Volume 45, Issue #7

Vol. 45, Issue #7

The

Knightly News

p. 7 Letter from a Senior

p. 12 Senior Spring Athletes Say Farewell

May 8, 2020

p. 16 Senior Predictions

Class of 2020 Says Goodbye Francesca Vaneri

News Editor Class of 2020

Photo: Fred Assaf

After making their mark on Pace Academy for 13 years, the Class of 2020 is now graduating and traveling across the country to dozens of colleges, ready to take on the next stage in their lives. This class will go down in Pace history not only for their academic, athletic and artistic accomplishments, but also for being the first class to not finish their senior year on the Pace campus.

But despite this unexpected ending, the Class of 2020 will ultimately be remembered for their sizable contributions to Pace, as well as for the relationships they created with teachers and fellow students.

These seniors will be going to college in 26 different states, spanning from California to Maine. Two seniors will be going abroad to England and Japan to continue their educations.

Nineteen seniors are planning to remain in-state, going to the University of Georgia, Georgia

A banner hangs in front of the school with photos of all 114 members of the Pace Academy Class of 2020.

Tech and Emory University.

Other popular destinations include Auburn University and Wake Forest University, where eight and seven seniors plan to attend, respectively. Schools receiving two Pace seniors each include: Davidson College, Duke University, Howard University, Princeton, Rhodes College, SMU, Stanford, UCLA, UVA, Vanderbilt and Washington Uni-

versity in St. Louis.

Twelve seniors have committed to play sports at their colleges. These athletes include Erin Hood, who will be swimming at Georgetown University, and twins George and Sam Adams, who will be running track and field at the University of Pennsylvania and UGA, respectively.

Two seniors - Mae Ship-

pen and Mbiti Williams - will be attending the United States Naval Academy and have committed to serving in the Navy after their graduation.

“When I visited, I really saw how much opportunity there is for service upon graduation which was really appealing to me,” said Shippen. “I’m looking forward to the traveling opportunities and networking within the military

community as well as the STEM courses. I will definitely miss the teachers at Pace and how much they truly care about your education and well being.”

This class has accomplished a number of impressive athletic milestones over their four years in the Upper School. Seniors Ada Jane Agolli, Dominique

then I just kept coming back to the idea of teaching. Salisbury is where everything kind of started.”

After years of teaching and coaching at Salisbury, which was an all-boys boarding school in a rural area of New England, Mr. Whyte decided to move to Atlanta, where he found a job at Pace Academy as a math teacher.

Although he currently serves as the mathematics department chair, he also took on roles over time including Dean of Students and Associate Athletic Director.

He has coached wrestling, cross country, baseball and girls soccer as well.

According to Mr. Whyte, although he is grateful for his time in Salisbury, Pace is where his passion for education came to life. “Salisbury was great but it was not as academic as at Pace,” said Mr. Whyte. “There was a different emphasis there, and that is OK. At Salisbury, sports were very important, while academics were not as strong. When

I got to Pace, I needed to step it up academically, which helped me to learn a lot.”

Mr. Whyte says that he owes gratitude to the faculty and students as they have been an instrumental part of his journey.

“The Pace faculty is truly incredible because they have great knowledge in subject matter, but more importantly know how to convey the messages of the information they are teaching,” said Mr. Whyte. “I was able to learn lots from that. Also, the students at Pace really want to do well and they love to learn, and that has helped me as well. I appreciate that I have been able to develop really good relationships and have received great feedback on how to become a better teacher.”

His students appreciate that he teaches his students with the desire for them to truly learn and absorb the concepts, rather than just memorize facts for a test.

(Continued on page 3)

Mr. Whyte Pursues New Opportunity Mary Childs Hall Co-Editor in Chief

Class of 2021

Photo: Laura Inman

At the end of this academic year, the Pace Upper School has not only lost the Class of 2020 as they head to college, but also another presence that has made an enormous impact on the community. Math department chairperson Gus Whyte leaves Pace at the end of this school year to start a new chapter at Metairie Park Country Day School in New Orleans.

After 11 years of teaching at Pace, Mr. Whyte has decided to take his career in education even further by becoming their upper school principal. He will begin his tenure at Country Day starting July 1, where he is prepared to learn to take on a new role and lead the students and faculty.

Mr. Whyte began his career in education after receiving a B.A. from Williams College,

Mr. Whyte will be upper school principal at Metairie Park Country Day School in New Orleans. where he also competed on the wrestling team. He then taught at a public high school for a short time. Unsure of where his future might take him next, he took a teaching job at The Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut, where he later became the Assistant Dean of Students.

“Part of the reason I began teaching was because I wanted to stay involved with wrestling and be able to coach,” said Mr. Whyte. “But once I got to Salisbury, I just ended up loving teaching. There were times when I thought to myself maybe I should try something new, but

(Continued on page 2)

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Pace News

May 8, 2020

The Knightly News - Page 2

Seniors Share Favorite Pace Memories Aman Hashim

Co-Editor in Chief Class of 2020

steal and always ask for permission first,” said Caldwell. “It tasted really good, though.”

An eventful part of any lower schooler’s day, recess, brought energy and excitement.

The playground was divided between the pre-first through third graders’ side and the daunting fourth and fifth graders’ side, better known as “Six Flags.” “I was so excited to be in fourth grade, just because I could finally go to Six Flags and play on the big basketball hoops,” said lifer Quill Healey.

Middle School was marked by playing classic games like Einsteins versus Newtons in math teacher Jesse Marshburn’s class, hearing former Head of Middle School John Anderson say “It’s a great day to learn” and of course, for the boys, searching for the Arkenstone with English teacher Pete Pope.

Senior Jimbo Smith recalls the time he channeled his inner Shaquille O’Neal when he threw

down a vicious dunk on Mr. Marshburn’s mini basketball hoop. “Aman [Hashim] challenged me to dunk over him and when I did the hoop shattered,” said Smith. “It was awesome until Mr. Marshburn made us pay for a new hoop which cost, like, 40 dollars.”

Many of the senior girls remember creating a haunted house based on the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” in English teacher Katherine Norton’s class.

“The house was actually spooky to me at the time,” said senior Alexa Levine. “It was really fun, though, to scare the boys and see their reaction.”

An unforgettable moment for those who attended Pace Middle School was former math teacher Andrew Heacock’s door breaking as he was handing out yearbooks. Lifer Jared McCall was so eager to receive his yearbook and attain signatures from the whole grade that he ran from across the hall to get his book.

McCall, running fast, could not stop himself as he ran straight into the door and shattered part of the door as he collided with it. Luckily, McCall sustained no injuries, but laughter filled the air.

Team Challenge, although intended to be a fun and relaxing day, became a competitive scene for lifer Morgan Payne. To this day, he still prides himself on winning first place in all three Team Challenges that he participated in.

Then came ninth grade in the Upper School, where schoolwork demanded seriousness from the Class of 2020, but that didn’t stop them from forming lasting memories. Three seniors in particular – Ada Jane Agolli, Lucy Ferry and Dominique Turner – will remember high school as the time they were key to helping the Knights (along with senior Sasha Ratliff who was eligible to play this year) win three straight volleyball state championships.

“In seeing Mr. Whyte two times per day in my BC Calculus class and Economics class this year, he has finally helped me to understand the difference between simply memorizing and truly learning, a distinction which led to my highest level of academic accomplishment as well as heightened intellectual curiosity,” said senior Quill Healey.

In taking on various roles during his time at Pace, Mr. Whyte became especially fond of the administrative positions, which is why he is leaving to become the head of an upper school.

“I have had experience at the administrative level and have been part of the conversation of how the school is run, but now I really want to do that myself,” said Mr. Whyte. “After doing it for awhile, you get a lot of good ideas and realize that you want to do it yourself. I started to think that I could only do so much in the classroom. Then I realized, maybe, if I can help

guide an entire faculty, I can make the student experience better for an entire group. That is ultimately my goal. I want to create a school where I can motivate the faculty and student body to be as good as they can be.”

For that reason, a few years ago, Mr. Whyte decided to go back to school and get a Masters in independent school leadership at Vanderbilt University.

He then cast a wide net to schools all over, and eventually found the one that felt right.

“Certainly one of the things I am excited about is that it feels like a smaller version of Pace,” said Mr. Whyte. “Country Day prides itself on community, studentteacher relationships and family.

They are a strong academic school, which is great, too.”

When Mr. Whyte was not teaching or coaching at Pace, he continued to interact with students and other faculty by leading ICGL trips to places around the world, like Patagonia, Tanzania, Thailand and South

Africa. “All of the ICGL trips have been incredible in a different way,” said Mr. Whyte. “But when I think back on a trips, for example, I know that we climbed Kilimanjaro, but I can mostly remember the times in the tent with the group just talking, and that is what I want to take as a memory.”

As many students would agree, Mr. Whyte is someone to be looked up to for his optimism, school spirit and pride in all things education. “Although I never had him as a teacher, he is someone I feel like I can truly trust and look up to,” said junior Kristin Hartman, who just travelled to South Africa and Lesotho on a Habitat for Humanity trip led by Mr. Whyte and other faculty.

Other students have specific memories regarding the impact that Mr. Whyte has made on their lives. “When I transferred to Pace after 10th grade, I didn’t know anyone and was pretty anxious about coming to a new

school,” said junior Michael Fu. “But over the summer, I specifically remember Mr. Whyte mailing me a postcard from the Great Basin National Park welcoming me to Pace.”

In regards to his memories, Mr. Whyte says that what he will miss most are the relationships he has made in his 11 years.

“When I look back at my time at Pace, the relationships that I have formed with colleagues and students and the memories that we have shared are the most meaningful to me,” said Mr. Whyte.

It goes without say that the Pace community will greatly miss Mr. Whyte. “On the one hand, I’m so happy for him and he is so deserving of the opportunity,” said Head of Upper School Michael Gannon. “On the other, it’s a huge loss for Pace Academy. It’s rare to find outstanding teachers who can also coach at the highest level.

It’s even more rare to find people with those skills who are so

Photo: Caitlin Jones

There is no question the Class of 2020 has experienced a unique end to what is supposed to be the “best year of their high school lives,” but it hasn’t stopped them from looking back at some lasting memories from their time at Pace.

From singing “Don’t Let the Light Go Out!” at the holiday program in Lower School to years of Team Challenge competition in Middle School and dancing dressed as Dr. Seuss characters at Spirit Week in the Upper School, the seniors have made it their priority to leave their mark. Prom and GAP day had to be postponed, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic memories from the Class of 2020.

The 40 lifers in the senior class will never forget Fairy Treat Friday celebrations in first and second grade and Principal of the Day when they got to see Head of School Fred Assaf get dunked in a huge tank of water, to the crowd’s delight.

“I loved the holiday parties because we always had large platters of Chick-fil-A nuggets and Lofthouse cookies,” said lifer Emily Caton. “We basically spent the whole day playing different holiday games and didn’t have any school work. I miss it.”

Senior Ben Caldwell fondly remembers Chick-fil-A biscuits and Capri Suns being sold every Thursday morning in the Lower School. He recalls taking a sip from another student’s juice pouch once, and although apologetic, he had to have a long talk with one of his teachers about the wrongs of taking someone’s Capri Sun. “I learned that day to never

Members of the Class of 2020 start their first day of first grade.

Between riding on Goliath at Six Flags to paddling in the Pace pool during Phlotilla, seniors remember their freshman year like it was yesterday. “I had never liked rollercoasters before going to Six Flags, but my friends convinced me to ride one that day,” said senior Jack Jacoby.

“If it wasn’t for my classmates, I would never have conquered my fear and I am grateful for them.”

Driving down West Paces Ferry while blasting music the first day of senior year was especially memorable for lifer Molly Buffenbarger. “It was my 13th first day at Pace and I was so sad it would be the last one,” said Buffenbarger. “Each senior seemed so happy that day. That’s probably one of my favorite Pace traditions.”

Many of the seniors, although appreciative of their years at Pace, know it is time for the next chapter in their life. “I have had many of the same best friends for 13 years now,” said lifer Nikki Rubin. “I’m not sure how I’ll go every day without seeing them. I know that they will always be there for me and I am ready to begin meeting new friends at Clemson next year.”

