KnightTimes Spring 2014

S P R I N G 2 0 1 4 T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PA C E A C A D E M Y

Introducing

The Isdell Center for Global LeadershipPlus The PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund | Walsh Field | Winter Sports Highlights

KnightTimes | Spring 2014 3

Letter from the editorThis past summer, I traveled to Italy with a group of Pace Upper School students. We spent

nearly two weeks walking the streets of Milan, Florence and Rome, soaking up art and culture in the birthplace of the Renaissance. We also ate a lot of pizza. And gelato.

Our Italian adventure gave me a firsthand look at the Pace global education program and its impact on students. Over the course of the trip, I watched students become more confident in their interactions with the individuals they met (bartering for trinkets in broken Italian was a favorite activity). They navigated public transportation and explored piazzas and markets on their own. They asked good questions, tried new foods and, Id like to think, returned home a little more mature and increasingly open to the world around them.

Paces mission is to create confident citizens of the world, and programs like global educa-tion and service learning help us accomplish that mission. But in this issue of the KnightTimes, we think big about a more cohesive and integrated approach to shaping these global citizens we talk so much aboutindividuals who, in the words of Head of School Fred AssAF, want to be successful while making a positive difference.

The solution, we believe, is the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL). Youll learn more about our vision for the ICGL in the following pages and about rebeccA Jones 96 and erin MAzursky 03, alumnae who see the world through a truly global lens and are com-mitted to making a difference.

I hope that these stories encourage you, as a member of the Pace community, to think big about the effect you have on our worldwherever you might be.

Caitlin Goodrich Jones 00director of communications

S P R I N G 2 014


Pace caresWhen our families and staff are in need, Pace Cares.

Contact us to deliver a meal:404-926-3727

[email protected]

the magazine of Pace academy

6 neWs What you need to know

10 Pacesetters Honoring students who set the pace outside of school

12 around Pace A look at what's happening at Pace

18 Queen of the Knights

20 construction updates

22 Winter sPorts highLights A synopsis of athletic achievements

26 gLobaL education Trips to Kilimanjaro and Cambodia

28 the PJ garcia schoLarshiP fund New endowment makes financial aid a priority and names the Middle School

30 WaLsh fieLd Pace receives the largest alumni gift in school history

32 a Vision for the future Pace announces the creation of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership

38 aLumni38 alumni at st andrews

40 Erin Mazursky '03 Profile

42 Rebecca Jones '96 Profile

44 Where are they now?

50 out and about

contributorsJulia beck 15

JuliA beck came to Pace in the ninth grade, and her favorite classes are English and Spanish. Beck likes to travel and participated in a global education trip to Cambodia over spring break. This summer, shell travel to Panama with a Spanish-immersion program. She plays golf for the Knights and will be the co-editor-in-chief of the Upper School student newspaper, the Knightly News, her senior year.

Lara goodrich ezor 06

lArA Goodrich ezor graduated from Whitman College in 2010 and has since worked on a vegetable farm, hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and moved to the Northeast. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Food Policy and Nutrition at The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts Uni-versity. In her spare time, she enjoys trudging through snowy Boston, cooking in her tiny kitchen and getting her hands dirty in her backyard garden. She lives in Somerville, Mass., with her husband zAck ezor 06, a fellow Pace alumnus and her partner in crime.

Will frampton 99

After graduating from Pace, Will FrAMpton attended Erskine College in South Carolina, where he majored in English. College internships at CNN in Atlanta helped pave the way to a career in television broadcasting. He got his start at WTHI, the CBS sta-tion in Terre Haute, Ind. Subsequent reporting stints in Columbia, S.C. and Sacramento, Calif. followed. Even-tually, he returned to Atlanta, where he now reports for the local CBS station. Frampton earned an Emmy for his reporting from Afghanistan in December of 2007. His reports can be seen regularly on CBS Atlanta News. He and his wife, Sarah, live in Buckhead.

robin LaLone 12

robin lAlone graduated from Pace with honors and recently finished her sophomore year at Auburn University, where she is majoring in communications with a minor in Spanish. LaLone is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and volunteers with Reading is Fundamental, an organization that provides literacy resources to children and families. LaLone plans to graduate in December 2015 and hopes to pursue a career in public relations.

4 KnightTimes | Spring 2014

SPRING 2014contents


Dear Pace Family,

As an English teacher, Im very familiar with the rule of three in writing. The principle suggests that things that come in threes are more satisfying or more effective than those that come in any other number. Theres even a Latin phrase that expresses this idea: Omne trium perfectumtranslated Everything that comes in threes is perfect.

For Pace Academy, 2014 will forever be defined by its own rule of three: three tremendous gifts that will have an immeasurable impact on our school in the years to come.

I have YOU to thank for the first gift. We recently announced that the $32-million Aim High campaign has reached $35 million, and that well use the additional funds to complete our existing Athletics Complex. In August, The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School and Walsh Field will open for busi-ness. Hundreds of Pace parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends made this possible, and Im especially grateful to leiGh drAuGhon WAlsh 81 and tiM WAlsh 81 for their gift to the campaign the largest alumni capital gift in our history (see story on page 30).

The second gift has nothing to do with construction or new buildings its about building prepared, confident citizens of the world. The Isdell Family Foundation has decided to fund the Isdell Center for Global Leadership, a col-laborative, cross-divisional program at Pace (see story on page 32). neville and pAMelA isdell and cArA isdell lee 97 truly understand the power of our schools mission, and with their help, well elevate our efforts to create students who are ethical, empathic, innovative, culturally competent and adapt-able citizens of the world.

Finally, as someone whos education was made possible by financial aid, the Garcia familys decision to endow the PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund in memory of pJ GArciA 09 touches me to the core. cArol and pAul GArciA and their childrens wish to offer four full-tuition, need-based grants to Upper School students illustrates their belief in the power of a Pace education. Well name the Garcia Family Middle School in their honor (see story on page 28).

It is certainly an exciting time to be a Pace Knight! Thank you for all that you do to make our community such a special place.

Sincerely,

Fred Assafhead of schooL

Letter from the head of schooL

neWs

NEWSWhat you need to Know

966 W. Paces Ferry Road, NWAtlanta, Georgia 30327

www.paceacademy.org

KnightTimesFred Assaf head OF SChOOL

Division Heads

Michael Gannon head OF upper SChOOL

John Anderson head OF MIddLe SChOOL

Anna Valerius head OF LOWer SChOOL

Communications Department

Caitlin Goodrich Jones 00 dIreCTOr OF COMMuNICaTIONS, edITOr

Ryan Vihlen CreaTIVe SerVICeS MaNaGer, GraphIC deSIGNer

Lela Wallace dIGITaL COMMuNICaTIONS MaNaGer

Our MissionTo create prepared, confident citizens of the world who honor the values of Pace Academy and who will preserve the legacy of our school for future generations.

Pace CaresAre you aware of a member of our community who is experiencing an illness or loss or is blessed with a new arrival? Pace Cares would love to help by delivering a home-cooked meal prepared by our dedicated volunteer cooks. Please call the Pace Cares hotline at 404-926-3727.

To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Goodrich Jones at [email protected].

double the stAr powerEach year, the Professional Association of

Georgia Educators Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia De-partment of Education partner to present the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recog-nition) program.

The program requires that nominees achieve the top SAT score on a single test date and be in the top 10 percent of their class. STAR Students then choose teachers who inspire them to strive for excellence as STAR Teachers.

This year, there was a tie. Seniors kAl Golde and Josh roGers were named Paces STAR Students and selected Upper School teachers elizAbeth kAnn and Gus Whyte as their STAR Teachers, re-spectively.


Josh rogers and Kal golde were recognized as star students.

elizabeth Kann

gus Whyte

syreeta Moseley named head of lower school

This summer, syreetA Moseley will become Pace Academys sixth Head of Lower School following an ex-tensive nationwide search.

Moseley comes to Pace from the Atlanta Speech School, where she held multiple positions over a 16-year period. She most recently served as Curriculum Specialist for the schools Anne & Jim Kenan Preschool.

Moseley brings a wealth of knowl-edge and experience to the position. She was a lead third-grade teacher for 10 years; she is an expert in the development and implementa-tion of multisensory learning and research-based curriculum; and she provided professional development, training and eval-uation to educators throughout Georgia.

A graduate of Northwestern University, Moseley received a Bachelor of Science in Learning Disabilities and went on to earn a Master of Arts in Special Education and Rehabilita-tion from the University of Arizona. She holds certifications in multiple multisensory learning, special education and elemen-tary education programs.

Moseley and her husband, crAiG, have two children: rAinA, 9, who will join the Pace Class of 2022, and Coleson, 3.

her PhiLosoPhy

Moseley believes that it is essential for students to have access to an education that will prepare them academically, motivate them intrinsically and cause them to recognize that their contributions are needed in the world.

