Vol. 49, Issue #4

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The

February 9, 2024

Knightly News

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Pace News

February 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 2

Spotlight on Library Director: Mr. Matt Ball Photo: pacewoodrufflibrary

Mr. Matt Ball has been working at Pace Academy as a librarian for 10 years, and is now the Director of Libraries, however, students may not know as much about Mr. Ball as other faculty members, as he doesn’t teach any classes. Although you may mostly see Mr. Ball putting up monthly displays and guessit games for students, much of his work is behind the scenes, managing both the Woodruff Library in the Upper School and Soni Family Library in the Lower School.

As Mr. Ball told students in one of his assembly appearances at the beginning of the year, he studied library sciences in college. What kind of science is involved in libraries? Well courses included “reference, research methods, collection management, administration, digital collections, accessibility, archival science, digital humanities, rare books” and more, Mr. Ball said. He has always loved reading and loved the opportunity to continue to be involved in books and libraries. Although he has worked in places like

Students using the library during finals week. the University of Virginia and a Semester at Sea ship traveling the Mediterranean, he enjoys the small community of Pace. “In my previous work at university libraries, they were so big that most people specialize in one particular area,” he said. “But because our library is small and there are only three of us I get to do a lot of different things.” He spends time “testing out databases and other online resources, reviewing newly-published books for purchase, managing the budget, creating lesson plans for research instruction, managing our course guides, and cooking up guess-it games for students,” Mr. Ball said.

Mr. Ball and Librarian Mr. Marty Hamburger also have a side project of “creating a nascent archive in the library storage room.” The library has a

large collection of papers, photographs, scrapbooks, back issues of The Knightly News, Knight Gallery books and yearbooks, but they are currently held in the attic of the castle, which is not climate controlled. The library staff hope to eventually create an archive to store them.

Students mostly use the library as a place to print assignments, do homework, or hang out, but there are many unexpected tools the library has that are under-utilized by students.

On the Pace Academy website the library provides “guides for citations, assessing the news, and evaluating the media,” Mr. Ball said, as well as free access to e-books and newspapers. In the physical library, there are such surprising items as “Amazon Kindles, telescopes, binoculars, a birding kit, video cam-

eras, a piano keyboard, a guitar, a tire pump, a knitting kit” and more, he described.

Students may have also noticed the library has a special focus on mental health this year as part of Pace Academy’s strategic plan for 2022-2027, with the library providing books on mental health topics and journaling workshops, and even giving out apples to encourage students to eat healthier snacks.

Mr. Ball also previews there will be “a slew of new tools to help with mindfulness and mental wellness that we’ll be unveiling soon.”

Of course, one of the main uses of the library is simply to check out books, and though reference books for school projects often are the most checked out books, fantasy and graphic novels also take many

of the top spots. And since Mr. Ball has recently been adding a large manga collection, these books have grown more popular.

“I’m a big believer in ‘reading is reading,’” Mr. Ball said. He doesn’t care what people are interested in reading as long as they’re reading and when he heard from other libraries that their manga collections were flying off the shelves he jumped at the opportunity to add some volumes to Woodruff library.

And overall, “checkouts are up 11.4% over last year, and 30.3% over the year before, so students are definitely checking out more and more books.”

But surprisingly, his top priority is not people reading as much as possible. “I hope people will read but they should read however much works for them.

Some people simply don’t have as much time to read as other people, and some people don’t enjoy reading as much as they enjoy doing other things,” he said, and that’s okay. However, Mr. Ball tries to make sure if students want a particular book he can get it and everyone knows what new books are available in the library. “I do hope that people, especially students, keep reading as an ongoing part of their lives no matter how much or how often they read,” he said.

Germany ICGL Trip Gone Wrong Photo: Mr. Smith

On Jan. 5, 2024, eleven students and three teachers arrived in Munich for the Germany ICGL trip. Led by history teacher Mr. Tim Hornor and math teachers Mr. Jason Smith and Mrs. Heather McCloskey, the group checked into the Euro Youth Hostel and headed to dinner. With bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel, potato salad and sauerkraut, this was the first taste of German cuisine. “The food was great,” said senior Vivian Kohn. “It was cool getting to try authentic German food and I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the restaurants.”

After a good night’s rest, the group set out to explore Munich.

With Mr. Hornor pointing out the various landmarks ranging from the origin of the Beer Hall Putsch to the local Rischart bakeries, the group made its way to the Alte Pinakothek museum.

Mr. Hornor acted as a museum guide for the group, pointing out instances of chiaroscuro and orthogonal lines as well as cold-calling students to answer questions on the works they had seen in AP Art History. Housing the famous portrait of Albrecht Durer and other Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces, the museum was breathtaking.

Waking up early the next morning, the group took a bus ride to Füssen where they saw the Neuschwanstein castle. After

The Germany ICGL group poses in front of the Berlin Philharmonic. a short horse carriage ride up to the top of the mountain, the group was met with a stunning view of a snow covered castle.

“My favorite part of the trip was visiting Neuschwanstein castle outside of Munich,” said junior Nicholas Demba. “It was a super cool place to see both inside and outside.” Inside the castle, the group was met with the lavishly decorated home of king Ludwig II of Bavaria. Though the castle remains unfinished, it boasts elaborate paintings and meticulous decorations that would leave anyone in awe. “The German castle was so breathtaking it made my dome piece tingle,” said senior Mac Barnette.

After a quick detour to Nuremberg, the group was met with its most formidable foe: German fries. With outrageous prices and questionable fries, the students were upset. “I hate that fry place in the Durer town,” said Barnette. “Their fries were so dusty I didn’t even finish my food.” Aside from the food, Nuremberg was an enjoyable city that housed Albrecht

Durer’s former house, turned museum.

The next day, the group took a train to Berlin and checked into the Grand Hostel Berlin.

“The hostels were a fun experience, but they were pretty small with only a couple showers,” said Junior Reid Richardson.

“We were all rooming together so it made it much more enjoyable.” The group then set off into the slick, icy sidewalks of Berlin.

After a short walk, Mr. Hornor led the group to the Reichstag building. With the glass dome, the group saw an incredible view of the whole of Berlin. With the glass floor of the building, Mr. Hornor explained how the Reichstag was a representation of democracy for Germany.

Anybody could look down and see the government officials at work. That evening, the group went to see the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic orchestra.

“I really enjoyed seeing what high-level playing looked like,” said senior Joe Shippen. “It gave me something to look up to an model my own playing after.”

On the final day, the group visited the Neue Museum, hosting many ancient Egyptian sculptures and paintings. “My favorite museum was the one with the ancient civilizations stuff with the mummies,” said senior Mac Warren. After the museum, Mr. Hornor introduced the group to his cousin, Gregor Menke. With one final German dinner, the group was ready to return to Atlanta.

Unfortunately, the flight back was not so smooth. After a quick flight landed the group in Amsterdam, the layover flight to Atlanta was unfortunately canceled due to a KLM airplane malfunction. With a new plan to fly back to Atlanta from Frankfurt, the next two day’s worth of flights were canceled due to snow and black ice. With the luggages being buried in the Frankfurt airport, the group was without a change of clothes for three days. Despite the airplane troubles, both the students and teachers still made the most of the situation. “Although getting three flights canceled and being

stuck in the airport for 3 days was frustrating, it brought our group even closer together,” said senior Ellie Arenth. “Many of my favorite memories of the trip happened during those days.”

On the fourth day, the plane was delayed due to de-icing but made it back to Atlanta with relatively little hiccups. “I’d say we crammed a dozen years’ worth of travel snafus into one 3 day period,” said Mr. Smith. “In the previous dozen or so trips, we’d had maybe one slightly delayed plane and that was it.”

Mr. Hornor still plans on returning next year, despite all of the unfortunate circumstances this year. “This year was the first in which we had major logistical issues, whether it was the German transportation strike, the farmer’s strike and then the airline dysfunction and then the weather making it a challenge to get back. My hope is to not fly KLM again. Delta was great and really did everything in their power to get us home,” said Mr. Hornor. “I really like the itinerary of our trip, the core of which remains stable, though my hope is to return to the Nuremberg Courtroom where Hermann Göring, Rudolf Hess, Martin Bormann and the rest of the Nazi elite were tried by an international tribunal from 1945 to 1946…What has made the trip special is the different mix of students we have brought each year, with each group memorable, different, and yet incredibly interested. The students make the trip!”

Pace News

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The Knightly News - Page 3

5 Minutes with Two Shades of Brown

Photo: Dylan Popo

KN: What’s the meaning behind two shades of brown?

Prabhavh Pradeep: How about you say it Dylan?