The seniors will not be able to spend another assembly together in the FAC, but everyone is eager to celebrate prom, GAP Day, and graduation in August.

“This is not how we wanted it to end, but I like how we have those senior events so late,” said senior Jack McCarthy. “It’s like a final sendoff a week or two before everyone leaves for college, which will be nice.”

The Class of 2020 will forever be grateful for the students and faculty that made Pace their “home away from home.” Just as we ended Spirit Week practices, it only feels right to end this article the same way – “2020 on three, family on six!”

Mr. Whyte Pursues New Opportunity (Continued from page 1) selfless in sharing their gifts with the school community. Gus attended more Pace events than anyone ever should. Not because he had to, but because he loved our students and wanted to show his support. We will miss him.”

“From Dean of Students to Head of the Math Department to occasional PAPUBA-er, Gus has touched every aspect of Pace life,” said math teacher Jason Smith. “Eternally positive, always willing to talk, always available, and, frankly, always at Pace, Gus lives and breathes Pace Academy. Is he actually Sir Winsalot, too? It’s insanely hard for me to imagine Pace without him. He’ll be deeply missed.”

“Pace has truly been a wonderful chapter in my life, but I know it is time to move on,” said Mr. Whyte. “I am an optimist by nature so it is not in my bones to be nervous or scared, but rather I am just excited. I am looking forward to a new town, a new school, new people and a chance to start things new.”

Vol. 45, Issue #7

Pace News

The Knightly News - Page 3

Five Minutes with KN Seniors

Photo: Aman Hashim (Clockwise from top left) Senior newspaper staff members Zachary Howard, Aman Hashim and Francesca Vaneri chat via Zoom on their Pace experience and what they will miss most when they graduate. deal for me.

ZH: Yeah, sure Fran.

Co-Editor in Chief KN: What is your favorite Class of 2021 memory from being at Pace? It can be anything from your first day to senior year.

Knightly News: Let’s get right to AH: Oh, I am going to pass this it. How are you all doing? What one along to someone else. has life entailed for y’all these KN: We can always come back past few weeks, being physically to it if this question requires out of school? more thinking. Just keep it in Aman Hashim: I am doing your mind for the next few pretty well. It’s kind of sad and minutes. relaxing at the same time. I wake FV: Let’s do that! up late and classes are short but KN: OK, new question. What I would much rather be at school are you going to miss most about seeing everyone.

Pace?

Francesca Vaneri: It is definitely FV: Definitely, the people. My not how I expected the end of friends, teachers, classmates and our senior year to go, but I am peers made this special. fine.

AH: I am going to miss my Zachary Howard: I’m bored. friends, but just feeling comfortKN: How does it feel to be leavable walking through the halls ing Pace? and knowing everyone around AH: I don’t know. I guess for you. Just knowing the names of me, I am really sad and I don’t kids who are younger or older want to leave, but this time had than me is pretty cool. Also, to come. I do plan on coming having smaller classes helped me back to visit frequently, however. to form bonds with the specific ZH: I am going to miss the subjects and teachers which I people here but all good things liked. must come to an end.

ZH: That sums it up beautifully FV: I would say it’s definitely for me. very sad to leave, especially KN: Who is your favorite because our last few months got teacher in the Upper School and cut out but I know I am excited why? for the next stage of my life.

AH: Mine would definitely KN: Yeah, I understand. Why be Mr. Ewing, who I had for did you join the Knightly News Honors Biology in 11th grade. staff?

I liked him just because he was AH: I had not really considreally nice, and he understands ered it, but I know that Howie’s the Pace culture because he parents were making him apply, went here. He was really able to so I decided to tag along. The understand what we are going reason I stayed was because I through as students. really wanted to get a leadership ZH: I liked Mr. Ewing and Mr. position, which thankfully I was Hornor. able to get. It looked good on KN: Can you tell me why? my resume but it is also a very ZH: They are two teachers who chill class and I became a better made classes entertaining. I writer. remember that just because I felt ZH: Haha, well for me, my like I wasn’t just always being parents told me that because my given information. They were grades were not where I wanted funny and made class interestthem to be, I needed to do some- ing. thing else. At first, I was kind of FV: For me, it would be Mr. unsure, but it really worked out.

Player because he cared a lot FV: (Laughs) I kind of realized about the subject of English and that I hated debate half way was really passionate about each through my junior year, so one book. He made the text come day I stopped Ms. Wilson in alive. the hallway and asked if I could KN: Tough question here, take join newspaper because I have your time. What is your most always loved writing. Also, embarrassing moment at Pace? knowing Aman and Howie were AH: I will come back if I can on the staff kind of sealed the think of something better, but I

Mary Childs Hall

would say rapping at Freestyle Friday my junior year was a little embarrassing. But, it was also kind of cool.

KN: What about you, Howie?

ZH: I don’t usually get embarrassed.

AH: What about when you lost the state championship in baseball?

ZH: No, not that. Well, I get kind of embarrassed in English class this year because I feel dumb sometimes when I talk. Everyone is so smart.

KN: Well, I am sorry about that.

If you could give one another a superlative, what would it be?

FV: I would give Aman and Howie most likely to be a secret couple. They banter all class long, and I am just a third wheel off to the side.

ZH: I would give most likely to succeed for all of us.

AH: Nice one, Howie. I would give myself most likely to be mad about not getting a superlative.

KN: Besides the things you’ve already said, what is your least favorite part about each other?

AH: Fran never answers her texts and never shows up to Student Council meetings.

FV: Aw, Aman, does it make you sad that I don’t answer your texts right away? I guess I will just start texting you all the time now.

AH: No, please! For Howie, he is overly dramatic sometimes.

FV: My least favorite thing is that they mock me a lot for missing class even when I have health issues. They will never let me live it down. That is what I hate the most.

ZH: For Fran, the fact that she is never in class. For Aman, he has one of the bigger egos that I have ever seen.

KN: What’s the best article you’ve written? It can be anything from a Pace news article to an April Fool’s edition one.

FV: I might say my April Fool’s article that said Pace will require school uniforms. The only problem was I turned it in late, so it didn’t make it to print. However, I was really proud of it. It was definitely some of my best work.

AH: I can’t really remember.

Hmm, I would say this one called All About Doc. It was

about Dr. DuPree, and I did so much research, and it took so much time, but it never got published. Other than that, I would say the review of “I Love You, Now Die,” the documentary. I had a lot of passion about that and wrote my heart out.

ZH: It should have won a GSPA (Georgia Scholastic Press Association) award. You were definitely robbed. For me, I liked the letter that I wrote about senior year being cut down and what COVID-19 has done to seniors.

You know it was a good article when Fran texted me that she had really low expectations for it, and it exceeded her expectations.

FV: That is true.

KN: Are you guys going to pursue newspaper or journalism in college?

AH: I would think about joining the school newspaper in some way.

KN: Who do you think is going to have the best time in college?

Who is going to thrive the most?

AH: Well, Fran will do the best in her classes because she is the smartest.

FV: I think we are all going to have a good time. I know that Howie and Aman are going to really have a lot of fun together at Wake Forest, potentially as roommates.

ZH: No, stop it. I really do not know, to be honest.

KN: Do you have any advice for the new year’s newspaper staff?

AH: Honestly, get everything in on deadlines so Ms. Wilson doesn’t get mad at you.

ZH: You have to make sure that you have a good time, because there is a lot of downtime so it is fun to make friends with your classmates.

FV: I would say show up to class and respect the deadlines.

ZH: That is funny because you are supposed to abide by your advice.

FV: No, the advice is from what I have learned. I think you should use the class as an opportunity to write about what you care about. You have the opportunity to shed light on things you find important, so you should use it.

AH: OK, I just thought of something for best memory. Let’s go back to that question. I would say Spirit Week is awesome. It is unique to Pace, and I loved the night practices because our grade was really able to bond.

FV: I don’t think I have one specific memory, but looking back I think that I took a lot of things for granted. My favorite moments were lacrosse practices or free time in the Commons. I will remember just being with my friends.

ZH: My favorite memory is playing in the state championship last year with the baseball team.

KN: Well, thank you for the great advice and memories.

We’re done here. Thank you for talking with us!

FV and ZH: Thank you!

AH: That was fun.

Class of 2020 Says Goodbye

(Continued from page 1) Turner, Sasha Ratliff and Lucy Ferry have brought home three volleyball state championship titles. Last year, both the boys and girls tennis teams, with wins from seniors Rohan Jatar, Neil Sashti and Rekha Sashti, secured state championships for the first time since 2002 and 2001, respectively. Senior George Adams also earned a state championship in track in the 800m his junior year, with twin brother Sam Adams winning the state runner-up title.

This year, the boys basketball team won the state championship, and senior Reign Watkins was a team member for this year’s title and the 2017 state championship win as well. Whether in the pool, on the cross country trails or on the lacrosse field, seniors have racked up places on the state podium and broken records across almost every sport.

The Class of 2020’s accomplishments in the arts have been equally impressive, both on the FAC stage and in the art rooms. Whether it is senior Lauren O’Sullivan’s impressive costumes, Matthew Quintana’s and Madison Edwards’ acting, or Jackson Gray’s work in the sound booth, the senior class has worked on the stage and behind the scenes to create some unforgettable works. Those involved in this year’s One-Act play won the the GHSA state championship for “She Kills Monsters.”

One particular stand-out student has been senior Nikki Rubin, who is an arts laureate and has wowed Pace Academy with her musical talents countless times over her high school career. “The arts communities at Pace give so many opportunities to make connections with people that you otherwise may not have, and I really love all of those friends like family,” said Rubin.

The Class of 2020 also boasts no less than 40 “lifers.” These students have grown from kindergartners to adults alongside each other and gained new friends and classmates along the way.

“Thirteen years have flown by,” said lifer Morgan Payne. “I still remember playing blocks in Mrs. Baker’s pre-first class and all the holiday programs. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to be surrounded by.”

“Now more than ever the value of education is clear,” said senior dean Grady Stevens. “It is, perhaps, one of those rare possessions that once acquired can never be taken away: neither in a market crash nor while quarantined and isolated from society.

This is its most powerful feature – you carry it with you always and everywhere.”

Although their time at Pace was cut short by COVID-19, the seniors look back fondly. “It’s been a great ride and I’ll miss my teachers and friends,” said Payne.

“But no matter what the future brings, I know that Pace will always be my second home.”

Pace News

May 8, 2020

The Knightly News - Page 4

Erica Barbakow Returns Fall 2020 The former dean will resume her role as English teacher Darren Rosing Opinion Editor Class of 2021

office having individual conversations. I miss sporting events and theatre productions.”

Ms. Barbakow even joked that the first days of parenting life looked a lot like the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day,” where a television weatherman finds himself reliving the same day over and over again.

The aforementioned cycle of sleeping, eating and diaper changing can become a little monotonous. “So, I’m excited about no day looking the same, as it never does at school,” said Ms. Barbakow. “There’s always some new challenge or prospect to get excited about.”

Her past students encourage her future students to be excited for her return, as well.

“Ms. Barbakow was my favorite teacher because it was obvious that she cared about her students and what she was teaching,” said senior Maya Kaplan, who took Ms. Barbakow’s AP Literature course as a junior last school year along with seniors Tanner Walton and Everett O’Gorman.

“Her class was always super engaging because of all the current events and anecdotes she mixed into our Harkness discussions,” said Walton.

“It’s good that Ms. Barbakow is coming back because she brings a lot of energy and excitement into the classroom, as well as friendliness into the hallways,” said O’Gorman.

Ms. Barbakow and her girls are currently sheltering in place with Ms. Barbakow’s parents in their Florida condo due to COVID-19.

Dive into Southern Culture in the Fall Bennett Boushka

Social Media Editor

Class of 2021

Photo: Caitlin Jones

Pace will be adding one new course to the upper school curriculum for the next school year – Southern Culture: Now is Our Time. The main goal of the course is to study the history and literature of the South through the examination of past and present Southern culture and identity.

