KnightTimes Winter 2022 by Pace Academy

IN A ROW VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS

GOLD

BOYS & GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY TEAMS EARN STATE TITLES

Mental

Health Supporting Our Students During a Public Health Crisis

ZALIK T H E AT E R A C C E L E R AT E PA C E ! A Gift to Name the FAC’s Theater & Lobby

U CL

TS N RD RE A A P RW E O T H KS F G O N I LO E SE TO T A U YO

THANK YOU TO OUR GROWING LIST OF SPONSORS! Elisha & John Alden Atlanta Orthodontic Specialists Shannon & Tom Dempsey Global Payments, Inc. Govic Capital Isdell Family Foundation

TIO

E UC ’S C A Y PM L M PA 1 E A 1 – AD NU , 7 2 C N A ILL 02 A 2 M 2, TH AN T IL I 36 R UR AP

JackBilt Development Co. MapLarge Andrea & Chip Miller Peachtree Smile Center Primrose School of Midtown Zakiya & William Rice Roark Capital Group Melinda & Peter Shelton Sutton Law Group Natasha & Christopher Swann Zalik Foundation Fund

B EC OM E A S P ON S O R NOW A N D E N JOY V I P BA R AC C E S S

T P Y, A A D ! RY ON UR D UT O T N S O A U S S FO LLS ET E K E S T TH TIC n R EN t io U V c E O u T Y HE g /a T r GE o y. RE em FO d E B ca IRE a T e T c O pa E A ETR D V I AR ILLE T F S D E S I NG GE IOU s F EN C A V I 0 L E R D 7 DE AN OU ITH I TS C W R I SP EN RE, O! FA

DI S

BETWEEN MORNING ASSEMBLIES and late-night musical rehearsals,

I racked up countless hours in the Fine Arts Center theater during my high-school years. Completed in 1990, the space still felt sparkly and state-of-the-art when I arrived at Pace Academy as a ninth grader in 1996. I couldn’t get over the fact that I attended a school with an orchestra pit and a fly system. Over the next four years, as I became increasingly involved in Pace’s drama program, I came to know every nook and cranny of the theater and backstage areas, and I listened as longtime Theater Director DR. GEORGE MENGERT, music teacher LISA BARKSDALE and choreographer MIMI MILLER HIMES shared stories of early Pace productions staged in church sanctuaries and event spaces around town. That a program of such excellence grew from such humble beginnings made me proud, and performing on that beautiful stage was a highlight of my high-school career.

In January, the Fine Arts Center’s lobby and theater became the Zalik Theater, named by Pace parents DAVID and HELEN ZALIK in support of the Accelerate Pace campaign. These integral spaces within

Music Director CHRISTINA WEHR is pictured outside the Center Stage Theater on W. Peachtree Street, where the Pace players staged their 1985 production of Annie. Prior to the opening of the Fine Arts Center in 1990, Pace productions took place in myriad off-campus venues. “After the Fine Arts Center opened, we transitioned from being wandering gypsies; finally we had a stage to call home,” remembers longtime Theater Director DR. GEORGE MENGERT. Read the story on page 58.

facebook.com/paceacademy

instagram.com/paceacademy

twitter.com/paceacademy

the Fine Arts center remain just as impressive today as they were at the debut of Camelot, the first musical to grace the theater’s stage. I’m grateful to the Zaliks for their belief in Pace’s bright future and their passion for Pace Arts, and I’m looking forward to watching as the curtain rises on the next generation of Pace performing artists.

C A I T L I N G O O D R I C H J O N E S ’0 0 D I R E C T O R O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

PACE CARES

When our families and staff are in need, PACE CARES. Contact us to deliver a meal: pacecares@paceacademy.org

GUE S T WRIT E RS 966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327

LEAH FAVERO ’22

DOR O T H Y HU T C HE S ON Head of Lower School

Senior LEAH FAVERO ’22 joined the Pace Academy community in the sixth grade. As part of the Model United Nations (MUN) executive board, she helped organize and chair Pace’s first-ever MUN conference. Through Model UN, Favero found her passion for refugee education, which led to the creation of the Upper School Refuge Club and a summer internship at Refugee Women’s Network. Favero, one of four 2021–2022 Upper School Isdell Global Leaders, is ecstatic to be studying Education this year. In her free time, she swims and runs cross-country and track for the Knights.

GR A H A M A N T HON Y Head of Middle School

DAVID FU ’24

www.paceacademy.org

HEAD OF SCHOOL F R ED A S S A F

DIVISION HEADS

MI C H A EL GA NNON Head of Upper School

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT C A I T LIN GOODR I C H JONE S ’0 0 Director of Communications, editor DIDIER BR I VA L Digital Content Producer M A R Y S T UA R T GR AY ’16 Communications Associate R YA N V IHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LEL A WA LL AC E Digital Communications Manager

Sophomore DAVID FU ’24 serves as a Pace Ambassador and is a member of the math team, the TEDx committee and The Knightly News staff. As a freshman, David also participated in strings and was selected as an Arts Laureate for cello. He enjoys playing video games, hanging out with friends and playing cello in his free time.

MEGAN HARDESTY ’22

Senior MEGAN HARDESTY ’22 is a member of the varsity volleyball, basketball and soccer teams. She is also co-editor-in-chief of The Knightly News, co-leader of the Women Mentoring Women Club and a member of the Cum Laude Society. She will attend Duke University next fall. At Duke, Hardesty plans to major in economics with a certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship.

CONTENTS

06 08

NEWS AROUND PACE 08 CARNIVAL KNIGHTS The Fall Fair goes to Riverview

F R ED A S S A F

10 THE FORCE OF WORDS Our second TEDx event

C HR I S BER R Y GEM SHO T S PHO T OGR A PHI C w w w.gemshot s .com

12 SPIRIT WEEK

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

16 OUR PLEDGE Tracking progress on our Action Plan for Racial Equity

DA N A JAC K S ON

18 ACCELERATE PACE DONORS 24

CROSS-COUNTRY TITLES Our boys and girls harriers grab state gold in Carrollton

VOLLEYBALL WINS FIVE IN A ROW The ANNA BUSH era culminates in yet another state championship

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE Supporting student mental health during a public health crisis

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

ZALIK THEATER An Accelerate Pace gift names the Fine Arts Center theater and lobby

ALUMNI

24 VISUAL ARTS HIGHLIGHTS

To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy. To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Jones at caitlin.jones@paceacademy.org.

15 DEBATE UPDATE

SM A X PHO T OGR A PH Y w w w. smaxar t .com

28 LIGHT ONE CANDLE

FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS E-Sports, Equestrian, Flag Football, Football, Football Cheerleading, Mountain Biking, Softball and Water Polo

A look at what’s happening on campus

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

OUR MISSION

30 KNIGHT OF JAZZ

60 ALUMNI UPDATES

ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership

66 OUT & ABOUT

32 THE YEAR OF EDUCATION 34 NEW YORK CITY STUDY TOUR 35 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

68 ALUMNI IN LOVE 72 ALUMNI EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT CAROLINE GRAY ’07 builds a foundation for the future

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Pace Community, Happy New Year! We kicked off 2022 with a burst of Pace Academy spirit (see our Spirit Week coverage on page 12), and we haven’t looked back. In this issue, we recount holiday concerts (page 31) and state championships (page 42), thank those who have supported the Accelerate Pace campaign thus far (page 18), investigate the ways in which the Isdell Center for Global Leadership is activating our mission (page 32) and bring you up to speed on how we’re implementing our Action Plan for Racial Equity (page 16). I am grateful for the strength and resilience of our close-knit community, made so evident by the ongoing pandemic—and I am proud that we have so much to celebrate! I’m also reminded that with grit and determination often come fatigue and anxiety. I hope that you’ll take the time to read Grace Under Pressure: Supporting Student Mental Health During a Public Health Crisis (page 50). In it, we examine how the past two years have impacted the mental well-being of students everywhere and explore how Pace’s outstanding team of counselors has worked tirelessly to support the children in our care. Helping to ensure our students’ mental well-being remains at the forefront of our efforts, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to shed light on this important issue. Thank you for your partnership—2022 is going to be a great year for our Pace Knights! Sincerely,

THE COVERS EDWARD BLAHA ’22 crosses the finish line at the GHSA state championships, earning an individual gold medal and helping lead the Knights to their first state title since 1994. Blaha ranks No. 1 among the Knights’ all-time runners and holds four school records. Learn more about the team’s championship season on page 42. LAURA ARENTH ’22 (left) and CAROLINE HOOD ’24 (right) embrace after claiming silver and gold medals, respectively, at the GHSA state cross-country meet and leading the Knights to backto-back state titles. Learn more about the team’s championship season on page 42. Images by DWASHAWN SCOTT

THIS PAGE The Lower School Fall Fair assembly took place on Oct. 28 in the gymnasium of the new Kam Memar Lower School. Read about and see photos from the Fall Fair on page 8.

FRED ASSAF

HEAD OF SCHOOL

2022

Winter

NEWS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Meet STAR Student Kargil Behl KARGIL BEHL ’22’s already impressive list of accolades just got longer. The Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation (PAGE), the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education have recognized Behl as Pace Academy’s 2022 STAR Student. The PAGE STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program requires that STAR nominees achieve the top SAT score on a single test date and be in the top 10% of their class. STAR Students then choose a STAR Teacher who has inspired them to strive for excellence. Behl selected as his STAR Teacher Upper School math instructor JASON SMITH (pictured below). A leader both in and outside of the classroom, Behl serves as student body treasurer, a peer leader, math team captain, an Admissions Ambassador and a Model United Nations (MUN) Executive Board member. He helped the varsity boys cross-country team bring home its first state title since 1994, and hopes to lead the varsity track team to similar heights this spring. He is a Mimi Ann Deas Award recipient, a Sanford and Barbara Orkin Scholar, a member of the Cum Laude and National Honor societies and a recipient of the Pace Academy Award for Academic Excellence. He also represented Pace at the 2021 Georgia Governor’s Honors Program and received the 2021 Alumni Scholar Award, the highest honor given to a junior. l

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

CARLY APPEL, Difference Maker

A familiar name appeared atop Reporter Newspapers and Atlanta Intown’s 2022 20 Under 20 list, which honors students making a difference in their communities. The publications recognized CARLY APPEL ’22 for her work on behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Inspired by her father, who was diagnosed five years ago with a rare form of breast cancer, Appel participated in the LLS 2021 Student of the Year program and, with her team, Secure the Cure 2.0, generated $233,707 to support cancer patients and life-saving research—the most of all 33 teams in the competition. Appel personally raised more than $62,000 and funded the Evan Appel Immunotherapy research grant in honor of her father. In addition to her work with LLS, Appel spent this past summer shadowing doctors and nurses at Whiteriver Indian Hospital and making home visits on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona. “Through my involvement at Pace and my work with LLS, I learned that adaptable leadership is the key to success,” Appel told the papers. “I discovered that motivation isn’t a one-size-fits-all affair, and as a leader, it’s necessary to understand what motivates each of your team members.” l

NEWS

Walsh Field earns STMA Field of the Year honors The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), the professional organization for sports field managers worldwide, has named Walsh Field at Pace Academy’s Riverview Sports Complex its 2021 Schools and Parks Soccer Field of the Year. The field, maintained by Sports Complex Facility Manager DANIEL PRINCE (pictured right) and his team, previously won STMA’s 2019 Football Field of the Year Award. l

2022

Winter

AROUND PACE A LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT PACE

he Pace Parents Club’s annual Fall Fair returned this year—at a new location and with a shorter guest list. Due to COVID precautions, only members of the Pace community attended Carnival Knights at the school’s Riverview Sports Complex, a day of fun for the entire Pace family. The event, chaired by Pace parents ROSALIA ARORA and MARISA CHIN YEE, featured Fall Fair favorites like inflatables, rides, the Resurgens Orthopaedics MASH tent and karaoke. Appearances from Freddie Falcon, the Falcons cheerleaders and the Atlanta United Street Team, as well as thirst-quenching beverages donated by Coca-Cola and food trucks with tasty fare rounded out the fun. l

CARNIVAL COMES TO RIVERVIEW

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

A NIGHT OUT WITH KEEPING PACE RETURNS In-person event raises spirits and funds for Pace summer program This past November, A Night Out with Keeping Pace brought Pace Academy parents, faculty, staff and friends together for a congenial evening that raised funds for Keeping Pace, an academic summer program at Pace for students from under-resourced communities. The casual event, in its fifth year, returned to an in-person format and took place as in the past at the popular Urban Tree Cidery on Atlanta’s Westside. Guests enjoyed tasty ciders from Urban Tree’s impressive selection along with gourmet pizza bites and warm chocolate chip cookies from Bites by Eydt as well as delectable pastas and salads from Joey D’s Oak Room. Including both a live and silent auction, the event was a celebration of the Keeping Pace program and the difference it makes in the lives of middle- and high-school students, as well as a successful fundraiser generating over $20,000 for the summer 2022 program. Guests bid on a wide variety of auction items ranging from a chef's table experience at Local Three Kitchen & Bar to park hopper tickets at Disney World to an on-campus parking spot for a sophomore student. l

2022

Winter

TEDx PaceAcademy, TAKE TWO Adapted from an article by Knightly News reporters DAVID FU ’23 and MEGAN HARDESTY ’22 ON NOV. 14, Pace hosted its second-ever TEDx event. After a successful first event last March, the return of TEDx was an exciting opportunity for many students. Prior TEDx Committee members EMMA BETH NEVILLE ’23 and MARIT UYHAM ’23 stepped into the large role of leading the event. “Emma Beth and I were so inspired by the success of last year’s event, as well as MICHAEL FU ’21’s initiative and leadership, that we were excited to work to further the TEDx legacy here at Pace,” says UyHam. The first step in planning the event was picking a topic to guide all of the speeches and artwork. “Emma Beth and Marit brainstormed several potential topics, and the three of us together decided The Force of Words would be most engaging for speakers to write about and attendees to discover,” said TEDx faculty sponsor and Upper School English teacher ROBERT KAUFMAN. “It also directly connected with this year’s ICGL theme of Education.” While last year’s TEDx event received lots of good feedback, there were many areas to be improved. Kaufman sought to make the event appeal to a wider audience. “This year, I made a conscientious effort to have all three school divisions, each Upper School grade and, to the best of my understanding, every affinity and alliance group represented by the presenters and speakers,” says Kaufman. He also worked to increase the number of Middle Schoolers in attendance through the addition of Middle School TEDx representatives. “We also added multiple other artistic layers in the hope of elevating the attendee experience,” Kaufman says. The first student speaker was RYAN VARMA ’22 who gave a speech titled Chasing a Yellow Dress: How a Girl I Never Met Taught Me Empathy. “I wanted to present a story that would be unique yet relatable

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

to everyone listening,” says Varma. He recalled his encounter with an unhoused woman in Istanbul and how observing her selflessness taught him empathy. “The thing that I hope people take away from my speech is really that we can all make a difference wherever we are to those around us by just showing a little more compassion,” he says. KATE ROMERO ’23 presented Art for Art’s Sake: How a Little Notebook Emboldened My Self-Expression… and spoke about the beauty of imperfection in both art and writing. “I hoped to show that words don’t always have to be for other people—sometimes they can be just for you and still make a difference,” she says. Have You Heard? Shattering the Silence of Stigmas from ALLIE CAMPBELL ’22 and EMMA KILLIAN ’22 was up next. The duo was eager to speak in this year’s event as they both have a unique relationship with the topic. “I have struggled with hearing loss for the majority of my life, so when I heard the theme, I thought it would be a unique way to share my story,” says Campbell. As Campbell’s best friend, Killian has played a large role in Campbell’s journey with words. “Allie and I had been learning sign language together, so the topic surrounding communication was very applicable to our friendship,” says Killian. “I hope to have encouraged others to conquer their insecurities and inspired self-reflection in the viewers,” adds Campbell. PRANAVH PRADEEP ’22, the final student speaker, delivered Lost in Translation: The Poetry of Names. Pradeep shared how his grandfather was born without a name because it was believed that he would not survive. Later, a teacher gave his grandfather a name. Pradeep went on to explain the structure of names in Tamil culture. He informed the audience that due to the rare

addition of the letter “h” in his name, he is the only Pranavh Pradeep in the world. Pace faculty members participated in the event as well. Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer JOANNE BEAUVOIR BROWN presented a personal, heartfelt speech titled What’s in a Name?, while Lower School teacher ARMANDO VIZCAINO-SANTIAGO shared Siempre pa’ Lante, Nunca pa; Tras: The Intersection of Literary and SocialEmotional Development , a tribute to his grandparents and their motto: “Always forward, never back.” Internationally acclaimed photographer KRISTI ODOM ’98 represented Pace alumni and discussed how she integrates her passion for math into her photography in A Relation of Correlations: Using Mathematics to Connect with Photography. The event also included several speakers from outside the Pace community. Rabbi Micah Lapidus and jazz vocalist Melvin Kendall Myles shared When Silence is Untenable: A Musical Collaboration Across Faiths, and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel presented a speech called Words from Inside, a tribute to his mother, whose voice he hears in his head when times are tough. “Although the speeches may have impacted listeners differently, we really hope that everyone was inspired by the wonderful speakers to think about what force words have in our day-to-day lives,” says UyHam. Kaufman encourages students to begin crafting their own stories. “I hope students who attended or watched the TEDx speeches later realize that they too are large and contain multitudes,” he says.

View TEDxPaceAcademy at https://tinyurl.com/TEDxPace

AROUND PACE Photos by Kimberly Neville

2022

Winter

AROUND PACE

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

AROUND PACE

There’s No Masking

Once again, Spirit Week, the Upper School’s annual week-long competition between classes, challenged students to work together to create elaborate themed banners and hilarious videos before presenting choreographed skits to their peers at a Friday-afternoon assembly. Not surprisingly, the Class of 2022 and its Toy Story theme emerged victorious.

2022

Winter

AROUND PACE

ARE YOU A CASTLE CIRCLE MEMBER? 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! 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.

the Syllabus

Suspending

Science and history minimesters explore relevant topics beyond the curriculum For a decade, Upper School students have returned from winter break and kicked off the second semester with a science “minimester,” a series of short, intensive courses that allows students to delve deeper into a subject matter. Last year, the history department joined the party, offering minimester courses examining African, African Diaspora and African American history. This January, both departments presented a week’s worth of engaging extracurricular content. “We expanded our horizons to other sometimes-underrepresented groups in history,” says History Department Chair TIM HORNOR. “We had minimester courses on the Mughal Empire, Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during World War II, and introductions to LGBTQ+ and Latinx history—while maintaining subjects like African and African American art.” Science offerings ranged from Fundamentals of Genealogy and Swamp Ecology to How to Build A Computer and Fantasy Sports Statistics. “We focused on what we try to accomplish every year: hands-on learning that allows students to see science differently,” reports Science Department Chair DR. JOHN PEARSON.

he members of this year’s debate team may be young, but they are mighty—and already making a name for themselves in the high-school debate world.