Dylan Popo: Um, can we, hmm PP: Make sure to quote him.

Dean Castillo-Woods: Direct quote.

DP: Two Shades of Brown mm mmm. Ummm PP: Said Dylan.

KN: Ok, next question.

Kahil Shankar: Oh Etan said to put that question right?

KN: Nah, Etan’s question was: “has someone ever walked in on you going through the motions?”

PP: Bro he does bruh. All the time.

DP: Yes. Uhh, usually at least like 2 or 3 times a week someone will find themselves wandering through the Tik Tok stairwell and they’ll be blessed with…

PP: With live performance.

DP: Yeah with live performance.

KN: Why is the Tik Tok stairwell the best place to film?

DP: Uhh… DCW: It’s lighting.

DP: It has good lighting and no one ever goes there.

KN: But you just said that you’ve been walked in on before?

DP: That’s true. It’s like the least frequented stairwell.

PP: Indeed.

DCW: Least amount of heads.

DP: Yes. KN: Alright. Where do y’all get the inspiration for your incredible moves?

PP: Briyani Bandit.

DP: Nah, not Briyani Bandit.

What should we say? Say, um, say we find that dance is the way for us to express our feelings. Trust. Make it something emotional.

PP: Emotional release.

DP: Yeah it’s an emotional release from the stress of school.

It’s a great way to relax and unwind.

Two Shades of Brown members Dean Castillo-Woods, Dylan Popo, Kahil Shankar and Prabhavh Pradeep pose in front of the Spirit Week banner.

KS: Yeah that’s very true.

PP: And let the juices flow.

KS: It’s a way to let the creative juices out.

PP: All creative juices.

KS: All types of juices.

PP: All types of juice. We don’t discriminate. Two shades of juice if you will.

KN: How do you have so much motion?

DP & DCW: Mmmmm PP: Some say we were born with it.

DP: That’s what they say.

KN: Who is y’all’s dream collab?

KS: Can we just say Briyani Bandit?

PP: Nah nah nah. That’s not the dream collab.

DP: Yoo. PP: Dream collab. Um, Mathlete 69.

DP: Should we name a teacher?

PP: Tim Hornor?

KS: Oh Haizlip or Hornor.

DP: Tim Hornor would like investigate our moves or something. Let’s say Charlie Bryant.

KS: No bro.

DP: Don Dupree bro?

KS: No, let’s say Ermides?

DCW: No, noo dude.

DP: Lucas Paqueta? We want to hit Brazilian funk with Lucas Paqueta.

PP: Yeah that’s tough.

DP: Who else? Should we say like — not Charlie D’amelio.

Who’s like a famous Tiktoker?

DCW: Tbvnks?

DP: Timo Hendriksen?

DCW: Timo Hendriks.

PP: Bro they are gonna look him up bruh.

DP: Hood vegan.

PP Bro who’s hood vegan?

DP: Bro he makes the best TikToks.

PP: No he does not.

DP: Bro I’m sending you hella hood vegan TikToks right now.

Yo look at your Tik Tok right now.

DP: Daniel Owens?

KS: Why don’t we just put it out there. Just say like…

DP: Dr. Abu. PP: Abuuuuu.

DP: Dr. Abu, Theo Von. KS: Theo Von is so..

DP: Mac Warren?

KS: Lowkey we should make one with Mac. DP: We should.

KN: What do your parents think

about your Tik Tok?

lin Saint. Franklin Saint bruh.

DP: My mom actually loves it. I show her every single one.

PP: My dad appreciates it a lot.

DCW: My mom approves.

KS: My whole family appreciates it.

KN: Mmmm.

KN: Last question, what are the plans for the future, considering that y’all are all seniors?

KS: We are going to move to the Hype House.

PP: Yeah yeah yeah. We are creating our own content house.

KS: We’re all gonna buy a house together and create TikToks.

PP: We are creating a content house based in the Hamptons KS: Based in what?

PP: The Hamptons.

KS: Bro the Hamptons? Most of them are in LA though.

PP: Yeah. We’re different.

DP: Vik blends bruh. Bro, hood meals, hood meals.

DCW: Oh my god, hood meals?

DP: Charlie D’amelio though?

Wait, Jason Love, Jason Love.

DCW: Oh yeah, say that.

PP: Wait Jason love is — nah.

Don’t say that.

KS: Bro say like. Bro say Frank-

DP: Nooo.

PP: That’s crazy.

DCW: Oh um, Mr and Mrs. um Bomboclatt.

DP: Bro, I love them bruh.

PP: Nah we gotta be on something real now. Imma make a good decision.

PP: No I’m thinking like, um, it might have to be a teacher.

KS: Let’s do jerseyjoe bruh.

PP: Jerseyjoe is actually fire.

KS: Yeah I know.

DP: Should we do jerseyjoe?

KS: Let’s just do jerseyjoe bruh.

PP: 2raree?

DP: Yo I love 2raree.

PP: Do that, do that.

KS: Yeah let’s do 2raree bruh.

DCW: Please don’t do 2raree bro.

DP: Lowkey 2raree does do all our dances.

DCW: Wait, why didn’t we just do jerseyjoe?

PP & KS: Yeah.

DP: Do jerseyjoe or 2raree bruh.

PP: Jerseyjoe makes more sense.

DP: Yeah bet.

KN: Thank you for this incredible interview.

From Teachers to Students: Inside the PAPUBA Tradition

Photo: Jackson Hurd

Everyone receives the weekly Thursday email from science teacher Mr. Kevin Ballard about PAPUBA, but what really is PAPUBA? This acronym stands for the Pace Academy Pickup Basketball Association.

The league was started over two decades ago in the early 2000s by math teacher Mr. Jason Smith and an English teacher who is no longer part of Pace.

They started the association because they wanted more chances to play pickup basketball during the day. The group plays early mornings on Fridays because of the constraints of gym availability during the busy volleyball

Students starts the day off strong with some morning basketball. and basketball seasons.

Taking the reins from Mr. Smith, Mr. Ballard now spearheads the league after Mr. Smith stepped down a couple of years ago after COVID-19. Open

to everyone, though recently frequented by junior and senior students along with a handful of teachers, PAPUBA has become a cherished tradition. Senior Lane Canova said, “I enjoy getting

my Friday off to a great start by playing basketball with my friends against faculty.”

Beyond the court, PAPUBA is a great way to be active and build relationships and get to

know faculty members outside of the classroom. From the castle offices to the maintenance crew, faculty members from diverse departments converge in the morning competition. Being active in the morning has many proven benefits. Physical activity can enhance energy levels, increase productivity throughout the day, and is associated with improved cognitive function.

Little do people know, there is a regular season and a postseason in the PAPUBA league.

The regular season ends the week of GAP day during the seniors’ last official week of school. The post-season occurs in May, but the most committed seniors are still expected to go.

So in the words of Mr. Ballard, “Basketball Friday morning at 6:15am in Boyd Gym. Be there.”

Current Affairs

Febuary 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 4

Russia-Ukraine War Continues to Develop with No End in Sight In early 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the

Photo: Flickr

initial invasion, there has been an ongoing war between the two countries, with no end in sight.

On Dec. 29, 2023, Russia launched a large aerial attack against Ukraine, bombing multiple cities, including the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Odesa and Kharkiv, killing over 20 and injuring many more. In response, Ukraine dropped missiles on Belgorod, a Russian border city, killing 25 people. Overall, there has been a noticeable preference for aerial attacks by Russia recently. This marks a shift in the war. Initially Ukraine had taken a more defensive stance in response to the attacks, however, in this case they responded to the assault with an assault of their own. Due to the recent attacks on Belgorod, much of the city had been evacuated in the past days, including hundreds of children.

Currently, Russia occupies some of eastern and southeastern Ukraine. Russia has implemented a variety of changes in the territories they occupy, changing the government to a Russian administration. The citizens have been essentially cut off from the outside world and the news, being only allowed to listen to

Cities are destroyed by the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Russian propaganda.

Early this year, Russia and Ukraine held the biggest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the war, facilitated with the aid of the United Arab Emirates.

Ukraine regained 230 prisoners of war, and Russia regained 248 military prisoners.

Due to the recent aerial attacks, many citizens have left both countries as refugees. Up to 40% of citizens in Russian occupied Ukraine have fled the country. Many have gone to other eastern European and cen-

tral European countries. Poland has taken the most refugees, approximately 139,000.

The Russian draft of 300,000 citizens has caused many to flee the country, in an effort to avoid the war. Russia’s current draft age is from 18-30, increased recently from the previous 18-27.

Ukraine, on the other hand, has seen a new proposal to their draft law. In an effort to gain 500,000 people for the military, the proposal suggests lowering the draft age from 27 to 25.