The course is a senior liberal arts elective, which can be taken as a semester-long course or as a year-long course. Upper school English teacher Katie Moss will teach the course. Dr. Moss is known for her senior English class that often utilizes film instead of books to prompt discussions and essay topics.

Head of Upper School Michael Gannon approached her about creating a new course, and after brainstorming, she ultimately landed on the topic of Southern culture. “The South has had its successes and controversies, and I realized as Pace students move on to colleges all across the country, they will have to identify or reject identi-

Dr. Moss leads a discussion with her senior World and Literature class. fication with being Southern,” said Dr. Moss.

This class will cover units called “Southern Identity: Past and Present,” “Southern Literature,” “Racism in the South: Past, Present and Future” and “Sports Culture in the South.”

The course will examine film, literature, nonfiction and some historical sources as well.

Since the course can be taken year-round or for just one semester, Dr. Moss will be keeping the same units for both semesters, but will utilize different films and literature. The class will be discussion based, as students will talk about how the South can move forward, while still maintaining Southern pride and culture and making

a positive impact on the United States as a whole. “I’m excited to learn about the influence Southern culture has on the rest of America,” said junior Noah Bennett.

Given the Atlanta area’s history and larger impact on the U.S., the class may also take a field trip to one or more of the following locations: the

Atlanta History Center; downtown Atlanta; the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site; the Stone Mountain laser show; Eatonton, Georgia (birthplace of Alice Walker and Joel Chandler Harris); and the Atlanta Preservation Center’s Druid Hills tour.

A Birmingham or Montgomery trip is also possible, as is a visit with Atlanta author Tayari Jones.

“I think being able to learn by going to visit influential spots nearby will be an incredible way to learn about Southern culture,” said junior Hayden Schwartz.

“I am excited to be one of the first students who is able to take this class,” said junior Emily Butler. “I think it is very important that I learn as much as I can about Southern history.”

The class is meant to foster the students’ ability to form their own personal beliefs about Southern culture.

“I am hopeful that the study will lead to many wonderful discussions about what it means to be ‘Southern,’ how others perceive the South in the country and how we can shape (and act to create) a better South by maintaining some traditions and helping the images of the South to evolve,” said Dr. Moss.

Photo: Erica Barbakow

As new ninth graders and seasoned Pace underclassmen return next fall for the 2020-2021 school year, Erica Barbakow will resume her role as an upper school English teacher following a year-long hiatus. From the time her twin baby girls Charlie and Harper arrived on May 10, 2019, Ms. Barbakow has spent this past school year acquainting herself with both the responsibilities and rewards of motherhood.

For the first six months after their birth, Ms. Barbakow and her girls lived in Atlanta and spent their days the way most maternity leaves begin: sleeping, eating and diaper changing on repeat. At the beginning of December, the new family moved to Naples, Florida to be near Ms. Barbakow’s parents and to escape the cold, dreary winters of North Georgia.

“We’ve spent much of the last four months soaking up sunshine, taking lots of walks and spending time with family,” said Ms. Barbakow. “Some friends have visited.”

Being a mother changes a woman’s life completely, from perceiving little things differently to adopting new sleep schedules to finding a deeper sense of self worth. Like most new mothers who hold their

newborns for the first time, Ms. Barbakow learned what love truly was.

“This is the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had,” said Ms. Barbakow. “I’ve learned to go with the flow in ways I wasn’t able to before. I’m a planner, but some things you can’t plan for, so I guess I’ve learned that as long as Charlie and Harper are OK, everything else is OK, too.”

While the past year has been amazing for Ms. Barbakow and she is grateful to be able to spend the first 15 months of her girls’ lives with them on a daily basis, it’s time to get back to Pace so she can apply her newfound maternal knowledge to a different group of kids – her students.

During the upcoming school year, Ms. Barbakow will be teaching two AP Literature classes, one Honors American Literature class to juniors and one Honors British Literature class to sophomores. “I’ve taught all of these classes before, but it’s been a while since I taught 10th, so I’m really excited about that,” said Ms. Barbakow.

Ms. Barbakow is most excited about being among “her people” again. “While I love my children more than anything, I miss having adult conversations and teaching English,” said Ms. Barbakow. “I miss meetings with my colleagues and problem solving. I miss being with my students, both in class and in my

Pace News

Vol. 45, Issue #7

The Knightly News - Page 5

Students in Grades 9-11 Reflect, Look Ahead sophomore year we get even

Megan Hardesty closer as a grade.” Lee is also Staff Writer looking forward to socializing Class of 2022 again. “I am excited to be able to

Photo: Fred Assaf

go to Music Midtown this year,” he said.

Packed with sports, perThe sophomore class had a forming arts, retreats and ICGL variety of memorable moments trips, the year was eventful for throughout the year. Sophothe freshman, sophomore and more Xavier Agostino’s favorite junior classes. Each grade shared memory was Spirit Week. “At unique experiences that defined first I was kinda shy because them as a class, whether it be the I would be dancing in front of freshman retreat or Spirit Week. the whole school, but our grade Students in these grades all have really helped encourage me to at least one more year at Pace, feel more comfortable, and I allowing them to reflect on this look forward to being even more year, but also set goals for next involved with it next year,” he year. said.

Freshmen Eloise Gaudet and Sophomore class president Brian Lee said that their favorite Carly Appel reflected on the part of the year was Spirit Week. varsity girls soccer season. “My favorite memory was definitely Freshman Jack Janko, on the beating Lovett 5-0,” said Appel. other hand, said that his favorite “It was such a fun game and we memory was the retreat and getting to meet the kids in his grade really connected as a team.”

With regard to academics, for the first time.

Freshmen were uniformly Appel said that she will “miss disappointed in their inability having a more stress-free year,” to participate in adding, “Junior year “The thing I will will be much more spring traditions, due to the closure really miss is just of an undertaking.” of the Pace Agostino is some of the help campus. “I will ready to take on I got from teachmiss not being junior year, feeling ers this year.”– able to do PhloSophomore Xavier academically strontilla and finishing ger than ever. “The Agostino the school year thing I will really off with my classmates,” said miss is just some of the help I Janko. “I cannot miss it because got from teachers this year,” said we didn’t get to do it, but I am Agostino. “Ms. Smith has really sad we could not do Phlotilla,” opened my eyes to education and agreed Gaudet. different ways to learn, while Dr. With this year almost DuPree helped me explore curiwrapped up, the freshmen have osity and make bold assertions started looking ahead to their about the world around me.” sophomore year. “I am lookAlthough both students ing forward to seeing everyone acknowledged the step up acaagain,” said Gaudet. “I hope demically, Appel and Agostino

Pace students cheer on the varsity volleyball team as they advance to the state championship. look forward to the coming year.

“Honestly I can’t wait to be back at Pace with my friends every day and go to football and basketball games,” said Appel.

Next year, Agostino is looking to prepare for life after Pace.

“Next year I plan to see where I need to academically be at, and then look at what colleges would best fit me,” said Agostino, “Then, I need to take a look at if I want to play sports in college, and if certain schools would allow me to do that.”

Although Agostino is looking ahead to his future, he has big goals for his entire class. “I want to see us start to demonstrate more leadership qualities and include more people in our grade,” said Agostino. “I feel

like it is separated into different groups, rather than one unit.

Next year, our grade should be looking to set an example for underclassmen.”

The current junior class has many high hopes for their senior year. As they approach next year, juniors Eve Kogon and Logan Baker reflected on their favorite memories from this year. “My favorite memory from junior year was the Spring Break ICGL trip to the Galapagos,” said Kogon. “It was a great group of people, and we got to see really interesting wildlife.”

Baker’s favorite memory is also from Spring Break. “The best part of the year was definitely the boys winning the basketball state championship,” said

Baker. Both students stressed how they will miss the Class of 2020 next year. “I will miss the seniors and everything they brought to the high school,” said Kogon. “I am definitely going to miss my soccer and basketball teammates,” said Baker.

Senior year comes with many traditions for students to look forward to. “I am excited for the first day of school senior parade, GAP Day, Spirit Week and decorating our uniform skirts,” said Kogon. She hopes that her grade will finish high school strong.

“My goals for the class are to get even closer next year and spend more time together,” she said. “I hope we make the most of our last year together and bring a fun energy to the high school.”

Ryan in Latin. “From the time I found out I got an interview until the interview itself, I only listened to French music to help me prepare in a non-stressful way,” Battista said. “Applying was definitely stressful, but it made me like French even more.”

Ryan had a similar experience. “We had to write in Latin, which we rarely do, so that was stressful, but I also really enjoyed it since it tested my skills in new ways,” he said.

“We also had to write about the accomplishments of the Roman Empire, which was really fun because I got to research Roman engineering and city planning.”

Behl was accepted as a mathematics major. “The application process involved a couple of interviews and essays, more rigorous than anything else I’ve ever applied for,” he said.

Behl has heard great things about GHP from his sister, senior India Behl, who attended last summer while majoring in social studies. “My sister has told me stories of lighting fireworks on July 4th with her new friends, going to concerts to hear GHP kids perform their music and getting to learn without having the stress of tests.”

All four students joined sev-

eral GHP GroupMes. “There are around 30 different GroupMes at this point (with different qualifications for each), so it’s definitely interesting to wake up in the morning to 2,000 unread messages,” said Battista. “We’ve had some late night Zoom calls, lots of surveys and Google forms to get to know each other, we’ve played a lot of online games and I’ve texted with some of the girls.”

Students were saddened to learn on April 27 that the program had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I understand why they had to cancel the program, but I’m also disappointed that they didn’t try to hold some sort of online alternative,” said Ryan.

“Given these circumstances, we regretfully must inform everyone that GHP will be cancelled this summer for the first time since its inception in 1964,” wrote Governor’s Honors Program Manager Richard Parmer in an email to the finalists.

“Please know that we are already working on ways to properly honor our rising senior finalists and to provide an opportunity for rising junior finalists to be admitted to the program for next summer.”

Four Pace Students Accepted to GHP Jamie Kornheiser Managing Editor Class of 2021

Photo: India Behl

Every year, students nominated for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) undergo a rigorous application process in order to be accepted into one of the most prestigious summer programs in the state. According to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, “the program offers instruction that is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and that is designed to provide students with academic, cultural and social enrichment necessary to become the next generation of global critical thinkers, innovators and leaders.”

This year, four Pace nominees were accepted to the program: sophomore Kargil Behl and juniors Isabel Battista, Darren Rosing and Harley Ryan.

Teachers initially nominate students for GHP for a specific subject, which becomes their major. The application process differs according to the major the student is applying for. Rosing was accepted into the Communicative Arts major, “which

(L-R) Senior Francesca Vaneri served as a judge on the International Court of Justice in a simulation model in 2019 at GHP, while senior India Behl acted as a lawyer from Venezuela. is essentially just a deep study of English literature,” he said.

After completing a formal application and a few other assignments, selected applicants had to attend an interview at Berry College in Rome, Georgia on Feb. 29. “On the interview day, I was given 30 minutes to

read and annotate a selected story and was then thrown into a 50-minute Harkness discussion of the text with 15 other Communicative Arts applicants,” said Rosing.

Battista and Ryan were both nominated for World Languages, Battista majoring in French and

May 8, 2020

Opinion

The Knightly News - Page 6

COVID-19 Affects College Applications universities. While only a few schools in the nation continue to require these Lifestyle Editor exams, some of the few schools left Class of 2021 have gotten rid of this requirement.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California InstiBecause of the COVID-19 outtute of Technology have both taken break, it’s easy to see that the 2019this step, which could decrease the 2020 spring semester has not gone importance of SAT II Exams in genas planned. For most juniors, this eral. It is also a possibility that public pandemic is stressful not only because universities in California may drop the of end-of-year AP Exams and assessSAT/ACT essay requirement, which ments but also because of college could possibly lead to its eventual applications. disappearance.