The squad, made up of 27 Upper School students and 25 Middle Schoolers, kicked off its season in impressive fashion at the Marist Ivy Street Invitational in late September. After defeating a Westminster team, STEPHEN YANG ’25 and JACK MCMULLAN ’25 emerged as novice division co-champions. Yang finished as the tournament’s sixth-best speaker, while McMullan was 10th. In the rookie division, NAILAH BEACHEM ’25 and LEAH NEGERO ’25 finished in ninth place. KAITLYN GOLDBERG ’25 and AALIA MIRZA ’25 advanced to the quarterfinals and, competing against 50 students in her first-ever tournament, Mirza was named the tournament’s top speaker; Goldberg was second. Goldberg and Mirza again found success at the Peach State Classic, where they advanced to the quarterfinals to finish fifth overall and wrapped up the semester as one of the top novice teams in the region and the state, the best start for a Pace novice team in years. In the rookie division, ALEX EACHUS ’27 and BEN RODBELL ’27 finished as the tournament runners-up, losing a close debate in the finals. Rodbell was the tournament's third speaker; Eachus finished fourth.

AROUND PACE 1/ Kabir Singh ’23 and Luca Tanasa ’23 2/ Arnav Maddineni ’26 and Zaki George ’26 3/ Avery Gunn ’27 and Molly Luber ’27 4/ Paige Vadnais ’27 and Campbell Hanna ’27 5/ Alex Eachus ’27 and Ben Rodbell ’27 6/ Kaitlyn Goldberg ’25 and Sofia Vasquez ’25

ZAKI GEORGE ’26 and ARNAV MADDINENI ’26 showed promise at the pre-Thanksgiving Westminster tournament. Pitted against a high-school duo in the quarterfinals, the team concluded the tournament in fifth place. Maddineni finished as the tournament's fifth speaker; George was ninth. At November’s prestigious Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament—a Chicago-based tournament held online this year—Pace competed in one of the biggest and most competitive fields including over 200 schools from across the U.S. In their division, debating together for the first time, Yang and WILL CANNADAY ’24 finished in 11th place. To conclude the semester, the team participated in the Midtown High School Tournament, where VIVIAN KOHN ’24 and CHRISTIAN GOMEZ-MENDOZA ’25 won the rookie division, and Goldberg and Mirza placed third in the novice division. Goldberg brought home top speaker honors in the novice division, beating more than 40 debaters from Georgia and Texas to win the award. “The squad is young, but dynamic,” says Director of Speech and Debate ERIC FORSLUND. “They are improving at a rapid rate and are ultra competitive. It’s been exciting to see their growth this fall, and they have captured a slew of awards. We have multiple first-year teams that are defeating some of the best competition in the country in their age brackets. The future looks bright.” l

2022

Winter

AROUND PACE PUBLISHED IN JULY 2020, Pace Academy’s Action Plan for Racial Equity strives to “eradicate racism and its legacy, and to dismantle any racial hierarchies within our school community.” A living document, the plan calls for an examination of institutional practices, policies and procedures in an effort to foster true racial equity and ensure that every community member feels supported, valued and safe. Since the plan’s publication, the Board of Trustees, Head of School FRED ASSAF, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer JOANNE BEAUVOIR BROWN and Director of Equity and Inclusion NIRVANA KELLY SCOTT have worked alongside dedicated students, faculty, staff, administrators, parents and alumni to build upon a strategic vision of diversity put in place years ago and to realize the school’s more recent goals. The plan focuses on six areas: Teaching & Curriculum, Our Community, Listening & Learning, Our People, Joining Our Community and Our Pledge. In each issue of this magazine, we report on strides made in one of these areas. Up next? Our Pledge.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON OUR PROGRESS IS AVAILABLE AT www.paceacademy.org/diversity-inclusion.

OU R AC T I O N PL AN FOR R AC I A L E Q U I T Y:

TRACKING OUR PROGRESS MA K I N G S T R I D E S IN THE ARE A OF OUR PLE DGE 16

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

“The success of our Action Plan for Racial Equity hinges on the commitment of our entire school community,” says Brown. “Ensuring that all members of our community understand our work surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion and how to engage with that work is key. It requires listening, soliciting feedback and committing to ongoing communication.” To that end, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) publishes frequent updates regarding the Action Plan for Racial Equity. Updates are emailed to the Pace community and posted within the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion section of paceacademy.org. A monthly DEI message, Everyday DEI, appears in This Week at Pace, a weekly eblast sent to parents, faculty, staff, and Middle and Upper School students; this column provides additional information to parents, alumni and friends of the school. The DEI Office also partners with groups like the Pace Academy Board of Diversity, a student organization; the Association of Pace Academy Black Alumni; and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Board Committee, led by committee chair BEA PEREZ. “These voices help our team take the pulse of our community and help shape programming and future goals,” Brown reports. In addition, faculty-led student affinity groups in all three divisions offer spaces for students to work and reflect within their own racial/ethnic groups and provide another avenue for gathering feedback and assessing school culture. In October 2021, the school once again partnered with scientific research firm Authentic Connections to survey Middle and Upper School students and all faculty and staff regarding their Pace experiences. This year’s survey, expanded from its previous iterations, attempted to more deeply evaluate community members’ sense of belonging. Questions covered areas such as personal values, empathy and kindness, depression and anxiety, substance use, relationships with family and friends, and how students feel welcomed and supported in the community. “We’ll use the valuable data from this cultural climate survey to better understand student and community concerns—from the perspectives of DEI and overall student development,” says Brown. “We have a responsibility to ensure that every community member feels supported, valued and safe.” l

OT H E R R E C E N T I N I T I AT I V E S F R O M T H E O F F I C E O F D I V E R S I T Y, EQU IT Y AND I NC LU S ION

LISTENING& LEARNING L AT I N A M E R I C A N & H I S PA N I C H E R I T A G E M O N T H [1 & 2 ]

Lower School Spanish and visual art teachers partnered with students to create an ofrenda commemorating the annual Día de los Muertos. The altar featured traditional Mexican folk art handmade by students, as well as photographs of loved ones lost. Lower School students also raised more than $2,000 for the Pulsera Project, which supports charitable organizations in Nicaragua and Guatemala through the sale of artisan-made, hand-woven bracelets and bags. D I W A L I [3 – 5] The Pace community, with the help of parent volunteers, celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with student-led assemblies in each division, as well as educational activities and traditional foods. L G B T Q + H I S T O R Y M O N T H [6] Bringing education and awareness around the LGBTQ+ community was at the heart of student-initiated assemblies and programs in the Middle and Upper Schools. The Upper School Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) coordinated activities during Pride Week, which included a visit from City of Atlanta LGBT Affairs Director Malik Brown, who discussed advocacy and activism at the governmental and nonprofit levels. Students also organized a meeting of the GSA and Black Student Alliance (BSA) to examine the intersectionality of these identities.

N AT I V E A M E R I C A N H E R I TAG E M O N T H 7

Lower School morning meetings, Native American history lessons and Mindful Mondays connected students with indigenous history and culture throughout the month of November. A M O R N I N G W I T H K E V I N R I C H A R D S O N [7]

Kevin Richardson, one of the Central Park Exonerated 5, shared his story of resilience, resistance and faith with Upper School students and faculty during a special assembly, after which students had the opportunity to engage in conversation with Richardson. T H E P O W E R O F C O M M U N I T Y [ 8 & 9] Director of Equity and Inclusion NIRVANA KELLY SCOTT presented The Power of Community: How Relationships Impact Social and Academic Development. This special presentation for parents, the first in the series, explored the connections between social belonging, academic achievement and social development. l

2022

Winter

Thanks to the following donors, as of Jan. 26, 2022, $2.1 million remains to be raised to close the Accelerate Pace campaign.

Bella and Matt Abel Courtney Woods ’07 and Tully Ackland Doug Adair ’82 Kim Adams and Morgan Adams ’82 Kathryn and Seth Adams Amy Hertz Agami and Ronnie Agami Teresa Aguilar Tasneem Ahmed ’06 Julia Drews Aland ’06 and Patrick Aland Stefanie Agusta and Steve Albert Elisha and John Alden Lesley Alexander and Andrew Alexander ’04 Marie Alexander and Sandy Alexander ’03 Nick Alexander ’07 Ripple and John Alkire Jamie and Lance Allen Nicole Allen and Russ Allen ’93 Sam Allen Alisa Alloy and Jason Alloy ’95 Marshalyn YearginAllsopp and Ralph Allsopp Carole Almond Amber and Peter Almond Lauren Cardon ’96 and Thomas Altman Cordelia Ortiz and Enrique Alvarez Pam and Stewart Ambler

KnightTimes

Cristy Ames Will Amos ’99 Luke Anderson ’09 Trish Anderson Anonymous Poli and Manuel Aparicio Kellie and Evan Appel Alison and Mike Arenth Allie Armbruster ’04 Wendy and Neal Aronson Dana and Stephen Aronson Rosalia and Sal Arora Kaley and Farshid Arshid The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Martha Downer-Assaf and Fred Assaf Jack Assaf ’13 Rachael Harris Asselin ’97 Jennifer and Doug Astrop Evelyn Attaway and Paul Attaway ’81 Valerie and Brad Ausband Ella Avdyeyeva and Slava Avdyeyev Lucy Schaefer Ayres ’08 and Drake Ayres Kelsea Ayers Madeline and Noah Bader Kevin Ballard Deana ManassaramBaptiste and Philip Baptiste Erica Barbakow Anne and Will Barnette

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Lubaina Rangwala and Fayyaz Barodawala Amanda and Michael Basille Lisa and Derek Bauer Linda and Neil Baum Jenny and Todd Beauchamp Genie and Todd Beaver Radhika and Sanjay Behl Karina Khouri Belinfante ’95 and Josh Belinfante ’95 Krystal Zell and Oliver Bell John Belle-Lattimer ’03 Christy Bennett Ranck Mindy and Eric Berenson Mara and Justin Berman Dana and Eric Bernath Heather Allen Bernes ’05 and Matt Bernes Taylor Berry Claire Graves ’03 and Christopher Bestwick Margaret Bethel ’19 Jenny and Tom Bethel Kavita Kotte and Samir Bhatia Rachel and Mark Bickenbach Pascale and Reginald Bienne Diana and Dick Bigler Emily Birdsong and Jon Birdsong ’03 Annie Birdsong and Sam Birdsong ’08 Sara and Steven Blackwood

Emily and Buddy Blaha Beth Allgood Blalock ’96 and Tully Blalock McKenzie Leonard Blanchard ’05 and Parker Blanchard Meredith Wertheim Blechman ’02 and Andy Blechman Donice Bloodworth Liz Price and Rick Blumen Jennifer and Steven Bodner Stephanie Boehmig and David Boehmig ’81 Julie Mayer Bollinger ’76 Merritt Bond Lindsay and Evan Borenstein Emery Deyo Bourne ’89 and Bray Bourne Crystal Bowens and Yaton Bowens ’91 Jessica Boyd Sita Jhaveri and Jason Boykin Mary and Cameron Bready Lindsay Thurman Mullin ’94 and Robert Breeden Will Brewster ’11 Lisa and Dan Brooks Jason Brooks Linda Brooks Alison Brown Joanne and Jack Brown Lauren Brown ’95 Taylor and Ronnie Brown Ross Brown ’07 Lana and Yomand Brown Kacy Brubaker Emily Alexander Brueck ’06 and Alexander Brueck Amy and Hardy Brumfield Carrie and Eric Brune Katie and Ben Brunt

Genevieve Lynch and Sean Bryan Charlie Bryant Rebecca and Tom Buehler Jenn and Frank Buonanotte Michele Johnson and Anthony Burnett Amy Butler ’18 Charlie Butler ’05 Jane Butler and Scott Butler ’81 Sheryl Fowler Butler ’73 Ashley Bynoe ’03 Monique and Bland Byrne Bo and Chris Byrne Julianna Rue Cagle ’03 and Spencer Cagle Meredith and Jay Caiafa Cary Ripley Calhoun ’81 and Charles Calhoun Tricia and Michael Callahan Ashley and Grier Campbell Allison Berger and Neil Campbell Jenny and James Cannaday Ann Marie and Stephen Cannon Jaclyn and Stephen Cannon Dea and Brian Canova Stephanie Cantillo Kristin Chick Carpenter ’07 and Danny Carpenter Gabriela and Bruce Carroll Natalie Catlett Faye and Bob Caton Forrest and Bob Caton Yao and Alfie Chen Kim and John Chenevey Marisa and David Chin Yee

ACCELERATE PACE DONORS Kavitha Reddy and Prashanth Chintanapalli Jodi Chitwood and Bryan Chitwood ’93 Jane Choi Sandra and Alex Chung Elizabeth Dangar Cleveland ’92 Jackie Castillo and Alex Close Hayley Shoji Coates ’12 and Jason Coates Adele Coburn and Brett Coburn ’96 Meredith Smith Coletta ’07 and Andrew Coletta ’07 Kelly and Dan Colquitt Julia Combs and Jim Combs ’96 Shawntay and Augustine Conduah Claire Ellender Cone ’10 Laura Dickey Corey ’04 and Jack Corey Ada Lee and Pete Correll Sarah Johnson Cossich ’04 and Phil Cossich Betsy and Mitch Costley Abby Cox and Jason Cox ’92 Erica and Andrew Cozewith B.J. and Bruce Crabtree Caroline and David Crawford Stacy and Ken Crumley MaryBeth Culp ’05 Cia and Larry Cummings Jolie and Steve Cunningham James Curtis ’90 Molly Daly ’07 Leigh Darby and Bill Darby ’81 Kimberly and Cory Davis Allison and Pete Davis Victoria and Ryan Davis Christine and Shel Davis Ana Pallares and Paul De Cock Mary Alicia and Steven DeFrancis

Erica Petrosky DeLaney ’01 and Evan DeLaney Jennifer and Don Demba Shannon and Tom Dempsey Neil DeRosa Courtney Schaefer Deveau ’07 and Patrick Deveau ’05 Heather Dexter and Blake Dexter ’90 Margo and Greg Dexter Rachel Derr and Neal Dickert Ashley and Michael Dickey Tess Dillon ’14 Fran Dixon Kerry and Mike Doheny Lauren Lorberbaum and Sean Donohue Ali LeBlanc Dowd ’08 and Kyle Dowd LeeAnn and Danny Doyle Bettina and Geoff Drake Tahseen Kazi and James Drenter Laurice Drews and Rod Drews ’00 Lisa and Darin Dubovy David Duncan Marsha and Bill Durlin Kara and Anand Dutta Jessica and Christopher Eachus Bowen and John Eagleson Judy Easton Maureen Saunders Eckard ’02 and Davis Eckard Lori Movsovitz-Edlin and Todd Edlin Michelle and James Edwards Donna and Greg Eisenstadt Banu Asik Elizondo and Paul Elizondo Laurie and Mark Elliott Stefanie and James Ellner Lisa Epstein and Dan Epstein ’78 Hollis Erickson and Mark Erickson ’84

Eric Estroff ’12 Nikki Evans ’05 Elisa and Bobby Ezor Jonathan Ferrell Tiffany and Danny Ferry Lucy Ferry ’20 Sophie Ferry ’18 Salima Ladha Fetter ’94 and Matt Fetter Sarah Ficke and Brooks Ficke ’03 Peter Finnerty ’07 Maggie Hagedorn Fitzgerald ’01 and Brian Fitzgerald Mary Liles Fiveash ’14 Doug Flaum Amber and Christian Fletcher Heather and Eli Flint Lepora Flournoy Julie and Ryan Flynn Kim Szurovy Fogarty ’97 and Sean Fogarty Sally Forb Megan Fox Ford ’01 and Bill Ford Meredith Winitt Forrester ’95 and Jeremy Forrester Eric Forslund Carolanne and Dave Fortier Jennifer and David Foster Jill and Todd France The Frances and Beverly M. DuBose Foundation, Inc. Pearline and David Franco Genna Gaddy Franconi ’02 and Peter Franconi Katy and Robert Fransen Jennifer and Adam Freeman Katania and Lawrence Frett Ashley and Mack Freudenstein Eve Wertheim Frid ’06 and Daniel Frid Dana Feinstein ’97 and Craig Friedman Brett and Oz Friedmann

Ellen Mezritch Fruchtman ’78 and Scott Fruchtman Julie and David Frushtick Jin Wang and Oliver Fu Cathy and Reid Funston Courtenay and Chris Gabriel Shep Mallory Gallagher ’91 and David Gallagher Chanley Small and Mike Gannon Jodi and Adam Ganz Ali Garcia ’11 Kelsey Garcia and Andrew Garcia ’05 Elizabeth Garcia ’11 Kyle Garcia and Matt Garcia ’03 Carol and Paul Garcia Emma Laura Gash ’16 Laura and Jim Gash Lucy Gash ’19 Lily Gatins and Phillip Gatins ’01 Daphne and Matt Gaudet Grace and Nenad Gavric Kemper Gay and John Gay ’81 Samantha Movsovitz Gelman ’08 and Preston Gelman Lubna Javaid and Binu George Shivani and Raj Ghaiy Susan and Bob Gibbs Tiffany Lovett Gibson ’87 and Steve Gibson Eileen and Jim Gieselman Emma Gilmore Nicole Felton and Paul Ginsberg Rebecca and Stephen Glasgow Betsy Glass and David Glass ’90 Elizabeth Glass and Fred Glass ’89 Merritt Ann Glass ’19 Kathy and Dan Glennon Chris Godfrey ’02 Molly and Harold Goings Jane Goings Susan and David Goldberg