When students feel safe, are encouraged to share their opinions without the judgment of others and have parent(s) who are actively involved in their lives, authentic learning takes place, she says.

Paces mission to create prepared, confident citizens of the world resonates with Moseley. In order to be effective citizens, children must learn not only how to read, write and problem solve, but also how to understand, interpret and respond to the emotions of others, she says.

It is rare to find a school like Pace that is so intentional about preparing students for whatever journeys they may experience. I love that Pace combines a rigorous academic cur-riculum with a nurturing environment to develop the whole child, and Im thrilled to join the Pace community.

neWs

the moseleys


neWs

commending creativitySince its inception in 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

has become the longest-running, most prestigious recognition pro-gram for creative teens in the U.S.

Each year, students in grades seven through 12 apply in 28 catego-ries of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. Luminaries in the visual and liter-ary arts jury the submissions and look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Pace students honored with 2014 Scholastic Awards are:

gold Key, american Visions nominee

(Best of Show; advances to national competition)rAchel Much, painting

gold Key

kAtie breWster, short storyMorGAn breWton-Johnson, photography portfolio richie everett, drawing MAry liles FiveAsh, ceramics (2) JAson MAlik, ceramics Rachel Much, painting JilliAn pAul, ceramics

silver Key

MAckenzie AttridGe, photography Katie Brewster, flash fictionhunter cesinGer, short storyJuliAnA derosA, ceramics kAtie duvAl, poetry and short storyJason Malik, mixed media hAnnAh seAbriGht, personal essay/memoirnicole shAFer, ceramics eMMA st. AMAnd, ceramics

honorable mention

Jeri brAnd, poetryAnnA broWn, painting kelly broWn, digital art Arden cArlton, photography (3) Katie Duval, photography portfolio and photography portfolioMAGGie inMAn, photography MAckenzie kelly, photography and sculpture hope lennox, painting JAclyn lund, ceramics Jason Malik, mixed media Rachel Much, drawing and painting (3) cArolyn propst, painting kevin silverstein, ceramics portfolio and ceramics (2) elle stAnG, mixed media and painting

rachel much's painting received a gold Key and will advance to the national competition as an american Visions nominee.

morgan brewton-Johnson (left) and rachel much proudly stand in front of their exhibited work.

one of mary Liles fiveash's gold Key plates

8 KnightTimes | Spring 2014 KnightTimes | Spring 2014 9

neWs

lewis, shepherd Win GFcA state debate tournament

In March, juniors tAnner leWis and clyde shepherd took home the cham-pionship title at the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association (GFCA) Varsity State Debate Tournament. Lewis and Shepherd advanced to the elimination debates as the top seed and defeated the Westminster Schools to become champions.

Pace also received the GFCA School of Excellence Award in the Helen McClellan Divi-sion (500 or fewer students) for the third consecutive season. Debate coach shunt JordAn was named the 2014 GFCA Debate Coach of the Year.

In addition, the Pace debate team earned the 20122013 Leading Chapter Award in the Georgia Northern Mountain District of the National Forensic League Speech & Debate Honor Society, the highest recognition the League can bestow upon a chapter. Out of more than 3,000 member schools nationwide, Pace was one of only 109 to receive the Leading Chapter Award.

national Merit recognizes Five seniors

Every year, the National Merit Scholar-ship Corporation recognizes a select group of high school seniors as National Merit Scholars based on academic records, test scores, written recommendations, ac-tivities, leadership and an essay. Seniors kAl Golde, elle stAnG and kAtie WilliAMson were among the 2014 winners and will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The same organization recognizes out-standing Black American high school students as National Achievement Schol-ars based on consistently high academic performance, written recommendations and test scores. Pace seniors MorGAn breWton-Johnson and osei Avril were among the 700 students nationwide to receive the prestigious designation and $2,500 scholarships.

Left to right: clyde shepherd, shunt Jordan and tanner Lewis

big Apple boundSeniors cory bush and sAM

doWney have had extraordinary ca-reers on the Pace stage. Bush will long be remembered for roles such as Wendy in Peter Pan, Vicki in Caught in the Net and Anybodys in West Side Story. Downey de-lighted audiences as Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof and Colonel Melkett in Black Comedy.

Both Bush and Downey plan to continue their theatrical training this fall at New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, one of the countrys most prestigious centers of un-dergraduate and graduate study in the arts. They will join colin bArhAM 12, a sophomore at Tisch, creating quite the con-tingent of Pace alumni in Manhattan.

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Pacesetters

top: Pickman (third from right) and members of the childrens healthcare of atlanta emory take steps walk team at the 2013 event.

bottom: dr. subra Kugathasan and Pickmans take steps walk team was recognized as the top gi fundraising team. Pickman is holding the beautiful golden colon trophy.

PACESETTERShonoring students Who set the Pace outside of school

channeling Adversity into Advocacy

At the age of 11, just before sixth grade, sophomore lAuren pickMAn was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. The chronic dis-ease affects the innermost lining of the large intestine, causing ulcers, severe abdominal pain, nausea and bleeding. Its symptoms can be embarrassing and often lead to countless hours in hospitals and doc-tors offices.

Pickmans diagnosis and consequent struggle have changed her life; frequent infusions of Remicadethe drug most effective in treating her symptoms take three to five hours and leave her ex-hausted for days. But Pickman refuses to be defined by her medical situation. Instead, she channels her energy into raising awareness of the disease and funds for the Crohns & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

I got involved with the CCFA in seventh grade when I participated in my first Take Steps Walk, [the CFFAs largest annual fundraiser], Pickman says. I have participated every year since then. Together, she and her family have raised more than $10,000 for the organiza-tion and serve as advocates for others with Crohns and Colitis.

Pickman has become something of a celebrity within the Atlanta CCFA community. She was the 2013 Georgia CCFA Golf Classics keynote speaker, has been featured in Johnson & Johnsons cor-porate magazine, spoke out about the disease on WSB-TVs local newscast and is a co-captain of the Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta Emory Take Steps walk team with her doctor, Subra Kugathasan. The teams goal is to raise $10,000, but Pickman says shes really aiming for $20,000.

Pickmans willingness to speak out about her disease developed over time. For four years, she has attended Camp Oasis, an overnight camp for children with Crohns and Colitis, funded in part by the CCFA. There, surrounded by others struggling with similar issues, she learned to talk more openly about Colitis.

Its still hard to explain [my situation] sometimes because of fear of judgment, Pickman says. But I want to advocate for other kids and teens like me who are afraid to discuss the disease because of the embarrassing symptoms. We need to have these diseases feel more normal and less embarrassing.

Pickman has found a welcoming community as a result of her dis-ease and her involvement with CCFAand she also may have found a calling. Ive always loved math and science, but now I can see how those classes apply outside the classroom, she says. [My experience] has made me very interested in medicine and research for chronic ill-nesses. Maybe one day I can help find a cure for Crohns and Colitis.

Visit online.ccfa.org/goto/LaurenP for more information about Pickmans Take Steps walk team.


Pacesetters

cushman heads to carnegie hall Sixth-grader robert cushMAn has been selected through

audition to perform in the 2014 Middle School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. Cushman, who has been playing the bass cello since third grade, submitted a recording in late 2013 at the urging of strings instructor tArA hArris. He was chosen from a pool of middle school students from all over the country.

Cushman will attend an intensive workshop in June to work with some of the best music pedagogues in the country. The workshop will culminate in a performance at New Yorks Carnegie Hall on June 28. Ive been to New York to see my cousin, but Ive never been to Carn-egie Hall, Cushman says. Im really excited about the honor of being picked and about playing music. It will be wonderful to represent Pace at Carnegie Hall.

building connections through baseball

Baseball is in the blood of junior cooper drose and eighth-grader schuyler drose. The boys late grandfather, Robert Drose, loved the sport, and in the 1960s, pushed to integrate youth leagues in Charleston, S.C. Both Drose boys have played the game since they were very young, and now they hope to share their love of the sport with children in the Dominican Republic.

This spring, the brothers launched the 100 Gloves project and began collecting gently used baseball equipment for the 95 boys in the Julio Castillo League. A few years ago, our cousin visited the Dominican Republic, where his mother grew up, Schuyler says. He saw lots of boys playing baseball. Even though they had very little equipmentmost didnt have gloves, and some were barefoot they were still having a great time. We thought it would be fun to start a project where we sent used bats, gloves, cleats and helmets to them.

The boys will collect gear throughout the summer but have already stockpiled more than 150 pieces. As for delivering the equipment to the Latin American nation, well, theyre still trying to figure that out. We might put it in barrels to ship, but were still researching that, Schuyler says. If anyone reading this article has experience with this, please let us know.

