KnightTimes Spring 2023

DANCING QUEEN

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT

THE PARENTS CLUB APPRECIATES THE SUPPORT FROM THE DONORS AND SPONSORS OF ITS 2023 AUCTION, PROM KNIGHT.

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS!

WE FOUND LOVE

EVIS BABO DMD

TAYLOR & RONNIE

BROWN

THE DEMPSEY FAMILY

FOOT LOOSE

STEPHANIE & MAC MCCALL

KATHLEEN & ERIK MORRIS

REBECCA & JAMIE

RUSSELL

STACEY & JORDAN WEITZNER

Fifth-grade students, guided by their teachers, adapted Jon Scieska’s wacky book into a spectacular stage production. Learn more about this creative endeavor on page 38.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

IT’S NO SECRET that I’m a fan of Pace Arts (that was me in Row J guffawing during opening night of Something Rotten! ) and a proud Pace Academy alumna (I only missed the 2018 Knight Cap because my twins made an early debut), so I’m thrilled that in this issue of the KnightTimes, we profile artistic powerhouses ANDREW BENATOR ’89, BRIAN STEELY ’92, STEPHANIE DOCKERY ’03 and JOSIE CROSS ’15 (page 56). Although their time at Pace spans nearly four decades, and the mediums through which they share their tremendous talents differ, these alumni have in common a passion for creating that was nurtured on our campus.

I’m equally excited that I convinced retired English teacher MARSHA DURLIN and writers MARY LOGAN BARMEYER

BIKOFF ’01 and JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17 to compose the profile stories—Alexander even took the photos that accompany the pieces on Benator and Steely. Truly, this was a Pace family project.

It’s been a while since an alumnus has graced the front of this magazine, so we’re making up for it by featuring four— each on a different cover. Collect them all, and please join me in celebrating all things Pace Arts!

CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

facebook.co m/paceacademy instagram.com/paceacademy twitter.com/paceacademy

GUEST WRITERS

JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17 is a freelance photographer and writer based in the Atlanta area. He earned his degree in journalism from the University of Georgia in 2022, where he worked for local news outlets and the Atlanta JournalConstitution. In addition to Pace Academy, Alexander’s clients have included Delta Air Lines, the City of Atlanta and Cox Industries. While at Pace, Alexander was an Arts Laureate for voice, a letterman in cross-country and swimming, and a recipient of the Mike Gannon History Award. In the rare moments he isn’t behind a camera, he enjoys playing guitar and exploring national parks.

MARY LOGAN BARMEYER BIKOFF ’01 served as a senior editor at Atlanta magazine as well as editor-in-chief of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME. She now works as a freelance writer and editor, often covering design and travel, and has contributed to publications including Garden & Gun, Paper and New York magazine’s The Cut . Retired Pace English and creative writing teacher RICKS CARSON was the first person to suggest she might consider journalism as a career. She lives in Athens with her husband and two sons and several farm animals, and serves as an adviser at the University of Georgia’s independent student newspaper, The Red & Black

MARSHA DURLIN did her graduate work at Emory University and joined the Pace English faculty in 1979 after teaching at Briarcliff High School. She directed Middle School plays, founded the Peer Leadership Program and chaired the Upper School English department until her retirement in 2022. She won many teaching awards during her 40+ years at Pace and received four National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships for summer study: at Emory University, Oxford University in England, the University of Colorado and Princeton University. She remembers STEPHANIE DOCKERY ’03 (page 62) as a standout in the cohort of talented seniors in her AP Literature class in 2003.

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Pace Community,

In my mind, springtime is the best time—particularly when you’re a Pace Academy Knight. Over the past several weeks, we’ve celebrated year-end traditions and college acceptances; we’ve sent students and their teachers around the world; and we’ve cheered our sports teams to new heights. It’s a time of year when students and faculty see the fruits of their labors come to life, especially for those involved in our outstanding visual and performing arts programs.

In this issue of the magazine, Pace Arts takes center stage. We salute our Scholastic Art & Writing Award winners (page 7), marvel at the talent on display during Spring Arts Week (page 39), and applaud the performers who graced the stage during concerts and theatrical productions (pages 32–41). We also introduce you to four alumni who have leveraged what they learned at Pace to create successful careers in the arts (page 56).

These achievements would not be possible without the support and expertise of a supremely talented arts faculty. Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN leads the program today, and year after year, he and his team build upon the foundation of excellence in the arts established by generations of Pace educators before them. I’m grateful for their leadership and vision in guiding this pillar of the Pace experience.

As summer begins, I want to thank you once again for your continued partnership, which has made this extraordinary school year possible. I’m grateful for your belief in our shared vision and values, and I’m looking forward to the bright future that waits in the wings for our beloved school community.

Sincerely,

FRED ASSAF HEAD OF SCHOOL

THE COVERS

To celebrate the four alumni-artists profiled in the feature story on page 56, this issue was printed with four different cover photographs.

JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17 photographed Benator and Steely. Erin White photographed Cross.

THIS PAGE

The Middle School’s production of Freaky Friday – The Musical, took center stage in February. Learn more about the hilarious and heartwarming show on page 36.

Image by ANN MCLEAN NAGLE ’87

OFF THE CHARTS Grice UyHam

Two members of the Class of 2023 have advanced to the Finalist level of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s annual competition. Congratulations to DAVID GRICE ’23 and MARIT UYHAM ’23 selected based on their performance on the PSAT and their academic record. Only 15,000 of the 1.5 million students who enter the competition are named Finalists.

THE KNIGHTLY NEWS: OFFICIALLY SUPERIOR

In the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s (GSPA) 2023 General Excellence Awards, a critique and competition of high-school journalists, The Knightly News, Pace’s Upper School print newspaper, was one of five publications from across the state awarded a Superior rating, the GSPA’s highest honor. The judges commended The Knightly News staff—led by Editors-in-Chief EMMY MININBERG ’23, JACK WAGREICH ’23 and MARY AMELIA WEISS ’23 and faculty adviser TAMARA NEILEY—for its compelling story ideas, outstanding writing and visuals, and innovative layout and design work.

AN EMERGING VISIONARY

SIDNEY KEYS ’24 is among Prudential Financial’s 2023 class of Prudential Emerging Visionaries, 25 exceptional young leaders from across the nation working to address various financial and societal challenges.

A recipient of the Societal Solutions for a Changing World Award, which highlights work that creates more equitable and sustainable communities, Keys was named an Emerging Visionary for his work founding Books N Bros, a book club that improves the relationship young Black men have with reading by amplifying African American stories and literature. Keys created the program to increase literacy among young men of color. Each month, Books n Bros curates books representing diverse perspectives, then fills and ships boxfuls of them across the country. The program also hosts virtual and inperson meetups for readers.

Keys accepted a $5,000 award to help take his innovation to the next level, and attended an all-expensespaid trip to Prudential’s Newark, N.J., headquarters for a three-day summit, where he received coaching, skills development and networking opportunities alongside Prudential employees and other young leaders.

KNIGHTS KEY IN ON SCHOLASTIC AWARDS

Each year, thousands of students enter the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the opportunity to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. This year, Upper School students received an impressive 31 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

ANGELIKA AVDYEYEVA ’26, MILLIE GRAY ’24 and TERRENCE KIEL ’24 earned Gold Keys, a designation that represents the very best work submitted to local programs. Gold Key winners are automatically considered for national Scholastic Awards. Avdyeyeva collected her award in the painting category; Gray joined the ranks with her poem Growing Pains ; and TERRENCE KIEL ’24’s photography brought home top honors as well.

Silver Keys were awarded to GADIT BEJAR ’24 (x2), GRIFFIN BRYAN ’25, BENNETT CUMMINGS ’26 (x2), JULIA DIAZ ’24, DAVID FU ’25, Gray, ERIELLE HARRIS ’24, AMELIA HONABACH ’24 (x3) and CHARLES SMITH ’25. Additionally, Honorable Mentions went to JOCELYN AXELROD ’26, CAROLINE COLE ’23 (x2), BRIEA CRAFT ’23, Cummings, KATHERINE DAVIS ’24, Honabach (x3), CLAIRE JIANG ’25, REITA MAGUIRE ’24 (x4), LEAH NEGERO ’25, KATELYN SOUZA ’24 and ISABELLE WILHELM ’24.

SINGING FOR

Pace Academy performing artists typically shine at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Literary Meet, and this year was no different. After region wins, AVA BYRNE ’23, CARLY CANNON ’24, LYNDSEY DAVIS ’23 and Upper School Choral Director CHRIS BARBEE traveled to Warner Robins, Ga., for the state competition in March. Cannon hoped to earn her second consecutive gold medal in the Girls Solo category and, after a second-place finish at the 2022 event, the trio had their eyes set on the top prize.

“The Literary Meet requires a substantial amount of preparation outside of class,” says Barbee. “There isn’t much time in class to learn and work on their pieces, so most work is done before or after school or during free periods. The entire process is very self-led.”

The girls’ preparation paid off. Cannon’s presentation of Handel’s Bel piacere and Faure’s Après un rêve impressed the judges and garnered gold, while the trio’s rendition of In You I Found by Laura Farnell and Die Forelle by Franz Schubert, arranged by Jason Bishop, landed Byrne, Cannon and Davis atop the state podium.

“Their success is a result of their hard work and commitment to giving their best performances,” says Barbee. “Ava, Carly and

ByrneDavis& Cannon

A PROM KNIGHT TO REMEMBER

The Pace Academy Parents Club’s 37th annual Auction, Prom Knight, took place at United Distributors’ special event space on March 25.

Chaired by parents TAYLOR BROWN, STEPHANIE MCCALL and KATHLEEN MORRIS, the fête was a night to remember. More than 300 attendees enjoyed music by Electric Avenue –The 80s MTV Experience and DJ Q-Tip while socializing and showing off killer dance moves.

A team of dedicated volunteers supported the event. Special thanks go to Parents Club President CARA LUBIN, Vice President STEPHANIE MCDONALD, Silent Auction organizers ELISHA ALDEN, BARBARA HINGST and NATASHA SWANN, and to the generous event supporters, including premier sponsors Global Payments, Isdell Family Foundation, Roark and United Distributors.

All in all, the fundraiser was a phenomenal success, with revenue designated to support the long-standing partnership between the Parents Club and the Isdell Center for Global Leadership, as well as special requests for teachers and faculty professional development. Who’s ready for next year’s event? l

Photos by Matthew Grimes

CHILLY TEMPS and a threat of April showers brought the Pace Fund’s BBQ & Bluegrass party indoors to the Kam Memar Lower School’s Gandhi Hall. The less-than-perfect weather did not dampen the spirits of guests at the event, a celebration of Pace Academy’s Knights of the Round Table— donors who contribute $2,500 or more to the Pace Fund each school year. Attendees sampled tasty barbeque and other delicious fare while mingling and enjoying live bluegrass tunes. l

Photos by JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17

beati ng t he chill w ith

BBQ & BLU EGRASS

Lower School club promotes the joy of READING

CLUE: The name, selected by students, of the Lower School Book Club, which concluded its weekly meetings with members chanting: “We are not going to stress about reading this book. This is fun!”

ANSWER:

A) What is Bookie Monsters?

B) What is Club Tome?

C) What is Readers of the Round Table?

THE CORRECT RESPONSE? If you guessed C, you are likely the parent of a club member (or just lucky). But if you guessed A or B, you’re still onto something, as each answer has a connection to the Lower School’s Book Club program, launched in the fall of 2021.

The fourth- and fifth-grade students in that inaugural club, the Bookie Monsters (yes—answer A), met weekly after school in the Soni Family Library and, under the guidance of Lower School librarians CATHERINE LAMPLEY and LAURA JACK , read and discussed 10 books.

The Lower School book club was conceived by an alumna-parent, who suggested the idea to teachers and then took action to bring it to life, donating funds to launch and sustain the program. Planning that first year, Jack and Lampley explored ways of enriching the children’s experience and registered the Bookie Monsters to participate in the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, a large book-club network popular with many publicschool book clubs. The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl chooses titles for readers in grades four through 12 curated from the Georgia Book Awards Nominees list and provides facilitators discussion guides and questions to test readers’ knowledge.

School book-club organizations like the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl also offer readers a twist not found in their counterpart clubs for grownups: the opportunity for competition; as a result, the intrepid Bookie Monsters concluded their season in a team competition on book knowledge.

Lampley speaks with pride about the fledgling team’s performance: “The competition was virtual that first year due to COVID, but our students still enjoyed the opportunity. They competed in one of the three rounds against the eventual winning team, which was very prepared,” she adds. “The Bookie Monsters held their own and were proud of themselves.”

As the 2022–2023 school year got underway, the librarians identified the Georgiabased Tome Student Literacy Society, a nonprofit for students in grades two through 12, as a better fit for Pace and formed a Club Tome chapter (answer B!), which students dubbed the Readers of the Round Table. The Tome Society offers digital competitions, an annual book-award reading list, book club activities, curriculum materials and the TomeCon annual conference.

