pace faculty as a second-grade lead teacher in 2012 and made an immediate impact. She came to Pace from Westminster, her alma mater, where she received numerous teaching and coaching awards.
13 SALUTING OUR RETIRING FACULTY AND STAFF
From overseeing Peer Leadership and directing the Middle School play to leading the English department, Durlin contributed so much to so many areas of school life during her 40+ years at Pace. In 1990, the same year Pace students dedicated the Pacesetter yearbook to her, Durlin received the Kessler Excellence in Teaching Award and, in 1998, she became the second Pace teacher to earn the Loridans Teaching Fellowship, a five-year prize for outstanding performance. In addition, she won several National Endowment for the Humanities awards for summer study: at Emory University in 1986, at Oxford University in England in 1988, at the University of Colorado in 1990 and at Princeton in 1996.
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2022 | Summer AROUND PACE
Most importantly, “all of Robbi’s students knew that they were deeply loved in her classroom,” says Lower School Director of Student Life KACY BRUBAKER . Director of Lower School Global Leadership REBECCA RHODES agrees: “Robbi was amazing in the way she truly saw and knew the kids in her care.” l
SALUTING OUR RETIRING FACULTY AND STAFF
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AROUND PACE
Assistant Head of Middle School for Academics KATHIE LARKIN began her Pace journey when her daughter, DODIE LARKIN YOUNG ’92 , enrolled in 1979. Son JOHN LARKIN ’96 joined the Pre-First class in 1983 and then, in 1984, it was Larkin’s turn. She accepted a job teaching sixth grade and spent the next 37 years at Pace. Prior to the creation of the Middle School, sixth grade was part of the Lower School, and when the Garcia Family Middle School opened in 2004, Larkin made the move down the hill from the Randall House (the former Lower School, since replaced by the Kam Memar Lower School).
“Kathie was truly one of the educators who built and shaped the Middle School into what it is today,” says Head of Middle School GRAHAM ANTHONY. “She has been a mentor, leader and confidant not just to the students, but to all Middle School faculty as well.”
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KNOTTMARK
For a decade, Upper School ceramics teacher MARK KNOTT shared with students the extensive knowledge and mastery he had gained as a professional artist. An authority in the historical ceramic tradition of functional pottery, Knott brought out the best in his students; he was simultaneously exacting and encouraging, and he cultivated in many devotees a love for ceramics that they continued to pursue in college andOutsidebeyond.of the studio, Knott was an unabashed fan of the Pace Academy Knights and attended countless athletics events to support his students; he rarely missed a basketball or baseball game. “Mark was a tireless supporter of Pace students, and no one has cheered on the Knights with greater enthusiasm,” says Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON . “Our community will miss Mark’s Pace spirit, as well as his love for his students and his craft.” l
Larkin transitioned to an administrative role but remained in the classroom, leading the Middle School’s coursework on Holocaust stud ies and civil rights. “Passionate and sincere, Kathie has engaged with our students around these topics and led them in crucial conversations about empathy, understanding and reflection,” says Anthony. “For nearly four decades, Kathie has taught just about every student that has come through the Middle School.” l
Lewis received the Kessler Excellence in Teaching Award in 1997, the Loridans Academic Fellowship in 2004, the 2008 and 2011 Cum Laude Society Awards, the 2016 Knight Investment in Education Award and, in 2017, the Class of 2013 Outstanding Teaching Award.
A member of the Pace Class of 1988, O’Gorman returned to her alma mater as a Pre-First associate teacher in 1992 and was a fixture on the Pre-First hall until her retirement this past spring. She delighted in sharing her love for Pace and the school’s traditions with generations of students—tours of the Castle, painting like Picasso and the Pre-First Authors Tea Party just won’t be the same without “Ms. O.”
“Thanks to Rhonda, 30 years’ worth of students have launched their Lower School careers with a deep understanding of ‘The Pace Way’ and what it means to be a true Pace Knight,” says Head of Lower School
DOROTHY HUTCHESON l
Upper School Spanish teacher CAPPY LEWIS came to Pace in 1976 as the result of a happy accident; she originally wanted to use her Spanish degree in the corporate world, but former Head of School GEORGE KIRKPATRICK convinced her otherwise. Generations of Pace stu dents—including her daughters, CARA LEWIS ’02 and AMANDA LEWIS ’04 —are grateful he did.
Known for taking students on imaginative tours “around the world” as part of the Pre-First curriculum, O’Gorman modeled that same spirit of adventure when she traveled with the Isdell Center for Global Leadership on a 2017 study tour to Antarctica and enthusiastically shared her learnings with Lower Schoolers upon her return.
2022 | Summer 15 AROUND PACE
RHONDA O’GORMANPECK’88
For nearly half a century, Lewis lined up her students at the board to discuss all facets of their lives—in Spanish. A master teacher, she spent decades in the basement of Bridges Hall (demolished to make room for the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School), churning out proficient Spanish speakers while overseeing the growth and success of the world languages department. As a result, decades of Pace alumni were well prepared to communicate across the globe.
RHONDA PECK O’GORMAN ’88 bleeds Pace blue—sharing a passion for Pace with her three siblings, her nephew and her son, EVERETT O’GORMAN ’20 , all Pace alumni.
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“I will miss Cappy’s enthusiasm, commitment to excellence and unfail ing dedication to her students’ success,” says Head of Upper School
MIKE GANNON l
16 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy
Maske recognized Pace Fund Commit tee Chair DEREK HARDESTY, division leadership chairs CIARA IRONS, JULIE GOLDSTROM and KEN CRUMLEY and the other Pace Fund volunteers.
Head of School FRED ASSAF thanked the members of the Pace Fund Committee for their efforts during the past school year and congratulated them on their success. He offered additional words of appreciation to Advancement Committee Chair JIM MASKE as well as Director of Advancement HEATHER WHITE and the Advancement team.
Pace Academy celebrated the members of the Pace Fund’s Knights of the Round Table giving society in April at a festive outdoor reception in the Pace Gardens. Over 150 guests enjoyed delicious buffet selections, sipped beverages and socialized during the annual event that recognizes the Pace Fund’s most generous donors. Leadership donors to the Accelerate Pace capital cam paign for the Kam Memar Lower School also attended the gathering.
“The Pace Fund would not succeed with out our volunteers,” Maske said. “This has been an amazing year—especially given that our campaign took place alongside the Accelerate Pace campaign. I’m proud that we’ve exceeded the $2 million goal, thanks in no small part to our Knights of the Round Table donors.” l
AROUND PACE
THECELEBRATINGKNIGHTSOFTHEROUNDTABLE
Upon his arrival at Pace this past year, Perez-Cisneros noticed that several Middle School students spent their free time playing chess. After further investigation, he learned that while a chess program existed in the Lower School, and Upper School students enjoyed daily games in the Seaman Family Student Commons, there was no chess club or opportunity for Middle School students to improve their chess skills. Perez-Cisneros asked Head of Middle School GRAHAM ANTHONY for an opportunity to change that, and, with Anthony’s enthusiastic endorsement, he got to work.
The result was a months-long chess tournament involving 67 mem bers of the Middle School community—both students and teachers. Perez-Cisneros kicked things off with a crash course for beginners and assigned pairings based on players’ self-reported abilities. Participants were given two-week windows in which to play their games—in person at school or via chess.com —and an enormous bracket displayed in the eighth-grade hall allowed participants and observers to track players’ progress. The final round, featuring ZAKI GEORGE ’26 and DOMINIC HANTULA ’26, was live streamed into the Middle School’s Knights Hall, where a panel of student chess experts provided play-by-play commentary. Ultimately, Hantula emerged victorious.
A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL TRADITION IS BORN
“Relationships are the heart of everything we do in the Middle School,” says Anthony. “The chess tournament provided another really fun and engaging opportunity for students to interact with their teach ers beyond the classroom. I’m grateful to Señor Perez-Cisneros for his vision—and I’m looking forward to avenging my loss to [Middle School Drama Teacher] PATRICK CAMPBELL in the 2023 tournament.” l
172022 | Summer
Middle School Spanish Teacher JORGE PEREZ-CISNEROS has been playing chess since he was 10 years old. “I never thought of chess as a game for adults,” he says. “I’ve just always been fascinated by it. As a child, it was my way of exercising my brain.”
CHEC K M A TE
AROUND PACE
TRIPRIGHTSCIVIL DAYTHEFORPRINCIPALSCHOOLLOWERDAYCHALLENGETEAMSCHOOLMIDDLE PRANKSENIORPROM DAYPETSENIOR
aOn NoteHighSPRINGTIMEFESTIVITIES FORCEFULLINRETURN DAYSFIELDSCHOOLLOWER DAYFUNPRE-FIRST PICNICAMERICANGREATPHLOTILLA
Eric Hay Henderson, Jr. Friendship Award
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LOWER AWARDSSCHOOL
Sidney Keys
✦ Computer DepartmentScienceAward
UPPER AWARDSUNDERCLASSMENSCHOOL
Haley Hirokawa & Adam Schultz
Dominic Hantula, Eric Wilhelmsen & Ashley York [3]
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Rohan Brahma, Barrett Colquitt, Olivia Graubart, Alyssa Hajiani, Jane Murphy, Madeline Siskin & Seth Yehudai
Nailah Beachem & Jackson Washburn
Ellie Carter & David Fu
Frank Woodling Community Service Award
AROUND PACE
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Stephen Yang & Amina Zubairi [7]
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Faculty Award for Scholarship
Jake Haggman & Grace Richardson
CLASS OF 2025:
Claire Jiang
Ellie Aronson & Prabhavh Pradeep
Clyde
✦ Columbia University Book Award
Mary Ellis Irvin
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Dean's Award for Character
Frances Felicité Thomas Award
EIGHTH GRADE:
Sara Mazur & Trovon Baugh Dartmouth College Book Award
Oliver Loree [4]
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Max Hamilton & Ann Rosengren [2]
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✦ L. Reese ʼ76 Diversity Leadership Award
EIGHTH GRADE:
✦ Sanford and Barbara Orkin Scholars
Carter Freudenstein
✦ Cara Isdell Service Learning Award
SIXTH GRADE: Grayden Auchincloss & Katharine Nuckols
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SEVENTH GRADE: Campbell Hanna & Andy Levenson
✦ Alumni Scholar Award
CLASS OF 2025:
SEVENTH GRADE:
Harvard University Book Prize
Brienne Hingst
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CLASS OF 2024:
William Cummings
CLASS OF 2024:
20 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy 1 23 45
Chandler Bing
Ella Reagan Roth & Julian Sanders
Corey Lochan Horowitz LeadershipAthleticsAward
✦ BJ Hayes CitizenshipGoodAward
Lucy Bybee [5]
John Hardesty & Olivia Siskin
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✦ Crissa Noelle Hawkins Scholarship Award
Kate Webb
Kate Romero
CLASS OF 2024:
David Grice & Hermela Teferi [6]
Georgia Institute of MathematicsTechnologyAward
✦ The Courage to Strive for Excellence Award [1]
MIDDLE AWARDSSCHOOL
CLASS OF 2025:
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Eloise Gaudet
Marit UyHam [8] History Department Award
Jim and Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award
Ben Leach & Anna Nuckols Jefferson Book Award
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English Department Award
Georgia Institute of Technology Science Award
✦ Daughters of the American Revolution Youth Citizenship Award
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Emily Stevens
Ross Bernath & Ansli Hennings [9]
CLASS OF 2025:
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AWARDS Board of Trustees
Terry Noh & Olivia Resnick
Charlotte Vadnais [10] World DepartmentLanguagesAward
CLASS OF 2024:
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CLASS OF 2024:
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CLASS OF 2023:
Matthew Smentek Lolly SchoolkeeperHand Award
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CLASS OF 2023:
Allison Tarvin Mary Ellen Baumie Award
✦ Pace Parents Club 20 Years of Service Award
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SPANISH: Jack Wagreich Yale University Book Award
2022 | Summer 21ACCOLADESYEAR-ENDFACULTY/STAFF
FRENCH: Amelia Weiss
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Brooke Brumfield, Jane Cross, Amartya Kallingal & Jack Schmitt Smith College Book Award
CLASS OF 2025:
✦ Jim and Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award
Alex Hayes & Caroline Hood
LATIN: Anna Zinman
Hadley Gunn & Marco Juarez
Briea Craft & Niko Karetsos Mike Murphy Courage to Strive for Excellence Award
Carly Cannon, Reita Maguire, William McMullan & Daniel Owens
Charlie Bryant & Dr. Kaylan Haizlip John M. ExcellenceAndersoninTeaching Award
Daniel Prince
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Beatrix Boehner, Kelly Chadwick, Hannah Klein & Eric Pan
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CLASS OF 2024:
CLASS OF 2023:
✦ Pacesetter Dedication
Taylor Berry [12] Kessler Award for Excellence in Teaching
Poli Aparicio & Dr. Christine Carter Knight Capital Investment in Education Award
Ben Ewing ’06
CLASS OF 2025:
Jane and Herman Hipp English Department Fellowship
AWARDS HIGHLIGHT OUTSTANDING STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF 7 6 9 11 12 8 10
Helen Smith Cum Laude Society Teaching Award
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CLASS OF 2024:
50 Years of Service Award
Robert Kaufman Jesse C. ExcellenceCrawfordinTeaching Award
Emma Beth Neville [11]
Jason Smith
Brandon Gomez-Mendoza & Sheza Merchant Mimi Ann Deas Award
Ellie Arenth & Reed Millner Renaissance Award for Visual and Performing Arts
Kate Grice & Benjamin Ganz
AROUND PACE
Caitlyn Pinsker & Owen Ross
✦ Lance and Shield Award
CLASS OF 2025:
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Ellie Siskin & Matthew Wells CLASS OF 2023:
TRUSTEELIFEPROFILE
Beyond tuition, Haynes and Betsy were generous during their 21 years as Pace parents, giving of both time and resources. Betsy jumped in early as a room parent and enjoyed the role and new friendships; both volunteered with the Annual Fund (now the Pace Fund); Haynes offered pro-bono legal work to the school. The Roberts’ support continues to this day—to date, the couple has given to 24 annual funds and five capital campaigns and, impressively, has contributed for 34 straight years, making them one of only two donors with this duration of consecutive giving to Pace.
