KnightTimes Fall 2017

FALL 2017

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PA C E A C A D E M Y

Learning Continues in Faraway Lands

SUMMER STUDY TOURS

+ ALUMNI

UPDATES GALORE!

Noble Knights The Lower School's Character Education Program Evolves

It's hard to believe that the Class of 2008 started its senior year over a decade ago! Check out the alumni section, starting on page 40.

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From the Editor

This issue of the KnightTimes includes 14 pages of alumni updates, profiles and event coverage—more than a quarter of the magazine. As a Pace Academy alumna, that’s exciting!

Our alumni population is small compared to those of our peer schools—a function of our relative youth and size. But as our alumni base has grown in recent years, the communications and alumni offices have worked diligently to increase alumni coverage, share stories of our graduates’ successes and further connect them to their alma mater.

This involves reaching out to individuals we’ve heard are pursuing their personal and professional passions, and oftentimes, these stories come via teachers who keep in touch with students long after they leave Pace, evidence of the strength of the relationships fostered on our campus.

We’re committed to continuing to tell the Pace alumni story in the KnightTimes.

Each issue presents a new chapter chronicling the lives of our alumni. If you're an alumnus, share your news with us, or brag on your accomplished classmates. Come visit to see how Pace has changed while remaining very much the same. I know you’ll be proud to be a Pace alumnus.

Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

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

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

T H E MA G A Z INE OF PACE ACADEMY

GUEST WRITER JILLIAN SNYDER ’16 JILLIAN SNYDER is a sophomore at Wake Forest University, where she studies communications and journalism. While at Pace Academy, Snyder was a cross-country and track team captain, peer leader and member of the National Honor Society. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, hiking, camping and spending time with friends. Snyder interned with the Pace communications department this past summer.

CONTENTS 06 NEWS 06 SOFTBALL'S NEW HOME We cut the ribbon on new facilities at our Riverview Sports Complex.

07 NEW POSITIONS OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN and DANA RAWLS join Pace Academy.

08 AROUND PACE A look at what's happening on campus 08 FIRST THINGS FIRST Eager students and faculty start another year.

10 NEW FAMILIES 12 PARENT LEADERS New officers for Parents Club, Arts Alliance and Booster Club 13 SUMMER PROGRAMS The campus was buzzing with activity all summer long.

14 KEEPING PACE 16 LIFE TRUSTEE PROFILE MELINDA WERTHEIM

HEAD OF SCHOOL FRED ASSAF

DIVISION HEADS

28 THE POWER OF ONE Lower School students and faculty find that small choices can have a huge impact.

GRAHAM ANTHONY Head of Middle School

30 PROJECT ESPERANZA ABIGAIL LUND and DAVIS MATHIS serve in the Dominican Republic.

31 LITTLE TYBEE Lower School Strings instructor NIRVANA KELLY takes her talents on tour.

32 FACULTY PROFILE ANDREW HEACOCK

34 NOBLE KNIGHTS Striving for excellence in character education triggers an evolution of the Lower School Pillars of Character program.

38 MENTAL HEALTH FUND Providing easier access to mental wellness resources

40 ALUMNI UPDATES

19 NEW BOARD MEMBER WENKE LEE

47 BIRTHS 48 ALUMNI SOFTBALL NIGHT

SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School

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

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

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS HAYLEY SHOJI ’12 DANA RAWLS

48 ALUMNI PARENT PARTY

OUR MISSION

49 OUT & ABOUT

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

20 SUMMER TRIPS Alaska, Australia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, New Zealand and England

50 ALUMNI PROFILE BETH BLALOCK ’96

26 CONSERVATION UPDATE

52 NEW ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

www.paceacademy.org

MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School

46 MARRIAGES

The Isdell Center for Global Leadership

966 W. Paces Ferry Road NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327

Highlighting individuals who set the pace outside of school

18 KNIGHTS CIRCLE PARTY

20 ICGL

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28 GLOBAL LEADERS

KnightTimes

51 FROM THE ALUMNI OFFICE A letter from HAYLEY SHOJI '12

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

The Lower School’s Pillars of Character program evolves for a new generation of Noble Knights!

Read about these exciting developments on page 34.

Dear Pace Family, Every school year signals a fresh start. We welcome new faces to our faculty, staff, student body and leadership teams; students get to know their new teachers and audition for fall theatre productions; sports teams start with clean records and work toward end-of-season goals; innovative programs and initiatives take shape.

In this issue of the KnightTimes, we highlight much of what is new at Pace Academy. We welcome Board of Trustees member WENKE LEE (page 19), Alumni Association President JULIANNA RUE CAGLE ’03 and recent additions to our Alumni Board (page 52).

We introduce families in their first year at Pace (page 10), look at how we’re implementing this year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership theme (page 26) and highlight the state-ofthe-art softball facility that recently opened at our Riverview Sports Complex (page 6).

These stories illustrate our continued growth as an institution, made possible by our traditions and strong foundation. On page 34, we examine Pace’s tradition of character education, a core value since our founding. While the way we teach character has evolved over the years, our focus on fostering kindness, resilience, teamwork and respect has never wavered.

This fall, following much research and planning, our Lower School team introduced the Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program, a 21st-century approach to character education.

The program builds on our traditions while taking into account the challenges of the future and emphasizing recognition over reward. It’s a wonderful illustration of our continued courage to strive for excellence.

Thank you for your partnership as we work together to create prepared, confident citizens of the world!

Sincerely,

FRED ASSAF HEAD OF SCHOOL

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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NEWS What you ne ed to know

A Home-Run Facility AUG. 22 was a memorable day for the varsity softball team.

Not only did the Diamond Knights defeat Stone Mountain High School 18–0, they officially opened their new home field within Pace Academy’s 23-acre Riverview Sports Complex.

Pace softball teams previously played at an 8-acre complex on Warren Road, which the school sold to the Galloway School in 2016. Board of Trustees member TOM BETHEL cut the ribbon on the new facility, while softball alumna LINDSEY ZWECKER ’13 threw out the first pitch.

The addition to Riverview Sports Complex sits adjacent to Charlie Owens Field and includes an all-weather artificial-turf field, a training facility, locker rooms and bathrooms. During the spring season, the Middle School baseball team will use the field.

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KnightTimes | Fall 2017

TA S H M A

MARR

HOLMANN

DANA RAWLS

OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN

Three Named National Hispanic Scholars THE COLLEGE BOARD’S National Hispanic Recognition Program annually honors approximately 5,000 of the 250,000 Hispanic/Latino students who take the PSAT as National Hispanic Scholars.

Students who achieve the College Board’s PSAT qualifying score and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher are invited to apply for the prestigious academic designation. This year, seniors ALEXANDER HOLMANN, ELIZABETH MARR and ERICA TASHMA were named National Hispanic Scholars.

LEWIS

FULLER

CARTER

Meet Our National Merit Semifinalists EACH YEAR, the National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes outstanding high-school seniors based on student performance on the PSAT. Seniors JEB CARTER, JACKSON FULLER and HARRISON LEWIS were named National Merit Semifinalists, placing them among the highest-scoring entrants in Georgia.

COMMUNICATIONS, ADVANCEMENT WELCOME NEW TEAM MEMBERS PACE ACADEMY’S communications and advancement departments welcomed two new staff members this fall.

OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN joined the communications team as digital content producer, a new position overseeing video production and photography related to Pace’s marketing efforts. A graduate of Southern Adventist University, López Thismón came to Pace by way of Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Fla., and the University of Miami’s marketing department.

DANA RAWLS brings extensive experience to her role as advancement communications and stewardship manager. Rawls earned a degree in journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked in marketing and fundraising roles for numerous organizations including DeKalb Medical, Kaiser Permanente and WellStar Kennestone Hospital. At Pace, Rawls helps design, implement, and manage comprehensive communications and stewardship activities for the Office of Advancement.

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AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace

Middle School Convocation

A Se rie s of F i rsts FROM PARENT gatherings and class trips to orientations and convocations, the Pace campus buzzed with activity during the first weeks of school.

Lower School Orientation

Lower School First Day

Senior Rafting Trip

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Lower School Multicultural Family Gathering

6th-Grade Class Trip

Upper School First Day 7th-Grade Class Trip

Upper School Convocation Middle School Orientation

FreshmAn Class Trip Middle School First Day

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AROUND PACE

Head of Lower School SYREETA MOSELEY hugs Pre-Firster MIA ZAJIC during Lower School orientation.

PRE-FIRST Ini Agbeja Fola Adisa

Lucy Allegra

Sara and JOE ALLEGRA ’93

Hart Allen

Nicole and RUSS ALLEN ’93

Anna Bates

Alexandra and Lamont Bates

Theadora Bickenbach

Rachel and Mark Bickenbach

Scarlett Bodner

Jennifer and Steven Bodner

Ben Bramwell

Anna and Jeremy Bramwell

JD Brumfield

Amy and Hardy Brumfield

Wyatt Brune

Carrie and Eric Brune

Hartley Butler

Bethany and Darren Butler

Emmie Chung

Sandra and Alex Chung

Trace Dexter

Heather and BLAKE DEXTER ’90

Avni Dharmadhikari

Shalmali and Tanmay Dharmadhikari

Mina Digumarthi Neal Digumarthi

Welcome

to Pace!

The following students joined the Pace family this year:

Praneetha Kumar and Hari Digumarthi

Sean Evan Fletcher Charnette Fletcher Marquis Fletcher

Vivienne Flynn

Julie and Ryan Flynn

Thomas Goldstrom

Julie and Seth Goldstrom

Jaryd Grossman

Kimberly Loeb Grossman and Robert Grossman

Kate Hayes

Jennifer and Brandon Hayes

Brecken Heath

Heather and Kevin Heath

Charlie Heyman

Erin and John Heyman

Olivia Hirsh

Evin and Josh Hirsh

Mary Chapman Howard Mandy and Wes Howard

AROUND PACE

Sarah Iravanian

Chloe Stoltz

Mac Barnette

Benjamin Jaye

Charlie Sukenik

Emmy Battista

Sara Claire Laddin

Chandler Tarvin Hudson Tarvin

Ellie Carter

Negah Rassouli and Shah Iravanian Hanna and David Jaye Ellen and Darryl Laddin

Hunt Lowrie

Julie and Dan Lowrie

Emma Grace Mabine

Keri and Carl Stoltz Michalena and Carl Sukenik

Allison and STEWART TARVIN

Bryson Vieira

Kathleen and Brian Vieira

Crystal Mabine Larry Mabine

Ethan Walker

Advithi Maddineni

Owen Weaver

Jake McMurtry

Mia Zajic

Julia McWhorter

Jack Zampell

Manogna and Sreedhar Maddineni Rick McMurtry and Randall Kilpatrick Kim and Graham McWhorter

Michael McWilliams

Liz and MATT WALKER Katie and Scott Weaver Alenka Zajic and Milos Prvulovic Sarah and Jack Zampell