Julie and Seth Goldstrom Kaitlyn and Chris Golphin Annie Richardson Goode ’98 and Jason Goode Susan and Earl Goodrich Mike Gordon Ann Marie and Mario Govic Kiery Braithwaite ’90 and Matt Grabowski Crystal and Tyler Graff Jennifer and Jeffrey Grant Kim and Wayne Grant Emily and Noah Graubart Mary Stuart Gray ’16 Jennifer and Greg Greenbaum Ryan Greenbaum ’07 Zach Greenberg ’03 Ginger and Dan Greene Keri and Keith Greenwald Anna Gretchen Ashley and David Grice Britt Jackson Griffin ’00 and Andrew Griffin ’99 K.T. Mills Grimes ’07 and Billy Grimes Kimberly Loeb Grossman and Robert Grossman Lauren Linder ’00 and Jonathan Grunberg Alexis and Shelby Guilbert Rosa and Roy Hadley Parkey and Dan Haggman Mary Stewart and Chris Hagy Lauren Kravitz Haire ’07 and John Haire Alice Hall Lara and Chris Hall Robin and Andrew Halpern Betsy Bravman Halpern ’76 Amanda Johnson and Marty Hamburger Larine Hamied ’15 Angelle and Art Hamilton Judy Hamilton Angie and Kyle Hammond Julie Hampton 

2022

Winter

ACCELERATE PACE DONORS Leslie and Marty Handler Jan and Bill Hankins Emily Evenson Hanley ’06 and Michael Hanley Lee Ann and Doug Hantula Jane and Derek Hardesty Hayley and Matthew Hardwick Kathie and Brian Harlander Amelia Harmon Nicole and Clay Harmon Susan Harper and Jim Harper ’81 Tara and Anton Harris Lauren and Brian Harris Cal Harris ’12 Jack Harris ’10 Sydney Harris and Jake Harris ’07 Bonnie and Jay Harris Judy Harris and Jeff Harris ’76 Marsha and Mark Harris Jayne and James Hasson Kristi and Brent Hastie Helen and Jon Hathorn Jennifer and Brandon Hayes B.J. and Buddy Hayes Sallie Hays ’13 Jennifer Healey and Quill Healey ’86 Chaffee Braithwaite Heilman ’95 and Dave Heilman Rose and Don Heineman Debbie and Justin Heineman Sandi Cohen Hennessy ’97 and Sean Hennessy ’94 Anneke Herman and Brandon Herman ’99 Lila and Doug Hertz Emily and Michael Hertz Meg Heyer Erin and John Heyman Kristi and Robert Highsmith Jane and Phillip Hight Lyn and Andrew Hill Barbara Hingst Corey and Ben Hirokawa

KnightTimes

Mary and Andrew Hirsekorn Evin and Josh Hirsh Diane Collins Hishta ’75 and Kevin Hishta Evelyn Hobbs ’14 Virginia Hobbs ’20 Evelyn and Walter Hoff Amanda Hoffman ’98 Amy Napier Hofstetter ’92 and Denis Hofstetter Blythe O’Brien Hogan ’03 and William Hogan Katie Holderness ’02 Mary and Ed Holmes Kylie Holthaus Paige and Charles Honeycutt Lia Moraitakis Hooff ’05 and Easley Hooff Kimberly Tucker Hooper ’97 and Brian Hooper Dee Hoover and Tom Hoover ’86 Kate Hornor ’11 Elizabeth and Tim Hornor Krystle and Ryan Howard Mandy and Wes Howard Angie and Clay Howell Ashley and Matthew Howell Akiko and Andy Hsu Jean Song and Paul Huang Stacy and Jon Hughes Amy and Crawford Humphreys Jen and Christopher Hurd Dorothy Hutcheson YiYi and Curt Hutchins Mary Beth Hutchison and David Hutchison ’91 Hillary Shaw and John Hyman Hanan and Samir Idris Susan Ikerd Hillary Inglis and Carter Inglis ’89 Casey and Jon Ingram Tish Inman and John Inman ’83 Beth Inman and Don Inman ’81

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Ciara and Eddie Irons Jill and Eric Irvin J. Bulow Campbell Foundation Laura Jack Dana Jackson Tisha Tipnis and Omar Jalil Terri and Dan Janki Angie and Shawn Janko Kate and Brian Jaspon Hanna and David Jaye Michael Jerome ’66 Katie Daly Johnson ’03 and Ben Johnson Farhat Khan and Chris Johnson Estella Johnson Julie and Jeffrey Johnson Kevin Johnson Carrie Flanagan and Mark Johnson ’94 Stephanie and Matt Johnson Moksha Johnson Katherine and Michael Jones Rebecca Jones ’96 Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 and Wes Jones Susie and Chuck Jordan Eleanor Jordan Scott Jospin ’08 Mallika and Alfred Kallingal Lindsey and Josh Kamin Joan and Samuel Kamin Elizabeth and Burt Kann Ellen and Brad Kaplan Maya Kaplan ’20 Laura and Spyro Karetsos Julia and Dan Kaufman Brianne Kaufman and Harrison Kaufman ’06 Karen Margolis Kaye ’00 and Ian Kaye Susan Kaye Alissa Schor and Daniel Kedme Trudie and Joe Keenan John Keller Anne and Greg Kelly Wendy Kelly Howie Kelrick Kristen Kelsey ’73

Virginia Wilson Kendrick ’81 and Alan Kendrick Stacey and Tom Kilberg Maggie Isler Killgore ’96 and Will Killgore Rachel and Lee Killian Taryn and Glenn Kirbo Julie Kirkland and Russ Kirkland ’98 Faith Kirkpatrick Lori and Ron Kirschner Elenore and Rob Klingler Sherry Windsor Knochel ’76 and Kristian Knochel Keisha and Cosmen Knowlton Laurie and Michael Kogon Chari and Michael Kornheiser Anton Kort ’96 Jackie Kort and Jonathan Kort ’00 Juliet and Kyle Korver Kate Iannuzzi and Matthew Krull Betty and Paul Kuhnert Cathy Kuranoff Ali and Andrew Labovitz Sheri and Steve Labovitz Ellen and Darryl Laddin Nicole Wu and Kenneth LaManna Jacqueline Greenfield Land ’94 and Adam Land Emma and Andrew Langford Kathie and Steve Larkin AJ Lashley Jenni Ridall Lata ’05 and Mike Lata Emma Lattouf ’06 Carol Lattouf and Rashid Lattouf ’05 Zeena Lattouf ’12 Katie Lee and Jason Lee ’96 Jonathan Lee ’06 Joseph Lee ’86 Soo and Seong Lee Jing and Wenke Lee Cara Isdell Lee ’97 and Zak Lee

Lisa and Tim Lemke Jessica Sutherland Levenson ’93 and Ryan Levenson Alison Levine and Jonathan Levine ’77 Alisha and Chad Levitt Cappy and Scott Lewis Andrea and Tom Lewis Shele Lieberman Kathleen and Jesse Liebman Anna Catone and Dave Liebmann ’87 Philippe Lindsay ’78 Catherine and Ashford Little Meredith Gould Little ’02 and Graham Little Heather and Andrew Litvak Dana and Marlon Lloyd Catherine and Mike Locker Nancy Loeb Julie and Stan Logan Trenna and Jim Lonon Lee and Trey Loughran Ashley Lowery and Jake Lowery ’03 Julie and Dan Lowrie Christin and Michael Lumpkin Sarah and Rob Lynch Tracey De Poalo and Dave Lynn ’82 Barclay Macon ’00 Manogna and Sreedhar Maddineni Katherine Rankin Maddux ’06 and Andrew Maddux JoAnn and Sam Maguire Laurie and Hampton Mallis Kate Heyer Mandrell ’08 and Ryan Mandrell ’07 Debra and Gary Mann Jan Anderson Manning ’68 Jewell Marable Lyn Marcrum and Randy Marcrum ’80 Leslie and Jesse Marshburn

ACCELERATE PACE DONORS Colleen Cherry and Matt Marsico Laura Martin Lanie and Sanjay Masilamani Allyson and Jim Maske Liz and David Mason Carol and Joe Mathias Kim and Greg Mazur Henry McAlpin ’05 Mary Pat and Mac McCallum Jenny and Sean McClenaghan Rosemary and Chuck McCloskey Heather Patrick McCloskey ’89 and Mike McCloskey Colleen and Chris McDaid Stephanie McDonald and Austin McDonald ’97 Jen and Darren McGurn Erin McIntosh ’06 Andy McLean Courtney Ranck McMillan ’96 and Garrison McMillan Susan Regenstein McMillin ’72 and Mike McMillin Marilyn and John McMullan Catherine and Ted McMullan Carolyn Schaefer McNerney ’11 and Conor McNerney Pearson Mathews McShane ’07 and Chris McShane Wande OkunorenMeadows and Dino Meadows Diana and Bijon Memar Nadya and Shakeel Merchant Caren and Michael Merlin Stephen Merritt ’11 Jennifer and Adam Meyerowitz Masami and Eric Middleton

Megan Knott Mignano ’04 and Christian Mignano Laura Mikhalevsky and Alex Mikhalevsky ’05 Ellye Millaway Amelia Bruce Miller ’78 and Courtenay Miller Toni and Chris Millner Julie and Yasir Mirza Katherine and Gregory Mitchell Carter and Bill Monroe Jeanne and Joe Moore Careshia and Lamar Moore Mary Morrison Moore ’93 and Tim Moore Ben Moreland Harry Moreland ’13 Glenda and Mark Moreland Landon Morgan ’95 Kathleen and Erik Morris Katie Roberts Morris ’99 and Whit Morris Neva and Al Morrison Christina Morrison ’05 Lucie and Neil Morrisroe Melinda Chandler and Mikel Muffley Shivani and Sri Krishna Mukkamala Katherine Mullally ’15 Sara Mullally ’13 Henri and Cory Muller Lisa Mullins Ann McLean Nagle ’87 and Tripp Nagle Hussein Nasreddin ’99 Maggie Buchanan and Kevin Neely Hilary and Stuart Nelson Laura and Dan Newberg Julie Newman ’96 Claire and Geoff Nolan Dana Cohen Nolan ’04 and Jeff Nolan Streeter Nolan ’09 Christina and Erik Nordin Calla McCalley Noyes ’86 and Reed Noyes Kim and Hal Nuckols Tatyana and Sean O Andi and Doug O’Bryan

Georgia Evert O’Donoghue ’07 and Brendan O’Donoghue Joe O’Geen ’06 Rhonda Peck O’Gorman ’88 Ann Igbre Olufade and Alfy Olufade Katherine Parke Ostenson ’08 and Jeff Ostenson Darcy Oxman and Joe Oxman ’74 Pace Academy— Class of 2018 Pace Academy Parents Club Gerusa and Alan Panzer Anshuman Parikh ’14 Allison Riley and Jason Parker Sherilyn Bell Parker ’64 Tanya Parker Pam Partain and Jack Partain ’65 Sara and Cody Partin Madhavi Vajani and Jay Patel Deeptha Ganapathy and Pranavesh Pathak Katherine and John Patrick Hilda and Pat Patrick Kelley Harris and Jared Paul Whitney and Ryan Paulowsky Rena Ann Peck ’87 Berry and Will Perkins Nancy and William Perry McCree O'Kelly and Seth Persily Ashley Peterson ’94 Nicole and James Peterson Mary Hunter Cunningham Peterson ’10 and Mike Peterson Kim Peterson Vanessa Petrosky ’05 Carter Phillips ’96 Alice Trahant and Tate Phillips ’92 Erica and Sarat Piduru Abigail Pickard and Jim Piekut

Ellen Turner and Carson Pilcher Paula Pontes and Diogo Pinheiro Cally Pirrung ’08 Amber and Bailey Player Jill and Derek Pollard Melanie Pope and Trey Pope ’86 Jacqueline Lubrun-Popo and Peter Popo Nikki Poyer Holly and Palmer Proctor Alenka Zajic and Milos Prvulovic Bea Perez and Ken Quintana Mary Ann Quintrell and Bailey Quintrell ’05 Nancy Quintrell Kelcy Rainer and Evans Rainer ’04 Rosi Ortiz and Hector Ramos Louella Randall Sarah-Elizabeth Reed ’96 and Kasim Reed Mona Ariza and Fred Renteria Stephanie and Stuart Resnick Nick Rhodes ’08 Rebecca Rhodes Elizabeth Correll Richards and Ken Richards Alli and Matthew Richardson Maggie Riddell ’08 Megan Roberts and Haynes Roberts ’96 Sherry Kaley Roberts ’66 Micaela Robinson ’14 Jessica Myers Rodbell ’94 and Andrew Rodbell Jill and Nicholas Roecker Liz and Kent Rogers Mary Hipp Rogers ’06 and Reid Rogers ’07 Deborah and Steve Rogers Michelle and Matt Rohrig Ginger Fay and Ken Rona Allison Rosenbaum ’11 Michelle Rosenbaum ’11 Victoria and Mike Rosetti

Barbra and Phillip Rosing Stephanie and Peter Ross Keri and Jim Roth Kim and Thomas Rowe Dayna and Jeremy Royal Britton Parker Ruckman ’02 and Jason Ruckman Amy and Trevor Ruff Mary Rushing Lynne and Bart Ruth Jordana and David Sackel Kamran Sadiq ’15 Gabrielle Sanders Katie Sandlin Kerri and Wes Sapp Molly and Brian Sappington Angira and Eric Sceusi Julie Schaetzel ’06 Doug Schelp Max Schiffer ’20 Maria and Rodney Schiffer Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64 and Robert Schindhelm Wendy and Jay Schmitt Mary and William Schoeffler David Schultz Eleanor Schwartz Barbara Scott Amanda Allen Scott ’08 and Colin Scott Molly Haining Scott ’93 and John Scott Kay Nguyen and Harindra Sebastian Linda and Steve Selig Angela and Bill Selmon Jennifer and Eric Sender Martha and George Sessions Neal Sessions ’81 Crystal and Alpesh Shah Dianne and Kent Shalibo Jaci Thomson Shanks ’01 and Jamie Shanks Doug and Eddie Shanley-Balyeat Marissa and Paul Share Tiffany and Alan Shaw Talbott Head Shaw ’03 and Burk Shaw 

2022

Winter

ACCELERATE PACE DONORS Natalie and Paul Shea Mahsa Soltani and Jordan Shearer Ingrid Beerkens Shelton ’80 and John Shelton ’81 Mindi and Pete Shelton Becca and Clyde Shepherd Duke Sherrell Angela Buzzett Shiflet ’65 and George Shiflet Helen Shingler Anna Shippen and Bill Shippen ’85 Mae Shippen ’20 Natalie Underwood Shirley ’01 and Blake Shirley ’01 Caroline Faulkner Shirley ’04 and Steve Shirley ’03 Kathryn and Yasuo Shoji Mindy and David Shoulberg Raven Owen-Beyer and Scott Shupe Christian and Dan Siegenthaler Beth McNeill Silbert ’00 and David Silbert Jordan and Dan Silverboard Lisa and Josh Silverboard Meredith Bailey Simmons ’01 and McKittrick Simmons ’94 Joan Simpson Latika Goyal-Singh and Amar Singh Anuja and Vikram Singha Maria and James Singleton Corinne Erickson and Will Skeean Vicky and Jeff Sloan Matthew Smentek Angie and Brad Smith Lynn Smith and Graham Smith ’97 Helen Smith Jason Smith Jennifer Smith ’12 Olivia Mills Smith ’07 and Jonathan Smith

KnightTimes

Kelly Smith ’03 Claudia Stokes Smith ’84 and Kevin Smith Patricia and McKenzie Smith Amanda and Shawn Smith Tinsley Smith ’87 Laura and Will Smith Kathryn and Mark Sng Christina Snyder Karen and Mark Sommerville Michelle and Sandeep Soni Beth Bridges Spencer ’81 and John Spencer Emily Spillane Heather and Chris Spires Karen Greenberg St. Amand ’81 and Mike St. Amand Ashley and Matt Stafford Leslie and John Stebbins Laura Wheeler Stein ’96 and Brad Stein McCrea O’Haire Stern ’08 and Jason Stern Emily Stevens Laura and Logan Stevens Julie and Huston Stewart Alicia and Fred Stimpson Keri and Carl Stoltz Deb and Rob Stone Catherine Woodling ’00 and Evan Strange Kate Solley Sullivan ’99 Laura Sumlin and John Sumlin ’81 Katie and Tony Sundermeier SunTrust Trusteed Foundations: Walter H. and Marjory M. Rich Memorial Fund Meredith and Darrell Sutton Jennifer and David Swales Natasha and Christopher Swann Kim and Jonathan Swartz Elisabeth Quintrell Sweeney ’08 and Wyck Sweeney Jo and Steve Tapper

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Allison and Stewart Tarvin Andrew Teegarden ’99 Susanne Teegarden and Stewart Teegarden ’99 Jan Taylor Scott ’69 and Edward Tetterton Prasanna Rajakumaran and Pradeep Thirumalai Dimple and Salim Thobani Brandi and Cedric Thomas Andrea and Lanier Thomas Mimi and Andrew Thompson Liles and Charlie Thompson Kiplyn and Gardiner Thompson Elizabeth and Garrett Thompson Julie and Scott Thompson Kim and Pat Thomson Amanda Thornhill Ben Thorpe ’00 Corrie and Bret Thrasher Martha Lee McCutchen Thwaite ’80 and Walter Thwaite ’82 Allison and Brian Timberlake Pam Tisdale Bailey Torbert and Ben Torbert ’05 Laura Ridall Torbert ’03 and Walt Torbert ’97 Declan Traquair Margene and Richard Trimble Laura Troup and Peter Troup ’95 Amy and Frank Trujillo Georgia Tse ’13 Peggy and Richard Tucker Katie and Ricks Tucker Hayley Tyler and Will Tyler ’01 Amy and Luke Underwood Kirsten Travers-UyHam and John UyHam

Kathleen and Brian Vieira Armando VizcainoSantiago Landria and Scott Voigt Vonda Vrieland Chelle and Chad Wabrek Mimi Vanoyan and Jon Wagreich Liz and Matt Walker Amanda and Ted Walker Maggie Knox Wallace ’97 and Michael Wallace Carolyn Robbins Wallace ’80 and Nathan Wallace Ying and Hua Wang Ted Ward Margaret and Bill Warren Stephanie and Patrick Warren Katherine Malone Waters ’97 and David Waters Freddie Watson Katie Watters and William Watters ’03 Jennifer Watts Katie and Scott Weaver Lindley and Jeff Webb Jeanene and Bruce Weiner Kristen Milam Weinstein ’00 and Josh Weinstein Robin Inglis Weir ’87 Ellie Morris and Josh Weiss Hiedi Weiss and Tim Weiss ’71 Stacey Cohen Weitzner ’01 and Jordan Weitzner Evis Babo and Steve Weizenecker Lori and Jim Welch Lucy Wellborn ’13 Kaprice Welsh Melinda and Steve Wertheim Kristin and Ben Wescott

Carolyn Close White ’79 and Cody White Heather White Jemeka and Sharman White Dianne and Pete Wilbur Nicole and Eric Wilhelm Krista and Jason Wilhelmsen Veminda and Derrick Williams Alison and Josh Williams Ann and Phil Williams Shakila Williams Katherine Williamson ’14 Karin Willis Alex Wilson ’09 Cynthia Wilson and

James Wilson ’76 Melinda and Mike Wilson Victoria Wilson ’10 Sarah Wimberly and Tom Wimberly ’91 Chase Winter Lisa and Tony Wong Lynne and Warren Wood Lauren Woodling and Frank Woodling ’05 Edwina Word Michelle Yancich ’13 Meredith Mendel Yehudai ’97 and Tavi Yehudai Amber and Chris York Kim and Travis York Myra and Neely Young Roberta Leu and David Yu Helen and David Zalik Sarah and Jack Zampell Joshua Zane ’00 Christine Zinman Ashley Zomalt Will Zook ’19 Diane Baker ’73 and Robert Zorich Becky and Sergio Zyman Jennifer Zyman l

Traci and Bobby West Brandi Wheeler

There’s still time to make your gift or pledge today at accelerate.paceacademy.org!