In 1995, with one child in the Lower School and two in the Upper School, Haynes became a member of Pace’s Board of Trustees. And more numbers still: Haynes served as a Trustee for nine years, participating on five Board committees and holding three offices: secretary, vice chair and chair.
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KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy AROUND PACE
ace Academy Life Trustee HAYNES ROBERTS, an Atlanta native and retired attorney, has a Pace story brimming with numbers. To begin, he and his wife, BETSY ROBERTS, married 50 years, have been part of the Pace community for 40 years, since the oldest of their three children, son HAYNES ROBERTS JR. ’96, enrolled in Pre-First.
The couple’s two daughters, KATIE ROBERTS MORRIS ’99 and CLAIRE ROBERTS KNAPP ’04, also enrolled as Pre-First students, and each sibling became a Pace “Lifer,” attending a total of 13 years. Betsy and Haynes laugh: “Thirtynine Pace tuitions!”
Amidst so many laudable numbers, Haynes is modest. Although the Board accomplished much during his tenure— especially in his years as vice chair and chair, when it oversaw construction of the Inman Center and the Garcia Family Middle School, instituted Trustee term limits, and revised the bylaws—Haynes prefers to discuss how the Pace experience served their family.
“I always valued the accessibility to the faculty and administration and the excel lent, nurturing, dedicated teachers our children had,” he recalls. “We remember [retired Head of Lower School] ANNA VALERIUS greeting them at the front door every morning; [the late] Lower School librarian BETTY SEELY imparting the love of reading, and their English teach ers, including [the late] STAN GILLESPIE, providing our children a real grasp of the English language and the nuts and bolts of
A PASSION FOR PACE
If you’d like to confirm—or explore— Castle Circle membership, please contact DANA JACKSON in the Office of Advancement at 404-262-3534 or dana.jackson@paceacademy.org, or visit www.paceacademy.org/support-pace/planned-giving for information.
After Haynes completed his Board service, he was invited to become a Pace Life Trustee, a designation offered to former Board chairs and other Trustees in recognition of extraordinary contributions. Now a Life Trustee for almost 20 years, Haynes notes that “the excellent education our children received and the many good and lasting friendships we made” top the list of things he values from his long-term relationship with the school.
Pace Athletics was a particular passion for the Roberts family. “Haynes Jr. was on the state-champion baseball team, and Katie was one of the first girls to be on the golf team,” he says. “Claire was on the first women's lacrosse team at Pace.”
“We also loved Pace’s relatively small size and family atmosphere, as well as tradi tions like the Pace Fall Fair and Auction that brought Pace together as a community,” Haynes says.
1. Katie as a member of the varsity girls golf team in the spring of 1999; 2. Haynes Jr. speaking at the Alumni Fireside Chat this past spring; Mrs. Valerius and Claire in the fall of 1992; Haynes and Betsy at the Life Trustees Dinner in April
Have you included Pace in your will or estate plan? If so, you are a Castle Circle member, and we hope you’ll let us know!
1 3 2 YOUARE CIRCLECASTLEAMEMBER ?
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encouraging creative writing.”
The Roberts are impressed with the Pace they see today. “It is much more diverse, which is a great thing, and it is still a small, family-focused school that emphasizes the strength and talents of each student,” Haynes says. “Our hopes for the school include continued excellence, continued superlative leadership by Head of School FRED ASSAF and continued recognition of Pace as an outstanding, first-rate independent school.” l
Haynes made deep connections and lasting friendships with many of his fellow Board members, including [the late] DR. HILTON KORT, MARY RUSHING, GREG DEXTER and others. He adds, “As chair, I developed a very close relationship with [former Head of School] MIKE MURPHY—we spoke or met almost every day,” Haynes recalls.
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Haynes and Betsy are quick to downplay the impact of their financial support of the school—which includes the recent step of arranging a bequest to Pace, making them members of The Castle Circle, which recognizes those who remember Pace in their estate plans. “When our children were in school, we knew the important thing was to participate—we always just gave what we could at the time,” Betsy relates.
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YEARTHE EDUCATIONOFAstheYearofEducationcomestoaclose,IsdellGlobalLeaderRILEYALKIRE’23assessesthechallengesinherentinoureducationsystemandintroducesustothepeopleandplacesattemptingtocreatechange. 24 ICGL ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
ANDERSON , LEE , FAVERO, ALKIRE and VARMA in New York City
THE CHALLENGES
Our research included two domestic study tours to locations relevant to our theme: New York City, because of its status as the largest public school system in the U.S. and the segregation within that system, and Southern California, because of its system’s openness to innovation, as well as teaching and learning reforms. The trips served as our primary periods of research as we interacted with organizations and experts in a variety of educational settings; however, we initially began our learning with two introductory books: Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life by William Deresiewicz and Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools by Jonathon Kozol.
Along with BRIAN LEE ’23, LEAH FAVERO ’22, RYAN VARMA ’22, ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON and ICGL Associate Director TED WARD, I spent the year discovering inequities within the U.S. educational system and exploring the innovative practices used to combat them.
Excellent Sheep provides a perfect conduit into the education system through discus sion of the college-application process, to which we could relate. Deresiewicz explores how, over time, universities have become increasingly business-like and how students have become more like sheep who fall prey to the enterprise of career readiness as opposed to intellectual exploration, critical thinking and self-development. Savage Inequalities presents the systemic inequities of a range of districts within various U.S. cities. It emphasizes the disparities on the basis of race and class between poor inner-city schools and the wealthier suburban districts. In reading these books, we recognized three systemic challenges: inequitable distribution of funding, lack of op portunity and myriad philosophies regarding the true purpose of education. Discussing funding, Kozol describes the use of highways during the Jim Crow era to segregate communities—often separating school districts as well. These lines divided communities by wealth, lessening the property taxes for schools in poorer districts and compromising the quality of education. Further, communities receiving
FAVERO VARMA WARD and ALKIRE in Southern California
THE PICTUREBIG
Each year, four Upper School students are selected as Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs), a group charged with researching the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) annual theme, this past year Education.
BY LEAH FAVERO ’22
2022 | Summer 25
After reading Excellent Sheep, we questioned the true purpose of education. Reading about how many students view education as a pipeline to financial success as opposed to a process of self-discovery and a primer for effective citizenship chal lenged our understanding of our own education. The initial purpose of education was the fundamental development of an individual and the building of criticalthinking skills to facilitate success in life in a democratic society. However, based on our research, a majority of secondary schools have become singularly focused on the college-application process and, ultimately, students’ ability to obtain the most financially beneficial employment. Many students are motivated to earn the highest grades and test scores possible and to go into jobs in sectors deemed ‘socially ac ceptable,’ instead of pursuing their genuine interests.
In response to these challenges, educational and philanthropic leaders have employed myriad innovative practices within schools—specifically private and charter schools, which can set their own learning outcomes for students—to level the playing field. Many of these schools enable students to pursue their educational interests outside of the cur riculum and implement atypical teaching and learning techniques (see examples below). Although these practices have proven effective, they reach a limited number of students.
CHARTER & PROGRESSIVE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS
EXPLORING INNOVATIVE PRACTICES
Situated in the rolling hills of Chula Vista, Calif., within view of the Mexican border, High Tech High (HTH) is a charter school with a cur riculum founded on a project-based learning model. Instead of sitting in class taking notes in preparation for a test, students collaborate to re search, plan and build projects that connect academic disciplines. While given some direction, students must organize teams, communicate effectively, administer and then execute the projects. The teacher becomes a facilitator rather than a superior—someone who guides students while allowing them to make mistakes and learn along the way. At the end of the semester, HTH students present their projects at Exhibition. This community event provides additional motivation for students as hundreds of stakehold ers—from parents and peers to local leaders—attend. Traditional schools might worry about the program’s impact on test scores, but there has been no significant discrepancy in scores as a result of project-based learning experiences, which instead cultivate students’ immense knowl edge of certain topics, something not possible in fast-paced, lecturestyle courses. l
SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH TECH HIGH
better funding typically make the laws, which are inevitably to their benefit. Kozol believes that equalizing taxes spent on education across districts would close the gap between the rich and poor school districts.
Charter schools provide an alternative to public schools, and although they are pub licly funded, organizations outside the public school system manage charter school networks. Our first introduction to the educational approach of charter schools was in a meeting with Patrick McGowen, who has worked at New York’s Brilla Public Charter School and Harlem Success Academy.
McGowen explained the critical centrality of highly trained teachers, and the importance of an intensive, highly structured, hands-on pedagogical approach in the classroom. Teachers are engaged in constant dialogue, questioning and redirecting
In New York, we observed inequities within the education system created by a lack of opportunities and learning spaces. We discovered many possible solutions that can help rectify systemic unfairness—charter schools, innovative nonprofit organizations and specialized high schools—but found these solutions are not available in every com munity and, even when effective, are not able to address systemic problems that need to be tackled at the federal level. Effective change would address issues such as fund ing inequities, teacher qualifications and after-school programming.
Although these methods help students succeed in high school, they are not always effective in the university setting where success depends on self-reliance and self-disci pline. Additionally, although charter schools provide effective alternatives to public schooling, many children are unable to attend due to limited space. While in New York, we watched Waiting for ‘Superman,’ a documentary depicting the charter school lottery system, the effectiveness of charter schools and the heartbreaking scarcity of spots at those schools.
Brown views this as a huge problem given the vital role extracurriculars play in both child development and in keeping students in school. Brown, who loved extracurricular activities and sports as a kid, has prioritized the enrichment of after-school programs at HOLA, which offers recording studios and performance halls, basketball courts and a park, and classrooms and maker-spaces for local students.
PROJECT-BASED ENVIRONMENTS
At HOLA, IGLs witnessed the ways in which Brown has inspired children to pursue their passions while uniting a community. We learned about Brown’s journey as an educator in the Los Angeles Unified Public School System and the ways he has leveraged his experiences and connections to build HOLA. While working alongside students as they explore their interests and develop their identities, Brown stresses the importance of extracurriculars in the learning process and hopes that HOLA continues to expand to reach even more students. l
In Southern California, we visited several progressive independent schools and uni versities. One school that stood out was Wildwood School in Los Angeles, a progressive independent school where students participate in institutes with specialized areas of study. For example, the Institute for Social Leadership pairs students with nonprofits to discover and address social issues. Although involvement in an institute is not required, Wildwood embeds participation in the curriculum so that students may attend institutes throughout the school day—placing important emphasis on each student’s individual de velopment. We admired the school’s approach and support for its students; Wildwood’s institutes are clearly effective, but, just like charter schools, they serve a very limited number of learners. What we need is a comprehensive solution to benefit all students.
BY RYAN VARMA ’22
SPOTLIGHT ON HOL A’S TONY BROWN
Tony Brown serves as chief execu tive officer of Hearts of Los Angeles (HOLA), a nonprofit that provides children with safe spaces to explore extracurricular activities not offered by their schools. Many Los Angeles schools have lost funding or lack the physical space to provide high-qual ity arts and athletics programming.
students, and classes are governed by very strict codes of character and conduct. At one point McGowen commented, "There is not a single student who would fail out of any school if they had a teacher who knew how to teach. We take in so-called failing students, and you know what? They pass!"
Sadie Nash, a New York City leadership-focused nonprofit, empowers young women around issues of social justice and equips them to respond to the gender gap. The organization recognizes that women in low-income environments are rarely consid ered leaders and strives to better participants’ decision-making and leadership skills. Similarly, at 826NYC, students engage in social-emotional learning and self-expression through writing. 826NYC staff members and volunteers value students’ emotions and experiences, and facilitate engaging writing projects, assist with college essay writing and offer academic support. These nonprofits are critical in the lives of the students they serve. However, community-based organizations like these are not available in every impoverished area, and where they are, enrollment may be limited. As we interacted with representatives from Sadie Nash and 826NYC, we felt once again the drastic need for systemic changes in education. l
26 Summer | 2022
Another innovative practice we studied is project-based learning, a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in complex real-world and personally meaningful projects over an extended period of time. While this approach is ex tremely effective in developing skills, implementation in the classroom can be difficult. Project-based learning is also time-consuming for teachers; however, when effective, it creates deep engagement and inspires creativity. Students can specialize based on their interests and have the freedom to create personalized, innovative projects which address real-world issues. Unfortunately, the difficulty of implementation, as well as the content-driven and test-centric approach of most schools, prevents project-based learning from being considered as a viable solution on a large scale.