Luckily, many colleges and univerHowever, testing is not the only sities have already made preliminary thing that has been affected by COchanges to their application processes VID-19; it’s also only a small portion for the Class of 2021 to ease this stress. of the college application process as a Some of these changes are just a step whole. Many students across the counin the direction that some colleges have try use their spring break as a time to already taken but were catalyzed by the tour colleges. Although Pace students outbreak of COVID-19. were able to travel over spring break, For starters, many schools have for other students with spring breaks become test-optional for next year’s in late March or April, tours were canpool of applicants. Test-optional celed and colleges were closed. means that students are not required to Juniors pause for a photo inside the Keenan Memorial Stadium at the University of North Applying to a school, or even submit SAT and ACT scores with their Carolina at Chapel Hill while on the Pace college tour of the Carolinas in February. choosing which school you would like applications. Schools such as Tulane to attend, becomes far more difficult University, Williams College, Colgate University and expect that there will be SAT/ACT testing dates made when you haven’t set foot on campus. Many schools are many others have already announced that they will go available to students prior to their admissions deadlines, offering virtual tours through their admissions websites, test-optional for the 2020-2021 school year. so students should still make plans to take at least one and others have virtual tours offered through Scoir, but it Some schools have taken this even further; Tufts of the exams. As the U.S. continues to respond to this is not the same as being there.

University made the announcement that they will bepandemic, the number of schools that go test-optional It is unclear right now as to what effect these schools’ come test-optional for the next three years as an experifor next year may see a sharp increase, especially if June closures will have on application deadlines and tuition ment. Of course, there are several schools, such as Wake testing dates are canceled. costs. But for now, students should do what they can Forest University, that have been test-optional for years, Another massive change to the college admissions to learn about individual schools and programs so that and it is possible that the recent changes will increase the system that will affect the Class of 2021 is the dropping they can better understand what they are looking for and number of schools that are permanently test-optional. of requirements or strong recommendations that stuwhere they want to apply when schools and admissions However, many higher educational institutions still dents submit SAT II Subject Tests or AP Exam scores to offices reopen.

Isabel Battista

Photo: Caitlin Jones

Stay Home To Protect Those Most Vulnerable Darren Rosing Opinion Editor Class of 2021

Pace has employed distance learning practices since March 16, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 response guidelines, meant to help contain the virus’s spread.

At the time, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 10 deaths in Georgia from COVID-19. As of May 7, the number of deaths in Georgia had climbed to 1,352 people, and that number is likely underreported due to lack of testing availability in our state.

The virus spreads quickly and, according to Johns Hopkins University, the mortality rate is thought to be “substantially higher than that of most strains of the flu.” But imagine how many more lives would have been lost had social distancing measures not been taken at all.

As Dr. Francis Collins from the National Institute of Health has written, “social distancing remains one of the best weapons we have to slow the silent spread of this virus and flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will give our health-care professionals, hospitals and other institutions more valuable time to prepare, protect themselves and aid the many people whose lives may be on the line from this coronavirus.”

After more than a month of widespread closures and lockdowns, Governor Brian Kemp announced Tuesday, April 21, that certain businesses could reopen starting as early as Friday, April 24. Kemp said specifically that fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, hair and nail salons and massage therapy businesses could reopen that Friday, while restaurants and theatres could reopen the following Monday, April

27. He later lifted most other shelter-inplace orders on May 1. His decisions are not only careless and ill-advised, but also irrational and dangerous.

While Kemp’s actions could become politicized very quickly, condemnation of this call stems across all party lines, making this a question more about saving lives than mere economics. In a press conference on April 22, fellow Republican President Donald J. Trump said that he “disagree[s] strongly with [Kemp’s] decision to open certain facilities, which is in violation of the Phase 1 guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia…

Safety has to predominate!”

These aforementioned Phase 1 guidelines come directly from the White House and provide guidance to all American citizens in the early stages of reopening America. Phase 1 does NOT call for the type of radical, immediate reopening that Kemp instituted.

The Democratic mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, also disapproves.

“Whether or not I have the legal authority to supersede the order from the governor, I still have my voice, and I will continue to use my voice to encourage people to exercise common sense, listen to the science, and stay home,” said Bottoms on April 21.

While Atlanta’s leaders disagree over this issue, who should Georgians listen to and follow? The science.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent global health research center at the University of Washington, and has become a credible source cited many times by the White House. IHME has created an influential model for COVID-19 projections in the state of Georgia, and by looking at the latest numbers, IHME doesn’t believe social distancing measures should be relaxed until after June 22, when other containment strategies like widespread

testing, contact tracing and isolation can be observed.

Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, has weighed in on why testing is so crucial. “You want to find asymptomatic carriers because they can spread the illness around,” said Dr. Emanuel. “You can’t get those people without testing and contact tracing. Georgia doesn’t have that infrastructure yet.”

Multiple other analyses of Georgia’s data warn that reopening businesses could cause another spike in infection just as the rates should be peaking. While the White House suggests that states witness a 14-day “downward trajectory” of new cases before lifting business restrictions, recent data from the Georgia Department of Public Health actually reports an upward trend the past two weeks.

Georgia lags far behind in terms of testing. The Harvard Global Health Institute recommends that Georgia reach a minimum daily testing rate of 245 tests per 100,000 people by May 15 in order to contain the outbreak in our state.

Georgia’s current average is 81 tests per 100,000 people, according to NPR.org.

“Testing leads to quick identification of cases, quick treatment for those people and immediate isolation to prevent spread,” wrote Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, the American Heart Association’s Chief Medical Officer for Prevention. “Testing also is important in the bigger public health picture on mitigation efforts, helping investigators characterize the prevalence, spread and contagiousness of the disease.”

Georgia is not in a position to risk residents’ health by reopening early; in the face of a pandemic, Georgia should always err on the side of caution. The New York Times reports that Georgia has the fourth-highest uninsured health care

rate in the nation with roughly 16% of Georgians not having health insurance. A 2019 study by WalletHub concluded that Georgia ranked 49th out of the 50 states in terms of best access to health care.

If the residents of this state had access to more equally distributed health care resources in a better democratized medical infrastructure, perhaps Kemp could justifiably entertain the idea of relaxing social distancing measures at this time.

But, he must face the truth that Georgia is not prepared.

The goal of social distancing was to help flatten the curve of the number of COVID-19 cases over time, so on what logical platform does it make sense for Kemp to stop isolation measures this early when the number of cases and deaths are still on the rise?

William Wan with the Washington Post reports that the central problem with reopening too soon is that rebounds are inevitable. “The vast majority of Americans are still believed to be uninfected, making them like dry kindling on a forest floor,” wrote Wan. “Barring a vaccine or treatment, the virus will keep burning until it runs out of fuel.”

The economic devastation that another spike of COVID-19 cases would cause is unimaginable and incomparable to the pre-existing deficit. Wan reports that opening prematurely increases the likelihood that communities will have to shut back down once infections reach a certain level again, creating multiple open-shut cycles that could further destroy the market space.

Kemp’s premature attempt to reopen Georgia’s economy leaves small business owners struggling to discern what is best.

It has pitted state government against the federal, economic well-being against physical health, and personal freedoms

(Continued on page 7)

Opinion

Vol. 45, Issue #7

Letter from a Senior

Photo: Fred Assaf The seniors celebrate their first day of school on the FAC stage.

Francesca Vaneri

News Editor Class of 2020

I don’t really remember my last day of physical high school, mostly because I didn’t realize at the time that it would be my last day. It was a half-day, with each class mostly consumed by troubleshooting our newly downloaded Zoom platform.

And then it was over.

I got my backpack and did the familiar route from the Commons to the parking lot, and got lunch with friends. I had no idea that in a few days, even the idea of going out to lunch with friends would be inconceivable.

And, although it may have been naive, I had absolutely no conception of the fact that my senior year, as I had known it, would be over.

As I write this, we are more than one month into online learning, and although it might sound strange, the reality of the situation still hasn’t sunk in. The things I once took for granted – going to lacrosse practice, hugging a friend, sitting on the benches in the gardens – are now unthinkable.

A lot has been said about what the seniors have missed out on, so I’ll resist the urge to emphasize those losses once again. It is too late for the Class of 2020 to get back what was supposed to be the best weeks of high school. But I hope that it is not too late for us to impart the wisdom we’ve garnered from the experience.

To the freshmen, the sophomores, the juniors: do not make our loss a waste. Please, while you can, appreciate Pace. I promise you: as much as you may complain about that one teacher, that one person who annoys you or the extra sprints your coach makes you do, it is better than the alternative of having none of it at all.

Hopefully, you already know to treasure your close friends.

The deep, lasting friendships you will make and have made in high school are probably the most important thing you will take away from your years at Pace. Do not take these friends for granted.

But almost as importantly, appreciate the mundane. Appreciate your friendships with the people that you may not see outside of school – these very relationships, you will come to realize, are what made your experience at Pace unique.

Speaking with my friends, one common sentiment is repeated over and over. Yes, of course, we miss our close friends, but we know that we will see them again. But one of the most painful aspects to come to terms with is the loss of the friendships and acquaintances that we know will not make it past high school but are no less important.

Because as much as I mourn the loss of the normally scheduled GAP Day, and prom and graduation – and believe me, I feel these losses deeply – I mourn most of all the everyday, overlooked parts of school just as much because I took them for granted.

Appreciate that person you have the inside joke with in math. Appreciate a chaotic, loud break in the Commons. Appreciate those five-minute walks between classes. Walking into college counseling for some candy from Ms. Williams’ candy bowl.

Hearing Mr. Gannon tell someone to tuck in their shirt from down the hall. Seeing some poor freshman get dress coded

by Ms. Smith. I promise you – you will miss the tiny things that fade into the background of what seems actually important.

Do not take for granted the ability to show your gifts and passions to your school community, whether in the art room, the theater or at Riverview. I had

no idea when I played my last lacrosse game that it would be my last time ever putting on a Pace jersey and representing my school, surrounded by teammates that have become some of my closest friends.

And so I urge you: enjoy every game, every practice, every sprint. It will be over before you know it.

To the Class of 2021: it will be up to you to take up this challenge first. Respect the legacy of this class by savoring your senior year. When we reached the end of our junior year, we were told that it would be up to us to set the tone for the school.

Next year, it will be your turn. Be the seniors that we so enjoyed being, until it was cut short. Lead your sports teams, theatre casts, and band ensembles with a new awareness of just how fortunate you are to experience that.

Yes, we look forward to college, and I have no doubt that come September (hopefully), we will all be absolutely thrilled and more than ready to go. But for now, we are grieving the loss of what should have been the most memorable part of high school.

They say that hindsight is 20/20.

We can’t go back, but we can serve as role models for the rest of you.

Please believe us when we tell you to appreciate every moment you have in the Pace bubble. We spent a lot of high school, like any high schooler, complaining about assignments, teachers and coaches, and yet there is not one senior I know who would not give almost anything for just one more day at Pace.

I was always aware that I was fortunate to go to Pace. I have been at Pace for four years, and I am grateful for every single one of them. I feel incredibly fortunate for the education I received, the trips I got to take, the teachers who taught me, and most of all, the intelligent, interesting and unforgettable people I met along the way, whether I was close with them or not. But it took having my time there cut short to make me, and most of my classmates, realize just what we had.

I will never spend another free wasting time in the Commons when I knew I had work to do. I will never play with my teammates again. We will have to wait a few months to be able to receive a diploma. So, when the time comes for you to resume normal life at Pace again, and to do all of these things, remember the Class of 2020.

We are fortunate for the time we had at Pace, even if it wasn’t as long as we may have wanted. Savor every moment, without assuming that your time is infinite. Take it from us – it isn’t, so every moment has to be experienced fully. Whenever things go back to normal, if there’s anything you retain from these strange months in limbo, let it be that.

The Knightly News - Page 7

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 Co-Editors-in-Chief: Mary Childs Hall Aman Hashim

Web Content 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

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.

Stay Home (Continued from page 6)

against public good. Additionally, businesses that choose to reopen face backlash and criticism, while businesses that choose to remain closed face potentially permanent economic loss. All the while, people continue to get sick or die, and older residents and those with underlying health conditions live in constant fear and anxiety.

The last thing Georgians need during this tragic age of uncertainty is contradicting advice from authorities and radical actions that oppose scientific data. Kemp moved too early and irrationally, failing us all as residents of his state.