WHAT DID YOU LOVE MOST AS A PACE STUDENT? KATE: I honestly loved everything about Pace so it is hard to narrow down. I especially loved the sense of community and belonging that Pace creates. There are so many special and unique traditions that bring the school together—like Peer Leadership, Spirit Week and the Fall Fair—that really bond students. I loved that I knew everyone in my grade and had a relationship with each one on a personal level, and that this was something Pace encouraged.

ACCELERATE PACE

BESIDES A GREAT EDUCATION, WHAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU ABOUT YOUR PACE EXPERIENCE? RYAN: My best friends in the world are my Pace friends. I have heard similar sentiments from many Pace alumni, and I think that is a rare thing and somewhat specific to the Pace experience. I will always be thankful for having this lifelong group of friends. HOW DID YOU BECOME A COUPLE? RYAN: Kate was a year below me. If I recall correctly, our first

date was the PDC dance during her junior year. Her friends all wanted to take the “cool older guys,” and I was lucky enough to get an invite from her. AS STUDENTS, WOULD YOU HAVE BELIEVED PREDICTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT ONE DAY GET MARRIED? RYAN: I don’t think either of us would have been all that surprised! We were very compatible from the beginning and have always had a great time together. KATE: I think our teachers likely would have said, “No way!” but I think we may have said, “We can see it!” We have always been great partners and complemented each other well, even at such a young age. It is really fun having such a long history together, being a part of each other’s high-school experiences and sharing mutual lifelong friends. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SUPPORT ACCELERATE PACE? RYAN: Pace has done a lot to help shape my path in life. If I can give back and

help keep the facilities state-of-the-art for future grads, I am all in. I had the opportunity to tour the Kam Memar Lower School recently, and I think the upcoming classes are in for an absolute treat!

KATE: I am so thankful for my Pace experience and want to “pay it forward” for future Pace generations. And, I hope that I can go down that amazing slide one day! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SEE CHANGES AT PACE AFTER YOU'VE GRADUATED? RYAN: Pace has changed so much since we graduated. We were a small school known for debate and soccer when I graduated, and now we are also an athletic powerhouse with brand new Upper and Lower School facilities and a university-level off-campus sports complex. Despite all the change, when I drive by the Castle, I still see the same quaint neighborhood school that I attended. I think the leadership has been very thoughtful and deliberate with expanding the school without compromising its charm. KATE: No matter how much Pace changes, the important things have stayed the same. Even today when I am on campus, I feel at home.

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE ACCELER ATE PACE D O N O RS K ATE H E Y E R M A N D R E LL ’0 8 A N D RYA N M A N D R ELL ’07 SH A RE PACE M EM O RIE S A N D T HO U GHT S A BO U T T HE SCHO O L TO DAY “I am so thankful for my Pace experience and want to ‘pay it forward’ for future Pace generations.” KATE HEYER MANDRELL ’08 2022

Winter

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

B ROOK E

BRUM F I E LD ’23

“Vibrant tones and similar shades not only enlighten the diptych but represent the emotions felt in that certain location during that time of day. As my photography usually represents my physical or emotional state, diptychs are often my choice of expression because they provide two levels of evidence. As these whimsical items are abstracted by the closeness of the images while being filled with warm tones of white, this diptych represents a calming atmosphere. The different textures not only represent personal emotions of serenity, but also cohesively pair together through their similarities.”

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

AME LI A

HON A BAC H

’24

“I love photography because I am able to capture beautiful moments, scenes in nature, and certain feelings or stories. It's amazing to be able to catch detail and light in my own way, and there are so many different genres and styles to experiment with. I also find it so much fun to create sequences that tell a story and really give the viewer an experience simply through images.”

Keep calm and make art. 2022

Winter

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS Visual artists in the Lower and Middle Schools let their creative juices flow throughout the first semester.

Jack Lynch ʼ26

Angelika Avdyeyeva ʼ26

Caroline Almond ʼ28

LOWER SCHOOL

Emeline Ha ʼ34

Coleson Moseley ʼ29

Eliza Walker ʼ32

Reese Honeycutt ʼ26

Alexandra Close ʼ32 and Vivian Bickenbach ʼ32 Lily Vadnais ʼ27

Emma Grace Mabine ʼ30

Isabelle York ʼ29

Emma Rich ʼ28

Andy Levenson ʼ27

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grace O'Bryan ʼ26

Wren Kincaid ʼ27

Paige Vadnais ʼ27

Caitlin Persily ʼ27

Merritt Thompson ʼ26

Harriet Blaha ʼ26

Jaren Amar ʼ27

Alston Mallis ʼ26

Chloé Quéguiner ʼ28

Nayana Nag ʼ26

2022

Winter

etamorphoses Places Second at Region One-Act Competition THE UPPER SCHOOL kicked off its theater season with Metamorphoses, an imaginative journey into Ovid’s classic stories. Told through innovative shadow play and narration, the short play by Mary Zimmerman “juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in both language and image to reflect the variety and persistence of narrative in the face of inevitable change.” Following the play’s Fine Arts Center debut, Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN and his cast and crew took the show on the road to participate in the Georgia High School Association's One-Act competition, where they won the region runner-up title. The performance received a special award for technical and performance collaboration, presented to Assistant Director MOLLIE MEYEROWITZ ’22; OLIVER LOREE ’23 and NICHOLAS DEMBA ’25 were named to the GHSA All-Star Cast.

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

Don’t Let the Light Go Out For more than 30 years, Lower School students have taken the stage to tell the Hanukkah and Christmas stories in Light One Candle, a beautiful theatrical production that embraces diversity, collaboration and joy. This year, to avoid overcrowding and ensure everyone’s health, the holiday program featured Pre-First, first- and fifth-grade students only; students in the second, third and fourth grades participated in a Light One Candle sing-along that served as the cast and crew’s dress rehearsal. Both the performance and the sing-along were live streamed, spreading holiday cheer to friends and family near and far. l

2022

Winter

KNIGHT OF JAZZ, an annual collaboration between the Upper School band, chorus soloists and special guests, returned to the Zalik Theater after a COVID-induced hiatus. The evening of jazz classics included everything from Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy to La La Land’s Someone in the Crowd and the Pink Panther theme. The concert also served as the official introduction of a new element of the Pace band program: small-group ensembles. The jazz ensemble made its debut, and Director DANNY DOYLE announced that a polka ensemble will launch in the spring.

JAZZ CLASSICS TAKE

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

T H ROUG H T H E HAL L S THE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON filled the air as band, chorus and strings students in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools presented their holiday concerts.

Upper School C HOR U S

Middle School BAND

Middle School C HOR U S

Lower School ORC H E S T R A

Upper School ORC H E S T R A

Upper School BAND

2022

Winter

ICGL ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP 1

[1] HOT OFF THE PRESS The Gutenberg press’s ability to print multiple items at a time changed society’s access to information and revolutionized education and learning—a fact that PreFirst Design Thinkers know firsthand after exploring various processes and methods to replicate images and words.

[2] PURPOSEFUL PRODUCTS Third-grade designers spent the fall semester exploring the fascinating world of fidget resources, used as self-regulation tools to help with focus, attention, calming and active listening. The collaborative project between science, art, Design Thinking and technology will soon culminate in a Fidget Showcase and Design Fair during which students will share their learning processes and final designs with the Lower School community.

3 4

5 6

9 10

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

[3] SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL To understand the power of education in changing attitudes and behaviors and propelling global change, fourth graders are examining issues surrounding waste. Their study began with Mosca, ¡¡Mosca!!, the story of Venezuela’s largest open-air landfill and the people who generate income by rifling through its trash. An analysis of landfills throughout the U.S. and their impact on the environment, people, and animals in and around them further informed the students’ understanding. Inspired by the book and their newfound knowledge, students worked with their families to identify ways to reduce waste in their homes and are now creating a video public service announcement to share their findings and educate their peers. [4] IT’S ALL CONNECTED Fifth grade is all about cross-curricular collaboration. Students recently melded their math skills with their study of Education by researching statistics regarding national parks and by planning their own educational field trips. They kicked off their scientific study of the brain and how humans learn with an egg drop challenge that illustrated the ways in which the skull protects the brain.

ICGL [5] AWAY WE GO! In preparation for spring-break ICGL study tours—the first since March 2020— second-semester Middle School clubs have focused on preparing students to travel together as thoughtful learners. In club meetings, faculty chaperones have worked with students on team building, group expectations and how to travel with intention. In addition, they have addressed the geographical, cultural and historical significance of each destination as well as each study tour’s focus areas—for example, cultural exchange, community engagement and indigenous knowledge. Given COVID concerns, this spring, students will travel to domestic destinations including central California, Yellowstone National Park and the Colorado Rockies. [6] BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE BASED ON LESSONS FROM THE PAST As part of their study of survival architecture—adaptable and sustainable design for the age of climate change—KIRSTIN BAILLIE’S seventh-grade history students invited Meg Williams, education specialist at the Museum of Design Atlanta, to critique their work. Students started their research by exploring what survival architecture looked like during Westward Expansion—what mindsets and values informed choices, what constraints dictated form and materials and how designs from this time period laid some of the foundation for current challenges. They then examined case studies investigating what it means to build for survival today and how these values and constraints have changed over time. For example, one project focused on using waste as an energy source; another on designing infrastructure to harness flood water for emergency electricity. Williams challenged students to take their designs to the next level and offered insight into how they might educate the larger community about the necessity for new design mindsets. [7] UNIFYING THEMES KELLY COLQUITT’S eighth-grade science classes, in collaboration with the Middle School STEAM & Design program, kicked off 2022 with projects linking this year’s ICGL theme of Education to past ICGL themes: Global Health, Waste, Energy, Conservation, Climate, Food and Water.

Students researched how science—in particular, science education—could advance progress around the themes and mitigate areas of conflict or confusion. Students then reached out to experts to gather information that informed their designs of interactive or engaging experiences in science education related to their specific theme. Projects ranged from designing anxiety-reducing spaces for mental-health breaks on campus to creating conversation tool kits around subjects like climate change and conservation. [8] ADVICE FROM THE PROS Middle School robotics teams had a little help from the experts as they prepared for this year’s FIRST Tech Challenge SuperRegionals Tournament. The robotics competition requires that students create a project to address an issue or opportunity regarding the First Tech Challenge’s annual theme, this year, Cargo. After hearing from a panel of experts including Pace parents and friends of Pace, the sixth-grade team reached out to experts including Nikki Rosenfeld, a marine biologist and captain of the first research vessel in North America with hybrid-electric propulsion, and to Pace parent ENRIQUE ALVAREZ, head of Vector Global Logistics. The team focused on making cargo ships more sustainable through alternate fuel sources and, after researching their design space, prototyped a 3D printed cargo ship powered by solar panels. The eighth-grade team tackled the issue of inefficiencies at ports through a port redesign. The RoboKnights ran their concept by Pace parent ALAN SHAW, president and incoming CEO of Norfolk Southern Corporation, who provided feedback and insight into the challenges today’s transportation companies face. Both teams advanced from SuperRegionals to the state competition (look for coverage in our spring issue). [9] EDUCATORS & PROSTHETICS ENGINEERS After participating in self-directed, ICGLthemed learning activities this past fall, a team of seventh graders partnered with science teacher ALYSON TOCKSTEIN and the STEAM & Design program to create a learning unit on prosthetics design for the entire seventh grade. Students inter-

viewed a prosthetics engineer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and translated the interview into lesson plans covering career paths, challenges in the field of prosthetic design and other topics. The grade then engaged in a two-day prototype build during which they created articulated joints or prosthetics for animals. [10] ICGL COUNCIL EDUCATES To help the Upper School student body better understand the ICGL theme, the ICGL Council, a group of 13 students, spotlights an Education-related topic each month. In November, the Council highlighted e-learning and educational technology, in particular technology inclusion, broadband access and innovation in the U.S. and Norway. A screening of The Future of Learning, a documentary exploring recent changes in education and how schools are adapting, kicked off the Council’s December discussions and, in January, information regarding testing and assessment took center stage. l

THE YEAR OF EDUCATION From film screenings and fact-checking to national parks and science projects, here are some of the ways in which the Pace community is learning more about the 2021-2022 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) theme of Education .

2022

Winter

ICGL

APPLES TO APPLES The 2021–2022 Isdell Global Leaders explore Education in New York City

OR ONE WEEK IN OCTOBER, this year’s cohort of Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs)—RILEY ALKIRE ’23, BRIAN LEE ’23, LEAH FAVERO ’22 and RYAN VARMA ’22—focused their attention entirely on Education, Pace Academy’s 2021-2022 Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) theme. Selected following an in-depth application process, the cohort has committed to a year of coursework, research and travel to explore and evaluate various innovative approaches in secondary and tertiary education. Led by ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON and Associate Director TED WARD, the IGLs began their deep dive over the summer by attempting to understand the history of education in the U.S., issues of inequity in education and, ultimately, why some schools fail. Books like Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Meaningful Life by William Deresiewicz and Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools by Jonathan Kozol informed their initial research. Armed with knowledge and infinite questions, the group took off for New York City to better understand the history, context and real-life impacts of the systems and struggles they had studied. “New York City has both the largest public education system in the country and the most segregated,” says Ward. “Anything that’s going right in education and anything that’s going wrong in education is happening in New York.” From their home base in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, the IGLs traversed the city to meet with leaders in public, private and charter schools, as well as educators in the nonprofit sector. They connected with Randy Asher, a

senior advisor at the New York City Department of Education; LAURA DICKEY COREY ’04, project manager and senior researcher at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; CAROLINE GRAY ’07 (see page 72), director of student support at Forte Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free middle school in Queens; Patrick McGowan, assistant principal at Brilla College Prep Elementary, a charter school in the Bronx; Ginny Connelly, executive director for school transformation at the Center for Educational Innovation; Tené Howard, executive director of Sadie Nash, an organization that provides experiential social justice education to young women and gender-expansive youth; Kenny Graves, assistant principal at Ethical Culture Fieldston School, an independent college preparatory school; and many others. For the IGLs, these visits, conversations and experiences shined a light on the wide variety of approaches and pedagogies to support student learning and academic development across the educational continuum—and on the vast inequities present in the current systems. “Based on who we were talking to, my initial opinions and conceptions changed over the course of the trip,” reports Favero. “Education is influenced by so many factors—testing, teaching practices, politics, race, privilege. It was really interesting to hear so many different perspectives on the best ways forward.” Varma agrees. “We started to understand some of the complex issues around school leadership and education reform,” he says. “It’s sort of a complicated mess, and there are so many ways to approach ensuring equal education and equity among students. It’s overwhelming and, frankly, right now, it’s totally screwed up.” The IGLs found glimmers of hope, however. “One of our biggest takeaways was a better understanding of the influence and impact of school leaders and teachers on student success,” says Ward. “Despite the challenges, every single individual we interviewed still has a passion for teaching and for helping every student that they can,” Varma says. “A lot of people have recognized that this may be an unsolvable problem, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing the best they can do to change things. That gives me hope.” l

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CORNER

ESPITE A SEASON of unpredictability, the Pace Academy Community Engagement program did not let exam schedules, weather or COVID-19 variants slow its pace this winter. At the onset of the new year, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) hit the halfway mark of its annual theme of Education. Many initiatives to build new relationships in the greater Atlanta community and explore the various facets of education-related challenges have been launched and have been met with great success. Knights of all ages have been busy planting trees, tutoring, sleeping out, sorting books, running holiday drives, and exemplifying dedicated local and global citizenship.

ICGL [1/2] NINTH-GRADE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DAY The Pace Class of 2025 participated in a day of community engagement, an annual October tradition. This year, students partnered with 11 nonprofit organizations across Metro Atlanta, including Helping Mamas, Books for Africa, Covington FUMC Food Ministry, Helping Hands of Paulding County and The Wylde Center. Transitions teachers and other faculty and staff served as chaperones and worked alongside their students. [3] PARENTS PLUG IN In November, the second Parent Partner Weekend took place in support of Pace’s 38 Community Engagement clubs. Parents joined students in a variety of COVID-safe and family-friendly engagement activities around the Thanksgiving holiday to give thanks and give back. Events included homebuilding with Habitat for Humanity, book sorting at Books for Africa, a Furkids workday at the Alpharetta dog shelter, clothing drives with Bloom Closet and Intown Collaborative Ministries, and food donations for Compassion Kitchen and Urban Recipe, a new partnership. [4] HOLIDAY DRIVES SPREAD THE SPIRIT For the first time, the Community Engagement program curated a Helping Out for the Holidays guide, which organized local engagement opportunities over the winter break. Some of these events included holiday drives. In partnership with the Woodruff Library, the Upper School’s Guice Center club coordinated Pace’s participation in the center’s annual Share the Magic campaign. Pace students purchased gifts for the students the Guice Center serves. The Atlanta Ronald McDonald House (ARMH) club collected toys and restaurant gift cards to share some holiday cheer with families staying at the two ARMH locations over the winter break. [5] WEEKEND OF SERVICE HONORS DR. KING Though winter weather threw a wrench in some of the events lined up for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the threat of southern snow could not slow the Knights. An Old Fourth Ward cleanup with Ebenezer Baptist Church saw a strong turnout, and many showed up ready to work at the Books for Africa warehouse, sorting and packing donated text and library books. [6] COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPRINGS ON This spring, the Upper School Community Engagement Board (CEB) is sponsoring events each month in connection to a monthly theme. February saw Black History Month-centered events; March events will revolve around Women’s History Month; and April will focus on Earth Day. In addition to these themed events, the CEB will host another Parent Partner Weekend as well as Spring Engagement Week in March, during which family-friendly opportunities will be offered through community partners new and old. l

WORKING HARD AND WARMING HEARTS IN THE WINTER 2022

Winter

ATHLETICS

FALL SPORTS HIG H LI G H T S

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

THANK YOU, COACH!