In addition to the many innovative practices at work in individual schools, we learned about nonprofits and other organizations that are attempting to answer the call to provide students opportunities in the arts, athletics, academic enrichment, leadership development and other areas. These community-based solutions offer enrichment programming to students from under-resourced schools that have been forced to prioritize academics and cut back areas such as the arts or physical education. Organizations like Hearts of Los Angeles, Sadie Nash Leadership Project and 826NYC are helping provide a solution.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
“As in years past, we’ll focus on our annual theme from a global perspective, building upon students’ experiences with previous years’ themes and incor porating that existing knowledge into our study,” says ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON
Finally, the question “How can we address the unintended consequences and ethical challenges that technology creates?” will get students thinking about some of the more challenging aspects of emerging technology such as cyber security, the rise of disinformation, genetic engineering, and certain uses of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies. “Our hope is that students will not only think critically about emerging challenges but brainstorm actionable ways to mitigate those potential threats,” Anderson says. l
Three essential questions will shape students’ conversations and discoveries.
Focusing on the positive contributions of modern technology, students will explore the question “How can technology help solve global problems?” and employ their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to consider how technology is being used to solve global issues related to Water, Food, Climate, Conservation, Energy, Waste, Global Health and Education
GAUDET PRADEEP PINSKER LEVENSON The Magazine of Pace Academy | KnightTimes 27
“What is technology and how has it affected human history and culture?” will prompt students to research and reflect on how humans transform materials, energy and information using various kinds of technology to advance civilization. They will pay particular attention to the roots of modern computing technology and explore its role in shaping their lives and the lives of others—for better or worse—around the world.
TECHNOLOGYTACKLINGEMBEDDEDintheTheme
ICGL
THE 2022–2023 ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP THEME
In the Upper School, we plan to explore questions around the unintended con sequences of technology and the ethical challenges technology creates,” says ICGL Director and IGL faculty adviser TRISH ANDERSON. “Our IGLs will help guide those conversations and will also dig deep into issues surrounding the future of artifi cial intelligence, sharing their findings with the Pace community.” l
“Throughopportunities.ICGLprogramming
SINCE 2014, THE ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP (ICGL) has breathed life into Pace Academy’s mission—To create prepared, confident citizens of the world —through exploration of an annual global theme. By investigating issues surrounding Water, Food, Climate, Conservation, Energy, Waste, Global Health and Education, students in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools have learned to think critically, challenge perceptions, embrace curios ity, develop global mindsets and build cultural appreciation. This year, under the guidance of our expert faculty, students will engage in the ICGL’s 2022–2023 theme: Technology
This year’s Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs), selected following an intensive appli cation process, have committed to a year-long study of Technology that will include coursework, research and two travel
ELOISE GAUDET ’23, CAITLYN PINSKER ’23, PRABHAVH PRADEEP ’24 and HENRY LEVENSON ’24 will be on the cutting edge as the Pace community embarks on its study of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) 2022–2023 global theme, Technology
28 1 3 2 Summer | 2022
ENGAGEMENTCOLEHIROKAWAKALLINGALNIRGUDKARMEADOWSLOUGHRANLOREETEFERIPINSKERPHELANNUCKOLS
POSTERCHILDREN
ICGL
EVERY SPRING, with the announce ment of the following school year’s ICGL theme, Pace students of all ages are in vited to participate in the Annual Global Theme Poster Award Contest and asked to create an original artwork—in any medium—that exemplifies and commu nicates the theme. The winner receives a $500 award, half of which must be donated to a nonprofit or philanthropic organization that supports work related to the theme. This year, OLIVER LOREE ’23 [1] claimed the prize, while AMELIA HONABACH ’24 [2] and COLESON MOSELEY ’29 [3] were runners-up. l
THE ICGL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BOARD evaluates and plans engagement opportunities that support Pace’s partner organizations. When possible, the group’s efforts incorporate the ICGL’s annual theme and connect students, parents, faculty and staff in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. This year’s Community Engagement Board leaders are CAROLINE COLE ’23, HALEY HIROKAWA ’23, AMARTYA KALLINGAL ’23, OLIVER LOREE ’23, JORDAN LOUGHRAN ’23, ENGLAND MEADOWS ’23, OVIE NIRGUDKAR ’23, BROOKS NUCKOLS ’23, CONNER PHELAN ’23, CAITLYN PINSKER ’23 and HERMELA TEFERI ’23 l
The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power by Jacob Helberg
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil
Your READINGSitemap:ICGLRECOMMENDED
2030: How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything by Mauro F. Guillen
The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives by Peter H. Diamandis
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter
Strong Connections: Stories of Resilience from the Far Reaches of the Mobile Phone Revolution by Rosa Wang
The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann by Ananyo Bhattacharya
SUENCEICGLINFLRNAGPINSKEROYEFUGAMERCHANTMILLNERBRAHMA YORKHONEYCUTTVASQUEZSMITHHOODHADLEYPARKGERBER THE 2022–2023 ICGL STUDENTCOUNCIL ICGL
AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Kai Fu-Lee
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor by Virginia Eubanks
The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health—and How We Must Adapt by Sinan Aral
From Gutenberg to Google: The History of Our Future by Tom Wheeler
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything by Matthew Ball
The History of the Computer: People, Inventions, and Technology that Changed Our World by Rachel Ignotofsky
Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Animation by Kevin Roose
The Magazine of Pace Academy | KnightTimes 29 IN THE COMING YEAR , 13 Upper School students will partner with ICGL faculty to bring the topic of Technology to life for the school community through events, educational initiatives and advocacy. The 2022–2023 ICGL Student Council in cludes SIMON GERBER ’23, VICTORIA HADLEY ’23, SHEZA MERCHANT ’23, CAROLINE HOOD ’24, REED MILLNER ’24, ADAIR SMITH ’24, MARY OYEFUGA ’25, DREW PARK ’25, CAILEIGH PINSKER ’25, SOFIA VASQUEZ ’25, SAYA BRAHMA ’26, REESE HONEYCUTT ’26, NAYANA NAG ’26 and ASHLEY YORK ’26 l
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb
Whose Global Village?: Rethinking How Technology Shapes Our World by Ramesh Srinivasan
CAROLINE BROWN Georgia State University Film and media
MAKENZY SLOAN Savannah College of Art and Design Visual art LAUREN SMITH Savannah College of Art and Design Acting
This past spring, Middle and Upper School chorus, strings and band students traveled to Disney World and Universal Studios to share their talents with park guests and participate in educational workshops with professional performers.
EarthPlaceHappiestinMusicMakingTheon
ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS
30 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy
The StageNext Three members of the Class of 2022 plan to major or minor in the visual or performing arts in college. Congratulations to these artists!
2022 | Summer 31
The Pace community celebrated visual artists in the Class of 2022 at the Advanced Studio Art & Independent Study exhibit recep tion in April. The exhibit included work by BYRNE
, THEA CHASTAIN , REESE CLEVELAND, ELEANOR DUPREE , LEAH FAVERO, MARIELLE FROOMAN , MADDIE HALE , JULIA HOLMES , EMMA JONES , ALEX KARAMANOLIS , EMMA STEWART MASKE , MAKENZY SLOAN and JORDAN WHITE
ClosingConcertsShowcasingSeniorArtists
Band, chorus and strings ensembles brought the school year to an end with springtime serenades—a series of concerts that took place in the Fine Arts Center’s Zalik Theater. With a repertoire ranging from the classi cal canon to pop pieces, students delighted audiences with their musical know-how, the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work and dedication.
NIKKI
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JORDANCHARLES , NAGLEANN
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UNDER THE DIRECTION of visiting artist Victoria Bissette and Lower School music teacher VONDA VRIELAND, the fourthgrade cast and crew of National Impact Awards high lighted the unique attributes of various regions of the U.S. Students helped shape the production, which featured songs like Party in the USA , Can’t Stop the Feeling and Take Me Home, Country Roads
ImpactAn
32 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS
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SEVEN YEARS AGO, the Class of 2022 performed uKnighted We Stand , a musical chronicling both U.S. and Pace Academy history. This year, the Class of 2029, the fifth grade, revived the produc tion, adding their own touches to modernize the piece. From designing costumes, constructing sets and choreographing dance numbers to running sound and lights, fifth-grade students had a hand in every element. The audi ence sang, danced and laughed along through time.
IN APRIL, the Upper School production of Shrek The Musical transported audiences to the Kingdom of Dulac as Donkey and Shrek set off on their epic quest to free the swamp from Lord Farquaad and return the fairytale creatures to their homes. Based on the 2001 Dreamworks film, Shrek “celebrates the individual,” says Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN . “It helps us understand the importance of embracing each other's differences—and it has amazing music and a fun ensemble.”
PHOTOS BY CHRIS ALUKA BERRY
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To compile her Advanced Studio Art portfolio, MAKENZY SLOAN ’22 spent her senior year documenting Pace Academy student-athletes in action. These are just a few of the compelling images she captured.
I INTERPRET ART through other people. Every picture I have taken with my camera is an image of someone else and what they are experiencing at a given moment. I love to capture genuine emotions rather than telling someone what to do, because real emotions help reveal the true feeling behind the moment. I feel sports photography allows me to capture athletes’ raw emotions because they're focusing on the game rather than my camera. I favor genuine smiles over every thing because you can see the joy they feel while doing what they love. All it takes is one click to remember an experience for a lifetime. No matter the magnitude, positive or negative, being able to look at a picture shapes the way we remem ber a moment. As soon as the image is taken, it is history. Pictures are visual evidence of genuine emo tions that can never be forgotten, and being able to reminisce on a moment is just as special as living in the moment.
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SPORTSSPRING LIGHTS
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The varsity gymnastics team may have kicked off the season without four outstanding performers from the previous year’s squad, but gradua tion and a short roster didn’t stop the five members of the 2022 team. Led by lone senior KATE GRABOWSKI ’22 (see story on page 72), the Knights faced teams including Ola High School, Wheeler High School, Pope High School and King’s Ridge Christian School. Grabowski consis tently posted high marks, finishing fourth in the all-around competition at the Locust Grove Invitational with a lifetime-best score. Images by SmaX Photography and Nicole Seitz
In addition to Austin, Jordan, Ramseur and Williams, the team will miss MICHAEL LYNCH ’22, JONATHAN MERLIN ’22, GREYSON O’BERRY ’22 and HENRY SMITH ’22 next year.
Coached by BLOODWORTHDONICE , SHANE MCGILL , NELSON PEDRAZA and L.V. WARE
The varsity baseball team, ranked No. 1 in Class AA throughout the season, narrowly missed a trip to the state finals when they fell to Thomasville High School in the Final Four. The Knights’ journey to the semi finals began when they bested rival Lovett to claim the region title for the second year in a row. The team followed its region win by defeating Rabun County in two games in which the Knights outscored the Eagles 24–2. Neither Toombs County nor Bleckley County high school put up much of a fight in the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite Eight, respectively, and the Knights found themselves facing Thomasville. The Knights fell 1–2 and 5–7 in the first two games of the best-of-three series.
VARSITY GYMNASTICSGIRLS
Coached by STEVE CUNNINGHAM and ANTOINETTE DATOC
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When all was said and done, RJ AUSTIN ’22 was named Region 6-AA Player of the Year. Austin, JAE WILLIAMS ’22, DEUCE JORDAN ’22 and LUCAS KLOPP ’23 found them selves on the All-Region First Team; PAUL RAMSEUR ’22, TERRENCE KIEL ’24 and ETHAN RUCKER ’24 received Second Team honors; and coach DONICE BLOODWORTH was recognized as Region 6-AA Coach of the Year. All-State First Team honors went to Austin, Jordan and Kiel; Williams and Klopp were named AllState Second Team.
Photographic and KIMBERLY NEVILLE
The varsity girls golf team kicked off the season with a win over Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, led by AUDREY WELCH ’25, who posted a nine-hole score of 47 in her varsity debut. Welch continued to lead the Knights throughout the season, and while the team failed to qualify for the state tournament, Welch represented Pace on the course as an individual. She wrapped up her freshman season by placing 19th in the state. The team bids a fond farewell to seniors CATHERINE CRAWFORD ’22 and AMALIA HAVIV ’22. Images by Gemshots
VARSITY GIRLS GOLF
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Coached by KEVIN BALLARD and NIKOLAI NAUSTDAL
The varsity boys lacrosse team, last year’s state run ner-up, entered the spring season with equally high hopes and expectations. Under the leadership of new Head Coach CHASE WINTER, the Knights did not disappoint. The senior-heavy squad gained momen tum as the season progressed, notching wins against the likes of Woodward Academy, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Decatur High School, Benedictine Military School and Marist.
The varsity girls lacrosse program continues to grow and gain respect within the GHSA community. The Knights, led by CLAIRE FARINELLA ’22, GRACE HEINEMAN ’22 and ALEXANDER SPINELLI ’22, recorded regularseason victories over The Walker School, North Atlanta High School, Decatur High School, Lovett, Greater Atlanta Christian School and Mount Paran Christian School, among others.
EMERY DUNCAN ’24, KATIE JANKO ’23, ANNA NUCKOLS ’23 and Vincent were named First Team AllArea; VICTORIA HADLEY ’23 and WELLS HOWE ’24 earned Second Team recognition; GRACE HEINEMAN ’22 and SOPHIA MADOR ’23 received Honorable Mention honors. Nuckols and Vincent also earned AllState Honorable Mention.
The team hit the road and traveled to Greenbrier High School for the first round of the GHSA state tourna ment and defeated the Wolfpack 18–3. A 16–6 win over Whitewater High School took the Knights back to the Elite Eight, where they ultimately fell to the defending state champions from Blessed Trinity.