Anne and Will Barnette Allison and Drew Battista CHRISTINE CARTER and Rob Carter

Stone Chambers

Tiffany and Jonathan Chambers

Shea Edwards

Meridith and David Edwards

Kennedi Evans

Clarez and Keith Evans

Alex Finn

Julie and Laurence Finn

Roland Foster

Naqui and Roland Foster

Ansley Freudenstein

JAMIE WALDRON MCWILLIAMS ’93 and Michael McWilliams

FIRST GRADE

ASHLEY FREUDENSTEIN and Mack Freudenstein

Shriya Mukkamala

Catherine Bready

Mary and Cameron Bready

Alice Gash

Shivani and Sri Krishna Mukkamala

Eva Nelson

Stephanie and Mitch Nelson

Caroline Nuckols

Kim and Hal Nuckols

Andrew Partin Nora Partin

Sara and Cody Partin

Juhi Patel

Sneha Desai and Tarak Patel

Jack Patrick

KATHERINE PATRICK and John Patrick

Liam Piduru

Erica and Sarat Piduru

Zoe Pontrelli

Jennifer Zyman Jay Pontrelli

Savannah Popo

Jacqueline Lubrun-Popo and Peter Popo

William Rich

Sarah and Daniel Rich

Alexandra Ryan

Liz and JUSTIN RYAN ’95

Owen Sebel

Melissa and Tim Sebel

Ellie Sender

Jennifer and Eric Sender

Blake Shirley

NATALIE UNDERWOOD SHIRLEY ’01 and BLAKE SHIRLEY ’01

SECOND GRADE

Laura and Jim Gash

Ansli Hennings

Nikki and Arnold Hennings

Alex Karetsos

Christian Johnson

Emily Segall

Harrison Leusink

THIRD GRADE

Emma Lowry

Laura and Spyro Karetsos Leigh and Michael Segall

Lincoln Spinola

Dana and Angelo Spinola

FOURTH GRADE Sumner Dexter

Heather and BLAKE DEXTER ‘90

Tiernan Hofstetter

AMY HOFSTETTER ’92 and Denis Hofstetter

Spencer Wilhelmsen

KRISTA WILHELMSEN and Jason Wilhelmsen

FIFTH GRADE Nora McClenaghan

Jenny and Sean McClenaghan

Daniella Zalik

Helen and David Zalik

SIXTH GRADE Jackson Allegra

Lorrie and Patrick Allegra

Martin Andra-Thomas

Sigrun Andradottir and Robin Thomas

Moksha Johnson

Erica and Andrew Cozewith Bart Leusink Elise and Tom Lowry

Brody Matthias Soren Matthias

Nicole and Brock Matthias

Elsie Middleton

Masami and Eric Middleton

India Motley

Margaret and Gary Motley

Hannah Much

Karen and Andy Much

Sarah Proctor

Holly and Palmer Proctor

Ethan Rucker

Phoebe and Thomas Rucker

Adair Smith

Elizabeth and Boynton Smith

Walker Smith

Lori Bibb and David Smith

George Thompson

Kiplyn and Gardiner Thompson

Maya Todd

Conni and David Todd

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AROUND PACE

Sydney Vincent

Jennifer and J.P. Vincent

Jovana Willoughby

Johnita Due and Mark Willoughby

Evan Elster Jordy Elster

Julie and Jonathan Elster

Jorge Gonzalez-Hernandez Angelica Hernandez

SEVENTH GRADE

Ethan Greenberg

Anna-Claire Cables

Olga and Alex Greenberg

Niko Karetsos

Lisa and Kerry Greene

Denise and Paul Cables Laura and Spyro Karetsos

Kalissa Greene Reily Hamilton

Angelle and Art Hamilton

EIGHTH GRADE Kargil Behl

Radhika and Sanjay Behl

Grace Hatfield

Meredith and BROOKS HATFIELD ’88

Emon Hill

Amalia Maxa

Laura Drohan and Russ Maxa

Cole Middleton

Andrea and Jerry Middleton

Marc Rosenthal

Lori and Brian Rosenthal

Darren Rosing

Barbra and Phillip Rosing

Jordan Steele Astria Howard

Jayden Thomas

April and Randy Thomas

Denzel Welsh

Kaprice and Nigel Welsh

Gail and Emon Hill

NINTH GRADE

Audrey Holton

Jeremiah Andrews

Allison and Curt Holton

Chase Austin

Angie and Shawn Janko

Stafford Barton

Anita and Wayne Johnson

Christian Bing

Nicole and Paul Jones

Tyler Cain

Laura and Spyro Karetsos

Jack Carson

Laurie and Michael Kogon

Grace Demba

Chari and Michael Kornheiser

Donyal and Justin Andrews MeChe and Carlton Austin Elizabeth and John Barton Tara and Calvin Bing Alisa and Heath Cain Julie and Warren Carson Jennifer and Don Demba

Charlie Janko

Justin Johnson Camryn Jones Evan Karetsos Eve Kogon

Jamie Kornheiser Anderson Lara Miguel Lara

10TH GRADE India Behl

Radhika and Sanjay Behl

Daniel Lucke

Stephanie Herbst-Lucke and Jim Lucke

Christopher Morocco

Page and Chris Morocco

Jaquari Wiggles

Amber Wiggles and Deangelo Dean

11TH GRADE Darian Howard

Krystle and Ryan Howard

Chilton Tolliver Latricia and Michael Tolliver l

PARENTS CLUB

BOOSTER CLUB

ARTS ALLIANCE

President JULIE THOMPSON

Co-Presidents FRANCES & JIM ZOOK

Co-Presidents JENNIFER DEMBA & DANA RAY

Vice President ALISON ARENTH

Vice Presidents MARGARET & BILL WARREN

Secretary MARY KELLY CUNNINGHAM

Secretary COREY HIROKAWA

Secretary LUCIE MORRISROE

Treasurer LYNN LUND

Treasurer DAVE MACRAE

Treasurer KEITH PAYNE

Past President STEPHANIE HUSK

Past Co-Presidents JENNY & MILES MARKS

Past Co-Presidents CINDY GAY JACOBY ’83 & DAVID JACOBY

2017– 2018

PA R E N T L E A D E R S H I P 12

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

AROUND PACE

r Da n g e Camp!

Pa c e Ca m p !

PACE CAMPS HELP STUDENTS BEAT THE HEAT The Pace Academy campus never sleeps. This past summer, Director of Auxiliary Programs BETH SINGLETON and her team at Pace Summer Programs coordinated more than 20 athletic, academic, art and specialty camps, in addition to four sessions of Pace Camp, for students entering kindergarten through fifth grade.

Academic camps ranged from Medieval Castle Camp, a Pace primer for new Pre-First students, to Public Speaking Camp, led by debate coaches SHUNTÁ JORDAN and ED WILLIAMS. A fitness boot camp, Junior Knights cheer camp, and football, basketball, soccer and yoga clinics rounded out the list of athletic offerings. Aspiring thespians chose from musical theatre workshops and Drama Rama, an improv experience for Lower Schoolers.

Danger Camp was back and better than ever with a new “extreme” session, while digital photography, painting and STEAMthemed sessions catered to creative campers.

In all, more than 900 students from all over Atlanta participated in Pace Summer Programs this year.

Put Your Tax-Credit Dollars to Work for Pace Academy!

If you pay taxes in the state of Georgia, you’ll want to participate in the Georgia Private School Tax Credit program. A Pace parent and tax accountant recently said, “Anyone who pays taxes in Georgia and is associated with an independent school should participate in this program!

There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.” It’s time to pre-apply for the 2018 tax year, and applications must be received by DEC. 15, 2017.

This program does not cost you anything—it’s simply a redirection of taxes you already owe to the state. It will take less than five minutes to submit your form, and payment to fund your credit is not due until March! You receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state income taxes for the amount you have already paid and a charitable deduction on your federal taxes. A win-win for both you and Pace!

Thank you to the 446 parents, alumni, grandparents and friends of Pace who contributed more than $750,000 for the 2017 tax year. Since Pace began participating in the program 10 years ago, 106 students in all divisions— Lower, Middle and Upper Schools—have benefited from these tax-credit dollars. Your participation supports needbased financial aid and helps make a Pace education available to every qualified child.

If you are new to the program, PARTICIPATION IS EASY! Visit www.paceacademy.org/tax-credit to learn more.

Submit your form electronically, or print and mail a completed form to the address provided on our website.

Deadline to Pre-Apply DEC. 15, 2017

Questions?

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

AROUND PACE

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KnightTimes | Fall 2017

AROUND PACE

I

N JUNE AND JULY, a record 68 Pace Scholars participated in Keeping Pace, an academic summer program hosted at Pace Academy in partnership with United Way of Greater Atlanta. Now in its 11th year, Keeping Pace welcomed students from Atlanta’s Peoplestown and Vine City/English Avenue neighborhoods for a six-week experience focused on academic improvement, character, fitness and nutrition.

Led by Keeping Pace Director MARTHA DOWNER-ASSAF, the program benefits from the involvement of Pace faculty, staff, students and alumni. As counselors, Pace students tutored Keeping Pace Scholars in mathematics and English throughout the summer. Scholars’ math scores improved impressively over the six-week period as a result of one-to-one peer tutoring. Scholars also made noteworthy gains in English, benefiting from six full weeks of tutoring, a new addition to Keeping Pace. This year, other courses taught included French, robotics and financial literacy, a class sponsored by SunTrust Bank.

In addition to academic work, campers participated in wellness, fitness and art classes to ensure a well-rounded experience.

They even learned the art of glass blowing from accomplished Atlanta artist and instructor Kelly Robertson.

Scholars also braved the heat and, thanks to partnerships with The Home Depot, Oldcastle Garden Center and Bonnie Plants, revived the previous summer’s vegetable garden. During the final week of camp, they harvested herbs and vegetables to prepare food for an endof-camp celebration. Scholars had a little help in the kitchen as Atlanta’s culinary elite—chefs from Local 3, Canoe and Haven—visited to share their tricks of the trade and favorite recipes.

Keeping Pace’s final week also included memorable field trips to Legendary Events’ flagship facility; Midtown Bowl; Callanwolde Fine Arts Center; and, to cap off the summer’s character-education unit, the Atlanta Falcons Training Facility in Flowery Branch.

Falcons Minority Owner Ed Mendel spoke to the students about the importance of good character in their daily lives and within organizations, specifically discussing National Football League teams.

“In the 11th summer of Keeping Pace, we worked to create academically challenging opportunities and enriching experiences, particularly in the arts and athletics,” says Downer-Assaf. “We’re grateful to the United Way of Greater Atlanta and our partners all over Atlanta for their support. We know this program makes a difference in the lives of the Scholars, their families and the Pace students, who participated in record numbers. We look forward to many exciting summers to come!”

K E E PI NG PA C E ST A F F FACULTY Lisa Dubovy Helen Hathorn Chinette Johnson Ty Johnson Clement Rouviere

Elizabeth Rucker Ryann Smith Christina Snyder Kelly Thames

STUDENTS & ALUMNI Alex Allen Adara AnthonyJones Alexis Benson ’17 Ben Bernstein Juston Cogbill Ben Crawford Taylor Doucet Richard Ellis Will Funston Realus George Cameron Hamilton Aman Hashim Justice Jackson Leah Jones Calla Kaminsky Elizabeth Marr Samantha Moreland ’17 Andrew Neville Ross Oglesby Keashawn Perryman Jason Rosenbloum

Jamaree Salyer Paula Sandoval Hannah Schrager Emma Shelton Thomas Siegenthaler Billy Snyder Bridges Spencer Parker Spillers Kennedy Tate Brianna Thomas Sydney Thomas Dominique Turner Reign Watkins Raina Williams Kendall Willis

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Daniel Frid, Eve Wertheim Frid '06, Steve and Melinda Wertheim, Meredith Wertheim Blechman '02 and Andy Blechman, Julia Wertheim Schnabel '04 and Michael Schnabel

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KnightTimes | Fall 2017

AROUND PACE

Life Trustee Spotlight

melinda wertheim W

hen STEVE and MELINDA WERTHEIM moved to Atlanta from Philadelphia, Penn., in 1988, their eldest daughter, MEREDITH WERTHEIM BLECHMAN ’02, was about to enter kindergarten, and the family needed a school home in its new city.

A graduate of UMS Wright Preparatory School in Mobile, Ala., Melinda Wertheim sought out local independent schools, determined that her daughters—Blechman, JULIA WERTHEIM SCHNABEL ’04 and EVE WERTHEIM FRID ’06—would have educational experiences similar to hers. Her husband, a product of public schools, was initially skeptical.

“Once I had decided that Pace was the place for not only Meredith but our family, I needed to convince Steve,” Wertheim recalls.

“It wasn’t difficult once he came to campus and met the faculty in the Lower School.”

So began the Wertheim’s decades-long relationship with Pace Academy—one that Wertheim maintains today in her role as a Life Trustee.

Wertheim counts art, philanthropy and education among her lifelong passions. With degrees in art history from Northwestern University and George Washington University, she began her career as a researcher for The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. A stint in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s education department followed.

With the move to Atlanta, Wertheim shifted her focus entirely to philanthropic endeavors, becoming involved with or-

ganizations such as the Atlanta Jewish Federation, the High Museum of Art and, of course, Pace.

“I loved being a Pace parent!” she says.

“I volunteered in the classroom. I chaired the [Parents Club] Auction’s acquisitions committee. I worked on the Fall Fair.”

Wertheim’s service to the school did not go unnoticed and, in 1996, she joined the Board of Trustees.

“I was so honored to have been asked [to serve on the Board], and I felt very compelled to do the best job I could,” Wertheim recalls. She soon became chair of the Board’s Advancement Committee— “because I was never hesitant to ask others to support worthy causes,” she says.

During Wertheim’s tenure, the Advancement Committee embarked on two capital campaigns: Educating for Life, which built the Inman Center, and Explore Connect Excel, a $16-million effort to construct the Middle School and Natatorium. The committee also implemented a planned-giving program.

“Melinda served on the Board of Trustees during a transformative period for Pace,” says Head of School FRED ASSAF. “The additions of the Inman Center, the Middle School and the Natatorium, as well as our tennis courts and Noonan Upper Field, elevated Pace to an entirely new level. Her leadership and fundraising expertise truly shaped the future of our school.”