The Readers of the Round Table also tackled 10 books. “They were a very enthusiastic group, excited about the books and opinionated in discussions,” Jack reports. “The students were occasionally anxious about completing their reading, so they made up a chant: ’We are not going to stress about reading this book. This is fun!’”

In March, Club members attended the 2023 TomeCon, held at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville. “Highlights were hearing a presentation from the author of their favorite book read this year, getting their books—and even a T-shirt—signed by several authors, and solving a book-themed escape room,” Jack says. “Overall, we agreed that it was great to be surrounded by so many other readers.”

Pace parents of rising fourth- and fifth-grade students who think their Knights might enjoy reading more good books as well as opportunities for discussion, competition and even travel, might keep in mind the answer: What is the Lower School Book Club? l

TITLES READ BY the Bookie Monsters

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

Show Me a Sign by Ann Claire LeZott

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Manañaland by Pam Munoz Ryan

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Brave Like That by Lindsey Stoddard

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

TITLES READ BY the Readers of the Round Table

Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly

The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington

The Girl and the Witch’s Garden by Erin Bowman

The Magic in Changing Your Stars by Leah Henderson

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Rescue by Jennifer Nielsen

Wilderlore by Amanda Foody

The Islanders by Mary Alice Monroe

Lotería by Karla Arenas Valenti

STANDOUT STUDENTS

PACE ACADEM Y STUDENTS OFTE N SHOWCASE THEI R

TALENTS BEYOND OU R

S C HOO L C OMMUNI T Y. IN THIS I SSUE OF THE KNIGHTTIME S, W E A PP L AU

ABOVE: The Red Pandas, a basketball team made up of Pace third graders, won The Gym at Peachtree’s league championship earlier this year. MADDIE GREENWALD ’32, the only girl on the squad, was proud to have her brother, JACOB GREENWALD ’23, serve as her coach. Assisted by Pace parent KERI GREENWALD, Jacob worked all season to develop the Red Pandas’ basketball skills, while ensuring that his players understood the importance of teamwork and character.

LEFT: DOMINIC HANTULA ’26, a violinist, was selected to perform with the Franklin Pond Chamber Music at the annual Fall into Spring Finale Concert at the Woodruff Arts Center’s Rich Theatre. Hantula has also performed as a soloist at the University of Georgia’s Performing Arts Center and was selected to the Georgia Music Educators’ Association 2022 All-State Middle School Orchestra. l

THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING in the Georgia Private School Tax Credit Program!

 More than 450 Pace families and friends participated for the 2023 tax year.

 Because of you, dozens of new students across all divisions will receive tuition assistance in 2023–2024.

 Tax credit funds are allocated for the student’s entire career at Pace as long as they demonstrate need each year.

 Pre-apply for the 2024 tax year starting July 1, 2023, at apogee123.org

PARTICIPANTS CONTRIBUTED MORE THAN $1.8 MILLION!

ROBOTICS RAISES THE STAKES

Robotics programs in the Lower and Middle Schools were full STEAM ahead as they closed out their seasons in February. Five teams comprising students from the fourth through eighth grades participated in FIRST LEGO League (FLL) programs throughout the year and advanced to the SuperRegional level of competition.

In the CircuitRunner SuperRegional tournament, three Pace squads—the fourth-grade Electric Eight and a pair of eighth-grade teams, Positive Voltage and Power Up!—earned first-place awards in the Robot Design and Core Values categories.

State tournaments took place at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia in February and included all five Pace teams. There, the seventh-grade Energy Explorers earned a high robot score of 275; Positive Voltage placed fifth overall; and Creative Currents, a seventh-grade squad, brought home the top award for Core Values, earning Georgia’s invitation to the FLL Razorback Invitational, which includes 80 teams from around the world— one from every U.S. state, as well as Canada, Israel, South Korea, Australia, Japan and Spain.

“I’m so proud of the increased excitement around the robotics program,” says Middle School Coach KATIE SANDLIN. “All the hard work the students have put into making it so successful is paying off with impressive accolades.” l

AMPLIFYing Community

As the 2022–2023 school year commenced, the Pace Academy Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) announced its annual theme: AMPLIFY.

“Our goal for the year is to amplify the voices of the unheard in our community and beyond,” said Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer JOANNE BEAUVOIR BROWN. She and her team—Director of Equity and Inclusion NIRVANA KELLY SCOTT and the DEI coordinators in each of the school’s three divisions—have done just that.

“Spring is a busy time in the school calendar, and the DEI team’s goal in this hectic season is to slow things down and celebrate the many traditions and experiences represented within our student body,” says Beauvoir Brown. “From cultural festivities and thoughtful conversations to professional development and small-group gatherings, the DEI team strives to ensure that the diverse world in which we live is reflected—and honored—in our school community.”

March brought observances of Women’s History Month. “Student-led presentations highlighted the role of women storytellers, both past and present,” says Lower School DEI Coordinator ASHLEY ZOMALT. “Children in each grade had the opportunity to share with their peers what they have learned about various authors.”

The arrival of spring also ushered in Nowruz—the Persian New Year, which promotes peace and solidarity—as well as the Muslim holidays of Ramadan and Eid. Pace students and their families took the lead in educating the school community about Ramadan, a

month of prayer, reflection and fasting, which concludes with Eid al-Fitr, the breaking of the fast. A Tree of Good Deeds, on display in the Lower School, encouraged students, faculty and staff to document their acts of kindness throughout Ramadan and served as a visual reminder of the importance of showing gratitude through service.

April included education about the Christian holiday of Easter— complete with a Pre-First egg hunt—and the Jewish holiday of Passover, which commemorates the Biblical story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. Middle School Jewish affinity and alliance groups celebrated Passover during an on-campus Seder with Rabbi Daniel Dorsch of Etz Chaim Synagogue, while the Upper School Jewish affinity group shared a Passover Shabbat.

In addition, springtime activities featured professional development opportunities for faculty. In partnership with the Office of DEI, the Academic Resource Center team presented a series of oncampus learning opportunities around supporting students with dyslexia, an effort designed to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to support all learners in their classrooms.

Intentional conversations also continued among the parents and caregivers who took part in IONS (In Our Neighbors’ Shoes) gatherings. IONs, facilitated by the Office of DEI, provides adults in the school community a space for authentic dialogue; recent topics have included exploring neurodiversity and understanding gender.

"As we look toward the end of the school year and reflect on our progress, it is clear that as a collective community, we have AMPLIFIED the voices of all in a way that has felt so authentic and genuine," says Beauvoir Brown. l

SPOTLIGHT ON BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February marked Black History Month and included a flurry of activities in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. Undergirding the celebrations was this year’s national Black History Month theme, Black Resistance which amplified the voices of Black artists.

The Pace community kicked off the month with assemblies featur ing Austin-based slam poet S.C. Says, a two-time Austin Poetry Slam Champion, the 2022 Texas Grand Slam Champion and the author of the poetry collection Golden Brown Skin. S.C. Says’s poetry explores themes around empathy, diversity and mental health.

Lower School families partnered with the Office of DEI for a Community Time presentation that explored a wide range of historical figures in Black history. Students portrayed individuals whose positive contributions have made the world more accessible, inclusive and equitable—from artists like Kehinde Wiley to inventors like Patricia Bath and entrepreneurs like Earl Cooper.

Middle and Upper School students also enjoyed assemblies from Creative Soul Photography, an Atlanta-based duo whose lenses capture unique and empowering photos of children in personalized and stylized settings. Their photography showcases people across the African diaspora with influences from the past, present and future. Creative Soul Photography’s presentations also introduced students to their newest project: reimagining Disney princesses with the CreativeSoul Doll Collection.

In addition, throughout the month, the Office of DEI encouraged Pace families to explore Black history and culture outside of school using Pace’s guide to Black-owned local restaurants and a Black History Month Activity Passport, which highlighted related festivities and educational opportunities in Atlanta and beyond.

To conclude the festivities, Pace hosted The Cookout, an inaugural celebration for families in all divisions who represent the Black and African diaspora.

OPPOSITE PAGE

1) A presentation on Nowruz during Lower School Community Time

2+3) Lower School spotlight on Ramadan and Eid Mubarak

4) Highlighting women storytellers

REMEMBERING THE HOLOCAUST

And Then They Came For Me, a multi-media production combining live performance and recorded interviews with Holocaust survivors, played to a packed house of Middle School students. Facilitated by Middle School history teacher KIRSTIN BAILLIE and funded by the Pace Arts Alliance, the ensemble-driven production—part oral history, part drama and part remembrance—brought history to life. A subsequent discussion session with the cast offered a glimpse into the production and preparation processes.

THIS PAGE

5) Creative Soul Photography

6+7) Lower School students profile figures of historical significance during

Jax Wright

FINE ARTS CENTER TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Why is Pace a special place to work?

As soon as I stepped on the Pace campus, I knew it was a special place. From the students to the faculty, the talent at Pace is unending. Every week, I encounter another member of the Pace community who surprises me with their expertise. As a new faculty member, it is a magical feeling. It’s refreshing to watch the students perform, grow in their confidence and inspire younger students.

What do you do at Pace that falls beyond the scope of your job description?

I support our students in any way I can. I came to Pace from Knoxville Children’s Theatre (KCT) in Tennessee, where I was technical director. I loved the students and the program we created together—I truly found my calling while mentoring them and teaching them about the scenic, costume, props and lighting-design processes, and I wanted to contribute that same spirit and expertise to Pace. This past year, I’ve brought in professionals to connect with our students about the arts and stimulate their creativity. I’ve also expanded my knowledge of our sound system to ensure everyone on our stage—students and guest speakers alike—sounds phenomenal. I want to make our students’ experiences impactful and memorable.

Is there a memory or experience that defines Pace for you?

On the Saturday that Something Rotten! closed, the cast was overwhelmed with emotions as their families and friends applauded the show. The cast members began to cry and hug each other. I could tell that we had positively impacted their lives, and I felt so appreciated. While striving for excellence, the students never forgot their teachers’ help. They were proud of themselves—and they were proud of their teachers. That moment—simultaneously thankful for the experience and planning for the future with my students—is one I won’t forget. l

Melanie Pope

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR COLLEGE COUNSELING

How did you come to work at Pace?

With three Pace Knights in my immediate family—husband TREY POPE ’86 and daughters MARY PAIGE POPE ’21 and MAGGIE POPE ’22—I’m especially familiar with Pace! After a number of years in various volunteer roles, I accepted a long-term substitute position in the Office of Communications, and the rest is history! I feel very lucky to come to work every day.

Why is Pace a special place to work?

There’s too much to say! In my current role, getting to work with the Upper School students has been such a highlight in my career. Their energy and enthusiasm is always contagious, and it’s rewarding to watch the students as they go through the college process and prepare to take the next step. Also, I can’t say enough about my colleagues—our team and the entire faculty and staff—are supportive, creative and fun to work with.

Is there a memory or experience that defines Pace for you?

I think my daughters’ graduations were the cherry on top. It was a very surreal experience as I watched them cross the stage after 13 years as Pace students. It felt like watching a highlight reel as so many wonderful memories kept running through my mind! I couldn’t have been more proud. l

FACES OF PACE

Mary

Stuart Gray ’16 COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE

How did you come to work at Pace?

My first job post college was working remotely for a WinstonSalem, N.C.-based startup. I was getting ready to move to continue the job in person, but I didn’t feel 100% sure about it. Divine intervention led Director of Communications CAITLIN

GOODRICH JONES ’00 to reach out on LinkedIn about a new position on her team. If it weren’t for the good ol’ Isdell Center for Global Leadership—and an amazing 2016 study tour to Vietnam that Caitlin and I were on as chaperone and student, respectively—I’m not sure I would’ve been a recipient of this LinkedIn reachout. She asked if I knew anyone who might be interested in the position, and I thought, “I’m not telling anyone about this job... I think I might want it!” Fast forward a few interviews and months later, and it worked out—really well!

What do you do at Pace that falls beyond the scope of your job description?

It turns out that being 25 years old without dependents makes you a prime chaperone for school trips. That—plus the fact that so many Pace programs hold special places in my heart—has led to some really awesome opportunities! I have attended ThesCon the past two years (read about it on page 32), theater field trips, NinthGrade Community Engagement Day and, most recently, the Middle School strings and chorus trip to Nashville. I am also the faculty adviser to the Women Mentoring Women club, of which I was a founding member in 2015. I eat lunch with third-grade students once a week, and I’ll be teaching a ninth-grade Transitions class next year. One of my absolute favorite parts of my job is that I have so many opportunities to get up from my desk and see firsthand the incredible things happening around campus. This job could be done entirely from behind a computer, but it’s a lot easier to authentically represent the Pace community in our digital and print mediums when you leave the Castle to build relationships within that community—and it certainly makes the job a lot more exciting!

Why is Pace a special place to work?