The Drose family hopes to travel to the Dominican Republic later this year to deliver the gear themselves, but whether or not theyre able to make the trip, the equipment certainly will. That thought pleases Cooper. I love baseball, he says. Its a huge part of my life. I cant wait to go out on the field and play every spring. If I can share that feeling with another kid who might need a little help to love the game as much as I do, then the work weve put into [100 Gloves] will be worth it!

Learn more about the project at 100Gloves.org.

robert cushman

the drose bros.

spirit Week: A Favorite traditionAsk any Pace Upper School student what his or her favorite Pace tradition is and no

doubt more than 90 percent will say Spirit Week. Its a week filled with late nights and lots of time spent with the whole gradeand thats just the way Pace kids like it!

At the end of first semester, each grade picked a theme for the year; this year the freshman chose Madagascar, the sophomores had Lilo and Stitch, the juniors picked The Great Gatsby and the seniors chose Looney Tunes. Official Spirit Week preparations started Jan. 1. The grades prepared decorations for their assigned portions of the school, painted huge banners, choreographed dances for skits and created costumes, all revolv-ing around their themes.

The Academic Village caused a slight twist in tradition this year; the juniors, who typi-cally decorate the whole Upper School, decorated two trailers, while the freshmen, who typically decorate the Gardens, decorated the Academic Villages Quad. All grades em-braced the changeeven the seniors, who decorate the whole school.

During Spirit Week, the freshman, sophomore and junior decorations were up from Monday through Thursday. The highlights of the decorations were the insane amount of glitter used in the Academic Village for the juniors theme and the balloon animals covering the Quad for the freshmans Madagascar theme. Each day had a different dress-up theme, and grades competed to see which embodied theirs best. Every night for about three hours, each grade went to a large location to learn and practice dances for their skits.

On Thursday night, the whole senior class slept at school and covered the campus in Looney Tunes decorations. At the end of the day, students left their last-period classes and changed into costume for a special pep rally. Each class unveiled its banner and then came the highlight of the week, the culmination of everyones hard work: the skits. Every year, everyones favorite part of the week is cheering on the other grades, especially the seniors, during their dances. Despite some changes, Spirit Week 2014 was one of the best yet!

by JuliA beck 15

AROUND PACEa Look at What's happening at Pace

around Pace


class of 2017 class of 2015

class of 2014class of 2016


lower school plays Spring means a season of colorful and

creative Lower School plays. From poetry and Charlottes Web to a musical journey through the 20th century, each Lower School production was educationaland entertaining!

Bye Bye Birdie brings back the 50sThe days of poodle skirts, soda fountains and 50s rock-n-roll came to life in the

Middle Schools dynamic production of Bye Bye Birdie, which ran in the Fine Arts Center Feb. 2022. The hilarious musical is an account of teen heartthrob Conrad Birdies transition from glamorous rock star to Army draftee.

Under the leadership of Middle School Drama Director pAtrick cAMpbell and Musical Director susAn WAllAce, the cast of 41 students pulled off three outstand-ing performances for sell-out crowds. Dance instructor MeG Morrisseys energetic choreography and Technical Director scott sArGents colorful set truly trans-ported audiences back to the days when rock stars were royalty and The Ed Sullivan Show was a Sunday-night staple.

Eighth-graders cole Mccorkle and nicole ortiz led the cast as music agent Albert Peterson and secretary Rose Alvarez, respectively. Seventh-grader hoke FAser channeled Elvis as Conrad Birdie, and seventh-grader GrAce pottorFF perfectly portrayed the typical American teenager in the role of Kim Macafee. Other principal cast members included susie pieper, kendAll Willis, Jeb cArter, JereMy levin, schuyler drose, Aleks Golde and hArrison husk.

around Pace

Left: cole mccorkle and nicole ortiz led the cast of Bye Bye Birdie.

above: conrad birdie (played by hoke faser) gets mobbed by adoring fans.

second-grade Play

third-grade Play

fifth-grade Play

reimagining science in the upper school

There so much more to learning than what goes on inside the classroom, says Upper School Science Department Chair JonAthAn dAy, echoing an emerging theme at Pace.

The advent of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) and its focus on hands-on activities and real-world issues will instill in Pace students a truly global perspective, (see story on page 32), but Day and his department are ahead of the curve.

In his second year as chair, Day continues to introduce co-curric-ular activities with the goal of exposing students to different subjects and getting them excited about science. You have to understand sci-ence to understand whats going on in the world, he says. I also want our students to become aware of career avenues they might not have considered before.

To that end, the Upper School science team has been hard at work. For the second year, the faculty coordinated science minimestersweeklong non-graded courses like Dinosaurs in the Movies, Abnormal Psychology and Forensics that allow students to explore potential areas of interest outside of the standard science curriculum.

A series of informal Lunch n Learns has connected students to professional scientists in the Pace communitypeople like Pace par-ents dAnA MeAney-delMAn of the Centers for Disease Control and computer scientist Wenke lee. And alumni speakers like di-agnostic radiologist dr. kiery brAithWAite 90 and journalist dAvid hAnson 96 have provided further insight into science-related career options. Our guests talk about their lifestyles and the challenges that theyve faced, says Day. Their visits are about more than science; theyre about life decisions.

In addition, the department hosted what it hopes will be the first of many annual STEM Days (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and welcomed six Georgia Tech research scientists to campus for a day. The event, coordinated by physics teacher dr. John peArson, introduced students to nanotechnology and its uses and applications in an array of fields.

Students who really want to get their hands dirty have had the opportunity to take Theatre Technical Director scott sArGents sustainability course, which focuses on sustainable building design and instruction. The classs fully functioning 8 x 16 sustainable house (pictured left)complete with a working kitchen and bath-roomwill be complete by the end of the school year.

And as the academic year came to a close, physics became really fun. The annual Phlotilla (an event in which students construct boats out of cardboard and duct tape and race them across the pool) and a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia to study the mechanics of roller coast-ers gave new meaning to the term hands-on learning."

Id like to think that these initiatives have really expanded our students definitions of science and broadened their understanding of its impact on their lives, Day says. Even if a student doesnt choose to pursue a career in a related field, building enthusiasm around sci-ence is essential.

around Pace


Guten tag!In January, 10 Upper School students trav-eled to Germany on what has become an annual study tour. The group is shown here at Sanssouci, the former summer palace of Frederick the Great.

cheevers short stories on stageAuthor John Cheevers most comical and moving stories came to life on the Fine Arts Center stage Feb. 1 and 2. The Upper School winter play, A Cheever Evening by A.R. Gurney, chroni-cled the post-war angst and alienation of Americas burgeoning suburban class. Upper School Theatre Director GeorGe MenGert and Director of Communications cAitlin Jones co-directed the production, which featured a talented cast of 18 students.

sam downey & Lindsey sample

rebecca husk & cooper drose Landon goldstein, Peter hurley & cooper Peery

sam nail


around Pace


around Pace

Artists in Action: springs Arts Festival 2014Every year, the Pace community highlights its talented visual and

performing artists during the Spring Arts Festival. Each grade names Arts Laureates, students who excel in the arts. Throughout the week, Laureates perform or discuss their work during assemblies.

This years celebration kicked off with a performance by CoReso-nance, strings instructor tArA hArriss electric string quartet. The week also included lunchtime concerts, demonstrations by visiting artists and an all-school art exhibit featuring the work of 61 students.

On April 9, the 23rd Annual Pace Academy/Atlanta Celebrates Photography Georgia Photography Awards & Exhibit opened in the Fine Arts Center, and the Upper School concert band, vocal soloists and ensembles presented the second annual Knight of Jazz concert, which featured jazz music from the swing era and beyond.

The week culminated in assemblies that included performances by senior Arts Laureates, Lower School music classes, and the Upper School strings ensemble, band and chorus.

upper school arts LaureatesLower school arts Laureates middle school arts Laureates


The Virtual Classroomhow a teacher-student duo used technology to facilitate long-distance learning.

Most fifth graders use an iPad to play Flappy Bird, post photos on Instagram or watch their favorite TV shows, but sophiA ellis 21 recently used her tablet to connect to GreG leFevers Lower School classroom.

Sophia was born with a rare condition that causes her bones to fracture easily. During the month of January, she was ordered to stay off her feet and home from school. A few days off from school was nice, but after a while I got really bored, she says. Sophias mother, Joyce ellis, recognized her daughters restlessness and came up with a 21st-century solution: FaceTime (a voice-over-IP software application for Apple products).

Sophia began using her iPad to FaceTime with Lefever and her classmates during the school day. At first shed just say hello, but FaceTiming lifted Sophias spirits. Seeing friends in the classroom also motivated her to keep up with her schoolwork.