Wertheim counts “watching the Middle

“Pace allowed each of my daughters to develop as individuals, without pressure to conform to a mold. They were each encouraged to follow their passions and explore new experiences.”

School and pool become realities” among the highlights of her Board tenure, and she fondly recalls working with her “mentors on the Board,” GREG DEXTER, HAYNES ROBERTS and ED FESTA, as well as future Board Chairs JEFF SEAMAN and PAUL GARCIA. But Wertheim’s favorite Pace memories have to do with time spent with her daughters—“field trips, class projects, cheer competitions… and my Pace experience wouldn’t be complete without mentioning [former Head of Lower School] ANNA VALERIUS,” Wertheim says. “Her guidance was invaluable to the early education of all three of our girls, and to Steve and me as young parents.”

While Wertheim no longer finds herself in Lower School classrooms or chaperoning visits to Zoo Atlanta, Pace remains atop her list of giving priorities, and she has incorporated the school into her estate plans.

When asked why she continues to support her daughters’ alma mater, Wertheim thinks of the Pace parents, volunteers and Trustees who came before her. “They planted the seeds,” she says. “Then, while my children were on campus, it was our turn to care for and expand the programs and facilities.

Now, as a Life Trustee and a legacy gift donor, I think about future generations who will enjoy the fruits of our labors and hope that they will be inspired to support the school for those who come after them.” l

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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AROUND PACE

In September, Pace Academy recognized members of the Knights Circle Giving Society during a cocktail party at the home of PAMELA and NEVILLE ISDELL. The event honored Pace Fund supporters who gave $5,000 or more to the school during the 2016 –2017 year. ✦

C E L E B RAT I N G T H E

K N I G H T S C I RC L E 18

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

AROUND PACE

LEE JOINS BOARD OF

AS ITS NEWEST MEMBER, WENKE LEE brings the Pace Academy Board of Trustees both professional expertise in the field of technology and a passion for “making a difference in the world through technological innovations.” Lee’s background and interests are particularly relevant as Pace pursues its 2016–2021 Strategic Plan, which identifies as a priority developing innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programming.

Wenke and his wife, JING LEE, met while attending Columbia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in computer science. They joined the Pace community in 2010, when they enrolled their son BRIAN LEE, now in seventh grade; CHRIS LEE, now in third grade, soon followed.

As Pace parents, the Lees love the small community feel that enables them to work closely with both the school and other parents. “We believe in Pace’s all-around approach to educating and developing our children,” Lee says, adding that they have learned a great deal and felt supported by the Pace teachers and staff, and their fellow parents. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have our sons growing up in such a wonderful environment,” he says.

“Pace is not just a school, but a community where the partnership between the parents and the school is very strong.”

Lee is a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as the John P. Imlay Jr. Chair for Georgia Tech’s College of Computing. Further, he is the co-director of the university’s Institute for Information Security & Privacy. Lee has also co-founded start-up businesses in network and information security. In his biography, the Institute for Information Security & Privacy describes Lee as “one of the most prolific and influential security researchers in the world,” noting that he has published several dozen research papers and won numerous awards and honors in the security and privacy field.

Lee joins the Board of Trustees after serving on the Board of Advisors for the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), which he believes is one of many opportunities Pace is creating to prepare students to be future leaders.

“What I have realized over the years is that one needs to have not only great technical skills but also strong character and leadership in order to make a big impact,” he says, adding that as a Board member, he looks forward to contributing to the ICGL and other similar, future initiatives.

Explaining his decision to join the Board, Lee says, “As parents, we are members of this community and we have an obligation to make it better, which means we all need to do our best to help make it an even greater school.”

Lee’s words indicate that the passion he has for his professional endeavors will extend further to his volunteer role as a Pace Trustee. Helping Pace, he says, “has to be a priority for every parent.” He asserts that the Pace of the future “needs to be a leader and a model” that other independent schools seek to emulate.

TRUSTEES KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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ICGL A global education for every Student

THE ACADEMY

ABROAD COS T A RI CA

JUNE 12–19

Lower School Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Director REBECCA RHODES, Associate Director of the ICGL ZEENA LATTOUF ’12, and faculty members KACY BRUBAKER and BARBARA SCOTT kicked off the summer with 16 rising sixth-graders on a study tour to Costa Rica, where adventure, culture and the 2016–2017 ICGL annual theme of climate were the focus.

The group partnered with World Leadership School, a program that assists schools in creating “developmentally appropriate educational experiences,” and stayed in an ecolodge in the country’s Chilamate

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Region, enabling students to immerse themselves in the local language and culture.

The group spent time at an elementary school in Chilamate, where students interacted with local children by playing soccer and basketball and attending Spanish classes. They also engaged in service activities—cleaning the school playground, painting lines on its basketball court and mixing cement to erect tetherball poles—literally and figuratively building on work Pace students completed during previous trips.

“I was impressed with our students’ desire to know the Costa Rican students,” Rhodes says. “They exemplified the mark of true global citizens.”

The group’s adventures also included hiking the rainforest, complete with howler monkeys and bullet ants, harvesting peppercorns on a local sustainable farm, zip lining through the rainforest, whitewater rafting down the Sarapiquí River and getting schooled on climate by an ethnobotanist.

ICGL

Summer study tours explore global climate issues on five continents.

AUSTRA LIA MAY 30 –JUNE 13 This summer, 14 eighth graders experienced every type of weather, landscape and outdoor pursuit imaginable on their two-week trek through the Land Down Under.

Led by EDEN TRESIZE, TARA HARRIS and Head of School FRED ASSAF, this climate- and adventurethemed study tour began in Melbourne, where students visited the Healesville Sanctuary, home to native endangered species, and spent a day participating in a cultural exchange at St. Leonard’s College, an independent K–12 school.

From Melbourne, the group journeyed to the Red Centre of Australia, where the iconic Uluru, or Ayers Rock, sits in the middle of the Outback.

Students camped, ate authentic bush tucker, hiked with an Aboriginal guide and took a sunrise camel ride to watch the colors of Uluru come to life.

Water ecology and climate change were the focus as students explored

Fitzroy Island and the Great Barrier Reef. Their visit included snorkeling, conversations with marine biologists and a trip to a turtle rehabilitation center, where the group adopted a turtle, named Sir Winsalot after Pace Academy’s beloved mascot. The study tour concluded in Sydney, where students learned to surf at Manly Beach and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“The Australia trip taught me to try to look at our country with the mindset of someone from a foreign nation,” says freshman LAURA ROMIG. “For example, I realized the extreme difference in the treatment of native people in Australia versus America. I also learned that being a global citizen isn’t just about trying new foods or even learning about other cultures.

It means seeing the world from a new point of view and understanding the differences, similarities and relationships between different places.”

“The highlight of the [Australia] trip was getting the chance to go to the Great Barrier Reef.

We saw amazing fish, turtles and coral while we were there. It was a lifechanging experience being able to see this climate and how it has been impacted by recent changes.”

HANNA VINCENT ’2 1

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21

NE W Z E AL A N D MAY 30 –JUNE 15 In search of adventure and a taste of the art and culture of the aboriginal Maori people, 18 Upper School students set off for New Zealand with faculty advisors MARK KNOTT, DONICE BLOODWORTH and KATY COWLES. The group began its journey in Auckland, the bio-diverse nation’s largest city, where students explored Kiwi culture via bicycle and on foot. From there, they made their way to the Waitomi Caves to inner tube through the below-freezing waters and watch glow worms illuminate the dark space.

En route to the lakeside town of Rotorua, known for its geothermal activity, the group paid homage to J. R. R. Tolkien at Hobbiton, the site of The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s shire.

Rotorua provided an introduction to Maori life, and students ventured out into the countryside on horseback and ATV to take in the breathtaking landscape. “The scenery was unparalleled—from the clear blue oceans to the snow-capped Southern Alps,” says senior SLOAN WYATT. Other adventures included biking through the city of Wellington, soaking in the thermal pools at Hanmer Springs and bungee jumping in Queenstown.

In addition to investigating traditional

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Maori artwork, students participated in a glass-blowing workshop, visited Taupo’s Lava Glass Sculpture Garden and ventured via kayak to renowned rock carvings on Lake Taupo.

“Our chaperones executed an excellent itinerary that balanced adventure with art,” Wyatt says. “It was a oncein-a-lifetime experience.”

K E NY A JUNE 8–17 In June, faculty advisors ANDREW HEACOCK (learn more about Heacock on page 32), KELLY COLQUITT and JACK WALKER traveled to Kenya with 11 eighth-graders. Intent on engaging in climate study and service, students teamed up with CARE for AIDS, an organization “working to end the orphan crisis in Kenya by empowering HIV-positive parents to live long, healthy lives.”

Students discovered Kenyan culture through visits to local communities, volunteer work at a children’s day camp and time at a sustainable farm

working in partnership with a local NGO to combat climate change. There the group learned about planting methods to prevent erosion and enjoyed a special farm-to-table meal.

Home visits with CARE for AIDS allowed students to talk with the organization’s clients about their experiences and their triumphs over their HIV diagnoses.

The group also spent a morning with young elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, visited a giraffe sanctuary and wrapped up its journey with a three-day safari in the Masai Mara Conservancy. Discussion of climate and the previous ICGL themes of food and water took place throughout the trip as students began to understand the themes in relation to human migration, farming, urbanization, industrialization and animal/tribal relations.

“This opportunity to visit many new cultures and communities and learn to love all people has taught me so much,” says freshman MARY CHILDS HALL. “I am endlessly grateful for the chances I have in my life to create change.”

ICGL

ALAS K A JUNE 4–18 Armed with knowledge of climate change and thirsty for adventure, nine Upper School students set out with ICGL Director TRISH ANDERSON and faculty advisors KEVIN BALLARD and JOE SANDOE to explore The Last Frontier.

The study tour, Alaska—Ocean to Ocean, began in Denali National Park, where students hiked, observed wildlife and learned about the changes taking place in Alaska’s fragile ecosys-

tems as the climate warms. From there, the group drove north to Fairbanks and onward to the Arctic Ocean, where the Dalton Highway ends.

The group camped in tents and truck campers on their two-week journey, stopping to explore the boreal forest, mountains, and tundra of the Brooks Range and North Slope. Students encountered wildlife such as bears, moose, caribou, musk oxen, timber wolves, arctic foxes and other small mammals.

The group also observed a variety of nesting birds and raptors.

“Thanks to Mr. Ballard’s bird expertise, I can now successfully identify Ptarmigan from 800 yards in two out the four seasons,” reports junior COLM PELLETIER. “And I learned that even though the world is so heavily populated, there are still places where you can be the first person to ever step in that spot... ever.”

“Experiencing the world like we did in The Last Frontier was unlike anything I’ve ever done,” says junior MAX CREASMAN. “Every day, there was something that left me in awe, feeling small and a part of something bigger that needs to be protected. Every day was a brush with nature and the wild, which was something I really appreciated and enjoyed.”

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H AI T I & T H E DO MI NI CAN REP U B LI C JULY 20–31 Nine Middle School students, led by Middle School ICGL Director EDNA-MAY HERMOSILLO and faculty advisers PETE POPE, EDEN TRESIZE and KIM THOMSON journeyed to Haiti and the Dominican Republic on a service-themed study tour.

Their travels began in Cap-Haïtien, where, during a visit to the Palais San Souci, students learned about Haiti's rebellion from France, hiked to the Citadelle Laferrière and bargained for souvenirs at the local market. Snorkeling, football in the surf and a beach barbecue on Amiga Island ensured students were relaxed and prepared for their trip to the Dominican Republic.

In the town of Puerto Plata, the group partnered with

Project Esperanza, an organization that serves the Haitian immigrant population in the areas of education, social aid and community development. For the third consecutive summer, Pace students served as camp counselors for the week, teaching English vocabulary and art, and leading games and other activities. Afternoons were spent with local buddies, and students marked the end of the session by coordinating a celebration for campers at a local beach.

“The highlight of the trip was befriending all the children, both our age and younger,” says freshman AMALIE LITTLE. “Seeing all the kids learn new words and cherish them warmed our hearts.”

The study tour concluded with some rest and relaxation— hiking, zip lining and exploring waterfalls—in the beachside town of Samaná.

“Because of my experiences in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, I now feel an obligation to give back to those who were born into a different situation, and overall, a different world.”

A M A LIE LIT TLE ’2 1

NEED AN OLD

YEARBOOK? Was yours lost, damaged or destroyed?