According to a poll conducted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution April 21-25, the majority of Georgia voters continue to support a statewide shelter-in-place mandate, with only 10% of those surveyed opposed to the idea. The AJC reports that an “overwhelming majority” – 80% – are worried a family member will be exposed, with 52% extremely or very worried.

The COVID-19 pandemic

has not nearly been defeated.

Of course, some new data looks promising for a better, healthier future, but reopening the economy before it’s safe to do so could be disastrous. All Georgians must be urged to remember that social distancing still remains our greatest defense against this virus – not only for ourselves but for those around us.

As people start to revisit the newly opened public spheres of Georgia, like literal bowling alleys (because they are so essential!), they should consider the following: Is the movie you’re viewing in the theater entertaining enough for your mind to escape the sinister truth that more than 267,233 people have died from this virus around the world?

Does your hair really need to be cut while people die in your city? Do your nails really need to be painted while people die in your county?

Is now, as people die in your neighborhood, really the time to get a new tattoo? Well, I hope it reads “selfish” in dark ink. Stay home!

COVID-19

May 8, 2020

The Knightly News - Page 8

How to Help Community During Covid-19

31,594 Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia*

CO

FA

74 %

Percentage of Americans who support a national quarantine to combat COVID-19

Photo: Michael Fu

Michael Fu donates masks to local hospitals as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

Kathryn Hood

Visual Editor Class of 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it’s easy to get stuck and feel helpless in this seemingly bleak situation. Schools have closed across the country, the economy is in decline and there has been a mandatory shelter in place order in Atlanta, which most are still observing despite Gov. Kemp’s recent order loosening restrictions. In the midst of this chaos, it’s understandable to think of ourselves.

However, especially in these difficult times, there is much that individuals can do to help others.

Atlanta has a large number of people affected by homelessness, around 4,000 people in the city, and this number isn’t dropping during the pandemic. Already, 33.8 million people have filed for unemployment in the country, which will inevitably raise the number of people affected by homelessness. Those without homes are at an even greater risk, as they often do not have the ability to access things like masks, hand sanitizer or even a place to wash their hands.

While sheltering in place, it may seem impossible to help.

However, many organizations have accommodated. One such organization is Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit that has been installing portable hand washing stations around Atlanta.

Although they have limited their volunteering services, they are still accepting donations.

This is an easy way to directly help people affected by homelessness in one’s own

community, straight from one’s home. If donating money seems too indirect, organizations like Atlanta Mission have listed hand sanitizer, hand soap, disinfectant wipes and tissues as their most needed items.

Due to the pandemic, many restaurants remain closed and even those offering takeout are barely surviving. This means that thousands of people working in the food service industry have been cut off from their source of income.

“Tip an Atlanta Server” is an organization that allows you to tip a local service industry worker through Venmo or Cash App every time you have a drink or meal. Another way to support restaurants is by ordering takeout or purchasing gift cards; many restaurants still offer drive throughs.

The Giving Kitchen also provides financial relief to food service workers who are experiencing hardship. They have pledged to support anyone in the industry who is under quarantine or has been diagnosed with coronavirus. To help, it’s as easy as a donation online.

ATL Family Meal is asking for financial donations and volunteer drivers. It is a group of volunteers, service workers and nonprofit workers who help feed Atlanta hospital workers during the pandemic.

Another group seriously affected by COVID-19 is adults over age 60, who are at higher risk of contracting the virus.

This makes helping them even more important.

“Meals on Wheels” is an organization that works to deliver food to older people who are unable to obtain it. While Pace

Academy recently held a food drive, Meals on Wheels’ pantry is still being emptied at a very high rate. One of the best things you can do is donate food or money to Meals On Wheels to make sure that older people stay healthy and safe.

Atlanta startup “Goodr” has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to provide meals to children while schools are closed.

They are looking for volunteers and are distributing meals at five locations throughout Atlanta.

Pace students have already begun to get involved in helping the community. Take Michael Fu, a junior whose parents are first generation immigrants to the U.S. Most of Fu’s family and his parents’ college friends live in China, and they shipped around 500 masks to Fu’s family in Atlanta. He later reached out to family friends and his mother’s alumni group to ask for mask donations. Fu ended up collecting a total of 6,000 masks, and helped direct and donate them to local hospitals.

Freshman Katie Janko led an effort through Pace recently to raise money for Feed the Frontlines, an organization that collects money to buy meals from restaurants for hospital workers.

Although much of helping the community under a pandemic involves helping from home, this can still be difficult for those struggling themselves.

If you cannot donate or volunteer – or even if you can – the most effective way to help the community is to stay home and maintain social distance. Utilize drive throughs, wash your hands and don’t hoard items that are in high demand – that can hurt the community the most.

Summer Programs Uncertain Due To COVID-19 internships, new students at

Sloane Wagreich various colleges and universities Staff Writer Class of 2021

While it is unknown when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak will end, summer programs and camps have already begun to cancel.

If the virus continues through the summer, children, teens and college students will have to rearrange any plans they had.

Summer internships are beginning to be called off, forcing teens to scramble to find another job. In addition, college events planned for new students have been canceled due to this global pandemic.

According to Business Insider, workplaces such as the National Institute of Health have canceled all of their summer internship opportunities. In addition, Disney has shut down all of its parks nationwide, sending students working there scrambling to find other employment.

Google recently announced that instead of canceling their internships entirely, they will be taking an alternative approach and will be moving them online. The Hechinger Report announced that almost 30% of internships are being canceled and 15% of the programs that are still planned are going to reduce the number of people they accept.

In addition to summer

have seen their accepted student programs and orientation sessions canceled. The new student programs can be vital for the current seniors who are undecided about where they want to spend the next four years. These programs allow students to come and experience the environment of different schools, helping them make informed decisions about where they attend.

With these recent cancellations, many students have had to blindly commit to colleges, not knowing what their college experience will entail. The University of Georgia has already announced cancellations regarding their orientation sessions as well as their internship opportunities for high school students.

According to Summer Discovery, schools such as Georgetown, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University have taken the same path.

There are still a handful of students whose summer plans have not yet been canceled.

Some summer sleep-away camps along the East Coast have yet to announce whether or not things will look different for this summer.

While this may seem like a positive, students are left waiting to hear whether or not they need to plan for a new job or program.

With such little time left, if people are not given any closure soon, they may be left with few plans for the summer.

COVID-19

Vol. 45, Issue #7

FAST FACTS

There have been 1,352 total deaths in the state of Georgia alone.* The number of tests given in Georgia total 225,937.* * As of May 7

COVID-19: Myth vs. Fact

Photo: Pixabay.com Ashley Myers Online Editor Class of 2021

cases of COVID-19. For this same reason, taking a hot bath or utilizing hand dryers will not kill the coronavirus.

COVID-19 will not die out with colder temperatures, either. Because the human body remains at the same internal temperature year round, cold weather or snow will not affect the spread of coronavirus.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is by practicing good hygiene, which means washing one’s hands frequently for at least 20 seconds each time, and avoiding touching one’s face.

A prevalent myth regarding COVID-19 is that only elderly people are getting it. This is false. According to Advent Health, “people of all ages can get COVID-19,” but one’s chances of getting COVID-19 depend on several factors such as where one lives and if they have traveled recently.

According to the WHO, elderly people and those with preexisting medical conditions are more likely to become severely ill if they do contract the illness.

The WHO “advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus.”

As of right now, there is no current vaccine for COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, but scientists have already begun working on one.

According to the WHO, pneumonia vaccines are not effective in treating COVID-19 because it is “so new and different that it needs its own vaccine.” Similarly, antibiotics are not effective in treating COVID-19.

As many students are on social media, MediaWise is a fact-checking account on Instagram geared toward this age group. The account provides an easy and accessible way to stay well-informed about COVID-19 and avoid the pitfalls of false information.

Isabel Battista Lifestyle Editor Class of 2021

It is clear that the end of the 2019-20 school year did not go as planned. While Pace students have been able to maintain a fairly normal class schedule from home and will continue to have regular contact through the last day of school, this is certainly not the case at high schools across the country.

While most schools have continued to have classwork, homework and assessments of different forms, many students have had almost no actual class time. This begs the question: How will high schoolers, who already have very limited structured class time, deal with summer?

A major issue for students of all ages is “summer slump.”

The statistics on the actual loss of information over the summer break vary, but according to the Brookings Institute, the loss can be anywhere from one month’s worth of class time to 30% of the information learned over the course of the school year. For students who are hardly in class at the end of this school year, this percentage will likely be higher.

Without a constant source of new material and structured time to practice it, it becomes much more difficult to retain the information that has been taught.

With two months of social distancing and remote learning added to the two-month-long summer break, this summer may have an unprecedented effect on the difficulty of teaching and learning when students return to school in the fall.

Besides the actual learning aspect of being out of school for so long, for many students, this extended “break” feels like summer vacation. Some students and families that own lake or beach houses have already spent time there as a way to occupy some

of their free time and get out of the city. It is unclear what effect this will have on summer break; however, it certainly switches up the normal order of events during the school year and makes remote learning even more of an unknown situation.

Especially for rising seniors who had planned to look at colleges or participate in summer programs across the country, many of their summer plans have already been canceled or postponed to the fall. This leaves them without any structured plan for summer break and takes away some of the most important experiences in their college search or summer in general.

For younger kids, summer programs may end up being cancelled. Programs like the Atlanta Swim Association’s summer season provide high schoolers with jobs and children of all ages with social interaction, as well as lessons of sportsmanship, teamwork and friendship. But this summer is uncertain, depending on the course the virus takes in Georgia. This is happening all over the country and may lead to kids and teens staying in the house even more over the summer, even if they are not required to do so.

The Pace community is fortunate to have teachers and administrators who are willing to try and make traditions and events proceed as normally as possible. While the majority of proms and senior events nationwide have been canceled, juniors and seniors will still get their dance. Seniors will still get to have GAP Day, Baccalaureate and graduation, even if it is just a few weeks before they leave for college.

This gives seniors, and to some extent, upperclassmen in general, something to spend their summer looking forward to, and a big sendoff before they officially leave the Pace student body. Nonetheless, this summer will certainly be one for the history books.

Photo: Wikipedia

The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is affecting many aspects of people’s lives due to necessary social distancing. With these drastic changes comes the spread of information, often on social media, that is not necessarily true. In order to be well informed about this disease, one must know which rumors are myths and which are facts.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), COVID-19, short for “coronavirus disease 2019,” most likely originated in bats. At times, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread person to person.

The first outbreak of COVID-19 is believed to have occurred in Wuhan, China where there was a live animal market that 27 infected people had a direct connection with, suggesting that this coronavirus may have spread from an intermediary animal to humans there.

However, analysis in the medical journal The Lancet reported that the first known case of the illness did not have a connection to

the market.

A myth that has circulated regarding this information is that COVID-19 originated from one woman eating “bat soup” after a video surfaced on the internet.

According to Health.com, this video was not taken in China and was filmed in 2016.

Much information has been shared about how the virus is spread between people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 is spread person-to-person through respiratory droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

So, to dispute myths that are circulating, it cannot be spread through mosquito bites, mobile networks or radio waves.

Additionally, although it is possible to contract COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface, the WHO says that the likelihood of contracting the disease from a package shipped from overseas is very low because it will have traveled for multiple days.

There have been claims that the novel coronavirus will end when warmer weather comes, but that is not the case. The WHO states that it is possible to catch COVID-19, “no matter how sunny or hot the weather is.” Countries experiencing warmer weather right now have

Summer Will Be Different Than Any Other Graphic Illustration: Kathryn Hood

OVID-19

The Knightly News - Page 9

Airports have emptied and travel has essentially stopped due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Lifestyle

May 8, 2020

The Knightly News - Page 10

It’s Possible to Find Positivity, Good News Amid Pandemic Meghna Singha Staff Writer Class of 2022

Photo: NASA.gov

With COVID-19 raging across the world, bringing mortality and economic decline, it is easy to get caught up in the negativity dominating the news.

