Vol. 45, Issue #4
The
Febuary 14, 2020
Knightly News
p. 4-5 Trump’s 2019: Two Opinions
p. 6 Most Eligible Bachelor/Bachelorette
p. 8-9 Spirit Week Review
Pace Celebrates Black History Month
School Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Omar López Thismón planned two Co-Editor in Chief assemblies with the aim of involving the Class of 2021 student body and faculty in educational, interactive and exciting events. Pace Director of College Counseling Jonathan August 2019 marked the 400th anFerrell led the first assembly on Feb. 5. niversary of the arrival of the first ship The second assembly scheduled for Feb. of enslaved Africans to the mainland 19 will be led by students. of what is now the United States. They “To me, Black History Month is a celarrived in Jamestown, Virginia, a ebration of our black culture and a time place that represents the racial origin to explain to everyone what it means to story of African Americans. For four be black in America,” said Black Student centuries after the arrival of this ship, Alliance leader and senior Sydney African Americans have struggled Thomas. “I think that this month is speto gain freedom, full citizenship and cial because anything new that you learn equality. is a great thing. No matter how small it Each year, Americans celebrate may be, taking away anything is big.” Black History Month to recognize the Although excitement comes with this central role African Americans have month, it also evokes mixed sentiments. played in U.S. history and their count“I believe as an American society, we have this detached vision of what Ameriless achievements that have contribcan history is and what black history is,” uted to American society. (L-R) Cole Middleton, Jermiah Polk, Sydney Thomas and Christian Bing practice a step said Mr. López Thismón. “I don’t think The event originated as “Negro dance in the Gardens in preparation for an assembly on Feb. 19. we think about black history the same History Week.” In 1926, Harvard hisway we think about our founding fathers, torian Carter G. Woodson sponsored and I think that we should. The thing is, black history a week to celebrate black history that would coincide month, and in 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recwith President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12 should just be American history. The two are the same. I ognized Black History Month as a national observance. and Frederick Douglass’ birthday on Feb. 14. The event President Ford asked the American public to “seize the believe Black History Month is an attempt to move this inspired schools and communities nationwide. In the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomdetachment more into our history and incorporate it into decades that followed, mayors and other government ofplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor the public consciousness.” ficials across the country issued annual proclamations to throughout our history.” The issue with the way the U.S. understands black recognize Negro History Week. Along with America and other nations around the history often comes with the way schools teach history In 1970, the first celebration of Black History Month world, the Pace community devotes the month of Februaltogether. “When I went to high school, I took everytook place at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Colary to honoring black history and excellence. At Pace, (Continued on page 2) lege campuses across the U.S. began observing this students in the Black Student Alliance along with Upper
Mary Childs Hall
Photo: Megan Hardesty
Pace’s Very Own ‘Mr. Worldwide’ Darren Rosing Opinion Editor Class of 2021
Sophomore Ryan Varma shows sophomores Shalizeh Thobani (left) and Allie Campbell (right) some of his favorite songs. brother) lived in Cairo, Egypt for three years, where Varma’s first memories are from. After Egypt, the family lived in Singapore for two years before moving to Turkey. Two years later, the family returned to Singapore, where Varma lived for eight years. When reminiscing on his pretty nomadic life, Varma is
Photo: Darren Rosing
Spirit Week is a hectic week for most students. Continuous excitement and a ridiculous sleep schedule can make anybody cranky. But it can get even crazier if Spirit Week is your very first week as a Pace student, AND if it happens to be your very first week as a United States resident. This was the thrilling case for new sophomore Ryan Varma. Varma landed in Atlanta on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. after roughly 21 hours of flying from Singapore, just in time for his first day at Pace the next morning. But 21 hours of flights, driving and waiting in the airport is nothing to a world traveler. Varma was born in Malaysia and moved to Indonesia a year later. Then, his family (which includes an 18-year-old
thankful for his worldly perspective. “I loved Turkey because the weather and place was beautiful,” he said. “The culture there is amazing. But Singapore is my favorite place because it’s where I found myself and identity. It’s where I really grew up and know the most about.” His dad’s work is the force
behind his family’s moves. For the past five years, his dad has been working for Coca-Cola, prompting the Varma family’s move to Atlanta. “I don’t think we’re going to be moving any time soon,” said Varma. “I definitely plan on graduating from Pace.” Contrary to the “Lifers” who have been at Pace since pre-first, Varma has been an enrolled student at six different schools. With the move to Atlanta, he looked at several schools in the area, including the Atlanta International School and Westminster. “Pace was my top pick,” said Varma. Living all over the world naturally allows for encounters with many different languages. “I’m fluent in English, which for some reason surprises a lot of people here,” said Varma. “That’s actually the first language I learned, since my parents wanted me to have a base language while moving around a lot.” He can speak Hindi pretty well, and knows a
little bit of Mandarin, Turkish and French. Additionally, he has studied Spanish for four years, which is the language he takes at Pace. “It’s been a disappointing start since my mind is just so fried, but I’d say I’m pretty decent at Spanish, too.” In accordance with his diverse background and cultural interests, Varma hopes to participate in Pace’s Model UN program. While he does play tennis, he is currently battling ligament injuries, preventing him from participating on a Pace tennis team this year. “I’ll definitely consider trying out in the future,” said Varma. Being so new to Pace, he is not sure which clubs he wants to participate in, but the Pace Academy Board of Diversity (PABD) interests him. Looking into the future, Varma has always had aspirations to attend university in America, although he does not know where or what he’d like
(Continued on page 3)
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Pace News
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 2
Seventeen Seniors Take on Germany Jamie Kornheiser Managing Editor Class of 2021
Holocaust. With one of the trip’s emphases being art, they visited many museums including the Pergamon Museum, the Altes Museum and the Neues Museum. “My favorite place we visited was the Pergamon Museum,” said senior Lucy Ferry. “We got to see several pieces of artwork that we have learned about in Mr. Hornor’s Art History class, including the Ishtar Gate. Everyone on the trip that is in Art History was extremely excited, so the energy in the group was contagious.” To take a break from the history of Germany the day before departure, the group was able to attend a soccer match between Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin in the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Despite not knowing German, the group was able to navigate their way around the country through the leadership of their chaperones. “Mr. Hornor’s German expertise made it easy to communicate with others, and he even taught us some German to use,” said senior Paul-Louis Biondi. “But also, most Germans
Photo: Claire Wierman
Immediately following the chaos of Spirit Week, a group of 17 seniors and three teachers departed from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and headed to Munich for the Isdell Center for Global Learning (ICGL) trip to Germany. With a focus on history, art and culture, they explored some of the most famous and historically important sites from World War II to now. Beginning the journey in Munich, students visited the Staatliche Antikensammlungen museum and the Alte Pinakothek museum where they saw ancient Greek vases as well as the world’s largest collection of artwork by Peter Paul Rubens. The group also enjoyed German cuisine at Hofbräuhaus and Spatenhaus in between walking tours of the city. The group then headed to Nuremberg where they toured the famous Courtroom 600 where Nazis were put on trial in 1946. Visiting the site of the
Nuremberg Trials went hand in hand with visiting the Dachau concentration camp. “Visiting Dachau and Nuremberg are emotionally draining experiences,” said chaperone and math teacher Jason Smith. “Dachau was the site and wellspring of some of the more terrible crimes, while the Nuremberg Trials, which took place in the courtroom we visited there, were an attempt to come to terms with, and account for, those awful crimes.” Other chaperones were history department chair Tim Hornor and math teacher Heather McCloskey. Upon arrival in Berlin, the group instantly sprang into action, visiting even more historic landmarks such as the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag and Checkpoint Charlie. “It was cool to see all the places I had learned about in history like Checkpoint Charlie and pieces of the Berlin Wall,” said senior Zoie Frier. The group also attended the Berlin Philharmonic and visited Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a series of different corridors constructed to remember the events of the
(L-R) Seniors India Behl and Claire Wierman pose in front of the New Palace Potsdam. speak English, too.” Even though some people got sick with fevers and sore throats during the trip, everyone eventually recovered enough to
enjoy some incredible sites in Germany. After an exhausting and action-filled 11-day trip, the students returned having learned a lot.
student body about the environment. “Even though I didn’t expect it at all, it was such an honor to be recognized as one of the 20 under 20 for Pace,” said Lettes. Throughout high school, Lettes has been passionate about the environment. “I love ICGL because we can really change our community in huge ways and have so much freedom to implement whatever we’re interested in,” she said. “For me, it was composting but the best part is we all have a say and that’s how so many incredible changes have been made at Pace to be more sustainable and involve the student body.” Fu was recognized as a runner up for creating the nonprofit organization Scholarly Chess, which encourages kids to play chess and hosts chess tournaments throughout the year. Fu not only co-founded the organization, but also created the app VEMS which is a new program to help students log their volunteer hours; this app won the LexisNexis championship award.
people a chance to learn more about others, but having this month also makes many believe that black history is not as significant as ‘American history’ during the other 11 months of the year.” “Just challenge yourself to genuinely be curious and seek to understand others,” Mr. López Thismón continued. “You cannot say because it is black history and you are not black, it doesn’t apply to you. It applies to all of us.”
Students Named Atlanta INtown’s ‘20 Under 20’
honorees and 15 runners-up. Kaplan and Aronson were recognized for their work with the Covenant House, an organization that offers housing and support for young people who are homeless in the Atlanta com-
munity. The Covenant House hosts an annual “Sleep Out” where volunteers sleep outside for a night while raising funds and awareness for the issue of youth homelessness. Kaplan and Aronson not only participated
in the 2018 “Sleep Out,” but also went on to become a part of the Covenant House’s Scholars in Service organization where they connected with businesses, friends and family to fundraise for Covenant House and spread awareness about the issue of youth homelessness. After four months, Aronson and Kaplan raised over $50,000 and won the Scholars in Service scholarship award. This money allowed the Covenant House to start the Post-Secondary Education Fund, giving young people greater access to college through funding from the Covenant House. “No matter how big or insurmountable any problem seems, there is always something that can be done to help find a solution,” said Aronson. Lettes was also recognized as an honoree for her work on the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) Council. Lettes played an important role in the move towards composting in the Pace cafeteria and has helped plan different events for the ICGL Council to educate the
Thismón, believing the United States is a beacon of light for the entire world stands in direct contradiction to all of the atrocities that have occurred in this country. Black Student Alliance leader and junior Cole Middleton has similar feelings regarding the teaching of American history. “We have to figure out some way to make people more comfortable talking about things like racism, slavery or the Civil War,” he said. “I think we need
to stop shielding certain information because this only gives us a warped version of history. I think we should just learn the truth and the straight facts and then from there we can make our own opinions.” Middleton also believes that the environment in which we learn plays a vital role in how we can move forward and become a more open-minded school community and larger society. “Sometimes in class when we are talking about something like
slavery, kids will turn around and see how the black student is reacting,” said Middleton. “This needs to stop. We need to be comfortable talking about uncomfortable things, and doing small things like staring at a certain individual makes the environment really tense.” “I don’t like the fact that we need [Black History Month] but I understand the magnitude and importance of it in society,” said Mr. López Thismón. “There is meaning in the month as it gives
Ashley Myers Online Editor Class of 2021
Photo: Spencyr Aronson
Seniors Spencyr Aronson, Maya Kaplan and Sophie Lettes have been selected by local newspaper Atlanta INtown for the paper’s “20 Under 20” list. In addition, junior Michael Fu was recognized as a runner-up. Every year, Atlanta INtown compiles a list of 20 students who have been outstanding volunteers in their communities. Many of these students have donated their time and energy to philanthropies that they are passionate about while others have created their own nonprofit organizations. The goal of this list in Atlanta INtown’s January issue is to recognize those who are working to make the world a better place. To choose this list of students, Atlanta INtown editors reached out to different service organizations, public and private schools. After receiving over 80 nominations, Atlanta INtown narrowed the list down to 20
(L-R) Seniors Spencyr Aronson and Maya Kaplan attended a gala at the Georgia Aquarium where they were recognized for their work on behalf of the Covenant House.