Long-distance learning is not an easy task, so Lefever took to the Internet and put in place a lesson plan that Sophia could follow at home. Sophia is a very conscientious stu-dent, and she didnt want to fall behind, Lefever says. Just getting the homework at the end of the day isnt as fun as being a part of the class.

Sophia describes getting up every morning before classes started; instead of putting on school clothes she stayed in her pajamas. Sophia was so excited to wake up in the morn-ing and go to school on the iPad. Knowing that she could see her friends got her out of bed quickly, says Ellis.

In the classroom, Sophia was treated like any other student. Her iPad was propped up on a desk so she could see Lefever and the whiteboard at the front of the room. She participat-ed in class discussions, and if she had a question, she raised her hand. She soon discovered that the process of distance learning didnt put her at a distance at all. Even though she wasnt sitting at a desk, Sophia felt part of the classroom just like any other student. When it was time to socialize, her best friend would carry the iPad around so Sophia could talk to all of her classmates.

Sophias digital experience extended way beyond the classroom; she participated in a school-wide pep rally via the iPadalthough she says that the noise was a little over-whelming through the tablet. Being included in Pace events and activities through the iPad really helped her heal, says her mother.

Lefever has been at Pace for five years and hadnt tried teaching or communicating with a student on a tablet before. He found it to be a great success because it is so interactive; Sophia would even take tests with her classmates. Written exams were sent home with her little sister, clArA, and Sophia would sit down in front of the iPad and take her test along with the class.

As a teacher to dozens of other students, Lefever was grateful to see Sophia taking the initiative not to fall behind. She embraced her unique situation, and it made the transition back to school much easier because it felt like she never left, he says.

The iPad classroom communication revolutionizes the way sick children learn, Ellis says. Sophia felt like any other fifth-grade student when she was learning from home.

Sophia returned to school in February and is now back to using her iPad for fun and games. Her situation illustrates Paces individualized approach to technology, as well as Lefevers cre-ativity and willingness to help. It is a great reflection of the Pace motto. The courage to strive for excellence doesnt just apply to Pace students; the teachers who guide, support and educate these students deserve credit for being adaptable and making new things happen.

by robin lAlone 12

sophia ellis with teacher greg Lefever

around Pace


sophia ellis at home using facetime


around Pace

celebrating our Queen of the knights

More than 750 members of the Pace community gathered on April 5 for the Parents Clubs annual Auction & Gala. This years theme, Queen of the Knights, hon-ored retiring Head of Lower School AnnA vAlerius, who has served the school for 31 years.

The beautiful event, chaired by par-ents Michele boushkA, JessicA sutherlAnd levenson 93 and leiGh drAuGhon WAlsh 81, took place in the Georgia Aquariums Oceans Ballroom. The evening included a perfor-mance by the Upper School chorus, live and silent auctions, a delicious dinner and tributes to Paces beloved Mrs. V.

Former chairs of the Pace Academy Board of Trustees presented Valerius with a beautiful bracelet, plane tickets to Europe and a painting by artist Steve Penley that depicts Valerius greeting Lower School students at the Randall House door, as shes done for more than 18 years. The painting, a gift from Pace parents steph-Anie and Mitch nelson, will hang in the Pace Lower School for years to come.

The event raised a record $578,000 for the Parents Club and will fund requests on the wish lists of Lower, Middle and Upper School teachers, administrators and staff in a variety of areas, including academics, athletics, arts and creative play.

Photos by ashton staniszewski


around Pacearound Pace


around Pace

its time to Finish construction!Many in the Pace community are looking forward to a summer of

downtime, rest and vacations, but the Upper School project team will be busy putting the finishing touches on what is quickly becoming the remarkable new Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

While it seems like only yesterday, it was almost 12 months ago that the first construction crews arrived on site to begin one of the most transformative projects on the Pace campusand what an ex-perience its been!

Over the past year, the Pace community witnessed the demolition of Bridges Hall and watched as a deep hole produced a towering, struc-tural skeleton, which then morphed into a Smurf-blue building that had many asking, Youre not really going to leave it that color, are you?

In April, the blue began to go away, replaced by exterior brick and stone work. At print time, only three months remain until the furniture arrives; everything on the project is happening at a rapid pace, and many of the exciting exterior details are taking shape. The beautiful wood clock tower on the Gardens Terrace has been installed and promises to become an iconic campus feature.

Inside the building, construction crews have finished installing me-chanical systems, walls have been closed up and painting has begun. Over the next three months, all of the flooring, ceilings, millwork pack-ages and audio/visual systems will arrive for immediate installation.

So what will become of the Academic Village once the new Upper School has opened and what will the campuss rear fields look like when school resumes? Well, there is more good news to share!

As soon as students complete their exams, crews will deconstruct the facility and return the trailers to the leasing company to be re-purposed at another Atlanta-area school. All of the furniture in the Academic Village, most of which came from the old Upper School, will be donated to a new Catholic charter school, Christa Rey Atlanta. Instead of heading to a landfill, the furnishings and equipment will find a meaningful new home.

As for the recreation field, crews will install a new sand-cap field, similar in construction and appearance to the existing football field at the Pace Academy Athletics Complex on Riverview Road. It will be a great addition to the main campus and will allow for greater use during all seasons.

So, enjoy your summer of relaxation as for us, well be working to make sure that The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School is ready for your return! Its going to be a busy summer we cant wait!

by Pace parent bob Mills, president of University Development Services and Upper School project manager


around Pace

Winter sPorts highLights

harrison Moncino, bAck-to-bAck stAte chAMp

on february 7, junior hArrison Moncino took to the diving board to defend his 2013 state championship in this years GHSA competition. He finished the day with a score of 573.65nearly 90 points ahead of his closest competi-tor and another state title.

it feels amazing, moncino told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. im over-joyed to be two-time state champion im hoping for a three-peat next year and also a four-time all-american. moncino, a two-time all-american, has broken all Pace diving records and was the state runner-up as a freshman.

sophomore oWen Moncino, fin-ished in fifth place with a score of 413.20, his strongest meet ever. both boys received all-state honors.

spotlight on Girls swimmingSixth in the state, first in Class A

Heres the thing about swimming: its an all-classification sport, which means, unlike other Georgia High School Associa-tion activities, athletes compete against all other athletes in the statenot just those in their respective classes.

But swimming against schools five times the size of Pace doesnt intimidate the dream team of senior GWynnie lAMAstrA and sophomores brenner Appel, GrAce Ferry and MAdison GrAhAM. We just try to go fast, LaMastra says.

The team finished third and sixth in the state in the 200-medley and 400-freestyle relays, respectively, and contributed to the Lady Knights overall sixth-place finishthe best in Class A. All four girls received All-State recognition. This is their second year as a relay team, and they train together year-round at the elite Dynamo Swim Club.

Between early-morning, evening and Saturday practices, Ferry estimates that they each spend about 22 hours per week in the pool. LaMastra, the big sister in the group, drives carpool to and from practice. We choose music based on the weather, she says. If its sunny, we listen to country, and we start listening to holiday music in October.

While friendship and the ever-present smell of chlorine unite the girls, they are indi-vidual competitors as well, and each had exceptional state races. LaMastra finished her illustrious Pace career with four finals races and four school records. She took fourth in the state in her signature 100 breaststroke, finishing with an All-American consideration time and a slot in the states top five for the second year in a row. She also swam the 200 individual medley and placed ninth.

In the 200 freestyle, Ferry finished fifth, breaking the school record, and she was sixth in the 500 freestyle. Graham finished 13th in the 200 individual medley and fifth in the 100 backstroke, setting school records in each event. Appel was 16th in the 100 breaststroke.

LaMastra has committed to continue her athletic career at Johns Hopkins University next fall. Her teammates say theyll miss her, but they feel they ended the season appro-priately. [Our state performance] was the best going-away gift we could give Gwynnie, Appel says. We cant wait to go visit her in Baltimore.

Left: two-time state champion harrison moncino displays perfect form.

above: owen moncino

owen & harrison moncino


the third- and sixth-place relay team

top row: elizAbeth roos, AnnA vAn zyverden, corinne orr, kAtie nelson and cAroline Mills bottom row: brenner appel, madison graham, grace ferry, gwynnie Lamastra and Annie butler



varsity swimmingcoached by John Ague

After a strong season, the varsity swimming team had a record-setting weekend at the GHSA State Championships in early February. In a field of 44 schools, the girls team finished sixth in the state, and the boys finished 22nd.