While it is hard to look past the devastating headlines, there is actually plenty of good in the world right now.

In northeastern cities in the U.S., pollution levels have decreased by about 30% as a result of lowered carbon emissions and human activity. Italy and China, the first countries to be severely struck by the virus, also saw significant drops (~30-40%) in air pollution within strictly locked down cities such as Milan and Wuhan. For the first time in over 30 years, the Himalayan mountain tops are visible in parts of India, also due to a decrease in pollution.

According to Stanford University professor Marshall Burke, reductions in air pollution in China have likely saved about 20 times as many lives as were lost due to COVID-19 infections.

On April 13, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act, making Virginia the first Southern state to target 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Senior Virginia Hobbs was an ICGL Scholar last year when energy was the topic of study. “It is great to see a Southern state moving forward, and hopefully other states will follow,” she said.

Several endangered animals are making an unexpected come-

Air pollution levels in eastern China decreased significantly from January 1-20 (left) to February 10-25 (right) due to a decrease in human activity. back. Earlier this year, scientists spotted 36 blue whales in the span of three weeks as compared to just one in 2018. Endangered Colorado grey wolves are set to be reintroduced into the wilderness in November 2020 after being eradicated from the wild in 1940.

In England, the white-tailed eagle, one of the largest birds on the planet, was spotted flying over a national park for the first time in 240 years.

With everyone at home indefinitely, many families have decided to adopt or foster shelter animals. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) saw a 70% increase in pets taken in by foster families or adopted in New York

City and Los Angeles.

The Crawford family, including senior Ben and sophomore Catherine, adopted an eightweek-old black lab named Hank.

“This is the best time to get a dog because we are all at home to bond with and help take care of him,” said Ben. The Atlanta Humane Society has placed 217 animals in foster care since March 11 and found permanent homes for 115 in a matter of just four days.

Scientists have recently made many life-changing discoveries and developed technologies that have the potential to save lives. A French company, Carbios, discovered an enzyme in composted leaves, polyethylene terephthalate, that is capable

of breaking down plastic water bottles in just over 10 hours.

They are already working with major companies like Pepsi and L’Oréal to begin market scale production. Researchers have also developed a blood test that can detect over 50 types of presymptomatic cancers with more accurate results than current breast cancer scans.

In relation to COVID-19, James Dyson, founder of Dyson, Ltd. and mastermind behind cyclone vacuum technology, created a brand new ventilator in just 10 days at the request of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He is donating 5000 of these easy-to-manufacture ventilators to international hospitals and has already donated 10,000

to the British government.

Since the outbreak of the virus, over 1.26 million diagnosed patients have recovered with the support of their doctors and nurses. Among these survivors are 106-year-old Connie Titchen and 104-year-old World War veteran Bill Lapschies. In addition, hospitalization rates are slowly going down in New York according to Governor Andrew Cuomo.

COVID-19 has brought the world together as people across the globe pitch in to help their communities, no matter how big or small the action. Crossing national lines, Russia sent its largest cargo plane full of medical supplies to the U.S. “In the current situation...there is no alternative to working together,” said Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

On a smaller scale, people are using their talents and resources to help others. Canadian high schoolers launched the JOY4ALL project, a hotline at 1-877-JOY-4ALL that provides jokes, stories and positive messages for seniors and anyone who is feeling lonely in social isolation.

In the Pace community, sophomore Kargil Behl and senior India Behl pick up and drop off groceries for history teacher Helen Smith. Science department chair John Pearson is using the 3-D printers at Pace to make masks for health care workers.

For more positive news, check out goodnews.org, the good news sections of many major news organizations like the New York Times or visit “The Office” star John Krasinski’s YouTube channel called “Some Good News.”

COVID-19 Takes Toll on Hollywood that have been moved due to the

Sloane Wagreich COVID-19 outbreak.

Staff Writer Class of 2021

Photo: Wikipedia

As many would expect, Hollywood has been greatly affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Major events and movie releases have been canceled and rescheduled. Some television shows have had to end a few episodes early and some will look for a way to incorporate those last few episodes into their next season.

According to Vulture, dozens of movie releases have been delayed due to the pandemic.

“Black Widow,” starring Scarlet Johansson, was set to premiere in theaters on May 11. Now, it has been pushed back until Nov. 6. “A Quiet Place Part II” was rescheduled and is now set to hit theaters in September. These are just two of the large blockbusters

While there are films that have only been pushed back a few months, some have been rescheduled to hit theaters next year. According to Variety, the James Bond movie “No Time to Die,” along with the ninth Fast and Furious movie, is going to be released in 2021.

While these movies have release dates, there are still many studios that have yet to reschedule their launches. The directors of the new Scooby Doo movie, “Scoob!,” have not announced when they are going to put the film in theaters.

Some movies that have been rescheduled are supposed to premiere in theaters later this year, but studios look to spread out release dates in order to ensure that there are not too many films hitting the theaters all at once.

In addition to movies, more than 100 TV shows have stopped

Hollywood has been greatly affected by the novel coronavirus, and movie producers are working to reschedule new films that were supposed to premiere at this time. making new episodes, according to Newsweek. Variety wrote that the CW series of “Riverdale” had to be halted when one of the members of the crew came into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

In addition, the release of

“Survivor” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” have been postponed. Shows such as “The Walking Dead” and “The Resident” have had their current seasons cut short and ended prematurely. According to indiewire. com, HBO has halted production

on Season 3 of “Succession” and Season 3 of “Barry.”

Variety also reported that events such as New York’s Tribeca Film Festival have been postponed along with Los Angeles’ Indian Film Festival. No new dates have been set as of yet.

Lifestyle

Vol. 45, Issue #7

The Knightly News - Page 11

Gifted Kid Burnout Can Plague High Achievers and that they could go anywhere

Jayla Wideman they wanted, because they were Staff Writer Class of 2022

Illustration: Kathryn Hood

Many parents dream of having a gifted child. They play classical music for them in the womb, hire services like Kumon and Khan Academy for them, and jump at the opportunity for gifted classes. Though these students are undoubtedly being put in a good position to succeed academically, how does this focus on schooling affect them as they age?

According to The Outline, a slew of “gifted kid burnout” memes have slammed the internet in the past few years, giving us all a glimpse into the futures of these children. Many teenagers report feeling less accomplished than they did in their youth and blame this phenomenon on the adults around them who value academic prowess too heavily.

The burned-out gifted kid is someone who has been paralyzed by their own potential, says The Outline. As a child, they found encouragement and awe from the adults around them. They were told that they could be anything they wanted

just that smart. They found information easy to grasp and aced tests and quizzes.

Somewhere in high school and college, however, they realized that they weren’t really as far ahead as they formerly believed. Maybe it came with their first failing grade. Maybe it came when they realized that they had to actually study for a test.

Whatever that moment was, it was such a shock to their system that they had to reset their entire outlook. The aftermath of that reset is gifted kid burnout.

Perfectionism also has a hand in burnout. “I think that more than gifted kid burnout, we see perfectionist burnout,” said upper school counselor Amelia Tuttle. “Everything cannot always be perfect. We all experience burnout, but when we spend all our energy doing the impossible (i.e. making everything perfect), we burn out much faster. Having a growth mindset helps us become excited in the face of challenge and learn in the face of failure. Along with regular self care, this can help us not feel burned out as often.”

Burnout is characterized by losing interest in academics,

hopelessness and a feeling of lost potential. It can occur anywhere from middle school to adulthood. Many students report an inability to study, due to the fact that they never needed to before.

Others emphasize the averageness they feel when surrounded by other bright and talented people.

This feeling may be compounded by the disappointment of adults around them, further ridding them of the motivation needed to reclaim their former gifted status. This burnout plagues students at rigorous

schools like Pace, where they are confronted with increasingly harder work as their years progress.

Teenagers who might not have to deal with this problem at a less challenging school are forced to undergo it at Pace, and because of the difficult work, it’s made much more intense.

How does one recover from gifted kid burnout? There’s no set prescription. It is often accompanied by mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety, which can require professional help. Many students

end up having to come to terms with the fact that they won’t see success without trying as they did when they were younger.

But once this conclusion has been reached, it’s not difficult to gain motivation to achieve your goals. The problem of learning to study is harder to fix, but not impossible, especially with the resources at Pace such as the Academic Resource Center.

Though Pace students may be more susceptible to gifted kid burnout, they also have a strong support system to help them beat it.

but nothing to write home about.

Next is the bread. My mom particularly was very excited about the Holman and Fitch Bread because apparently it is “very, very good and world famous.” I did not know about that until I tried it, and now let’s just say I understand why it is world famous.

The bread also came with a garlic dipping sauce that was not very good, so either eat the bread by itself or find a dipping sauce of your choosing; either way, it is divine. Next up are the French fries.

As any person who eats hamburgers religiously knows, these can either make or break the meal, and Bocado’s fries hit the mark. They were perfectly salted and tasted great, and I am sure they would have tasted even better if it wasn’t for the 20-minute drive home before they could be eaten.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Atlanta-famous Bocado burger. The patty is on the smaller side; however, they make up for that by making it a “stack” (double patties). It is topped with American cheese and house-made bread and butter pickles. Unfortunately, since the pickles were not dill I did not

eat them, but they looked great for people who like bread and butter pickles.

You can also add bacon, which I did. I do not take the title of best burger in Atlanta lightly, as it has to contend with some high quality competition, such as Houston’s and Bobby’s (my former employer), but this one is definitely in contention. It was juicy and cooked to perfection and the condiments complemented it perfectly. All in all, Bocado offered a great meal.

One new section I am adding to my review is sanitation due to these unusual times. Bocado had all their bases covered here.

You cannot go unless you order online beforehand. Once you arrive, a server in a mask and gloves asks you to roll down your car window and writes down your name. No one is allowed to leave their car.

When the food is ready, the server brings it out and places it in the backseat without touching anything, before leaving. They want to keep all their customers safe, and they do it well. I can tell you for a fact that I will be eating takeout from Bocado again, and I urge you to do the same.

Takeout from Bocado Can Break Up Monotony of Staying at Home Zachary Howard Sports Editor Class of 2020

Photo: Yelp

COVID-19 looms large over all of our lives at the moment, requiring some major changes in the way we live. One, to my dismay, is the fact that most restaurants remain closed in Atlanta due to safety concerns for workers and customers. But do not fear. Many are open for takeout, including Bocado, which breaks up the monotony of at-home meals with delectable dishes.

Bocado is located on Howell Mill Road near 10th street. Since many of us are still not leaving our homes except for essential errands, Bocado not only offers great food but a chance to drive around, get a change of scenery and clear your head. When ordering, a customer can select food from two lunch menus depending on which day of the week you want to pick up.

Monday through Friday has a much wider array of dishes for lunch, ranging from grilled cheese to fried chicken to the staple “Bocado burger” and even

Bocado offers one of the best meals for all members of the family during this time of crisis. tuna.

There are fewer options for lunch on Saturdays; however, there is a Saturday-only burger called the Westside Burger on the menu. If you are not hungry for lunch, you can order off the dinner menu. The dinner menu includes sides such as salad and cheeses and offers entrees such as lobster, chicken, steak and both of their burgers for the main course.

Bocado has something for everyone. However, I discovered

that they truly do specialize in burgers, and as a result offer a family-style meal plan which includes four Bocado burgers, fries with all four burgers, salad and Holman and Fitch bread.

This option is actually cheaper than buying three burgers by itself. My family decided to go family-style, and we dug in.

First, the salad. It was extremely large as it had to feed four people, but they kept it simple. Lettuce, cheese and dressing. It was a solid salad,

Sports

May 8, 2020

The Knightly News - Page 12

Senior Spring Athletes Say Farewell Megan Hardesty Staff Writer Class of 2022

Photo: smaxart.com

With 10 different boys and girls varsity teams, the spring at Pace is typically packed with different sporting events, ranging from baseball to gymnastics. Unfortunately, given the Georgia High School Association’s (GSHA) difficult decision to cancel the remainder of all spring sports seasons due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many seniors were cheated of their final high school season.