Pace Celebrates Black History Month (Continued from page 1)
thing at face value, believing it was all truth,” he said. “In adulthood, I finally realized that it wasn’t all true and there was a detachment of histories. I believe we often gloss over certain events or times in history because they might be unpleasant to talk about. We teach topics at surface level because they are uncomfortable. The history that we have is so much deeper than the little blurbs that we have in our history textbooks.” According to Mr. López
Pace News
Vol. 45, Issue #4
The Knightly News - Page 3
Winter Showcase Captivates Audience Darren Rosing Opinion Editor Class of 2021
Pace’s ‘Mr. Worldwide’
(Continued from page 1) to study yet. “In my free time, I do anything I feel like doing at the moment, really,” said Varma. He just recently finished watching “You” on Netflix and loves the series “How I Met Your Mother.” When it comes to music, he’s all over the place. “I like pretty much most types of music, but country music is starting to catch on and I’ve only been here for a week,” said Varma. “It’s not too bad.” As the school community gets to know a true expatriate, Varma has a message for his classmates: “To all the sophomores that have been really nice and showed me around or started a conversation, I appreciate it, and we’ll see where the next two and half years take us.”
pessimism. He decides to teach her philosophical lessons of optimism. Welsh and Edwards impressively played off each other with equally captivating energies, a feat that might have posed a challenge to other amateur actors since the pair successfully represented completely opposite mentalities. The scene also featured sophomore Lauren Smith as the waitress. She masterfully underscored the lively personas of Welsh and Edwards by delivering flat lines with a sarcastic spirit. Smith’s role tied the piece together the way all millennials wish to perform: with minimum effort, maximum results. The best scene of the Winter Showcase was found in the chorus room. Seniors Davis Futrell, Bridges Spencer and Thomas Siegenthaler turned the most tragic and traditional piece of theatre into something hilarious and modern: Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The scene brought new definitions to “a play within a play” as “Hamlet” was performed within the context of reality. Framed by references to frat life, antipathy for schoolwork and Juuling, the boys initially recounted how Pace’s theatre department coerced them to participate in the first place before going on to embody Hamlet’s characters. Each of the boys played several different roles in an extremely sped-up rehashing of the story’s basic plot. While Siegenthaler’s Hamlet was splendidly bold yet timid and Spencer’s Polonius was particularly assertive, none of the roles compared to Futrell’s iconic portrayal of the crazed Ophelia on the verge of madness. All educated literature fanatics know this precise breakdown when grief and sorrow eat away at Ophelia’s sanity before her emblematic drowning. But none has ever seen it executed on
Photo: Laura Inman
Following their success with October’s one-act play “She Kills Monsters,” the Pace Academy thespians were back at it again Jan. 24 and 25 for the annual Winter Showcase. While 2019’s Winter Showcase truly made a name for the event, the 2020 production amassed even more esteem and attention, bringing new humor and well developed characters to the stage. The Showcase is not comprised of one coherent plot or story, but rather knits together individual scenes from a variety of well-known plays and studentwritten works. This year’s show focused on the work of American playwright David Ives, but also included an original work by senior Jackson Gray called “Dream On.” The Showcase is also unique for utilizing various spots across the Pace campus for the seven distinct scenes. After opening words by Upper School Visual & Performing Arts Chairperson Sean Bryan, audience members were divided into different groups and led to separate locations. The Showcase was comprised of 33 cast members and crew who transformed rudimentary parts of campus into vibrant sets for compelling theatre, including the FAC Lobby, band room, library, chorus room and the first floor’s Room 100. After audiences finished one scene, they were escorted to the next room for another scene, until they had seen all seven on their dramatic odyssey. Junior Harley Ryan directed Room 100’s scene, “Time Flies” by David Ives. Juniors Olivia Ullman and Jack Carson played two young and lonely mayflies,
respectively May and Horace, that fall in love. The quaint fly-wing costumes and the adequately decorated set, which depicted May Mayfly’s living room, paired well with a flirtatious script and obvious on-stage chemistry to produce something endearing. Ullman and Carson perfectly advertised the all-too-relatable awkwardness and delicacy from which most real-life relationships are born. But, the scene’s energy dramatically changed when the mayflies learn from their television set that they have lifespans of just one day and that the two of them were up against the fast approaching tides of death. Junior Michael Fu hilariously played the television personality David Attenborough who brought the devastating revelation to the flies. His part brought much-needed comedic relief from the building sexual tension on stage. In short, the scene featured three extremely talented actors that effectively executed their mission: to entertain. While Ullman and Carson have already established respectable reputations for themselves within Pace’s theatre department, Fu’s work in “Time Flies” stole the show. Another highlight of the Showcase, located in the band room, was the student adaptation of David Ives’ work, “The Philadelphia.” Junior Denzel Welsh played the happy-go-lucky Philadelphian named Al, whose mind resides on its own joyful “cosmic beach.” He sits peacefully and waits for his friend, Philly, to arrive. Played by senior Madison Edwards, Philly is a typical, busy millennial who vocalizes and dramatizes the everyday struggles of contemporary Americans in a completely empathetic episode of stressful agony. She disrupts Al’s tranquility with nervous energy and
(L-R) Sophomore Lauren Smith and junior Denzel Welsh were standouts in “The Philadelphia.” stage the way Futrell did. Fashioning a mismatched dress and an out-of-place blonde rock-androll wig, Futrell owned that role with high-pitched screams and jaunty body movements. The crowd could not stop laughing. The boys also incorporated certain audience members in their inclusive and inviting skit. Senior Charlotte Little was brought from the audience to perform and sophomore Cole Kaplan was targeted for supposedly laughing at Siegenthaler’s monologue. Capitalizing on the humor of anachronisms and exploiting the alluring engagement of teenage attitude, the boys killed it. Amidst the roaring applause at the scene’s close, one shout from
the back row could be heard: “This is theatre!” The nearly two-hour show blended comedy with relatable situations in the most exciting ways. Other standout roles were senior Lauren O’Sullivan’s brash portrayal of Annie in “The Art of the Fugue” and senior Harrison Greenbaum’s confident embodiment of Zac in “Band Geeks.” It was also extraordinary that students had the opportunity to direct certain skits. One of the most promising aspects of the night, though, was how responsive and supportive the audiences were. It’s a great thing that so many seniors gave up time on their weekend nights to support Pace’s thespians.
Upper School Observes MLK Day Sam Webb
Staff Writer Class of 2021
The only federal holiday dedicated to service in the United States, marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., MLK Day is a big day for the Pace community. Pace students embraced the day in different ways, through volunteering with various organizations and discussing Dr. King’s vision at Pace’s third annual Sunday Supper on the eve of MLK Day. Led by juniors Jonny Sundermeier and Kate Mallard, a group heads down to the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta on the third Sunday of every month, and did so again for the Sunday before MLK Day.
Early on the morning of Jan. 19, while most other students were still asleep, juniors Evan Smith-Rooks, Hayley Cavinder, Sarah Schultz and Kathryn Hood accompanied Sundermeier along with some lower schoolers to serve breakfast to church visitors who are homeless. ICGL Associate Director Ted Ward and Associate Athletic Director Chad Wabrek went to help out, too. “We served food, made connections and built relationships with the guests,” said Sundermeier. “I think we once again represented Pace Academy well.” On MLK Day, a group comprised of all upper school grade levels took a trip to Washington Park, in Northwest Atlanta near the Atlanta Beltline, to help clean up the park. Projects included “clearing plants, painting, improving flower beds, collect-
ing litter and mulching trees,” according to the Pace website. Partners for the day included The Conservancy at Historic Washington Park, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and Park Pride. Sophomore Allison Silverboard coordinated the service project and senior Finn Lamastra, juniors Myles Bolton and Laura Romig, and freshmen Victoria and Madison Hadley and Sara Mazur joined Silverboard. Pace Academy also hosted Sunday Supper the day before MLK Day. The event is held in partnership with Hands on Atlanta, a nonprofit, volunteerfocused organization. Many Sunday Suppers take place around Atlanta, but Pace’s event is the first hosted by a high school. Every year, the theme for Sunday Supper changes. This
year the theme was titled King’s 20/20 Vision – The Beloved Community: The Fierce Urgency of Now. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice King stated that now more than ever the nation needs to follow Dr. King’s example in order to achieve the beloved community that MLK wished for. In Dr. King’s eyes, the community was a very realistic, achievable goal to unite around sisterhood and brotherhood, instead of bigotry, prejudice and hate. Pace faculty, alumni, parents and upper school students were invited to attend, and all spots for the dinner were reserved well before the event. The potluck dinner took place in Knights Hall where the group “broke bread and broke boundaries,” according to Director of Diversity and Inclusion Joanne Brown.
Opinion
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 4
2019 Was Successful Year For President Trump
The Knightly News 966 West Paces Ferry Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 (404) 262-1345 knightlynews@paceacademy.org Published by students at Pace Academy Member of Georgia Scholastic Press Association Photo: @realdonaldtrump on Twitter
Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Toledo, Ohio on Jan. 9, 2020. far lower than Obama’s num-
al mandate policy in Obamacare that forced individuals to either dency. These numbers are due to purchase insurance or pay a stricter illegal immigration rules penalty. Healthcare enrollment which stop Central Americans dropped by 2.8 million, an effrom coming to America. For fect of giving low-risk people example, ICE strengthened the option to not buy healthcare “interior enforcement efforts,” insurance. Additionally, the rate which the agency contributes to of growth in healthcare spendthe lower numbers (The Hill). ing has slowed and the adminNext, the Trump adminisistration expanded cheaper tration has made great strides healthcare services for poorer in strengthening the military. Americans. At the same time, Earlier last year, the U.S. Army the President reformed Medicare announced that the Islamic State to prevent overcharging for lifeof Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had lost saving drugs for senior citizens. all controlled land, effectively Something the media does crushing the ISIS caliphate. not really cover or report on is After former President Trump’s policies that positively Barack Obama funded the group affect minorities. Yet last year, and allowed violence to spread the Trump administration ecofor years, Trump has finally put nomically and socially helped a dent in the destruction caused out minorities in many ways. by the terrorist group. FurtherEconomically, the black, more, a U.S. special operations Hispanic and Asian unemployraid assassinated the leader of ment rates hit record lows. Also, ISIS, Al Baghdadi, back in Octo- the number of Americans lifted ber. out of the food stamp program Also in 2019, Trump stuck recently hit nearly 4 million with his goal of modernizing the people; a program that is utilized military’s weapons and nuclear by the black and Hispanic comarsenal. Before Trump entered munities proportionally more office, the military was in a than the general population. decrepit state with vehicles from In the social sphere, Trump the Reagan years but is becomled the effort to federally put ing increasingly modern with hundreds of millions of dollars upgrades to The impeachment towards histanks, submatorically black of the president was colleges and rines and unmanned systems a total sham in an universities, (Forbes). The more than any nuclear arsenal attempt to destroy his other presiis also being reputation among the dent in history. upgraded to Donald Trump match the likes American people. signed the First of China but mostly Russia. Step Act as well, which aimed Another interesting part of at reducing the federal prison Trump’s policy in 2019 involved population. The act has already outer space. Russia and China freed and shortened sentences both are ahead of the U.S. when for thousands of federal inmates. it comes to military space techThis has dramatically assisted nology. Trump made modernAfrican American men who acizing technology in space a count for 70% of those sentence priority in order to match other shortenings. foreign powers. The President The accomplishments menhas gone so far as to create a tioned above are all extraordisixth branch of the United States nary, but the most important is military: The Space Force, the success of the U.S. economy which is fascinating. No other under Donald Trump. There President in history has done is no disputing the facts and more to make sure the nation’s figures. Job numbers and growth interests in space are safe. have been outstanding in 2019. Regarding healthcare, Trump The number of jobs created and his administration had many continues to smash analysts’ pregreat successes last year. First of dictions, and now totals over 6 all, Trump repealed the individu- million new jobs. Closely corre-
Sam Webb bers three years into his presi-
Staff Writer Class of 2021 Donald Trump and his administration underwent a wild, unpredictable, but most of all successful 2019. Although there were a few negatives, the pros far outweigh the cons and place Donald Trump as one of the best presidents in recent history. Trump’s 2016 election campaign focused on promises to create more American jobs, fix the illegal immigration problem, destroy ISIS, and change the flaws of Obamacare, among other things. Keep in mind that this article just focuses on the president’s accomplishments from the past year and does not include anything before or after 2019. As mentioned, the Trump administration came into office with big plans to solve illegal immigration issues. In 2019, with little to no help from the Democratic majority in the House, Donald Trump funneled money towards the much-needed border wall. His promise that Mexico would pay for the wall obviously did not materialize, leaving Trump scouring for a better way to fund the wall. At the beginning of the year, Congress only approved $1.6 billion for the wall (a dismal amount), which caused a memorable government shutdown because Trump wanted over 5 billion dollars. Five billion dollars sounds like a lot of money, but the sum is minuscule compared to the amount illegal immigrants receive in federal aid: over $100 billion annually, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Trump has received less funding from Congress than he had hoped for, but he has started diverting money from the military budget and recently obtained a $3.6 billion sum from Congress, adding up to $8.1 billion in wall funds altogether. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also seems to be getting more effective. The number of immigrants deported by the Trump administration is
Co-Editors-in-Chief: Mary Childs Hall Aman Hashim
Online Editor: Ashley Myers
Managing Editor: Jamie Kornheiser
Social Media Editor: Bennett Boushka
News Editor: Francesca Vaneri
Lifestyle Editor: Isabel Battista
Staff Writers: Megan Hardesty Amalia Haviv Gabriel Kadoori Meghna Singha Sloane Wagreich Sam Webb Jayla Wideman
Sports Editor: Zachary Howard
Faculty Adviser: Ms. Lee Wilson
Visuals Editor: Kathryn Hood
Tech Adviser: Mr. Matt Walker
Opinion Editor: Darren Rosing
The Knightly News Editorial Policy 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 500 copies are printed by School Publications Company. The Knightly News welcomes letters to the editor
lated with all the job growth, the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in nearly 50 years. Another aspect of Trump’s success came in the stock market: the market broke records last year as stocks skyrocketed in mid-to-late 2019. The S&P 500 Index was up 29.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 23.42% in 2019, both indicating record highs for the two indexes. It was a great year for investors. Trade was an important part of Donald Trump’s election, and in 2019, he made major moves. Most importantly, the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was created and signed into law, titled the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA). The pact sets up many standards involving labor provisions and technology. Also, the agreement passed with bipartisan support in the House and Senate; a very nice thing to see in the polarized society we live in today. However, Canada has not ratified the trade agreement so until then nothing is in effect. Of course, a review of the president’s year cannot leave out the impeachment procedure. Just to be clear, the impeachment of the president was a total sham in an attempt to destroy his reputation among the American people. After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that an
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.