There have been allegations

of Russia attacking Ukraine with North Korean missiles. These allegations are based on the fact that Russia and North Korea have long been allies, and some suggest that North Korea would supply Russia with missiles, in an effort to use Ukraine as a testing ground for their nuclear technology.

Both countries have suffered similar numbers of casualties, an estimated 3,000 for each. The United Nations will propose funding Ukraine with 3.1 billion dollars in the war next week.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has also stated that they will continue to aid Ukraine.

Additionally, Ukraine is receiving aid from other European countries, including Lituania providing Ukraine with 200 million euros for the war.

Russia has also received aid from allies. Iran developed a new military drone for aerial attacks that was given to Russia.

Due to the continuous developments, it is likely that the conflict will not be resolved anytime soon.

container ship by the name of Maersk Hangzhou was under attack by numerous Houthi vessels. Shots were fired and the militants attempted to board the ship. However, a security team onboard the ship made sure no Houthi could successfully board and fended off the rebels. In a short time, U.S. naval ships rushed to the scene to aid the vessel and eventually a majority of the Houthi ships were sunk.

The U.S. has not been sitting idly while their navy has been under attack. Back in December, sanctions were made against numerous individuals and entities that were believed to be funding the Houthis. Along with sanctions, the U.S. has formed several naval coalitions to combat the aggression. Even though the Defense Minister of Iran Mohammed Reza Ashtiana threatened the U.S. and declared that a naval coalition meant that the U.S. would face severe problems, the U.S. formed a twenty plus country coalition. The operation to respond to Houthis by the coalitions is called Operation Prosperity Guardian and

this operation has already seen devastating strikes in retaliation to enemies of the U.S. and the

coalition.

The coalition and the world is depending on the swift demise

of the Houthis as they have delayed world shipping and created fear throughout the world’s seas.

Tensions Continue to Increase Between Western Powers and Houthi Militants

Photo: New York Times

Starting back in October 2023, a militia group known as the Houthis began attacking military and cargo ships off the coasts of Yemen. The whole conflict is sparked from Hamas’ invasion of Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, when U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, moved the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean. In retaliation to the U.S. Navy, the Iranian-backed Houthis launch multiple cruise missiles and drones towards the strike group and towards Israel as the Houthis backed Hamas.

A month later, a U.S. unmanned aircraft was shot down by Houthis militants and a cargo ship was seized. The acts of violence would not stop as in December, more missiles and drones were fired at both military and commercial ships, some even striking their target.

Right before the new year, a

Houthi militants rallying the day after the U.S. led coalition struck Houthi held sites in Yemen.

Current Affairs

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The Knightly News - Page 5

The Future of Entertainment is Here!

Photo: JD Maske

Photo: #Wikimedia Commons

structure in the world, its exteCo. According to Yahoo, on rior is covered in 580,000 square Dec. 5, 2023, Sphere Entertainfeet of LED lights that can be ment “provided a glimpse at seen from space. On Sept. 29, the finances of James Dolan’s 2023, its opening night with U2 $2 billion Sphere project in was enjoyed by 17,385 people, Las Vegas in a new Securities the amount that the venue holds.

The Sphere, located on the and Exchange Commission.”

Las Vegas Strip, is groundbreak- Not only will the Sphere be utiIn summary, Sphere Entertainlized for concerts ing in immersive entertainment began its but will also host ment. Combining centuries old “The Sphere was one quarter on Sept. sporting events mathematical formulas with of the coolest places I’ve 30, 2023 with and other wide new technology and engineerbeen around. Being sur- $433.5 million in ing, the Sphere’s first design was ranges of experi- rounded by screens that cash, including ences. constructed by James Dolan, $123 million from can manipulate in any The Sphere, the executive chair of Madison way is so mesmerizing.” advance ticket along with MSG Square Garden and owner of the sales. However, Networks, is New York Knicks and Rangers. the company’s part of Sphere Entertainment Being the largest spherical debt of $1.2 billion is sending shareholders into a frenzy after such information was released to the public. Between Sept.

30, 2023 and Oct.11, 2024, “under the terms of the MSGN deal, $103.1 million in required quarterly amortization payments are due,” according to Billboard.

CEO James Dolan addressed the situation and has hope for the company moving forward in 2024 with their upcoming lineup of the bands Phish and U2.

Mixed reviews and thoughts about the Sphere have scattered over social media in its beginning days of being open. Some The Sphere mimics the moon in Las Vegas. think that it’s obnoxious and

The Sphere’s exterior illuninates as fans enter the venue. too bright, while some think it’s mesmerizing and are in awe of the 160,000 square feet media plane that presents endless possibilities of images to immerse you on another planet. Senior JD Maske attended the U2 show in December, and said “the Sphere was one of the coolest places I’ve ever been. Being surrounded by screens that can manipulate in any way is so mesmerizing. The Sphere and U2’s music was a

once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The old saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” has lived up to its meaning.

Creators in London talked about making a similar Sphere in London, England for people across the seas to experience. However, this proposal has received much backlash from the UK government but has not yet ceased the idea entirely.

Jeffrey Epstein’s List has been Released

The suspicious structure on Epstein’s Island in the BVI.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: New York Daily News

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pose for a picture.

viduals mentioned in the depositions were Bill Clinton, Stephen Hawking, Michael Jackson, and David Copperfield.

Epstein’s sex trafficking ring was run mostly through his private island in the British Virgin Islands. After Epstein was convicted his properties were seized. His island in the BVI had a very unusual structure atop it.

The building was blue-striped and had a golden dome atop it. There are many speculation theories about this structure, like that it was the location of many unorthodox religious practices or that it was where Epstein’s illegal activities took place.

During Epstein’s deposition, he did not say much. A Forbes article stated, “199. That’s the number of times Jeffrey Epstein pleaded the fifth during his deposition by Giuffre’s lawyers in September 2016, exercising his constitutional right preventing self-incrimination.” Epstein could not say much because every question in the deposition would incriminate himself if he told the truth.

Many of the names mentioned in the depositions have nothing to do with Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. These names were listed because Epstein flew many people on his plane and had many visitors to his house and private islands. However, some names mentioned on the list had very strong implications.

One of the names mentioned many times was Bill Clinton.

Clinton was friends with Epstein and flew on his private jet frequently. In an article about the deposition, CBS said, “Clinton’s name also came up in Sjoberg’s deposition. She did not accuse him of any wrongdoing, but said

Photo: The Daily Wire

Jeffrey Epstein, a prolific businessman, was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute in July 2006. Before Epstein was arrested he worked in finance and started his own firm.

Epstein was very wealthy and owned multiple private islands, a jet, a house in Palm Beach, a ranch and many other properties. He was friends with many celebrities and wealthy individuals including Prince Andrew and former president Donald Trump.

Ghislane Maxwell was romantically involved with Epstein in the early 90s and was involved with his criminal charges.

Epstein pleaded guilty to

two felony prostitution charges, resulting in 18 months in prison, and paid restitution to three dozen victims identified by the FBI. He also had to register as a sex offender. He died in jail on August 10, 2019, after 35 days.

Ghislane Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Epstein run his teen sex trafficking ring, a much harsher punishment than Epstein.

Epstein and Maxwell underwent many rounds of depositions, which are being made public now. In the depositions, any act of sexual nature was referred to as a massage. In an article from CBS they wrote, “In the deposition, Recarey states that he interviewed around 30 girls who were either asked to or gave massages at Epstein’s home.” These depositions also implicated many public figures in a negative light. Some indi-

Epstein’s Residence sits in New Mexico. that Epstein told her “one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.” Clinton has since denied all allegations and has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Clinton has also not had any contact with Epstein in the last 20 years.

Another one of the names mentioned frequently in the depositions was Prince Andrew.

The Prince settled a lawsuit in 2022 for an undisclosed amount.

He and Epstein were charged

by Virginia Giuffre for sexually abusing her as a teen. Another woman also came forward and said that the Prince groped her.

However, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying these charges were “categorically untrue.”

Stephen Hawking was also mentioned in relation to multiple illegal activities. In an article written by The Guardian about Epstein’s deposition it said, “Epstein told Maxwell to offer a reward to any of Giuffre’s “friends, acquaintances, family” who could prove false an allegation that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy.” Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018 and has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Many more documents are still being released involving the Epstein depositions. All of the documents and names will be released on January 22, 2024.

Current Affairs

February 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 6

World’s First Partial Heart Transplant Proves Successful partial heart transplant was performed on a pediatric patient in New York. Although this surgery wasn’t the first partial heart transplant, a domino procedure had never been attempted. Pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. David Kalfa said “Having these living and growing valves is the Holy Grail in pediatric cardiac surgery because none of the current options to replace heart valves in children have a growth potential.” If someone with weak heart muscle but healthy values gets a full heart transplant and then therefore donate their healthy heart values to someone who needs it.