Their success took the Knights back to the state playoffs, where they faced Greenbrier High School in the first round. SYDNEY VINCENT ’24 celebrated her 100th career goal as the team defeated the Greenbrier Wolfpack 20–6 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Unfortunately, Richmond Hill High School outperformed the Knights and put an end to the team’s playoff run.
VARSITY GIRLS LACROSSE
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Coached by KELSEA AYERS, BETHANY FEVELLA, KYLIE HOLTHAUS, GRIFFIN PARKROSZ and JEN PERRY
Coached by CHASE WINTER, ADAM EASTERBROOK, BEN EWING ’06 and LUKE WITTENBERG
Following the season, three members of the team were recognized with Class A–AAAAA All-State honors: NIKO KARETSOS ’23 was selected to the All-State Second Team, and MATTHEW STEIGER ’22 and goalie ALEX TRUJILLO ’24 received Honorable Mention accolades. In addition, JASON TAPPER ’22 and JACK WARREN ’22 were named U.S. Lacrosse All-Academic Players.
Following the 2022 season, eight members of the varsity girls lacrosse team received All-Area honors.
VARSITY BOYS LACROSSE
The team says a sentimental goodbye to Steiger, Tapper, Warren, MATTHEW ARONSON ’22, SAM HOWE ’22, GABRIEL KADOORI ’22, ALEX KARAMANOLIS ’22, HENRY LEUSINK ’22, PATRICK MARR ’22, ALEX MATHIAS ’22, JACK SIEGENTHALER ’22 and THOMAS WELLS ’22. Images by FRED ASSAF and Nicole Seitz
The experienced squad kicked off its postseason run with a decisive 10–0 victory over Rabun County High School, which they followed with 6–0 and 8–0 wins against Oglethorpe County and Fannin County high schools, respectively. Bremen High School provided more of a challenge. The teams remained tied after an overtime period and one round of penalty kicks; the game went to sudden death, and goal keeper Frooman made the epic save that sent the Knights to the state finals.
Pace faced rival Lovett—the defending state champion—in the title game. The Knights tied the score 1–1 late in the second half with a goal from ADAIR SMITH ’24, but the Lions answered with a goal of their own, and the Knights fell, 2–1, bring ing an end to an outstanding season.
Coached by DECLAN TRAQUAIR, ETHAN ECKERT, ROSS KEENAN and MEGAN MINDEL Varsity girls soccer was the team to beat throughout the 2022 season. The Knights’ eight seniors— CARLY APPEL ’22, MCLEAN EAGLESON ’22, MARIELLE FROOMAN ’22, HANNAH GENSER ’22, MEGAN HARDESTY ’22, MORGAN NEILL ’22, MEGHNA SINGHA ’22 and HARPER WHITE ’22—all played parts in the team’s 2021 trip to the state semifinals, and they had their eyes set on this year’s championship.
VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER
Appel, Eagleson, Genser, HARPER AUCHINCLOSS ’25 and KATHERINE HEINEMAN ’25 received First Team All-Region recognition following the season. Frooman, Neil, Hardesty, ALEXA IBARRA ’25, AVERY BERMAN ’25 and ZAHARA BERNAL ’25 earned Second Team honors. Images by Dave Quick
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VARSITY BOYS GOLF
VARSITY GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
Coached by SCOTT SHUPE and COREY BLOODWORTH
Early in the varsity boys golf team’s season, the Knights took part in the Gwinnett Open at the Chateau Elan Golf Club, com peting against 15 teams from across the state, many of which represented much larger programs. Led by WILLIAM BAKER ’22, the Knights pulled off impressive per formances to emerge with the title. The win set the tone for the remainder of the season, and Pace once again qualified as a team for the GHSA Class AA State Championship.Atthestatetournament, the Knights closed out the season with a second-place finish for the second year in a row. BEN SHELTON ’22 placed third in the state in dividually; Baker was seventh. Next season, the team will miss its four seniors: Baker, Shelton, WILL ARONSON ’22 and GRANT SHAW ’22.
Coached by JOLIE CUNNINGHAM, JASON CORNELIUS, JORDY PAULEMON, CHARLES ROBINSON, DUKE SHERRELL and TERRENCE TRAMMELL
The varsity girls track and field team, last year’s state runner-up, hoped to land on the state podium again this year—and they did. Ten Knights qualified for the GHSA Track & Field State Championships presented by Atlanta Track Club and made the trip to Columbus, Ga., to participate in the three-day competition. When all was said and done, the Knights repeated as silver medalists. CAROLINE HOOD ’24 was the individual state champion in the 3200- and 1600-meter races, joining LAURA ARENTH ’22, OLIVIA RESNICK ’25 and JORDAN WHITE ’22 atop the podium in 4x800 relay—a new school record in the event. Silver medals went to BROOKE FUNG CHUNG ’23, RAINA MOSELEY ’22, MADISON WILLIAMS ’25 and Resnick in the 4x400 relay, and Arenth placed second in the 3200 and 1600. Other top finishers included KATE JONAS ’22 (third in the 1600, fourth in the 3200), Fung Chung (third in the long jump, fifth in the high jump), White (sixth in the 800) and Resnick (eighth in the girls 800). Additionally, Hood was named to the Powerade All-Metro Track Team.
In addition to Arenth, Jonas, Moseley and White, the team will miss NIKKI BYRNE ’22 and GABBY HUDSON ’22 next season. Images by Nicole Seitz and Sheldon Whitfield Photography
44 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy 04 02 05 07 03 06 0801 16 MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2022 COMMIT TO COLLEGE LEVELNEXTTHECONGRATS,ATHLETICSKNIGHTS! [01] AGOSTINOXAVIERHARVARDUNIVERSITYFOOTBALL [02] AUSTINRJVANDERBILT UNIVERSITY BASEBALL [03] BAKERWILLIAMHENDRIXCOLLEGEGOLF [04] BENNETTNILEBIRMINGHAMSOUTHERNCOLLEGEFOOTBALL [05] ANDBLAHAEDWARDCOLUMBIAUNIVERSITYCROSS-COUNTRYTRACK&FIELD [06] ANDBLAHAGEORGECOLUMBIAUNIVERSITYCROSS-COUNTRYTRACK&FIELD [07] BOWICKJUSTINEASTERNILLINOISUNIVERSITYFOOTBALL
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Their efforts, combined with the achieve ments of Pace’s 20 other varsity teams and the school’s GHSA State Literary Meet and One-Act competitors (who earn points toward GHSA totals), resulted in a second-place overall fin ish for the Knights in the 2022 Georgia Athletic Director’s Association’s Class AA rankings. In the boys standings, the Knights clinched first; among the girls, Pace was second.
“Our spring teams worked hard to finish out the year with success,” says Director of Athletics CHAD WABREK . “To win four state championships in a single season is a phenom enal accomplishment, and I couldn’t be more proud of our student-athletes, coaches and school community.”
s the 2021–2022 year in Pace Academy Athletics neared its end, seven of
the Knights’ 12 varsity spring teams had advanced to the Georgia High School Association’s (GHSA) Class AA state finals. When all was said and done, four—boys soccer, boys track and field, and boys and girls tennis— claimed gold.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
Led by captains BROOKE BRUMFIELD ’23 and KATE JONAS ’22, as well as seniors HOLLAND PROCTOR ’22 and HANNAH GENSER ’22, the Knights were quick to establish themselves as the stronger team throughout the singles lineup. CLAIRE JIANG ’25, CAITLYN PINSKER ’23 and CAILEIGH PINSKER ’25 clinched the title with wins. As the match concluded, both doubles teams—Jonas and Genser and Brumfield and SARAH PROCTOR ’24 —were tied at one set apiece. Once again, the Knights were state champs. Images by Fred Assaf
The 2022 title match looked like it might play out in similar fashion—both teams remained scoreless well into the second half until SAMUEL BREADY ’22 scored at the 38:43 minute mark. With fewer than 2 minutes remaining in regulation time, the Lions had no answer for the Knights, and Pace emerged victorious.
JEREMY AVELLANEDA ’22 first team all-region
With hard work and discipline as their guiding principles, the Knights, led by Moreno and assistant coaches JUAN BONILLA, RICARDO PINNOCK, LEO PIRAQUIVE and ANDREW WOLVERTON, ranked second in Class AA as they headed into the state playoffs. The squad made quick work of toppling Riverside Military Academy and Vidalia High School; Gordon Central High School and Bremen High School proved to be more formidable opponents. Nevertheless, the Knights emerged victorious and secured a berth in the title game in Macon, a rematch of the 2021 final game against No. 1-ranked Lovett.
In the previous year’s final, Lovett had fallen to the Knights after a grueling, scoreless game that ended in double overtime periods and penalty kicks. The Lions were out for revenge.
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“Winning back-to-back championships speaks purely to the hard work, discipline and commitment that these young men gave all season in order to achieve their goals,” Moreno says. “Every member of the 2022 team will go down in the Pace record books.”
Images by Fred Assaf and Dave Quick
SAMUEL BREADY ’22 second team all-region
EASTON KINCAID ’23 first team all-region
TERRY NOH ’25 second team all-region
“We lost six of our top nine players from last year’s team, so there was a lot we had to figure out,” Marsico says. “We had some growing pains early in the season, but the team really came together by the end.”
Coaches MATT MARSICO and ANNA FLUEVOG and the members of the varsity girls tennis team also had their sights set on a state title—a three-peat—but initially were unsure what the season would hold.
boys soccer
The region champions—fresh off postseason wins over Vidalia, Bleckley County and Rabun County high schools—faced a familiar opponent on the state-championship courts in Rome. The Knights had defeated Lovett in both the 2019 and 2021 title matches (the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic), as well as the 2022 region final, and they hoped to do the same this time around.
GERARDO OVALLE-MARES ’23 second team all-region
VICTOR OVALLE-MARES ’22 first team all-region
The varsity boys soccer team, the defending state cham pion, was the first spring squad to bring home a trophy for the Knights. “At the beginning of the season, our seniors— JEREMY AVELLANEDA ’22, SAMUEL BREADY ’22, JUAN FIGUEROA HERNANDEZ ’22, VICTOR OVALLE-MARES ’22, JEFFREY RAMOS ’22 and JAXON WILLOUGHBY ’22—set the team’s expectations and goals themselves,” says head coach LUCAS MORENO. “They decided that they wanted to win back-to-back GHSA state championships.”
EDWARD BLAHA ’22 powerade all-metro team
The Lovett Lions proved to be more of a challenge following their region loss. Soon after state-championship competi tion began, the Knights found themselves in a 0–2 hole. But Kaplan and WILLIAM MCMULLAN ’24 at No. 1 doubles had other plans and picked up the team’s first point. Heroic efforts by MATTHEW HALL ’25 and NOAH BENZ ’24 completed the comeback and secured the championship for Pace.
JAXON WILLOUGHBY ’22 first team all-region
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The coaches needn’t have worried. Captained by Kaplan and Black, the Knights quickly emerged as the team to beat in Class AA. They defeated Lovett to claim the region championship and breezed past Elbert County, Swainsboro, Bleckley County and Early County high schools in the state tournament.
At the GHSA Track & Field State Championships on May 14, the varsity boys track and field team earned the Knights’ final trophy of the year. The previous season, the team had made Pace history by winning the program’s first state title since 1972. With a roster full of heavy-hitting seniors— KARGIL BEHL ’22, NILE BENNETT ’22, EDWARD BLAHA ’22, GEORGE BLAHA ’22, JUSTIN BOWICK ’22, JOHN CATHERMAN ’22, ROBERT MALLIS ’22, HUNTER ROCKER ’22 and GRANT THOMPSON ’22—many of whom were members of the Knights’ 2021 state-championship cross-country team, the team had high hopes.
“Winning two titles in a single year feels great,” says Marsico. “Every championship has been special, but these two stand out because of the way these teams welcomed new players and came together toward common goals.” Images by Fred Assaf
“I knew what our strengths were, and I felt that if all went well, we would have a successful season,” says head coach JOLIE CUNNINGHAM. “We always ask everything of our athletes. They need to believe in their training, and they need to do the work away from the coaches. This group of student-athletes, led by our seniors, met all of those expectations. This group was special.”
JEFFREY RAMOS ’22 first team all-region
boys track & field
Following individual and team successes at the region and sectionals meets, the Knights were ready for state and, over the course of the three-day competition, brought home medals in 11 events—and the overall title. The 4x800 relay team of E. Blaha, G. Blaha, Mallis and Thompson won gold, setting both school and state records. The 4x400 relay team—Bowick, Catherman, Mallis and Thompson—was second in the state, as were E. Blaha in the 3200 and 1600 meter races and Catherman in the 100 and the 200. Other top finishers included Rocker, Thompson (third in the 800), G. Blaha (fourth in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600) and Mallis (seventh in the 3200).
Boys tennis followed the girls ’ lead. Last year’s state runner-up, the Knights were determined to best Lovett, a team they defeated for the 2019 title but lost to in 2021. The 2022 squad returned four seniors— JUDE BLACK ’22, BENJAMIN CHERN ’22, COLE KAPLAN ’22 and RYAN VARMA ’22—but with several new players, Marsico and assistant coach JAY HIRSCH were uncertain how the season would unfold. “We talked a lot about connecting as a team, supporting each other and being willing to do whatever was best for the team's suc cess,” Marsico says.