impeachment would have to be along bipartisan lines in March, her rhetoric and actions changed completely throughout the year. Once Pelosi saw accomplishment after accomplishment from the President and that the Mueller Report had no damning evidence, she realized something had to be done in order for the Democrats to have a chance in the 2020 election. With that fear in mind, Pelosi and others accused Trump of urging the Ukrainian president to investigate the wrong-doings of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son. Trump and President Zelensky chatted about trips on each other’s private jets and also the investigation about past White House corruption. Zelensky has stated many times that he never felt any pressure and that there was no quid pro quo. Will the Democrats listen to what Ukraine, the country of interest, has to say, or will they keep pushing their personal agendas to remove the best President since Ronald Reagan? I assume push their own agendas. Although all of the above accomplishments are impressive and important, many policies and achievements were not mentioned. For those interested in other actions Trump has taken while in office, the White House website has a long list of policies enacted.
Opinion
Vol. 45, Issue #4
The Knightly News - Page 5
The Trouble with Tracking Apps Francesca Vaneri
News Editor Class of 2020
Tracking app Life360 was meant to unite families, but can cause tensions, instead. The line between freedom and safety is always a thin one when it comes to teenagers and their parents. However, the booming popularity of tracking apps has crossed the line from reasonable into a violation of privacy. Apps like Life360 facilitate micromanaging that is detrimental to both teenagers and parents. Tracking apps have created a digital umbilical cord that has completely stunted the normal growth of today’s teenagers. The teenage years are developmentally essential in terms of growing independence and learning to form your own judgments and decisions. Instead, tracking apps return people who are almost legal adults to a stage of almost infancy in which their every movement is
Illustration: Kathryn Hood
Imagine being under constant surveillance. Your location, your movements, and where you have spent every minute of every day is logged and shared. How fast you drive, when you brake or accelerate suddenly, what percentage your battery is charged, and whenever you leave a location – everything is shared with family. Any adult who remembers their own teenage years might sigh in relief that such surveillance was unavailable during their own teenage years. For many of today’s teenagers, however, this is a reality. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly common for parents to track their children with a variety of tracking apps on the market. The Pew Research Center found that 16% digitally track their children, and this number grows every year. By far, the most popular of these apps is Life360, which provides detailed information on the movement of every family member. In our digital age, tracking is starting to be a normal, accepted and even crucial part of parenting. It’s considered a safety measure. The statistics at Pace, however, are far higher. In a high school-wide poll, 52% of students said that their parents always track their movements, and 35% said that their parents occasionally track their movements. Of students, 60% said that being tracked feels “invasive,” while the other 40% feel neutral on the subject. No one reported that they enjoy being tracked or that it makes them feel safer.
up for scrutiny. The case for tracking apps is often one of safety. Simply put, parents do not trust their kids to make safe choices. This is somewhat justified – teenagers are hardly known for their reasonable risk assessment or for making safe choices. But frankly, it is appropriate, and even necessary, for teenagers to get in some trouble during their teenage years. To an extent, it’s alright for teenagers to occasionally be in places where they should not, to make mistakes and to have room for rebellion. Any parent who tracks their child’s every move is bound to become overly concerned. Every indiscretion, detour and adolescent mischief is documented and
reported back to parents, creating a picture of rebellion that is, more often than not, completely overdramatized. Parents stop trusting their kids, and kids stop trusting their parents. According to The New York Times, adolescents who feel that their privacy has been invaded go on to have higher levels of conflict at home. Furthermore, tracking teenagers usually doesn’t stop them from going places they want to go. Instead, many teenagers will find ways around tracking apps that actually put them in more danger, such as leaving their phones behind when they go places or putting their phones in airplane mode. The fact that tracking one’s kid 24/7 has become the norm in many communities sets a troubling precedent for where we are headed with the future of parenting. With the frantic rat race to get into increasingly selective and expensive colleges, the stakes are far higher for Pace students today than they have ever been before, and the pressure has increased accordingly. Adolescents have already lost much of their “childhood” to the desperate race for success that starts in middle school. The best way that a parent can protect their kid is to trust them and to protect their right to freedom and privacy, allowing them to preserve as much normalcy as possible in a world where it often feels that mistakes are no longer allowed. Tracking apps are creating a generation of children who are forbidden from going through a normal period of independence and, yes, even rebellion, that creates normal and well-adjusted adults. No one can benefit in a game predicated upon a fundamental lack of trust.
President Trump Failed Us in 2019 finally ended on its 35th day,
Jayla Wideman with a spending deal that did Staff Writer Class of 2022
Photo: Mother Jones
Donald Trump’s administration plunged America deeper into extreme hyper-partisanship and discord in 2019 and into 2020. It seemed as if every week another scandal occurred, or he enacted a new policy that sparked outrage in both the U.S. and across the world. Since his inauguration, he has managed to roll back beneficial reforms enacted by the Obama administration in the areas of environmental protection, healthcare and civil and human rights among others. He has also brought us close to war on numerous occasions. Last year began with the government shutdown in Dec. 2018. The longest-running shutdown in American history, it prompted outrage and sympathy for those who were no longer being paid. Why did this happen? When Congress rejected Trump’s demand for 5.7 billion dollars to build the border wall that was unpopular among Americans, he decided that the best course of action was to deprive those same citizens of their paychecks, crippling the finances of 800,000 families. In hopes of forcing Congress to go along with his antics, he considered declaring a non-existent state of emergency on the Southern border. The government shutdown
not provide any money for the border wall. He declared a state of emergency to gain access to over 8 billion dollars from the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and the Treasury Department, directly attacking democracy and the checks and balances that America has always stood for. Not long after that, he held a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un; though this seemed like the perfect chance for peace and goodwill to be established between the two nations, it ended early, with no nuclear peace agreement or deal. Because of his failure in this area, North Korea remains a threat to the U.S. On April 18, the Mueller report was released. Though it did not find that Trump had colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, it did not take a position on the charges of obstruction of justice, something that Trump has a long history of doing, even now. He has admitted to withholding evidence from the impeachment trial, a legitimate crime that he found brag-worthy. During the summer, Trump caused the largest public outcry in his entire term. When the inhumane conditions of the immigration detainment camps were exposed to the public, the human rights abuses evoked anger and sympathy for the children and adults alike who were suffering, seemingly held hostage. Though
some immigrants crossed the border illegally, some were seeking asylum which is perfectly legal, and yet all were treated worse than the most dangerous prisoners. Children were separated from their parents and held in freezing cages with little to no medical services, food and viable water sources. They reported drinking from toilets and older girls having to become de-facto mothers to children who were too young to care for themselves. Children in these camps were held away from their parents for up to nearly ten months, alone and scared in a country that seemingly hated them. Twenty-four people have died in the detention camps under the Trump administration. This is due to the extreme neglect of the people detained in the camps and the lack of regular inspections. Trump’s xenophobia resulted in the death of real people and the devastation of their families and the nation’s reputation. It also seeped to his supporters, creating a huge divide in the nation, not only among party lines. The two groups were polarized over the issue, his supporters becoming more and more willing to pretend as if they had seen nothing at all, ignoring the suffering of the immigrants. His opponents, on the other hand, rallied and protested, creating enough of a stir that he was eventually forced to relent, ceasing the family separation policy and enforcing the law that
Undocumented immigrants wait in line after being released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. requires children to be returned to their parents within 30 days. That was not an end to the blood on his hands, however. Who can forget his seeming support for the murder of the Kurds, some of our closest allies? After hastily pulling troops out of northeastern Syria, he left the Kurdish fighters to try and deal with the looming threat of Turkey alone. They were quickly overwhelmed without the support of the American soldiers, leaving them vulnerable. Though the U.S. indeed should have lessened its involvement in the region, it should have been done slowly, and with insurance that our allies would be prepared to take on Turkey. Instead, he yanked the foundation from beneath them, result-
ing in a bloody genocide of the Kurdish people. The Turkish offensive against them is “on the cusp of genocide,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal in October 2019. Had Turkey not agreed to a ceasefire to allow the Kurdish forces to withdraw from the region, there probably would have been a repeat of the Anfal genocide from 1986-1989, when hundreds of thousands of Kurds were massacred. Donald Trump has caused significant harm to people and a seemingly irreparable rift through the fabric of America and the world. The year 2019 simply served as a reminder of the type of damage a hateful person can cause when given too much power.
Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2020
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Most Eligible Bachelor: Senior Will Rehmert Aman Hashim
Co-Editor in Chief Class of 2020
Photo: Aman Hashim
Before this Valentine’s Day, you were probably scrambling to find a last-minute date. Although there are a lot of fish in the sea, one stands out among them all this season of love. Well known for his laid back personality, hard-working mindset and fashion sense, he is a pleasure to admire. He works hard on the football field and grinds in the classroom, too. Ladies, please be on the lookout for the most eligible bachelor: Will Rehmert. Imagine you are alone one day, pondering the characteristics of the perfect boyfriend. What comes to mind? Dashing. Confident. Authentic. Winsome. So, you start scrolling through Tinder, trying to filter the “perfect man” but nobody seems to compare to Rehmert. In his swaggy, leather cowboy boots and dusty blue jeans, his style is unmatched. “I like to dress more mature for my age,” said Rehmert. “I want the girls to know that I am serious and sophisticated.” “Mort” is looking for a woman who is down to earth, one who
seeks a man beyond his looks. Luckily for him, he has much more to offer than his bold apparel. As president of Pace Academy Student Support (PASS), a varsity football star and Peachtree Road United Methodist Church high school basketball legend, ladies should know he is determined to reach the top. Even during the offseason, he is driven to stay in good shape. “I hit the gym after school to keep my body toned and my mind clear,” said Rehmert. “I’m trying to get big.” Beyond the looks of a girl, Rehmert sees the beauty of a relationship in how a couple connects with one another. He is interested in a woman who is religious, putting God before anything else. “She has to be a big dancer, too,” said Rehmert. “Slow dance, fast, swing, whatever it is – just get on the dance floor and shake it out.” If you are wondering what song to play on the way to your romantic date, try “Heartache on the Dancefloor” by Jon Pardi. Rehmert loves the melody and words to the hearty song and knows that any lady who plays that has good taste in music. Rehmert is eager to not only find a girlfriend for himself,
Will Rehmert (center) always attracts a crowd of women in the Seaman Family Student Commons. but also for his fellow senior friends. “If any guys out there need a pickup line, try this: ‘Is your name Google? Because you have everything I’m searching for,’” said Rehmert. His selfless personality sets him apart, as he is always looking to support his friends and family.
Speaking of family, Rehmert boasts the reputation of being “the perfect man to bring home to your family” after winning that senior superlative. He speaks well with parents and is known to keep the conversation lively with new people. All in all, Mort is the ideal
boyfriend for anyone who wants to be loved and respected. “I want the girls reading this to know that I’m not judgmental – I’m open to meet anyone,” said Rehmert. “Come find me in the stands going wild at the next basketball game and we can grub after, my treat.”