While Paces three boys relay teams performed well in the prelimi-nary round of competition, they failed to qualify for the finals. The

girls 200-medley and 400-freestyle relay teams, however, advanced to the finals, where they finished third and sixth in the state, respec-tively, and set new school records in both races (see opposite page). The team will lose seniors kAl Golde, LaMastra, elizAbeth roos and Wilson AlexAnder.

varsity Girls basketballcoached by regina tate

The varsity girls basketball team finished the regular season with an overall record of 1212 and a third-place regular-season finish in Region 5A. The team advanced to the state tournament but lost in

the first round to St. Francis. Senior evelyn hobbs, a four-year varsity player for the Knights, was named to the All-Region team.

the boys state team

Lauren hadley evelyn hobbs zoe Weitzner

gwynnie Lamastra

hannah ferry


varsity boys basketballcoached demetrius smith

The varsity boys basketball team faced tough competition over the course of the season, often going head to head with schools in much larger GHSA classifications. The Knights defeated At-lanta International School in the first round of the region tournament, but fell to Holy Innocents Episcopal School in the quarterfinal. They ended the season with a 1412 record.

Senior ArMAni lAshley and junior eliJAh holiField were named to the All-Region team. The Knights will lose seniors tripp conrAd, cArter drAuGhon, denzel FrAnklin, John kinG, Lashley, Will rucker, kenny selMon, AAron siMon and kAMeron uter.

varsity basketball cheerleadingcoached by karen sommerville

The varsity basketball cheerleaders kept players energized and fans on their feet throughout the 20132014 season. Their spirit permeated pep rallies, and the squad bids farewell to seniors MAckenzie AttridGe, hAllie bedol, kAtie breWster,

MorGAn breWton-Johnson, kelly broWn, edA cAlApkulu, JessicA cooper, lAuren Flick, AMeliA hess, MAdison hoFF, kAtie lucke, riley Muse, corey richArds and hAnnAh seAbriGht.

tripp conrad John Kingarmani Lashley


Elijah Holifield



kniGhts heAd to colleGenine of the 107 members of the class of 2014 have committed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. congratulations to the following student-athletes!

varsity Wrestlingcoached by Mark sommerville

Following a strong varsity wrestling season, seniors keith treMeGe and phillip Werner, sophomore JAck WAlsh and freshman deAndre byrd advanced to the sectional tournament. Tremege and Werner placed fifth in the tournament, while Walsh fin-ished third and advanced to the state meet. Walsh placed fifth in

the state tournament and was named to the All-Area and Class-A All-State teams. The team will lose seniors MichAel sloMAn, Tremege and Werner.

eighth-Grade boys Win league title

under the leadership of coaches pete pope and chris slAde, the eighth-grade boys basketball team entered the league tournament at the Paideia school as the no. 1 seed.

In the semifinals, the Knights defeated W.d. mohammed 4119 to advance to the championship game. they delivered a thrilling 5336 win over fulton Leader-ship academy and took the championship title on saturday, Jan 25.

the Knights ended the season with a 121 record, their sole loss a four-point heartbreaker in the first game of the season. hArrison leWis, cAleb holiField, JonAthAn rushton and MichAel siMon were named to the all-tournament team.

Pace athletics recognized its division i college athletes on national signing day in february. top row: ramirez and datoc; bottom row: uter, franklin and selmon

Pace athletics recognized its future college athletes during a special morning assembly on march 7. from left to right: Lamastra, uter, datoc, King, franklin, bussey and selmon (not pictured: conrad and ramirez)

Jack Walsh Phillip Wernermichael sloman

Alex busseyuniversity of new haven, volleyball

tripp conrAdcollege of coastal georgia, golf

JAred dAtocgeorgia institute of technology, baseball

denzel FrAnklinstanford university, football

GWynnie lAMAstrAJohns hopkins university, swimming

John kinGmassachusetts institute of technology, football

rAphAel rAMireznorth carolina state university, baseball

kenny selMonuniversity of north carolina at chapel hill, track

kAMeron uterWake forest university, baseball and football



Spring Break Pace Academy Styleglobal education takes students to cambodia and tanzania.

In March, high temperatures in the Cambodian city of Bat-tambang hover around 95 degrees, and rain is scarce. But the 19 Upper School students who traveled to the northwestern section of the Asian nation in partnership with Habitat for Hu-manity International didnt let the conditions slow their work.

For four days, students dug foundations for four homes, laid bricks, tied rebar, moved tons of earth, and mixed and poured concrete. It was backbreaking but rewarding labor. They remained focused not only on constructing homes but on building relationships.

We were gross, sweaty and sore, but the students kept work-ing, says faculty advisor and fifth-grade teacher rebeccA rhodes. There were no complaints. You know you have a special team when a student shouts down a cement line: These are our last bucketssavor them! As a teacher, there could be no greater pride than seeing your kids go outside of themselves to increase the hope and humanity of another person. This is what Pace is all about.

When the students werent building cement pilings or shov-eling dirt, they explored Cambodia. Their travels included visits to the capital city of Phnom Pen, the Royal Palace, the Killing Fields and multiple temples. They even rode elephants around the Bayon, a Khmer temple at Angkor.

In addition to Rhodes, the group included faculty advi-sors trish Anderson and toMMy hAttori, seniors toMMy burruss, cAllie cunninGhAM, scArlett chAnG, sAM doWney, evelyn hobbs, MAcken-zie kelly, elizAbeth roos, WilliAM rushton and bobby stonecipher, and juniors JuliA beck, AnnA broWn, hAnnAh Ferry, GrAce FrAncour, lArine hAMied, hAnnAh kelly, cAroline Mills, rAchel Morrisroe, blAke Murphy and clAire snyder.

This is Pace Academys third spring break trip with Habitat for Humanity International. Previous groups traveled to Jordan and Bolivia.

cAMbodiA

gLobaL educationgLobaL education

Cambodia !


in their oWn Words every day of the trip was incred-

ible, but the days we spent on the build site were without a doubt my favorite. We built strong relationships with the homeowners, skilled workers and trans-latorseven with the language barrier. i learned far more than i ever could have in the classroom. i learned that there is so much out there that we cant experience through reading about it in text books, and that even as students, we truly have the capability to make an impact in the world. the cambodia trip further instilled in me a love for travel and helping others. i am certain that this will not be my last habitat for hu-manity trip. senior elizabeth roos

the summit night climb [up kili-manjaro] was the hardest thing ive ever done. it was seven hours straight through a blizzard in the middle of the night on no sleep. At the top it was so cloudy that you couldnt see down, but we did watch the sunrise, and it was the most beautiful thing ive ever seen. everything about the trip made it honestly the best two weeks of my life. junior lacey osullivan

one of my favorite parts of the [Cambodia] trip was trying to figure out

ways to communicate with the people we were working with and the children that were so eager to interact with us. We soon discovered that the smile is truly a universal language! even if i was completely messing up the little bit of khmer that i had learned, the people would still smile at me as if they under-stood, and then we would both begin to laugh. it was an incredibly rewarding trip that truly changed my life. junior Anna brown

At 19,341 feet above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is Af-ricas tallest peak and the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Located in the northeastern corner of Tanzania, it towers above the town of Moshi and attracts climbers from all over the world.

Director of Summer Programs beth sinGleton climbed Kilimanjaro in 2007 and knew Pace students would benefit from the once-in-a-lifetime trek. She and faculty advisor Gus Whyte recruited 11 Upper School students for the trip, and the group departed for Tanzania on March 5.

Prior to their climb, students explored the town of Arusha, visiting local businesses and markets. They spent a day in-teracting with students in a local school and hiked in the countryside surrounding Mount Meru, a sacred mountain.

They began their ascent up Kilimanjaro on March 9 and would spend five nights and six days on the treacherous peak. Singleton worked with Massai Wanderings, a company that coordinated an army of guides, cooks and porters48 indi-viduals in allwho helped make the trip possible. The group spent five to eight hours each day gaining altitude in often-miserable conditions; the rainy season came early, bringing with it rain, hail, snow and sleet.

[Gus Whyte] and I were so proud of the kids, Singleton says. They accomplished so much more every single day than they ever thought they could. We became a well-functioning little family. Every single person had a bad day and needed help, and every single person had a good day and could pro-vide help.

To celebrate the climb, the group participated in a two-day overnight safari in the Ngorongoro Crater and the Lake Man-yara region. It was a great way to end the trip, says junior lAcey osullivAn.

In addition to Singleton, Whyte and OSullivan, the group included juniors AnnA hoFFMAn, lydiA JAMes, sArAh lettes, kAtie nelson, cArolyn propst and sArAh thoMson, sophomores nAtAlie novellAs, Jilly pAul and JAMes sAdlo and freshman thoMAs hoover.

tAnzAniA

gLobaL education

Tanzania !

garcia famiLy middLe schooL

based financial aid. Its first recipient will enter Pace in the ninth grade this fall, and an additional student will be added each year.

We wanted to honor PJ in a way that was permanent and would help a lot of children, Paul says. This idea occurred to us, and we started working it out. We really love where weve landed. Well essentially offer four full scholarships forever. Were very fortunate to be able to give this gift.