“This innovation adds a lot to the whole donation community,” Turek said, “because it’s treating more kids, while also honoring the wishes of selfless donor parents who’ve given the ultimate gift. It allows them to offer hope to another child in the process.”

With the new year comes new leadership for prestigious colleges Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, as both of their presidents resigned in the final days of 2023.

The former President of Harvard, Claudine Gay is a New York native who attended Harvard and Princeton University and taught at Stanford University prior to returning to her alma mater in 2006 as a professor of governmental studies. She transitioned to teaching African American studies in 2007 and was appointed the President of Harvard in July of 2023.

The former President of Penn, Liz Magill, originally from of North Dakota, is a University of Virginia and Yale University graduate and legal scholar. Her resume includes serving as the dean of Stanford Law School and Provost of the University of Virginia. She was appointed as president of Penn in July of 2022.

Along with President Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Gay and Magill attended Capitol Hill on December 5, 2023 to speak before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. The title of the hearing was “Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Anti-Semitism” as a result of increasing acts of antisemitism

on campuses since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“The presidents’ opening statements were broadly similar: They condemned the Hamas attack and antisemitic incidents on campus, discussed their free speech policies and vowed to work immediately and in the long term to combat hate in all forms,” reported NPR’s Rachel Treisman.

All the noise surrounding this trial stemmed from the following question asked by representative Elise Stefanik: “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [the university]’s code of conduct?”

To this, Gay answered, “It can be. Depending on the context…The rules around bullying and harassment are quite specific. And if the context in which that language is used amounts to bullying and harassment, then we take action against it. When speech crosses into conduct, we take action.”

Magill responded similarly.

“If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment, yes.

If it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman.”

Upon repeated questioning, neither Gay nor Magill explicitly answered “yes,” leading to an uproar of media around the world. Within minutes of the trials’ end, both women faced the wrath of the public for their testimonies.

On the morning of Dec. 7, Magill issued an apology video, where she expressed her

regret regarding her testimony.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The Penn trustees met for an emergency meeting on the same day and a petition was signed by 18,000 Pennsylvanians saying that, “the time for apologies is over. It is time for Magill to step down.” On Saturday, Dec. 9, Liz Magill officially resigned. “It has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution,” Magill mentioned in her final statement. “It has been an honor to work with our faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members to advance Penn’s vital missions.”

Shortly after the trial, Gay had an interview with The Harvard Crimson. “What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged. I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures.”

Gay faced further criticism as the academic integrity of her works began to be questioned on Dec. 9 when she was accused of plagiarizing some of her early academic work. Gay denied these allegations in an op-ed article published by The New York Times, saying that she still stood by the “integrity of her scholarship.”

Upon further review, the Harvard Corporation agreed that while Gay’s works “revealed a

Photo: The Seattle Times

The world’s first partial heart transplant, performed in spring of 2022 on an infant who needed a heart replacement, proved successful with functioning values and arteries. Prior to this innovative surgery, the procedure used non-living valves, which require frequent replacements, surgeries, and usually has a 50% mortality rate. The infant, Owen Monroe, had what is known as truncus arteriosus which links to the single valve’s dysfunction. Over half of all children with the rare heart condition die before they are 6 months old. Owen Monroe was only 18 days old when he received the surgery. Because his new values and blood vessels kept up with his growth, he might not need more risky heart surgeries in the future. Since

Owen, there have been 12 more partial heart transplants.

This study was led by Duke Health physicians. Duke’s chief of pediatric cardiac surgery Dr. Joseph W. Turek said, “This publication is proof that this technology works, this idea works, and can be used to help other children.”

There are still many risks that come with this transplant.

Medication is necessary to suppress the immune system so that the recipient will not reject the transplanted parts of the heart.

A goal of the study is to refine Owen’s regimen of medicine because some of the drugs can be life-sustaining and leave people vulnerable to cancer and infections.

This innovative surgery is only the first step in advancing cardiac surgery. It could potentially lead to domino heart transplant where one heart can save two lives. In May 2023, the first-ever “domino” infant

Owen Monroe recovers and lives a more normal life after a lifesaving surgery.

Harvard’s Claudine Gay and Penn’s Liz Magill Resign: Lasting Effects to Come 2024

Photo: PBS Claudine Gay addresses the audience at Capitol Hill on Dec. 7, 2023. few instances of inadequate citation” they did not violate “Harvard’s standards for research misconduct.” Although the allegations were not taken much further, The Washington Post mentioned that this event was the “final nail in Gay’s coffin.”

On Jan. 2, Gay resigned from her position in a letter to the Harvard Community. “It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. After consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.” Gay will return to her previous teaching position, and the search for a new president is underway.

In the meantime, Provost Alan Gerber will serve as the interim president.

The resignations of Gay and Magill will bring change to the admissions and community of Penn and Harvard. In a study

by CNBC, it was found that the early applications at Harvard have fallen 17%: 7,921 students applied this year compared to 9,553 last year. The universities will also face a major decrease in funding. It was reported that since Magill’s trial, Penn has lost over 100 million dollars from its donors.

Beyond Harvard and Penn, these events will affect higher education across the country as high school students decide where they want to apply. The resignations of Magill and Gay have and will continue to shake up the world of education that we know.

Valentine’s Day

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The Knightly News - Page 7

Revisiting Graduated High School Sweethearts Is it possible to find true love in high school? A high school sweetheart is described as when a couple meets throughout high school and sustains a relationship after high school along with getting married. Pace Academy possesses a few relationships that have continued after high school.

To begin, Karina Khouri

Belinfante, Class of 1995, and Josh Belinfante, Class of 1995, met on the first day of their Sophomore year. Josh served as Karina’s welcome buddy to adjust to Pace, as she was a new student. The pair shared classes, such as English and science. Their relationship officially started at the end of their eleventh-grade year, and they continued dating throughout the rest of high school, college, and graduate school. “We have both changed since high school... Josh was the wilder one then,” notes

Karina, reminiscing on favorite memories of pranks in the Upper School library in the former Bridges Hall. “He was fun-loving and willing to get kicked out of places for the sake of a good joke or laugh.

Today, the Belinfantes have three children: Cole Belinfante ’24, Ian Belinfante ’27, and Liv Belinfante ’33, all enrolled at Pace Academy.

The second pair, Jared Paul, Class of 1990, and Kelley Harris, Class of 2000, met in 2004 at a Fateful Design Industry event.

At the moment, Kelley thought Jared was handsome,. distinguished and dapper. Jared says, “It sounds completely corny, but it was love at first sight!” In their Pace Academy career, they did not date because of their age difference, but later they dated for 11 years before saying I do. They recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

The final pair, Lara Goodrich Ezor, Class of 2006, and Zack Ezor, Class of 2006, saw each other for the first time in middle school. They became

good friends and began dating in their sophomore year of high school. Despite moving across the country for college, the pair stayed together.

They later married in 2011 and had their first son, Samuel, in 2020. Lara recalls her favorite story of Zack was from Spirit Week: “Zack worked so hard on the preparations one year that he crashed afterwards, took a super long nap, and slept through my birthday dinner. I’ve never let him live it down!”

♥ ♥ ♥

Jared Paul and Kelley Harris have fun with pig glasses.

Lara and Zack Ezor attend a Bar Mitzvah in middle school.

Karina and Josh Belinfante pose for a picture as they are dressed up.

The Best Rom-Coms to Watch on Valentine’s Day girl at a bar on a date. Throughout the movie, you can find that all of the stories are connected in a way and that love can happen in so many different situations.

This movie puts its own spin on a rom-com by having many different stories that connect at the end in unexpected ways.

“10 Things I Hate About You” is another popular romcom and tells a story of high school relationships and how they grow. The main conflict in this movie involves a boy placing a bet on a girl going out with him. This movie appeals to the audience because of its roller-coaster storyline watching the relationship evolve and what secrets are revealed.

Photo: IMDb

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, re-visit some favorite rom-coms from the past few years.

“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is a fan favorite starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. This movie is different from a normal romantic comedy because the couple makes two very contradictory bets about each other. The girl wants to lose the guy, and the guy promises to stay with the girl no matter what. The two grow closer even though one is

trying to push the other away, revealing the power of love and the Valentine’s Day spirit.

“Anyone But You” is the most recent received in the romcom world. Released on Dec. 22 of last year, the film already has excellent reviews. This movie tells the story of a boy, Ben, and Bea, who connect one night, but they are separated under bad circumstances. Everything changes when they find themselves at the same wedding one weekend.