“Winning back-to-back championships feels pretty spectacu lar,” reports Cunningham, who was assisted by coaches JASON CORNELIUS, JORDY PAULEMON, CHARLES ROBINSON, DUKE SHERRELL and TERRENCE TRAMMELL . “We hit some bumps along the way—we had injuries and illness—but true to form, this group picked each other up. They never gave up on each other. When you trust your teammates, incredible things can happen.” Images by Fred Assaf, Gemshots Photographic, Nicole Seitz and Sheldon Whitfield Photography
OWEN ROSS ’23 second team all-region
DEBATE 50 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy A NEW ERA FOR HEREARGUMENTNODEBATEPACETHISPAGE:RepresentingPaceattheMichiganDebateInstitutesthissummer
Director of Speech and Debate ERIC FORSLUND has been involved in debate for 26 years, compet ing in both high school and college, and attaining recognition as a collegiate All-American debater. After college, he coached at the University of Wyoming for two years, helping the program to re-establish a top 25 ranking for the first time in over 30 years. Prior to Pace, he coached high-school debate for 14 years, including 12 years at Greenhill School in Dallas. Forslund’s debate teams have ap peared in the finals of four national championships and won the Baker Award for the best regular season in policy debate. He loves policy debate and teaching students the ins and outs of research, strategy, public speaking, politics, international relations and the his tory of debate. A seasoned tournament judge, Forslund believes that debate is a game and that debaters should have fun while participating.
Forslund acknowledges that building back has had its challenges.
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“I took over the program in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, when it was in a bit of a rebuild,” he says. “At that time, we had no junior or senior debaters, and the sophomores had missed half of their novice season due to COVID. Debates in 2020–2021 were completely online, and teaching students to navigate the technol ogy necessary to learn debate and also debate online was difficult.”
“They encountered an environment unlike any ever seen before by Pace debaters. Trying to learn to debate and effectively speak is hard enough, and to do both in an online environment presented incredible challenges, but they were amazing at accepting those challenges and excelling.”
As the Middle School debate teacher, Whitmore’s chief goals are to prepare the students—who can elect debate beginning in MEET THE COACHES
Now led by experienced high-school coach ERIC FORSLUND, who took the helm as director of Speech and Debate in 2020, Pace Debate’s transition looks to be in the past. The team, while young, is growing and reinvigorated—and all indicators show that it is gearing up to reclaim its place as a national powerhouse. In an additional coup for the program, WHIT WHITMORE, a part-time as sistant coach for the Upper School debate team since 2013, signed on full-time as the Middle School debate teacher. Whitmore and Forslund are committed to strengthening the program across both the Middle and Upper Schools and already are seeing their efforts pay off. Under their leadership, debate in both divisions is attracting more students, and the teams have notched impressive successes.
HE PACE DEBATE DYNASTY, published in the spring 2012 KnightTimes , chronicled the development of Pace Academy’s policy debate program over 40 years—from fledgling start-up to competitive superpower. Since its founding, Pace Debate has earned 37 state-championship titles and a collection of national accolades, including a first-place trophy at the national Tournament of Champions in 2002, and fifth-place finishes at the 2007, 2009 and 2013 tournaments. Pace teams also claimed the esteemed National Debate Coaches Association Championship title in 2013 and Approaching2015. its half-century mark, the storied program entered a period of transition, in some ways reminiscent of those of earlier decades. A coach ing switch is a certain catalyst for change, and after 16 years at Pace, SHUNTÁ JORDAN accepted a college-level opportunity, passing the reins to a new leader for the 2019–2020 school year. During this period, the Middle School program also saw coaching turnover, and student participation in each division was increasingly variable, due in part to the plethora of extracurriculars available at Pace. Then the unexpected fueled the fire: COVID-19 arrived with its airborne spread. Policy debate—which calls for intense, rapid-fire oral arguments in an indoor setting—faced significant challenges.
Policy debate found ways to adapt, moving from in-person debates to an entirely online format, rather than the in-person tournaments that had ordinarily rotated through high schools across the U.S. And Pace’s most passionate debaters—in both the Middle and Upper Schools—rode through the coaching and COVID-related changes, determined to continue.
Before joining Pace’s faculty full-time, Middle School debate teacher WHIT WHITMORE spent nearly 10 years as an assistant debate coach for Pace’s Upper School team, helping coach a Pace team to and through a national championship. A former high-school and college debater, Whitmore began coaching in 2002, juggling overlapping positions at colleges and high schools. His list of schools is extensive: The University of Alabama, University of Michigan, Emory University and University of Georgia, as well as Chattahoochee High School and Woodward Academy. Whitmore is an experienced tournament judge and a respect ed voice in the policy debate community, as well as a debate podcast regular, featured most recently by High School Impact (HSI), an online site devoted to high-school policy debate.
“I applaud the students who have stuck with debate,” he adds.
“Debate has given me plentiful life skills… specifically the ability to think on my feet as well as the ability to convince someone to take my point of view.”
“I think Pace Debate is an amazing program with some of the best coaches in the country, and if anyone has the time necessary, they should certainly consider joining the team.”
—STEPHEN YANG ’25
The experience of “winning rounds” during tournaments is Singh’s favorite. “The suspense right before the judge reveals the decision causes my adrenaline to rush, and the ultimate decision, resulting in our victory, gives me the greatest joy,” he says. His achievements this past season included wins with his partner, LUCA TANASA ’23, in regional tournaments and the seventh-place speaker award at a nationalForslundtournament.isexcitedabout coaching Singh, Tanasa and other debate team members in the coming years and appreciates the school’s longstanding tradition of excellence in debate. “Pace has incredible institutional support and an amazing history of success,” he says. “It has produced multiple national championships and an array of debaters that were outstanding competitors and students, many of whom went on to some of the best colleges in the country. It is amazing to work at a place with this history.”
“We couldn’t be happier with the positive impact debate has had on our daughter [KAITLYN GOLDBERG ’25]. She’s learned an amazing amount about how to structure her thoughts, make compelling argu ments and be a better listener, and she has made some great friends across the country.”
Learn more about Pace Debate and the program’s history at www.paceacademy.org/programs/debate
As debate returns to an in-person format, Forslund and Whitmore recognize that there will be new challenges. “Many of the students in the program have never had an in-person debate event, and the 2022–2023 school year will bring a whole new set of challenges as we transition away from the online format,” he says, “What is exciting, however, is that the program has some of the top young debaters in the country. After competing as first- and second-year debaters and winning many events last year, other programs and coaches have started to identify some of our students as their biggest competitors and rivals.”
“After the first tournament, I knew I wanted to continue. I love the competition and challenge, and I love getting to challenge myself and think on the spot. Plus, winning is always a bonus! Also, in debate you become really close with people, especially your partner.”
—ARNAV MADDINENI ’26
“Debate has been my favorite part of being a Pace student,” says KABIR SINGH ’23, who began debate in seventh grade and loves the close-knit commu nity he has found. Singh also has high praise for his coach: “Mr. Forslund is one of the best debate coaches in the country.”
—KABIR SINGH ’23
—AALIA MIRZA ’25
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“The most challenging aspect of debate is remembering everything our coaches tell us before a round. Once a round starts, we give our undivided attention to what is happening inround rather than what happened before it.”
seventh grade—for high-school competitions, and to expand the size of Middle School’s team. Like Forslund, he has encountered challenges, “However, [having fewer older debaters] has given Eric and me the opportunity to really focus on the younger students, and has made us excited for the program’s future,” he says. “We both want a nationally competitive debate program and know a strong program in the Middle School will help make that a reality.”
—DAVID and SUSAN GOLDBERG
STRONGPERSPECTIVES
Forslund believes that debate—policy debate in particular—teaches skills and knowledge transferable to many other parts of life, and he and Whitmore hope their students will carry the lessons learned in debate to college and beyond. Like their students, both enjoy the thrill of competi tion and are eager to see Pace Debate return year after year as one of the most competitive programs in the country. •
“Policy debaters must learn the topic backward and forward, and spend a lot of time conducting aca demic research learning what experts in the field think of their policy ideas,” Director of Speech and Debate Eric Forslund explains. “They present this research to refute their opponents’ arguments. To be successful, teams need to be very prepared and well-researched, and they must constantly change their arguments. Based on changes in the political process, arguments will also change, so policy debaters must keep up with current events and politics as well.”
“The United States federal government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.”
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INTRODUCING THE 2022–2023 POLICY DEBATE RESOLUTION:
STEPHEN YANG ’23 and partner WILL CANNADAY ’24 reached a bid round at the Pine Crest Crestian Policy Classic online tournament last February—opening the possibility for a coveted bid to the Tournament of Champions. Then in March, Yang partnered with KAITLYN GOLDBERG ’24 for the competitive Western JV Championships in Oakland, Calif. The pair had one of the best performances by a first-year team in the country, finishing undefeated after eight rounds to claim the championship. Yang, who also received the first speaker award for the quality of his individual presentation, relished debating at an in-person tournament. “It was extremely fun because we got to meet so many other debaters in real life and experience the hype of being in-person,” he says.
“Middle School students love to strategize about what questions to ask, how to ask tricky questions and how best to respond,” Whitmore notes. “Debate also helps students become informed about current events and interested in topics they may never have been exposed to otherwise.”
The policy debate format models congres sional-style debates about public policy. In this format, two two-person teams face off in each debate. This style differs from “Lincoln-Douglas”-style debate, a contest between two individuals. Another defining feature of policy debate is the selection [by the National Federation of State High School Associations] of a single policy resolution for all debate contests in a given year. (See 2022–2023 resolution above.) During tournaments, which take place at high schools around the country, the “affirmative” team presents a policy connected to the topic, and the other team—the “negative”—refutes the idea of adopting that policy. Teams also switch sides while participat ing in multiple rounds, so in any given tournament, a team will both defend and refute the topic. Each side presents its sets of arguments within established time limits, leading to fast delivery of arguments in a technique referred to as “spreading.”
DEBATE
POLICY EXPLAINEDDEBATE
Beyond tournament success, Forslund and Whitmore are intent on offering a program that benefits students. “The main thing I emphasize to students is that we are here to have fun, learn and improve,” Forslund remarks. “Debate allows them to explore their competitive drive in an academic activity that will help them improve as students, while also learning incredibly valuable lessons like how to be an effective communicator, how to present their ideas effectively, how to research, how to think critically, how policies in the United States work and many others.”
54 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy GRADUATION THE CLASS OF 2022 BLASTS OFF <READY> <FOR> <LAUNCH>
Photos by Fred SteveandDidierAssaf,BrivalKaye
KYLE CommencementKORVER, Speaker
MONTHS LATER, as the dust began to settle and some semblance of normalcy returned, the task of making up for lost time, resurrecting old traditions and getting back to the business of school fell to the Class of 2022. Fortunately, they were up for the challenge.
“We need the best versions of each one of you out there in the world, continuing to learn, work, think, pivot, speak up and thrive in whichever spheres of influence you land. We need you to live lives of meaning and purpose that consider ‘we’ over ‘me’ and the greater good of all humanity. Remember: the best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.”
THE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2022 were entering the home stretch of their sophomore year when the COVID pandemic struck and everything changed. Classes moved online; masks hid smiling faces; and uncertainty reigned supreme.
“This group of students managed a lot of change with grace,” Head of Upper School MIKE GANNON remarked at Senior Honors Day. “But more importantly, they managed to put us back on track—and that was their great gift to our school. After two years of disruption, the Class of 2022 brought school as it was supposed to be back to life. For this, Pace Academy and I are forever grateful.”
Celebrations came to a close on Sunday, May 15. Early morning showers made way for clear skies—and a vivid double rainbow—as graduates and their guests arrived at Walsh Field for Commencement. Former NBA All-Star and Pace parent KYLE KORVER delivered the keynote address and urged graduates to use the grit and resilience they had uncovered throughout their high-school years to pursue work that they love. “When the fall [season] comes, take your first brave steps into the future,” Korver said. “Make one authentic choice at a time, and strive to be honest, hopeful and the best version of yourself. Commit to finding something that you love; let it shape you, and then put it to work for the greater good, one day at a time.” Korver concluded: “The world needs you. You are our future. And the future is good.”
The Pace community celebrated the resilient Class of 2022 over the course of a beautiful May weekend. The festivities began with Senior Honors Day, where KARGIL BEHL ’22 and SAMUEL ALKIRE ’22 were announced as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, and Behl and SYDNEY FAUX ’22 received the Frank D. Kaley Award, Pace’s highest honor.
2022 | Summer 55 GRADUATION
Baccalaureate included words of wisdom from Rabbi David Silverman of the Atlanta Scholars Kollel and from Class of 2022 Dean BEN EWING ’06, who, in typical scienceteacher fashion, used space exploration as a metaphor for the graduates’ life journeys. Ewing asked the class to acknowledge the community of individuals that had been dedicated to their growth for so long: “You are like the Saturn V, and we are your first rocket stage. At no other point in your life will so much energy be spent on your ascent,” Ewing said. “Unlike Apollo 11, however, your trajectory is not fixed. You are not a projectile on a vector in space. You have agency and the capacity to build on your foundation that has required so much to establish. You each have tremendous momentum.”
KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy GRADUATION 56 THE CLASS OF ••••<STATISTICAL2022:ANALYSIS>121members39PaceAcademyLifers5NationalMeritScholars971applications to 235 colleges • 67 colleges in 26 states, the District of Columbia and Scotland • 41 graduates are the sole matriculant to their college • 85% of the class will attend a college or university outside of the state of Georgia • 16 college athletes SilvermanRabbispeakerBaccalaureateDavid
KARGIL BEHL, Class of 2022 Valedictorian
KORVERKYLEspeakerCommencement
“As you go forward, I want you to understand that when you experienced the privilege of an entire community working for your growth, you did it right—you left this place better than you found it. Our community has been deepened by your care, strengthened by your resolve and humbled by your achievements.”