Pace is a special place to work for the same reason that it’s a special place to be a student, parent, alumnus or any other member of the community: Pace cares for its people. When something goes down, the community shows up—and I’ve seen that firsthand, and even been a recipient of that good will. But I’ve now gotten to see it and confirm it to be true from the faculty/staff point of view. From teachers who spend every night of the week at their students’ athletics events to the support that comes from every corner of the school when hard things happen—it’s really astounding how the Knights rally around each other when needed. l

Get to know the Pace Academy staff members who make the business of school happen.

by KATHERINE RANKIN MADDUX ’06

I graduated in 2006 from Pace Academy as Lifer. When I was in the fifth grade, my dad passed away and afterward, the entire school rallied around my mom and me. We didn’t cook or run errands for months—our family, friends and others in the Pace community took care of it all.

That generosity has stuck with me, and Pace was at the top of the list when my husband, ANDY MADDUX, and I were reviewing our wills and considering planned giving. Losing a parent early taught me the importance of thinking about planned giving sooner than many might start to consider it.

In addition, I have seen the legacy of my dad, who was a landscape architect, live on throughout Atlanta—at Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Home Depot’s headquarters and beyond. Because my career in marketing won’t have that kind of physical legacy, I think about the ways I can create a positive legacy, even a small one. Making a bequest to Pace—through which Andy and I became members of Pace’s Castle Circle—was a perfect opportunity for us.

Andy and I met during our freshman year at Wofford College, although we didn’t begin dating until senior year. In 2014, we got married in Atlanta and moved to Asheville, N.C., and then in 2018, we moved back to Atlanta.

Andy grew up outside of Washington, D.C. and didn’t attend Pace, but he knew all about the amazing Pace family. His grandmother, [retired teacher] NANCY PERRY, taught third grade at Pace for decades and had been one of my favorite teachers. We couldn’t believe it when we were first dating and put this together!

Mrs. Perry is one of the many teachers who made a profound impact on me during my time at Pace—and beyond. Another is TIM HORNOR, who introduced me to art history in high school. My love for it carried over into my time at Wofford, where I majored in art history and economics. I went on to receive a master’s in digital communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and have worked in digital marketing my entire career. I’m now a solutions engineer for Sprout Social, working between the technical product team and our customer-facing sales team.

Andy and I live in Candler Park and have a 3-year-old daughter, Maggie. My mom still lives in Buckhead, so she’s close by for lots of “Nana time.”

The Pace community is dear to me and my family for an endless list of reasons, but the Pace family is top among them. I am glad that membership in Castle Circle provides a way of giving back to the school that has been so impactful to my family. l

RECEPTION HONORS CASTLE CIRCLE, CELEBRATES NEWEST MEMBERS

Members of Pace Academy’s Castle Circle enjoyed visiting with friends old and new at a Sunday afternoon reception in the Woodruff Library this past February. The Castle Circle is composed of donors who have arranged a planned gift to Pace through a bequest, beneficiary designation or other estate-gift provisions. Pace parent and Planned Giving Committee member TIM CURTIN welcomed guests and offered special appreciation to MELINDA WERTHEIM, also a committee member, and BONNIE HARRIS, a former committee member, for their involvement early on in advancing planned giving at Pace. The Castle Circle, once known as the 1958 Heritage Society, now includes over 60 members, all of whom have notified Pace of their arrangements for a planned gift to the school.

During the event, Head of School FRED ASSAF introduced The Castle Circle’s newest members: COURTNEY SCHAEFER DEVEAU ’07, SYBIL and ROY HADLEY, and ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS and KEN RICHARDS. Assaf, who spoke about the impact of philanthropy in shaping the Pace we enjoy today, also recognized Deveau and CATHERINE RANKIN MADDUX ’06 as the youngest alumni members of The Castle Circle. l

Have you included Pace in your will or estate plan? If so, you are a Castle Circle

At The Castle Circle member reception in February, Head of School Fred Assaf (center right) recognized the newest members (left to right): Roy and Sybil Hadley, Courtney Schaefer Deveau ’07 (with son Graham), and Elizabeth Correll Richards and Ken Richards.

VIP VISI T O RS

Pace Academy welcomed some very special guests during two springtime events. Grandparents explored the Garcia Family Middle School during a February open house featuring musical performances and classroom visits, and in April, fathers and special friends descended on the Kam Memar Lower School for a fun and memorable morning. l

SHOWCASING TECHNOLOGY [01– 03]

Throughout the 2022–2023 school year, Knights of all ages worked to understand Technology. As the spring semester came to a close, students and faculty reflected on and shared what they had learned at the ICGL/STEAM Technology Showcase. The event featured students in Pre-First through 12th grade, who facilitated discussions about their technology-related projects for the Pace community.

OH, THE PLACES THEY’LL GO! [04]

As Pre-First students begin to chart their course through the Lower School, their newfound knowledge of maps will be their guide. Examining maps as forms of technology, students learned the basics—from the compass to cardinal points to Google Maps—mastered myriad map-reading skills and developed their own interactive maps for their classrooms.

OU T OF OBSCURITY [05 – 08]

The second grade’s annual Famous Americans project tackled technology and challenged students to learn about little-known American innovators who created problem-solving technologies. Extensive research and reporting provided the students inspiration for watercolor portraits of the inventors and culminated in oral presentations as well as displays at the annual ICGL/STEAM Showcase.

THEMES COLLIDE [09 –10]

Technology and Waste, a previous ICGL theme, came together in the fourth-grade Spanish classes’ study of Mosca, ¡¡Mosca!!, a lighthearted storybook about a fly living in La Bonanza, the largest open-air landfill in Venezuela. Students discussed the environmental consequences of waste and, collaborating with STEAM and arts faculty, used recyclable materials to design and build instruments inspired by the work of Brazilian artist Vik Muniz. They took their instruments to music classes and to the Soni Family Library for a reading of Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS [11–14]

To investigate the ways in which technology affects the scientific process, eighth graders engaged in citizen science projects—projects in which volunteers and scientists work together to answer realworld questions and gather data. Each of the five eighth-grade science classes investigated a different global issue.

One class organized an event to educate the Pace community about Alzheimer’s and, in addition to conducting extensive research, prepped for the project by consulting with Alzheimer experts from Kansas University Medical Center and Emory School of Medicine. To bring their learning to life, students designed puzzles, delved into family histories and studied the impact of tech on Alzheimer’s research. Another class participated

THE YEAR OF TECHNOLOGY

From architecture and amphibians to landfills and literature, here are a few of the ways the Pace Academy community is chatting about the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) 2022–2023 annual global theme of Technology.

in a weekend amphibian monitoring workshop with the Atlanta Amphibian Foundation, quite literally getting their hands dirty alongside local herpetologists. Another worked with AirEmory to make do-it-yourself air sensors that they plan to distribute to members of the Pace community.

BUILDING STEAM [15 –16]

Eighth-grade STEAM students used architecture as a means to explore the intersection of all STEAM disciplines—science, technology, engineering, arts and math—and to understand the challenges in balancing stakeholders’ needs with design constraints such as costs, supplies and site characteristics. In a related exploration, students reimagined three-dimensional pieces of furniture as two-dimensional flat-pack designs, using laser cutters to fabricate their models.

ICGL COUNCIL TALKS TECHONOMICS [17]

The most recent edition of ICGL Theme in Focus, the Upper School ICGL Council’s periodic newsletter, explored Techonomics, the impact of technology and innovation on global macro- and microeconomics. After researching the emergence of cryptocurrency, neobanks and other economic innovations, the group compiled resources, documentaries and trivia for the Pace community, hoping to bring about better understanding of technology’s vast impact on the global economy. l

THE2023 class of Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs) has been on the cutting edge as the Pace Academy community has explored Technology, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s 2022–2023 annual theme. Following an intensive application process, ELOISE GAUDET ’23, CAITLYN PINSKER ’23, PRABHAVH PRADEEP ’24 and HENRY LEVENSON ’24 were selected as this year’s IGL cohort, an opportunity requiring their commitment to a year-long study of Technology through coursework, research, and study tours to Boston and Toronto, both tech hubs. As their exploration concludes, our IGLs reflect on their experiences:

ELOISE GAUDET ’23

I thought that this year would simply be an interesting extension of my academic learning. Instead, I discovered that our weekly IGL meetings, readings and trips constituted an entirely different type of learning. I started off the year enticed by technology and its potential to resolve global issues. Our discussions about the “promise and peril” of technology allowed me to gain insight into those potential innovations, and they also gave me a perspective on the vast complexity of technology in our world.

In Boston, we met with experts in various technology fields, exploring the ideas of transparency and collaboration at universities, companies and institutes in the region. I joined the program with an enthusiasm for medical research and biotechnology, so I particularly enjoyed our meetings and lectures around these domains. In Cambridge and Kendall Square, we examined the flourishing field of innovation. At the Koch and Broad Institutes, I learned about the collaboration that drives cancer research and therapies. At Moderna, we expanded our understanding of the global rollout of biotechnologies and the prevalence of misinformation. For me, our most remarkable meeting was with Dr. Rushdy Ahmad, head of the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator. Our discussion about the inequity in resource allocation and biotech innovation encouraged more debates around the ethics and human impact of technology. I began to view technology as an issue intrinsically tied to human issues and moral dilemmas.

HENRY LEVENSON ’24

One major theme of our initial reading and research was the simultaneous promise and peril of technology. Technology has the ability to be a great enabler, but also a disabler, and to achieve the best future, we must leverage promise while limiting peril as much as possible.

I continued to develop that mindset in Toronto, where we met with social-impact organizations leveraging technology and data for good. Much like American cities, Toronto faces issues with affordable housing, homelessness and food insecurity, and with the Toronto Urban Planning Team, Sistering and Be One To Give, we considered how data and contemporary approaches could solve these issues. My favorite conversation took place at the University of Toronto’s School of Applied Science and Engineering. Dr. Yu Chen, Dr. Yu Ling Chen, and Dr. David Meyer engaged with us, answering our questions and encouraging conversation. While our discussion ranged from water pipelines and molecular chemistry to the Gates Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, the throughline of global and humanoriented engineering reinforced and supplemented our Boston conversations. I learned that in the field of technology, the consistent incorporation of interdisciplinary studies and informed disagreement are vital to the development of solutions.

The IGL program not only expanded my interest in and knowledge of technology, but my capability as a global citizen. I learned how to harness information and shift between being the student and the teacher. Because of my experience, I’m entering college with a drive to explore my passions to the fullest extent with confidence and curiosity. l

This came to life in our research trips, which were packed with meetings with technology professionals. In Boston, we focused on technology in healthcare and had insightful conversations with people such as Lavinia Talukdar, senior vice president and head of investor relations at Moderna. Talukdar spoke about how she communicates with current and potential investors, which provided insight into how professionals effectively communicate and collaborate. Once we returned home, we presented our learnings to the Upper School, which allowed me to practice the communication skills that I learned from professionals like Talukdar.

Following our dive into technology in healthcare, we turned our focus to technology’s social impact. When doing research for our spring trip, we found that Toronto was the best place to study social-impact technology in action. We met with Gael Gilbert of Sistering, a shelter offering housing and services to women and trans individuals experiencing homelessness, and we discussed Sistering’s wellness check-in app, now in development. The app supports the safety and security of the recently housed population. These meetings and research taught me so much about the application of technology in the real world.

Throughout the year, I learned many things that have changed my perspective and helped me grow as a person. I now understand that leadership and communication skills are not just things that you are born with; they are skills that you can practice and improve. Every amazing leader and speaker was once somebody who was nervous about doing presentations or meeting with successful people. The thing that separated them from everybody else was their willingness to practice, fail and work through the discomfort. Going into the year, I felt that I was not a great public speaker or prepared to be an IGL. Through the experience, I have grown and feel far more confident than when I began. l

PICTURED HERE: EXPLOR I NG TECHNOLOGY IN TORONT O

PRABHAVH PRADEEP ’24

I applied to the IGL program hoping that learning about technology would reveal to me a field of study that I could be passionate about. When we began looking into social impact as our sub-theme for the second semester, I realized that it was a field in which I could both thrive and find a sense of fulfillment. I gained substantial insight on how technology has influenced our global community and how technological advancement can accelerate progress on any scale.

As Dr. David Meyer from the Centre for Global Engineering at the University of Toronto expressed, social impact can be accomplished by simply changing one person’s life. However, even creating small-scale impact on society requires time and innovation. Social impact is a fundamental topic that is constantly reimagined to adapt to both the greater community’s

CAITLYN PINSKER ’23

I started my year as an IGL unsure of what to expect. I wanted to learn more about technology, specifically the impact of social media, but beyond that, I wanted to grow as a student outside of the classroom while doing real-world research. Learning derivatives and integrals is important in calculus, but not as important as my personal growth and knowledge of real-world matters.

As we began our research, I learned about unfamiliar topics such as biotechnology. Our meetings in Boston enhanced this new knowledge; I began to understand the science behind biotech, as well as the importance of making sure it is done for the good of society, not just for money. In Boston, we met with Dr. Rushdy Ahmad, head of the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator

needs and rapid progress in technology. Innovations such as artificial intelligence and 3D mapping technologies have proven to be potentially detrimental to the social climate because they employ algorithms or data models that exclude or negatively impact underrepresented groups. As a group, we read about such perils of algorithms in our summer reading, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil.