This movie shows how Ben and Bea give each other a second chance after their first impressions.

“He’s Just Not That Into You” is another rom-com, but this one shows many different stories of different couples, starting with a

Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in the poster for their new movie.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas Flower Bouquet Lego Set

Pajama Set Jelleycat

Customized M&Ms

Lifestyle

February 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 8

Young Women Take the Pop Genre by Storm gain lots of recognition on social media. She has been an opener for Taylor Swift on her international leg and has also recently performed at IHeart Radio's JingleBall. Carpenter's hyperfeminine style and dreamy sets make her appealing to everyone.

Sabrina Carpenter's pop hits have taken over the internet and put her on the map.

Tate McRae and Madison Beer have been gaining popularity quickly. Beer has been making music since 2018 and released an album in 2021 and 2023. Her fanbase is not nearly as large as Carpenters or Rodrigos but her fans are loyal and obsessive. Her social media platform is substantial and videos of her

tour flooded TikTok causing her fanbase to grow. Her songs have strong beats and creative emotional lyrics in both her upbeat and slower songs.

Tate Mcrae is a newer artist who has taken the industry by storm. Her song “Greedy” became instantly popular on media platforms and her new album “Think Later” is extremely successful. Her dancing skills and unique voice made her instantly appealing to fans and she had her debut at number four. Her range within the pop genre is impressive and her stage presence makes for an extremely successful and captivating career ahead of her.

Photo: Chrystal Moore Photography

Due to COVID-19, there was a decline in the production of pop music, which slowed album releases. But, the pop genre is returning with new Girlpop artists.

Young musicians like Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae and Madison Beer are leading this genre to top spots on charts. These talented women are reviving pop music while adding a youthful feminine touch to each album. Each girl has gained a cult following in no time from their outfits, merchandise and incredible musical talent.

Olivia Rodrigo's debut album “Sour” was released in 2021 and her fame was immediate.

Her most famous song “Driver's License” was a hit and stayed as the number-one song in the United States for 8 consecutive weeks. In September of 2023, Rodrigo released her sophomore album “Guts,” which debuted at number one and remained there for some weeks. The blend of rock and pop makes this dramatic teenage album a fun listen with authentic lyrics.

From upbeat and angry to slow

and gloomy, Rodrigo does it all in her albums. Another girly appeal is her creative style and incorporation of the color purple in almost everything she does.

Rodrigo's wild ballads and specific style make her one of the main reasons that Girlpop music is extremely popular.

Sabrina Carpenter’s new album “Emails I Can’t Send'' has succeeded with the help of TikTok. Carpenter creates locationpersonalized endings for her most popular song “Nonsense” on her tour. These outros go viral on Tiktok daily and have caused her to gain supporters at great speed. Carpenter also has influenced popular choreographed dances to her songs that

How to Comsume Media in 2024 In the year 2024, it is important for students, teachers and voters to remain informed heading into this year's election. With an abundance of information and a million different ways to consume it, people must yield on the side of caution when exploring different headlines.

All Pace Academy high school students have access to a phone, which is disproportionately the main way students learn about the news. While these scholars love their phones and social media apps, many don't realize the harmful effects of learning about current affairs

Tate McRae performs at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.

source of information for the latest news, because algorithms are serving the user exactly what they want to learn. This may lead to missing out on important information and perspectives, as well as learning false information. According to a study at Oxford University, teens who view headlines in third party spaces do express caution when viewing political posts. But, teens are much more likely to indulge in this content if the posts seem authentic to the social media platform. For example, if I am on the ESPN Fantasy Football app, I may see multiple clickbait links which are in different fonts and styles than the rest of the app. I would never click on these, just because it looks so obvious that it is trying to catch my attention, and it isn't part of the news I am

Photo: Ad Fontes Media

from social media. Social media creates issues when users obtain information from non-credible posts and misleading headlines.

Many social media users tend to believe these headlines without checking for the source or evidence, especially after seeing the same misleading headlines multiple times. It is dangerous for social media to be a main

attaining on the Fantasy Football app. But, while scrolling through Instagram stories, I may see cleverly edited ads for politicians that follow the format of Instagram. These seem more intriguing and entertaining because it feels like these ads are part of the Instagram experience.

Social media has become a major source of news for teens.

While this system is helpful for finding the truth, fact checking is also an excellent way to figure out "who to believe and what to believe," Mr. Hamburger notes. On the Pace Academy website, there are links to many fact checking devices such as Politifact and the Media Bias Chart. The Media Bias Chart is a very useful tool that illustrates the bias and lack of reliability in many news outlets today. Also on the Woodruff Library page, your Pace email is your access to a free New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Atlanta Journal Constitution subscription. Mr. Hamburger specifically signifies the importance of aiming for the truth. "If you are trying to be a conscientious, informed citizen, it takes a little bit of work. It's super super dangerous to take anyone at their word. People are manipulating numbers and taking things out of context."

Why is it valuable to observe multiple perspectives? All students already possess an initial bias in certain opinions, whether they notice it or not. Without entertaining multiple perspectives, people can become fastened with rigid opinions, which are probably not completely true.

Consumers who only indulge in one media source lose out on important information that could be left out. The benefit of multiple perspectives is that people can understand why opposing viewpoints think in different ways. This creates flexibility in opinions, which is very important for compromises, changes and a greater sense of unity.

Pick up a book! Substitute at least a small portion of that time you spend on your phone for reading. Now you must be thinking, but Hayes, reading is boring. If you think reading is boring, you couldn’t be more wrong. Thinking that way is a result of reading boring books for school. If you find a book you’re interested in, it’s far more entertaining than any sort of screen. Why read? Reading is what makes an emotionally intelligent being. Reading enhances and refines your personality.

You go on a journey alongside the characters in each book you read. From that journey, you pick up a vast vocabulary, and often some of the best characteristics of the characters.

Everybody gets stressed, and everyone has different coping mechanisms. However, some of these coping mechanisms, specifically using your phone, don’t help at all, instead they have the opposite effect of stimulating your mind. On the other hand, reading is an effective way to allow your mind to rest without the social media’s consequences.

Reading preserves and promotes brain health and longitude.

Reading before you go to sleep is the perfect way to wind down and set yourself up for a good night’s sleep. Sleep efficiency is the percentage of sleep in which your body is actually resting and recovering. According to Sleepwa.com, most of our sleep efficiency rates are normally around 80% and using your phone before you go to sleep brings down your sleep efficiency considerably. This means that if you use your phone before bed, once you’re asleep you will be benefiting less from your sleep than you would have if you had instead read before bed. If you use your phone before you go to sleep, you aren’t only keeping your heart rate up, but stimulating your mind. When you sleep it takes your body some time to bring your heartbeat down to its resting rate, and it takes even longer to bring your heart rate down if you were on your phone before sleeping. Why? Devices stimulate your mind and keep your heart beat up. Read and foster your creative mind, knowledge leads to success so read and you will be destined for greatness.

Photo: Hayes Pollard

The Interactive Media Bias Chart illustrates bias and truth in media.

According to surveys at The Wall Street Journal, only around 35% of teens get their daily news from news websites and live news. The rest of teens attain news from their social media feeds and search engines. For teens, social media is accessible and easy. Users are spoon fed a complicated issue and delivered an efficient, easy to understand explanation. Social media is also preferred as a news outlet by teens because it feels relevant to their lives and daily routines, while reading a newspaper may seem like a chore and distant to teens' lives. However, the main reason why teens prefer social media as a news outlet is the fear of relentlessly negative news. It feels overwhelming to consume so much negative news, especially when it comes from an uncomfortable and unauthentic source. Users are unable to connect with live news and newspapers, which causes teens to use the much more comfortable and personalized social media.

Well, how do you know if a source is credible? Upper School Librarian, Marty Hamburger believes researching is no easy task. Mr. Hamburger says, “Question most everything that you search for. It's good to be skeptical." For finding reliable sources, Mr. Hamburger recommends the C.R.A.A.P. system.

The method stands for Currency (when has the information last been edited?), Relevance (is the information appropriate to your needs, is it a third party space?)

Authority (who wrote it?), Accuracy (is there evidence?), and Purpose (does the information aim to persuade or inform?).

Unlocking the Power of Words

Sophomore Mason Gregory reads his book, Harry Potter.

Opinion

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The Knightly News - Page 9

Mean Girls: New vs. Old How Do You

Photo: IMDb

Fans of the beloved 2004 comedy “Mean Girls” are excited to watch another “Mean Girls” movie, released in theaters Jan. 12. However, the new movie is not simply a reboot of the popular teen comedy, it is an adaptation of the Broadway musical that was based on the original film. The release of the movie musical is especially exciting because Pace Drama is putting on “Mean Girls” for the musical this spring.