Most Eligible Bachelorette: Senior Maya Kaplan Francesca Vaneri
News Editor Class of 2020
Senior Maya Kaplan (second from left) hangs out with some suitors in the Gardens. life off the beaten path. “I’ve been bitten by a zebra, a dog, a cat, a lizard, a fish, a hamster, a ferret and a turtle. I have ADHD. I was born early. I once dropped
a baby on its head.” Her favorite foods include avocado and mini ravioli from Trader Joe’s. When asked what she looks for in a boy, Kaplan replied: “A
Photo: Francesca Vaneri
An enigma, a paradox, a woman of mystery. All these terms and more come to mind when thinking of Pace’s 2020 most eligible bachelorette, senior Maya Kaplan. Often spotted socializing in the Seaman Family Student Commons, working diligently in the Woodruff Library or frolicking on the soccer pitch as an aspiring member of the girls varsity soccer team (despite having been cut), Kaplan is on the search for a man who can match her self-professed “fast and furious” pace. The aloof Kaplan says that in her free time, she enjoys studying, spending time with friends and family, watching subtitled foreign films and stargazing. But don’t be fooled – under a studious exterior hides a spirit of adventure. Kaplan is typically the one amongst her friends who tempts the group to ditch books for adventure on Saturday nights. “Some things are just more important,” said Kaplan. Kaplan has certainly lived
girlfriend. Actually, leave that out. Probably, a big heart. Freckles wouldn’t hurt. Younger than me.” Kaplan wasn’t always into younger men, however. “My first
crush was on our plumber.” And her proudest moment? “Charl – actually, never mind.” If one were to observe Kaplan’s behavior around campus, they’d be sure to catch her giving her signature flirty wink to passing strangers: “It’s the best way to make my presence known and ensure a memorable first impression. One look in his direction and he’ll be thinking about me for hours.” Kaplan lives by a simple principle: “Just because there’s a goalie doesn’t mean you can’t score.” Kaplan doesn’t have the fondest memories associated with Valentine’s Day. “In eighth grade, [senior] Jack Robison broke up with me on Valentine’s Day,” said Kaplan. “I’ve been recovering ever since.” This year, she is finally ready to rebound from her heartbreak. Since 2020 began, Kaplan has been looking forward to Feb. 14, dreaming about sharing a plate of her beloved mini ravioli with a charming suitor. It’ll take a truly special man to make Kaplan believe that she’s capable of love again. So, boys, are you up to the task?
Valentine’s Day
Vol. 45, Issue #4
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Five Minutes with Senior Ben Caldwell and Junior Lily Kahn Aman Hashim
Co-Editor in Chief Class of 2020
(L-R) Senior Ben Caldwell and junior Lily Kahn recreate the famous “Titanic” pose in the Gardens.
Photo: Aman Hashim
Knightly News: Hey, what’s up y'all? Ben Caldwell: Hey, Aman! Lily Kahn: Hey! Are you recording this? KN: Yes. Is that OK? LK: (Light chuckle) Sure. KN: Alright, so how long have y'all been dating? BC: It’s been about three months now. Wow! KN: Good stuff. When did y'all first meet or talk to each other? BC: Music Midtown. LK: No, no, are you kidding me? That’s not true. It was a year ago. KN: Come on, “Squatch.” Why did you decide to start talking? BC: Well, I always knew of her but was too shy to say anything. I just thought she was really cute, though, so I went for it. Turned out pretty well, I guess. KN: What's it like being a couple but in different grades? BC: It's different because we don't have any classes together, so we try and talk during break and lunch as much as we can. LK: Yeah, I always look forward to those times because I don't get to see him much otherwise during the day. We also hangout after school or practices. KN: That’s nice. What’s your favorite trait about each other? LK: Like character trait? KN: Yes, please.
LK: Um, this is hard. (Laughter) Just kidding, he’s really nice and makes jokes. BC: Her personality. She’s really fun to talk to and I just love being with her. KN: What was the first date y'all went on? BC: Houston’s. LK: Oh my god no. OK fine, well, kind of. That was our first real date night, but he took me to Taco Bell once before that.
KN: That’s sweet. Who paid? (LK and BC laughing) LK: He paid, but I have paid for him before. KN: Do you remember what the other person ordered at Houston’s? BC: She got pickles, I think. Chicken fingers and pickles. LK: I don’t even know what he got. It was like a sandwich, a Reuben something. It really didn’t look good.
BC: Nope. Are you serious? It was a French dip sandwich. LK: Shut up, I’m good at this. KN: OK now, what did you get each other for Christmas? BC: I got her a sexy shirt. She picked it and I just paid for it. LK: His mom paid for it, and he got me eyeliner. I got him a weighted blanket that was really expensive. KN: That’s nice of you both. What’s your favorite thing to do
Claudius II’s orders to outlaw marriage for young men by continuing to surreptitiously wed young couples. After being caught breaking the law, Valentine faced the wrath of Claudius II and was executed Another story claims that Valentine actually was an imprisoned man who helped fellow Christians escape the brutal Roman prisons where people were
often tortured. He supposedly sent the first Valentine’s “love letter” to a young girl for whom he had fallen. According to history.com, this Valentine signed his notes with “from your Valentine,” a phrase still commonly used today. After being caught, he was murdered and became a martyr. Although the stories may not be clear, they all feature a hero known for his empathy and
romanticism. In regard to the date of Valentine’s Day, some believe that it is in February as it marks the death of one of the Roman patron saints, which possibly occurred in 270 C.E. Others claim that the Christian church placed this holiday in the middle of February to Christianize a pagan festival known as Lupercalia. Lupercalia, which took place
together? BC: We just hang out and talk about our feelings a lot! LK: Oh god, that’s awful. I guess we watch "Black Mirror" a lot. He only ever wants to watch "Star Wars," though. KN: How did y'all's families react to each other? BC: Pretty good, I’d say. They were very welcoming. LK: Same for me. I met his brother “Chuck” and his dog is so cute. KN: Nice. Now let’s do some fast facts. What are each other's shoe sizes, birthdays and favorite foods? BC: Easy money. Eight, Dec. 9, Taco Bell. Let’s go! LK: Aww. He’s a 13 1/2 shoe size, Mar. 9, and let me think… he doesn’t eat, like, ever! BC: Look at me, I definitely eat. LK: OK fine, Goldfish and Cheez-its. KN: Are you going to miss him next year when he goes to college? LK: Yes, don't start. I'm going to cry. (Ben hugs Lily). KN: OK, we won't talk about that. Is there anything you want to say to each other before we wrap up? BC: No. LK: Really? You are so mean (jokingly). BC: I’m kidding. I love you. LK: Love you too, Squatchy!
Why We Celebrate Love on Feb. 14 Mary Childs Hall Co-Editor in Chief
Class of 2021
Shortly after the Christmas and Hanukkah festivities end, stores already begin to put up displays of boxes of chocolates and Valentine’s Day cards, such as this display at CVS.
Photo: Mary Childs Hall
Every year on Feb. 14, countries in many parts of the world celebrate Valentine’s Day, a day in which people in the United States share candy, cards and flowers with their loved ones. The holiday has turned into one in which many people use money to express their love and believe that all of their wrongdoing can disappear with a box of dark chocolate truffles. People watch rom-com movies on the Hallmark Channel and can think that on-screen romances are true and realistic. However, most people observe Valentine’s Day without taking a moment to recognize the significance and history of the day. Valentine’s Day is all in the name of St. Valentine, a Catholic patron saint. This saint is shrouded in mystery, as the Catholic Church recognizes several St. Valentines. There are many differing legends regarding the patron, one of which claims that Valentine was a third-century Roman priest. He was known for defying
around Feb. 15., was the celebration of the coming of spring, and during this festival, pagans focused on fertility. Roman women placed their names in an urn in another ritual, and the men would draw from it to find a new lover, often resulting in marriage. But the first person to write of Valentine’s Day as a specifically romantic day was the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer in a 1375 poem. When people think of Valentine’s Day nowadays, thoughts commonly turn to the cards that are sent to loved ones. The first commercial Valentine’s Day cards printed in the United States were towards the middle of the 1800s. Cupid, the Roman god of love and attraction, then became associated with the holiday. As February is the prime season for bird mating, birds also became associated with the day. Valentine’s Day, although not a public holiday in the United States, is ingrained in American culture today. Many people from Great Britain, Canada, Australia, Argentina, France and Mexico also share love and affection on this day.
Spirit Week
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 8
Spirit Week Kathryn Hood
Visual Editor Class of 2021
Freshmen The freshman class traditionally is expected to do the worst on Spirit Week; however, the Class of 2023 blew everyone away. Though working
with a small budget, the freshmen somehow managed to put together costumes that perfectly expressed each character. Unfortunately, their decorations were sparse: paper plates and masks taped to the stone walls outside with scattered chalk drawings on the
Sophomores After a surprising upset last year, placing higher in the Spirit Week competition than the Class of 2021, the Class of 2022 once again shocked the crowd, performing unique dances that made glitches in their music no problem. Wrestling with a cliché but still relatively new theme of “Spongebob Squarepants,” the sophomores creatively decked out the cafeteria, decorating their space with cups of Spongebob straws and streamers, as well as Squidward and Plankton posters. The bubbles taped to the windows with every teacher’s name on them were also a nice touch. The sophomores’ banner blew audiences away with well-drawn, neat and dynamic paintings of each Spongebob character in perfect color that practically glowed. In the minutes before their dance, sophomores passed out an impressive bribe of Sprite bottles made to look like kelp juice along with Spongebob themed cookies and treats that brought their theme to life. Things were looking up for the Class of 2022 until the music
glitched during the Plankton dance starring Hannah Genser. However, the sophomores powered through, completing their dance and singing along to the music until it returned.
quad between the Upper School and the Inman Center. However, what they lacked in decorations they made up for in their dance. The freshmen seemed like they would face difficulties when they chose the theme of “Scooby-Doo,” which gave them a significantly smaller cast of characters to work with. However, the class surprised the audience with well-choreographed dances that they performed in almost perfect unison. Oliver Loree, one of the “Shaggys,” made the crowds go wild with his breakdancing. Although some of the group dances were basic and formulaic at times, it was an amazing start to the Spirit Week skits for the Class of 2023.
Vol. 45, Issue #4
Juniors
The Class of 2021 ended last year’s Spirit Week on a rough note after losing to the freshmen; however, they bounced back this year with the creative theme of “Time Machine” and an improved dance. Though their decorations weren’t as amazing as the class of 2020’s the year before, the juniors’ decorations definitely improved from last year. The juniors had an OK start with their first video, which starred Sloan Baker and Pearson Bates trying to find a time machine on Pace campus. Some jokes went over people’s
heads, but it did get a few good laughs. Although their video wasn’t amazing, their morning dance really made the junior class shine. The leads of the dance were Casey Shoulberg, Maggie Jenkins, Matthew Cleveland and Josh Mininberg. Their dance was accentuated by neon pink jackets that perfectly reflected the peppy and bright atmosphere of the dance. The Class of 2021’s creative theme complemented their danc-
Spirit Week
es, as they began their first afternoon dance in the shape of a clock, far from the basic double lines at the beginning of many group dances. The junior dance started off with cavemen and danced through each time period until landing in the future. The most popular dance was the terrific dance
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battle between the Socs (similar to a greaser) and the Preps, led by Gus Thomas and Darren Rosing. Crowds went wild for Tripp Trimble and Gus Thomas’ flip, the pair stealing the show by landing a flip in unison.
Seniors
The senior class has always managed to pull off an amazing Spirit Week, and this year was no exception. Starting off strong with a hilarious video of Dr. Seuss and company trying to find Tanner Walton, who had been kidnapped by the Grinch, the seniors launched into a show stopping morning dance. Smoke and colorful light filled the stage, complementing the well-choreographed dance. The rest of the seniors then joined the morning dancers, culminating in one final performance. The seniors left nothing out
with their decorations, covering the second floor of the Upper School from top to bottom in streamers to represent Whoville, adorning the walls with nostalgic quotes of Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” and remaking Inman into the Lorax forest. The nostalgia didn’t stop there. Seniors opened their afternoon dance with the two leads Walton and Morgan Payne asking “Dr. Seuss” to read books, as the characters from each book stood up in the background. One of the best dance sequences was
Thing 1 and Thing 2, which perfectly captured the book characters’ mischievousness, with the Oncelor vs. the Lorax following as a close second. After the final dance, the seniors threw themselves into the traditional senior mosh pit. The seniors couldn’t have ended better than with a reading of “Oh The Places You’ll Go,” a bittersweet end to the final Spirit Week for the Class of 2020.