We can send you another copy!

Contact Pacesetter adviser RYAN VIHLEN for availability. ryan.vihlen@paceacademy.org

ICGL

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

CAMB RI DG E JULY 20–29 Upper School students once again crossed the Atlantic to participate in Cambridge University’s Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF) program.

Accompanied by Upper School History Department Chair TIM HORNOR, the young scholars engaged in courses covering money and financial responsibility. Topics ranged from understanding Brexit and the global burden of disease to ethical investment and entrepreneurialism. Former Pace parent NICHOLAS HOFFMAN co-facilitated the SIBF program.

Students also visited historic sites, enjoyed cultural highlights and spent two days touring London.

with contributions from JILLIAN SNYDER ’16

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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ICGL

THE YEAR OF CONSERVATION Pace Academy’s yearlong study of CONSERVATION, the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s (ICGL) annual theme, is underway. From great white sharks and gorillas to advocacy and action, here’s how we kicked off the Year of Conservation.

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ICGL

IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE! Things looked a little different when Lower School students returned to school in August. Over the summer, Lower School faculty and staff transformed classrooms, hallways and other shared spaces into the earth’s ecosystems using colorful and creative decor.

The Pre-First and first-grade hallways now represent oceans and fresh-water environments; the second- and thirdgrade floor houses terrestrial habitats; and the fourth- and fifth-grade hall serves as the treetops and sky.

Depending on the ecosystem in which it is located, each classroom has assumed the identity of an animal within that ecosystem. Students are becoming experts on their classroomsʼ species— understanding how they interact with and are affected by the creatures, climates and forces they encounter. As awareness and critical thinking grow, students will apply their knowledge and understanding to solve problems and take action in their own communities.

LAUNCHING THE ANIMAL ADVOCACY CHALLENGE The Middle School is ready to conquer the problems inherent in conservation through the Animal Advocacy Challenge (AAC). In collaboration with Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, Cochran Mill Nature Center and Blue Heron Nature Preserve, all students and teachers have joined cross-grade teams to study the conservation issues faced by one of seven species: vulture, bat, panda, African elephant, whale shark, coral and manta ray.

The AAC kicked off with grade-level field trips to the partner organizations, where students engaged with experts and learned more about their respective species. As students continue to gain knowledge, teams will work to design interventions advocating for the conservation of their species and competing for a variety of prizes.

The AAC will run throughout the first semester and culminate in the ICGL Showcase in March.

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

27

GLOBAL LEADERS

LOWER SCHOOL students and teachers commit to changing the world—one small decision at a time.

When the Lower School Conservation Cohort—Pre-First teacher LANG FIVEASH, second-grade teacher JANIE ROWE, fifth-grade teacher DIANNE WILBUR, science teacher KATIE SANDLIN, counselor KACY BRUBAKER and Director of Design Thinking MARY BETH BONGIOVANNI —traveled to South Africa this past spring for a deep dive into this year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) theme, their itinerary included meetings with advocates for conservation education.

“These individuals were passionate about making a possibility become a reality, or they had persevered in the face of enormous frustration and difficulty, or

they’d made commitments to connect with people about important projects and ideas,” Bongiovanni recalls.

Aquarist Michelle Kirshenbaum of Cape Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium shared stories of her “people resources,” individuals like Vincent Calder, who designed a hook device to remove harmful plastics from seals’ necks. Dee and Jeremy Robus, co-founders of The Little Lighthouse School in Mossel Bay, fought political battles and pushed forward educational reforms to offer an alternative to existing models of schooling.

At the Oceans Research Institute, doctoral students traversed rough surf to collect important data about great white sharks. The Pace Academy teachers participated in the research, baiting and preparing chum to attract the sharks, photographing each animal, recording individual markings,

clocking the time of approach and descent, and noting the temperature and depth of water, as well as the latitude and longitude of each sighting.

“These researchers made hundreds of individual decisions to work together for something important, something bigger than the team, bigger than each member,” Fiveash points out. “At every stop on our South African journey, we discovered dramatic examples of one person making a decision yielding a powerful result; the power of one person impacting the world.”

In conversation after conversation, the Pace team found inspiration in individuals’ stories and began to imagine what would happen if their own students could drive this kind of change.

“What if Lower School students could have the support to turn possibilities they envision into realities?”

Fiveash asks. “What if students could

T H E POW E R OF

GLOBAL LEADERS

experience what it feels like to take a stand, to be the lead for others to follow? How would it feel to have an audience hear the solutions students had created to solve a problem they really cared about? What would it be like to describe a frustration and finding inspiration to move forward?

“In every discipline or profession, in every age group, in every locale on the map, ordinary people choose to make one move that may forever change some element or event. It happens every minute of every hour of every day all over the world.”

Upon their return from South Africa, the Conservation Cohort decided to pay attention and to talk about the times they noticed individuals making a decision for the good of the group, the planet or another person. The Power of One initiative was born.

It took one week for the Conservation Cohort to observe The Power Of One in action. “Fifth-grader VAN MULLER made time to get her whole family out of the house early in order to find me and show me her copy of World Wildlife magazine,” Bongiovanni recalls. “Van had the idea that this one magazine, in the hands of every Lower School teacher, might just make some climate and conservation magic happen.”

Due to the ICGL’s Year of Climate, Muller was hyperaware of the effects of

climate change, particularly on animals.

As a third-grade participant in Pace’s JuniorPreneur program, she created a bear-proof feeder to ensure polar bears did not go hungry; the following year, she debuted Plantimals, a company dedicated to seeing that “no animal fails”; she even “adopted” a flamingo in South Africa, a real-life addition to her collection of stuffed flamingos.

“I think you can make the most impact on someone when they’re young,” Muller says. “I want to make a bigger effort to save the world, to fight climate change, and I thought the information in this magazine could help Pace teachers help students like me do that. It’s about small things that make a big difference.”

As a result of Muller’s suggestion, Pace secured a World Wildlife subscription for every grade level, with more subscriptions to follow.

In addition, Lower School teachers have pledged a Power of One commitment to change their conservation-related habits, and these pledges are on display in the Lower School.

Students are also learning how they can join The Power of One initiative and who in their community shares their goals.

This fall, Sandlin’s Power of One decision was on display for every student, teacher and Lower School family to see. Sandlin and her colleagues trans-

formed the Lower School hallways into a “ZooQuarium,” an interactive exhibit through which students scanned QR codes using their iPads to see live video from the Conservation Cohort’s South Africa trip.

“We wanted students to feel as if they were right there in the water with us, diving with sharks,” Sandlin says. In the videos, experts in South Africa talk directly to Pace students about important conservation concepts. The ZooQuarium will also be on display at the ICGL Conservation Showcase in March.

“All members of the Pace family can join the Power of One initiative by making a decision to take action and make a change that can eliminate the many threats species on Planet Earth face,” Wilbur explains. “Join us!” l

Van Muller

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GLOBAL LEADERS

J

uniors ABIGAIL LUND and DAVIS MATHIS simply can’t escape the pull of the Dominican Republic—or, more specifically, the city of Puerto Plata and an organization called Project Esperanza.

Project Esperanza serves Puerto Plata’s Haitian immigrant population, providing education, social aid and community development. For the past three years, Pace Academy Middle School teacher EDNA-MAY HERMOSILLO has traveled with students on Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tours to Puerto Plata to facilitate weeklong camps for the children Project Esperanza supports.

Lund and Mathis participated in the 2015 study tour. “We immediately fell in love, not only with the students, but also with the culture,” Lund recalls. “On our last day of camp, we promised our friends that we would be back the next summer.”

They kept their promise and returned as high school advisers on the 2016 Middle School trip. “After leaving our friends for a second time, we once again found ourselves promising that we would come back,” Mathis says. “We watched our buddies and the students at Project Esperanza grow up in just one year, and we couldn’t imagine leaving them for good.”

So, the girls recruited Mathis’s mother, JENY MATHIS, as a chaperone and began meeting with Hermosillo to determine if they could coordinate a week of camp by themselves. “It turned out that [Hermosillo’s] mother and one of her friends were going also, and we all decided to work together at camp for a week,” Lund says.

Their planning paid off and, this past summer, the group executed a successful session of camp at Project Esperanza. Lund and Mathis spent the week teaching vocabulary and music and catching up with the students they had come to know on their previous visits.

“This summer’s trip really felt like an accumulation of everything we had learned in the past two years,” Mathis says. “Going by ourselves made the trip a much more immersive experience, and gave us an opportunity to

“Our time with the children in Puerto Plata has broadened our horizons, helped to put our lives into a global perspective and taught us to better understand cultural differences.”

An ICGL study tour inspires a lifelong commitment to service.

BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS WITHOUT BORDERS 30

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

put all of our cultural knowledge from past years to the test as we called our own taxis and bargained on prices.”

Lund and Mathis are once again making plans to return to Puerto Plata—this time, they hope, for two weeks. They remain connected to Project Esperanza throughout the school year by sponsoring a student through the organization and look forward to maintaining the relationships they’ve established for years to come.

“We feel that it is impactful to serve others and experience other cultures at a young age when our global lenses are still developing,” the girls say. “Service allows us to experience a world outside our bubble and better prepares us for adulthood. But, to us, the work we do at Project Esperanza isn’t so much about service any more as it is about friendship and building global relationships.” l

GLOBAL LEADERS

ON TOUR WITH LITTLE T Y B E E ’S

Nirvana Scott L

ower School students are not strings instructor NIRVANA SCOTT’S only admirers. As a member of the band Little Tybee, Scott counts among her fans music lovers across the U.S. and around the world.

The Atlanta-based group performs “experimental, progressive folk-rock” with Scott on viola and violin. Since its 2009 formation (Scott joined in 2010), Little Tybee has toured internationally and produced four albums.

“My first album with the band was Humorous to Bees, and I recorded most of the violin parts in a basement apartment in Midtown,” Scott recalls. “Even though we’ve maintained a very do-it-yourself approach to making music, our most recent albums, For Distant Viewing and Little Tybee, were

professionally recorded in a studio.”

This summer, Little Tybee hit the road again for a six-week stint as the opening act for Chon, an all-instrumental band. “This was our first time traveling and performing with a bigger act,” Scott says. “It was very exciting!”

The tour took Scott and her bandmates, including husband Brock Scott, to venues across the continental U.S. Little Tybee performed for capacity crowds wherever they went; they even sold out New York City’s 1,500-seat Webster Hall.

“It’s easy to maintain excitement on tour because every day you’re in a new place, and the United States is strikingly beautiful to drive through,” Scott says. “Every American should drive across the country at least once!”

For Scott, a classically trained musician, the tour served as a reminder of the endless possibilities available to her young students.

“The potential for music to transform your life is unending,” she says.

Scott’s experiences as part of Little Tybee also inform her teaching and set an example for her pupils to emulate. “I never thought that I’d be a rock musician, but because of my rock background, my Lower School students learn to improvise, think creatively, ask questions and use this new skill as an artistic tool for personal expression, even if they are just beginners,” Scott says. “Nurturing joy and love for music is my passion as an educator.” l

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GLOBAL LEADERS

We are beginning to really implement that globalleadership spirit into everyday life, and I cannot wait to see that continue to develop.

FAC U LT Y S P OT L I G H T

ANDREW

H E AC OC K

GLOBAL LEADERS

D

ay in and day out, Middle School faculty member ANDREW HEACOCK helps develop the next generation of prepared, confident citizens of the world while striving to be one himself.

Heacock began teaching algebra at Pace Academy in 2009 and quickly cemented his place as a leader within the Middle School community. When the role of eighth-grade boys dean became available, he leapt at the opportunity for additional responsibility.

As a dean, Heacock serves as “eyes and ears for the administration on the ground,” monitoring everything from academics and extracurricular activities to how students are fitting in and getting along.

He recently added robotics and programming to his list of teaching topics and, in the afternoons, you’ll find him coaching volleyball and track-and-field. Needless to say, Heacock is as well-rounded as they come.

As Heacock’s role at Pace has grown, he has watched Pace’s global-education program expand and transform into the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL)—and has enjoyed opportunities the program has provided.

In 2014, Heacock chaperoned a Middle School study tour in Iceland, which made him more committed than ever to “the vision of helping expand our students’ worldview.” A 2016 trip to Yellowstone National Park followed and, this past summer, Heacock joined forces with his wife, Molly, community relations director at CARE for AIDS, Inc., to coordinate a trip to Kenya (see story on page 22).