As we shifted our focus to social impact, we learned that innovations in technology can be leveraged to create positive impacts in communities, as shown by our meeting with Tony Colley. Colley, an inspirational Toronto-based social entrepreneur, demonstrated how he uses technology to improve the lives of the food

insecure through his food redistribution app, Be One to Give, which allows shelters increased access to quality and nutritious food in a quick and efficient manner. Colley’s passion for helping people in need stemmed from insight he gained while working in the hospitality industry, and from the hardships he once endured as a food-insecure person.

These are just a couple of the many people and projects that our group encountered as part of our independent study of Technology, our theme. What I found most impactful was learning how to engage with adults in a professional manner, and the importance of listening to peoples’ stories through having a conversation with them. Through two field research opportunities, I experienced growth as both a student and a global citizen. l

at Harvard University, who talked about the concept of “publish or perish”—how some scientists publish their research to benefit their careers rather than the greater good. Dr. Ahmad has worked for years to find a cure for tuberculosis, which often affects poorer populations, so fewer people care about curing it. I was fascinated by the concept of dedicating time and energy to find solutions that truly benefit people, even if they do not result in profit.

During our travels, we met with organizations using technology to fight homelessness and food scarcity, like Sistering and Be One to Give. I found it interesting that Be One to Give Founder Tony Colley is not a tech person; he came from a banking background but wanted to use his skills in a different way. While

his company leverages technology, Colley spends most of his time interacting with people. Experts from the Center for Global Engineering at the University of Toronto spoke more to this intersection of technology and social impact—what struck me is that the effective use of technology is all about balancing technology and social change to create solutions for people.

As a result of these conversations, I’ve realized that I want to focus on and study the social impact of technology in college and beyond. Through the IGL program, I have grown as a global-minded citizen; I can now ask experts insightful questions, properly research important matters and educate my peers on what I am learning. I look forward to further exploring the world of nonprofits and technology. l

WRAPPING UP THE YEAR OF TECHNOLOGY REFLECTIONS FROM OUR ISDELL GLOBAL LEADERS

Costa Rica

Sea turtles were the name of the game for Middle School faculty ALYSON TOCKSTEIN and JORGE PEREZ-CISNEROS and their students, who conducted research and saw droves of incredible wildlife while in Costa Rica. “Before going on this trip, I thought Costa Rica was all beaches,” says GUS LOOMIS ’28. “I never thought about the rainforest and cities beyond that. The geography and biodiversity of the country were awesome.” Middle Schoolers’ favorite species sighted? The highly venomous bullet ant and the leatherback sea turtle.

Iceland

From climbing glaciers and exploring beaches to spotting local landmarks, the Middle School students’ adventures in Iceland pushed their understanding of environmental science to new heights. Students anticipated beautiful vistas and cool natural phenomena, but little did they know that with trusty chaperones JOEL ATCHISON and KIRSTIN BAILLIE at the helm, they’d experience the effects of global warming in real time and have the chance to reflect on sustainability practices at the individual, community and global levels. Oh—and they got to witness the Northern Lights, too!

Morocco

The Middle School Morocco study tour included students and faculty members ROB BETHEA , SCOTT SHUPE and RYANN SMITH . Over spring break, they traversed historical sites, learned about the many Arabic languages spoken and built relationships with fellow students. Many of the students were awestruck by Rabat, the landmarkstudded capital of Morocco. “I was surprised and so impressed that everyone we met was trilingual,” notes MOLLY KOCH ’28. “My favorite part was going to the Medina to shop and see how people exchanged and interacted in their normal life.”

CHALLENGING PRECONCEPTIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE

Panama

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS

EXAMINED THEIR OWN ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE WORLD WITH THE RETURN OF INTERNATIONAL SPRING BREAK STUDY TOURS

In Panama, chaperones GRAHAM ANTHONY, ANNA MURPHY and PATRICE WRIGHT-LEWIS, along with their Middle School charges, reflected on how we as humans treat our planet. On beach clean-ups, the group pondered how to eliminate waste and protect resources. “I was surprised that some of the food and places we saw in the city weren’t that different from what we have in America, except on an island and more condensed,” reflects JADEN MIDDLETON ’27. The group also enjoyed some leisure time in the Caribbean, which included grueling beach volleyball matches, drinking out of coconuts and swimming in crystal-clear water.

SPRING STUDY TOURS

Italy

“When you think of Italy, you usually think about the major cities like Rome, Venice or Florence,” writes GERARDO OVALLEMARES ’23. But he and his fellow Upper School travelers, along with chaperones

JOANNE BEAUVOIR BROWN and TAMARA NEILEY, ventured to lesser-known regions like Calabria and Campania over spring break, making and tasting authentic Italian cuisine, learning about food systems and visiting historical landmarks along the way.

Brazil

From learning Portuguese in Pentecoste to roving Rio, Upper School students and faculty members KACY BRUBAKER and TED WARD took Brazil by storm over spring break. The Knights had a blast making friends, exchanging school lessons and having dance parties with students at EEEP Pentecoste, a school in Ceará, a state in northeastern Brazil. This school exchange was coordinated through PRECE, an education nonprofit located in the small rural community of Cipó. “Previously, my only knowledge of Brazil was about Rio [de Janeiro] and that the country has extreme income inequality,” one student writes. “This trip broadened my perspective on Brazil as a country. I have learned that the daily lives of people who are in Cipó, Ceará or Rio are more similar to our lives than I had previously thought.”

Galápagos

On the spring-break study tour to the Galápagos Islands, Upper School students, led by science teachers BEN EWING and DR. KAYLAN HAIZLIP, were surprised by the symbiosis between awe-inspiring wildlife and flourishing civilization. “I used to think that the Galápagos Islands was just an archipelago in the middle of the ocean with some cool animals,” reflects ZACHARY MEYEROWITZ ’24. “Little did I know that the Galápagos has some of the most unique and cool animals and plants this planet has to offer, along with a hospitable local community.” Meyerowitz and his peers were impressed by the schools, hospitals, national parks and energy facilities that operate in harmony with the equally complex and thriving ecosystem. “The animals and people have found a way to coexist like very few other places on the planet,” he says.

Morocco

Led by faculty members JONATHAN FERRELL and NIKKI MCCRARY, Upper School students engaged in rich and rustic cultural activities and bonded with fellow students in Morocco. Having never been to Africa or a Muslim country, REESE HONEYCUTT ’26 assumed that Moroccan culture would be very different from hers—and was delighted to learn that this is not the case. “When we visited a school in Casablanca, we were welcomed with a huge poster, a flag, cheering and music,” she recalls. “The kids treated us with kindness and expressed an openness to meeting us and understanding our culture. I learned so much during the day at the partner school—it was one of my favorite days of the trip.”

A SEASON OF EXCELLENCE

Whether you’re an actor, director or technical professional, wearing one hat through the execution of a theater performance is a big job; wearing all three hats at once is nearly impossible—just ask NAILAH BEACHEM ’25 and LIAM NAGLE ’25 , who successfully multitasked their way through not one, but three shows this year.

The Winter Showcase , an institution in the Upper School drama department, gives students the opportunity to step into new roles, work with small casts of peers, and bring unique scripts and stories to life in a different format than the fall play and spring musical. The 2023 show featured three student-led pieces. BEA CHADWICK ’23 directed a performance of the viral internet musical Firebringer, and, after participating as freshmen actors, Beachem and Nagle approached Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN about trying their hand at directing a show together. They researched genres and found a mutual love of mystery and horror. Bryan suggested fitting script options, and together, they selected Country Gothic , a thrilling play about a rustic community’s dark secrets.

Planning for the Winter Showcase began in October while the three directors and their peers were still in the throes of the fall play, The Trouble with Tartuffe , an entrant in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) One-Act competition. Despite a full schedule, the directors pulled together their casts, planned rehearsal schedules and researched production elements that they had never before dealt with as actors. In usual Winter Showcase fashion, performances took place in unique locations around the Pace campus.

“I have only ever acted on stage, so it really pushed us to the next level to consider the elements and school geography,” says Beachem. “I never would have thought that part of a directing job would include buying hand warmers for my actors—but it was cold outside!” Since a wedding ceremony was central to their play’s plot, Beachem and Nagle considered where they would actually plan a real wedding on campus and decided on the raised level of the Gardens outside of the Seaman Family Student Commons. This outdoor setting offered the opportunity to play with perspective in a whole new way. “With a typical stage, you get more of a horizontal view, but with ours, there was a lot more physical depth, which elevated the show.”

“It was interesting to learn how all of the components would work together,” adds Nagle. From acoustics to audience seating and what “looks right from the audience point of view,” the pair realized that the audience experience is affected by a whole lot more than actors’ performance choices.

Country Gothic was a smash success, but that wasn’t the only piece Nagle, Beachem and the majority of their actors were focused on. The Winter Showcase also gave audiences the exclusive

FROM DIRECTING TO THEATER MARKETING AND THE WINTER SHOWCASE TO THESCON, THE UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA PROGRAM SHINED.

opportunity to witness a number of pieces that the Pace performing arts department would enter in the Thespys, the competition program of the annual Georgia Thespian Conference (ThesCon), which is split into two categories: performance and technical pieces.

Beachem and Nagle each worked on not one, but two Thespys pieces. Beachem was in a group performance of 39 Steps , an excerpt from a Broadway stage play, and Nagle participated in a revival of What’s Up, Duloc , the entertaining ensemble number from last year’s spring musical, Shrek . Both performance pieces earned Excellent ratings, the secondhighest honor. These and two other entries were performed at the Winter Showcase after being filmed and submitted to the competition.

But to top it all off, Bryan encouraged the pair to dip their toes into the technical side of the Thespys—via theater marketing. Each student chose a show and created an entire marketing campaign to present to theater professionals at ThesCon. Nagle planned and executed a real campaign for the Upper School spring musical, Something Rotten!, which included ticket advertising strategies, copy for promotional materials, and a collection of stylized posters and social media graphics. Beachem designed her marketing campaign around a hypothetical production of her favorite musical, The Wiz. Both campaigns earned Superior ratings and admission to the live presentation round of the ThesCon competition.

While theater marketers Beachem and Nagle presented their campaigns, the rest of Pace’s 33 ThesCon attendees watched fellow Superior winners AVA BYRNE ’23 and JACK SCHMITT ’23 , and OLIVER LOREE ’23 , JACKSON ALLEGRA ’24 , CARLY CANNON ’24 and HANNAH WHITE ’24 compete in the performance division. The former pairing performed Therapy from the hit Broadway show Tick, Tick, Boom , and the latter group entered Nine People’s Favorite Thing, from the musical [title of show] —and no, that’s not a typo. After the competitions were said and done, students enjoyed networking with fellow Georgia high-school students, taking workshops from professionals, and seeing high-school one-act plays and musicals. This celebration of high-school theater was, as always, a fabulous experience for all, and will continue when 10 Pace performers advance to the International Thespian Festival this summer at Indiana University, Bloomington.

From directing to theater marketing and the Winter Showcase to ThesCon, the winter season was a spectacular one for Pace theater. l

WINTER SHOWCASE

When Upper School Band Director DANNY DOYLE arrived at Pace Academy in 2011, there were only 29 students in his class, and the group had been performing two concerts each year.

“I think high-school bands should be more performance-oriented, so I wanted to add an event,” Doyle recalls. “ BETH BARROWTITUS [then Upper School chorus director] had planned a Valentine’s Day concert and wanted to attract a wider audience, so I suggested that the band accompany the singers and play jazz.”

Barrow-Titus jumped at the idea, and Knight of Jazz was born. The inaugural event took place in 2012 and featured members of the Atlanta-based jazz band Bumpin’ the Mango, who shared their expertise with students during workshops prior to the concert.

Since then, Knight of Jazz has helped the Upper School band grow in size, skill and spirit, infusing in Pace musicians a sense of pride and opening opportunities beyond the classroom. Thanks to funding from the Pace Arts Alliance, Doyle continues to involve professionals in concert prep—guests have included Mango frontman Ian Michael Bruh, Georgia State University professor Dr. Geoff Haydon and Bruno Mars Band trumpeter Jimmy King, among others.

This year’s event, conducted by Doyle with assistance from FAITH KARANTONIS , featured the 52 members of the Upper School band, the 11 students in the percussion band and soloists from the Upper School chorus, led by CHRIS BARBEE

“It’s wonderful to look back and reflect on how far we’ve come as a program,” says Doyle. “ Knight of Jazz is all about celebrating the process of instilling great musicianship in our performers, and I’m proud of the tradition of excellence that we’ve established.” l

Photos by FRED ASSAF and ANN MCLEAN NAGLE ’87

atakenew on a CLASSIC

Freaky Friday, the story of a busy mother and her testy teenage daughter who swap bodies for a day, has been a Hollywood hit-maker since the original film debuted in 1976. Well, move over, Jodie Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan—in the Pace Academy Middle School’s production of Freaky Friday – The Musical , LUCY BRYAN ’27 and LUCY FLEMING ’27 took center stage.