“Mean Girls” is the story of Cady Heron, a student who has just moved to the US and has to learn how to navigate American high school. Aside from some updated scenes featuring TikTok drama (as the film is supposed to be set in modern day), the plot is largely the same; Cady and her friends scheme to take down Regina George, the queen of the school, while Cady falls in love with Aaron, Regina’s ex-boyfriend.

The fresh new cast brought a fun spin to the classic.

One role that didn’t change was Tina Fey returning as Cady’s math teacher Ms. Norbury. As she was the writer of both movies, her reprisal was fun, though confusing, as she doesn’t look much older from her original performance. The 2004 movie launched the careers of many stars, including Lindsay Lohan as Cady and Rachel McAdams as Regina. Not knowing Angourie Rice, who plays Cady, going in, I thought she did a fine job. Some criticized her singing in the movie, but for an Australian learning to sing in an American accent, it wasn’t bad.

But the real star of the adaptation was Reneé Rapp. Only having heard of her music, I was surprised to see her in a lead acting role, only later finding out that she was the original actress for Regina in the Broadway musical.

Love interest Aaron is played by Christopher Briney, who you may know as Conrad Fisher, the clearly inferior love interest in the teen Amazon drama “The Summer

I Turned Pretty.” He plays a more likable, though less interesting, character in “Mean Girls.” Unlike Rice and Rapp, however, Briney does not do his own singing, so I cannot comment on his vocal chops.

While the plot to the new movie was familiar, the great acting and spectacular songs made this release an exciting new blockbuster. The new movie musical will never be able to replace the original, it still made for a fun burst of early-2000s nostalgia.

The 2024 Mean Girls poster features many stars.

Preventing Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Although many people believe that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is just feeling sad because it is gray, and the weather is cold, it is actually much more complicated than that. Upper School Counselor Ellye Millaway explains “SAD is connected to our body’s circadian rhythm, which can change in the winter months due to less exposure to sunlight.

A small part of the hypothalamus in our brain,

Many people aren’t happy when they look in the mirror. If you’re one of those people then you MUST make a change. How does one change? Simple, create a new self-image. Change how you perceive yourself.

Trying to change one’s behavior before one’s identity, guarantees failure.

Change your identity, and then your actions and behavior will follow suit. To develop a new self-image, one must rework how they perceive themselves.

Whether one means to or not if you don’t study you will see yourself as a bad student and if you don’t work out you will see yourself as lazy.

So be intentional with every action to create this new identity. Intentionally implant a new self-image into the mind. Imagine giving a pep talk to someone who isn’t motivated. You might tell them they’re a hard worker and remind them of how strong of a person they are. Now give that pep-talk to yourself and don’t be afraid to lie a little by blending in parts of your desired self-image that you’ve yet to attain as already existing truths. Say, I’m a hard worker. Say, I’m disciplined.

Say, I’m a straight-A student because even if you aren’t any of those things, by telling yourself you are, you’ll naturally form into the mold you’ve created for yourself.

Sophomore Roan Dutta noted, “When I committed to my new identity, I became a better version of myself.” The world is dyed by the color of your thoughts, so don’t dye it with self-hurt. Pump yourself up, tell yourself that you’re disciplined and then you’ll act on that new identity. You can’t change your behavior without changing your self-image, so change your identity, and become the person you strive to be. Sophomore Jack Lynch responded to criticism saying, “I’m not going to change myself for anyone.”

Of course, you shouldn’t change who you are for others, but it’s important to change for yourself! Ancient stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus said, “If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in the pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, and the shame endures.”

Act in a manner that your future self will look back at with gratitude and you will have guaranteed yourself a path of success.

Photo: Forest Pollard

Photo: Hannah Much Student Advisory Board holds a beach day in the Commons to cheer students up.

called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, takes light information from our eyes and tells our body whether or not to produce melatonin, a hormone that prepares our body for sleep. Since there is less sunlight in the winter months, our suprachiasmatic nucleus tells our body to produce more melatonin.”

This production of extra melatonin causes people to feel sluggish and tired. Mrs. Millaway says “SAD makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and can affect your mood throughout the day.” Although these seem like normal symptoms, people who have SAD experience these symptoms more intensely.

Since the weather is cold, going outside and getting sunlight is one of the best ways to prevent the effects of SAD. Since that may be hard to do, Mrs. Millaway explains “It is also helpful to do things that make you feel good that release other mood-boosting chemicals in your brain, like exercising or taking a walk with a friend, to counteract the impact of the overproduction of melatonin. Also, you should limit screen time before bed because that will disrupt your circadian rhythm even more.”

SAD is something that affects “If you are feel- many students and ing sluggish, sad, sometimes its symptoms irritable or anxcan be very difficult ious, you can alto avoid.

Mrs. Milways come talk to laway wants students to an Upper School know, “If you are feeling counselor.” sluggish, sad, irritable or anxious, you can always come talk to an Upper School counselor.”

Senior and Student Advisory Board (SAB) President Mia Williams says “SAB wanted to do something this month that involved many of the high school students, but also wanted to support anyone with SAD. To do that we decided to have a Beach Day indoors filled with games like Limbo and Hula Hooping and Reggae music!” The purpose of this event was to bring cheer and summer positivity to the student body when the weather is cold and they may be experiencing SAD. “I think it was a huge success and many people have said it brightened their day! SAB will definitely do it again or something similar to continue improving the student body’s mental health,” Williams said.

See Yourself?

Young warrior, Zach Friedman valiantly stands upon the highest rock of an impressive mountain.

February 9, 2024

Pace News

The Knightly News - Page 10

Spirit Week 2024 Freshmen Because it was the Class of 2027’s first upper school Spirit Week, all eyes were on them. The grade voted and chose the theme “Scooby-Doo.” Since this same theme was preformed by Class of 2023 during their freshman year, the pressure was on to find out who performed it better.

The banner was well executed, and the animated characters looked a lot like the cartoon, along with a creative flowered design along the edge. The freshmen were in charge of decorating the tent, and unfortunately, their decorations were sparse and lacked creativity. However, their dance made up for what they lacked in decorations.

The dance featured five different groups to represent the main characters.

Hailey Hall was the Daphne lead, Lizzy Bauer was the Velma lead, William Swann was the Fred lead, Paige Beland was the Scooby-Doo lead, and Jaden Middleton was the Shaggy lead. Even though some of the dances were a little basic, they were performed well. The Daphne group was a highlight of the performance with their very upbeat and exciting dance.

The Class of 2027 was able to use their budget well, despite working with the smallest amount of money. The costumes represented the characters very well, and were a lot better than the basic costumes that freshmen typically have.

The freshmen aren’t expected to excel their first year, but the grade definitely shows promise for the future.

Sophomores After a disastrous freshman year Spirit Week performance, the sophomores needed redemption with their dance this year. To do so, the Class of 2026 took on “Madagascar” as their theme.

Sophomore Angelika Avdyeyeva designed a show stopping banner, including picture perfect characters and a cool ombre background. In charge of the cafeteria, they transformed the space to look just like the movie with various decorations including streamers, table clothes and character cut outs. The decorative palm tree leaves gave it some extra excitement as well.

The class also stepped up their choreography this year. Anne Weiss and Jolie Litvak were in charge of creating all the dances, and under their leadership the performances were all in unison. It was

obvious the amount of practice that was put into them. A crowd favorite dance was sophomore Mack Bybee’s group’s dance as Alex the Lion, and the grade’s intro with Iliyan Hajiani running in to “I Like to Move It” was a creative way to start. Other leads included Jake Agolli as Melman the giraffe, Madelyn Adams as Marty the zebra, Merritt Thompson as Gloria the hippo and Harriet Blaha as the lemur. In addition, the group of penguins had a funny and energetic dance that hyped up the whole grade.

The costumes were also stepped up from last year, with more details and designs than the past.

It is safe to say that the Class of 2026 rose to the occasion, and everyone is excited to see what they do next year.

Vol. 49, Issue #4

Pace News

The Knightly News - Page 11

Juniors performed a hilarious dance with guys dressed as truffula trees with fluffy, colorful wigs. Avery Berman and Will Moss were very well-cast as Audrey and Ted, and wore costumes that resembled the movie perfectly. Drew Thompson was a very sucessful Once-ler, while Olivia Diaz acted as a hilarious Grammy Norma, and Miles Mador and Kai Cotton had outstanding dances in their suits as O’Hare and his businessmen. Drew Martin also led the bears in a cute dance inspired by the adorable movie characters. The highlight of the dance was definitely during the classic song “Let It Grow,” when the entire class danced in huge circles and proved their great energy and collaboration as a grade.