CARE for AIDS strives to assist families affected by HIV/AIDS in East Africa by “intervening in the lives of HIV+ parents … [and] empowering them to live long enough to raise and educate their children.” The organization hosted 11 Pace students, providing them insight into its life-changing work. “I was impressed with the students’ resilience and maturity in each interaction,” Heacock recalls. “I was so proud of each of them.”

Having seen the impact of global education firsthand, Heacock has tried to incorporate that global mindset into his classroom by instilling in his students an understanding of “the power their decisions have and the importance of their roles in an ever-changing world.”

He hopes to see the ICGL evolve further in the coming years, with its annual global themes “threaded more seamlessly throughout the classroom,” and he anticipates study-tour participation to remain strong, something he values as an educator. “The earlier kids can be exposed to different cultures and other ways of living, the more I think they can internalize and live a globally minded life,” Heacock says.

Practicing what he preaches, Heacock and three of his Middle School colleagues recently participated in a four-day seminar through Where There Be Dragons, an organization that trains educators in best practices of field-based cross-cultural education and risk management. The group discovered efficient ways to plan, implement and reflect on study-abroad opportunities, equipping them with knowledge to bring back to Pace and the ICGL.” “I saw firsthand the value of giving students time and space to interact with their thoughts,” Heacock says. “My colleagues and I left with a renewed passion for student travel. We are beginning to really implement that global-leadership spirit into everyday life, and I cannot wait to see that continue to develop.”

Heacock will no doubt lead future study tours and is excited about his ability to personify the “global-citizen” model as a teacher, coach and dean. “The leadership at Pace provides great opportunities for professional growth,” Heacock says. “I am grateful for the chance to serve in these roles.”

— by JILLIAN SNYDER ’16

VIDEO

EXTRA!

Learn more about Heacock at www.paceacademy.org/media.

KnightTimes | Fall 2017

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NOBLE KNIGHTS

“As a committee, we had a goal of developing a program with a 21st-century approach to character education. The Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program uses an intentional and meaningful approach to character development, while considering students as individuals in the global perspective.”

CRISTIAN EDEN Noble Knights Faculty Committee Co-Chair

STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE IN CHARACTER EDUCATION

NOBLE KNIGHTS

THE LOWER SCHOOL’S PILLARS OF CHARACTER PROGRAM EVOLVES FOR A NEW GENERATION OF NOBLE KNIGHTS.

IN

1959, FRANK D. KALEY became headmaster of Pace Academy, a school just one year old and in need of an identity. In his new role, Kaley set out to define those characteristics that would distinguish Pace from its peers and chart the course for its future.

“It was [Kaley’s] fond hope that he could somehow imbue the teachers, students, parents and all other members of the Pace community with a certain set of values,” local writer Suzi Zadeh says in her writings about the history of Pace Academy.

Inspired by the architecture of the school’s lone edifice, the iconic “Castle,” Kaley selected the knight as Pace’s mascot.

But the knight’s significance stretched beyond aesthetics. For Kaley, the qualities attributed to medieval knights were those he hoped Pace students, faculty and staff would embody—“generosity in spirit, courage, championship of the poor and feeble, adherence to truth and righteousness over falsehood and injustice, and love of one’s land, place and people.”

Kaley chose as the school’s motto the aspirational phrase: To have the courage to strive for excellence. He believed knowledge gained in failure had equal—if not greater— value than that attained through success; that there is bravery in great effort, regardless of the result. To Kaley, “excellence” was not necessarily measured in numbers, but in a less tangible, more eternal sense.

“The entire process [of striving for excellence], of course, would be accomplished in an honorable and dignified fashion—and the rewards at the end of the process would be intrinsic and everlasting, for they would be in the form of individual enrichment and a personal sense of accomplishment,” Zadeh writes. “To put it simply, enlightenment would be its own reward.”

And so, from Pace’s founding, the school

endeavored to excel not only in the teaching of academic fundamentals but also in the instruction of character. Although it would be nearly 50 years before Pace articulated its current mission—To create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values and legacy of Pace Academy— Kaley laid its foundation and established an institution dedicated to molding both minds and hearts.

Today, character education remains at the heart of the Pace experience and, over time, the methods in which character skills are taught have evolved, taking into consideration research and best practices.

A formal character-education program has been particularly robust in the Lower School, where student development lends itself to a curriculum in which character lessons are woven seamlessly into day-to-day instruction.

For more than two decades, the Lower School’s Pillars of Character program emphasized 20 character skills over the course of two-year rotations. Each month, students exhibiting a specific skill were named Solid Citizens, with their photos displayed on a bulletin board for all to see. In addition, students who engaged in random acts of kindness or showed exemplary behavior received Pillars from their teachers, small coupons that entitled them to a trip to the Head of Lower School’s office for a congratulatory hug and a treat of their choice.

Through the Pillars of Character program, compassion, helpfulness, teamwork, manners, cooperation, patience and a host of other positive traits remained front-ofmind for all Lower School students, faculty and staff.

When Head of Lower School SYREETA MOSELEY joined Pace in 2014, she felt strongly that the Lower School’s emphasis on character education should continue. At

the same time, she wanted to ensure that Pace’s program, moving forward, reflected current research and was in step with 21stcentury models.

“In the spirit of striving for excellence, I wanted to make sure that everything we were doing—not just academics, but character education and social/emotional development—employed best practices,” Moseley says.

The Lower School was already seeing its character education program evolve through the Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s focus on Design Thinking, a hands-on, human-centered and team-based approach to solving problems for a better world. Empathy, an important character skill, plays a prominent role in the Design Thinking process.

“There needed to be alignment,” Moseley says. “I wanted to make sure we were all speaking the same language when it came to problem solving, character and Pace’s mission to create prepared, confident citizens of the world.”

So, in her second year, Moseley assembled a team of Lower School teachers and charged them with examining the Pillars of Character program, gathering information regarding best practices and visiting schools known for successful character education programming. She asked them to conclude their in-depth study by reporting on their findings and recommending a Pace-specific path forward to their Lower School peers.

Third-grade teacher CRISTIAN EDEN and fifth-grade teacher REBECCA RHODES led the committee, which also included HOLLY GIRTEN (no longer at Pace) and teachers CHERYL SCHRAMM and AMY TRUJILLO. Lower School Counselor KACY BRUBAKER joined the team upon her arrival in 2016.

Over the course of the 2015–2016 school year, the committee attended conferences on character education and child brain development; they identified school leaders in the field and reached out to gather more information; they visited schools in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, New York City and Washington, D.C.; and they returned bursting with ideas and enthusiasm for how the Pillars of Character program might evolve.

“Our visit to Riverdale Country School in New York City was particularly valuable,” Rhodes recalls. Dominic Randolph, Riverdale’s Head of School, is widely known as a

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NOBLE KNIGHTS

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WHY TEACH CHARACTER? “Character education is about the acquisition and strengthening of virtues (qualities), values (ideals and concepts) and the capacity to make wise choices for a well-rounded life and a thriving society.

Facing the challenges of the 21st century requires a deliberate effort to cultivate in students personal growth and the ability to fulfill social and community responsibilities as global citizens.”

“Our collective well-being comes through our individual awareness. Research has shown that students’ capacities beyond academic learning of knowledge and skills are important predictors of achievement, and prove useful once in the workforce. While knowledge and skills may or may not be used in future jobs, character qualities will invariably be applicable to a wide range of professions.”

THE CENTER FOR CURRICULUM REDESIGN: Character Education for the 21st Century: What Should Students Learn?

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leader in the field of international character education. He is also recognized, along with KIPP charter schools founder Dave Levin and Grit author Angela Duckworth, for launching Character Lab, a nonprofit educational research organization. Journalist Paul Tough’s book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character—required summer reading for Pace Lower School teachers—highlights Randolph’s work.

“Riverdale’s character education journey was so similar to ours at Pace,” Rhodes says. “[Randolph] walked us through their process, and we left with entirely new perspectives. We learned to approach character education through a new lens, thinking about how students envision themselves on an everyday basis.”

In addition to gathering information from outside experts, the committee looked inward. The group surveyed Lower School faculty and staff to determine which character skills should be emphasized, and they interviewed students in the third through fifth grades to better understand student perceptions of character.

“We asked students questions like, ‘When you feel proud of yourself, how do you want other people to respond to you?’” Brubaker says. “We were amazed at the number of students who didn’t want anything tangible as a reward; they wanted acknowledgment and a greater challenge, something to improve upon and work toward.”

The survey and interview results reinforced what the committee had learned: Character education, when intrinsically motivated, leads to healthier, happier students who tend to behave better, try harder and feel more confident, even in failure.

After a year of “living, eating and breathing a diet of character education,” the committee spent time reviewing their findings and developed a document they called A Portrait of a Knight, a list of recommendations for the future of the Pillars of Character program, which they delivered to Moseley and Head of School FRED ASSAF. At the top of the list was a Lower School counselor.

The following fall, Brubaker joined the Lower School staff as counselor. In her role, she was charged with working with Moseley

and the committee to develop an updated character education curriculum and oversee its implementation.

During the 2016–2017 school year, the team narrowed the list of 20 character skills to six—EMPATHY, CURIOSITY, COLLABORATION, RESPECT, LEADERSHIP and PERSEVERANCE—and defined each in relation to the Pace experience. Supporting characteristics further explain each skill in a structure that aligns with the Middle School’s character education program, Vital Signs.

The committee determined that these skills would be taught through monthly classes, class conversations, “Mindful Moments,” school-wide assemblies and community engagement opportunities.

To recognize individual students, the committee envisioned stickers stating, “Ask me about Leadership, Respect, etc.” Faculty and staff would recognize outstanding behavior with a sticker, which the student would wear throughout the day, spurring conversations about character with classmates, teachers and administrators. A second sticker would be given to the student to be placed on a collective bulletin board.

Their vision further included hallway banners, classroom signs and T-shirts, serving as constant reminders of the six character skills, and monthly videos—created by fourth- or fifth-grade homerooms—highlighting different character skills and shown during special assemblies. Brubaker would also provide parents with reading lists and resources related to each character skill to reinforce lessons at home.

They chose a name for the program: Noble Knights.

“Research shows that students who love learning for the sake of learning, who respect others because they want to be respected and who do things simply because they are the right things to do are mentally much healthier than those motivated by things on the outside, such as a grade or trophy,” Brubaker says. “Extrinsic motivation can make children feel emptiness and loss, which can lead to lower self-esteem, anxiety and depression. If we help students develop intrinsic motivation when they are young, they will lead healthier, happier and more successful lives.”

NOBLE KNIGHTS

1) Pre-First student BLAKE SHIRLEY is recognized by teacher SANDRA CHUNG and receives a Noble Kights sticker; 2–3) Fourth and fifth graders visited the National Center for Civic and Human Rights to expand their understanding of respect; 4) Students proudly wear their Noble Knights T-shirts; 5) Pre-First teacher PATTI ALEXANDER helps Pre-First student ANNA BATES place one of the year's first Pillars of Character on the new Noble Knights bulletin board.

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The Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program rolled out with the start of the 2017–2018 school year. Faculty and staff received a training manual and an introduction to the program during pre-planning sessions. They joined students in sporting new Noble Knights T-shirts on the second day of school as Moseley and Brubaker unveiled the program in an assembly. Banners and posters lined the hallways; students began displaying stickers with each character skill; and the Noble Knights bulletin board quickly began to fill.

Character education was at the forefront in other ways as fall unfolded: fourth and fifth graders visited the National Center for Civic and Human Rights to expand their understanding of Respect, and LAURIE ELLIOTT’S fifth-grade class debuted the first Noble Knights video. Read 4 Respect, an annual program in collaboration with the Pace Academy Office of Diversity, further emphasized this important character skill.

Thus far, feedback from parents, students

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and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive. “In moving from reward to recognition, we avoid unintended negative consequences,” Brubaker says. “Character education is not a contest; there’s not a winner or a loser; instead, students are validated individually based on their unique gifts and work together toward a collective goal.”

Moseley and Brubaker both comment on the number of conversations they’ve overhead between students and classroom teachers who might not normally interact.

“The stickers spur questions,” Moseley says. “A teacher sees a student wearing a sticker and says, ‘Wow, tell me how you showed leadership today?’ That dialogue is what we’re striving for. It’s a constant teaching tool.”

Moseley also credits the program’s visual appeal as a key to its success. Graphics designed by Creative Services Manager RYAN VIHLEN bring to life each character skill, making them tangible to students of all ages.

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“The Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program is kid friendly,” Rhodes says. “It works for a 5-year-old and an 11-year-old.

It’s been exciting to see it take hold so quickly. I believe that it’s truly meaningful to faculty and students alike.”