Supported by a talented cast and crew under the direction of Middle School Drama Director PATRICK CAMPBELL , and with musical direction by DONNA POTTORFF (see sidebar) and set design by SCOTT SARGENT, Bryan and Fleming sang and danced their way through the hilarious and heartwarming show, delighting audiences of all ages.

Months of preparation contributed to the production’s success. “Every day, we had long rehearsals and worked hard to memorize all the songs and dances,” says EMMA ALVAREZ ’28 . “In the end, learning new things and performing in front of a huge audience made it all worth it.”

Photos by ANN MCLEAN NAGLE ’87

“MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT BEING IN FREAKY FRIDAY WAS HANGING OUT WITH MY FRIENDS WHILE DOING WHAT I LOVE.” LUCY BRYAN ’27

a salute to DONNA POTTORFF

For a decade, DONNA POTTORFF, a member of the per forming arts faculty, has been “the glue be tween the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools and the unsung hero of the arts department,” says Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN . Pottorff—who leads the fifth-grade Knight Stars ensemble, directs the Middle School chorus and assists with Upper School drama—served as music director for the Middle School’s recent production of Freaky Friday. In every role, she “empowers students to find their own voices,” says Bryan.

But more than her musical acumen, the “Drama Mama” creates a sense of comfort and community among her students, prioritizing relationships above all else. “Donna’s mere presence can turn a bad day good. She’s always there to offer help or lend an ear,” says Middle School Drama Director PATRICK CAMPBELL . “What’s the sign of an amazing teacher? After getting to the Upper School, her former students still stop by to just say hello. Kids and colleagues agree—she rocks.” l

OFF THE PAGES & ONTO THE STAGE

Lower School music teacher VONDA

VRIELAND (pictured, left) arrived at Pace in 2007 and has since played pivotal roles in nearly 80 Lower School productions—from class plays to Light One Candle , the annual holiday program. This spring, Vrieland partnered with classroom teachers to bring literature and Greek mythology to life with the third grade’s production of Charlotte’s Web and the fifth-grade performance of It’s All Greek to Me , based on the book by children’s author Jon Scieska. Students, guided by their teachers, adapted both texts for the stage, and Vrieland worked with the faculty to select the accompanying music. “We try to pick recent songs as well as old classics,” she says. “I’m a big 80s music fan.”

Vrieland’s music classes prepare students

STUDENT-ARTISTS TAKE CENTER STAGE

Spring Arts Week celebrates all things PACE ARTS!

For one week every year, the Pace Academy community ramps up to recognize and celebrate ongoing excellence in the arts. Spring Arts Week not only calls attention to student-artists deemed by the faculty to be exceptional (see sidebar), but also offers community members opportunities to engage in and learn more about various artistic disciplines.

During the final week of March, the Pace campus quite literally hummed with creativity. Technical Director JAX WRIGHT, new to the arts faculty this year, took the lead. In addition to showcasing students’ talents at morning assemblies, Wright and his colleagues produced a weeklong schedule jam-packed with visiting artists and performers. Singer-songwriter Chloe Kay delighted her Middle School audience, while triple threat Fenner Eaddy entertained under the Gardens tent. Actress and musician Christie Lamp loved interacting with interested Lower School students, and visual artists Chrysta Avers, Stefnie Cerny and Lindsay Thomaston talked shop. The week concluded with a twoday workshop with acclaimed ceramicist Tammy Marinuzzi, open to anyone in the Pace community and facilitated by Upper School ceramics instructor TY NICHOLSON

“From lunchtime karaoke to the Middle School Studio Art exhibit, everything we did highlighted the joy and discovery inherent in the artistic process,” says Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN “We hope that the entire school community enjoyed shining the spotlight on Pace Arts!” l

During Spring Arts Week, the Pace community honors exceptional student-artists. This year’s Lower School Knights of the Arts and Middle and Upper School Arts Laureates, selected by faculty committees based on excellence, dedication and passion in their artistic endeavors, were:

DAYLEN MARTIN ’34

JULIET SEBEL ’34

ALEXANDER BADER ’33

ANNA KATHRYN BRUNE ’33

ELISE JALIL ’32

PERI LABOVITZ ’32

SCARLETT LESLIE ’32

JOHN BUEHLER ’31

KYRA KORVER ’31

ALDEN MCDONALD ’31

THEA BICKENBACH ’30

BEN BRAMWELL ’30

WILLIAM GRIFFIN ’30

OWEN SEBEL ’30

ANSLEY COCHRAN ’29

IZZY EISENMAN ’29

ARJUN NIRGUDKAR ’28

ALEKSI UYHAM ’28

LUCY BRYAN ’27

PIPER GUILBERT ’27

ADELAIDE LOCKER ’27

TEAH CHARKAWI ’26

BENNETT CUMMINGS ’26

BEA BOEHNER ’25

KATE CUNNINGHAM ’25

MAKAYLI ANOCHIE ’24

ELLIE CARTER ’24

MILLIE GRAY ’24

AMELIA HONABACH ’24

AMARTYA KALLINGAL ’23

OVIE NIRGUDKAR ’23

JOSIE SWAIN ’23

IOWA VANCE ’23

1. Upper School visual arts teacher DONICE BLOODWORTH was one of 14 artists to participate in the Art Battle U.S. National Championship, an annual event held this year in conjunction with the Daytona Beach Arts Fest. In early April, winners of national qualifying events from across the country gathered in Daytona Beach to paint in front of a live audience—”Like Iron Chef, but with paint,” the New York Post writes. Artists compete for a cash prize, a trophy, status as the Best Live Painter in America and an easel in the Art Battle World Championship. Bloodworth won the state title in Florida (there is no Georgia competition) to advance to the national championship.

2. Two weeks after the curtain fell on the Upper School production of Something Rotten! , Director of Fine Arts SEAN BRYAN jetted across the country for his next big gig: directing Once at the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre. “There are a few shows on my bucket list that, if given the opportunity, I just have to direct,” Bryan says. This time, the opportunity came from a grad-school friend of Bryan’s, who happens to be artistic director at the theater. “He and his team put me through the paces,” Bryan says. “They liked the ideas I brought to the conversation, and I’m looking forward to bringing this magical, hypnotic musical to life.” Once opens June 9 and runs through July 2.

3. When TARA HARRIS isn’t conducting the Middle and Upper School orchestras, she can be found performing around town with CoResonance, her boundary-breaking string quartet, which also includes Director of Diversity and Inclusion NIRVANA KELLY SCOTT and Harris’s husband, ANTON HARRIS , a Pace parent. The ensemble brings its innovative blend of classical, jazz and pop to venues ranging from the Georgia Aquarium to Augusta National Golf Club.

4. Lower School strings teacher LAUREN TAYLOR , a multi-talented musician, lends her expertise to a number of local ensembles. From conducting Handel’s Messiah to joining violinist Jenny Oaks Baker and soprano Alex Sharpe (formerly of Celtic Woman) on the Atlanta leg of their Joy to the World! tour, to singing with the Sugar Hill Choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Taylor practices what she preaches and actively shares her love of music far and wide. l

ARTS FACULTY MAKE WAVES

CREATING Beyond our Campus

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY

Middle School performing artists tickled funny bones with Sketchy/Improv, an aptly titled smorgasbord performance of sketch comedy—think Saturday Night Live —and improv games. The free and family-friendly production has become a hilarious mainstay of the Pace Arts calendar. l

TopNotch TALENT

Works by Lower, Middle and Upper School visual arts teachers graced the Fine Arts Center’s Zalik Theater exhibit space for two weeks this spring. From striking images by Upper School photography teacher JENNIFER WILSON to sculptural lamp bases by Middle School teacher KATY COWLES to miniscule watercolors by Middle School teacher ANNA MURPHY, the annual Arts Faculty Exhibit wowed the Pace community. l

JENNIFER WILSON

ANNA MURPHY

RACHEL NICHOLSON

TY NICHOLSON

DONICE BLOODWORTH

KATY COWLES

GETTING TO KNOW the Nicholsons

“I feel like the luckiest person alive. I get to work at the same place as my best friend—my wife—and I am surrounded by supportive colleagues and leadership. My students are incredibly fun and scary smart, and I get to teach people about ceramic arts. Every day, I wake up, say ‘Thank you,’ and come to the best place I’ve ever been.”

TY NICHOLSON, Upper School visual arts teacher

Visual arts teacher RACHEL

NICHOLSON joined the Pace Academy faculty in 2021, bringing boundless energy, color and creativity to the Kam Memar Lower School, where she teaches every student in Pre-First through fifth grade. One year later, the Upper School faculty welcomed TY NICHOLSON —Rachel’s husband and an accomplished ceramicist, guest lecturer and instructor—as a ceramics teacher.

The couple met while in graduate school at Georgia State University. “We were studiomates, sharing a space with a couple of other people, spending insanely long hours on our craft, discussing art theory and working through adversity,” Ty says. “Rachel and another studiomate were good friends of mine and, as they say, the rest is history.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF PACE?

RACHEL: My first impression of Pace was “wow.” I still can’t believe that I get to teach in this beautiful place among these incredible teachers and students. I continue to be awestruck. I’m humbled to be here and don’t want to take anything for granted.

TY: I walked around during my interview and saw how happy everyone was. Students were lounging, studying and playing, and my interactions with teachers were positive and polite. I immediately knew that something special was going on here; I felt that this must be an amazing school.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT TEACHING YOUR RESPECTIVE STUDENTS?

RACHEL: I love my students’ imagination and enthusiasm. For children, accessing imagination is like tapping into one of their senses—it’s effortless and allows them to dream up the most fascinating ideas. I often feel like they are leading me; I simply follow their excitement so that I can help make their visions a reality. Being around them keeps me young.

TY: I love working with youth who are just on the cusp of adulthood. Watching them transition from teenagers into adults whose stories are not yet written fills me with immense hope and pride. These are the people who will lead us into the future. Being even a small part of their development is the most rewarding and sacred thing I can do as a global citizen.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PROJECT TO TEACH?

RACHEL: Because I give my students so much voice in my curriculum, most of the projects I teach come from them, which makes it really hard to choose, but our unit on graffiti is definitely one of my favorites. Atlanta is a great city for graffiti, so it gives students an immediate connection to local artists. It also takes them out of their comfort zones. Is it art, or is it vandalism? We have these discussions and then they create their own secret artist identities, also known as tags. I get them a sheet of brick paneling and cans of spray paint and they go to town. Some of them actually become paralyzed in the process because it feels so rebellious that they freeze. Coaching students through those moments and watching them release their preconceived notions are truly the most rewarding aspects of my job.

TY: Ceramics is my favorite way to express myself creatively, and it’s exciting to see what students come up with during projects focused on abstraction. When using form and color on a three-dimensional surface, much can be communicated—and beautifully—without providing a narrative.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?

RACHEL: That’s like asking who’s your favorite student! They are all significant and dear and allow me to experience the full spectrum of colors in life.

TY: I like many colors, but I’m partial to olive green.

A conversation with arts faculty members who bring new meaning to the term “PACE FAMILY”

HIGH LIGHTS

VARSITY GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING

Coached by JOHN AGUE, OLIVIA BAKER ’17, JIM EBERT and MARTY HAMBURGER

After a strong season in the pool, diver ANSLEY FREUDENSTEIN ’24 and three relay teams represented the varsity girls swimming and diving team at the 2023 GHSA Swimming & Diving State Championship. Freudenstein kicked things off for the Knights and finished 11th in the diving portion of the competition, which merited All-State Honorable Mention recognition. The medley relay team of GRACE RICHARDSON ’26, KATE CUNNINGHAM ’25, CLAIRE EASTERLING ’24 and SAMANTHA DUBOVY ’26 wrapped up the season in 20th place. The 400 freestyle relay squad of Dubovy, Richardson, Easterling and ANNA ZINMAN ’23 was 24th, while the 200 freestyle relay team of Dubovy, Zinman, Freudenstein and Easterling placed 25th. The girls concluded their season among the top 20 schools in the state and bid a fond farewell to MARISA SAPRE ’23, IOWA VANCE ’23 and Zinman. Photos by Rick Cone, River

Oak Photography and Nicole Seitz

VARSITY BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING

Coached by JOHN AGUE, OLIVIA BAKER ’17, JIM EBERT and MARTY HAMBURGER

After finishing third at the 2022 state meet, the varsity boys swimming team was prepared to level up at the 2023 Class 4A–5A competition. Pace’s three relay teams qualified for state, and LANE CANOVA ’24, CARTER FREUDENSTEIN ’23, BARRETT

HIGHT ’23, COREY LOCHAN ’23 and REID RICHARDSON ’25 participated in individual events. Despite a tough preliminary session, the boys advanced to the finals in every event they entered.