The Family Behind the Gift

The Garcia family moved to Atlanta from Florida in 1999, when Paul took over as CEO of Global Payments, one of the worlds lead-

ing payment-processing companies. With six children, Carol and Paul took the task of finding a school home very seriously. They enlisted the services of former Pace Headmaster and educational consultant GeorGe kirkpAtrick, who introduced them to the school.

We loved that Pace was a diverse commu-nity, Carol remembers. We liked its small size. It just felt right to us. Matthew and Andrew enrolled, and the others soon followed. I started at Pace as a sophomore, says Mat-thew, now a partner at NSG/SWAT, a New York-based marketing, branding and ad-vertising firm. My experience was really positive from the beginning. This far re-moved, I dont think of the fact that I wasnt there for all four years of high school. Pace is

Garcia Family Endows Need-based Scholarships Middle School to be named The Garcia Family Middle School.


the GArciA FAMily. from left to right: christopher, ali, andrew, matthew, carol, Paul, elizabeth and PJ

By all accounts, pJ GArciA 09 loved his time at Pace Academy. PJ really enjoyed Pace lacrosse and was thrilled when the school finally started a football program, his brother Christopher recalls.

Pace was an environment in which PJ felt that he could thrive, says AndreW GArciA 05, the second child in the Garcia family. He was comfortable at Pace. The school welcomed him with open arms.

PJ passed away on Aug. 17, 2013, and to honor his memory, his father, Pace Life Trust-ee pAul GArciA, his mother, cArol, and his siblings MAttheW 03, Andrew, Chris-topher, Ali 11 and elizAbeth 11 have endowed the PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund.

The Fund will cover tuition and fees for Upper School students who qualify for need-

garcia famiLy middLe schooL

where I have all my memories. Its like I was there the whole time.

Paul and Carol also quickly became involved in the life of the school. Carol vol-unteered in the snack bar for nine years the place where you really learn whats happen-ing in the school, she says. Paul joined the Board of Trustees and chaired development efforts during the Middle School capitol cam-paign. He served on the search committee that selected current Head of School Fred AssAF and later became Board chairman. He currently leads Pace Academys Life Trustees.

Pace was everything we hoped it would be and more, Carol says. It provided a nurtur-ing, wonderful environment for learning. We loved the teachers, loved the athletics. It had a completely positive effect on our family.

Ali, a junior at Tulane University, agrees. Pace has done so much for menot just for my education, but for my overall wellbeing, she says. Pace teaches students to be happy with whom they are and celebrates the fact that each student is unique. It made me the person I am today.

Her sister, also a student at Tulane, cred-its Pace with changing her life as well. The relationships that I made with Pace teachers

and students truly impacted my life, Eliza-beth says. I could not imagine having gone to a better high school.

The Garcias believe that their gift will have the same effect on deserving students. Our hope is that this gift will make students lives betterfull stop, Matthew says. We want them to be able to say that they were part of a place that was formative in every possible, positive way.

For Andrew, who will soon begin business school at Emory University, the scholarship is about perpetuating that pay-it-forward men-tality. Ideally, this gift will position students for success, which will then allow them to give back to the Pace and Atlanta communi-ties and perhaps facilitate something similar, he says.

The gift will not only benefit the students it supports, its impact on the school will be far-reaching as well. Pace is among the nations top schools when it comes to academics, arts and athletics, but when compared to peer schools, it falls short in terms of the amount of financial aid awarded and the students im-pacted. We had some insight into the fact that funding for financial aid is not keeping pace with everything else the school does, Paul says. Its time to change that.

The Garcias gift is the largest Pace has re-ceived for financial aid, and to recognize that gift in a tangible way, the school will name the Middle School in their honor.

Having our name on a building wont hurt if we want our grandkids to go to Pace, Paul says with a laugh. But its also significant in that Paul led the campaign that made the building a reality. We love the Middle School and are honored beyond words, he says.

And how would PJ feel about his familys gift? PJ would feel great about it, Paul says. Pace was a wonderful place for him.

WhaT iS aN ENdoWmENT GiFT?

Endowment giving is both timeless and limitless. Gifts contributed to Pace Academys endowment can fall into two categories. First, gifts without specific limitations go into a general endowment fund. This fund is important as it gives the school maximum flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the institution. It functions as a permanent financial resource, spent when necessary at the discretion of the Board of Trustees to accomplish the schools mission and navigate unanticipated circumstances.

Second, Pace receives support from restricted endowment funds. Members of the Pace community generously create these funds to support specific programs such as faculty development, the arts, debate, need-based financial aid, student leadership and athletics.

For more information about gifts to Paces endowment, please call HeatHer WHite, director of Advancement, at 404-240-9107.

We had some insight into the fact that funding for financial aid is not keeping pace with everything else the school does Paul says. its time to change that.


PJ garcia

WaLsh fieLd

Walsh Field to open august 2014Aim High capital campaign exceeds goal, allows for completion of Athletics Complex


WaLsh fieLd


WWhen we launched the Aim High capital campaign in August 2012, our objective was to build an outstanding Upper School, says Head of School Fred AssAF. Mission accomplishedand then some.In April, Assaf announced that the $32-million Aim High cam-

paign for a new Upper School had exceeded $35 million. Throughout the Aim High campaign, the generosity of the Pace community has been overwhelming. To exceed our goal was the most welcome of surprises, he told parents and faculty.

But the good news didnt stop there. Assaf also revealed that the Pace Academy Board of Trustees had designated the additional funds for the construction of a state-of-the-art stadium and track at the schools Athletics Complex, informally known as Riverview Road.

The stadium and track will complete the original vision for the property, which Pace acquired in 2005. Located in Cobb County, the Athletics Complex currently includes Charlie Owens Baseball Field, a multipurpose field for football, soccer and lacrosse, locker rooms, an athletic training facility and a snack bar.

The new stadium will be named Walsh Field in honor of leiGh drAuGhon WAlsh 81 and tiM WAlsh 81, who gave to the campaign the largest alumni capital gift in Pace history. Tim and Leigh Walsh bleed Pace blue, Assaf says. It is only fitting that we name the facility in their honor.

Leigh and Tim Walsh have long been connected to Pace. Leighs mother, lyn drAuGhon, taught Spanish at the school for 12 years. The Walshs eldest child, JAMes 12, is a Pace alumnus, and son JAck 16 and daughter MeGAn 18 are current students. Tim

will conclude his term as chairman of the Board of Trustees this summer; Leigh served as a co-chair of the 2014 Parents Club Auc-tion and is a Booster Club officer and an active parent volunteer.

We are blessed to give back to the school that has given our family so much, Tim says. We both had life-changing educational experiences at Pace, and its been equally transformative for our children. Athletics are important to us because participation in sports teaches skills that serve students well throughout their lives. Dedication, preparation, teamwork, winning, losing, overcoming adversityall of these ele-ments should be part of a young persons education.

Walsh Field will be built adjacent to the Pace Academy Athletics Complexs multipurpose field in a space now designated as practice fields. It will include bleacher seating, a FIFA-regulation grass field suitable for all sports and a Beynon track. The project will be com-plete in time for the Knights first home football game of the 2014 season on Friday, Aug. 29.

The success of Pace Athletics should match that enjoyed by the arts, debate and other extra-curricular programs, Tim says. The continued success of the program will increase school spirit and pride, and state-of-the-art facilities are critical to achieving that goal. We look forward to generations of Pace athletes competing at the highest levels at Walsh Field.

artist's rendering

Leigh & tim Walsh


A Vision for the future

isdeLL center for gLobaL LeadershiP

PAcE

AcAdEMy

AnnouncES

PlAnS To

lAunch

ThE ISdEll

cEnTEr

For GloBAl

lEAdErShIP.

W hen the Pace Academy community rang in the New Year on January 1, 2004, it ushered in a decade of truly unprec-edented growth.

In the subsequent years, Pace introduced divisions, for the first time segmenting the student body into Lower, Middle and Upper schools. It opened a 57,000-square-foot Middle School building and 200-seat natatorium, and embarked on an ambitious long-range and master campus plan.

Satellite athletic facilities were added at Warren and Riverview Roads, and a Lower School renovation allowed for growth within the student population. Paces Aim High campaign generated more than $35 million for a new Upper School, set to open to students and faculty in August 2014.

The change on campus was a physical manifestation of the growth taking place within the academic, athletic and artistic communities at Pace. The school opened an Academic Resource Center to support stu-dents in all divisions and improved the college-counseling experience with a more individualized approach. The Upper School added more Advanced Placement classes, SAT scores continued to climb, and the

global education program took flight as Pace celebrated 40 years of excellence in service learning and debate.