And that, Moseley asserts, is the goal: “Everything we do at Pace Academy should have meaning. We don’t do things because they’re a fad. Our goal is to create global citizens, and we are very intentional about how we navigate this process.”

In Kaley’s spirit of striving for excellence, the Noble Knights’ Pillars of Character program will continue to evolve, Moseley says. “We’ll reevaluate and reflect based on our observation of students’ responses.

We’re not going to be stagnant. Character education will always be an emphasis at Pace; it’s one of our strongest traditions. But the program itself can and should change.

That’s how we grow.” l

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“As a school, we’ve made significant strides in assessing the mental wellness of our student body and in implementing programming to support our students.”

Dr. Mark Crawford

MENTAL HEALTH FUND

New Fund Supports Mental Wellness PACE ACADEMY’S Mental Health Fund, newly established through the generosity of interested Pace families and the Class of 2017, complements the efforts of Pace’s Mental Health Task Force, formed in 2016.

The purpose of the fund is to ensure that no Pace student is prevented from accessing professional support for mental health needs because of limited resources.

The new fund is one extension of the task force’s comprehensive efforts to ensure that the Pace community is attuned to students’ mental wellness and that the school provides appropriate support both to students and the larger school family.

DR. MARK CRAWFORD, Pace’s consulting psychologist says, “While our students’ academic and extra-curricular pursuits are often the focus of conversations, Pace recognizes that nothing is more important than their overall health and well-being.”

Crawford serves as chair of the task force, which has addressed a host of issues, including programming, assessments, speakers and referrals. “As a school, we’ve made significant strides in assessing the mental wellness of our student body and in implementing programming to support our students, as well as Pace faculty, staff and parents,” he adds. “This fund is an added support to our students and enhances the

work of the task force.”

Head of School FRED ASSAF says, “Pace parents and students can always be counted on to step up and support the things that

matter to them. By creating this fund, these donors have removed the barrier of money that might keep some students from pursuing needed mental health care.”

GINNY HOBBS, a Pace parent and contributor to the fund, explains, “As a parent and a member of the Pace family, when a mental health issue challenges that family, we each are faced with the questions: ‘What can I do? What could I have done?’ We believe that support of this fund, and the critical mental health options it provides, helps to offer a way to address those questions.”

Students or parents interested in utilizing this resource may confidentially contact Upper School counselor SARA EDEN at sara.eden@paceacademy.org, or consulting psychologist Dr. Mark Crawford at crawfordphd@earthlink.net.

Additional donations to the fund are welcome; simply note “mental health fund” with your gift. For more information about giving, please contact Ginny Hobbs at ginnyhobbs1964@gmail.com, Annual Giving Director COURTNEY HARRIS at courtney. harris@paceacademy.org or any member of Pace’s advancement team. l

During Senior Honors Day this past May, Class of 2017 President PRASHANTH KUMAR (left) and Salutatorian WILL MOVSOVITZ (right) announced their class’s contribution to the Mental Health Fund as its gift to the school.

“We believe that there should be nothing standing in the way of any student going to receive help and know that this gift will hopefully create a support system for all students,” Kumar said. “The goal of the fund is to remove barriers to Pace students needing urgent psychiatric care beyond on-campus services provided.”

Parent Resources Pace parents, if you missed the October Parenting Connection program on QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.), providing parents training that is proven to reduce suicidal behaviors in teens and to save lives, a video of the program is available in the Parenting Connection section of the myPACE parent portal on www.paceacademy.org.

In addition to the QPR video, Pace parents seeking information on mental wellness and related topics can access articles, videos of Pace programs on a range of subjects, and links to other valuable resources via myPACE’s Pace LEAD and Parenting Connection sections.

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WHERE ARE THEY

A l um

NOW? ALUMNI UPDATES

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JONATHAN LEVINE ’77, a founding partner of family law firm Levine Smith Snider & Wilson, LLC, has been named president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). The AAML aims to promote the highest degree of professionalism and excellence in the practice of family law. Members of the national organization are recognized as the country’s preeminent family law practitioners.

In addition, Jonathan was included on the 2017 National Law Journal’s Divorce, Trusts & Estates Trailblazers list, a highly selective publication recognizing leading lawyers from across the country who influence change in the areas of divorce, trusts and estates. Super Lawyers named him to its Georgia Top 10 list in 2016 and 2017.

A recognized leader in the legal community, Jonathan is one of Atlanta’s top family law attorneys. He has practiced family law exclusively for three decades, handling complex, high-asset cases. He is a former chair of the Atlanta Bar Association Family Law Section and frequently lectures on family law issues. In October 2016, he received the Georgia Coalition against Domestic Violence’s Collaborate Award, given each year to an individual who has demonstrated exemplary efforts in the movement to end violence against women.

JAMES CURTIS ’90 was featured in the summer 2017 issue of the Shepherd Center Foundation’s Bridge Builder newsletter, which called him “the true definition of a Shepherd Center volunteer.”

For the past 30 years, James has been involved at Shepherd Center in various capacities—from preparing prospective donor background research to entering data on volunteers’ hours to being a member of both the Junior Committee and Shepherd Center Society. James has now spent almost 14,000 hours volunteering at Shepherd Center, a record for the hospital.

LAURA BOLLMAN ’02 is managing director of the State Charter Schools Foundation

of Georgia (SCSF). SCSF makes strategic investments in the planning, implementation and growth of state charter schools to help ensure that all children in Georgia have access to an excellent education. The non-profit foundation currently serves more than 32,000 students, leveraging public and private resources to expand educational access, opportunity and attainment.

Bollman recently earned a master’s from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus on education policy and management. She now lives in Decatur, Ga., with her husband and son.

ANNA RHODES ’06 graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Ph.D. in sociology and has begun a new position as an assistant professor of sociology at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

LARA GOODRICH EZOR ’06, ZACK EZOR ’06, MCKINSEY BOND ’06 and NICK RHODES ’08 watched Anna defend her dissertation and helped her celebrate the completion of her degree.

MCCREA O’HAIRE ’08 has founded Team Nelson, an official government-recognized non-profit that strives to send Tanzanian orphans to school. A month-long volunteer trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2016 inspired McCrea to launch the initiative.

There she met “a joyful and compassionate 8-year-old boy named Nelson, whose mother passed away from AIDS when he was very young, so he was raised by his father, an alcoholic.”

The Ebenezer Orphanage became aware of Nelson’s situation and graciously took him in, but was unable to provide him schooling due to lack of funding. When McCrea returned home, she and a friend successfully raised the funds to send Nelson to school and were inspired to grow the initiative.

Their goal is now to send as many orphans to school as possible.

McCrea and Nelson were reunited in September when she returned to Tanzania to select three additional students to sponsor and to set up infrastructure for Team Nelson

1) Jonathan Levine; 2) James Curtis; 3) Laura Bollman; 4) Grace Alexander; 5) Jack Harris; 6) Zack Ezor, Lara Goodrich Ezor, Anna Rhodes, McKinsey Bond and Nick Rhodes; 7–8) McCrea O’Haire at the Ebenezer Orphanage

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in the country. SAM BIRDSONG ’08 sent two of his business partners from DTproductions to document the visit. Learn more and support Team Nelson at www.weareteamnelson.com/donate.

After graduating from Pace, STEPHANIE WEINRAUB ’08 earned a degree in medieval literature from Yale University and a Master of Research in history from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She lives in Scotland, where she is completing a master’s in architectural conservation at the University of Edinburgh, specializing in castle conservation.

Stephanie is currently working with Adventures in Preservation, a company that coordinates tourism trips around the world for volunteers interested in restoring or preserving historic buildings while connecting with local communities. She is the project manager and on-site conservation leader on the restoration of a historic glass house outside Inverness, where the owner of the

estate maintains an arboretum to preserve endangered Scottish trees and cultivate alternative sustainable species. To prepare for her role, Stephanie took six months to research and survey the building and then craft a detailed conservation plan based on its specific needs and historical significance.

“One year ago, I went on an Adventures in Preservation trip to Kosovo as a volunteer,” Stephanie writes. “A year later, I’m getting the opportunity to run one of their projects. Needless to say, I’m feeling very blessed and grateful!”

Stephanie encourages her fellow Pace alumni to look into traveling with Adventures in Preservation. “The trips are a perfect marriage of learning about history, getting a chance to pick up or practice craft skills and giving back, while also traveling to new and exciting places,” she says. “They are just the sort of thing for interesting and interested people, which I know Pace alumni generally are!”

GRACE ALEXANDER ’10 qualified for the World Championships in the Olympic Distance Triathlon, to be held in Australia in 2018. She will be a member of the Team USA contingent. Grace qualified by finishing 15th in the nation in the women’s division at the Triathlon National Championships held in Omaha, Neb., in August 2017.

JACK HARRIS ’10 completed the Life Time Fitness New York City Triathlon in July, his first triathlon. The Olympic-distance race consisted of a 1-mile swim down the Hudson River, a 25-mile bike ride and a 10K run ending in Central Park. Jack completed the race in 2 hours and 31 minutes—a personal best!

Jack lives in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan with roommate MATT HICKEY ’10. He works for Goldin Associates, a restructuring and financial advisory firm located in the Empire State Building.

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Have something to share? email alumni@paceacademy.org

SAM WISKIND ’10 received his undergraduate degree and Masters of Accountancy and Valuation at Vanderbilt University. Since 2015, he has worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, first in Atlanta, then in Charlotte, where he helped open a new division in April 2017.

CARTER BALDOVSKI ’12 returned to Pace to teach fourth grade this fall. Carter earned a degree in early childhood education from Auburn University, graduating magna cum laude, and is edTPA certified. She also plans to pursue her master’s degree in early childhood education.

In May, MEGHAN MCCURRY ’13 graduated with honors from Rice University with a degree in biochemistry and cell biology,

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receiving awards for her independent research, teaching and mentoring.

This fall, she began to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical biology at Harvard University, funded by an award from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

While at Rice, Meghan conducted independent research with Dr. Yousif Shamoo in antibiotic resistance and antibiotic discovery.

She was a teaching assistant for both the beginner and advanced biosciences labs. At Harvard, she plans to continue research in chemistry as it applies to microbiology and antibiotic resistance.

“I’m excited to continue to improve my teaching skills as a Teaching Fellow in graduate school,” Meghan writes. “As a

result of my undergraduate research at Rice, as well as a summer internship at Merck in Kenilworth, N.J., I have co-authored two publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and have another article in press.”

In addition to her academic pursuits, Meghan was co-music director of Rice’s female a cappella group, the Low Keys.

SAM SCHAFFER ’13 graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in international affairs and was awarded a Fulbright-García Robles Binational Business Grant. Grantees, 15 total, work for 10 months at a local company in Mexico City while taking MBA courses at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

ALUMNI

“I am working in sales and development for an awesome startup called Collective Academy, which is redesigning how higher education works in Mexico,” Sam writes.

“Collective Academy has essentially designed an entirely new program—a master’s in business technology—that’s challenging the assumption that a master’s program has to be both extremely expensive and time-intensive.”

Collective Academy works closely with businesses to ensure that the curriculum is relevant to the working world and that graduates are competitive and well positioned upon graduation. The program targets young adults in Mexico who work for some of the most innovative companies in the world and helps them develop business acumen and technological skills through online platforms from the world’s best universities. Students work closely with some of Mexico City and Monterrey’s best-known business leaders, who serve as mentors and teachers. Sam conducts all of his work in Spanish.

In his free time, Sam enjoys eating his way across Mexico City. “This country is beautiful, diverse and extremely vibrant—it’s a microcosm of the world,” Sam writes. “It’s an amazing place!”

a staple. Michelle started a Junior Classical League club at TA and looks forward to taking her students to the Alabama state convention in February.

“I can’t say enough how vital a role [former Pace Latin teacher] KIM PETERSON and [Upper School Latin teacher] ELIZABETH KANN play, even now, in everything I do in my classroom” Michelle writes. “I am already hearing my oldest students hum grammar songs during their tests—ones I learned over a decade ago! The memories of how much joy and learning filled every Latin class I took at Pace inspire me every day to create the most educational, inclusive and positive classroom I can for a new generation of Latin scholars!”

BRITTANY ALLEN ’15, a third-year nursing student, spent part of her summer on a mission trip in Aracaju, Brazil, where she

was a member of a healing team from Oral Roberts University. In Brazil, Brittany made house visits, participated in a two-week medical clinic for area residents and enjoyed her interactions with the local children.