BEN EWING ’06, Dean of the Class of 2022
“Be a teacher in whatever profession you choose. Remember how your teachers have transformed your lives and how those who have mentored you have made you feel. Remember when you are leading others that you should know them and love them… Whatever your path, emulate the teachers who have given you the greatest gift of all.” — FRED ASSAF, Head of School
As the Class of 2022 moves on from Pace, LAURA ARENTH, EDDI ARONSON, MATTHEW ARONSON, WILL ARONSON, KARGIL BEHL and MOLLIE MEYEROWITZ will serve as class agents, working with the Alumni Office to communicate class news, support alumni programming and organize the class’s five-year reunion in 2027.
“As we move on to college next year… learn from your new friends, mentors and experiences, just as we were encouraged to do here. Let’s seek beauty in all that we do. Dear Pace Academy, thank you for all the learnings and memories. Dear Future, the Class of 2022 is ready to show the world the beauty that shapes each of us.”
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FLIGHT CREW: <OUR NEWEST CLASS AGENTS>
LAUNCH CODES: <QUOTES TO INSPIRE>
PLANNED TRAJECTORY:
THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES:>
American University Auburn University <8> Belmont
North Carolina A&T University
<SENIOR AWARDS>
Oglethorpe University
UniversityUniversityUniversityTulaneTuftsTruettTheTheTheTheUniversityChristian<2>CollegeofWilliamandMaryOhioStateUniversity<2>UniversityofAlabama<3>UniversityofTennessee<2>McConnellUniversityUniversityUniversity<3>ofAlabamaatBirminghamofCaliforniaIrvineofCincinnati
Rensselaer Polytechnic SantaInstituteClara University
PrincetonUniversity <2>
LouisianaLehighIndianaHowardHendrixHarvardHampden-SydneyGrinnellGeorgiaGeorgiaGeorgiaGeorgetownEmbry-RiddleEasternDukeDartmouthColumbiaCollegeClevelandBrownBostonBirmingham-SouthernUniversityCollegeCollegeUniversityStateUniversityofCharlestonUniversity<3>College<2>University<3>IllinoisUniversityAeronauticalUniversityUniversity<3>CollegeInstituteofTechnology<3>StateUniversity<4>CollegeCollegeUniversityCollegeUniversityUniversity<2>UniversityStateUniversity
Arts Alliance George Mengert Lifetime Achievement Award Caroline Brown, Jake Buffenbarger, Nikki Byrne, Allie Campbell, Austin Culpepper, Rebecca Kann, Asata Manigault, Mollie Meyerowitz, Maggie Pope, Lauren Smith, Pierce Smith, Shalizeh Thobani & Jayla Wideman
WashingtonWashingtonWakeVirginiaVirginiaVanderbiltUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityDameofPennsylvaniaofSouthernCaliforniaofStAndrews,ScotlandofTexas<3>ofVirginia<2>ofWisconsinUniversity<4>CommonwealthUniversityTechForestUniversity<3>andLeeUniversity<3>UniversityinSt.Louis<3> 1
Atlanta ConstitutionJournal-Cup [1] Samuel BoosterAlkireClub Career Contribution to Athletics Award Megan Appel,SamuelXavierBlanketCharlieHardestyOwensLetterAwardAgostino,Alkire,CarlyLauraArenth, Matthew Aronson, Jeremy Avellaneda, William Baker, Kargil Behl, Nile Bennett, Jude Black, Edward Blaha, George Blaha, Samuel Bready, Nikki Byrne, John Catherman, Leah Favero, Juan Figueroa, Marielle Frooman, Hannah Genser, Marissa Goodman, Kate Grabowski, Megan Hardesty, Grace Heineman, Sam Howe, Gabby Hudson, Kate Jonas, Deuce Jordan, Cole Kaplan, Margo Kaye, Henry Leusink, Robert Mallis, Alex Mathias, Raina Moseley, Morgan Neill, Jeffrey Ramos, Josh Reed, Hunter Rocker, Cameron Saini, Ben Schiffer, Ben Shelton, Meghna Singha, Alex Spinelli, Matthew Steiger, Jason Tapper, Grant Thompson, Connor Vance, Jack Warren, Thomas Wells, Harper White, Jordan White, Jayla Wideman, Jae Williams & Jaxon
University of Colorado University of Florida <2> University of Georgia <7> University of Kentucky University of Miami University of Michigan <3> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Notre
<THE CLASS OF 2022 WILL MATRICULATE AT
RainaRevolutionDaughtersJackDepartmentComputerWilloughbyScienceAwardWarrenoftheAmericanCitizenshipAwardMoseley 58 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy
North Carolina Wesleyan Northeastern University
Savannah College of Art and Design <2> Stanford University <2> Syracuse University <4> Texas A&M University Texas
Kent C. Taylor, Jr. Award [6] Nikki Byrne, Rebecca Kann, Cole Kaplan, Shania Porter, Pierce Smith & Jaxon Willoughby
Lance and Shield Award Laura Arenth & Jeremy Avellaneda
Margery Russell Wilmot Spirit Award [7] Eddi Aronson, Matthew Aronson, Leah Favero, Margo Kaye, Alex Karamanolis & Grant Thompson
Mike Murphy Courage to Strive for Excellence Award Kate Grabowski & MerlinJonathan
7635 10 29 4 8
Jim and Lesley Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award George Blaha & Kate Jonas
Julia Holmes & Makenzy Sloan Award
Peter F. Hoffman Honor Scholarship [9] Victor Ovalle-Mares & Harper White
Head of School’s Award Madison Auchincloss, Allie Campbell, Pranavh Pradeep & Jason Tapper
Mike Gannon Award for Excellence in History [8] Henry Leusink
RobertWidemanA.Yellowlees Award
Ralph Lee Newton Literary Award Meghna Singha & Ryan Varma
Raymond Buckley Award Edward Blaha, Megan Hardesty [10], Gabby Hudson & Josh Reed [10]
Ricks Carson Pace Literary Prize Jayla
2022 | Summer 59
English Department Award Eleanor DuPree
ScienceSamuelSalutatorianAlkireDepartment
Michael Lynch Sydney ThomasJordanMarielleDepartmentWorldKargilValedictorianBenjaminMathematicsRushinPrizeChernBehlLanguagesAwardFrooman(French)White(Latin)Wells(Spanish)
Pace Senior Citizens Samuel Alkire, Carly Appel, Matthew Aronson, Kargil Behl, Sam Brooks, Caroline Brown, Jake Buffenbarger, Nikki Byrne, Thea Chastain, Reese Cleveland, Katherine Cochran, Catherine Crawford, Marielle Frooman, Kathleen Glass, Kate Grabowski, Walker Greene, Buck Hall, Sam Howe, Clare Hsu, Kate Jonas, Alex Karamanolis, Alexandra Litvak, Robert Mallis, Patrick Marr, Mackenzie Martin, Emma Stewart Maske, Greyson O’Berry, Maggie Pope, Cameron Saini, Jack Siegenthaler, Allison Silverboard, Meghna Singha, Alex Spinelli, Jason Tapper, Grant Thompson, Norah Wagoner, Thomas Wells, Harper White & Jordan White
Samuel Alkire
Frank D. Kaley Award Kargil Behl & Sydney Faux [2]
George G. Kirkpatrick Pace Knight Award Carly Appel [3] & Xavier Agostino
Eagle Scout Recognition
Gladys Johnson Award Jake Buffenbarger & Maggie Pope
Hilton and Philippa Kort Service Above Self Award [4] Allison Silverboard
James De La Fuente Award [5] Caroline Brown & Lauren Smith
[06] MEREDITH BRADSHAW ’13 graduat ed from the University of Georgia School of Law in May 2022 and will start as a firstyear associate at Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta in September after taking the Bar exam.
sion as a partner development manager. She would love to connect with other Pace alumni interested in MBA programs.
UPDATES
[02] JUSTIN LEEF ’08 joined Booster Fuels, a California-based mobile fuel company, as senior director of Public Sector to scale its business supporting state, county, munici pal, and education/higher-ed fleets across the country as they transition to renewable fuels and optimize fleet fueling operations. Justin is also enjoying his other new title, “Dada,” with son Jack (11 months).
[05] KELCIE SCHOFIELD ’10 is an MBA candidate at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, expecting to graduate in May 2023. This summer, Kelcie is in Redmond, Wash., interning in Microsoft’s Global Partner Solutions divi
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[07] OSEI AVRIL ’14 is interning with Live Nation Urban, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment focused on creating live concert experiences and providing plat forms for Black music artists. Osei is an operations intern and helps manage all as pects of the concert implementation, from securing brand partnerships and develop ing marketing and promotional assets, to ideating marketing strategy and assisting with run of show during events.
[08] JAY KUMAR ’14 graduated medi cal school at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and soon begins an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Florida in Jacksonville. “For any cur
WHEREARETHEYNOW?
[01] RACHEL WILSON ’04 is a level two project manager in MARTA’s capital programs delivery department, currently working with the Station Rehabilitation Program to update selected station loca tions over a 10-year period. Rachel has been at MARTA for three years, and July marked one year in her current position. “In my free time, I'm driving my two chil dren, Elliot and Renée (9 and 7), to and from tennis practice and volunteering at their tennis matches,” says Rachel. Prepandemic, she served as the PTA president and helped recharter the PTA at her chil dren's elementary school.
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[04] CAL HARRIS ’10 joined Redox, a healthcare data platform that provides interoperability across the fragmented electronic health record and health data landscapes. He leads Redox’s partnerships team, working with cloud providers such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Google to improve the accessibility, quality and usability of the large troves of data that exist within leading health systems. In his spare time, Cal serves on Pace’s Alumni Board as Young Alumni co-chair.
[03] MORGAN LYNDALL ’09 joined Flanagan Law, P.C. in Atlanta as an attorney specializing in personal injury, including car accidents, trucking accidents, prem ises liability and wrongful death. Morgan graduated from Mercer University School of Law in 2018 and has been practicing law in Atlanta for the past four years.
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[09] DUSTIN HADLEY ’15 graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in May 2022 and took the Georgia Bar Exam in July. Dustin interned for Atlanta employ ment law firm Elarbee Thompson Sapp & Wilson LLP in the summer of 2021 and has accepted an associate position with the firm, to begin in August.
OLIVIA ULLMAN ’21 is interning in the Shepherd Consortium at Good Samaritan Medical Clinic in Atlanta, where she shad ows medical professionals, trains for her medical assistant certification and studies health equity policy while living with other students in the cohort.
[11] LILY RECKFORD ’19 is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying public policy with business and history minors. After a policy internship last summer, Lily decided to dip her toe into the business world, and landed at Jackson Spalding as a public relations intern for the summer. “I’m mainly working on the Delta Air Lines account and focusing on internal communications for in-flight services as well as their TechOps team,” she says. “I love that the agency can pull me in to help on other projects as well, giving me an introduction to many different industries.”
[10] SARAH SMITH ’15 has started as an associate at Homrich Berg. In this role, she works with a team to assist clients with reaching their financial and planning goals. Homrich Berg, one of the 50 largest Registered Investment Advisers in the country, was established over 30 years ago in Atlanta with a focus on serving clients with a fiduciary approach. Sarah is the co-chair of Wellspring Living’s Friends and Family campaign, where she is responsible for fundraising to help the
organization expand its ability to provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, victimcentered recovery services to survivors of human trafficking. Sarah lives in Atlanta and enjoys exercise, live music and Georgia football.
rent students or fellow alumni who may be interested in the medical field, I am happy to answer any questions and will be posting my residency journey, along with useful tips, at @bonedoctor.jay on Instagram,” Jay says.
[12] MATTHEW QUINTANA ’20, a rising ju nior at the University of Southern California studying economics and business admin istration, recently started a position as a creative operations and marketing intern for 160over90, a marketing agency owned by parent company Endeavor. Endeavor is a global leader in entertainment, sports and fashion. Matthew helps create market ing campaigns and activations for large corporations and artists in the entertain ment industry. He is thrilled to learn more about the industry and get as much experi ence as possible.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? EMAIL US! alumni@paceacademy.org ALUMNI 87 12 10 9 11
[15] ETHAN MUCH ’18 recently graduated from Emory University with a bachelor’s degree in English. Following his month-long celebratory backpacking trip around Europe, Ethan will relocate to Manhattan, N.Y., to work as an associate for AlphaSights, a global leader in knowledge on-demand services that connects decisionmakers from investment firms and corporations to key industry experts. In this role, Ethan will leverage his passion for technical writing and business strategy to deliver creative solutions to com plex financial inquiries.
1816 YOUNGALUMNISiezeSummerOpportunitiesCatchupwithourcollegealumniandseewhat’sonthepostgradhorizonformembersoftheCLASSOF2018. 62 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy
BEN THOMPSON ’18 graduated from Princeton University and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army on May 24, 2022. He will be reporting to Fort Benning, Ga., next year to begin training as an active duty infantry officer. “[The photo is of] me receiving my commissioning certificate from General Mark A. Milley (Princeton Class of 1980), the 20th chair man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” says Ben.
Upon graduating from Tulane University in May 2022, BEN BERNSTEIN ’18 joined Legends, a Dallas-based premium experi ences company that offers solutions to sports and entertainment organizations and venues. Ben works in the digital department with a focus on sports marketing and advertising.