VARSIT Y FOOTBALL Coached by CHRIS SLADE, TERRENCE EDWARDS, KEVIN JOHNSON, PATRICK MARKWALTER ’19, RON VEAL, JUSTIN MILLER, DUKE SHERRELL and THAD TURNER After starting the season with a tough loss to Rabun County High School in a game televised as part of ESPN’s Kickoff Classic, the varsity football team bounced back with wins over KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, Booker T. Washington High School, Towers High School, Therrell High School, Lovett and McNair. For the eighth consecutive year, the Knights advanced to the GHSA state playoffs. In the first round, they faced a familiar foe; as luck would have it, losses to Rabun County bookended the Knights’ playoff hopes. The team concluded the season with an overall 6–5 record. CHRISTIAN JOHNSON ’24, TROVON BAUGH ’23 and ANDREW SWANN ’23 received First Team All-Region honors, while TERRENCE KIEL ’24, HEVIN BROWN-SHULER ’24 and DAVIS RICE ’23 were named Second Team All-Region. Honorable Mention recognition went to XAVIER AGOSTINO ’22, NILE BENNETT ’22, FRANK CALDWELL ’23, KENDALL EVANS ’23 and KYLEN SHIELDS ’23. Next season, the Knights will miss the leadership of Agostino, Bennett, JUSTIN BOWICK ’22, JAYDEN GASQUE ’22, HUNTER ROCKER ’22, GRANT SHAW ’22, JACK SIEGENTHALER ’22, HENRY SMITH ’22, MATTHEW STEIGER ’22, DILLON WILLIAMS ’22 and JAE WILLIAMS ’22—as well as that of Head Coach CHRIS SLADE, who departed Pace in January.

Coach CHRIS SLADE joined the Pace staff in 2012—just four years after the launch of the varsity football program. He was appointed head coach of the fledgling program in 2013, and by the 2014 season, the Knights had advanced to the GHSA Class AA Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Slade and his team made history again the following year and became only the second No. 4 seed to win a GHSA state title. The team has advanced to the GHSA state playoffs every year since. During his time at Pace, Slade, a

nine-year NFL veteran, shepherded three players on to play in the NFL and 36 to play college football at institutions such as the Naval Academy, Notre Dame, Auburn, the University of Georgia, the University of Virginia, Duke, Richmond, Brown, Stanford, Penn and MIT. “Because of Coach Slade, coaching staffs at colleges and universities across the country now recognize Pace as a producer of well-rounded, hard-working and committed young people who are leaders on and off the field,” says Head of School FRED ASSAF. “We thank Coach Slade for his dedication to our school and wish him well in his next chapter at the University of Virginia. Once a Knight, always a Knight!”

2022

Winter

VARSIT Y FL AG FOOTBALL Coached by TY JOHNSON and FELICIA SLATON In just its second year as a GHSAsanctioned varsity sport, flag football continued to thrive at Pace Academy. The Knights entered postseason play as area champion, defeating Columbia High School to take the title and enter the playoffs as a No. 1 seed. The team then bested Morgan County High School and Americus Sumter High School to advance to the Elite Eight round of state-tournament play in which they took on Calvary Day High School, the defending state champion, on the road in Savannah. The Knights’ season came to an end with a 19–6 loss to the Cavaliers. The future looks bright for the talented young team. Of the 28 student-athletes on the roster, only two—founding players MADISON AUCHINCLOSS ’22 and MAKENZY SLOAN ’22—will graduate, and seven Knights received All-Area honors. CECE HALE ’24 and KATELYN SOUZA ’24 were named to the All-Area First Team, while HARPER AUCHINCLOSS ’25, ARIENNE DURR ’24 and BROOKE FUNG CHUNG ’23 were recognized as members of the All-Area Second Team. ANSLI HENNINGS ’24 and BROOKS NUCKOLS ’23 earned AllArea Honorable Mention.

VARSIT Y FOOTBALL CHEERLEADING Coached by CAMERON RUSS ’17, SONJA RUSS and ALEXIS WILLIAMS

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

The Class of 2022 truly led the charge when it came to school spirit this past fall—13 seniors spent their Friday evenings cheering on the football team as part of the varsity cheerleading squad. After a year without fans in the stands, the Knights remained fired up all season long, flipping and front handspring-ing their way through pep rallies, nail-biting overtimes and post-season play. The team bids a spirited farewell to EDDI ARONSON ’22, CAROLINE BROWN ’22, KATHERINE COCHRAN ’22, CLAIRE FARINELLA ’22, MARISSA GOVIC ’22, MADDIE HALE ’22, GRACE HEINEMAN ’22, EMMA JONES ’22, ASATA MANIGAULT ’22, LAUREN SMITH ’22, ALEXANDER SPINELLI ’22, SAANIKA TOLMARE ’22 and JAYLA WIDEMAN ’22.

E-SPORTS Coached by CHARLIE BRYANT

ATHLETICS

In its third season as a varsity sport, the Pace E-sports team tackled new challenges and new games as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was added to the lineup of GHSA titles. Two squads—Eknights Silver and Eknights Navy—competed against teams from all over the state. Both groups ended the competitive, hard-fought regular season with 4–3 records and qualified for the playoffs, where they fell in the first round. The team looks ahead to a rebuilding year as it bids farewell to six of its eights members: seniors SAM BROOKS ’22, BENJAMIN CHERN ’22, COLE KAPLAN ’22, ALEX MATHIAS ’22, CONNOR VANCE ’22 and JACK WARREN ’22.

VARSIT Y SOF TBALL Coached by SELENA PATTERSON, LAUREN HADLEY ’15, KAYLA KATO and ARMANDO VIZCAINO-SANTIAGO An outstanding regular season—including signature wins over the likes of Lovett, North Atlanta, Towers and Westminster—once again led the Diamond Knights to the GHSA Class AA playoffs. The team, led by lone senior MARISSA GOODMAN ’22, headed into its first-round best-ofthree series against Union County High School with an overall record of 15–5 but came up short in game three to end the season. In recognition of outstanding play, KATE GRICE ’25, MADISON HADLEY ’23, VICTORIA HADLEY ’23, SOPHIA MADOR ’23 and SARA MAZUR ’23 were named First Team All-Region. Second Team honors went to LIBBY JONAS ’24, Goodman and EMMA BETH NEVILLE ’23; ANNA KATE HOWELL ’25 and LIVIE LYNCH ’25 received Honorable Mention recognition.

2022

Winter

EQUESTRIAN Coached by SELBY HILL The Middle School equestrian club team put in strong showings throughout the season, one of its most successful to date. The team claimed four team awards at its five regular-season meets, and four riders—BODHI WISE ’26, OLIVIA GRAUBART ’29, ANNABEL GAUDET ’27 and LIZZY BAUER ’27—qualified for the region finals in February.

MOUNTAIN BIKING Coached by JESSE MARSHBURN and SCOTT SHUPE

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

The mountain biking club teams, open to all students in grades seven through 12, boasted a roster of 16 student-athletes during their eighth season with the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League. The club, split into Middle and Upper School squads, participated in five competitions throughout the fall, crisscrossing the state from Watkinsville to Milledgeville while racking up impressive performances. Next year, the team will miss the leadership of CONNOR VANCE ’22.

WATER POLO Coached by JOHN AGUE After COVID-19 postponed the Georgia High School Water Polo League’s 2020 season and the Knights cobbled together a schedule with other league teams, water polo club players were eager to get back in the pool this fall. Under the leadership of senior goalie CAMERON SAINI ’22, the water polo club’s A team advanced to the state tournament, where the Knights bested Lakeside High School in the first round before falling to a strong St. Pius team in a hard-fought secondround game. Following the season, Saini and AVI NARULA ’24 were named to the Second Team All-State; CARTER FREUDENSTEIN ’23 received Honorable Mention honors.

SPOTLIGHT ON

M I DDLE SCHOOL WATE R POLO For the first time in Pace Academy water polo history, the B team, made up entirely of Middle School students, claimed the Georgia High School Water Polo Association developmental division league championship. In the final two games of the league tournament, the Knights eliminated both the No. 1 and No.

2 seeds to earn the title. “The team worked hard all season and learned to rely on each other, and that is what allowed them to be a part of the championship match,” says Coach JOHN AGUE. “The seven players in the water coupled with the strength of the six on the bench gave us a distinct advantage in the pool.” Following the season, MACK BYBEE ’26, EDDIE LANGFORD ’26 and MJ MADISON ’26 were recognized as All-Star Selections; Madison was also named the developmental division’s Most Valuable Player. The Pace coaching staff received the division’s Staff of the Year Award.

2022

Winter

DESTINED FOR GOLD: CAROLINE HOOD ’24 and EDWARD BLAHA ’22 run to state titles at the GHSA State Cross-Country Championships in Carrollton on Nov. 4.

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

CROSS-COUNTRY

FOR THE THIRD TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY, BOTH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY TEAMS BRING HOME STATE GOLD P H O T O S B Y D WA S H AW N S C O T T

THE LAST TIME a Pace Academy varsity boys cross-country team won a Georgia High

School Association (GHSA) state championship was in 1994. The Knights had come close—they finished as state runner-up in 2019 and 2020—but it had been more than a quarter century since the stars had aligned in the team’s favor. The 2021 squad was out to change that. “This was the year to win state,” says longtime Head Coach STEVE CUNNINGHAM. “Six of our top seven runners were seniors, and ending up on that podium was our unspoken goal from day one.” The Knights looked strong all season. Led by region-champion GEORGE BLAHA ’22, the team claimed the region title in October, easily qualifying for state the next month. “As the season progressed, we talked more and more about the concept of team,” Cunningham says. “We were racing for each other. No one had to be a superstar.” The strategy paid off on the state course in Carrollton on Nov. 5. “EDWARD BLAHA ’22—the defending state champ—was to go out to win the race. He had that capability,” says Cunningham. “George, ROBERT MALLIS ’22 and KARGIL BEHL ’22 were to go out conservatively with Kargil pacing that pack through the first mile. After that, everyone was to start pushing up to their fitness levels. It worked beautifully.” E. Blaha won his second state title in a time of 16:09; G. Blaha followed, placing fourth overall. GRANT THOMPSON ’22 was sixth. Mallis and MATTHEW WELLS ’24 also landed on the podium, finishing in eighth and ninth place, respectively. SAM HOWE ’22, the team’s No. 6 runner, placed 12th—well ahead of all other schools’ No. 2 competitors. Behl, in the Knights’ No. 7 spot, was 25th out of a field of 206. The Class AA title was theirs.

“Our team has attracted a lot of younger kids in recent years, partially because of our close team spirit. Even after the season, a big group of us continues to run together almost every day. Hopefully it stays that way! I’m excited to come back [from college] over a break next year for one last run with the team.” K A RG I L B E H L ’2 2

VICTORY HUG: Head Coaches STEVE CUNNINGHAM and JOLIE CUNNINGHAM embrace at the state championship.

2022

Winter

CROSS-COUNTRY

“Our success this season—boys and girls—would not have been possible without the support of our coaches. The Cunninghams and [Assistant Coach TAMARA NEILEY] were there for us all season long, reassuring us and encouraging us when we needed it most.” J O R D A N W H I T E ’2 2

“It felt amazing to finally win state, and it really felt like a weight was lifted. It was the culmination of four years of work, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other teammates.” G E O RG E B L A H A ’2 2

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

“It was a total team effort and the fulfillment of a longstanding goal,” Cunningham reports. E. Blaha was named to the Atlanta Track Club All-Metro Team; the Knights’ top five received GHSA Class AA All-State honors; and when the results from state races across all GHSA classifications were merged, the Pace boys team ranked second in the state among all classes—no small feat for a small school. “We had the best cross-country team in the history of Pace,” says E. Blaha. “Five of us are among the school’s top 10 runners of all time—two more of the top 10 ran at some point over the past four years. We changed the legacy of the sport at our school and, I hope, helped establish a love for cross-country that will continue after we leave.” The varsity girls team, hot off its 2020 championship, went into the state meet hoping to execute a repeat performance. The Knights had lost two of their top seven—LAURA ROMIG ’21 and HANNA VINCENT ’21—but returned captains LAURA ARENTH ’22 and JORDAN WHITE ’22, as well as KATE JONAS ’22 and CAROLINE HOOD ’24, who, as a freshman, finished sixth at the 2020 state meet. NIKKI BYRNE ’22, KATE WEBB ’23 and OLIVIA RESNICK ’25 rounded out the team’s top competitors. “We expected that we would be a strong team again this year, but you never know,” says Head Coach JOLIE CUNNINGHAM. “We approached this season like we approach every season: it’s all about stepping stones.” Hood led the charge for the Knights. After a summer of intensive training, she quickly established herself as the team’s top runner and a force to be reckoned with in Class AA. “Everything fell into place, and it was fun to watch the team develop as the season went on,” says Cunningham. Like the Pace boys, the girls grabbed the title at the region meet, with Hood taking gold, followed by Arenth, who claimed silver. Seven of the top 10 region finishers were Knights. The state meet unfolded exactly as the defending state champions had hoped. Hood led the way throughout the race and finished atop the podium with a time of 19:09. Arenth battled Lovett’s No. 1 runner until late in the race when she surged ahead to take silver. Jonas ended her high-school cross-country career in fifth place overall; White followed in seventh; Resnick was 12th. Byrne and Webb closed things out for the Knights in 14th and 26th place, respectively. When the scores were tallied, Pace emerged victorious in Class AA for the second year in a row; Hood joined the Atlanta Track Club All-Metro Team; she, Arenth, Jonas and White found their names on the All-Class roster; and the Pace girls ranked sixth among teams across all GHSA classifications. “I remember crossing the finish line and sprinting to Caroline and giving her the biggest hug,” Arenth says. “We stayed by the finish line, and slowly this huge mob of parents, fans and the other Pace runners formed. Everyone was hugging, laughing and smiling. I remember that more than the podium itself.” “It’s not often that it all comes together at region and at state for both the boys and the girls,” the coaches say. “At Pace, it’s happened only twice before: in 1988 and 1992. This year, it wasn’t even close. Our kids dominated.” •

CROSS-COUNTRY

SALUTING OUR SENIORS Only the top seven cross-country runners compete at the state meet, but an army of Knights trains alongside, competes with and supports them throughout the season. Congratulations to the following cross-country seniors: SAMUEL ALKIRE L AUR A ARENTH K A RG I L B E H L E D WA R D B L A H A G E O RG E B L A H A NIKKI BYRNE C AT H E R I N E C R AW F O R D AUSTIN CULPEPPER L E A H FAV E R O SAM HOWE K AT E J O N A S COLE K APL AN M A RG O K AY E ROBERT M ALLIS R AINA MOSELEY HOLL AND PROC TOR ANNA ROSENBLOUM A L L I S O N S I LV E R B O A R D J A S O N TA P P E R GR ANT THOMPSON J A C K WA R R E N JORDAN WHITE 2022

Winter

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

HEAD COACH ANNA BUSH’S FINAL SEASON CULMINATES IN THE KNIGHTS’ FIFTH-STRAIGHT

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

VOLLEYBALL

STATE CHAMPS ANNA BUSH Head Coach

S C O T T M C E WA N Assistant Coach

TAY L O R B R YA N Assistant Coach

A M Y VA N Z A N T Assistant Coach

GR ACE AGOLLI RILEY ALKIRE ELOW YN ALLEN GADIT BEJAR BRIEA CR AF T A l l - A r e a & A l l - S t a t e Te a m s

K E N N E D I E VA N S MEGAN HARDEST Y A l l - A r e a Te a m

JULIA HOLMES TAY L O R K N O W LT O N D H RU L A L A J I A l l - A r e a & A l l - S t a t e Te a m s

MORGAN NEILL SOPHIE SHAPIRO ELLIE SISKIN A l l - A r e a & A l l - S t a t e Te a m s

M AKENZ Y SLOAN ISABELLE WILHELM A l l - A r e a Te a m

PHOTOS BY C H R Y S TA L M O O R E

A DEEPROOTED DYNASTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

and Head Coach ANNA BUSH knew that this past season would be her last at the helm of the Pace Academy volleyball program. Months after leading the Pace Knights to the 2020 Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state championship—their fourth in a row—Bush had announced her plans to retire in early 2022. During her 11 years at Pace, Bush had emphasized to her players the importance of remaining focused on the journey rather than on the end result, in volleyball and in life. “If everything starts to become about the end goal, then you’re setting yourself up for failure,” Bush says. But in her final season as a Knight, Bush had a hard time taking her own advice. Yes, she wanted to savor the process—but she also wanted to win one more title. Fortunately, she had spent the past decade building the foundation upon which to add that final trophy, and she had the team to do it.