The medley relay team—Smith, Lochan, Canova and Richardson— wrapped up the season in 19th place; Hight was 11th in the 200 individual medley and ninth in the 100 breaststroke; Richardson earned 16th place in the 50 freestyle; Lochan finished 13th in the 100 breaststroke; and Canova was seventh in the 100 butterfly. In the 400 freestyle relay, Freudenstein, Canova, Hight and Richardson dropped 2 seconds from their preliminary time, nabbing fourth.

Topping the Knights’ list of finishers were the boys 200 freestyle relay team of Freudenstein, Canova, Hight and Richardson, which earned the gold medal and All-State honors, as well as a new school record, and Freudenstein, who was crowned state champion in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly. Freudenstein set new school records and earned All-American Consideration times in both events. When all was said and done, Pace finished in fourth place overall. Next year, the Knights will miss the leadership of Freudenstein, Hight, Lochan and JORDAN LOUGHRAN ’23. Photos by Rick

STATE CHAMPS

Pace Knights brought home state swimming gold in three events. Congratulations to the boys 200 freestyle relay team and CARTER FREUDENSTEIN ’23, 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly champion! Freudenstein also earned the Georgia High School Swimming Coaches Association Swimmer of the Year Award for the second consecutive year.

Cone, River Oak Photography and Nicole Seitz

VARSITY WRESTLING

Coached by DEVIN BILLINGS, JASON MILLER and CHRIS BARBEE

This season marked a time of rebuilding for the varsity wrestling team, which graduated seven members with the Class of 2022. Several student-athletes on this year’s young squad made their marks, however; BECKETT ALLEGRA ’26, ROLAND FOSTER ’24, BENJAMIN GANZ ’25, DYLAN HIROKAWA ’25, WILL MOORE ’24 and PETER WEBB ’25 qualified for sectionals at the area tournament, and from there, Ganz and Hirokawa advanced to the state competition, where Ganz finished in fifth place.

Photos by Shawn Riddle and Nicole Seitz

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

Coached by CHRISTAL CALDWELL , MEAGHAN CATRON, KENNESHA NICHOLS and SHELDON WEST

The varsity girls basketball team’s second season under Head Coach CHRISTAL CALDWELL —and their first in GHSA Class 4A—included taking on stiff competition at holiday tournaments and notching regular-season wins over the likes of McDonough High School, Mount Zion High School, Hampton High School and rival Lovett. While the Knights advanced to the state tournament, their postseason run ended in a first-round game against a strong Holy Innocents’ team.

Following the season, three members of the squad were selected to the Region 5AAAA All-Region Team: First Team honors went to RYAN WRIGLEY ’25; LAWSON MONROE ’26 received Second Team Recognition; and KATE GRICE ’25 landed on the Third Team roster. The team bids a fond farewell to ELLA BERMAN ’23 and CELE CAMP ’23 Photos by FRED ASSAF, Rick Cone and Nicole

VARSITY BASKETBALL CHEERLEADING

Coached by SHENEQ DANIELS and SONJA RUSS

This year’s varsity basketball cheerleading roster may have been small, but its members’ commitment to spreading Pace spirit was mighty. The Knights cheered the varsity girls basketball team into the postseason and backed the varsity boys all the way to the state championship. Knights fans appreciated the squad’s sideline support and the leadership and dedication of the team’s solo senior, BRIENNE HINGST ’23.

Seitz

Photos by FRED ASSAF and Rick Cone

ATHLETICS

SPRING

KNIGHTS OF ALL AGES bundled up and braved chilly temps to participate in the Booster Club’s 39th annual Pace Race in March. Runners, walkers and spectators enjoyed music, face painting, prizes and more thanks to Pace Race Chair SARA BLACKWOOD and this year’s sponsors: The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, BODYARMOR, the Isdell Family Foundation and Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP.

by Rick Cone

Photos

PACE ACADEMY moms supported Pace Athletics at the Booster Club’s annual Queens of the Court Tennis Challenge at Cherokee Town & Country Club. The March event, organized by LISA LEMKE and KERRY DOHENY, included music, food, prizes and more than a little bit of healthy competition.

Images by NICOLE SEITZ

BECOME STATE CHAMPION

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL DEFIES EXPECTATIONS TO

NO ONE

predicted that this year’s Pace Academy varsity boys basketball team would win the Georgia High School Association Class (GHSA) AAAA state title—no one but Head Coach SHARMAN WHITE, his staff and the 11 members of the Knights’ 2023 squad.

After dominating the 2020 and 2021 state championships, the team had a disappointing run in the 2022 Class AA tournament, falling to Augusta’s Butler High School in the second round of postseason play. The subsequent pre-season brought a move to a higher classification, several roster adjustments and many unknowns. “We had to figure out who we were going to be and discover our new identity,” White recalls. “We knew we had to work hard.”

White and assistant coaches MASON AMBLER, JOHNATHAN

ROBINSON and AIDAN SAUNDERS put together a tough 2023 schedule featuring national competition. As one of only 200 Nike Elite high-school basketball programs in the country, the Knights earn invitations to premier tournaments around the country and the world each year—opportunities White used to test the team’s mettle.

Early in the season, the Knights packed their bags and traveled to the Arby’s Classic in Tennessee and to the Flyin’ to the Hoop Tournament in Ohio; they even crossed the pond to participate in the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Hoophall International in London. Results were “up and down,” says White. “We lost a few good games that we should have won, but we learned more about each other, and we never lost hope.”

As the team took on some of the best competition in the country, its identity and confidence emerged. “I knew that we had more than enough talent on our team to win,” recalls LAMAR MOORE ’24. “We had great chemistry and, over the course of the season, we truly became a family.”

At the mid-season mark, White shared his players’ confidence. “We were competing at a high level,” he says. “We felt good about where we were, and we knew we were heading in the right direction.”

Then the Knights lost the region championship to rival Lovett, 62–60.

“The kids took it hard,” White recalls. “We hadn’t lost to Lovett since 2018, and the guys were set on getting that region trophy.” He pulled his team together. “I told them that we were going to be fine. We refocused, locked in and moved forward, committed to playing together and playing for each other.”

The Knights were determined to make quick work of their playoff opponents. “This team was such a close-knit group off the court,” says DAVIS RICE ’23. “We had shown a tremendous amount of resilience throughout the season, and our coaches treated every practice like the state game was the next day. We were ready.”

In the first round, the Knights hosted Miller Grove High School, where White had spent 11 seasons at the helm of the basketball program, brought home six consecutive state championships and earned the 2016 National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award.

“It was an emotionally charged game for me,” White says. “It was tough, but we had to do what we needed to do to advance in the tournament.” The Knights defeated the Wolverines 67–28.

A Sweet Sixteen matchup against Walnut Grove High School yielded another victory for the Knights, this time by a 17-point margin, 58–41. The Pace squad doubled Baldwin High School’s 31 points in the Elite

Eight round of play and bested Westover High School, 57–49, in the Final Four to earn a spot in the title game.

The Macon Coliseum, home of the state finals every year, was familiar territory for the Fayette County High School Tigers, the Knights’ championship opponent. With a nearly flawless region record, a highpowered offense and a 13-game winning streak under their belts, the Tigers hoped to avenge their 1-point loss to Baldwin High School in the 2021 title game with a 2023 victory.

The game took place during Pace’s spring break, which meant that Knights fans would tune in to the livestream rather than pack the stands. Nevertheless, the team felt supported—texts and videos rolled in from around the world as groups gathered to cheer the team on from afar— and the Knights had a plan.

“We knew that Fayette County could score the basketball,” White says. “Our No. 1 goal was to slow them down.”

Pace and Fayette County appeared to be evenly matched as the game got underway. “We played their style in the first quarter, and we gave up too many points,” says White. Tied at 32 in the second quarter, the Knights made several adjustments and went into halftime up by 7.

An 8–0 third-quarter run took the air out of the Tigers’ sails, and the Knights led for the remainder of the game. Key performances by Moore, who recorded 23 points and seven rebounds, and KYLE GREENE ’24, who scored 19 points and five rebounds, secured the Pace victory.

“Getting that trophy at the end of the game was a surreal experience,” says KENDALL EVANS ’23. “Our goal was to win a state championship and be known for winning, no matter the circumstances—and we succeeded.”

As the newly minted state champs look to the future, the team bids farewell to Evans, Rice and BEN LEACH ’23 —“really great leaders,” says White. Next season, the Knights will return a “quality core” and should be in a solid position to defend their title. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but we’re already getting back to it. When you have a bullseye on your back, you have to be prepared.”

His team is ready. “My goal for next year is to bring Pace more into the national spotlight,” Greene reports. “And to win another state championship.”

PACE KNIGHTS

SHARMAN WHITE HEAD COACH

Region 5AAAA, All-Metro & All-State AAAA Coach of the Year; Atlanta Tipoff Club Pinholster Award

MASON AMBLER ASSISTANT COACH

JOHNATHAN ROBINSON ASSISTANT COACH

AIDAN SAUNDERS ASSISTANT COACH

HUNTER GROVES ’23 MANAGER

JAYDON AVERY ’26

CHANDLER BING ’25

ERIC CHATFIELD ’25

All-Region 5AAAA First Team; All-Metro Second Team;

All-State AAAA Honorable Mention

KENDALL EVANS ’23

All-Region 5AAAA Third Team

JACKSON FERRY ’25

KYLE GREENE ’24

Region 5AAAA, All-Metro & All-State AAAA Player of the Year;

Region 5AAAA, All-Metro & All-State AAAA First Teams;

GPB All-Finals & Atlanta Tipoff Club

All-Metro Second Teams

GAVIN JEFFRIES ’25

BEN LEACH ’23

M.J. MADISON ’26

LAMAR MOORE ’24

All-Region 5AAAA & All-Metro Second Teams;

GPB All-Finals First Team;

All-State AAAA Honorable Mention

DAVIS RICE ’23

“This team will be remembered as the ultimate underdog. No one expected us to make it past the first couple of rounds of state, but we showed an incredible amount of resilience throughout the season and cemented ourselves in the record books.”

DAVIS RICE ’23

THE NEXT STAGE

From Pace Academy’s early days, when music and art classes were in the Castle dining room, to today, where students perform professional-level productions in the Zalik Theater and display impressive works in the Fine Arts Center and beyond, the arts have been a pillar of our students’ Pace experience. This foundation in the arts— emphasizing creativity, imagination and exploration—has served as a springboard for the professional endeavors of countless alumni-artists; here, we introduce you to four at various stages of their careers. X

FROM STAGE TO SCREEN & EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN

Fans of Stranger Things might not know the name ANDREW BENATOR ’89, but they won’t soon forget his terrifying turn as Hawkins Lab Technician Number 1 in Season 1, Episode 1 of the Netflix blockbuster. “My character is the first person you see, and (spoiler alert) he dies in the first minute and a half—turned into a zombie,” says the actor with a laugh.

For Atlanta theater fans, however, Benator is a household name. From his years-long run in the Alliance Theatre’s A Christmas Carol (first as Marley, now as Scrooge) to Theatrical Outfit and Dad’s Garage’s recent co-production of White Chip (“For all the consummate capabilities he has regularly demonstrated over the years, the very fine actor Andrew Benator has rarely enjoyed the opportunity to come across as quite so relaxed and casual,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote), Benator has graced many a local stage since relocating from New York City in 2005.

For Benator, it all started at Pace Academy. He arrived at Pace as a sophomore and im mediately thrived. “I loved Pace,” Benator recalls. “I found my people.”

Then-Theater Director DR. GEORGE MENGERT quickly spotted Benator’s talent and cast him as a lead in I’m Not a Rappaport, a production that went on to win the state oneact competition. Other “nice roles” followed. “George’s belief in me is what initially made me think that I could pursue theater,” says Benator. “I felt at home.”

Voted Homecoming King and “Funniest” in the Class of 1989, Benator went on to Colgate University, where he majored in English and minored in theater. During his first week on campus, he auditioned for Death Thrust, a play about a bullfighter, and he got the lead. As the meaty roles and stellar reviews kept coming, Benator considered transferring to a theater school, but decided instead to apply for graduate programs. An acceptance letter from the American Conservatory Theater spurred a move to San Francisco, where he earned his master’s in fine arts—and his Actors’ Equity card, the ticket to professional work.

While open to television and film roles, Benator saw theater as his entree into an acting career and hightailed it to the Big Apple, where he lived for nine years. Parts in regional-theater productions throughout the Northeast (Proof and Santaland Diaries at TheaterWorks Hartford, Lobby Hero at the Pittsburgh Public Theater), several Off-Broadway shows (Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight at the now-defunct Promenade Theatre) and commercial work (most notably a memorable string of national Citibank ads) paid the bills.

When Benator’s aging parents required care, he moved back to Atlanta. “I didn’t know what my life was going to look like,” he recalls. “Back then, Atlanta was just becoming what it is now, but I discovered that there was a lot more theater here than I realized.”

Benator has been busy ever since. He’s had recurring roles in television series like House of Payne and Meet the Browns, and has appeared in several films (“lots of scientists, doctors and lawyers,” he says), but his heart remains in theater. To date, Benator has received two Suzi Bass Awards and eight nominations and, in 2016, was a recipient of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship, given to a handful of the country’s most accomplished regional-theater actors.