The school strategically focused on diversity and continued to grow its outstanding arts and athletics programs, adding teams, ensembles and performance opportunities. Football became a Pace sport for the first time in school history, and parents, faculty and students introduced Pace LEAD to educate the community about drug and alcohol use.

This past fall, the Upper School launched the Pace Academy Social Entrepreneurship Challenge (PASEC), the Lower School im-plemented the Design Think program and select faculty members in all divisions participated in MyTeachingPartner. Needless to say, its been a busy 10 years.

While much at Pace has changed, the school has remained true to its promise of striving for excellence, fostering meaning-ful teacher-student relationships and creating prepared, confident citizens of the world.

Yet all of this begs the question: What will the Pace Academy ex-perience look like in the next decade?


ThE iCGL By diviSioNWhile the IcGl will unite students and faculty in all divisions, the student experience within each division will vary.


The isdell Center for Global LeadershipAs we start to think strategically about the next 10 years, our

focus will be on sustaining the growth weve experienced through further innovations and advances in teaching and learning, says Head of School Fred AssAF, who joined the Pace community in 2005 and oversaw many of the aforementioned capital improvements and initiatives. We want to concentrate on our fundamental calling and think carefully about how best to fulfill our mission. How do we remain at the forefront of teaching and learning, and how do we best develop young men and women who not only have a deep under-standing of the world and the people around them, but who also want to be successful while making a positive difference?

To accomplish this mission, Assaf and the Board of Trustees pro-posed the creation of a Center for Global Leadership, an incubator for ideas about global education and a launch pad for innovative co-curricular initiatives focused on global citizenship.

This international and global focus is not new to Pace. Years ago, neville isdell, former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company and a Pace grandparent and Life Trustee, encouraged Pace to offer students opportunities for international study and to pro-


LoWEr SChooL

Expand design Think

Cross-cultural exploration of theme

Projects with partner schools

Coding development lab

Policy simulation program

Study tour for rising sixth graders

mote competency regarding global affairs. When Assaf proposed the idea of a center for global leadership to the Isdell Family Founda-tion, the concept was right up Isdells alley! (See page 37 for more on the Isdell family.)

So, in August, Pace will launch the Isdell Center for Global Leader-ship (ICGL), a collaborative, cross-divisional program that supports a well-rounded global education for every Pace graduate.

defining the iCGLAt Pace, we strive to give our students an excellent education

in all subject areas and an awareness of the world around them, says trish Anderson, director of global education and service learning as well as an Upper School history teacher and dean. But as the world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, the traditional gap between scholarship and global citizenship is narrow-ing. We want to make sure we provide students with more meaningful opportunities to explore this connection between learning and life in the classroom and in the wider world.

The vision for the ICGL is to take the building blocks of the five-course curriculum and give students in all divisions the opportunity

[ a N N u a L G L o B a L T h E m E ]


to apply their knowledge in ways that will enable them to become ethical, empathic, innovative, culturally competent and adaptable citizens of the world.

From the time a student enters Paces doors until graduation, all educational experiences will be viewed through an overarching global lens. The ICGL will foster this culture of global learning and leader-ship by exploring an annual, school-wide global theme such as water, housing or food security. Education around these global themes will be supported in all divisions by curricular, co-curricular and hands-on activities, as well as a scholar-in-residence program, leadership fellowships, internships and study tours.

To further support students as they discover their interests and pas-sions and become global leaders, the ICGL will structure and expand co-curricular offerings around five organizational centers:

SCiENCE & TEChNoLoGyCuLTurE & arTSSoCiaL ENTrEPrENEurShiP & BuSiNESSSErviCE & ENviroNmENTaL SuSTaiNaBiLiTyPuBLiC PoLiCy & iNTErNaTioNaL rELaTioNS

Within each subject area, students will participate in age-appropri-ate activities and interact with related community partners, businesses and organizations. Students will not be limited to one specific subject area; they can pick and choose based on their interests.

The purpose of these five areas individually and collectively is to inspire students to engage more with real-world people and issues and figure out where and how they want to make a difference. The annual theme and the centers give us another layer of resources to help students get a better sense of what they are drawn to intellectually and practically, Anderson says. Making these connections increases student engagementas teachers we love to see that happen!

The outstanding Pace faculty will serve as the heart of the ICGL, and faculty support will be central to its mission. The ICGL will serve as a resource for teachers as they develop ideas for their classrooms. It will offer curricular and co-curricular opportunities, and it will pro-vide support and training, particularly when it comes to technology.

Through the ICGL, faculty may participate in professional develop-ment and serve as divisional coordinators or advisory board members. Theyll interact with annual scholars in residence and receive finan-cial support for international study tours. We also hope that the ICGLs cross-divisional structure will facilitate more sustained and

middLE SChooL

integrate theme into curriculum

Global issues classes

Service learning classes

Expand policy simulation program

Expand science and technology teams

domestic and international study tours

uPPEr SChooL

dive into five focus areas

isdell CarE Fellowship

isdell Global Leaders

isdell Global internships

Social entrepreneurship

additional co-curricular support

internships

domestic and international study tours


meaningful relationships with colleagues in other divisions, Assaf says.Alumni and parents will play a key role in the ICGL as well. Assaf and others will search

for community mentors, advisory board members, speakers and internship connections. The ICGL will offer alumni and parents a chance to connect with Pace in a way that doesnt carry any sort of financial burden, Assaf says. It will provide people in our com-munity other tangible ways to give, and thats really exciting to me.

Global Leader in ChiefPace is fortunate to have the perfect leader for this new program on campus already.

Anderson, a longtime advocate for a strategic initiative such as this, has been tapped to lead the ICGL. A native of Jamaica, Anderson grew up in South Africa and has taught at Pace since 2004. She has a passion for working with students and for helping them learn in innovative ways.

Anderson truly loves Pace and strongly believes in the power and importance of think-ing about education through a global lens. Shes particularly excited about the ICGLs impact on students and faculty. As a faculty, we are always striving to give our students the best preparation possible for them to live and work in an interdependent world. The ICGL will provide teachers with an opportunity to dream about what that best practice might be, and then provide them with the resources to make the dream a reality.

The Next StepsThe ICGL will launch with the start of the 20142015 school year with Anderson at the

helm. In its first year, its focus will be exploration and analysis with the goal of refining and solidifying the programs curriculum and structure. One of Andersons initial tasks will be to discuss with faculty and divisional leaders Paces current co-curricular offerings with a view towards integration and expansion through the new program.

The ICGLs structure, staffing and implementation will evolve as the program takes shape, but one thing is for sure: innovation will be at the forefront. We want to do more and do it better, Anderson says. Our goal is to be a national leader in global education, and I know thats achievable.

Wed like to think that when our founders envisioned an educational environment open to fresh ideas and debate, this is exactly what they had in mind.


our miSSioN

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


making Truly Global Education a realityThe Isdell family is addicted to travel. Its

infectious, says neville isdell, former CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, a Pace Life Trustee and a current Pace grandparent. Its a disease that my wife, pAMelA, and I have passed on to our daughter, cArA isdell lee 97. Shes trying to pass it along to her son, rory lee 26.

Yet to call the Isdells affliction travel doesnt quite do it justice. Its more a fervent commitment to exploring the world with the intent of truly comprehending other people, other cultures, other ways of seeing things; its an attempt to understand how the world works. We live in a globalized society, Isdell says. You have to appreciate that connection to be successful in the world of tomorrow.

Isdell knows what hes talking about. At 70, hes lived in 11 countries and served at the helm of one of the worlds most recog-nized brands, where he worked for 43 years. He keeps a list of the countries hes visited. The current tally sits at 145.

My education was moving around the world, Isdell says. He spent his early years in Northern Ireland but relocated to Zambia at age 10. An Irish geography teacher inspired his curiosity about far-flung locales. He was fascinating and made the subject interesting, Isdell recalls. He captured the excitement of other cultures and places. I was lucky. His les-sons werent curriculum-based; he made them all come to life. That doesnt always happen.

Indeed, over the course of Isdells recent travels, he has observed a rise of a national ethosnot just in the U.S. that rejects how other people live and what they do, he ex-plains. To me that is very dangerous to the development of a global society.

Cara Isdell Lee and her husband, zAk lee, feel the same way. Born in South Africa, Cara Isdell Lee lived in Australia, the Philippines, Germany and England, where she attended boarding school, before moving to Atlanta and enrolling at Pace in the fourth grade. Her list of countries visited is nearing 90. My family feels that America is trying to turn in on itself, she says. Throughout history, if you look at places that turn in on themselves, they significantly slow down their develop-ment and growth.

So the Isdells have decided to do something about it by launching the Isdell Center for Global Leadership at Pace. For a long time, Pace has done a good job teaching students that not everyone is the same, Cara Isdell Lee says. But the school can do a better job cultivating a global view in students.