Bush arrived at Pace in 2011 with a clear assignment: to steady the ship. A statechampionship-winning coach at Marist School, Bush, also a Pace parent at the time, knew a thing or two about how to build a successful program, but she wasn’t entirely prepared to start from scratch. “It was quite an adjustment,” Bush remembers. “That first year, we had five freshmen and no seniors. I think we won two matches. [Assistant Coach SCOTT MCEWAN] and I had to come up with a lot of new vocabulary and find small victories in all of those losses.” But Bush and McEwan saw potential in that cohort of ninth graders and, together, worked to create a character-driven team culture. The next year, the Knights improved their record to 6–24, and in her third season, Bush took the team to the state playoffs for the first time in more than a decade. They fell in the first round but made their way to the Elite Eight the following year. All of a sudden, people started to pay attention. “We began attracting student-athletes interested in volleyball,” Bush says. “Players like ALEX BUSSEY ’14 and SUMMER BROWN ’17 created momentum and helped bring girls like ADA JANE AGOLLI ’20, DOMINIQUE TURNER ’20 and [for-

2022

Winter

VOLLEYBALL

mer student] KALISSA GREENE to Pace. We started to win more than lose.” The Knights’ first trip to the state finals came in 2016. That year, they fell to the formidable and more established Westminster Wildcats. The 2017 championship was a different story: the Knights defeated Westminster in five sets—and they did it again in 2018 and 2019. The team advanced to the 2020 title game as well, and Pace’s reclassification into GHSA Class AA brought a new rival, the Gordon Lee Trojans out of Chickamauga. Once again, the Knights emerged victorious. “Every season is different,” Bush says. “[This year, the 2021 season], we were not the best team in our class at the beginning; nor were we the best team in the middle or at the end of the regular season. What we were was a determined team that brought it all together when it mattered most.” Led by co-captains MEGAN HARDESTY ’22 and TAYLOR KNOWLTON ’22, this year’s squad struggled with a tough schedule early on, and injuries plagued several key starters. When Lovett thumped the Knights in the area championship, Bush thought it might finally be the Lions’ year. “I wanted to leave on a high note,” she says. “I wanted to give these kids the best that I had, and that caused a lot of stress for me.” Fortunately, McEwan and assistant coaches TAYLOR BRYAN and AMY VAN ZANT were there to reassure Bush. “They told me to do what I’ve always done, and that was very helpful in creating the team that we needed to be at the end of the season.” Despite the nerves and hardships, the Knights breezed through the first three rounds of state-tournament play, defeating Chattooga, Woodville-Tompkins and Bremen high schools. The team then bested Union County High School in the semifinals to earn a return trip to LakePoint Sports Complex for the state championship. They assumed they would face Lovett for the title, but No. 3-ranked Gordon Lee upset the No. 1 Lions; the Knights’ battle for the 2021 trophy would be against a familiar opponent. “Gordon Lee was returning their entire starting lineup, all of whom were now seniors,” Bush says. “They had been on our radar all year, and they were bent on revenge. The Trojans wanted to ‘rewrite the ending,’ but our team was not a book to be rewritten, and we had every intention of proving it.” In front of a gym packed with Pace fans, the Knights took the first set 25–20 and followed with a 25–16 second-set victory. But Gordon Lee was not down for the count. The Trojans bounced back to force a fourth set before the Knights clinched the championship with a 25–21 win. “Megan and Taylor both played their best volleyball of the season,” Bush says. “GRACE AGOLLI ’24 led the team in assists and digs; ELLIE SISKIN ’24 had 18 kills; and ISABELLE WILHELM ’24, BRIEA CRAFT ’23, DHRU LALAJI ’24 and GADIT BEJAR ’24 absolutely dominated. It all came together at the perfect time.” Bush and her team succeeded in making the end of her Pace career memorable, but when all was said and done, it was the journey that mattered most. Bush is proud to have built a program that prioritizes personal growth, strong character, mutual respect and a servant-leader mentality. “Volleyball is just a sport, just a game,” she says. “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.” •

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

“This volleyball team, the memories, the championships, the practices, the life lessons, the talking… it’s all meant more than I can explain. It’s taught me so much, and I want to thank Coach Bush for that.” TAY L O R K N O W LT O N ’2 2

“Volleyball is a Pace institution now. Coach Bush has built a reputation of winning, and Pace is a powerhouse that can’t be stopped. But more than that, she’s created great respect and support for girls’ sports. Younger girls look up to the varsity volleyball team, and that’s really empowering.” M E G A N H A R D E S T Y ’2 2

2022

Winter

GRACE UNDER PRESSURE UPPER SCHOOL

SUPPORT:

ELLYE MILLAWAY

MODELING OPTIMISM IN THE LOWER SCHOOL:

ASHLEY ZOMALT

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Supporting student mental health during a public health crisis Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,

UNICEF estimated that mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse affected approximately one in eight children and adolescents globally. Now, as the world enters the third year of the pandemic, the organization reports that “these powerful emotions have enveloped the lives of many millions of children, young people and families.” “The disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income and health, is leaving many young people feeling afraid, angry and concerned for their future,” UNICEF’s Office of Global Insight and Policy asserts in its October 2021 study, The State of the World’s Children 2021: Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children’s Mental Health. “Children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come.” The past two years have undoubtedly been a time of tumult on many fronts—and schools, the institutions charged with safeguarding young people, have not been immune. But the pandemic has also offered communities like Pace Academy’s the opportunity to learn, to adapt and, ultimately, to better serve the children in their care. The State of the World’s Children 2021 continues: “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that children’s and adolescents’ mental health is profoundly affected by their surroundings and circumstances—their experiences with parents and caregivers, their friendships, and how they play, learn and grow.” Since long before the virus’s appearance, the Pace counseling team, in concert with school leaders, faculty and staff, has sought to provide a nurturing, safe and positive learning environment for all students; to support students and families in crisis; and to equip students with the social-emotional skills to succeed at Pace and beyond. That mission did not change in March of 2020; it intensified. “Before COVID, Lower School students primarily struggled with anxiety and perfectionistic tendencies,” says Lower School Counselor ASHLEY ZOMALT. “We also worked a lot on skills-based learning in the areas of conflict resolution, friendship and social skills.” Middle and Upper School students reported similar pre-pandemic issues. “The primary concerns we saw were stress around academic performance, conflict with parents and trouble navigating friendships,” reports Upper School Counselor AMELIA TUTTLE HARMON. “In times of crisis, those issues don’t go away; they escalate.” As 2020 unfolded and school moved online for the remainder of the spring semester, Harmon, Zomalt and their colleagues attempted to maintain connections, particularly with the students they knew needed support. “We created social outlets over Zoom, put together educational programming and offered things like mindfulness and meditation,” Harmon says. “But it wasn’t possible for students to just pop by our offices or come in to chat if they were having a rough day. Despite our best efforts, we saw that sense of isolation affecting everyone.”

MENTAL HEALTH

School resumed in person in August of 2020, and while the majority of students returned to campus, for myriad reasons, some families opted for their children to continue virtual learning during the 2020–2021 school year. Quarantined students Zoomed in from home as well, and the hybrid dynamic often made conducting normal class discussions and activities disjointed—not to mention taxing on teachers. In addition, on campus, masks and COVID protocols such as socially distanced lunch periods and virtual assemblies did little to facilitate connection. “[During the 2020–2021 school year,] we saw higher levels of depression than we had before, even though we were back in school,” Harmon reports—something that Upper School Counselor ELLYE MILLAWAY, new to Pace this year, also observed in her previous work at Skyland Trail, a mental health treatment organization that offers residential and day programs for adolescents in addition to adults. “Skyland Trail’s residential waiting list was months long,” Millaway says. “The sense of isolation felt by so many significantly increased serious mental health conditions like suicidal ideation.” As families continued to hunker down, limit social interactions, cancel plans with relatives and scale back travel, children faced unpredictability like never before. “We observed an increase in worry, stress and anxiety about health,” says Zomalt. “Many young children were scared that their family members were going to get sick and pass away.” With the autonomy they crave hampered by COVID safety protocols, older students had additional challenges. One outcome seen nationwide as well as at Pace has been an increase in disordered eating, according to counselors. “So much of disordered eating is about control and, in a global pandemic, when kids have no control over anything, eating is something they can fixate on,” Millaway says. The Pace team supported students to the best of their ability but welcomed the return of some sense of normalcy with the start of the 2021–2022 year. While masks were still required indoors, the availability of vaccines and other factors allowed for larger inperson gatherings like student assemblies,

2022

Winter

REMEM B ER THAT UNCERTA INT Y IS NOT SY NON Y MOUS W ITH DANGER Some of our greatest delights and surprises occur when we’re not sure how things will turn out. Encourage children to keep an eye out for daily delights and good surprises—and tell them when they happen to you.

FOCUS ONLY ON THINGS YOU CA N CONTROL Viktor Frankl wisely pointed out that the things we have most control over are our attitudes and responses to circumstances. You might not like what’s happening, but you can choose to control your response to it.

R EMEM B ER THAT NOTHING IS PERM ANENT The best vacation doesn’t last forever—but neither does the worst day.

MODEL AND ENCOURAGE RESILIENCE Resilience is the mental toughness that allows us to face difficulty and to bounce back and begin again. Remind your kids of times when they have shown resilience. Remember, resilience is like a muscle; it gets stronger each time we exercise it.

HELP OTHERS Research shows that when we do something for another person in a selfless act of kindness, it decreases our focus on our own difficulties and increases positive emotions, both in the short and long terms.

CULTIVATE GRATIT U DE Our brains tend to look for and highlight things that could go wrong, preventing us from seeing what’s going well. Taking a few minutes to “count our blessings” and express gratitude is an important daily discipline, especially in hard times.

SEEK SUPPORT Stay connected to others and recognize that we’re all in the same boat. Talking with others and receiving reassurance and support is vital to good coping.

MODEL AND ENCOUR AGE OP TIMISM Contrary to popular belief, optimism is not seeing the glass as half full; it’s cultivating the mindset that positive and healthy actions can improve responses, and challenging negative self-talk that is self-defeating and discouraging.

Helping Our Children in Uncertain Times Reflections from Pace Consulting Psychologist DR. MARK CRAWFORD 52

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

MENTAL HEALTH

LOWER SCHOOL ADVOCATES:

ASHLEY ZOMALT and KACY BRUBAKER

pep rallies and club meetings. Pace cafeterias once again bubbled over with chatter at lunch, and fans returned to the stands at football games, concerts and other events. The start of school also marked the restoration of fully in-person learning; a hybrid option was not made available for the 2021–2022 year. “Having all students back on campus this year has been a welcome change, but it’s also created some challenging social dynamics,” Middle School Counselor ASHLEY CLAY explains. Many students who had tuned in to class from home for extended periods have felt the negative weight of missed interactions with their classmates, and the challenges of hybrid learning deprived some of opportunities to develop important executive-functioning skills, making the transition back to fully in-person learning difficult. Counselors quickly picked up on the changes, as did classroom teachers. “It’s never been more obvious that mental health impacts students’ academic performance,” says Clay. “Our teachers understand that, and they want to make sure their kids are really well. Because of that, I’m able to get into classrooms more to talk about coping skills, organization or stress management.” Her colleagues in the Lower and Upper Schools are doing the same. The increased focus on student well-being has been an unexpected silver lining of the pandemic, the counselors say. “I’m seeing a reduction in stigma about mental health,” Millaway reports. “Students are more open to asking for help.” Harmon agrees: “Students seem to understand that it’s okay to not be okay and to talk about that.” That openness is something the counseling team has worked to lay the foundation for over time. When KACY BRUBAKER joined the Pace counseling team in 2016, she split her time between the Upper and Lower Schools. Prior to that period, the school had never employed a Lower School counselor; the team included one counselor in the Middle School and one in the Upper School. Brubaker’s role in the Lower School quickly became full time, and Harmon came onboard as a second counselor in the Upper School. Today, the team includes four full-time counselors, in addition to Brubaker, who now serves as director of Lower School Student Life and supports Zomalt in meeting students’ socialemotional needs. As the counseling team has expanded, so too has programming around mental health. In the Lower School, a robust Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program, reimagined

in 2017, weaves character education into the curriculum and supports students’ well-being by strategically emphasizing empathy, curiosity, collaboration, respect, leadership and perseverance. Lower School students and faculty kick off every week with Mindful Mondays and Pillar Pep Talks in which Zomalt poses a question to ponder in the coming days. She also teaches monthly character lessons to each homeroom class and recently launched You’ve Been Knighted, a program through which students publicly recognize classmates who have demonstrated a specific Pillar of Character. In addition, Brubaker and Zomalt conduct “push-in lessons” when specific classroom concerns arise; and small, targeted, skills-based student groups meet weekly to discuss topics such as self-control. Additional programs such as Child Safety Matters, a child abuse prevention program, have been piloted in select Lower School grades. The Middle School recently rolled out similar student groups, primarily focused on anxiety, although Clay has plans to survey students to identify additional needs. Weekly grade-level meetings with Middle School faculty also allow Clay to assess areas of concern and to spot individual students in want of support. In the Upper School, Transitions classes ensure that all

MIDDLE SCHOOL MENTOR:

ASHLEY CLAY

2022

Winter

MENTAL HEALTH

freshmen understand the mental health resources available to them, and outside speakers frequently provide education around issues such as substance abuse, perfectionism and anxiety. Counselors in all divisions and DR. MARK CRAWFORD, the school’s consulting psychologist, are available for one-on-one meetings with students and parents. Dr. Crawford also facilitates parent programs and advises the counseling team. In addition, the team partners with the Pace Parenting Connection and Pace LEAD (Leadership and Education on Alcohol and Other Drugs) to host parent meetings and bring in guest speakers on topics related to mental health. “In supporting students, we know that partnerships with parents are critical to student and community well-being,” says Brubaker. “We offer a variety of parent programs such as age-specific talks with Dr. Crawford, monthly Coffee & Conversations for Lower School parents and outside speakers coordinated with the Parenting Connection committee.” Previous speakers have included Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult; Robert Brooks, author of Raising Resilient Children; and Dr. Louis Profeta, an emergency physician and award-winning writer. At the end of the day, it’s a stressful time to be a child—and an adult. “We’ve never lived through a pandemic, and there’s not much we can do about it,” Harmon says. “We have to figure out a way to get through it, but there’s no book or expert to tell us how to make things better. That’s a hard message to hear, particularly for children and teens, but my hope is that we, as a society, are able to start recognizing what we’ve been spending too much time on and what we truly value.” Clay agrees. “We’re taking on a lot of stress trying to get back to normal,” she says. “But maybe this is a chance to try something new—maybe we don’t want to get back to normal. I’ve been urging students to think about this time as an opportunity to do things differently and to shift what they value. That gives me hope. In an uncontrollable situation, we can control our responses and our perspectives.” That message has echoed throughout the Lower School as well. “At the beginning of the year, I talked with our students and teachers about grace,” says Zomalt. “As a Lower School community, we acknowledged that we had persevered through some challenging things, and that we will continue to persevere. It’s not easy, but we’ve committed to giving ourselves grace and to extending that grace to others. Those conversations helped set the tone for the year, and they gave students and teachers permission to talk about hard things, to think with a growth mindset. Starting from a baseline of grace can make all the difference.” •

ENCOURAGING RESILIENCE IN THE UPPER SCHOOL:

AMELIA TUTTLE HARMON

The increased focus on student wellbeing has been an unexpected silver lining of the pandemic, the counselors say. “I’m seeing a reduction in stigma about mental health,” Millaway reports. “Students are more open to asking for help.” SOURCES COVID-19 Parental Resources Kit, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov Sharma, M., Idele, P., Manzini, A., Aladro, CP., Ipince, A., Olsson, G., Banati, P., Anthony, D. Life in Lockdown: Child and adolescent mental health and well-being in the time of COVID-19, UNICEF Office of Research—Innocenti, Florence, 2021. THE STATE OF THE WORLD ’S CHILDREN 2021: Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health, UNICEF Office of Global Insight and Policy—New York, New York, 2021

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

Meet the Counseling Team

Parenting Pro Tips from the Pace Counselors 1

CHECK IN

Take the time to ask how your child is feeling.

Kacy BRUBAKER

Ashley CLAY

Director of Lower School Student Life

Middle School Counselor

HELP YOUR CHILD REST

Students often come to school exhausted, which leads to stress and big feelings; help them figure out how to get at least nine hours of sleep each night.

PR ACTI CE W HAT YOU PRE ACH

Model the behaviors you want your child to exhibit; parents need to take care of themselves and take their own advice, particularly when it comes to managing stress and cultivating a healthy body image.

Dr. Mark CRAWFORD

Ellye MILLAWAY

Consulting Psychologist

Upper School Counselor

It’s in our nature to want to fix our children’s problems; instead, ask “How can I support you?” or “What do you think you can do to fix the situation?” Parents should empower children to think for themselves.

Amelia TUTTLE HARMON

Ashley ZOMALT

Upper School Counselor

Lower School Counselor

LI STEN TO YOUR CHILD

A SK FOR HELP

Don’t be afraid to utilize the many resources available at Pace. We’re much more effective at protecting children’s mental health when we work as a team.

2022

Winter

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

THE ZALIK FAMILY: Daniella, Helen, Arianna, David and Sophia

ZALIK THEATER

The Zalik Theater: Zaliks Give Name To Fine Arts Center Spaces Get to know the family whose gift to Accelerate Pace has named the FAC’s theater and lobby

We invited the Zaliks to share their FAMILY VALUES GR ATITUDE Always count your blessings. EDUCATION The more you know, the more you can improve, achieve and realize. EXCELLENCE Do your best and be your best. PA S S I O N Listen to your inner voice and follow your dreams. R ESPONSIBILIT Y

hen Pace Academy parents DAVID and HELEN ZALIK were children, their families immigrated to the United States and both eventually settled in the South. David grew up in Auburn, Ala., moving there from Israel, but with family ties in Argentina, Australia and China as well. Helen spent her childhood in Nashville, where her family chose to make its home after moving from Ukraine. At age 12, David’s math aptitude landed him in classes at Auburn University, where his father was a professor. Not one to follow a beaten path, David skipped high school and was a freshman at Auburn by age 14; that year, his spirit for entrepreneurship took shape and he started a computer assembly and software business—MicroTech Information Systems—the first of many companies he went on to build. Today he is CEO of the consumer loan company GreenSky, which he founded in 2006—his most successful venture to date. With help from her parents and the Jewish community, Helen attended the University of Pennsylvania followed by Duke University Law School. She practiced law for many years, serving as a general counsel while also pursuing her charitable interests, helping found the Jewish Women’s Connection of Atlanta and volunteering her time to numerous nonprofit boards. David and Helen married 17 years ago, before the launch of GreenSky. Despite the demands of GreenSky and other business pursuits, the couple’s number one priority is raising their three daughters: DANIELLA ZALIK and SOPHIA ZALIK, their oldest and youngest respectively, who both previously

Take ownership of the things you care about and do the right thing. HUMILITY Know when to speak up, when to listen and when to act. I N TEN TIONA LIT Y Whatever you do, do it with purpose and resolve. ENTR EPR ENEURSHIP Be brave, be visionary and take daring, informed risks. URGENCY Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today.

2022

Winter

ZALIK THEATER

The Pace Academy FINE ARTS CENTER stands the test of time.

Inspiring THE BEST D

irector of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN describes the newly named Zalik Theater as “the hub of the Pace community.” “Information is shared there, as well as laughter, tears, ceremonies—even though the performing arts thrive in this location, it’s a place that the entire community can call home,” he says. While the Zalik Theater’s name is new, the space is not, and its colorful history has been unfolding for over three decades. On the evening of Sept. 18, 1990, Pace’s brand new Fine Arts Center—the facility housing both the theater and lobby—opened to an excited school community that had overwhelmingly named a multipurpose fine arts center as the school’s top priority when surveyed three years before.