ALUMNI 1413 17
[14] JEB CARTER ’18 is interning for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) in Charleston, S.C., in the Liaison Engineering division. Jeb is working on final assembly, quality, standards and delivery of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner aircraft as part of the Liaison Engineering team, which is responsible for oversee ing the final stages of aircraft assembly and ensuring that the various aircraft components and systems are properly integrated with one another. Jeb will work for BCA over the duration of the 12-week internship, after which he will return for his senior year at Princeton University, where he is studying mechanical and aerospace engineering.
[17] ALY SATISKY ’18 graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences in May 2022, and is now pursuing an M.Ed. in child studies at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Aly wrote a children’s book, B is for Brogan: A Story about the Berlin Heart, available on Amazon, and, in conjunction with University of Florida Dream Team Engineering students, developed a toy for children in the United States who receive a Berlin Heart—an artificial heart pump device—to help them and their families cope with the experience.[18]
SOPHIE FERRY ’18 graduated from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and is working as a strategy analyst at Elevate Sports Ventures while pursuing her master’s degree at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
[13] DANIEL BLUMEN ’18 graduated from the UCLA Honors College in March 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in business economics and an accounting minor. In the fall, Daniel will join Deloitte’s Modeling Advisory Practice as an analyst.
15
[16] REILLY MURTAUGH ’18 graduated from Furman University with a degree in English and is interning as a writer for Thesocialtalks, an online publication dedicated to ethical journalism in the face of widespread misinformation. “I have the freedom to write about any thing I want, from world news to entertainment to opinion pieces,” says Reilly, who recently published her first article.
[24] On June 4, 2022, ELIZABETH RATCLIFF BUETTNER ’14 married Zachary Buettner at the Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, Va. The couple met during their first year at the University of Virginia and have been togeth er ever since. CHIP RATCLIFF ’18, ANNA LUETTERS ’14 and former student SHAISTA DHANESAR were in the bridal party, and KELLY BROWN ’14, DANIEL LUETTERS ’15 and ASHLEY LITTLE ’16 attended as well. The Buettners now live in Washington, D.C., with their dog, Beau, who served as the ring bearer in the wedding.
CHAD MILLICH ’10 was a groomsman. Other alumni in attendance were SAM SCHAFFER ’13 and SALLIE BOONE ’13.
[20 21] MARY LIEBMAN ’00 mar ried Mark Honeycutt on March 26, 2022, at the Dunwoody Nature Center. Pace alumni in attendance included PAUL LIEBMAN ’99, MEG LIEBMAN MITCHELL ’05, ELIZABETH JABLONSKI-DIEHL NEWCAMP ’00, CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00, TYLER WHEELER ’00 and CATHERINE WOODLING ’00; Lower School Director of Student Life KACY BRUBAKER also joined the festivities. The mother of the bride is former Lower School Assistant Librarian KATHLEEN LIEBMAN. Mary is an eighth-grade English teacher at Druid Hills Middle School. Mark is a mechani cal engineer at GE. They live in Atlanta’s Capital View neighborhood with Mark’s son, Luke, 11.
[19] TATE PHILLIPS ’92 and Pace Fund Director ALICE TRAHANT PHILLIPS were married May 5, 2022, in Fairhope, Ala.
[22] ABBIE MILICH ’13 married Stephen van Arcken on Sept. 11, 2021, in Atlanta at the Biltmore Ballrooms. The couple met at Auburn University, where they both attended college. CAROLINE HERMAN ’13 was the maid of honor, and ADRI URQUIETA ’13 was a bridesmaid.
[23] On June 4, 2022, MARY LILES FIVEASH ’14 married Bennett Souter among family and friends, including fellow Pace alumni PATE HARDISON ’14 (who was a bridesmaid), KENNY SELMON ’14, WYLIE HEINER ’14, KATE MORRISROE ’14, OLIVIA LEVINE ’14, TESS DILLON ’14, MADDIE WANZER ’14, KANDACE THOMPSON ’14, MICAELA ROBINSON ’14, ELLE STANG ’14, EVELYN HOBBS ’14, COCO SCHIFFER ’14, TOMMY BURRUSS ’14 and CHARLIE BURRUSS ’14
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[25] COOPER PEERY ’15 and Lucero Peery Orrego were married in a small civil ceremony on May 21, 2022, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Pace alumni in attendance included ELEANOR JORDAN PEERY ’11, ANNA MARIA CALLAS ’11, SAM DOWNEY ’14, COOPER DROSE ’15, NATALIE MARCRUM ’15, LINDSEY SAMPLE ’16 and SCHUYLER DROSE ’18. The couple is excited to plan a more formal wedding, which will take place in Lucero’s home country, Peru, in 2023.
MARRIAGES
[31–32] Retired faculty member DR. JIM DIEZ died on May 20, 2022, following a battle with lung cancer.
IN MEMORIAM
number of guiding principles: kindness, service, justice, curiosity, hard work and creativity. He was a playful and loving father and grandfather, husband, partner, brother, dear friend and biologist, as well as a distin guished teacher and mentor, an activist and agitator, a humanist, an intellectual, and an advocate for community-building and mak ing peoples’ lives better.”
Jim believed that education—whether in
[26] ALAINA BEACH ’00 and her hus band, Patrick Chaffin, welcomed daughter Emma Claire on Oct. 12, 2021. Big brother Warner, 2, is “learning how to share the spotlight” while his parents are “learning how to juggle it all,” Alaina writes. “We love being a family of four.” The family lives in
“Jim had a huge heart and a brilliant mind,” his family writes. “He lived his life with a
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Jim attended the University of Rochester, the University of Chicago and the University of Connecticut, where he received a Ph.D. in biology. Following a postdoc fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he moved with his young family to Atlanta for a position at Georgia Tech.
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[28] LAURA DICKEY COREY ’04 and husband Jack Corey welcomed a child, John Alexander, on Dec. 6, 2021. John was 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 20 inches. The Coreys live in New York, where Laura is senior researcher and project manager in the Director’s Office of The Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and Jack is vice president of Shorenstein Properties.
[27]Nashville.
MARY LOGAN BARMEYER BIKOFF ’01 and her husband, David Bikoff, wel comed William “Billy” Cooley on Sept. 6, 2021. He joins big brother John Wolf. The family recently moved to Athens, Ga.
BIRTHS
[30] CAROLYN SCHAEFER MCNERNEY ’11 and her husband, Conor, welcomed daughter Natalie Rose on May 17, 2022. The couple resides in Darien, Conn., with their golden retriever, Murphy. They are all in love with the newest addition to their family.
Jim arrived at Pace in 1987, charged with teaching science. Over the course of his 20 years in the Upper School, he transitioned from the classroom to the computer lab and helped establish the ethos and ap proach of the computer program, working to make new technology accessible to all.
[29] Kelcy and EVANS RAINER ’04 welcomed son Sterling “Smith” on May 22, 2022. Smith was 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Evans has served on Pace’s Alumni Board the past six years and has also been on the Knight Cap Committee.
Jean is survived by her children, former students ANNE TREMEGE and JACQUES
TREMEGE, PHILIPPE TREMEGE LINDSAY ’78 and MARY MIKELL ROBERTSON SPENCE ’78, as well as three grandchildren (including KEITH TREMEGE ’14) and two
[33 –34] Retired faculty member JEAN TREMEGE ROBERTSON passed away on June 11, 2022, at the age of 94. A native of Charlottesville, Va., Jean graduated from Wellesley College in 1949 and worked as a reporter for the Associated Press before joining the U.S. Information Service as an interpreter in Iran and Algeria. While stationed in Algiers, she met and mar ried a French national, Francis Tremege. Upon returning stateside, she worked for Studebaker Motor Company before relocating to Atlanta, where she joined the Pace faculty in 1965—just eight years after the school’s founding. She earned a master’s from Emory University in 1972, the same year she married Lyman Robertson. They were married until his death in 2000.
biology or in technology—was a process, not just an answer. His kindness and un derstanding of people made him a model for an educator, and his adherence to prin ciples and insistent questions challenged the school community to think.
In his retirement, Jim volunteered for Decatur festivals and progressive politics, and he worked to improve education for refugees and international students. “He had a way of making kids and adults alike smile through his playful, caring approach to spreading creativity and fun in this world,” his family says. “Jim had two superpowers: 1) seeing the good in people, especially those that struggle, and mentoring them to the best of their abilities; 2) feeding picky grandkids nutri tious food via elaborate and entertaining meal presentations. He enjoyed socializing with friends in his condo building, reverse engineering his favorite restaurant recipes at home, traveling and tinkering with his old MGB/VW convertibles. He rejected formality, neckties and footwear other
arose. Attuned to the educational value of international experiences, Jean organized a yearlong exchange between Pace Upper School students and a group of French high-school students—a precursor of today’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership. She retired following the 1979–1980 school year after 15 years at Pace.
than sandals, and his favorite bumper sticker was Question Authority.”
A beloved teacher, Jean became chair of the world languages department and, because she had a pre-med back ground, taught science when the need
In a 2019 KnightTimes article, Jean described her Pace experiences as some of the happiest of her life, and noted that she had included the school in her will, making her a founding member of The Castle Circle, which recognizes individuals who arrange for a planned gift to the school. In addition to her involvement at Pace, Jean was an active member of the Cathedral of St. Philip for more than 60 years, loved horseback rid ing and was an avid tennis player.
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[39] Director of Auxiliary Programs JASMINE WAKEEL and her husband, Muhasibi, welcomed son Caleb on June 7, 2022. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches.
great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Society, P.O. Box 750, New York, NY 10021.
An ebullient Englishman with a larger-than-life personality, “Graham was a much-loved man who faced life’s challenges with fortitude and bravery and won worldwide respect for his battling spirit and infectious enthusiasm and warmth,” his family writes. “He was the epitome of the statement ‘glass-half-full’—a man who saw the positive in everything. It seemed nothing could bring him down.”
FACULTY & MILESTONESSTAFF
When Graham’s playing career ended, he remained in Atlanta, running soccer camps, offering free school clinics and playing in amateur leagues. His entrepreneurial spirit and desire for hard work led him to establish a 26-acre indoor soccer facility as well as the Atlanta Attack team, a professional indoor soccer league. Graham also founded and coached the Life University soccer team to national top 10 rankings for nine seasons. He was inducted into the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012 and, last summer, published Never Give Up: The Graham ‘Buster’ Tutt Story
[37] Upper School science teacher BETSY COSTLEY and her husband, Mitch, welcomed son Hudson Scott on Jan. 22, 2022. Hudson loves listening to nursery rhymes and spending time with his grandparents.
Graham’s greatest accomplishment, however, was his family, whom he adored and loved fiercely. Soccer brought Graham and Liz together—he persuaded her to send the Pace team to one of his summer camps at Auburn University, and the rest is history. Graham proudly assisted as Liz built Pace’s girls soccer program into a championship-win ning powerhouse, and he was equally proud of their sons, Taylor Tutt and BILLY
[40] Director of Stewardship and Planned Giving DANA JACKSON and John Wilson were married on May 29, 2022, in Smyrna, Ga., with Dana’s daughters, ERIN RAWLS ’15 and JILL RAWLS ’19, as their wed ding attendants.
[35 –36] Former varsity girls assistant soccer coach GRAHAM TUTT, the husband of longtime physical education teacher and varsity girls soccer coach LIZ TUTT, who retired in 2021, passed away at the age of 65 following complications from heart surgery.
Graham began his professional career as a goalkeeper for London’s Charlton Athletic FC and was named the Football Association’s Most Promising Young Player in 1975. He went on to play with the top-ranked South African club Arcadia Shepherds until an offer from Ohio’s Columbus Magic brought Graham to the U.S. He later joined the Atlanta Chiefs.
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[38] Upper School counselor ELLYE MILLAWAY and her husband, Jack, welcomed son Nolan Turner on June 16, 2022. He was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches. Nolan joins big brother Carter, 4.
Chaired by MEREDITH WINITT FORRESTER ’95 and JASON LEE ’96, this group sets the Alumni Association’s vision and goals, supporting its mission to provide ongo ing alumni engagement opportunities.
Since 1997, the Pace Academy Alumni Association has presented the Alumni Scholar Award to a junior who embod ies the school’s values of high moral character, academic achievement, leadership and service, thereby enriching the school community as a whole. The award is funded by the Pace Academy Alumni Association and the Alumni Scholar Committee, which this year selected CARTER FREUDENSTEIN ’23 as its recipient.
Chaired by ADAIR ROGERS VILELLA ’02, this group supports female alumni through personal and professional networking opportunities.
After nearly a decade of service, FRANK WOODLING ’05 has concluded his term on the Alumni Association Board. He served as president for the past two years, offering tremendous leadership to the organization. Other departing Board members include LINDSAY THURMAN MULLIN ’94, EVANS RAINER ’04, CARTER INGLIS ’89 and SCOTT JOSPIN ’08. The 2022–2023 Alumni Board will be led by new President MEREDITH WINITT FORRESTER ’95 and Vice President JASON LEE ’96
ASSOCIATION FOR BLACK PACE ACADEMY ALUMNI
Outside of the classroom, Freudenstein leads the water polo and swimming teams. This past season, he earned state swimming gold and All-American Consideration in both the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly events, and he played a key role in the boys team’s third-place finish at state. Despite his busy schedule, Freudenstein supports his classmates in the student section at games and serves as a leader of the Class of 2023. As a sophomore, he received the Dean’s Award for Character, given to students who, through their commitment to life at Pace, best exemplify admirable character, high integrity and generosity of spirit. •
LEADERSHIPALUMNIWOODLINGSIGNSOFF
Chaired by ROSS BROWN ’07, this group is part of the larger Alumni Association and strives to help Black alumni connect with the school and each other.