After his turn as Scrooge in this year’s A Christmas Carol, he’ll star in the Atlanta premiere of the one-man show Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, a collaboration between Theatrical Outfit and The Breman Museum. The New York Times Critic’s Pick tells the true story of a Polish diplomat and freedom fighter who battled his way across war-torn Europe to bring news of the Holocaust to Western governments.

It’s the kind of role Benator dreamed of as a young actor and the kind he hopes will continue to fill his schedule. “I find my joy on the stage,” he says. “I hope to do it for many more years.” X

by CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES

’00

Portraits by JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17

THIS PAGE, TOP: Benator in The White Chip, Co-production between Theatrical Outfit and Dad’s Garage

Photo credit: Casey G Ford Photography

THIS PAGE, BOTTOM: Benator in A Christmas Carol, Alliance Theatre

Photo credit: Greg Mooney

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH STEELY

BRIAN STEELY ’92 has often found himself caught in a balancing act.

“Design and art are not different things, but artists and designers are. I consider myself somewhere in the middle,” he says.

An Atlanta native, Steely is the founder of Steely Works, a design studio focused on branding. He’s worked with a wide range of clients including Salesforce, Element and international powerhouse Nike. While his pared-down style may appear effortless, Steely took the long way to find a career aligned with his passions.

Steely’s talent was apparent early. He found inspiration in the city and sounds around him, sources he still draws on today. “There are different things that give us energy as creatives, and for me it’s living in the big city and listening to live music,” he says.

Steely found a space to diligently work on his craft at Pace Academy, learning from longtime art teacher JANE SIBLEY (now retired), who recognized his talent. “Brian was always such a visual learner, and I remember him as a quietly focused art student,” Sibley says. “I could see he had a gift—probably before he knew it.”

Despite his gifts, a career in the visual arts seemed distant and distorted at best. Steely grew up in a literary household, and he attributes a drive to try journalism to his parents and the influence of his favorite English teacher, RICKS CARSON (also retired). Instead of attending art school, Steely studied journalism at Presbyterian College and, after graduation, landed at Jackson Spalding, an Atlanta-based public relations firm and marketing agency.

Things began to change in 1996 when the band Widespread Panic played a three-night run at the Fox Theatre over the New Years holiday. A self-described “huge fan” at the time, Steely decided to take a chance and hand-draw a striking poster of a dragon on top of the world for the concert run. He stuck it in the mail, almost certain that the band would never see it. To his shock, the phone rang soon after.

“I didn’t know anything about poster design,” Steely admits, but the chance he took opened up a world of possibilities. The decision makers at Jackson Spalding offered him the opportunity to become the firm’s graphic designer not long after, and he jumped at the chance.

Since then, Steely’s style has evolved. Self-taught with digital tools, he works to make the monoline illustration style he employs look hand-drawn and truly his own. He has amassed a cult following on social media and in design circles, and Steely Works designs have appeared on everything from Phish and Mumford & Sons merchandise and Nod Hill beer and Cutwater Spirits cans to Sobieski vodka and Orphan Barrel whiskey bottles.

Despite being far removed from high school, Steely still thinks fondly of his time at Pace and credits the school with helping to build the foundation of his career.

“I loved Pace and I got—honest to God—more out of Pace than I did from my college experience,” he says. X

Brian Steely’s works can be viewed at steelyworks.com

by JULIAN ALEXANDER ’17

Portraits by JULIAN

THIS PAGE, TOP:

ALEXANDER ’17

Steely designed the official poster for last year’s Newport Folk Festival.

THIS PAGE, BOTTOM:

The poster for Phish's 2022 four-night run in Commerce City, Colo. Screenprinted by The Half and Half, the five-color print was quick to sell out.

TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ART

STEPHANIE DOCKERY ’03 is living the dream in New York City, where she has parlayed a double major in English and art history at Williams College into a remarkable career centered on partnerships.

After earning a master’s in art business at Sotheby’s Institute in Singapore, Dockery did fundraising for Lincoln Center and led leadership programs at the Arts and Business Council of New York. She now manages the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, a national competition that brings together government, corporate and arts organizations to address civic issues.

“People often think of public art as a statue in a plaza, but it can be so much more,” Dockery says, and she’s devoted her career to showing how that can happen.

Dockery’s most recent projects include the centennial commemoration of one of the darkest events in American history, the Tulsa, Okla., “Black Wall Street” massacre of 1921. The Greenwood Art Project team in Tulsa worked for four years to canvass the community’s wishes, organize a series of festivals and a heritage parade, fund a mobile arts exhibition and build a museum. They even catalyzed the redesign of a major highway that had split the Greenwood neighborhood in two, incorporating it back into the community. Lead artist Rick Lowe, a MacArthur Fellow, and 32 local artists brought countless volunteers on board.

“Projects like this magnify the scope of public art and build upon themselves, leading to major infrastructure investments by the government and stimulating the local economy,” Dockery says.

In a second project, Bloomberg Philanthropies funded artists in Camden, N.J., to transform six illegal dump sites into art structures, many including reusable materials. The structures were highly visible from trains and highways and became a point of local pride, also working to alleviate the city’s $4 million in annual cleanup costs.

In Parkland, Fla., local leaders wanted to commemorate the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in a meaningful way. The team worked with the community on five projects, including a non-denominational healing temple, beautifully made of laser-cut wooden panels, where individuals gathered to leave mementos and have ceremonies of remembrance. After five months of observations, the temple was burned in a ritual ceremony. Her work has shown how the arts can lead the way in community problemsolving and healing after tragedy.

Dockery says that her time at Pace Academy was “foundational” to her love of literature and the arts. She first studied theater during an arts elective in early junior high school and, as a Pace student, never missed a production. Over the years, she has had the pleasure of seeing Pace favorites like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Into the Woods produced in college, for Shakespeare in the Park and on Broadway.

Dockery believes that the constant exposure to the arts in high school was so integral that she didn’t realize its full effect until years later. Now she’s out three or four nights a week, taking full advantage of the New York cultural scene and savoring the “euphoria” of everything opening up again after COVID. She lives on the “coast of Brooklyn” and commutes to her office in Manhattan, with the theater district nicely situated halfway between. Dockery has found the key to a great career: doing good work in a job that often doesn’t feel like “work” at all. X

by MARSHA

DURLIN PAGE 56:

Dockery speaking at the press opening for the Greenwood Art Project

Photo credit: Marlon Hall

THIS PAGE, TOP:

NBC News journalist Molly Hunter interviewing Dockery for the Today Show

THIS PAGE, BOTTOM:

Dockery with the Bio Informatic Digester, one of six public art installations at former illegal dump sites in Camden, N.J.

Photo credit: Bloomberg Philanthropies

A BLOSSOMING CAREER

Sometimes, JOSIE CROSS ’15 spent such long hours in the Pace Academy ceramics studio that her mother would have to call her and tell her it was time to come home, and the school’s cleaning crew would start working around her. But her fingers kept pinching together the tiny clay petals that would form the bountiful flowers—hydrangeas, dogwoods, orchids—that characterize her signature pottery.

“I’d close that place down,” she says. Even after she had gone off to the University of Alabama to study graphic design (and mold vases with the clay club), she returned to the Pace studio in the summers, pulling long coils from the extruder to wrap and shape into pots by hand. “Pace was so supportive.”

Now a professional ceramicist in Brooklyn creating functional works like vases and lamps for her eponymous line, Cross credits her time at Pace for her career in pottery, and retired Pace ceramics teacher MARK KNOTT for being her longtime mentor.

“Everything I’ve learned was from him,” she says. “I still ask him questions all the time—I’m always sending him messages and pictures, asking him things like ’Can I reglaze this?’ And he’s always sharing my work.”

One night, she stayed at the Pace studio until 9:30 p.m., completely absorbed in the cut-out piece she was working on. “I started and finished it in one day because I was so obsessed,” Cross says. “I decided I had better keep it wet in case Mr. Knott had some advice to change or fix it, so I covered it in wet paper towels—and came back the next morning to find it completely collapsed. I was heartbroken. But I did the exact same thing the next day and got it done.”

Cross was in high school when she sold her first piece, to a friend’s mom in Michigan. Word spread, and soon Cross found herself with a small business. A few years later, when she was in college, she had saved enough to buy her own kiln. She chose an Easy Fire L&L electric kiln—the kind she learned to use at Pace—and it’s the same one she uses today in the sunny New York warehouse space where she works, rents space to several other potters and teaches classes on the weekends.

Cross, who takes orders on her website ( josieceramics.com) and Instagram (@josieceramics), works mostly on commission, and a large piece can take her an en tire week, or she can tackle maybe 15 smaller pieces. Prices range from $65 for a small stash jar to upward of $1,000 for a large, detailed piece. Pace recently commissioned a huge project of 200 vases (with a blue glaze, naturally), which she dutifully—and care fully—drove to Atlanta from New York when she visited family over Thanksgiving.

A flower encyclopedia—a gift from her dad—serves as inspiration for her work, much of which is known for being hyper-textured with petals, packed together like a dense bed of oyster shells. One of her favorite pieces is inspired by a showy hydrangea bloom, with a deep blue and green glaze, every surface covered with a pinched petal of clay. Originally, she covered her pots in flowers to conceal imperfections.

“I just felt like I could never get them smooth enough,” she says. Now, as she experi ments with new vessel shapes and sculptural styles, she embraces the roughness that comes from doing things by hand. Her new “planet vases,” with marbled swirls and color gradients that look a bit like the surface of Jupiter, are a foray into new types of texture.

“It is like a 2D texture, which is not my norm,” she says, “but it was a really therapeutic process that helped me expand my style a little.” She is also tinkering with glaze recipes, creating new colors and treatments, making her feel like she’s back in a science lab.

“I did not do so hot in Pace chemistry,” she jokes. “But now I am out here using the peri odic table every day, which is kind of surprising to me.” X

by MARY LOGAN BARMEYER BIKOFF ’01

Portraits by Erin White

THIS PAGE: Recent work photographed in Cross’s Brooklyn studio

UPDATES

[01– 02] After 10 years at the helm of Chispa House, a video production company, co-founders SAM BIRDSONG ’08 (pictured, left) and Andrew Levy had captured hundreds of incredible stories on film for the world’s top brands. But they noticed that most companies shelved these videos after just a few posts. This trend inspired Sam and Andrew to start a new business in early 2022: AdPipe. An AI-based content command center, AdPipe helps marketers automatically leverage and repurpose their existing video content to increase conversions and engagement. AdPipe has seen early success, with leading brands including Aflac, The Honey Baked Ham Company and Caterpillar relying on the platform. The team, based in Athens, Ga., recently announced a $3-million investment led by Atlanta Ventures to continue growing this endeavor. Sam and his wife, Annie, have two children: George, 2, and Dorothy “Dolly”

[03] KATHERINE PARKE OSTENSON ’08 has been promoted to chief executive officer of Chispa House, a humanityfocused production company that develops unscripted stories for brands, film and TV. In her new role, Katherine will lead the company’s strategic vision, oversee dayto-day operations, and continue to drive growth for Chispa House and its clients. Katherine served as director of accounts for three years prior to her promotion and has a proven track record of delivering exceptional results. Pace Academy is among Chispa House’s longest-standing clients. “As we celebrate 10 years of business, I’m very humbled to take on the role of CEO, and I can’t wait to see what the next decade brings,” Katherine says.

[04] DANA RUBIN ’12 joined AT&T as a senior product brand manager. She leads strategy for AT&T Fiber, helping define the

way AT&T’s brand is represented through its products in the market. Dana works alongside product, marketing and advertising teams to translate data into insights and strategies that ultimately dictate the creation of all external communications for the fiber business.

“I love discovering the connection that draws customers to a brand and helping tell that story in a creative way. It’s especially important today when brands should be more than the products they sell,” she says. Dana moved to Dallas, home of AT&T’s headquarters, in late 2022.

[05 – 06] HAYLEY SILVERSTEIN ’14 earned her undergraduate degree at Emory University, working her way up the ranks to become managing editor of The Emory Wheel newspaper, and spent four years as a clinical research assistant at a lab in Emory Medical School’s Division of Geriatrics. Following graduation, she spent a year as a clinical research coordinator in the same lab, and in 2019, she started

Atkins [02] , born on Sept. 14, 2022. The family lives in Athens, Ga.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia. In July, she will begin her stint as a psychiatry resident at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, her top-choice program. “My future plans are to get through residency,” Hayley reports. “I’m most passionate about in-patient psychiatry, which is what I will most likely pursue after residency.”