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

The gleaming, state-of-the-art Fine Arts Center (soon dubbed “the FAC”) was Pace’s greatest capital fundraising accomplishment at that time. At $4.5 million, it was also the largest component of the $7 million Inspiring the Best capital campaign. Before a capacity crowd of more than 600, the late Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra music director emeritus and conductor laureate, delivered the keynote address at the building’s dedication that fall evening. The attendees also enjoyed a performance of Willkommen from Cabaret, directed by former Upper School Theater Director DR. GEORGE MENGERT. A talented stage actor and director, Mengert maintained exacting standards and cre-

ABOVE: Mengert held many roles during his 44-year tenure at Pace— English teacher, Admissions director (for 22 years) and founding father of Pace Debate—but his passion was theater.

ated a world-class theater program that launched student-performers from the Zalik Theater’s stage to colleges and universities renowned for the performing arts nationwide; many Pace alumni now work in theater, music and film. Mengert recalls how the opening of the Zalik Theater transformed the Pace drama experience. “After [the theater] opened, we transitioned from being wandering gypsies; finally we had a stage to call home,” Mengert says. Those wandering gypsies—Pace’s student-performers, drama faculty and devoted audience members—had previously been traveling to shows at modest settings including churches, cafeterias and rented spaces.

ZALIK THEATER

Mengert was involved in the Zalik Theater’s design, working with the architect and school leadership, including Board member GREG DEXTER, now a Life Trustee. Dexter, who served as the owner’s representative during the FAC’s construction, shared Mengert’s interest in the design. Calling himself “a frustrated architect at heart,” Dexter studied and visited performing arts centers around the country during the planning and design process. SHANI MORGAN THOMAS ’93 recalls her involvement the first years after the space was opened. “Performing in the new theater was a dream. I was a bit intimidated at how nice it all was, but once I was on the stage, it felt incredible,” she says. “To be able to be in a high-school production with professional lighting and sound, not to mention the ability to change scenery with the fly system, was incredible. It was all so grand and a privilege to participate.” Fine Arts Center Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT, who came to Pace in 1995, says some of his favorite memories in the Zalik Theater are of the personalities who have graced its stage. “Music artists Yo-Yo Ma, Brent Foster and Celine Dion have all appeared on the Pace stage,” he says. “Noteworthy actors have included Anthony Rapp from Rent, Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family and Pace alumnus RANDY HARRISON ’96 from Queer as Folk. But one of my favorites was actor Leslie Nielsen from the movie Airplane!, who was just as witty, dry and hilarious in person as he was in his movies.” Head of School FRED ASSAF notes, “While the Zalik Theater is mature in years, it continues to provide an exceptional home to Pace’s performing arts programming. Performances on the Pace stage wow audiences year after year, and the lobby, with its clean and modern design, provides a gathering space that has stood the test of time. “We are grateful to HELEN and DAVID ZALIK for naming the Zalik Theater, and proud that these spaces are as beautiful and functional now as the year the Fine Arts Center opened,” he adds. •

Arianna Zalik ʼ26 (center) performs in the Garcia Family Middle School's 2021 production of Disney’s Descendants: The Musical.

attended Pace, and their middle daughter, ARIANNA ZALIK ’26. The family has been part of the Pace community since 2017. “We were drawn to Pace for its academic excellence and also impressed by the incredible performing arts program,” David shares. “It was apparent Pace was a school where children are challenged academically and also able to pursue their passions outside the classroom.” All three of the Zaliks’ daughters have a great passion for the performing arts. “Whether it’s acting on stage, performing in a musical, or writing and singing an original song at home, our girls find tremendous joy in theater and music,” Helen says. The Zaliks have encouraged their daughters to follow their passions, and the couple considers passion—“listening to your inner voice and following your dreams”—an important family value. They have many other strongly held values, which serve as a guide for family decisions and actions—actions that include supporting the causes and organizations they care about, like Pace. To that end, the Zaliks were early to support the Accelerate Pace campaign. They were also among the first donors to make a gift that included a naming opportunity, available to donors of gifts or pledges beginning at $50,000. In February, Pace unveiled the name of the space the family selected: the lobby and 600-seat theater within the Fine Arts Center is now the Zalik Theater. The couple feels the decision to name the Zalik Theater has allowed them not only to support Pace, but also to celebrate their daughters’ performing arts passions and highlight the importance of performing arts in education. “Performing arts doesn’t just teach students skills that are practiced on stage, it teaches skills that carry into adult life,” Helen states. “Public speaking, collaboration, patience, dedication and perfecting a craft are all lifelong skills. The impact of the theater and the performing arts program reverberates throughout Pace and will have a lifelong impact on the students involved.” “Accelerate Pace is an investment in the programs and facilities that enable Pace to cultivate the passions and curiosities of the children it educates,” David remarks. “These same children will one day lead our community and give back to support those who come after them. Accelerate Pace is one way of inspiring and cultivating the next generation of thinkers, doers and givers.” Helen adds, “We are honored to be able to support Pace and the Accelerate Pace campaign.” •

Newly installed signage welcomes visitors to the Zalik Theater.

2022

Winter

ALUMNI

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? UPDATES [1] In her role as executive director of Georgia River Network, RENA ANN PECK ’87 protects waterways across the state. “She is a leading voice for safe river recreation and conservation, advocating for science-based watershed management, and encouraging Georgians to be stewards of local rivers,” Atlanta Intown reported in November. Rena Ann’s current focus is on conserving the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, now threatened by a proposed titanium mine. “Alumni from the 1980s will never forget Okefenokee canoe camping in eighth grade,” she says. [2] After six years overseas, LIZ ANSLEY JEFFERS ’00 and NICK JEFFERS ’00 moved back to the U.S. from Stuttgart, Germany. Nick assumed command of Detachment 905, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Wash., and the University of Idaho (UI) in Moscow, Idaho. He was named professor and chair of Aerospace Studies at WSU/UI in July 2021 and oversees over 100 cadets through their four years of college and ROTC. The Jeffers family settled in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, where their

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

daughters, Sarah, 9, and Lauren, 4, are enjoying their new schools and are adjusting to life in America. The family spends as much time as possible exploring the outdoors, traveling and playing with their dog, Marley. SARAH BUTLER ’07 is a founding team member of GenZ hair-dye brand, Hally. Hally launched in February 2021 and was sold at national retailers Walmart and Ulta this past holiday season. Butler currently consults across consumer and digital startups working on creative, design and marketing. [3] LAUREN KRAVITZ HAIRE ’07 was promoted to director of sales, national accounts at Spanx, where she has worked for the past seven years. She and her husband, John, are enjoying the time with their son, Banks, born this past May, and dog, Nellie. [4] JUDSON HILL ’08 was promoted to head of revenue at Bespoke Financial in January 2022 and now leads sales, marketing and partnership teams nationwide. Hill joined Bespoke Financial in 2019 as vice president of business development while the company was still in a pre-revenue state. Bespoke Financial’s CEO and founder tapped Hill as the first hire based on his extensive sales and industry experience,

and the company has since experienced rapid and exciting growth. [5] MCCREA O'HAIRE STERN ’08 started a new position as senior manager in the SkyMiles Member Marketing department at Delta Air Lines in Atlanta. She is also the founder and president of Team Nelson, an international nonprofit that works to send Tanzanian orphans to school. [6] From internship to IPO, ERIC ESTROFF ’12 has been part of the team to help grow the fast-casual restaurant sweetgreen into a publicly-traded food and lifestyle brand over the past seven years. Sweetgreen, which passionately believes that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone, listed publicly on the New York Stock Exchange in November 2021. Sweetgreen plans to continue to expand nationally, and recently opened Atlanta locations at Ponce City Market, Colony Square and Lenox Square. [7] WYLIE HEINER ’14 recently started a new position as a conference coordinator for GreenBiz, a leading media, events and membership brand for sustainable business and climate technology. In his role, Wylie supports the company’s operations and logistics as he manages and plans large-scale

13 10

6 7

11 9

corporate events. His background includes wearing many different hats in a variety of industries, often with a focus on event coordinating, which has fostered his deep passion for the environment and events. [8] CORINNE ORR ’15 joined Talkiatry as a digital media specialist. Corinne previously worked in creative development for an independent film and television production company, but decided to pivot careers as she became increasingly concerned about the growing mental health crisis in the U.S. “I decided to work for Talkiatry because the company's mission—to provide high-quality, in-network psychiatric care throughout the United States and to improve patient access and outcomes through responsible innovation, while also benefiting physicians and insurers—deeply resonated with me,” Corinne says. “I believe improving our mental health is the best thing we can do for ourselves, our communities and our society. Working for a company that is increasing accessibility to mental health services while improving the patient experience is the most rewarding career I could imagine.” [9] XORI JOHNSON ’16 joined Twitter’s customer success team as a sales development representative. In this role, Xori,

a graduate of Morehouse College, sells Twitter’s paid ads to e-commerce small and midsize businesses and ensures ads are strategically set up for success. He was previously a business development resources/e-commerce consultant at Springbot, where he sold marketing software and services to small and midsize businesses to assist with their growth. “It felt like the right move to further my career in the marketing and advertising tech space, and I am excited for this new opportunity,” Xori says. [10] MORGAN KELLY ’16 recently took on a new professional role: project manager for Times10, a creative agency in Los Angeles. At Times10, Morgan manages creative marketing projects with clients such as Adidas and C4 Energy, and has been working with Atlanta athletes such as Trae Young and Kyle Pitts. Morgan was previously a brand specialist at Australian beauty company Bondi Sands. "I loved working at Bondi but learned that I wanted to be a bigger part of the creative process. I'm excited to work with and learn from such a great team of creatives," Morgan says. [11] ANTHONY TRINH ’16, a graduate of Stanford University, joined Deutsche Finance America as an investment analyst.

Deutsche Finance America is a Denverbased real estate private equity firm with more than $5 billion in assets under management, including the iconic Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco and CNA Center in Chicago. “I am so appreciative of my time at Pace, both in terms of the relationships I was able to build and the quality of teaching I received,” Anthony writes. “They prepared me for life well after Pace!” [12] KEELEY HARRIS ’17 graduated summa cum laude from University of Richmond in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Her areas of focus included environmental studies and religious studies. She received departmental honors in leadership studies from the Jepson School of Leadership and was awarded an academic scholarship to pursue a Masters of Study in Theology at Oxford University. She will complete her master’s work in June 2022. [13] ALEXANDRA BAKER ’19, a junior at Boston College, is spending the year studying history at Sorbonne University in Paris. “I wanted to go abroad for the year to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn as much French as I can,” writes Alexandra. “It is so cool taking the train to school every day and being able to meet friends from all around the world who are studying abroad

2022

Winter

18 20

22 17

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

ALUMNI

for the year as well; a lot of my friends so far are German and Spanish!” Fellow Pace alumna CAROLINE SINGLETON ’19 is spending her spring abroad in Barcelona, Spain, and the friends are excited to explore Europe together. Alexandra has enjoyed seeing French landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Giverny, home to Monet’s famous water lilies. [14] ALLIE APPEL ’20 (pictured right), a student at UNC Greensboro, starred as Eugenia “Genie” Seaman in One Week at Woolworths. The musical short film, part of Spartan New Musicals by the UNCG School of Musical Theatre Program, was written by J. Quinton Johnson (Hamilton) and Melvin Tunstall III (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and debuted in September 2021. One Week at Woolworths tells the true story of the Greensboro Four, four young Black college students who sparked the Woolworth’s counter sit-ins in Greensboro in February 1960. [15] JESUS TADEO ’20, a sophomore at Rhodes College, was named to the Southern Athletic Association’s 2021 Men's Soccer All-Conference First Team. Jesus led the Lynx offense with six goals and three assists for 15 points. His three gamewinning goals ranked him fourth in the league, while his 15-point total ranks sixth best among SAA competitors. Rhodes men's soccer concluded their season in the SAA Tournament with a 9–6–1 overall record. They finished second in the regular season conference standings with a 4–2–1 record, earning the second seed in the tournament for the first time since 2018.

MARRIAGES [16] Although MANDY NEMEROFF ’04 and Jim Szalewski were officially married at the county clerk’s office several years ago, they held a ceremony and celebration for family and friends on Oct. 17, 2021. GRAHAM CARSON ’03 officiated the ceremony; HARRINGTON BAKER ’04 attended. “It was a rainbow-themed wedding, and we had an absolute ball boogying,” Mandy writes. “It was so magical and special!” [17] BLAIR GILLESPIE ’08 married Daniel van Dalen on Oct. 23, 2021, near Lisbon, Portugal. They celebrated alongside family and friends, including Blair’s brothers, DREW GILLESPIE ’01 and GRANT GILLESPIE ’04, and classmates PATRICIA SABULIS ’08, ELISABETH QUINTRELL SWEENEY ’08, ALI LEBLANC DOWD ’08, SUSANNA BRAMLETT ’08, LAUREN WILKES ’08 and SARAH NALLE SPRINGWATER ’08. The couple lives in Amsterdam, where they met seven years ago. [18] BILLY SELMON ’11 married Hillary Throckmorton on Aug. 28, 2021. KENNY SELMON ’14, ALEX DAVIS ’11 and former student AARYON DAVIS were groomsmen. Pace alumni in attendance included HALEY ZWECKER ’12, JOSH BLANK ’15, RIKI LAWAL ’11, PARKER DRAUGHON ’12, CARTER DRAUGHON ’14, WILSON CRISLER ’14, JORDAN SWAN ’12 and NIMIT LAWAL ’09. In January, Billy began a new role as a financial sales consultant with Empower Retirement, a fast-growing financial services provider specializing in helping individuals save and invest for retirement. Billy advises Empower’s clients on their investment strategies to reach their longterm financial goals. He and Hillary live in Brookhaven with their dog, Kobe.

[19] CAL HARRIS ’12 married Frances Walker Holmes on Nov. 13, 2021. Pace alumni in attendance included JACK HARRIS ’10, KEELEY HARRIS ’17, BENTLEY LELLYETT ’12, WILLIAM SMITH ’12, ANDREW THURMAN ’12 and CLAIRE QUINTRELL ’12. Cal works for Capsule Pharmacy, an online pharmacy that delivers prescriptions directly to homes and offices. Frances is a fifth-grade teacher at Trinity School. They have a home in East Atlanta. [20] BRANDON STOLL ’12 married Kellie Conant on Oct. 30, 2021, in Rosemary Beach, Fla. Pace alumni in attendance included ALEX STEPHENS ’12, ALLEN SWAN ’12, AUSTIN BROWN ’12, JOHN CAROLIN ’12 and RETTA CAROLIN ’16. Brandon and Kellie met as freshmen at Southern Methodist University and now own and operate Parlor's Ice Creams in Dallas, Texas, an ice cream shop they started together. [21] KATIE LUCKE VACHON ’14 married Kyle Vachon on Jun. 12, 2021, in Grand Rapids, Mich. Former student MADELEINE LUCKE served as maid of honor, GWINNIE LAMASTRA ’14 and JACKLYN LUND ’14 were bridesmaids, and DANIEL LUCKE ’20 was a groomsman. [22 & 23] CAROLINE MILLS ’15 and TOMMY BURRUSS ’14 were married Oct. 23, 2021, at Foxhall Resort in Douglasville, Ga. Bridesmaids included LAURA ROSENBAUM ’15, CAILLIN COOKE ’15, LAUREN HADLEY ’15 and KATIE NELSON ’15. CHARLIE BURRUSS ’14, BOBBY STONECIPHER ’14, SAM DOWNEY ’14, BOBBY MILLS ’18 and former Pace student JONES KOLBINSKY served as groomsmen. The couple recently moved from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn., where Tommy is an assistant project manager for New South Construction.

H AV E S OME T HING T O S H A R E ?

EMAIL US! alumni@paceacademy.org 2022

Winter

ALUMNI

BIRTHS [24] JUSTIN LEEF ’08 and his wife, Chelsea, had a son, John “Jack” Alexander, on July 25, 2021. [25 & 26] AMANDA ALLEN SCOTT ’08 and her husband, Colin, welcomed Holden Wilder on Aug. 5, 2021. Amanda works in corporate social responsibility at Fox Factory, and Colin works at Delta Air Lines. They reside in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighborhood. [27] JACK HARRIS ’10 married Saskia Pownall-Gray in the spring of 2020, and the couple welcomed son Jon “Jonny” Ralph in February 2021. Jack works as a financial advisor for Teneo Capital, a public relations and advisory company headquartered in New York. Saskia is a clinical therapist specializing in substance abuse. They live in Cedar Grove, NJ.

STAFF MILESTONES [28] Chief Human Resources Officer STEPHANIE CANTILLO married Thomas Numprasong on Oct. 29, 2021, at the Payne-Corley House in Duluth, Ga.