JULIA BECK ’15 spent her summer working in Calca, Peru, for Sacred Valley Project, a non-profit organization that provides boarding and supplementary education for young women from low-income families in remote areas of the Andes so they can complete their secondary educations.

Julia interned as a volunteer coordinator and enjoyed coming to know the young women Sacred Valley Project supports. She lived with a host family and traveled around Peru. “The goal of the summer was to improve my Spanish, and I definitely did,” Julia reports.

SYDNEY WILLIS ’13 is in her first year of medical school at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga. While she has not determined her area of specialty, she reports that she gravitates toward obstetrics and gynecology.

CLAIRE WISKIND ’13 graduated from Scotland’s University of St Andrews in June with a degree in Arabic and international relations. This fall, she began a master’s in intelligence and international security in the Department of War Studies at Kings College, London.

1) Siblings Sam Wiskind and Claire Wiskind; 2) Carter Baldovski; 3) Meghan McCurry; 4) Sydney Willis; 5) Sam Schaffer; 6) Brittany Allen; 7) Michelle Yancich; 8) Julia Beck

MICHELLE YANCICH ’13 recently graduated from Yale University and is now the middle- and high-school Latin teacher at Tuscaloosa Academy (TA), a PK–12 collegeprep school in Tuscaloosa, Ala. In addition to translation, grammar, culture and history, Michelle has introduced a small amount of spoken Latin into the classroom, and she hopes basic Latin conversation will become

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Over the summer, CAROLINE MILLS ’15, a junior at the University of Georgia, interned with enewton design jewelry, where she quickly discovered that she was working alongside fellow Pace Knight ERIN HORNEY GANNON ’93. Founded in 2011, enewton design creates meaningful, beautiful and versatile jewelry.

This past summer, Duke University student KATIE NELSON ‘15 interned for UniversalGiving, a San Francisco-based nonprofit started by Duke alumna Pamela Hawley. The company helps connect people to giving and volunteering opportunities through its online platform via an expansive network of domestic and worldwide NGOs. UniversalGiving vets each top-performing project with its Quality Model™ to ensure that individuals, groups and organizations have the most positive experience possible while maximizing their impact.

“The experience, even as far as nonprofits go, was unique because UniversalGiving gives 100 percent of donations to its partnered NGOs—registration fees, transaction percentages, etc. have been completely eliminated so that receiving organizations can ensure that each penny counts,” Katie writes. “The company keeps it all free of charge through UniversalGiving Corporate, a customized service helping Fortune 500 companies bolster their Corporate Social Responsibility programs worldwide.”

As an NGO services intern, Katie assisted with corporate client services, marketing and more. “It was an unparalleled summer to say the least, living and working in an unfamiliar city and being able to engage both directly, positively and critically with real-world experience,” Katie reports.

1) Elizabeth Willis; 2) Erin Horney Gannon and Caroline Mills; 3) Katie Nelson (left); 4) Ginny Reynolds; 5) Jessica Haidet, photograph by John McGillen/USC Athletics; 6) Mike Gannon (left) and Tonyia Johnson (second from left); 7) Ailisha Casey; 8) Mckenzie Baker; 9) Madison Graham

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ELIZABETH WILLIS ’15 is a third-year student at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, pursuing a marketing degree with an emphasis on digital marketing. She intends to graduate in May 2019.

This summer, Elizabeth was a corporate marketing intern with Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. in New York City, where she helped produce marketing materials, including the company’s newsletter and magazine, OPCO Today.

“The largest project that I worked on was

the generation of content for the newly built Learning Management System, an online platform that will house training and educational programs for different departments,” Elizabeth reports. “I was one of three interns who headed the project and were responsible for meeting with executives of different divisions within Oppenheimer to gather content and build interactive programs with Adobe software. This was a huge project that will be used globally, so it was pretty special to be involved in the creation of that platform. This opportunity gave me a chance to grow my network and expand my knowledge of the financial industry and the field of marketing.”

The University of Alabama named JOHN MORRISON ’14 and GINNY REYNOLDS ’15 to its Spring 2017 President’s List. AILISHA CASEY ’16 and RETTA CAROLIN ’16 were named to its Spring 2017 Dean’s List. Fulltime undergraduate students on the Dean’s List have achieved an academic record of 3.5 or above, while those on the President’s List have an academic record of 4.0.

MADISON GRAHAM ’16 has been selected to the University of Tennessee’s 2017–2018 Class of VOLeaders, a group of 19 studentathletes representing 15 different sports.

The program is a partnership between the UT Center for Leadership and Service, the Center for Sport, Peace and Society and the Athletics Department.

By using their platform in sport, studentathletes admitted into the VOLeaders Academy learn how to positively impact their teams, the campus, and the local and global communities. The program aims to inspire student-athletes to find ways to use their passion for sport and their influence to enact positive change that transcends their athletic success. Participants are enrolled in two three-credit-hour courses in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.

The final component of the VOLeaders Academy is a 10-day cultural exchange providing applied leadership and service opportunities focused on community development and social change through sport.

International destinations vary each year.

In addition to her selection as a VOLeader, Madison was selected by her teammates to be a Student Athlete Advisory Committee

representative this year. She was a Summa Cum Laude member of the Chancellor’s Honor Roll and made the First Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Miami University of Ohio named EMMA ST. AMAND ’16 to the Dean’s List for spring 2017. The Dean’s List recognizes students who are ranked in the top 20 percent of undergraduate students within each division. Emma, a psychology major, was on the President’s List for fall 2016 and is an Honors Ambassador and mentor, as well as a Phi Mu and a Sinai Scholar.

HuffPost recently published Nappy Rapunzel, a poem by MCKENZIE BAKER ’17. Mckenzie, a freshman at Wake Forest University, won the Pace Literary Prize her senior year.

JESSICA HAIDET ’17, a defender for the University of Southern California women’s soccer team, was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American following the conclusion of her Pace soccer career.

TONYIA JOHNSON ’17, a freshman at the University of Miami, won Flax Dental’s inaugural Why My Teacher Makes Me Smile Scholarship. The contest, which includes a $1,000 prize, asks high-school seniors to identify an influential teacher. Tonyia selected Head of Upper School and history teacher MIKE GANNON. “Mr. Gannon believed in me from day one and held me to lofty standards that only made me work harder,” Tonyia wrote.

“His candidness and overall intelligence was invigorating; my interest in the subject only increased… Having someone outside of your family believe in everything you bring to the table is a blessing that I believe every student should have. Mr. Gannon has been this person for me, whether it was consoling me after getting denied from a college, writing college recommendations for me or celebrating my many acceptances.”

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MARRIAGES KATHLEEN MCNEILL TRESTRAIL ’02 married John Trestrail at Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum of Natural History on April 1, 2017.

Pace alumni in attendance included ELIZABETH MCNEILL SILBERT ’99, THOMAS MCNEILL ’05, CAMILLE BARCHERS ’02, GUS BARCHERS ’07, MAUREEN SAUNDERS ECKARD ’02 and ANNA ZANE ’02.

SANDY ALEXANDER ’03 and Marie Julian were married in March 2017. TOM ALEXANDER ’05, NICK ALEXANDER ’07 and GRACE ALEXANDER ’10 helped their brother celebrate. The proud father of the groom is JACK ALEXANDER ’73.

FRANK WOODLING ’05 and Lauren Shantha Woodling were married on Aug. 26, 2017, in Highlands, N.C. Pace alumni in attendance included CATHERINE WOODLING ’00, LILA THWAITE MCALPIN ’74, R.J. MATHEWS ’75, MARY TORBERT ATKINSON ’99, WALT TORBERT ’97, LAURA RIDALL TORBERT ’03, THOMAS SHINGLER ’05, BEN TORBERT ’05, CHARLIE BUTLER ’05, CASEY SHUSTER ’05, JENNI RIDALL ’05, PERRYMAN ELLISON ’05, PATRICK DEVEAU ’05, HENRY WYCHE ’05, ALEK GAVRILOVSKI ’05, MAGGIE WINGO ’05, CHRISTOPHER PIRRUNG ’05, BRYAN GORT ’05, LIA MORAITAKIS HOOFF ’05, VANESSA PETROSKY ’05, ANDREW GARCIA ’05, BRECK ROCHOW ’05 and HENRY MCALPIN ’05.

BRIAN ABRAMS ’07 and Morgan Rhinehart Abrams were married on May 27, 2017, at the Historic Clock Tower in Rome, Ga. The proud parents of the groom are former Pace staff member DEIRDRE ABRAMS and ERIC ABRAMS ’79. KATIE ABRAMS ’10, SHARI ABRAMS MARX ’77, GARY MARX ’77, LAUREN MARX ’05, JEFFREY MARX ’07 and WILLIAM NEWKIRK ’07 attended.

GEORGIA EVERT O’DONOGHUE ’07 married Brendan O’Donoghue on July 15, 2017, at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta.

Pace alumni in attendance included CLAIRE ROCK ’06, EMILY EVERT SALNAS ’05, NATALIE UNDERWOOD SHIRLEY ’01 and BLAKE SHIRLEY ’01.

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BIRTHS Kari and MATT SWAN ’89 welcomed Sophie Joy on June 27, 2016, in Livingston, Mont.

Matt is in the lodge and outfitters business, while Kari works in medical administration.

April and STEWART GRACE ’98 welcomed daughter Evelyn Claire on June 23, 2017. Their elder daughter, Cora, is 2. Stewart is a project manager at Cox Enterprises in Atlanta.

WHITNEY INGLIS SANDERS ’98 and her husband, Taft, had a son, Hugh Norfleet, on March 28, 2017. He joins his big sister

Elizabeth, who is taking very good care of her little brother.

LIZ ANSLEY JEFFERS ’00 and NICK JEFFERS ’00 welcomed daughter Lauren Wilhemina on July 30, 2017. Big sister Sarah is over the moon.

GREGORY SIMMONS LEMOS ’00 and her husband, Rob, welcomed Frances “Francie” Christine on June 23, 2017. They now have four children under 4!

MARY LOGAN BARMEYER BIKOFF ’01 and her husband, David, had a baby boy, John Wolf, on April 29, 2017. Mary Logan recently accepted the position of editorin-chief of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME. The family lives in Atlanta.

MEG LIEBMAN MITCHELL ’05 had a baby girl, Lyra Dawn, on April 24, 2017. Meg and her husband, Ryan, grow organic produce in Freedom, Maine. “Of all the summer fruits Lyra has tried, she likes gold-fleshed watermelon the best,” Meg reports.

MILLIE LEDBETTER GREINER ’06 and her husband, Jordan, welcomed Oliver “Ollie” Dean on August 27, 2017.

1) The McNeill/Trestrail wedding; 2) The Evert/O’Donoghue wedding; 3) The Julian/Alexander wedding; 4) The Rhinehart/ Abrams wedding; 5) The Shantha/Woodling wedding; 6) John Wolf Bikoff with his mother (photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore, photography director for Atlanta Magazine’s HOME); 7) Evelyn Claire Grace; 8) Sophie Joy Swan; 9) Lyra Dawn Mitchell; 10) Lauren Wilhemina Jeffers with big sister Sarah; 11) Oliver “Ollie” Dean Greiner; 12) Frances “Francie” Christine Lemos; 13) Hugh Norfleet Sanders

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DIAMOND KNIGHTS REUNITE Several former members of the varsity softball team returned to Riverview Sports Complex for Alumni Softball Night on Aug. 9. Attendees watched the Diamond Knights defeat Holy Innocents’ and toured the new softball facility (see story on page 6).

GENERATIONS OF PACE KNIGHTS Alumni parents gathered at Head of School FRED ASSAF’S home to kick off the school year, share stories from the summer and start planning for the year ahead.

SAVE THE DATE

ALUMNI KNIGHT CAP 2018 Friday, March 23 | 7–11 p.m. | The Fairmont Save the date for the fifth annual Alumni Knight Cap! Benefiting need-based student financial aid, The Pace Alumni Fund’s dedicated cause, the evening will include a bourbon tasting and delicious fare from Dennis Dean. There will be a silent auction featuring art from Pace faculty, students and fellow alumni.

Chaired by CHAFFEE BRAITHWAITE HEILMAN ‘95 and DORSEY STINSON BRYANT ‘00 If you are interested in contributing or want to learn more about the event, please email alumni@paceacademy.org.

ALUMNI

1. JOSHUA ZANE ’00, CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00, CATHERINE WOODLING ’00, WHITNEY WHITE ’00 and LIZ TOWNSEND ’00 recently caught up over drinks at Wild Heaven Brewery in Decatur, Ga.