All Photos: Fred Assaf
Lifestyle
February 14, 2020
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Snap Map Raises Concerns about Privacy are “friends” with on Snapchat.
Ashley Myers Every time the user opens the Online Editor Class of 2021
Photo: Wikimonks
According to Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, 90% of people ages 13-24 use Snapchat in the United States, as of April 2019. Since that first quarter 2019 earnings report, Snapchat added 13 million daily active users in the second quarter of 2019 and 7 million daily active users in the third quarter. Undoubtedly, Snapchat has influence when it comes to teens and their interactions on social media. Snap Inc. designed Snapchat to be a multimedia messaging app where pictures and messages that are sent immediately disappear after they are seen by the viewer. Since its beginnings in July 2011, Snapchat has expanded on this basic design by introducing Stories, images shown to users’ friends that disappear after 24 hours instead of instantaneously, and by allowing users to save chats that are sent. One radical change came later in June 2017 when Snap Map was created. Snap Map is a map that shares one’s location with every user that they
app, even if they do not have the intention of sending or opening a photo or message, their location updates and gives their friends a timestamp of when they last opened the app. There are many real dangers that come with Snap Map. For example, when large groups of people are together for an event of some kind, Snapchat shows a large red pulsing dot at the location of the group. Since Snapchat is available for download, “soft targets,” or large groups of people vulnerable to a terrorist attack, can be created because Snapchat offers a world map with the location of every “soft target” in the world marked. Also, many new users may have no idea that their location is being broadcast to all of their friends on Snapchat. With Snap Map on, users can see not only the street another user lives on, but sometimes even which room a user is in at their own house. Snapchat uses icons called Bitmojis that each user can personalize to look like themselves. Bitmojis show the user’s location the last time they opened the app and additionally if the user is listening to music, shopping or driving. The way to bypass sharing location information is called
Snap Map displays the location of a user’s friends on Snapchat. “ghost mode.” Ghost mode allows users to keep their location private. Users can also limit who of their friends can see their location and choose only those with whom they feel comfortable sharing their location. Even with these optional limitations, Snap Map still raises concerns about privacy, especially teen privacy, as Snap Map has been normalized for multiple years. In May 2019, Vice.com
revealed that Snapchat employees had abused their access to private user location data, based on interviews with current and former employees. Vice described internal tools that allowed employees “to access user data, including in some cases location information, their own saved Snaps and personal information such as phone numbers and email addresses.” The privacy concerns do not end there. According to France
Bleu, on Oct. 31, 2017 a 25-yearold man in France tracked down his girlfriend on Snapchat, went to her location and stabbed the man she was with. The accurate location data that is provided through Snapchat can end up putting users in danger, but can also be helpful in dire situations. According to the New York Post, on Jan. 19 a 14-year-old girl was allegedly drugged and kidnapped by two men in California. She contacted her friends through Snapchat where they could see her location on Snap Map. Police were able to track down the two men and rescued her. Pace students disagree on whether Snap Map is an invasion of privacy or simply a useful addition to the app. “I don’t have Snap Map on because I don’t like the idea that everyone, like even the most random people I have on Snapchat, can see where I am,” said senior Payton Payne. “I use the app Find my Friends for the people that I am closest with so they can see where I am if they need to.” Junior Laura Romig has a different view of Snap Map. “I’m fine with everyone I add on Snapchat seeing my location because I never add anyone on Snapchat that I don’t know, so it doesn’t worry me,” she said.
Spotify Has Pawfect Playlist for Your Pet Songs Of the Decade* Sloane Wagreich Staff Writer Class of 2021
Bertha Wagreich listens to her very own playlist; here, she jams out to the song “Classic” by MKTO. nificant effect on dogs’ moods. Dogs, like humans, respond best to music that has a similar tone and beat to that of a heart. While there are cases where dogs like and respond well to music, dogs will also hint to their owners when they dislike songs as well. Dogs will paw at their owner or try to cover their ears if they want the music to change. The idea of music catered towards dogs is not a new one. According to the American Kennel Club, Laurie Anderson, a famous
Photo: Sloane Wagreich
Music is a prominent component in humans’ day-to-day lives. According to marketingcharts.com, on average, each person will spend around 30 hours each week listening to music in the car, at school and work or on airplanes. But humans are not the only ones who listen to music. Dogs can sense music and react to the different rhythms and tones of songs. WagWalking.com says that dogs’ sense of hearing, which is far more powerful than a human’s, can pick up on 50,000 sound waves per minute. It may seem silly to think that the type of music a dog hears can affect their behavior, but at the very least, it impacts their body language. Loud, heavy metal rock music will likely rile dogs up and make them really excited. Upbeat pop music will make them wag their tails. Slow, mellow music can make them sleepy or maybe even sad. Sound familiar? It should because all of these genres of music have similar effects on humans’ moods. According to Psychology Today, dogs are able to sense a song’s pitch. For example, dogs will howl at high pitched music, as they respond best to high notes. Although they cannot understand the lyrics of songs, the tone and melody have a sig-
American singer and songwriter, hosted a “dog concert” in Australia in 2010. Afterward, she went on to hold a similar concert at Times Square in New York City. At this concert, people had to wear headphones because the songs were so high-pitched. It’s not just dogs who react to music, though. According to PBS, cats respond to music by purring or pawing at their owners; however, scientists have observed that these animals do not favor human music. Their
most preferred genre of music is classical. Iguanas are sensitive to high-pitched sounds and loud music. Lower sounds tend to soothe them and make them less tense. Birds have a very similar response to music as humans do. They will sing and even dance when they hear a specific melody, feeling a connection to it like humans. Certain highpitched notes in songs sound like other bird calls, prompting birds to sing in response. According to the New York Times, their brains respond to songs in the same parts as do humans. Owners of hamsters can play music for their pets to calm them down. Hamsters tend to be anxious animals and playing classical or jazz music helps soothe them. Recently, Spotify launched a new feature known as “Pet Playlists.” Users can log in to their accounts and take a brief survey that asks a variety of questions about their pets. First, users will have to select which type of pet they have. The choices include dogs, cats, iguanas, birds or hamsters. Next, they will have to answer a series of questions about their pet, ranking their curiosity, energy and friendliness. After the survey is complete, Spotify will consider the data and compile a playlist of 30 songs that owners and their pets can enjoy. Songs are pulled from owners’ playlists as well as the types of genres that will best suit one’s furry friend.
Gabriel Kadoori Staff Writer Class of 2022
*From Billboard Top 100 1. “Uptown Funk!” - Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars Release Date: 11/10/2014 2. “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO Featuring Lauren Bennett & Goonrock Release Date: 1/25/2011 3. “Shape of You” - Ed Sheeran Release Date: 1/6/2017 4. “Closer” - The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey Release Date: 7/29/2016 5. “Girls Like You” - Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B Release Date: 5/30/2018 6. “We Found Love” - Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris Release Date: 9/22/2011 7. “Old Town Road” - Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus Release Date: 12/3/2018 8. “Somebody That I Used To Know” - Gotye Featuring Kimbra Release Date: 7/5/2011 9. “Despacito” - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber Release Date: 1/12/2017 10. “Rolling in the Deep” Adele Release Date: 11/29/2010
Lifestyle
Vol. 45, Issue #4
The Knightly News - Page 11
Social Media Fuels False Rumors Memes, Videos Contribute to Spread of Misinformation for many people, these posts
Isabel Battista were the only influence in their Lifestyle Editor Class of 2021
Photo: @austinsprinz on TikTok
In the digital age, it has become increasingly difficult to trust the news sources that are the most readily available. For high schoolers especially, the limited free time that many experience leads them straight to the most accessible platform for news to spread: social media. While this can often keep people informed on pop culture, trends and current events, it also leaves the door open for lies and rumors to spread rapidly. Recently, as tensions between the United States and Iran rose following the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, rumors spread all over social media in the form of jokes, memes and TikTok videos. While many of these videos were entertaining, they spread false ideas about the tensions between the two nations, painting a picture of an impending World War III and military draft. For students that don’t regularly pay close attention to the current state of foreign affairs, these claims and jokes may have been frightening. What is even scarier is that
understanding of what was going on in the world around them. “I was seeing so much about [WWIII] on social media that it made me think that it was actually happening,” said junior Evan Elster. “It happened so quickly that by the time I got home to talk to my parents about it, I hadn’t even had time to check the actual news.” Another worrying element of this phenomenon is that many people are taking these posts at face value and putting off checking more conventional news outlets for the truth. This is another way that these posts spread; besides being able to potentially go viral, students post these videos because they see such a massive number of similar videos, causing them to believe that what they are seeing is true. The plethora of videos that already exist cause others to further discuss any aspect of the topic that has not been discussed or exhausted, leading to even more videos that are even further from the truth. “It’s scary to think that people think it’s enough to just look on Instagram or TikTok for their news,” said senior India Behl. “We can’t really tell where the original post came from, so there is no way of knowing where the rumor originated from
or who created it.” On TikTok specifically, where videos can circulate so easily in such a short span of time, simply looking up “WW3” on the app pulls up tens of thousands of videos on the topic. The hashtag has more than 1.6 billion views and the hashtag “draft” has over 1 billion views as well. Many of the videos are lighthearted jokes; however, some are realistic. These highly-edited videos are full of effects such as explosions and gunshots. Even though they still fit in with many of the other popular posts, they do stand out as more fear-inducing and truthful than many of the others. In general, social media posts continue to become more political and more viral. For students who often listen to NPR or watch reputable news outlets, these posts are understood jokes. However, for students who don’t pay as much attention to what is happening in the world, these memes and videos don’t come anywhere close to presenting the full situation. Especially in the case of US-Iran relations in recent weeks, these posts have avoided the truth and spread lies to high schoolers, and even worse, to middle schoolers and younger kids who are even less likely to watch, listen to or read the news.
A TikTok by @austinsprinz shows Sprinz attempting to escape the “draft” by crawling into a secret compartment in his closet.
Staying Informed in the Digital Age Meghna Singha Staff Writer Class of 2022
Photo: Meghna Singha
With social media so much a part of most students’ lives, many find it difficult to find news sources that are both easily accessible and reliable. Students also struggle to find the time and attention span to read long articles. But there are many options to stay informed of current events and other important news. National Public Radio (NPR) provides in-depth interviews and unbiased information for local, national and international news. “It speaks in a rational voice, presents evidence from all sides and gives time to the guests to tell a story,” said upper school history teacher and avid NPR listener Helen Smith. On FM radio, NPR is available on 90.1 in Atlanta, provided by station WABE. The segment called “All Things Considered” is a tried and true Helen Smith favorite. In addition to news and music, NPR also sponsors many podcasts to listen to while exercising, driving or eating. The podcast “Wait, Wait... Don’t Tell
Sophomore Catherine Crawford teaches Ms. Smith about the wonders of the NPR podcast. Me!” allows listeners to test their knowledge of current events along with a panel of celebrities. Like all NPR podcasts, it is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “The Daily” is a New York Times sponsored podcast, run by top news journalist Michael Barbaro. In just 20 minutes, the
podcast gives listeners a quick rundown of the day’s news. It is available on all podcast streaming platforms. The Apple News App allows iPhone users to subscribe to different news outlets and sends headline notifications. Recommended unbiased sites are NBC News for national news and BBC
News for world news. Users who subscribe to Apple News+ gain access to hundreds of digital magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times. The Woodruff Library online portal provides a list of trusted news sources along with links to those sources. “We added those links because it makes news
articles a whole lot easier to find and access for students,” said Library Assistant Tiger Brown. In addition, the library provides a search engine for articles, books and videos. Currently, much of the news is negative, but comedy news shows lighten the scene with satirical takes on current events. Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” airs every weekday, telling the day’s top stories with a humorous slant. “Saturday Night Live” has a segment called “Weekend Update” in which hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che humorously review the week’s top stories. “‘Weekend Update’ is not only hilarious but it is actually relatively informative,” said sophomore Catherine Crawford. “Plus, it is available to watch on Snapchat, so that makes it really easy to access.” Even just having conversations regarding current events helps bring in many points of view to get a broader view of the news. “Every night at dinner my family and I talk about what’s going on in the world,” said senior Lenox Herman. “It’s not only interesting, but it helps me become an informed, and probably better, citizen of the world.”