Programs like the Social Entrepreneur-ship Challenge and global education are a good start, but Head of School Fred AssAF and the Isdells envisioned something more far-reaching. There are global education pro-grams that dont have depth and philosophy, Isdell says. They only scratch the surface.

The secret to that depth, Isdell believes, is starting young. A truly global educa-tion must begin at a young age and grow as children pick up on the nuances of whats happening around them and in the rest of the world, he says.

When Assaf and his team proposed a comprehensive Pre-First-through-12 cur-riculum, the Isdell family jumped at the chance to become involved. What Pace has produced is a coherent, cohesive curriculum that develops from the Lower School through graduation, Isdell says. Were excited to be a part of it.

As a Pace alumna and a current parent, Cara Isdell Lee has a unique perspective. She became involved with the service learning program during junior high. We had the op-portunity to go with older kids to volunteer. I went to Perry Homes, [a public housing project that has since been demolished].

That became my great love. She served as a leader for the project throughout high school and fell in love with service, with seeing dif-ferent ways of life.

The service learning program at Pace was so meaningful to Cara Isdell Lee that she endowed The Cara Isdell Service Learning Award, which is given annually to a sopho-more student. Her interactions with older students had a tremendous impact as wellone that was highlighted again during a field trip to Zoo Atlanta this past fall. Cara Isdell Lee served as a chaperone when Pre-First students explored the zoo with seniors in Advanced Placement environmental science. It was amazing to see how great the seniors are, she says. I was blown away. Theyre wonderful, and the little ones so look up to them. We need more of that.

Cara Isdell Lee will be intimately involved as the ICGL takes shape, and she has expe-rience with building global leadersone in particular. Rory, 6, already has two pass-ports and has visited 22 countries. He speaks French and is learning Spanish. He can talk to adults like an adult, Cara Isdell Lee says. He talks about other countries hes even on the UNICEF Youth Board.

Its that kind of confidence and adaptabil-ity that the Isdells hope the ICGL will instill in other Pace students. Weve seen Rory grow and benefit from travel and interactions with different kinds of people and places, Pamela Isdell says. We want other children to ben-efit from that too.



the isdell family


Citizens of the Worlda growing number of Pace graduates cross the pond for college.

The town of St Andrews sits on a rocky headland on Scotlands eastern coast 50 miles north of Edinburgh. Its beaches overlook the North Sea, and its quirky shops and cafs nestle amongst a dramatic backdrop of 12th-century spires. In St Andrews, history meets modernity, and royalty mix with the masses.

The town of 20,000 is home to the Uni-versity of St Andrews, Scotlands oldest university and the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world. While the an-cient city may be the birthplace of golf, in recent years, it has become home to a grow-ing number of Pace alumni.

Since 2006, seven Pace students have en-rolled at St Andrewsan impressive number given the relatively small size of Paces graduating classes. According to the univer-sitys admissions department, 19 students from the state of Georgia applied during the 20122013 admissions cycle; clAire Wiskind 13 was among the six that en-rolled. The year before, Alex Miller 12 and AlexAndrA suGArMAn 12 made

up a significant percentage of the Georgia contingency.

Weve found that once we get one or two students from a schooland they succeed and enjoy themselves as they invariably dothey then tell all their friends and the snowball starts to roll, says Alex Rougvie, director of St Andrews Extension Programmes.

JordAn hArbin 06 started the trend. I knew I wanted to experience something new and different for my university education, Harbin recalls. I had been fascinated by Eu-ropean history since I was quite young, so I started looking at British universities in junior year. I wanted to use [college] to not only grow and explore academically, but also to develop independently and explore cultures, people and countries that I had never experienced.

MichAel MeliA 09 was the next Pace alumnus to enroll at St Andrews and has remained in the UK to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology at Oxford Universitys Sad Business School. dAvid hArdin 11 fol-lowed, and WilliAM rushton 14 will

make the move across the pond this summer, thanks in part to those who have gone before him. My dad is British, and I was born there, but I also was attracted to St Andrews because of how many Pace students have gone there in the past several years and loved it, he says. It made me feel confident that I could fit in well in a very different environment.

While it takes a special kind of student to pursue an education abroad, it also takes a special kind of high school to encourage students to step outside of their comfort zones and create lives thousands of miles away. Pace is very intentionally one of those schools, and the College Counseling Office anticipates increased interest in foreign uni-versities as more Pace students travel abroad through the Isdell Center for Global Leader-ship (see story on page 32).

As college counselors, we love to talk about colleges that are out-of-the-box, says Director of College Counseling GAvin brAdley. Thats our job. We find that the more challenged students are, the more they

aLumni

Photo courtesy of st andrews

learn and grow as individuals. So, Bradley and his team very consciously build rela-tionships with schools like St Andrews and McGill University in Montrealand the uni-versities do the same.

We work quite hard at recruiting [stu-dents from Pace and the U.S.], says Rougvie. Around 15 percent of our undergraduates are from America. We love having them!

That hard work includes making frequent visits to U.S. schools and hosting campus tours for college counselors from around the world. Both Bradley and Associate Director of College Counseling AMy secor have visited St Andrews and other foreign universities.

These efforts pay off. Wiskind recalls pick-ing up a catalog from St Andrews table at a local college fair. Their classes on inter-national relations and Middle Eastern studies sounded amazing, she says. Encouragement from Secor only heightened her interest.

St Andrews is one of Europes most pres-tigious and selective universities and draws students from all over the globe. The school averages 11 applicants per opening, so it goes without saying that accepted students must make the grade. But, according to Hugh Martin, former executive officer to the Prin-cipal and Vice-Chancellor at St Andrews and now chief of staff to the Director and Presi-dent at the London School of Economics and Political Science, just because an applicant has an outstanding academic record doesnt mean he or she is a fit for the school.

[When I was at St Andrews], we looked first and foremost for students for whom studying at a prestigious and ancient uni-versity in another country was a challenge that they wanted and understoodat least in partwhat it entailed, Martin says.

Fortunately, Pace creates those types of students. I took my first trips abroad with Pace because of the Model UN/Tufts Inquiry programs, Sugarman says. Im not sure studying abroad would have occurred to me without that foundation.

Wiskind agrees. Pace helped me figure out what I was interested in. I participated in global education trips that helped me get a taste for what its like visiting other parts of the world and made me want to explore more. Pace also helped me become very independent and responsible for myself and my goals.

That sense of independence and self-suf-

ficiency is essential in transitioning to life abroad, Harbin says. I was far from any parental or familial aid. Initially, my parents helped me set up a foreign bank account, buy a cell phone planall the logistical details that I had not thoroughly considered when I decided to go to St Andrews. Oftentimes, anything that I needed to accomplish was 10 times more complicated because I was a for-eign student.

The personal transition, however, is often much smoother, students report. I go to classes, go out with friends and travel when I can, Sugarman says. I think, in many ways, my transition to college life has been similar to what a lot of my Pace classmates have experienced.

I dont really have this sense of being surrounded by foreignness, and technology makes keeping in touch fairly easy, Wis-kind says. I only feel really far away when I accidentally text my parents at 9 a.m. my time, and they arent very happy because its 4 a.m. at home.

In general, Pace alumni report a desire to see more of the world as a result of their St Andrews experiences. In fact, Harbin may never come home. After spending a year abroad in Stockholm, Sweden, living once again with people from all over the world, I became convinced of the necessity of learn-ing another language, she says. So, after graduation, she moved to Paris to spend a year learning Frenchand shes still there.

Harbin now speaks fluently and is in school at HEC Paris, Europes leading business school. She recently accepted a digital strat-egy and marketing position with CANAL+, a French film and television studio and distrib-utor. She loves la vie franaise and doesnt foresee her stint as an expatriate ending any time soon. Im starting to wonder if Ill ever return to the U.S., she says.

The same might be true for Wiskind. My experience so far has been amazing purely because of the exposure to students from all over the world and seeing how much is simi-laras corny as that sounds. I love living in a foreign country. Theres a good chance shell continue to live abroad following graduation.

I love Atlanta, she says, but the world is just too big and interesting to stay in the U.S. my entire life.

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51. amy secor, William rushton '14,

gavin bradley and director of st andrews extension Programs alex rougvie during rougvie's recent visit to Pace

2. michael melia '09

3. claire Wiskind '13 (right) and friends in St Andrews' official academic gowns

4. Jordan harbin '06 (left) in Paris with her brother, MArshAll hArbin '12, a student at the university of auckland in new zealand. their sister, connor '10, is a student at canada's mcgill university.

5. alexandra sugarman '12

aLumni


aLumni

Its amazing what can happen when a stellar athletic career ends with an injury.

At 19, erin

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KnightTimes Spring 2014