Out & About

2. As part of the second grade’s unit on pollination, beekeeper CINDY ROWE ’71 visited Pace to share her knowledge of honeybees with students. She was accompanied by some of her buzzing friends.

3. While visiting Durham, N.C., on a scouting mission for a conservation-themed field trip, fifth-grade teachers LAURIE ELLIOTT and SALLY FORB met with LARA GOODRICH

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EZOR ’06, operations and volunteer coordinator at SEEDS. SEEDS is a non-profit organization with a 2-acre urban garden and kitchen classroom that aspires to develop the capacity of young people to respect life, the earth and each other through growing, cooking and sharing food.

4. Over the summer, MARK ANTHONY SOMMERVILLE ’17, KENNY SELMON ’14, BRITTANY ALLEN ’15, JAYLA ELLIS ’15, KAMERON UTER ’14, Caleb Holifield, ELIJAH HOLIFIED ’15 and CHASE UTER ’15 reunited for a night of roller skating.

5. Director of Diversity and Inclusion JOANNE BROWN and Director of Human Resources ELAINE HECHT caught up with XORI JOHNSON ’16 and SYDNEY SOMMERVILLE ’16 at Morehouse College’s Career Carnival in September. Xori is a sophomore at Morehouse; Sydney is a sophomore at Spelman College.

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6. TOMMY RYBERT ’96 runs Meet Me on Peachtree, an environmentally conscious, grassroots, southern fashion-design company in Atlanta. Over the summer, he welcomed four members of the Pace community to his team of interns: SARAH ANN NINAN ’18, LACEY O’SULLIVAN ’15, EMILY SCHMITT ’19 and NICOLE SHAFER ’16.

A portion of Meet Me on Peachtree’s proceeds support The Whitney Rybert Fund, named in memory of WHITNEY RYBERT ’99, Tommy’s sister who passed away following a battle with cancer.

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A Career in

Beth Blalock ’96 champions environmental stewardship and the preservation of Georgia’s public and private lands.

CONSERVATION BECOMING a “citizen of the world,” one of the goals of a Pace Academy education, is not always easy; it requires involvement in the greater community and the world, as well as a strong desire to positively affect the lives of others. BETH BLALOCK ’96 has embraced this challenge in her career, developing a global mentality and demonstrating what it is to be a true citizen of the world, particularly as it relates to this year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership theme of conservation.

After majoring in political science and ecology in college, Blalock attended the University of Georgia Law School to study environmental policy. Following graduation, she put her legal skills to the test for Atlanta law firm King & Spalding and the Southern Environmental Law Center before landing at the Georgia Conservancy.

Blalock spent five years as general counsel for the statewide conservation organization, assisting local governments in resolving zoning and land-coast issues to protect habitats; educating landowners regarding tax benefits related to conservation; helping nonprofits and government agencies understand potential funding sources to purchase and protect land; and facilitating the conservation of public and private land in Georgia.

A stint as a brownfield coordinator for the Georgia Department of Natural

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Resources Environmental Protection Division followed and led to a role as assistant branch chief of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Land Branch. There, Blalock helped redevelop previously underutilized properties by encouraging the rehabilitation of brownfields, areas used for industrial or commercial purposes that may be contaminated as a result.

Currently, in her role as an environmental attorney, Blalock works to redevelop underutilized property and brownfields in part to reuse previously developed land and conserve green space and other untouched land. Though the legal aspects of environmental stewardship constitute her 9-to-5, her passion for conservation extends into her personal life and makes her work particularly fulfilling.

Looking back, Blalock attributes the beginnings of her environ-

mental interests to her time at Pace. As a senior, she took an ecology class with science teacher DIANE MINICK and, on a class trip to the Georgia coast, explored coastal and marsh ecosystems.

“That trip, and the class in general, influenced my decision to study ecology in college,” Blalock recalls. “As someone who found my calling in high school, I would encourage current students to think about what they’re interested in and pursue that, because it leads to happiness.”

Blalock also has a message for those skeptical of conservation efforts: “How we utilize land, both for conservation and development, has a tremendous impact on other resources, such as water and the coast,” she says. “Land use is truly tied to all of our other natural resources—it ultimately affects everyone.”

Blalock will continue to steward these natural resources as she continues to define herself as an active and engaged citizen of the world.

— by JILLIAN SNYDER ’16

ALUMNI

Calling Alumni…

Are you a leader in your community or profession?

Would an insider’s glance into Pace’s present and future interest you?

From the

ALUMNI OFFICE AS A PACE ACADEMY GRADUATE, Class of 2012, I’m more than excited to be back at Pace as the new alumni relations manager, a position that allows me to work with all of you—my fellow alumni.

All those who came before me have done a fantastic job developing events and opportunities for us, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel! However, I do have some specific goals in my new role. I want to work with the Alumni Board to ensure that all of your needs are met. I want to find our lost alumni and bring them back into our community. I want to find the pain points of our alumni experience and figure out solutions. Most importantly, I want provide the support needed to empower you to take the alumni experience into your own hands and transform it into what you want it to be.

I have a few things in the works already: I’m revamping the monthly newsletter to better communicate what is happening at Pace (make sure you have a current email address on file with the school!). I’m working to create more effective networking opportunities, no matter your geographic location. I’m brainstorming ways to get alumni more involved with students to help inspire the next generation of Pace Knights. While I’m not yet sure what some of this looks like, I hope with your help we can create a vision of what we want our alumni experience to be in the years ahead.

I encourage you to reach out to me to share your thoughts, ideas and any frustrations you might have with your alumni experience. I look forward to meeting each of you and swapping stories about our time as Pace students. In the meantime, let’s work together to move the Alumni Association forward and continue to strive for excellence.

Go Knights!

Hayley Shoji ’12 404-240-9106 hayley.shoji@paceacademy.org

Looking for a new, meaningful way to reconnect with Pace?

The Office of Alumni Relations is now accepting applications for Leadership Pace 2018!

P R O G R A M D AT E S M A R C H 2 5 – 2 7, 2 0 1 8 A P P L I C AT I O N D E A D L I N E D E C E M B E R 8 , 2 0 17 Visit www.paceacademy.org/Page/Alumni/ Leadership-Pace for application guidelines, or email hayley.shoji@paceacademy.org to learn more about the program.

“[Leadership Pace 2016] was about sharing ideas and leveraging expertise, all in an effort to support the students and advance the Pace community in big ways.”

— MARK JOHNSON ’94 Leadership Pace participant

Cagle

NEW ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS JULIANNA R U E C A G L E ’03

Hogan

Leef

A Pace Academy Lifer, JULIANNA RUE CAGLE ’03 is no stranger to involvement in the Pace community. As a student, Cagle was a member of the service club and chorus, a cheerleader for soccer and basketball, student body secretary, a senior Homecoming Court representative and a peer leader. She was even awarded “Most Spirited” as her senior superlative. It comes as little surprise then that Cagle is the new president of the Alumni Board.

“I wanted to circle back and be involved at a place that was my home for 13 years; that was important to me,” Cagle says in regard to joining the Alumni Board five years ago.

The mission of the Board is something she feels strongly about—keeping classmates connected and giving others the opportunity to have a Pace experience. The money raised through alumni events and donated to The Pace Alumni Fund goes directly to needbased financial aid and provides assistance with tuition, books, Advanced Placement exam costs and study tours.

Increasing participation in alumni giving is a goal for Cagle in her new role. “Right now, only 11 percent of Pace alumni give to The Pace Alumni Fund,” Cagle says. “I want to increase the giving percentage to be competitive with our peer schools, which have upwards of 30-percent participation. I think this is very attainable for us since we are a small community.”

Cagle also hopes to reconnect alumni with Pace by encouraging them to reach out to classmates, catch up with teachers, and attend an alumni or school event. “I challenge all alumni to do one of these things over the next year and reconnect with the Pace community,” she says.

Fundraising and goal setting are initiatives with which Cagle is very familiar as director of development at Hands on Atlanta. The organization’s mission is to inspire philanthropy and improve the city by cultivating lifelong passion in volunteers.

“My work at Pace with the service club was what laid the foundation for going into nonprofits. Pace taught me the benefit of giving back to my community,” Cagle says.

Cagle is married to Spencer Cagle and has 2-year-old twin boys, Carter and Davis Cagle.

BLYTHE O’B R I E N H O G A N ’0 3 “Pace Academy created the ideal environment for me to excel academically, athletically and socially,” remembers BLYTHE O’BRIEN HOGAN ’03. “I am certain Pace prepared me for my college and post-graduate degrees, which in turn set up my professional success.”

After graduating from Pace, Hogan earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and art history from the University of Georgia and went on to receive her master’s in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. She has been with Aon, a global insurance brokerage, for nine years and is now director of its global fine art practice.

“The way I was able to come out of my shell at Pace enabled me to have the confidence to become involved in college, where I may have otherwise felt overwhelmed,” she says.

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As a Pace student, Hogan was a Student Council representative, student body vice president, a peer leader, and a varsity gymnast and cheerleader. She fondly remembers TIM HORNOR’S history lessons, CAPPY LEWIS’S Spanish class and JANE SIBLEY’S Advanced Placement art history course, “the reason I majored in art history and love it to this day,” Hogan says.

Through her work on the Alumni Board, she hopes to encourage other alumni to become involved and is eager to see “how the curriculum, athletics and social attitudes have evolved” since her days as a student.

Hogan lives in Atlanta with her husband, Will Hogan, and their 1-year-old son, Henry Hogan.

JUSTIN LEEF ’08 “Pace Academy is where I met some of my best friends,” recalls JUSTIN LEEF ’08. “It’s a place where I could both compete in athletics and grow in the classroom.”

As a Knight, Leef was a dedicated lacrosse player, selected for the All-State team three of his four varsity seasons. His love for the sport extended beyond high school, and in 2013, he accepted a position as Pace’s varsity boys lacrosse assistant coach, which he describes as “a point of pride.”

A Pace Lifer, Leef attended the University of Georgia. He then joined Georgia State University’s College of Law and its Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. He has since worked in various public sectors, including the General Assembly and county courthouses.

Leef fondly remembers his lacrosse days, where, as goalie, he spent 10 to 15 minutes of each practice with coach MIKE GANNON. In those moments, Leef remembers “[Gannon] imparted invaluable life lessons that I carry with me today.” Additionally, a Pace trip to India expanded his worldview.

“The direction in which Pace is heading is exciting,” says Leef. “As a member of the Alumni Board, I hope to engage with all types of alumni and assist Pace in doing the same.”

2017–2018 ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS Julianna Rue Cagle ’03, President Bryan Chitwood ’93, Vice President Andrew Alexander ’04 Olivia Levine Arnold ’04 Beth Allgood Blalock ’96 Charley Brickley ’88 Tripp Foley ’99 Jenn Festa Giordano ’94 Blythe O’Brien Hogan ’03 Carter Inglis ’89 Cindy Gay Jacoby ’83 Mark Johnson ’94 Justin Leef ’08 Trey Pope ’86 Evans Rainer ’04 Matt Stone ’99 Frank Woodling ’05 Steve Wray ’88

STEVE WRAY ’88 “Pace Academy provided lifelong friendships and relationships that remain an important part of my life,” says STEVE WRAY ’88. “I am truly grateful for the opportunity it afforded and am proud to be a graduate.”

After graduating from Pace, Wray attended Auburn University before earning his medical degree from the University of Georgia and completing his residency in neurosurgery at Wake Forest University. He has been in private practice for 15 years and now serves as president of Atlanta Brain and Spine Care and as chair of neurosciences at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.

While at Pace, Wray was involved in music programs, cross-country and track, and he worked hard academically. He also met his wife of 24 years, JENNIFER WRAY, in high school. They have three children: MAGGIE WRAY ’16, JACK WRAY ’18 and RACHEL WRAY ’20.

Wray fondly remembers his interactions with Lower School teachers JAN BOEHMIG, ANNE LANE and NANCY PERRY, who remains a dear friend. History instructor TIM STRAUS was particularly influential, and Wray praises the “dedication and commitment” of coaches JOLIE and STEVE CUNNINGHAM, who now coach his son, Jack.

“As an Alumni Board member and current Pace parent, I want to be involved and give back to a school that means so much to my family and me,” Wray says.

Have you liked or joined us yet?

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

— with contributions from JILLIAN SNYDER ’16

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

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

Pace Academy reflects a vibrant community composed of many parts, we treasure the diverse passions represented within our school family. To ensure that your Pace Fund gift aligns with your Pace priority, you may now elect to support one of seven areas of need. In other words, uCHOOSE. For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/thepacefund.