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Members of this group each contribute $2,500 annually in sup port of the Alumni Scholar Award, presented each spring to a rising senior who embodies the school’s values of academic achievement, high moral character, leadership and service.
“If Pace gave an award called ‘Best All-Around Kid,’ Carter would win in a landslide,” Freudenstein’s faculty nominator wrote. “He chooses to take some of our toughest classes, and not only does he earn high grades, but he also becomes every teacher’s favorite student. With a ready smile and warm personality, Carter genuinely enjoys people and engages kids and adults alike.”
Reconnect with Pace and the vibrant alumni community. Email Alumni Director COURTNEY SCHAEFER DEVEAU ’07 at courtney.deveau@paceacademy.org for more information—you don’t have to be local!
YOUNG ALUMNI COMMITTEE
ALUMNI
SCHOLARALUMNIYEAR’STHISMEET
GET INVOLVED!
Alumni Scholar Committee members JASON LEE ’96 (left) and FRANK WOODLING ’05 (right) award Freudenstein.
Chaired by VICTORIA WILSON ’10 and CAL HARRIS ’12, this group supports Pace alumni from the Classes of 2007 to 2022 through targeted communications and events.
ALUMNI BOARD
WOMEN’S KNIGHT NETWORK
ALUMNI SCHOLAR COMMITTEE
WOODLING FORRESTER
HEATHER
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YOUN G A L UMNI REUNITE
With warm weather reunions many Knights.
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68 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy
In May, 25 alumni from the Classes of 2006 to 2017 gathered at Ormsby’s, owned by MICHAEL GOOT for a Young Alumni Happy Hour. Young Alumni Committee co-chairs CAL HARRIS and VICTORIA WILSON ’10 and their committee mem bers are looking forward to future events with the group.
On June 7, Head of School FRED ASSAF Director of Advancement WHITE and Alumni COURTNEY SCHAEFER DEVEAU ’07 gathered with nearly 70 alumni on a Midtown Manhattan rooftop terrace for refreshments and light bites.
Prior to graduation, students of color in the Class of 2022, their families, faculty and alumni gathered in the Seaman Family Student Commons to recognize the students’ accomplishments and encourage their future involvement with their soon-to-be alma mater.
SCORE ONE FOR THE O L D G U YS
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On April 30, LEIGH DRAUGHON WALSH ’81 and TIM WALSH ’81 hosted members of the Class of 1981. The Classes of 2005, 2006 and 2007 joined forces for a collective reunion on May 14 at SweetWater Brewery, with nearly 60 in attendance. Hosts included JODI SHEFFIELD COHEN ’05, LIA MORAITAKIS HOOFF ’05, HENRY MCALPIN ’05, CHRISTINA MORRISON ’05, CAMERON RICHARD-SMITH ’05, BRECK ROCHOW ’05, ALLISON KESSLER ELLISON ’06, KATHERINE RANKIN MADDUX ’06, JOE O’GEEN ’06, WILL PENFOLD ’06, GUS BARCHERS ’07, ROSS BROWN ’07, KRISTIN CHICK CARPENTER ’07, LINDSEY DEROSA ’07, PEARSON MATHEWS MCSHANE ’07 and REID ROGERS ’07 NETWOMEEVENTSALUMNIN’SKNIGHTWORKKICKSOFF Organized by ADAIR ROGERS VILELLA ’02, the Women’s Knight Network held its first meeting on June 3 via Zoom. The event featured guest speaker Susan Sloan, author of A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy, and Lessons for the World
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HA PPY HOUR IN THE BIG APP L E
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Though the alumni claimed a 9–5 victory, a great time was had by all at the annual Alumni Lacrosse Game on May 21 as old teammates from the Classes of 2011 to 2021 reunited, and past and present players, coaches and fans enjoyed a sunny day at Riverview Sports Complex.
came joyful
OUT & ABOUT 13 SAVE THE DATE EVENTSUPCOMINGFORFRIDAY,SEPT.30–SATURDAY,OCT.1HOMECOMING&REUNIONWEEKEND•SATURDAY,OCT.1:ReunionsfortheClassesof1972,1992and2002•SATURDAY,OCT.22:Classof1987Reunion•WEDNESDAY,NOV.23:Classof2012ReunionFRIDAY,DEC.2HOOPHALLCLASSICINLONDON,ENGLANDALUMNIABROAD!JoinustoseethevarsityboysbasketballteaminLondonattheHoophallClassic Have you liked or joined us www.linkedin.com/paceacademyalumniassociationwww.facebook.comyet?www.instagram.com/pace_alumknights/groups/160587 2
ALUMNI
[1–2] Alumni players came out to support their former teammates at state championships this past spring. ANDERSON LARA ’21 and JORGE GONZALEZHERNANDEZ ’21 were on the sidelines as the varsity soccer team defeated Lovett, and MATT GENSER ’21, JORDY ELSTER ’21 and ELI MAUTNER ’21 cheered on the varsity boys tennis squad as the Knights claimed state gold.
[3] On a recent trip to New York City, Upper School history teacher HELEN SMITH caught up with MAX BARAB ’13, CLAIRE WISKIND ’13, SAM SCHAFFER ’13 and LAUREN SCHAFFER ’13 during a visit to the Morgan Library.
ALUMNI 01. CARLY APPEL ’22 with cousins MAX APPEL ’19 and BRENNER APPEL ’16 02. MADELINE ARENTH ’19 and LAURA ARENTH ’22 03. ALEXANDRA BAKER ’19 and WILLIAM BAKER ’22 04. KARGIL BEHL ’22 and INDIA BEHL ’20 05. NIKKI BYRNE ’22 and FULTON BYRNE ’07 06. THEA CHASTAIN ’22 and AUSTIN CHASTAIN ’21 07. ELIZABETH DANGAR CLEVELAND ’92 and REESE CLEVELAND ’22 08. MELANIE CRAWFORD ’18, BEN CRAWFORD ’20 and CATHERINE CRAWFORD ’22 09. SHAWNA FROOMAN ’04, MARIELLE FROOMAN ’22 and CARTER FROOMAN ’19 10. FRED GLASS ’89, KATHLEEN GLASS ’22 and MERRITT ANN GLASS ’19 11. KATE GRABOWSKI ’22 and KIERY BRAITHWAITE ’90 12. CLAIRE HSU ’22 and MILES HSU ’17 13. REBECCA JONES ’96 with niece EMMA JONES ’22 14. BROOKE KAHN, ERICA KAHN ’16, HAYLEY KAHN ’12, BRIAN KAHN ’78, SHARLA KAHN and COURTNEY KAHN ’22 15. RYAN KANN ’20 and REBECCA KANN ’22 16. COLE KAPLAN ’22 and MAYA KAPLAN ’20 17. CANON LYNCH ’18, MICHAEL LYNCH ’22 and ALLISON HANDLEY LYNCH ’87 18. ABIGAIL MEYEROWITZ ’19 and MOLLIE MEYEROWITZ ’22 19. SYDNEY MIDDLETON ’22 and COLE MIDDLETON ’21 20. TREY POPE ’86, MAGGIE POPE ’22 and MARY PAIGE POPE ’21 21. JASON ROSENBLOUM ’20 and ANNA ROSENBLOUM ’22 22. HARRISON SAINI ’20 and CAMERON SAINI ’22 23. THOMAS SIEGENTHALER ’20 and JACK SIEGENTHALER ’22 24. ALAN TAPPER ’20 and JASON TAPPER ’22 25. BEN THOMPSON ’18, GRANT THOMPSON ’22 and REBECCA THOMPSON ’24 26. LEE SHEPARD ’90, HENRY TODD ’19, LEWIS TODD ’22 and MARC TODD ’89 27. DEBORAH CELECIA WAGONER ’84, NORAH WAGONER ’22 and LILY WAGONER ’19 28. ROB WARREN ’17 and JACK WARREN ’22 70 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy 4213567 101213141198
ALUMNI Our legacy families have a new name. With the graduation of the Class of 2022, the Coat of Arms, Pace Academy’s newly named legacy society, expanded to include siblings and welcomed members to its ranks. NOT PICTURED: SPENCYR ARONSON ’20 and EDDI ARONSON ’22 NILE BENNETT ’22 and NOAH BENNETT ’21 JAKE BUFFENBARGER ’22 and MOLLY BUFFENBARGER ’20 ELEANOR DUPREE ’22 and LIZZIE DUPREE ’16 CLAIRE FARINELLA ’22 and ROBERT FARINELLA ’15 LEAH FAVERO ’22 and MELISSA COHEN FAVERO ’91 HANNAH GENSER ’22 and MATT GENSER ’21 BUCK HALL ’22 and MARY CHILDS HALL ’21 ALEX KARAMANOLIS ’22, CHASE KARAMANOLIS ’19 and TASE KARAMANOLIS ’19 PATRICK MARR ’22 and ELIZABETH MARR ’18 MACKENZIE MARTIN ’22 and MADISON MARTIN ’21 ALEX MATHIAS ’22 and JOSEPH MATHIAS ’18 BEN SCHIFFER ’22 and MAX SCHIFFER ’20 BEN SHELTON ’22 and EMMA SHELTON ’20 SHALIZEH THOBANI ’22 and SHAAZ THOBANI ’18 2022 | Summer 71 1615 22 1918172021 262423252728
72 KnightTimes | The Magazine of Pace Academy GYMNASTSGeneration s of Kieryduring(right)the1990season stateChaffeeCoachCunninghamandatthe1994championship
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HEN THE MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATED, they heard many times that they would always be a part of the “Pace Family.” For KATE GRABOWSKI ’22 and the 44 other new members of the Coat of Arms, this term has a deeper meaning, as these recent graduates join family members already in the Pace Academy Alumni Association.
Though Braithwaite was not a Lifer like her sister and daughters—she enrolled in sixth grade—all three women participated in gymnastics throughout their time at Pace and competed at the varsity level all four years of Upper School. “I love Pace's varsity blanket tradition,” says Braithwaite, whose Charlie Owens Pace Academy Letter Blanket Award— awarded to seniors who have earned four varsity letters in a single sport—is one of her favorite keepsakes from high school. “It makes me smile now seeing Kate’s on the end of her bed.”
Chaffee (right) with state-championshipthetrophyin1993
Granted, it takes personal discipline, drive and passion to stick with a sport for one's entire high-school career, but the Braithwaite gymnasts had another key factor in common: extraordinary training from Cunningham. “There isn’t a more devoted coach,” says Heilman. “When I was a sophomore, he was determined that we could win state and did everything in his power to push and support us to achieve that goal—he even bet us that if we won he would dance on stage during morning assembly to the song of our choice, and when we won, he held up his end of the bargain.”
K. Grabowski’s favorite part of following in her mother’s footsteps was “when Coach [Cunningham] would say things like, ‘You looked just like your mom when you did that trick.’”
A BRAITHWAITEONSPOTLIGHTTHE FAMILY’S LEGACY IN GYMNASTICSPACEKieryvaulting
But the Pace legacy isn’t all that Grabowski shares with her mom, KIERY BRAITHWAITE ’90, and aunt, CHAFFEE BRAITHWAITE HEILMAN ’95. All three alumni benefited from the tutelage and guidance of longtime gymnastics coach STEVE CUNNINGHAM and, collec tively, contributed almost two decades to the Pace gymnastics program. The Braithwaites’ relationship with Cunningham isn’t capped there, as LILY GRABOWSKI ’28 recently com pleted her first season on a Pace gymnastics team and looks forward to continuing on in her relatives’ beam-balancing footsteps.
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As all-around gymnasts competing in every event (beam, bars, floor and vault), K. Grabowski, Braithwaite and Heilman made their marks on Pace gymnastics. In Braithwaite's senior season, the Knights made it to the 1990 state-championship meet; Heilman was on the state-winning 1993 team; and K. Grabowski was named Most Improved in 2020 and earned the Coaches’ Award in both her junior and senior seasons.
For the Braithwaite sisters, Pace gymnastics was simply intertwined in their Pace ex periences. “I grew up in the gym,” says Heilman. “I remember as early as Pre-First when Coach Cunningham was teaching me how to do somersaults at Pace Camp in Boyd Gym. I have as many memories of being in the gym with my coaches and teammates as I do in the classroom with my teachers and classmates.”
“Pace was my home for 13 years,” remarks Heilman. “I created friendships for a lifetime, and it was a nurturing space that prepared me for my future. Knowing my children [ERICH HEILMAN ’29 and KLAUS HEILMAN ’33] and my nieces and nephew [Kate, Lily and WILL GRABOWSKI ’26] are getting the same opportunity makes my heart incredibly proud and happy. Moreover, I loved gymnastics, and some of my happiest childhood moments are from being a part of those teams. Sharing that legacy with my nieces and my sister is a treasure—it’s an additional layer of connection that we will forever share.”
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“His love for the sport of gymnastics is obvious,” says Braithwaite, who notes that Cunningham seems to be ageless and hasn’t changed a bit since her years as a student. “But watching my daughters learn from him over the past seven years, I realized just how much he cares for his student-athletes’ personal growth and character development above their athletic ability. He is kind, patient and empathetic; he definitely expects hard work, dedication and respect, but he always has had and will have his athletes’ backs.”
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