Photos: Fred Assaf

The juniors made a great representation of Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” through their creative decorations, costumes and dances. In charge of decorating the Inman Center, they brought Thneedville alive with homemade truffula trees and cutouts of the main characters. On the day of the dances, the juniors had to take a step up from the past year and include a morning dance and video, and they delivered with both. Their video showed hilarious clips of the leads wandering around Lenox mall, and their dance had creative costumes like colorful tutus and business outfits inspired by O’Hare. When it became time for the main dances, the juniors performed a great skit overall.

Alexa Ibarra stole the show as the Lorax with her energy and excitement, and

The seniors proved their mastery of Spirit Week over the years with a memorable and sucessful ending. Starting preparations for the giant banner over winter break, Reed Millner led the grade to create a masterpiece, creatively resembling a DC comic book. When the night of the sleepover finally came, the grade spent hours decorating the entire upper school, all organized by Josie Panzer and Katherine Davis. Some highlights included wanted signs for faculty members, turning the Inman Center into the Batcave, and the transformation of Mrs. Barbakow’s office to “Gotham City Jail.”

After decoration time and a much-needed break for a Waffle House truck, the seniors spent hours running through their long dance to perfect every part. Grace Agolli, Emery Duncan and Dhru Lalaji worked hard for weeks to choreograph the dances, and organized the grade seamlessly throughout the practices. After a very late bedtime, the seniors made it to

assembly on time to perform the morning dance. The students watching showed their great energy despite a lack of sleep, and the cute superhero capes helped make a very upbeat and exciting dance complete with Daniel Owens’ skillful tech components. The video showed a funny skit where the lead superheroes went to a trampoline park to stop Harley Quinn and the Joker from stealing the senior music. The main dance did a great job at showcasing every superhero, especially in the classic senior intro where each group struck a pose to introduce their character.

Highlights of the dance included Colin Curtin’s backflip, the all-girl’s dance to songs by Taylor Swift and from the Barbie Movie and a battle scene between JD Maske and the Jokers and the other boy groups. Reita Maguire brought the costumes together again with amazing details, such as the Jokers’ face paint and hairspray and gold arm bands for Wonder Woman.

Sports

February 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 12

NFL Teams Draft for Long-Term Success Kelce found success on the field and fame off of it. The Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins

and win the game 34 to 31.

Unlike the 49ers, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were unable to pull off a comeback down multiple scores. With the help of Kelce’s touchdown catch, (Kelce is now the all-time leader in postseason receptions) the Chiefs were able to defeat the Ravens 17 to 10. Mahomes, who is now tied for third all time in playoff wins with 14 is headed to his fourth Superbowl in six years

as a starter.

Super Bowl XLVIII is set to be a rematch of Super Bowl LIV which saw the Chiefs comeback and beat the 49ers by a score of 31-20. The game will take place in the Las Vegas Raiders Allegiant Stadium, and Usher will perform during the halftime show. With the 49ers favored by 2.5 points, the game is expected to be close and exciting.

Photo: Fox News 49ers Star Brandon Aiyuk makes a spectacular catch after a deflection off the helmet of a Lions Defender. and Buffalo Bills in cold weather on their way to their 6th straight AFC Championship.

In the National Football Conference (NFC), the San Francisco 49ers, who finished the regular season 10-2 against conference rivals, dominated the NFC. San Francisco, led by their top defense and super star running back Christian McCaffery, scraped by the Green Bay Packers in the Division Round due to their quarterback’s poor play.

The Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys as seven point underdogs in the Wild Card round.

Despite their loss to the 49ers, The Packer’s future looks bright as many experts predicted that

NFC Championship.

The Lions, who in recent years have seen horrible seasons, won their division for the first time since the 1993 season. Led by 3rd year coach Dan Cambell, who was on the Lions roster as a player when they went 0-16 in 2008, the Lions earned the 3rd seed in the NFC with a 12-5 record. After defeating the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Buccaneers at home, the Lions faced their biggest challenge of the postseason: the 49ers.

Up 24 to 7 at halftime, it seemed as though the Lions were headed to their first Super Bowl in Franchise history. However, the 49ers were able to comeback

Photo: The US Sun

The NFL regular season, which was plagued by quarterback injuries and filled with surprising stars, concluded on Jan. 7. Backup quarterbacks like Joshua Dobbs, Jake Browning, Tommy Devito and Gardner Minshew took the league by surprise with their Cinderella stories. However, these backup quarterbacks fell short and it was ultimately veteran quarterbacks who found their teams in the playoffs.

39-year-old Joe Flacco, who the Cleveland Browns signed mid-season, replaced an injured Deshaun Watson. Flacco’s elite play, along with the help of a strong defense, secured the 5th seed in the American Football Conference (AFC). However, their playoff run fell short at the hands of rookie CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. The Texans, who finished the 2022 season with the second worst record in the NFL, selected Stroud with the second pick in the NFL draft.

Stroud’s improbable rookie season, in which he led the team to a 10-7 record and a division championship came to an end against the Baltimore Ravens.

The reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs led by two time MVP Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis

they wouldn’t make the playoffs.

San Francisco took the field against the Detroit Lions in the

Chiefs quarterback Patrich Mahomes flexes after scoring in AFC Championship.

Atlanta Vibe Brings Professional Volleyball to US

Photo: Atlanta Journal Constitution

Atlanta is adding another professional sports team to the list this winter as the up-andcoming RealPro Volleyball league begins its inaugural season. Named the Atlanta Vibe, the team has been practicing together for months with their impressive roster and looks to expand the rapidly growing sport of volleyball even further.

Since the announcement of their founding in November 2022, RealPro Volleyball aims to give American volleyball players a chance to play professionally in their own country, complete with high salaries and nice facilities.

The number of viewers for the NCAA volleyball season has surged over the past few seasons, even breaking a world record for attendance at a women’s sport event when Nebraska played a match in their football stadium this past August. However, in the past, standout players that wanted to move on to the next level had no option but to move overseas for opportunities. Players now have the chance to earn a spot on one of the RealPro rosters out of college, and continue their sport more easily.

The league’s substantial sponsorships and partnerships

Players on the Atlanta Vibe smile for a photo after a press conference announcing their team. have allowed it to become a great option financially for the players involved. From Joe Burrow’s, funding a team, to help from Franklin Sports and even a close partnership with USA Volleyball (USAV) and the US National Team, players are gaining opportunities and connections just with their involvement in the league. RealPro has also provided great facilities, locker rooms, and practice gyms, with the Vibe playing at Gas South Arena, home to the Atlanta Gladiators and Georgia Swarm,

and practicing at Lakepoint sports.

As of now, Atlanta is one of eight cities in the country to get a team, though the league plans to expand to other cities as they grow. The team’s owner, Colleen Craig, is a successful Atlanta businesswoman and the owner of Rally Sports, a key part of the development of youth volleyball in Atlanta. As a former D1 volleyball player at Cornell University, she wants to continue to expand the sport and give opportunities to players from youth

clubs to professional teams.

The league allotted players to each team through signing professionally and a draft straight out of college volleyball, and Atlanta gained some of the best players in the country. Morgan Hentz is a standout libero from Stanford University, where she won three national championships, and now plays on the US National Team, including in the 2024 Olympics. Tori Dilfer Stringer will be the team’s standout setter, after a very successful career at the University of Louis-

ville and a professional career in Italy for the past few years. Leah Edmond, a standout outside hitter from the University of Kentucky, will help carry the offense after a professional career of her own in Puerto Rico.

Make sure to watch an Atlanta Vibe game as they help kickstart the new professional league over the next few months, and see some amazing players get a new chance to represent our city.

Sports

Vol. 49, Issue #4

The Knightly News - Page 13

Pace Academy Winter Sports Men’s Basketball:

Photos: Fred Assaf

This year, the Pace Academy men’s basketball team looks to repeat last year and win back to back state championships. Over winter break, the team excelled in their Nike Elite High School trip to Hawaii where they played some of the best teams across the country. The basketball team also traveled to Chicago where they beat Hyde Park high school located in Illinois. Currently, the team has a region record of 10 wins and only 1 loss, so this season is looking very promising. Head Coach Sharman White just earned 500 career wins, and has been named Coach of the Year many times. The team is currently led by two seniors, LJ Moore and KJ Greene, but the talent is prevalent throughout each grade. There are still 11 games remaining in the regular season and the team is looking to improve their record before the GHSA (Georgia High School Association) state playoffs.