Lifestyle
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 12
Jim ‘N Nick’s a Great Spot for Athletes to Refuel Zachary Howard Sports Editor Class of 2020
Photos: Trip Advisor
With the start of spring sports and countless practices at Walsh Field, many student athletes will be spending long hours at the Riverview Sports Complex. With that in mind, I am offering up a restaurant near the fields (about a five minute drive) that athletes can thoroughly enjoy after practices and games with their teammates or families. Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q on South Cobb Dr. offers something for everyone, including a relaxed atmosphere that allows teams to bond over delicious meals. I first dined at Jim ‘N Nick’s last spring after the Pace varsity baseball team secured the region championship against Lovett. My teammates and I spent over an hour marveling at the tasty food and recounting memories from the season as we prepared for the playoffs. I have been back many times since. As soon as you are seated, you must ask for the mini corn muffins. They are a staple of the menu, and honestly one of the best foods there. These tiny muffins are packed with a powerful addictive taste and leave you craving more; however, there are many other delicious starters. Another necessary item is
Diners of all types can enjoy a great meal at Jim ‘N Nick’s, located at 4574 South Cobb Dr.
The brisket sandwich at Jim ‘N Nick’s is delectable.
their classic barbecue chips. The chips are homemade and the barbecue dust has a unique flavor. The nachos are also a go-to starter for many diners. In terms of the main course, there are two main options: barbecue and burgers/sandwiches, but there are plenty of options under each category. You can also get soup or a salad if you so please, but I have never indulged in these options. The barbecue selections are top notch. You can get brisket, multiple kinds of pork, (includ-
their house made barbecue sauce which is delectable. As an experienced customer, I will offer one piece of advice on the burgers. All sandwiches and barbecue come with one “trimming,” or side. The fries are very good, consistent with every great burger and sandwich place, but their mac and cheese is truly special. I always order the mac and cheese and, when I get a burger, I put the mac and cheese inside the bun, which blends beautifully with the rest of the ingre-
ing their Carolina-style pulled pork), ham, chicken or ribs. All of these can be ordered either by themselves or as sandwiches on Texas toast. I have had the brisket and Carolina pork as sandwiches and they were delectable, with exquisite presentation and taste. The burgers are delightful as well. I have had the pleasure of having the “JNN Original burger” and “The Southern Burger” and my taste buds thank me for it – “The Southern Burger” especially. These items are all topped with
dients. Lastly, like most Southern restaurants, they pride themselves on their teas. I highly recommend both “Dorothy’s Sweet Tea” as well as “Dorothy’s Peach Tea.” In addition, they serve pies for dessert, but I have never tried one. All in all, with great food at a reasonable price, Jim ‘N Nick’s gives stressed and tired student athletes a great atmosphere to decompress and bond with their teammates as they chase rings in their respective sports.
Childhood Has Changed; Technology a Big Factor born in the latter years of the
Jayla Wideman 2000s. The rise of technology in Staff Writer Class of 2022
“When I was your age, I…” A phrase that many teenagers can attest to hearing at least once is often accompanied by an exaggerated story that makes you want to roll your eyes. However, our childhoods have been remarkably different from those before us, especially for those
the past decade has irrevocably changed the youth of today, for better or for worse. But how? The popularity of technology with children may be due to the fact that their freedom is more and more often severely restricted. Due to the (sometimes irrational) fear that parents have of their children being kidnapped, (perhaps a residual of the Satanic Panic of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s), the outside time
and rough play that once characterized childhood has slowly started to fade away. The Satanic Panic was a period of time during which the fear of satanic ritual abuse was at an all-time high. In the aftermath of the Manson cult murders, a rash of accusations came to the forefront of the media, and included false allegations of satanic ritual abuse by daycare centers and child kidnappings. The justice system was not immune to the terror permeating the public
Photo:Pixabay
The kind of idyllic childhood many of our parents can attest to involves lots of outdoor playtime.
consciousness, resulting in several convictions (many based on falsified evidence) that seemed to confirm parents’ worst fears. This ultimately led to the development of a parenting style coined “helicopter parenting.” “We sort of went through, I think, a phase where parenting was really kind of hands off and we saw some detrimental effects from that, such as drug use, risky sexual behaviors, and getting into trouble with the law,” said Pace upper school counselor Amelia Tuttle. “We kind of went from one extreme to another, to parents being kind of on top of their children, and that didn’t help either.” The second extreme, she noted, was what the majority of Generation Z (born 1995-2015) was raised with. “As a parent, you want to make sure that your child is safe,” Mrs. Tuttle said. “However, taking it too far can cause conflict and tension. That’s also a hard question because kids conceive and understand things differently. Especially for a teenager, who wants to separate and be their own person, when a parent is too hands on, they can feel stifled and it may cause a problem.” Stories that parents and grandparents pass on from their own youth can feel a thousand years away from the ones current children and teens are experiencing. However, it’s hard
to characterize one as better than the other. Growing up in the age of technology has led children to be more socially aware than ever, marked by their access to a global community leading to a broader perspective. This has likely contributed to the recent surge of teenage-led movements, with icons such as Greta Thunberg and Emma González coming to the forefront of the public sphere. Children and teens are able to better refine their skills (especially artists) through teaching themselves more about certain crafts through videos and posts made by those more experienced. Though being thrust into a brand new world can be fascinating, it can be detrimental. Children are far more susceptible to fake facts and radicalization, especially from internet stars. The obvious problem of talking to others online is also one that parents seem to obsess over, for good reason – it can be just another method of child molestation or kidnapping. Each time period has its own benefits and downsides for children. Though it may be tempting to long for the simplicity of the past, or the wild escapades shared in stories by parents, the generation currently on the rise is sure to make a mark on the world in its own way.
Sports
Vol. 45, Issue #4
The Knightly News - Page 13
Student Athletes Commit to Next Level (L-R): George Adams, Sam Adams, Ada Jane Agolli, Caroline Landis and Sasha Ratliff
Photos: Fred Assaf (L-R) Lauren Stebbins, Jesus Tadeo, Dominique Turner, Claire Wierman and Mbiti Williams
Megan Hardesty Staff Writer Class of 2022
Aman Hashim
Co-Editor in Chief Class of 2020
Pace Academy is known for preparing its student athletes for the next chapter in their lives: college. Some have excelled in their respective sports, becoming top athletes in their class. These senior athletes sealed the deal with their schools on national signing day, held on Feb. 5. Cross country captain George Adams has committed to run Division 1 track and cross country for the University of Pennsylvania. George was not considering Penn until less than a week before he applied. “Coach Dolan from Penn called me about a week before their [early decision] deadline and we talked a couple of nights in a row that week,” he said. “Two days later he flew me up there for one day on the weekend, I loved it, went ED and got in. I’m glad he called me because if he had called me one week later I would be going somewhere else.” George’s other offers included The University of Georgia, University of Southern California, Yale, Dartmouth and Wake Forest University. George has high ambitions for his last semester at Pace. “I hope to be the best 800m runner in Georgia and one of the top in the nation. I hope I can rebreak my 800m and 1600m and 4x800m school records and also go get the 4x400 and high jump school records,” he said. He will miss many things about Pace, including his teammates, coaches and the community that supported him, but most of all his brother. “I’ll mostly miss walking into meets with my brother by my side knowing we are going to push each other to go finish first and second together in every race that we run,” he said. This year will be the last time we get to do that together.” George’s twin brother, cross country captain and track star Sam Adams, has committed to The University of Georgia’s
(UGA) Division 1 track program. Sam received many other offers, and he seriously debated going to Dartmouth or Yale. “I found the recruiting process to be very difficult, mostly because I was handed so many great options and had to choose just one,” said Sam. While the decision was tough, UGA had everything he was looking for. “I chose Georgia because when I went down to visit, I saw that the community was very tight knit and relaxed, while also having a standard of winning,” said Sam. With the recruiting process over, Sam is focused on a successful final track season with the Knights. “My main goal this season is to get a ring, and hopefully I can help us win the first team championship since 1972,” he said. Sam has big goals for college as well. “I am looking to win a championship in college whether it be individual, relay or team,” he said. Senior volleyball extraordinaire and team captain Ada Jane Agolli announced her commitment to play Division 1 volleyball at Brown University last September, marking the first Ivy League volleyball commit in Pace history. “I definitely felt ready to just make my decision for good once I toured Brown,” said Agolli. “Obviously being an Ivy, the academic side to the school is excellent, which made the choice much easier for me.” She feels more comfortable and confident now that her college process is over. According to Agolli, the best part is she no longer has to worry about the pressure of scouts or coaches watching over her every game, and she can just play freely. Her teammates are not strangers to her, as many of them were her opponents in club games over the past years. “The moment I’m going to miss the most playing Pace volleyball is that feeling when we won the last point to win the 2017 state championship. Everyone storming the court just filled my mind with joy.” Softball player Caroline Landis committed on Dec. 13 to Bowdoin College. Landis had offers from Colby College and Grinnell College as well, but Bowdoin was everything she wanted in a college. “I picked Bowdoin because I felt like it was the best fit for me,” said
Landis. “It’s small and has a collaborative learning environment while still being academically rigorous, which is what I was looking for in a school.” Landis was set on playing for a Division III school, knowing it would be a smaller college with challenging academics. Landis cannot wait to meet her new teammates and live in Maine. “I’m also excited about taking a larger variety of classes in college and getting the chance to figure out what area I would like to study in more depth,” said Landis. Right now I’m leaning toward economics or psychology, but we’ll see.” While Landis is already looking ahead, there are aspects of Pace she will miss. “I’m going to miss seeing the girls on the team every day at school,” she said. “With Pace being so small, I get to see them in the hallway when we’re not in season.” Sasha Ratliff joined the Pace community last year as a junior from Saint Francis School and was not eligible to compete with the Pace volleyball team until this school year. But she was a major contributor to the team’s third state championship and ended her high school career as a three-time All-Region and AllState player, and an American Volleyball Association Player of the Week and All-American. In addition, prepvolleyball.com recently named Ratliff a 2020 All American. Ratliff will play Division 1 volleyball at San Diego University (SDU). “My sister goes to San Diego State, so having some family over there as well as the strong academics they provide helped make my decision,” said Ratliff. Her list of offers included schools such as Villanova University and Marquette University. Originally, her heart was set upon the East Coast, but upon her visit to SDU, the decision became effortless. Ratliff has already had the chance to get to know her upcoming teammates when she attended a volleyball camp in California. “I want to work harder now that I’ve committed,” said Ratliff. “I feel that chip on my shoulder to prove to people that I deserve to play in college.” Lauren Stebbins has made her commitment to enroll at Baylor University to further
her equestrian skills in their renowned Division 1 program. Baylor had always been her top choice, so as soon as they offered, she decided to seal the deal. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to attend equestrian camps at both Auburn and Oklahoma State, which gave me exposure to being a student athlete on college grounds,” said Stebbins. “These experiences helped me better understand what I was looking for in a college.” As captain of the Pace equestrian team, she feels her leadership will help prepare her for Baylor. “When showing with the Pace team, it is not an individual sport,” said Stebbins. “Everyone rides much better when people are supportive and cheering them on.” Jesus Tadeo has solidified his standout soccer skills since his entrance to Pace in 2016. He started off as a freshman on a very advanced team with many upperclassmen but took no time to fit right in. Tadeo announced his commitment to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee a week before National Signing Day. The small liberal arts school has always been on the back of his mind since friends in the Rhodes soccer program encouraged him to check it out, but it only recently became his front runner. “My college counselor, Mr. (Ben) Wescott, helped me a lot with the process,” said Tadeo. “He worked there for 10 years and had connections. I chose Rhodes because I already knew many of my teammates and I liked the community beyond the campus.” With the Pace soccer season just underway, Tadeo’s mindset remains the same: to win. “I’m working to leave a good legacy here and end on a high note,” he said. “I want to make the most out of my last few months here and win State.” His biggest fans are his family, especially his father. “My dad has always been my number one coach, supporting me 24/7,” said Tadeo. Dominique Turner has demonstrated her extraordinary skills on the volleyball court since she joined the Pace community in 2016 for her freshman year. Just one month before the end of junior year, Turner made her official commitment to play
Division 1 volleyball at Marshall University in West Virginia. Turner received offers from many schools, including Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Tennessee, Temple University and Marshall University, but Marshall felt like home. “I felt more comfortable there, somewhere I can spend the next four years,” said Turner. “If I waited or prolonged the process, I probably wouldn’t have found my perfect fit.” Her mindset has shifted from worrying about herself and the college process to now being 100% dedicated to her club team’s success. Pace lacrosse phenomenon and senior captain Claire Wierman made her decision in the summer after obtaining offers and interest from Amherst College, Washington and Lee University and Williams College. “I chose Williams because it’s a really cool environment,” she said. “Everyone is super outdoorsy and super active. Their program is really starting to take off so I wanted to be a part of that big picture.” Her mindset this Pace lacrosse season is to put the college process behind her but to remember that she can’t slack off and has to work just as hard. “The best part about committing to play my sport is that there is no ‘last game’ this year,” said Wierman. “Knowing that senior night at Pace won’t be my last game ever brings me relief.” Senior football captain Mbiti Williams played wide receiver and cornerback for the Knights. He received offers and interest from Florida State University, Tennessee State University and the U.S. Naval Academy, but his choice was clear. His junior year, he committed to play Division 1 football at Navy. “I hadn’t visited Navy before I committed but I knew this was the best scenario for me,” said Williams. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime because it was so different. I have the chance to serve in the military, everything is paid for and academically it’s a great fit.” Even after committing, Williams was still invested in his last season with the Knights football team. “I remember the game against ELCA when we stopped their 37-game win streak [in 2018]. Those are the moments I will cherish from Pace.”