[07] After graduating from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with a degree in strategy and management consulting and a focus in real estate, JACK RUBENSTEIN ’17 enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he is pursuing a master’s in real estate development—and a successful baseball career. Jack joined the Yellow Jackets as a graduate transfer after four years on Emory’s roster and now, in his senior season, is Tech’s starting catcher. Jack was named to the watch list for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher. He joins a list

[08] MARGARET BETHEL ’19 will graduate from the University of Georgia with a degree in history and a focus in education. “After many years of tutoring and working with children, I realized that it was my dream to be a teacher,” she reports. Come fall, Margaret will begin a position as a Teaching Fellow at Savannah Country Day School in Savannah, Ga., where she will teach ninth-grade ancient world history—one of her favorite subject areas. “I would not have gotten to this point without going back to my former Pace teachers for advice and guidance,” she says. “I am incredibly excited to begin my career in such a supportive environment, and also to have the pleasure of working with Pace legend [former Upper School teacher] JONATHAN DAY !”

[09] After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in leadership

and public policy, JARED RAYMAN ’19 will remain in Charlottesville for graduate school and a final year as a member of UVA’s football team. Jared recently received an ACC Top Six for Service Award, presented annually by Atlantic Coast Conference member schools to six student-athletes who demonstrate dedication to community service and outreach programs. Jared was recognized for his work coordinating football players’ visits to UVA Children’s Hospital.

[10–11] EMILY SCHMITT ’19 graduated from Davidson College in May with a degree in English and digital studies, and will hit the road with The Kraft Heinz Company as an official “Hotdogger,” driving one of the company’s six Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles for a year. Emily was one of 12 Hotdoggers selected from more than 2,000 applicants; she’ll receive her region assignments when she participates in the “Hotdog High” training program. “It should be buns and buns of fun!” Emily says.

of 75 catchers nationwide and is one of 21 Power 5 catchers.

MARRIAGES

[12] MAGGIE REYNOLDS ’06 and Tom Roberts were married on March 4, 2023, at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colo. Pace alumni in attendance included HAMILTON REYNOLDS ’08, GINNY REYNOLDS ’15, MARY HIPP ROGERS ’06, REID ROGERS ’07, DANNY LOWENTHAL ’06 and JACKI GLASS THOMAS ’06

[13] MADELINE ENGLAND DIGRAZIA ’10 married John Mark DiGrazia Jr. on Sept. 10, 2022, at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. A reception at the Cherokee Town Club followed the ceremony. The wedding party included NATHAN ENGLAND ’14 and BLAIR WINDERS ’10; in addition, GRACE SOUTHWORTH NADEAU ’10 read scripture in the ceremony. Other Pace attendees included VICTORIA WILSON ’10, PATRICK CHRISTMAN ’10 and HENRY HEBEBRAND ’10. Madeline and John

Mark met as students at the University of Virginia and began dating in 2018. They live in Arlington, Va., where Madeline is a senior director at EY Parthenon, and John Mark is a vice president at Mastercard Data & Services.

[14 –15] ZEENA LATTOUF JOY ’12 and Julien Joy were married on March 16, 2023, in Amman, Jordan. “Since our wedding was an international event, we planned a week-long series of activities, including visits to Petra, Wadi Rum desert, the Dead Sea and Jerash,” Zeena writes.

The wedding ceremony took place at Zeena’s parents’ home; a reception at the Four Seasons Hotel followed. “The wedding started with a Zaffeh, a traditional Arab wedding event where the groom and his family pick up the bride from her house, with her extended family there, waiting to welcome the groom and his family and friends. In our case, Julien came with all the American wedding guests.”

Wedding guests included ERIC ESTROFF ’12, JESSICA DIORIO PARRISH ’12, JAKOB GORGENS ’12, CLAIRE QUINTRELL ’12, ANNIE RIDDELL TRINCHERE ’12, EMILY WILSON ’12, Dean of Students ERICA BARBAKOW and Director of Advancement HEATHER WHITE.

Zeena earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard University in 2021 and now works for LifeLabs Learning, a learning and development organization focused on organizational psychology.

[16] JENNIFER SMITH ’12 married William Bernstien on March 4, 2023, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. “We chose Austin as our wedding destination since William and I met at the University of Texas,” Jennifer writes. “We loved showing all of our Atlanta guests around Austin as we had a weekend full of events throughout the city.”

BIRTHS

[17] JULIANNA RUE CAGLE ’03 and her husband, Spencer, had a daughter, Brighton Elizabeth, on Jan. 4, 2023. Brighton was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 21 inches. “Her three big brothers are in love,” Julianna reports.

[18] MEGAN KNOTT MIGNANO ’04 and husband Christian welcomed Miller Wells on Oct. 4, 2022. The Mignanos live in Ocean Ridge, Fla., where Megan is director of marketing for Omika, a women’s fashion brand.

[19] JODI SHEFFIELD COHEN ’05 and her husband, Bram, welcomed their first child, Odys James, on Feb. 25, 2023. Odys was 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 19 inches. The family lives in Atlanta.

[20] EMILY EVANS SCHIFTER ’08 and her husband, Adam, welcomed Henry McGregor “Mac” on Feb. 1, 2023. Mac was 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Emily is an attorney in the labor and employment group at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP; Adam is an executive at a fintech startup.

[21] HAYLEY SHOJI COATES ’12 and husband Jason welcomed Charles “Charlie” Akio in January 2023. The couple, along with their dog, Fenway, are in love with the new addition to the family.

[22] ROBIN LALONE SPILKER ’12 and her husband, Stephen, welcomed son Wells Patrick on Feb. 1, 2023. He was 5 pounds, 15 ounces and 19.5 inches. “He’s truly the most precious addition to our family,” Robin writes. “We can’t imagine life without him now.” The family lives in Houston.

FACULTY & STAFF

MILESTONES

[23 –24] Second-grade teacher MARY PAT MCCALLUM and Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

MCCALLUM “Scottie” Scott, on Jan. 10, 2023. Scottie weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Big brother Duncan, 2, is in love.

24

IN MEMORIAM

[25] Pace Academy parent HARDY BRUMFIELD passed away on April 8, 2023. He leaves behind his beloved wife, BRUMFIELD, and their children, BRUMFIELD ’23, THOMSON BRUMFIELD ’25 and J.D. BRUMFIELD ’30.

Hardy was a native of Mississippi, where “his close-knit family and the gen uine people of his beloved Mississippi Delta forever shaped the core of [his] being,” his family writes. “Whether he was winning 4-H livestock competitions, blazing a trail on Indianola Academy’s basketball court or getting his hands dirty on the farm, Hardy never failed to make everyone laugh or feel his all-en compassing love.”

Hardy graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi State University, where he majored in agricultural economics and was a leader in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He went on to enjoy a successful career at the Chicago Board of Trade for more than 30 years.

Hardy and Amy met in 2000, married in 2003 and began raising their family. “When not devoting time and energy to his family, Hardy also became involved in various technological, agricultural, environmental and healthcare initiatives, always favoring new investment opportunities that would make positive impacts on the lives of others,” his family says.

In 2014, Hardy founded Rolling B Ranch, a registered Angus and commercial cattle operation. Beyond family and work, Hardy enjoyed fostering lasting friendships at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, his children’s schools and sports, various men’s Bible study groups, YPO and the Atlanta Youth Project. Hardy was a fixture at Pace events, always there to cheer on his children and congratulate others. He brought light and joy to everyone he met while modeling grace in the face of a terrible illness. Memorial gifts can be made to The Hardy Brumfield Endowed Scholarship Fund at msufoundation.com (designate The Hardy Brumfield Endowed Scholarship Fund), or to Atlanta Youth Project.

[26] CHARLES “WINN” PHILIPS JR. ’87 died on March 18, 2023, in Brunswick, Ga., following complications from a heart attack and a long battle with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Winn was an active member of Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, and participated in theater and soccer at Pace. He attended the Virginia Military Institute, where he was involved in the glee and theater clubs, wrote for The Cadet newspaper and played Rugby. The diagnosis of RA required Winn to complete his education at Auburn University, where he studied psychology, history and political science, and became a lifelong fan of all War Eagle sports.

Winn’s “tremendous gift of singing touched everyone he knew,” his family

writes. He was a member of the Atlanta Boy Choir, Chapel Choir at Second Ponce de Leon Church and Revelation singing group. He pursued singing professionally and was the lead singer of the band Sticks of Stonewall. “In the studio and on stage, Winn was a natural, nicknamed ’one-take Winn’ as he always hit his notes and made his part seem effortless.”

Winn lived on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick in his later years and was an active member of the Friendship Baptist Church. He is survived by his mother, HAYES MCMILLEN PHILIPS; his sister, CATHERINE PHILIPS SLADE ’91; two nieces, one nephew and several cousins.

[1] STEVEN PINCKNEY ’99 and his family stopped by campus on a recent visit to Atlanta. The Pinckneys live in Williamsport, Penn., where Steven is a family doctor. His wife, Sarah, homeschools their children: Chase, Lyda, Iris and Vance.

[2] ASA FLYNN ’03 and PETE GOODRICH ’03 spent time together during the Goodriches’ recent trip to Washington, D.C., where the Flynn family lives. Asa and his wife, Kelly Gannon-Flynn, have two children, Jane and Jack. Pete and his wife, Kelly, have three children: Louisa, August and Ellis, and live in Christchurch, Va.

[3] Head of School FRED ASSAF and MARTHA DOWNER-ASSAF recently caught up with WENDELL CARTER JR. ’17 and his parents, KYLIA CARTER and WENDELL CARTER SR. Wendell, a center for the Orlando Magic, is spending the NBA off-season in Atlanta.

[4–6] Upper School students took a page out of James Taylor’s book and were “gone to [North and South] Carolina” over Presidents’ Day weekend. Accompanied by faculty chaperones, the crew’s itinerary included visits to nine colleges and universities, exposing students to myriad types of institutions and allowing them to connect with some of the best tour guides around: KATE MALLARD ’21 (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill); ANNA ROSENBLOUM ’22 and JASON ROSENBLOUM ’20 (Duke University); MATT GENSER ’21 (Wake Forest University); CLAIRE HOWELL ’21, MORGAN MARTIN ’19 and ROBERT CUSHMAN ’20 (Davidson College); and MAX CREASMAN ’19 (Wofford College) took the time to meet with the group and show off their schools. •

TALKING BUSINESS

ALUMNI EVENTS

Entrepreneurship and women-owned businesses were the topics at the Women’s Knight Network’s March event featuring Pace parent CHAFFEE BRAITHWAITE

HEILMAN ’95, co-owner of retail destination baby braithwaite, and parent of alumni AMY SELIG, owner and founder of Stellar Bodies. Women’s Knight Network Chair ADAIR ROGER VILELLA ’02 coordinated the event, which took place at Eleanor’s Place, a co-working space exclusively for women. \\\

RECONNECTING IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL

Crazy Aunt Helen’s in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill neighborhood served as the fitting site for a February alumni gathering featuring longtime Upper School history teacher HELEN SMITH, in town for a Model United Nations program. More than 20 alumni spanning four decades attended the event, which kicked off a series of regional reunions. Up next? New York City and Los Angeles! \\\

YOUNG ALUMNI CATCH UP

The Young Alumni Committee, chaired by CAL HARRIS ’12 and VICTORIA WILSON ’10, hosted a springtime meet-up at Park Tavern in March, where graduates from the Classes of 2007 through 2018 enjoyed reconnecting. \\\

Members of the Class of 1982 celebrated a belated 40th reunion in April at the Atlanta home of MERIDY WERDER KING ’82. Meridy worked with DAVE LYNN ’82, CHARLOTTE BREWER MILLS ’82 and JULIE RASCOE ’82 to plan the event. \\\

C LASS OF 1982 REUNITES

ON NOV. 20, 1990 —a mere 63 days after the opening of the Fine Arts Center (FAC)—Pace Academy welcomed celebrated artist and author Ashley Bryan, a man who “committed himself to filling the void of Black representation by creating children’s books about the African and African American experience.” It was Grandparents Day in the Lower School, and guests were treated to a special assembly in the new FAC. In between student performances, the 67-year-old Bryan stood to address the packed theater and read a selection from his book Walk Together Children, a collection of illustrated Black American Spirituals. Later in the day, Bryan visited the Lower School library for a book signing with students, where this image was taken.

Growing up in the Bronx during the Great Depression, Bryan’s artistic talent was evident from an early age. Despite an impressive portfolio, he was rejected by art schools in New York City and told that a scholarship would be wasted on a Black student. He was later accepted to Cooper Union thanks to its blind admissions process, but was drafted in 1943 before he could graduate. Serving in the segregated U.S. Army during the Normandy campaign, he witnessed devastating and horrific scenes and used drawing as a lifeline to his own humanity. After the war, Bryan finished his degree and went on to study philosophy at Columbia University. For the last seven decades of his life, he lived on the coast of Maine and “traveled tirelessly to conferences, festivals, museums and universities, and visited children in schools in the United States and Africa.” Perhaps the most prolific artist to ever visit Pace, Bryan published more than 70 books and illustrated the texts of such authors as Nikki Giovanni, Nikki Grimes, Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar.

— by RYAN VIHLEN

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ASHLEY BRYAN

 Second-grade students ZACHARY ENGLISH and WILL TYLER ʼ01 meet Bryan in the Lower School library.

966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327

www.paceacademy.org

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