IN MEMORIAM [29] ROBERT JOHN MATHEWS JR. ’75, known to friends as RJ, passed away on Dec. 16, 2021. He was the beloved husband of LISA BATEY MATHEWS and father to MAGGIE MATHEWS WINGO ’05, PEARSON MATHEWS MCSHANE ’07 and former student ANNE MATHEWS. “RJ lived life to the fullest and never met a stranger,” his family writes. “He was an artistic and creative soul, always with a new idea. He will be remembered as a ‘legend’ to relatives and friends, whom he loved deeply.” RJ was born in Columbia, SC, and moved to Atlanta in 1960. He earned a business degree from Auburn University and joined his father as a manufacturer's representative for Sherrill Furniture Co., an enterprise founded by his grandfather. He worked for Sherrill for the entirety of his career. A member of The Jaycees, Cherokee Town and Country Club and Peachtree Presbyterian Church, RJ had a lifelong love for the Florida panhandle, particularly Dog Island and St. George Island. He spent the final years of his life in Jacksonville, Fla., where he enjoyed boating and exploring with family and friends, riding his bike, being at the beach—especially with his three grandchildren—and listening to good music. [30] Former Pace Trustee REBECCA SHEPHERD passed away on Jan. 5 due to complications following a heart attack. Becca was the wife of CLYDE SHEPHERD and the mother of CLYDE SHEPHERD ’15 and GEORGE SHEPHERD ’18. “Rebecca was beloved,” her family writes. “She had a large, loving circle of friends whom she treasured and who will never forget her engaging personality and welcoming spirit. She had a contagious laugh, fabulous sense of humor, and notorious generosity for celebration and entertainment. She was a devoted wife and mother, and her children were her pride and joy.” Becca poured her energy into raising her children and uplifting the surrounding community, and Pace was a fortunate beneficiary. She was a passionate advocate

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

29 30

ALUMNI

28 31

for the school and students. A graduate of the University of Georgia and an entrepreneur, Becca joined the Board of Trustees in 2011 as Pace was preparing to launch the capital campaign for the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. She jumped right in and never looked back. Becca brought the same spirit to her work on the Academic & Institutional Excellence and Enrollment Strategic Plan subcommittees, and she helped raise the bar for the Pace Fund while growing the George Private School Tax Credit Program. Becca focused on maintaining excellence in student programming both in the classroom and in our co-curricular activities. She also advocated for the long-term health of the school by assisting with endowment and planned giving programs, and she extended her reach beyond the immediate Pace family and helped promote the school in the broader Atlanta community. In addition to her involvement at Pace, Becca was an active member of the Shepherd Center Auxiliary, the Shepherd Center Advisory Board, and she served as a Trustee at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History for many years. Beyond her community, she loved spending time with family and friends anywhere that it was warm and sunny. To honor Becca, donations may be made to the Shepherd Center Foundation or Peachtree Presbyterian Church. [31] Former office administrator and teacher SARAH LOUISE SHACKLETT TINSLEY, known to friends and family as Sally, passed away on Dec. 24, 2021. “Throughout [Sally’s] life, these words were central: faith in God, love of family and friends, honor, hard work, determination, hope, respect and charity. Yes, she was a member of the Greatest Generation,” her family writes. A native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Sally attended Central High School. She met her husband, MEL TINSLEY, as a freshman at Middle Tennessee State College, and they were devoted to each other until his death in 2013. Sally began her career as a secretary at the Naval Ordnance plant in Indianapolis before the family moved to Georgia in 1958 and Sally joined the Pace staff. ”For two decades, Sally Tinsley controlled the Castle from behind the scenes,” we wrote in a fall 2016 KnightTimes profile of Sally. “As secretary to Pace’s first headmaster, FRANK KALEY, and then to Upper School Principal BOB CHAMBERS and Headmaster GEORGE KIRKPATRICK, Tinsley and her typewriter worked tirelessly at the business of school, helping the fledgling institution find its way.” In Pace’s early years, Tinsley’s typing course, required of all seniors, took place in the Castle’s sweltering attic, but she persevered, instructing students who sat at manual typewriters with blank keys. Future classes were held in different locations throughout the Castle, and Tinsley earned a reputation as a sharp, no-nonsense instructor. In the early 1970s, Sally and Mel became managers of a business, and owners of another. They were devoted to their customers and employees. Sally served as office administrator and bookkeeper for both companies and remained in those roles until she was 93 years of age. “Sally and Mel had many friends and interests,” the family writes. “They loved to travel. They joined the Atlanta Ski Club and continued to snow ski and travel most of their active lives. They also were boating enthusiasts…and often boated along the Florida coast, even to the Keys. Sally was a former tennis player and liked jogging, cycling, spin and step classes well into her later years. Even in her 90s, Sally continued to be as active as she was able, and became an inspiration to many younger class members and teachers.” Sally and Mel were also active in the life of their church. They were founding members of John Knox Presbyterian and later attended Eastminster Presbyterian Church. Sally is survived by her daughters, former Pace faculty member NENA TINSLEY ALLEN and LAURA TINSLEY MCFAYDEN ’67; her son-in-law, Jim McFayden; her grandson, VINCE ALLEN ’87; his wife, Paula Patterson Allen; and great grandson Owen Allen, as well as several nieces, a nephew and their families. To honor Sally, donations may be made to The Water Project. •

2022

Winter

ALUMNI

[01] DENZEL FRANKLIN ’14 returned to his alma mater to catch up with his former teachers and coaches. Denzel, a graduate of Stanford University, is a project engineer at Toll Brothers, a California-based company that builds new construction communities. [02] DEON JACKSON ’17 stopped by campus in December to say hello to faculty and staff. A graduate of Duke University and an NFL running back, Deon was signed by the Indianapolis Colts in May 2021.

01 02

[03] The University of Georgia Bulldogs, [04] captained by JAMAREE SALYER ’18, defeated the University of Alabama Crimson Tide to claim the college football national championship for the first time since 1980. Salyer returned to Pace two days after the game to visit with his former teachers.

[05] During a recent visit to Mercer University, Associate Director of College Counseling PAM AMBLER, a member of the school’s Counseling Advisory Board, reconnected with KENDALL WILLIS ’19, a junior at Mercer who will soon begin the student teaching process. [06] Former Pace teammates MBITI WILLIAMS ’20, JAYDEN THOMAS ’21 and SAM ASSAF ’19 reunited on the football field when the Navy Midshipmen took on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 6.

OUT & ABOUT 66

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

CALLING ALL YOUNG ALUMNI!

AN ALUMNI

Pace grads from the Classes of 2006 through 2021 are invited to join the Young Alumni Committee. Chaired by CAL HARRIS ’12 and VICTORIA WILSON ’10, the committee strives to support young alumni through targeted communications and events as they transition into the professional world. Email youngalumni@paceacademy.org to learn more—you don’t have to be local!

GIVING CHALLENGE UPDATE

VIC CLASS OF 1971 REUNION

VICKEY KEY WILE and CINDY LEWIS HODGES coordinated the Class of 1971's reunion over Zoom in November.

CLASS OF 2010 REUNION

The Class of 2010 gathered for its 10-year reunion on Dec. 18 at The Ivy. JACK HARRIS organized the event. [1]

CLASS OF 2015 REUNION

KATE MULLALLY organized the Class of 2015’s five-year reunion over Thanksgiving weekend at Fadó Irish Pub. Forty-five alumni attended. [2]

THE ANNUAL ALUMNI GIVING CHALLENGE,

this year in support of Accelerate Pace, ran from Dec. 1, 2021, through Jan. 10, 2022. Not including alumni who are current Trustees, Life Trustees, parents, faculty and staff, the Alumni Giving Challenge raised more than $112,000 (inclusive of pledges). In addition, a parent of an alumnus contributed a $100,000 match.

AUSTIN ALUMNI GATHERING

In November, Head of School FRED ASSAF and Director of College Counseling JONATHAN FERRELL hosted an evening for Pace alumni in Austin, Texas. [3]

Alumni, it's not too late to support the Accelerate Pace campaign and have your name on the donor wall—every donor will be recognized. Make your gift or pledge by April 1 at accelerate.paceacademy.org.

COLLEGE ALUMNI HOLIDAY LUNCH

The tradition returned! As the semester came to a close and the Classes of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 journeyed home from college for winter break, old friends reunited in the Seaman Family Student Commons for lunch and hellos with their former Pace teachers. [4–6]

Have you liked or joined us yet?

www.facebook.com/paceacademy alumniassociation www.instagram.com/ pace_alumknights www.linkedin.com/groups/160587

ALUMNI

HIGH-SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS MARTHA LEE MCCUTCHEN THWAITE ’80 & WALTER THWAITE ’82

JARED PAUL ’90 & KELLEY HARRIS ’00

Though they did not know each other at the time, Lower School fourth-grade teacher MARTHA LEE MCCUTCHEN THWAITE ’80 and WALTER THWAITE ’82 were only two classes apart at Pace Academy. When a mutual friend introduced the two later in life, they bonded over their shared high-school experiences. Upon first impression, Walter felt that Martha Lee was friendly, outgoing, empathetic and an excellent communicator. Martha Lee remembers Walter as quiet and a great listener, and empathetic also. “With Walter, what you see is what you get, which I love about him,” she says. Decades later, Walter remains the sincere and genuine guy Martha Lee fell in love with, “although he no longer rides a skateboard.” “Martha Lee has not changed much,” says Walter. “She has always had an outgoing personality and been one who deeply cares for people and their well-being, but she no longer walks around on her hands or does flips on the trampoline.” They never would have imagined that their paths would cross again after their years at Pace, but they are so glad that they did. Martha Lee speaks for the pair when she says, “We both love Pace Academy and are so thankful that this school is near and dear to our hearts!”

Quite a few classes—nine to be exact— separate JARED PAUL ’90 and KELLEY HARRIS ’00, but the age difference has nothing on this pair. They met in 2004 at a fateful design industry event. Off the bat, Kelley thought Jared was handsome, distinguished and dapper. Of his husband, Jared says, “It sounds completely corny, but it was love at first sight!” They did not date at Pace since Jared was a senior when Kelley was in the third grade, but once the two got together, they dated for 11 years before tying the knot. The couple, both Atlanta-based interior designers, recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

KARINA KHOURI BELINFANTE ’95 & JOSH BELINFANTE ’95 KARINA KHOURI BELINFANTE ’95 and JOSH BELINFANTE ’95 met on the first day of 10th grade; Karina, a new student, was assigned Josh as her welcome buddy. They quickly got to know each other through shared classes like English with STAN GILLESPIE and science with NEIL DEROSA. By the end of junior year, the two made it official, and they dated through the rest of high school, college and graduate school. They credit strong communication skills with the success of their long-distance relationship. They were married three weeks after graduation. “We have both changed since high school… Josh was the wilder one then,” notes Karina, reminiscing on favorite memories of pranks in the Upper School library in the former Bridges Hall. “He was fun-loving and willing to get kicked out of places for the sake of a good joke or laugh. I was very studious and afraid of getting in trouble. Now, Josh is the lawyer who follows all the rules by the book, and I’m the one who will try to get away with things.” The Belinfantes have three children: COLE BELINFANTE ’24, IAN BELINFANTE ’27 and LIV BELINFANTE ’33. “We love that our children now go to Pace,” says Karina. “Some of their experiences are very different from ours, including the dress code. Others are the same. We love when our children are able to experience the same teachers we once had.”

KnightTimes

The Magazine of Pace Academy

A VALENTINE’S DAY SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI COUPLES

ALUMNI

⚘ DE S

M AR T H A L E E

TI N E D

FO R E A

C H OT H

ER !

LOVE AT

& WALTER

K E LLE Y &

F IR ST 👁

JA R E D

🗢 YO UNG LOVE!

R IV, K A L , H S

I NA ,

ND C IA N A

OLE

MORE PACE LOVE STORIES ON NEXT PAGE! 2022

Winter

ALUMNI

BRITT JACKSON GRIFFIN ’00 & ANDREW GRIFFIN ’99

LARA GOODRICH EZOR ’06 & ZACK EZOR ’06

BRITT JACKSON GRIFFIN ’00 and ANDREW GRIFFIN ’99 were home from college reconnecting with Pace friends over winter break when they ran into each other. Neither recalls how their conversation began, but they hung out the rest of the night and have been together since. Eighteen years later, Andrew remembers Britt for her wit and beauty; Britt remembers Andrew for being the “rockstar” of his class, but recalls that she was pleasantly surprised by his sweet and gentlemanly demeanor that evening. “We actually connected deeply over our love of the same often-underrated menu items in the Pace cafeteria,” says Britt. After graduating from their respective colleges, they both moved back to Atlanta, pursued their careers and married in 2009. Today, they are the lucky parents of two boys: WILLIAM GRIFFIN ’30 and Charlie Griffin, 4. Have the Griffins changed since their Pace days? “Britt is exactly the same! Still witty and loves to make people laugh—she became a wonderful mom, who we can’t live without,” Andrew says. Britt comments: “Let’s just say that Andrew has definitely mellowed from his yearbook Senior Superlative: ‘Most Likely to Have Too Much Fun in College!’”

Unlike many Pace alumni couples, LARA GOODRICH EZOR ’06 and ZACK EZOR ’06’s story extends back even earlier than their days in the Upper School. The pair met at the Lower School bookstore at the beginning of sixth grade. Lara remembers fondly, “Zack was working there, and I was the new kid—I bought my first Pace sweatshirt that day!” They mutually recall each other as being nice. “In sixth grade, nice is good,” Lara adds. Their friendship blossomed, and they began dating as sophomores. They remained together throughout high school and college, despite attending universities on opposite sides of the country. In 2011, they were married; their son, Samuel, arrived in 2020. Of many Pace memories, Lara’s favorite story involves Spirit Week: “Zack worked so hard on the preparations one year that he crashed afterwards, took a super long nap and slept through my birthday dinner. I’ve never let him live it down!” Though they look a bit older than those sixth graders in the bookstore and have “chilled out a bit,” Lara says that at the end of the day, her husband is “still the curly-haired guy from [former Lower School teacher CLAIRE VAUGHTERS’] homeroom— and he's still so nice!” •

CAROLINE FAULKNER ’04 & STEVE SHIRLEY ’03 CAROLINE FAULKNER SHIRLEY ’04 met STEVE SHIRLEY ‘03 when Steve enrolled at Pace in the ninth grade. Caroline, an eighth grader at the time, says they found each other cute, but due to the age difference and other romantic interests, they did not date. However, they ran in the same circles at the University of Georgia, and their relationship began in 2006. Steve was a college senior; Caroline was a junior. Following graduation, they moved to New York to pursue career dreams, were engaged in 2012 and married on Harbour Island in the Bahamas in 2014 with many Pace friends in attendance. Years later, Caroline and Steve welcomed twins Clara and William, and shortly thereafter, their youngest, Ellis. In 2019, the Shirleys moved back to Atlanta. “We have grown and matured [since high school], but our core values have stayed the same, and we love that we are able to maintain many of our Pace friendships,” says Caroline. They now enjoy seeing their children develop those same types of special bonds. “Pace had a huge impact on making us the people and parents we are today,” Caroline says.

ALUMNI

CH RISTM A

C AR OLINE & STEV

WILLIAM, BRIT T,

♡ LOVE BIR

S CUTIE S 🎄

CH ARLIE AND A

N D R EW !

B AR MITZVAH -

2001! 🙂

LARA, SAMUEL AND ZACK

I G H

ALUMNI

Throughout the

D U C

A T

O R

Isdell Center for

Global Leadership’s

Year of Education, we’re highlighting Pace Academy alumni making an impact in education-related fields. Here senior LEAH FAVERO ’22, a 2021–2022 Isdell profiles CAROLINE GRAY ’07.

U M N I

Global Leader,

ABOVE: Caroline with the 2021–2022 Isdell Global Leaders

KnightTimes

AROLINE GRAY ’07 never thought that she would go into education. During her time at Pace Academy, she took classes taught by legendary teachers like Upper School English teacher DON DUPREE and Upper School History Chair TIM HORNOR. In college, it became increasingly evident to Gray that many of her classmates’ high-school experiences did not include the creative ways of teaching—such as building an entire Shakespearean theater set in the classroom—that are typical at Pace. At James Madison University (JMU), Gray studied psychology and photography, researching the impact of art creation on memory retrieval in Alzheimer's patients. Gray later served as an art therapy intern for children's psychiatric hospitals in Georgia and Virginia. When a Teach for America representative visited JMU, Gray could not turn away: the nonprofit organization placed her in Bridgeport, Conn., for the next two years. Beginning as a librarian, Gray soon accelerated into a third-grade teaching role after working with various age levels in both elementary and middle schools. During this time, she began to notice some real flaws in the U.S. education system. Hoping to bridge linguistic gaps with many of her students’ families, Gray packed her bags and moved to Honduras for another three years. There, she taught for a year at Villa Soleada’s Bilingual School before becoming the academic director, or co-principal. She helped expand the school from just five grade levels— kindergarten through fourth—to a complete K–12 school, while working with the organization. The Villa Soleada school was a subset of Students Helping Honduras, a larger nonprofit committed to building over 1,000 schools across the country. Due to safety concerns, Gray was unfortunately forced to evacuate Honduras in May of 2017. However, prior to her evacuation, she had decided to pursue her

The Magazine of Pace Academy

CAROLINE GRAY

doctorate and had been accepted at the University of Southern California. Back in the U.S., she began serving as dean of school for Students Helping Honduras, coaching teachers in leadership skills, curriculum development and school-growth plans while working on her degree. In 2020, she graduated from USC's Organizational Change and Leadership program, where she had studied alongside corporate executives, chief firefighters, medical professionals, priests, to name a few colleagues. Her dissertation, a mixed-methods study on the bilingual school in Honduras where Gray had worked, focused on increasing second-language reading achievement in international bilingual schools. With her connections to Connecticut, Gray decided to take advantage of her bilingual skills and took on the role of Englishlanguage learners coordinator at Forte Preparatory Academy in Queens, N.Y. She later taught fifth-grade writing, then sixth-grade reading, and she now holds the director of student support role at Forte, where she supervises teachers of students with different learning needs. Gray also oversees and adjusts Forte teachers’ lesson plans, student materials and proposed inclusive educational opportunities. In addition, she coordinates with external partners to ensure that students at Forte have access to the services that they require, like speech or occupational therapy. Forte utilizes an “inclusive model” in teaching: no student is moved to a different space because of an inability to complete a task. Gray’s role, which highlights student identity, culture and life, promotes the core value of inclusion. Events such as “cultural attire day” and weekly potlucks allow students to highlight their own heritage while teaching others about groups with which they may be unfamiliar. Gray encourages Pace students to pursue careers in education—which she believes, along with work in climate change and sustainability, is “the foundation for the future.” She believes that our society cannot continue to succeed with so many failing education systems. In her work with children, Gray feels like she is “shaping the outcomes of the future.” •

Y O U R S U P P O R T MAT T E R S ! The Pace Fund—Pace Academy’s highest giving priority—provides vital resources that directly support ALL students, faculty members and programs at Pace. We rely on the generous support of our parents, grandparents, alumni and friends to maintain the exceptional student experience so valued by our entire community. We are so grateful for your partnership in keeping Pace strong and prepared for the future. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/support/the-pace-fund.

Apply now

FOR THE 2022 TAX YEAR

he Georgia Private School Tax Credit Program allows individual and corporate taxpayers to donate a portion of their state tax liability to a Student Scholarship Organization (SSO). The funds are then used for need-based financial aid at the independent school(s) of the taxpayer’s choice. This program plays a critical role in Pace Academy’s overall financial aid program.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Debra Mann in the Office of Advancement at debra.mann@paceacademy.org or call 404-240-9103.

PARTICIPATION IS EASY!

Visit www.paceacademy.org/ tax-credit to submit your form electronically, or print and mail the paper form.

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

RECEIVING MULTIPLE COPIES? If you have received multiple copies of this publication, please contact the Advancement Office at 404-240-9103 or advancement@paceacademy.org to update your information.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACCELERATE GIVING! With $2.1 million left to raise for the

Visit www.accelerate.paceacademy.org for

approaching completion… but still have

Or call the Office of Advancement at

Accelerate Pace campaign, we are

work to do. YOUR SUPPORT today will accelerate the campaign to the finish!

information and to make your gift or pledge. 404-240-9103.

AC C E L E R AT E J OY / AC C E L E R AT E W E L L N E S S / ACC E L E R AT E CO M M U N I T Y / AC C E L E R AT E I N N OVAT I O N / A C C E L E R AT E P L AY / A C C E L E R AT E C R E AT I V I T Y / A C C E L E R AT E G I V I N G / A C C E L E R AT E PA C E !