Sports
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 14
Teachers Were Student Athletes, Too Jamie Kornheiser Managing Editor Class of 2021
High Jump Laura Agront-Hobbs
Lacrosse Ben Ewing
Lacrosse Michael Gannon
Equestriana Selby Hill
Crew
Tamara Neiley
Volleyball Jennifer McGurn
Lacrosse Grady Stevens Wrestling Gus Whyte
Soccer
Krista Wilhelmsen
Photo: Laura Agront-Hobbs
It is the dream of many Pace students to play a sport in college, but what they may not know is that many of their teachers were able to achieve this feat. The upper school faculty is comprised of many former athletes, including All-Americans, national champions and even an Olympian. These teachers worked tirelessly to achieve athletic success while simultaneously dealing with the rigor of academics, just like the student athletes at Pace. The most prestigious athletic competition in the world is the Olympics, and athletes train for years just to get the opportunity to try out. However, Spanish teacher Laura Agront-Hobbs, a basketball player in high school, decided she would try out for fun with her brother. Since jumping is a large component in basket-
ball, Sra. Agront-Hobbs decided she would try the high jump. That day, she broke the Puerto Rican high jump record. After proving to the Puerto Rican Olympic Federation that she could qualify for the Olympics, Sra. Agront-Hobbs began to train and prepare. She competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where she placed 22nd in Women’s High Jump. However, since she was very young, it was hard for her to grasp the scale of the event in which she was competing. If she were able to go back, Sra. Agront-Hobbs would love to reverse the order. “I would like to have done it the right way,” she said. “Start in high school, go to college, work hard and then try to go compete and see if I could make the Olympics. The Olympics are the biggest and best, every athlete’s dream. But I didn’t see it that way because it was my very first international meet.” The exposure that Sra. Agront-Hobbs got at the Olympics led to her recruitment by the University of Alabama to compete on the track team. During the season, not only did she have practices every day and often had to miss Thursday and Friday classes for meets, but training during the offseason was also intense. “Every Saturday morning we had to get up at six o’clock for practice from six to 10,” said Sra. Agront-Hobbs. “It was insane, but I enjoyed it and you get used to it. It becomes part of your everyday life.” While she was competing at Alabama, the Women’s Indoor Track and Field Team won the 1986 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship as well as the 1986 NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship. For the latter of these achievements, the team was invited by President Ronald Reagan to the White House. In 1987, the team was the runner-up at the NCAA Division I Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Individually, in 1986 at the SEC Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship, Sra. Agront-Hobbs placed second in the high jump and third in the triple jump. She was able to achieve the same feat in the high jump a year later at the same meet. Later on, in 1986 at the SEC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship, she won the high jump competition. In 1987 at this same championship, Sra. Agront-Hobbs celebrated another first-place finish for the high jump. Following her successful college career, Sra. Agront-Hobbs traveled around the world for three more years competing in different meets, and she coached two high jumpers at Alabama for a year. She has competed in not only the Olympics but also the Pan-American Games as well as the Central American Games, both at the junior and professional levels. Her athletic prowess earned her the title of Puerto Rico’s Athlete of the Year
Sra. Agront-Hobbs competes for the University of Alabama track and field team in high jump. in both 1984 and 1985. She holds one of the top 10 high jumps in Alabama’s Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-Time Records, and she still holds the Puerto Rican national record in women’s high jump at 6’1.” Most people get really good at a sport by beginning practice as a young child, which was the case with English teacher Selby Hill. She rode horses constantly while growing up, and she always knew she wanted to be a college athlete. “It was kind of always just part of the plan.” Mrs. Hill was recruited to ride at the Division I level at the University of Georgia (UGA). The practice schedule was also different from most sports because they were involving animals. “We can’t practice on the horses every day or else they would be exhausted,” said Mrs. Hill. “We would actually practice [with horses] three times a week, and then we had six in the morning workouts Monday through Thursday as well as lifting twice a week.” In order to get to meets, Mrs. Hill and the UGA Equestrian Team had to travel all over the country, from South Dakota to Delaware to Texas. Even though they had to miss classes, Mrs. Hill recalls that UGA made sure its athletes were keeping up their academics as well. “You have a class checker, every class all four years, where if you show up one minute late, they highlight your name and you can’t practice that day.” During the first three years of her career, UGA’s Equestrian Team came in second at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) National Championship. As a senior, Mrs. Hill was selected as captain of the team. Despite losing the SEC Championship, the team ended up winning the NCEA National Championship in 2014. “It just felt like that was the year that all the stars aligned,” she said. “I was never the top person on the team but I was really honored that even though I was not necessarily a point leader, I was still able to have that opportunity to lead in different ways.” Class of 2022 Dean Ben Ewing, Class of 2020 Dean Grady Stevens and Upper School Head Michael Gannon all played Division I lacrosse at different schools. Before being recruited to play at Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Stevens was a lacrosse
All-American in high school. While playing in college, the team traveled along the East Coast for games once or twice a week. In addition to having official practices or games six days a week, players put in extra hours before and after practices as well as on their off days. “There are three parts of life in college,” said Mr. Stevens. “There’s your social life, your physical health and there are academics. You can’t be an AllAmerican at all three.” While in college, he decided to give up parts of his social life in order to do well in academics as well as continue to improve at lacrosse. “I was really interested in trying to pursue athletics and academics to the highest level I could. I would spend a lot of time in the library after practice, but during the day, I was up at the field house if I wasn’t in class.” In his junior year, Mr. Stevens suffered a traumatic brain injury, essentially a very bad concussion, forcing him to take a step back from playing. “I actually moved into a coaching role in my senior year,” he said. In addition to occasionally being ranked as the first or second team in the country, Johns Hopkins also made the NCAA tournament in three out of Mr. Steven’s four seasons. He also received the John N. Richardson Award for Johns Hopkins lacrosse. Mr. Stevens continues to be involved in lacrosse, now as the head coach for the varsity boys lacrosse team at Pace. After graduating from Pace in 2006, Mr. Ewing was recruited to play lacrosse for Presbyterian College. “Lacrosse was a big part of my life in high school, and college lacrosse offered me an opportunity to go to a good school that could offer scholarship money to attend college,” he said. Not only did Mr. Ewing spend a lot of time conditioning with six practices a week and morning lifts, but he also spent numerous hours on long bus rides. “Most Division I lacrosse teams are up North, so because our team was in South Carolina, our games were almost exclusively away games,” said Mr. Ewing. “We would get on a bus and drive for up to 1000 miles for a game.” With all this time away from campus, it was difficult to manage both athletics and academics. “I convinced myself that I
could survive on four hours of sleep, which in hindsight was the dumbest thing ever,” he said. Mr. Ewing also served as captain of the team his senior year. After playing in college, Mr. Ewing kept lacrosse in his life by coaching in addition to teaching at the Asheville School in Asheville, North Carolina. He now coaches at Pace as an assistant coach for the boys varsity lacrosse team. For Mr. Gannon, lacrosse was the priority for him at Brown University. “I liked playing so I didn’t mind not going on spring break,” he said. “You just make choices. But they weren’t hard choices for me to make because I liked playing more than I liked school, and I liked playing more than I liked going out. I didn’t feel like it was a sacrifice.” In order to improve, he has a true belief that people need to love the sport. “What I found with my teammates who didn’t improve, many of whom were more important recruits than me coming in the door, was that they didn’t like to play enough,” said Mr. Gannon. “They didn’t train enough, they didn’t condition enough and they didn’t improve enough.” During Mr. Gannon’s lacrosse career, Brown went to the NCAA tournament three out of four years. In Mr. Gannon’s senior year, he was named an All-American, and Brown went undefeated until the NCAA tournament. Brown won the Ivy League Championship that year. Mr. Gannon coached lacrosse at Pace, including the team that Mr. Ewing played on. In 2000, he received the Georgia Lacrosse Coach of the Year Award. Class of 2021 Dean Krista Wilhelmsen attended Bowdoin College in Maine where she played Division III soccer. Playing soccer in Maine could be extremely difficult at times. “It’s dark by about 4:30 and cold and sometimes snowing,” said Mrs. Wilhelmsen. Despite playing as a forward in high school, Mrs. Wilhelmsen was given a challenge when her coach asked her to try playing as a fullback. “I had to fill a need on the team,” she said. “It was a totally different experience, but still to this day I couldn’t tell you which of the positions I preferred. I really loved them both, and it was more about just being out on the field.”
Sports
Vol. 45, Issue #4
The Knightly News - Page 15
Kelsea Ayers Takes on Multiple Roles
on the lacrosse field and in the classroom. While she was at Ohio State, the team made two NCAA tournament appearances and won the Big 10 title. Coach Ayers was a significant contributor to the program with 95 points and 74 goals over her college career. As a member of the basketball coaching staff, she is working alongside Stephanie Sosebee, Chelsea Brock and Bobbi Boyer, who all assist Athletic Director
and head coach Troy Baker in leading the girls varsity basketball team. She has not played basketball since high school so Coach Ayers had to readjust the first couple of weeks. However, her knowledge of the hard work it takes to be a great athlete helped the girls team. “She pushes us more than anyone, which I think is an incredible trait to have as a coach,” said senior captain Virginia Hobbs. “She pushes
us to be tough and to dig deep... which has helped the team grow and become stronger.” The team finished the regular season with a 13-13 record. Her competitive spirit also came out as the team bonded over winter break on their trip to Memphis, Tennessee. The team watched the college football playoffs together, which included her alma mater Ohio State. “We were getting so heated by the game and when they lost she told me she couldn’t talk to me that day,” said Hobbs. Her love for sports led her to the job as a lower and middle school PE teacher for Pace. She explained that coaching PE is her dream job and that there is no job she would want to do more. “Everyone has been willing to help because I had never been a PE teacher before,” said Coach Ayers. “My bosses and the whole department have been awesome.” Her role at Pace has allowed Coach Ayers to do what she is passionate about. “I get to coach kids every single day and that’s really what I wanted to do,” she said. Coach Ayers was amazed by the organization of the Pace PE department and the amount of resources they had to give the kids the best opportunity to
the U.S. that I wouldn’t have normally gotten to see.” Especially in times of competition, Butler was very active in helping its players stay on top of their academics. “When we traveled quite a bit, we would have somebody proctor a test or somebody to help us with homework while we were on the road,” said Mrs. McGurn. “I stepped in as a freshman and started setting,” said Mrs. McGurn. “And so by the end of my career, I had a lot of the career setting records because I had a lot of opportunities to play throughout my career.” She was a three-time all-league player as well as the Horizon League Player of the Year as a senior. Mrs. McGurn was also named to ten consecutive all-tournament teams, and she completed her career as the Butler and Horizon League career record-holder in assists. Today, she still holds three of Butler’s top 10 singleseason assist totals as well as four of Butler’s top 10 single match assist totals.