Women’s Basketball: As we begin to approach the halfway point of the GHSA basketball season, the Pace Academy girl’s team has a region 7-2 record and looks to keep winning throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs. The team is led by senior, Reed Millner and Head Coach Christal Caldwell. Sophomore Lawson Monroe recorded 31 points in a competitive game against Woodland-Stockbridge.

The girls team has nine games remaining before they head into the GHSA playoffs to compete for a state championship.

Swimming: The Pace Academy swimming team, lead by Coach John

Ague has a deep roster consisting of many talented swimmers from each grade. The team is led by six seniors: Lane Canova, Hayden Harris, Walker Smith, Claire Easterling, Ansley Freudenstein and Morgan Goldstrom.

Currently, both the boys and girls have records of 1-2, but there are still six remaining meets left in the season before the GHSA state championships which will take place at the olympic natatorium at Georgia Tech.

Wrestling: Led by Coach Jason Miller and seniors Will Moore and Roland Foster, the Pace wrestling team is currently 1-1, but

they have come a long way performing extremely well in a series of meets. In the Buckhead Belt, junior Dylan Hirokawa and sophomore Braylon Cambor were victorious, both cominghome as champions. Over break, at the Sequoyah tournament, Will Moore went 5-0, being named champion of his weight class. Also at the Sequoyah tournament, sophomore Braylon Cambor went 3-2 achieving 2nd place. There is still plenty of time left in the season as there are still seven wrestling meets left. The wrestling team looks to improve their skills in these last few meets before going to the GHSA state championships.

The Knightly News 966 West Paces Ferry Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 (404) 262-1345 knightlynews@paceacademy.org Co-Editors-in-Chief: David Fu Ellie Siskin Reed Millner Current Affairs Editor Megan Klingler

Online Editor: Zachary Meyerowitz Opinion Editor: Harrison Silver Pace News Editor: Alice Gash

Lifestyle Editor: Etan Gerber

Social Media Editor: Julia Goode

Managing Editor: Hannah Much

Sports Editor: Harrison Leusink

Multimedia Editor: Kaci McCray

Video Editor: Bennett Cummings

Staff Writers: Grant Chase, Jiya Patel, Hayes Pollard, Olivia Siskin, Brian Silverboard, Sophia Webb, Anne Weiss Faculty Adviser: Tamara Neiley Tech Adviser: Matt Walker

Editorial Policy Photo: Fred Assaf

Coach White shares his achievement of 500 career wins with his family.

The Knightly News tries to remain neutral, unbiased and accurate in our reporting. In our December issue “Year in Review,” Hamas is identified as “a Palestinian Nationalist Group.” The staff would like to amend this label by quoting the description of Hamas as a “foreign terrorist organization” that is on the National Counterterrorism Center’s website. We apologize for this oversight.

The Knightly News is the student-run newspaper of Pace Academy. For over 40 years it has reported the news that affects Pace, as well as the opinions of students.

The Knightly News is published by the students of Pace Academy, and approximately 600 copies are printed by School Publications Company.

The Knightly News welcomes letters to the editor and guest opinions, which may be edited for spelling and grammar, as well as space constraints.

Neither Knightly News-generated opinion pieces nor guest opinions are reflective of the official policy of Pace Academy.

Every effort is made to publish accurate facts, but if you recognize an error or omission, please email knightlynews@paceacademy.org.

Sports

February 9, 2024

The Knightly News - Page 14

Spring Sports Start 2024 on a High Note

Photo: Fred Assaf

Baseball: Following an extremely successful season, the baseball team looks to take it one step further and bring a trophy back home.

The team is led by seniors: Tucker Ausband, Mac Barnette, Jackson Hurd, Terrence Kiel, Henry Levenson, George Little, Will Moore, Ryan Reiss and Ethan Rucker. Junior Miles Mador said, “We’re looking to go beyond what we achieved last year. We have made adjustments to our positions in the field and our pitching rotation is looking strong. The chemistry this year is much tighter than previous years, so it’ll be a fun ride to the end.” The team has put new players into new roles this year, but under the guidance of a strong senior class, they look to put another successful season under their belt.

Golf: The golf team, led by Middle School English Teacher Mr. Pete Pope and Coach Tyler Renn, is ambitious to have a good year on the course. Junior Jack Mallard said, “I am looking forward to being able to spend bonding time with my teammates and creating great memories at tournaments.

As someone who knows their way around High School golf a little bit more than most, I’m excited to share my knowledge with some of the young guys and hopefully set up a strong future for Pace golf. Even though we do not know who is on the team yet, I know we’re going to be great and I can’t wait to see what we do this year.” The team is less known at Pace, but they are extremely competitive and hope to bring something home to the academy.

Photo: Fred Assaf

Men’s Lacrosse: After going out in the elite eight last year to rival Westminster, the men’s lacrosse team has their eyes set on another successful season. A recent coaching change has a two-headed head coaching approach between Chase Winter and Georgia Swarm player Shayne Jackson.

The team is led by a whopping twelve seniors, a lot of whom have never played before, but are looking to provide their talents anywhere they can. Sophomore Bobby Hanna said, “Last year as a freshman, I had a lot to learn and had to figure out what it meant to be on the lacrosse team.

Now that I’ve found my footing, I am excited for this season and to see what we can do. A lot of people do not have high expectations for us but we all have that underdog mentality and are ready to shock everyone praying on our downfall.” Overall, the team has a lot to prove this year.

Photo: Fred Assaf

Photo: Fred Assaf

Photo: Fred Assaf

Men’s Tennis: Following a devastating loss in the final four last year, the men’s tennis team strives to return to the championship and bring back a ring in another victorious season. Coach Matt Marsico and seniors David Fu, Soren Matthias and Noah Benz are the leaders of the team this year and look to make this successful season happen. Junior Matthew Hall said, “As one of the older guys on the team I have a lot to take care of this year, but I am excited for it. I think we have a great group of guys on the team and I am looking forward to getting to know them better as well as playing alongside them.”

Women’s Lacrosse: Following their historical 2023 State Championship run, the women’s lacrosse team has their eyes set on becoming backto-back champions. Along with Coach Kelsea Lowe, the team is led by a group of five seniors: Emery Duncan, Wells Howe, Rebecca Thompson, Jordyn Howard and Sydney Vincent.

Lowe has the team working year-round in order to make sure they’re ready for any challenge that comes their way. Thompson said, “I’m super excited for this season, we’ve already put in so much work this year and I can not wait to see it pay off. Hopefully, we can all add to our ring collection at the end of the year.”

The team has high expectations following last season and looks to continue their recent success.

Men’s Track and Field: The men’s track and field team is optimistic about this upcoming season. Following their successful season last year, the team aims to continue their triumph. Senior Matthew Wells said, “I am excited to be a leader on the team this year. I would say I have learned a lot from some of the past members of the team and I am looking forward to passing my knowledge down to some of the new, younger guys. I hope we go a long way this year.”

Men’s Soccer: The men’s soccer team looks to bounce back from their unfortunate loss last year and bring another trophy back to the castle. The notorious Coach Lucas Moreno has his eyes set on another great season for the soccer team with, of course, lots of hill sprints in their future.

Senior Martin Andra-Thomas said, “I’ve been on the team for four years now, and finally it is my time to be our leader. As the only senior on our team, I am in a unique position and have the opportunity to share everything I know with some of the younger guys. We have a really good group of athletes and I know we have what it takes to compete.

Hopefully we can come out on top.”

Women’s Soccer: Following a heartbreaking loss at the end of last year, the women’s soccer team similarly looks to reclaim their fame and bring back another State Championship to Pace. Coach Declan Traquir along with seniors Kaci McCray, Alice Gash, Morgan Miller, Reed Millner, Adair Smith, Katelyn Souza and Deyo Bourne, look to lead the team to another successful season and hopefully victories against rival Lovett. Junior Alexa Ibarra said, “I am looking forward to an amazing season with a great group of girls. I think we can really do something special this year and I am excited to see how the season turns out. ”

Women’s Track and Field: The women’s track and field team wants to take their extremely successful season from last year, including individual State Championships and new records, to the next level and bring back an overall Championship to Pace. Freshman Ansley Vincent said “I am super excited for this season. As it is my first year on the team, I have a lot to learn about the sport and how the team works. So far practices have looked good and I hope I can be a part of another great season.”

Women’s Tennis: The women’s tennis team also looks to capitalize off of their back-to-back State Championship season from last year and put up another impressive one.

Seniors Uma Graz and Sarah Proctor accompanied by Coach Matt Marsico lead the team this year. Proctor said, “I am looking forward to all the fun matches and tournaments with my team and getting to know all my new teammates. I was on the state team last year and my goal is to bring us back there again. I know we have the talent to get there now we just need to show it.”