With a talented class of seniors spread throughout all 10 teams, there were high expectations for every sport. Beyond overall team performance, seniors had high hopes for their individual seasons. “I was looking forward to breaking 5:20 in the mile,” said senior track runner Payton Payne.

Senior gymnast Hayden Sample also had personal aspirations. “I was looking forward to getting to compete floor again after my ACL injury,” said Sample. Some seniors were looking forward to senior traditions. “I was most looking forward to senior night,” said senior soccer player Sophie Lettes.

Other athletes were focused on team-oriented goals, and were looking to make it far in the playoffs. “I was excited to try and qualify for state, since we did not make it last year,” said senior golfer Ben Crawford.

Senior baseball player Andrew Neville and senior tennis player Rohan Jatar had their eyes on a state title as well.

“I was looking forward to getting another chance to make a deep run in the state playoffs with my teammates,” said Neville. Jatar said he was “excited to try and get another ring, and joke around with the team.”

When GSHA was forced to terminate the spring season, the teams had already played games and competed in meets and tournaments. Senior lacrosse players Mbiti Williams and Sandy Lum said that despite the circumstances, seeing progress as a team was rewarding. “My favor-

said Sample. “I felt so supported and loved.”

Tadeo shared that in addition to big wins on the soccer field, all the time off the field with his teammates made for special moments that he will remember forever.

“Whether it was during team meals, bus rides, film or during our resting hours, those moments were my favorite because it allowed us to bond and come closer as a team and just have fun with each other,” said Tadeo.

“Those were the moments where we became more and more like a family.”

The seniors may be finishing their time at Pace, but the memories from their respective sports will be carried with them as they graduate and pass down advice to underclassmen.

“I am going to miss a lot about Pace track, but I look forward to continuing my running career in college,” said Payne. “I will miss the close friendships I made through track the most.”

Payne advises her younger teammates to not take those friendships for granted.

Lettes was in strong agreement with Payne. “I am going to miss the people the most,” she said. “I have absolutely loved the team every year, and I would encourage everyone to get close with teammates in their grade, but also to people in every other grade, and just enjoy every second.”

Jatar spoke about the environment created by his teammates. “I will miss the competitive spirit on the team,” he said.

“I would advise my younger teammates to just enjoy the game and work hard.”

Williams agreed, reflecting on the atmosphere of Pace lacrosse. “I will miss the bus rides, the lineups before games and the tough practices,” he said.

Williams would like all of the underclassmen to respect the time they have left. “I would tell the underclassmen to enjoy the time they have, because not only do the years fly, but as we all see now, anything can happen,” he said. “You do not want to regret anything, and really cherish it all before the clock hits zero in the last game.”

The senior athletes gather at the beginning of spring season for their last team picture day. ite part was seeing our improvement as the season went on, and just being close with everyone on the team,” said Williams.

This year, the girls lacrosse team added new head coach Kelsey Ayers. “The best part of the season so far would probably be just getting to spend time with all my teammates,” said Lum. “We also got a new head coach this year who we all love and it’s really brought the team closer together.”

To some seniors, competing was the best part. “Just playing our first few matches were memorable for me,” said senior tennis player Rekha Sashti. “I’m really glad I got to experience some final match moments with the team as a senior.”

Senior soccer player Jesus Tadeo and the rest of the varsity boys soccer team had a strong start to their season with huge region and non-region wins.

“The best part of the season was only losing two games and beating one of our region rivals Lovett, which would have given us the opportunity to compete for the region title,” said Tadeo. “I would say that our huge win against 5A defending state champions McIntosh High School was also a high point.”

As senior varsity athletes, many students have spent at least four years participating in their specific sport, whether it be on JV or varsity, allowing them to build strong bonds with their teammates and create memories as a team.

Many athletes tended to look back to memorable wins during their career. “My favorite memory with Pace lacrosse would be playing against St. Pius this year,” said Lum. “We had no subs and still ended up winning – I felt that it was our best game yet.”

Sashti reflected on a win against Lovett. “My favorite memory is definitely winning the state championship last year,” she said. “It’s something my teammates and I worked super hard for during the years we were at Pace, so I’m really glad I got to experience it before I left.”

Neville touched on a different side of a state championship, as the varsity baseball team ended last season as state runner up. “My favorite memory from Pace baseball was definitely the state playoff run last season,” said Neville. “Even though we came up just short, it will be an experience I will never forget.”

Sample remembered a specific routine that her teammates made memorable. “My favorite memory was when my floor music was to ‘YMCA’ and all of my teammates stood up in front of me during the competition and did the arms along with me,”

Two Pace Alumni Head to NFL After 2020 Draft He’s referring to the fact that the

Sam Webb 2015 Pace state championship

Photo: @nolovedrew on Instagram Andrew Thomas poses for a photo with his fans at a UGA game.

Staff Writer Class of 2021 Andrew Thomas ‘17 is headed to New York to play for the Giants as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft and Sam Sloman ‘16 was selected in the 7th round by the Los Angeles Rams.

As Pace alumnus Will Frampton ‘99 put it in a comment on Facebook, “it is impossible that any student 20 years ago could have even conceived of this as a possibility, ever.”

team had two future NFL players on it.

Thomas played both offensive tackle and defensive line on the Pace varsity team all four years and went on to start as offensive tackle for the University of Georgia. In high school, Thomas played in the Army AllAmerican Game which only the best of the best play in.

At Georgia, he won a Freshman All-American award after his first season. After his sophomore year, he was named first team All-SEC and first team All-American.

“He’s smart and understands the game,” said Pace coach Kevin Johnson. “He watches football constantly and is always studying. He wants to be the best.” Thomas opted out of his senior year at UGA for the draft.

Sloman was originally a soccer player, but became a two-time All-State kicker for the Pace varsity football team. He was recruited by the University of Miami (Ohio) and played all four years, finishing his senior year 26-30 on field goal attempts and 34-for-34 on extra points.

He was named Second team All-America by The Athletic and second team All-MAC.

Sports

Vol. 45, Issue #7

The Knightly News - Page 13

Photos: Samuel Alkire, Noah Levenson and Austin Chastain

Free Agency Shakes Up NFL Teams is a solid second option instead

Sam Webb of starting quarterback Baker

Staff Writer Class of 2021

(Clockwise from top) Sophomore Samuel Alkire and juniors Noah Levenson and Austin Chastain love days filled with video games.

Esports Offer Diversion for Pace Community late March, around 40 different

Sam Webb duo partnerships entered into a

Staff Writer Class of 2021

Photo: Flickr

With professional and collegiate athletics canceled for the foreseeable future, sports fanatics have been left with little for entertainment. And with GHSA cancelling all high school sports for the rest of the school year, there is only one sport left to entertain the Pace community: esports.

Unlike sports that involve large gatherings and physical contact like basketball and football, professional video gaming leagues are not as affected by the social distancing mandates in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leagues in specific games such as “Rainbow Six Siege,” “Overwatch” and “League of Legends” have teams playing from their homes.

Usually, the teams get together to play their matches, but with the stay at home orders, they are not able to. However, by playing from home, these players and their passions are not destroyed.

Many within the Pace student body enjoy watching these professional players and their skills. “The skill and precision the players use to tactfully defeat their opponents provides for interesting gameplay,” said junior Will Brennan, a member of Pace Rainbow Six Select 17U (the junior boys’ “Rainbow Six Siege” squad). “Overall, I love the pro league.”

Additionally, students and teachers have been competing in tournaments of their own in order to crown the master gamer. Charlie Bryant, coach of the Pace esports team, has been coordinating many of them. In

“Fortnite” tournament. By the end of the day, sophomores Henry Leusink and Greyson O’Berry were crowned as champions for the tournament.

On May 1, 94 upper and middle school students competed against each other in three rounds of “Fortnite” duos, according to Mr. Bryant. “Tenth grader Xavier Agostino contacted a “Fortnite” representative from its creator company, Epic Games, to get the ability to create custom lobbies for private matches – a game feature not available to the general public,” said Mr. Bryant.

Sophomores Buck Hall and Lewis Todd placed third with 33 points behind two middle school teams. In an earlier duos competion on April 24, freshmen Will Delmonte and Grant Stebbins came in third with 37 points, also behind middle school teams.

Mr. Bryant and some students also created a “Rocket League” tournament which generated some interest. In the end, Mr. Bryant himself won the tournament.

Similarly, some eager Madden players turned to the sticks with the hope of the Madden crown. The tournament was coordinated by chemistry teacher Matthew Smentek, and sophomore Greyson O’Berry finished as the winner.

“Even though I got rocked, Smentek is the G.O.A.T. for creating this tournament,” said sophomore Matthew Aronson.

“It was something for the boys to have fun with over the quarantine break.”

Students and teacher coordinators are looking to play “Rainbow Six Siege” and “Minecraft Hunger Games” in the future.

Since all major sports have been cancelled due to COVID-19, the sports world is bland.

However, America’s favorite sport has done all that they can to work around the virus. The National Football League’s (NFL) free agency and trading period (commonly referred to as the free agency period) has gone as expected.

The free agency period started on Mar. 16 and technically goes into the regular season, but teams are now past the most intense part of the period.

Although most big-name players have been signed, there are still some teams scrambling to fill missing spots.

Every year, the NFL free agency determines winners and losers during the period and this year is no different. There is a distinct group of winners, losers and in-betweens for the 2020 free agency. Perhaps the biggest winner of the 2020 free agency is the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals completed a trade that would send their subpar running back, David Johnson, and a couple of invaluable draft picks to the Houston Texans, while Houston sent the best receiver in professional football, Deandre Hopkins, and a draft pick similar to what they acquired.

Obviously, this is a huge win for the Cardinals along with their signing of Jordan Phillips, a young, defensive tackle with lots of potential, and De’vondre Campbell, a versatile linebacker.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are winners in free agency too.

Without losing too much aside from Breshard Perriman and Carl Nassib, the Buccaneers acquired the best quarterback of all time and signed some key pieces.

That’s right, Tom Brady is heading to Tampa which is a huge change from former QB Jameis Winston. To complement Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski is coming out of retirement and signing with Tampa Bay. The Bucs also re-signed key defensive pieces Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh who are all aboveaverage players.

The Cleveland Browns also added some big game changers to their offense and signed some defensive strength as well.

Most notably, especially in Atlanta, the Browns gained Austin Hooper, former Atlanta Falcon and one of the best tight ends in football.

Additionally, the Browns obtained star offensive tackle Jack Conklin and Case Keenum who

Mayfield.

On the defensive side of the ball, they secured Andrew Billings and Adrian Clayborn for their defensive line. The Browns also acquired Andrew Sendejo, Kevin Johnson and Karl Joseph, which will help the Browns’ secondary greatly.

Although there were other winners in free agency such as the Raiders, Chargers, Vikings and 49ers, the losers are just as important. Apart from the Texans, the Miami Dolphins performed poorly in free agency.

The Dolphins had a ton of cap space and spent the money as well. The only problem is that the team overspent on too many players.

Miami signed Byron Jones, a middle-to-top tier cornerback, to an absurd contract which makes him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. They also signed Kyle Van Noy, a linebacker from the Patriots, with another huge contract which was premature considering that Van Noy is aging at age 29.

The Dolphins also signed running back Jordan Howard, offensive lineman Ereck Flowers and defensive end Shaq Lawson to expensive contracts that will negatively affect the team in the future.

After the 2020 free agency, the Belichek-Brady era of football is now over. Since 2001, the combo has appeared in nine Super Bowls and has won six of them, which has made Tom Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichek one of the greatest quarterback coaching combos of all time.

While Brady is excited to get working with the Buccaneers, the three starting linebackers for the Patriots have also signed elsewhere. The Patriots’ defense

was nothing less than superb last season and losing three players that were at its core is a huge loss.

The Chicago Bears were possibly the worst loser of the 2020 free agency. First, the Bears made some watershed signings, but at a high cost. They signed Robert Quinn, Danny Trevathan and Nick Kiatkoski to benefit the defense, which were not bad signings.

However, the team overpaid for Robert Quinn who is aging and also not a scheme fit in Chicago. Paying Trevathan more than Kiatkoski was also an interesting choice by the Bears.