Mrs. McGurn also has the second most career aces and the third most career digs. In 1997, she led Butler’s volleyball team to their first, and as of today only, appearance in the NCAA tournament. As a result of her recordsmashing career, Mrs. McGurn was inducted into the Butler University Hall of Fame in 2009. She worked at UGA as an assistant volleyball coach before coming to Pace in 2006. She continues to coach volleyball at Pace for the middle school team. Many athletes deal with adversity during their career, but the most devastating is a careerending injury. “Hockey was my main sport,” said English teacher Tamara Neiley. “I was recruited young out of high school to play Division I, but my senior year I had a career-ending injury so I couldn’t play anymore.” She ended up choosing to attend Union College because they had strong academics, and, if she were able to ever play again, a strong Division I hockey program. However, she never was able to play again. Since she grew up as an athlete, not having a sport was very difficult for Mrs. Neiley, so she decided to try something new: crew. “I tried out for the crew team, I made it, and I ended up loving it.” How-
ever, rowing in the North turned out to have its challenges, the main one being the weather. “Up North it is very cold,” she said. “There was this one race and there was a snowstorm. My boat was in the middle of the race and there was sleet, ice and snow in the boat. I got frostbite.” The practice schedule included practices during all three seasons every single day. Whether it was on the water in the fall and spring, or inside training during the winter, the team was always working to get better together. “Crew is the absolute ultimate team sport,” said Mrs. Neiley. “You do not stick out. Everyone has their own job in the boat. Watching a regatta you can’t say, ‘oh, that person in seat number four looks really good.’ You just don’t have that individuality.” Mrs. Neiley was named to the All-Liberty League Team during her career. “My dream is one day to have a boat of my own and be able to still practice it.” Some college athletes decide to walk on rather than be recruited. Upper School Math Chairperson Gus Whyte decided he would try to be a walk-on for Williams College’s Division III wrestling team. He was on the team for four years during which he trained on a rigorous practice schedule that sometimes included two practices a day. In contrast with large Division I programs, a high number of the Williams students participate in athletics. “It is a place with a large percentage of student athletes so there is no
Bennett Boushka
Social Media Editor
Class of 2021
Photo: Kelsea Ayers
The girls varsity lacrosse team has a new head coach for this season. Kelsea Ayers left her old position as an assistant coach for Stetson University’s womens lacrosse team to take on several roles at Pace, including assistant girls varsity basketball coach and lower and middle school PE teacher, in addition to her job as head girls varsity lacrosse coach. She has never been a basketball or PE teacher; however, this is not the first time in her career as a high school lacrosse coach. She had that same role at Indian River High School in Delaware. “Pace has a lot more resources than my old school and I am excited to see what I can do here,” said Coach Ayers. She also gained coaching experience coaching girls lacrosse on the club scene in Maryland for various clubs. Coach Ayers attended Ohio State University as an undergraduate and played varsity lacrosse there. Coach Ayers earned the Big Ten ScholarAthlete honors award all four years for her high performance
Kelsea Ayers races past a defender to score a goal for Ohio State.
learn. “I could not believe the rotations we are able to offer,” she said. Coach Ayers hopes to grow the Pace lacrosse program and take it to new levels. She will bring her past experience as a player and coach to the team this season. “I have learned a lot from basketball that can translate to lacrosse and hope to bring some of the defensive things to the field,” she said. The team made history last year making the playoffs for the first time, but the aspirations of the team do not stop there. “We hope with a new coach we can improve a lot and win a lot more games,” said junior Madison Martin. “From our first time meeting Kelsey, I could tell she knew a ton about lacrosse.” The team plays their first game on Feb. 19 against Dunwoody High School. Her love for activity and sports is apparent in her free time. Outside of Pace, Coach Ayers spends most of her time working out or going on adventures. This is Coach Ayers’ first time living in Georgia, so she has been trying to spend lots of time exploring the whole state. “I have been hiking, exploring and finding new food spots,” she said.
special treatment for anyone,” said Mr. Whyte. “The people on the wrestling team are the same as the people on every other team or any other extracurricular. And that’s the beauty of a place like Williams.” Both junior and senior year, Mr. Whyte served as captain of the wrestling team, and he was also named to his all-conference team. Despite never making it to nationals, the team was the runner-up for the New England Conference twice. He continues his involvement in the sport today as Pace’s head varsity wrestling coach. Playing a sport in college is time consuming and takes a lot of hard work and effort. The reality is, playing a varsity sport in college is not for everyone – something all the former collegiate athletes unanimously agreed with. “It’s a big commitment. You have to truly love the sport, and you have to want to play for yourself and for your team,” said Mrs. McGurn. “If you don’t really love it, then you shouldn’t do it,” agreed Mr. Gannon. However, everyone still said that staying involved in activities you enjoy is the most important thing in college. “I think everyone should find a passion the way I found a passion for lacrosse,” said Mr. Stevens. Mrs. Wilhelmsen stressed that even those who love sports but don’t want a serious commitment can still enjoy participating. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be an organized team. That’s the great thing about college, there are club teams, so you can always stay involved somehow.”
Teachers Were Student Athletes, Too (Continued from page 14)
Photo: Selby Hill
As a senior, Mrs. Wilhelmsen was named her team’s most valuable player. Although Mrs. Wilhelmsen only continued playing soccer after college for a little while, the sport still had a huge influence on her life. It was through soccer that she met her husband, Jason, and they continue to encourage their sons to play. “Soccer is one of the highlights of my entire life, and it’s always been a part of my life.” It is not often that an athlete gets recruited for more than one sport, but that is what happened to Director of Admissions Jennifer McGurn. Although she ended up playing Division I volleyball in college, Mrs. McGurn also looked at schools for softball and basketball. “I chose volleyball because I chose Butler,” she said. “You really got to know your teammates and your professors and I loved my coaches. So while I did choose the sport, it was actually that I chose the school more.” The Butler University volleyball team traveled all over the country for games, but their coach did something very special for the players. “My college coach was really good about scheduling games to get close to home for all of the kids from all over the country,” said Mrs. McGurn. “That way their family and friends could come to see everybody play. It was also a fun way to see a lot of
Sports
February 14, 2020
The Knightly News - Page 16
Spring Sports Begin with High Hopes
Photo: Omar López Thismón
The varsity boys and girls tennis teams celebrate after the girls won the state finals on May 7, 2019. This was the first Pace boy/girl tennis state championship since 1979.
Zachary Howard Sports Editor Class of 2020
Boys Lacrosse: Boys varsity lacrosse is coming off a sweet 16 appearance in the state playoffs last year. Although they lost three players who now compete for their college teams – Sam Assaf, Andrew Konradt and Charlie Warren – as well as other pivotal players who graduated in the Class of 2019, the team still has high hopes for the season. With many returning players such as seniors Thomas Siegenthaler, Aidan Gannon, Jack Jacoby, Ben Ginsberg, Andrew Miller, Evan Duncan and Jeremy Leven, as well as important juniors such as Tripp Trimble and Steven Morrisroe, the team has varsity experience and depth to make a run. New members, such as Niko Karetsos, also have potential and will make a positive impact on the team this year. With all this in mind, the boys have playoff hopes in their sights.
Girls Lacrosse:
The girls lacrosse team is coming off of a historic playoff appearance, it being the first time the team had ever made the playoffs. Since last spring, the team has made great strides by hiring coach Kelsea Ayers, who will be a difference maker for the team. Coach Ayers most recently worked as an assistant womens lacrosse coach at Stetson University and was a Division I player at The Ohio State University. The Pace team is blessed with strong senior leadership, with Williams College bound Claire Wierman and fellow seniors Mae Shippen, Emma Shelton, Nikki Rubin and Sandy Lum heading up the team. There are strong underclassmen who will have a larger role on the
team this year, such as juniors Reilly Hamilton, Amalia Maxa and Mary Childs Hall. Sophomores Mackenzie Martin and Alex Spinelli will also contribute to a very deep team. All in all, things are looking up for the team this year and the program as a whole.
Boys Soccer: Last year, boys soccer made a surprising dark horse run to the elite eight, beating No. 1 seed Greater Atlanta Christian (GAC) along the way. The team will look to build upon last year’s strong run; many players have had a full year of varsity experience and grown into much more mature players. Led by seniors Jesus Tadeo and Jared McCall, the team also has great talent in the likes of sophomores Jeremy Avellaneda, Juan Figueroa and Jeffrey Ramos, juniors Jorge Gonzalez Fernando and Anderson Lara, and senior Alan Tapper, who are just a few on the deep roster that will contribute to the upcoming season. With this being said, the team has their eye on the prize as they compete in region play.
Girls Soccer: Last year, girls soccer finished with a first round playoff exit in a 7-6 loss to Jefferson, an outcome they look to improve upon this season. Although the team lost valuable players such as Class of 2019 members Madeline Janki, Devan Johnson, Regan Bates and Kayla Ross, players remain with varsity experience, such as seniors Virginia Hobbs, Lenox Herman and Klara Andra-Thomas, as well as junior Caroline Janki and sophomores Hannah Genser, Megan Hardesty and Thea Chastain. Some of these players will take on a larger role this year, and there is no doubt that they have the ability to make some noise this season.
Boys Tennis: In the past two years, the boys tennis team made it to back-to-back state championships, losing to Lovett the first time before enacting revenge this past year to clinch the state title. Although losing last year’s seniors Charlie Hirsch and Will Funston, the team is still returning players vital to another championship run. Seniors Rohan Jatar, Neil Sashti and Finn LaMastra will work with returning juniors Matt Genser and Jordy Elster to create a potent combination, making this team the favorite to defend their title from a year ago.
Girls Tennis: The girls tennis team ended the 2018-19 season on top, defeating Lovett handily for the state title. The girls lost key players from last year’s team, including three players who played in the state championship: Avi Arora, Leah Mautner and Bay Brickley. Now, senior Rekha Sashti and juniors Sidney Funston, Grace Funston, Lily Kahn and Sidney Silver are returning from last year’s title win to defend it. With key players returning, combined with newcomers and younger players stepping in, Pace girls tennis should once again be competitive in AAA.
Boys Golf: The boys golf team is looking to add to their strong finish at state last year, and they have the experience and the talent to do so. Seniors Jimbo Smith, George “Grob” Robbins, Austin Kelly and team captain Ben Crawford will lead the charge, backed up by junior Josh Mininberg and sophomore Ben Shelton. Although Westminster is a perennial power in AAA golf,
this year’s blend of seniority and experience on the team should prove to be a mix capable of challenging Westminster and competing for the title.
Girls Golf: The girls golf roster is thinner this season after losing five seniors, one a freshman member of the University of North Carolina golf team, Aleks Golde. Although the girls team didn’t qualify for the state tournament last year, Golde qualified as an individual player with an area tournament score of 71. The team currently is composed of three returning players: senior Lauren O’Sullivan and sophomores Asata Manigault and Allison Silverboard.
Baseball: The baseball team is coming off of a historic season where they went undefeated in region play, sweeping the likes of Westminster and Lovett on the way to a No. 1 ranking going into the state playoffs, but ultimately lost at the hands of Pike County in the state championship. Although Mitchell O’Berry, Andrew Jenkins, TJ Rafeedie and Brian Zeldin have all moved on to college baseball, the team still has four returning players, sophomores Deuce Jordan and Jae Williams, junior Jayden Thomas and senior Zachary Howard, who started last year. With the addition of sophomore RJ Austin and junior Evan Smith-Rooks, the team is looking to avenge their second place finish last year and win it all, and they have the players to back it up.
Track and Field: This year’s track team has a chance to be highly successful. On the boys’ side, senior twins George Adams and Sam Adams, who finished first and second at
state and are running in college at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Georgia, respectively, will captain a team that can bring home a ton of hardware. Backed up by seniors Quill Healey, Connor Husk and Jay Satisky, junior Sam Webb, sophomores George and Edward Blaha and Robert Mallis, it is a rare combination of talent across all grades and types of competitions, on the track and in field competitions such as shot put. The girls team will also be very talented, led by seniors Payton Payne, Paula Sandoval and Erin Hood. In the field events, senior Brianna Thomas will lead the way. Coach Jolie Cunningham is working with high level competitors with the ability to set records of many types.
Notable Upcoming Matchups: 4/11 Boys Lax vs Lovett 4/17 Boys Lax vs Westminster 3/17 Girls Lax vs Westminster 3/30 Girls Lax vs Lovett 2/25 Boys Soccer vs Lovett 4/3 Boys Soccer vs. Westminster 3/25 Girls Soccer vs Lovett 4/3 Girls Soccer vs Westminster 3/18 Boys Tennis vs Lovett 4/1 Boys Tennis vs Westminster 3/18 Girls Tennis vs Lovett 4/1 Girls Tennis vs Westminster 4/4 Boys Golf Lions Invitational 3/11 Girls Golf vs Westminster 3/25 Girls Golf vs Lovett 4/15 Girls Golf vs Lovett 3/27 Baseball at Westminster 3/30 Baseball vs Westminster 4/14 Baseball at Lovett 4/16 Baseball vs Lovett 4/15 Track and Field vs Lovett