Those signings could be seen in a good light but some cannot.

The Bears signed Jimmy Graham who is a washed up, no good tight end. Graham’s contract came at a ridiculously hefty price as well. Lastly, the Bears acquired quarterback Nick Foles from a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Although Foles has won a Super Bowl, he is not a good quarterback; in fact, Gardener Minshew (rookie) started over him after he came back from injury. The contract Foles received from the Jaguars last season was an insane overpayment and now the Bears must take on that extremely ludicrous contract. The Bears cap space situation for the next couple of years is not one that a general manager would be excited about.

Other teams such as the Bills, Giants, Falcons and Seahawks have had mediocre offseasons. All of these teams added some players but also lost others. Keep in mind that this article did not take into account the draft at all. In some cases, a draft pick that is a solid player for years to come is better than most free agency signings.

The Houston Texans traded wide-out Deandre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals.

Year in Review

May 8, 2020

Jamie Kornheiser Managing Editor Class of 2021

Visual Editor Class of 2021

Freshm

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Senior Parade

Photos: Fred Assaf, Laura Inman, Caitlin Jones, Omar López Thismón

Kathryn Hood

The Knightly News - Page 14 Meghna Singha Staff Writer Class of 2022

Senior R af ting Trip

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Gabriel Kadoori Staff Writer Class of 2022

Salsa in the

She K ill

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Spirit Week

Basketball wins State Championship!

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Halloween

howcase S r e t n i W

Galapagos Mar. 5

Volley ball State gets 3-Pea t Cham ps!

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Scores

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“Zhool”

Seniors get Yearbook s

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Vol. 45, Issue #7

Futures of the Class of 2020

Daniel Lucke - University of Notre Dame Sandy Lum - University of Virginia Blake Maner - University of Georgia Jared McCall - Georgia Institute of Technology Jack McCarthy - University of Georgia Meghan McMillin - Texas Christian University Insha Merchant - Wellesley College Andrew Miller - Wake Forest University Chris Morocco - University of Georgia Andrew Neville - Northwestern University Alex Noel - Denison University John O’Brien - Stanford University Everett O’Gorman - University of Georgia Lauren O’Sullivan - Colorado School of Mines Morgan Payne - Undecided Payton Payne - University of Miami Josh Pickman - Clemson University Matthew Quintana - University of Southern California Sasha Ratliff - University of San Diego Will Rehmert - Texas A&M University Blaise Reyes - Undecided George Robbins - University of Alabama Jack Robison - Southern Methodist University Jason Rosenbloum - Duke University Nikki Rubin - Clemson University Harrison Saini - Elon University Hayden Sample - Wake Forest University Paula Sandoval - New York University - Stern School of Business Neil Sashti - University of Chicago Rekha Sashti - Washington University in St. Louis Jay Satisky - University of Georgia Max Schiffer - Washington University in St. Louis Emma Shelton - Vanderbilt University Mae Shippen - United States Naval Academy Thomas Siegenthaler - University of Alabama Jimbo Smith - University of Alabama Bridges Spencer - Auburn University Daniel St. Amand - Clemson University Lauren Stebbins - Baylor University Will Stratton - Auburn University Emma Szwast - Auburn University Jesus Tadeo - Rhodes College Alan Tapper - Rice University Kennedy Tate - Wake Forest University Brianna Thomas - Undecided Sydney Thomas - Howard University Ben Tolliday - University of Colorado Boulder Dominique Turner - Marshall University Jordan Upchurch - Wake Forest University Francesca Vaneri - University of California, Los Angeles Tanner Walton - University of Georgia Reign Watkins - Howard University Dagny Whitlock - Rhodes College Claire Wierman - Williams College Mbiti Williams - United States Naval Academy Zoe Williams - Temple University - Japan Campus Rachel Wray - University of Georgia

Illustration: Meghna Singha

George Adams - University of Pennsylvania Sam Adams - University of Georgia Ada Jane Agolli - Brown University Klara Andra-Thomas - Stanford University Allie Appel - Ball State University Spencyr Aronson - University of Michigan Meryll Asher - University of Wisconsin Emerson Barrett - Georgia Institute of Technology India Behl - Princeton University Paul-Louis Biondi - Princeton University Mary Lawson Bring - Tulane University Molly Buffenbarger - Vanderbilt University Ben Caldwell - Auburn University Dillon Carroll - University of Chester Emily Caton - Santa Clara University Ben Crawford - Wake Forest University Robert Cushman - Davidson College Isabella Di Meglio - Indiana University - Kelley School of Business Taylor Doucet - Tuskegee University Evan Duncan - Texas Christian University Madison Edwards - New York University - Tisch School of the Arts Lucy Ferry - Emory University Zoie Freier - Harvard University Matthew Friestad - Texas Christian University Austin Fuller - University of Georgia Davis Futrell - Auburn University Aidan Gannon - Yale University Rhuna Gibbs - Emory University Ben Ginsberg - Pomona College Jackson Gray - Stetson University Harris Greenbaum - University of Georgia Reggie Harris - University of Alabama at Birmingham Sam Harris - University of Georgia Aman Hashim - University of Georgia Quill Healey - Georgia Institute of Technology Virginia Heiser - Davidson College Lenox Herman - Middlebury College Virginia Hobbs - Boston College Erin Hood - Georgetown University Zachary Howard - Wake Forest University Connor Husk - Clemson University Jack Jacoby - Florida State University Rohan Jatar - Auburn University Anna Jordan - William & Mary Ryan Kann - Georgia Institute of Technology Maya Kaplan - University of California, Los Angeles Austin Kelly - Clemson University Tyler Kelly - Duke University Kellee Kindle - Oberlin College Julia Konradt - Wake Forest University Finn LaMastra - Southern Methodist University Caroline Landis - Bowdoin College Grant LeRoux - Auburn University Sophie Lettes - University of Virginia Jeremy Leven - Indiana University Alexa Levine - Indiana University Charlotte Little - University of Georgia

The Knightly News - Page 15

May 8, 2020

Senior Predictions

George Adams - Beats Devan Crow in the Olympics Sam Adams - Pays for college tuition with Muhammad Ali painting Ada Jane Agolli - Becomes CEO of Jergens Klara Andra-Thomas - Marries Jared McCall and co-founds tech company Allie Appel - Moves to NYC to perform on Broadway Spencyr Aronson - Guest house burns down because there is no smoke alarm installed Meryll Asher - Moves to LA to become social media influencer Emerson Barrett - Directs an Oscar-winning anime movie India Behl - Joins Doctors without Borders Paul-Louis Biondi - Becomes president of Model UN club at Princeton Mary Lawson Bring - Becomes manager for Taylor Swift Molly Buffenbarger - Attends every Miracle Knights event as a Pace alum Ben Caldwell - Gets a hair transplant Dillon Carroll - Becomes head zookeeper under Joe Exotic at G.W. Zoo Emily Caton - Shows up late to every job interview Ben Crawford - ten.

Robert Cushman - Relaunches RGC Fitness Isabella Di Meglio - Sleeps through her wedding day Taylor Doucet - Opens her own hair salon Evan Duncan - Gets signed to a record label after producer sees sixth-grade performance Madison Edwards - Starts a designer necklace brand Lucy Ferry - Becomes the new Bachelorette Zoie Freier - Drops out of Harvard to release a mixtape Matthew Friestad - Becomes captain of TCU baseball team Austin Fuller - Comes back to Pace to coach esports Davis Futrell - Becomes head of admissions at UGA Aidan Gannon - Becomes head of Pace Upper School Rhuna Gibbs - Wins Nobel Peace Prize Ben Ginsberg - Becomes head chef of Goldberg’s Jackson Gray - Becomes Scott Sargent Harris Greenbaum - Takes over Daquan meme account Reggie Harris - Becomes CEO of Motorola Sam Harris - Produces new “Star Wars” trilogy Aman Hashim - Is greater than his ups and downs Quill Healey - Walks onto Georgia Tech cross country team Virginia Heiser - Wears a skirt above the knee Lenox Herman - Becomes the biggest flirt at Middlebury Virginia Hobbs - Opens an apple orchard Erin Hood - Qualifies for Olympics in swimming, never tells anyone Zachary Howard - Becomes a historian Connor Husk - Works at Taggart’s Jack Jacoby - Lives in the shack Rohan Jatar - Transfers to College of Charleston Anna Jordan - Becomes an anime artist Ryan Kann - Takes his mom’s job as a Pace Latin teacher Maya Kaplan - Finally finds a single boy Austin Kelly - Marries his current girlfriend in college Tyler Kelly - Opens a ferret petting zoo Kellee Kindle - Buys a new Marvel hat Julia Konradt - Becomes a hand model Finn LaMastra - Wears PJs to a job interview Caroline Landis - Comes back to coach Pace softball and wins state Grant LeRoux - Buys Lake Lanier Sophie Lettes - Finally finds her phone Jeremy Leven - Becomes a millionaire in Vegas Alexa Levine - Gets blocked by Cole Sprouse on Instagram

The Knightly News - Page 16

Charlotte Little - Starts a taco stand in Athens Daniel Lucke - Gets a 10-day contract with the Hawks Sandy Lum - Runs the Outdoor Academy Blake Maner - Stars as Syndrome in new “Incredibles” movie Jared McCall - Gets employee discount at Chevron for life Jack McCarthy - Works for the Braves Meghan McMillin - Falls in a reflecting pool Insha Merchant - Opens a new library Andrew Miller - Wins Guinness World Record for biggest feet Chris Morocco - Learns Mandarin in college Andrew Neville - Invents his own line of ketchup Alex Noel - Writes best selling comic books John O’Brien - Walks onto Stanford water polo team Everett O’Gorman - Gets upper library named after him Lauren O’Sullivan - Designs costumes for Broadway shows Morgan Payne - Parties too hard in college Payton Payne - Becomes music producer for Clairo Josh Pickman - Misses full year of college because he’s sick Matthew Quintana - Becomes head designer at Gucci Sasha Ratliff - Buys back Muhammad Ali painting Will Rehmert - Becomes a licensed barber Blaise Reyes - Owns a Fortune 500 company George Robbins - Becomes head of golf cart operations at Bobby Jones Jack Robison - Invents a new sweat-resistant shirt Jason Rosenbloum - Goes on tour with David Blaine Nikki Rubin - Wins “The Voice” Harrison Saini - Becomes the next Steven Spielberg Hayden Sample - Becomes the ultimate Buckhead mom Paula Sandoval - Becomes the fastest female runner Neil Sashti - Competes in Wimbledon Rekha Sashti - Returns to Pace to run the ICGL program Jay Satisky - Goes vegan Max Schiffer - Becomes a pilot for Delta Emma Shelton - Tells a good, short story Mae Shippen - Becomes a Navy SEAL and is never heard from again Thomas Siegenthaler - Applies for the wrong position at a company Jimbo Smith - Still really cool Bridges Spencer - Finally likes a girl Daniel St. Amand - Becomes Tyler, the Creator’s manager Lauren Stebbins - Makes Olympics for equestrian Will Stratton - Becomes Travis Scott’s DJ Emma Szwast - Becomes cheer coach for Auburn football Jesus Tadeo - Becomes Sr. Moreno’s personal assistant Alan Tapper - Discovers a new infinity Kennedy Tate - Moves into the senior cellar Brianna Thomas - Becomes head manager of the Atlanta Falcons Sydney Thomas - Finally gets knee brace off Ben Tolliday - Wins the IRONMAN challenge Dominique Turner - Coaches volleyball at Pace and wins state Jordan Upchurch - Only drinks yellow Gatorade for the rest of her life Francesca Vaneri - Launches a turtleneck company Tanner Walton - Has an affair with Morgy Reign Watkins - Drops an album with Gunna and goes platinum Dagny Whitlock - Hits multiple cars at once Claire Wierman - Becomes the greatest female lacrosse player of all time Mbiti Williams - Moves to Boston thinking it’s North Carolina Zoe Williams - Stays in Japan to become a sushi chef Rachel Wray - Starts a rivalry cooking show against Rachael Ray