KnightTimes Summer 2013

THE MAGAZINE OF PACE ACADEMY

KnightTimesSUMMER 2013

CONGRATULATIONS,CLASS OF 2013!

ThE FALL FAIR TURNS 50!FAREWELL TO RETIRING TEAChERSBREAKING GROUND ON ThE NEW UPPER SChOOL

THE MAGAZINE OF PACE ACADEMY

Start Small. Think Big.

2 KnightTimes | Summer 2013

We DID It!thanks a Million (32 times!)

to the Pace Community for Your Support and Commitment.

the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School ... Coming August 2014.

Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million!

Campaign Leadershiptim Walsh, Board of trustees, ChairmanLaurie Ann Goldman, Advancement Committee Chair elizabeth Richards, Aim High Co-ChairRobert Sheft, Aim High Co-Chair

Advancement StaffMatthew Wawro, Director of AdvancementHeather White, Major Gifts OfficerCourtney Lundeen, Director of Alumni RelationsDebra Mann, Development CoordinatorElizabeth Glass, Development CoordinatorKat Cooper, Manager of Annual FundFran Asche, Database Manager

Faculty and Staff CommitteeLaurie Elliott, Lower SchoolSally Forb, Lower SchoolBecky Jones, Lower SchoolCheryl Lassiter, Lower SchoolCatherine Skeen, Lower SchoolJane Sibley, Middle SchoolLarry Ivens, Middle SchoolBailey Player, Upper SchoolJulie Hall, Upper SchoolKevin Johnson, Staff

Campaign Leadership CommitteePaul Garcia, Life TrusteesAllyson and Jim Maske, Lower School Division Parent Co-ChairsNatasha and Christopher Swann, Lower School Division Parent Co-ChairsJenny and Tom Bethel, Middle School Division Parent Co-ChairsCathy and Reid Funston, Middle School Division Parent Co-ChairsBonnie and Jay Harris, Upper School Division Parent Co-ChairsJohn Inman ’83, Alumni Co-ChairCharles Wellborn ’83, Alumni Co-ChairBarbara and Jim Lager, Parent of Alumni Co-ChairsRuth and Garry Schaefer, Parent of Alumni Co-Chairs

Alumni LeadershipJosh Belinfante ’95Quill Healey ’86Bo Heiner ’84Jessica Sutherland Levenson ’93Lila Thwaite McAlpin ’74Austin McDonald ’97Catherine Woodling ’00

Parent LeadershipLynwood and Laura Mallard, Pre-FirstAndrea and David Amar, Pre-FirstCatherine and Ted McMullan, First GradeJing and Wenke Lee, Second GradeMelissa and Lee Loree, Second GradeAllison and Mike Arenth, Third GradeJane and Scott Butler, Fourth GradeBerry and Jason Kendall, Fifth GradeTerri and Dan Janki, Sixth GradeKim and Pat Thomson, Sixth GradeRachel and Bob McCullough, Seventh GradeJulie and Scott Thompson, Seventh GradeSabrina and David Duncan, Eighth GradeMelissa and Ed Trimble, Eighth GradeCindy and Drew Pickman, Ninth GradeAmy and Allen Nelson, Tenth GradeMindy McGlaughlin, Eleventh GradeRuth and Charles Wellborn, Twelfth Grade

www.paceacademy.org/aimhigh

Congratulations to All Committee Members on a Job Well Done:

KnightTimes | Summer 2013 3

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26Letter from the EditorThere’s something special about those last few weeks of school every year. Schedules change to accommodate awards assemblies and special events, there’s always a spring sports team to cheer on in the playoffs and the spring weather lightens everyone’s mood.

It’s a sweet time as faculty and staff say goodbye to the seniors they have come to know and love over the years, and to colleagues leaving Pace for new adventures. The pace may be frantic, but it makes the quiet that follows exams and the last day of school even more … well, quiet.

But this summer has been different. As students and faculty left campus, backhoes and bulldozers rolled on to demolish the Upper School building. The construction noise has been matched by the voices of children participating in Pace Summer Programs as well as Keeping Pace and Verano Sin Límites, day camps that the school coordinates for children outside of our student body.

For me, all of this activity is a reminder of the vibrant and ever-changing Pace community. While the school’s values and goals have remained the same over the years, we’ve adapted to meet new needs and demands—and there’s no doubt that we need a new Upper School.

As I write this, construction crews are taking down trees, and the Castle trembles as limbs fall to the ground. And while the Pace campus looks different now than it did to generations of alumni, the commotion is a nice reminder that every once in a while, it’s good to shake things up.

Caitlin Goodrich ’00DIrECTOr OF COMMuNICATIONS

6 NEWSWhat you need to know.

10 ArOuND PACEA look at what’s happening at Pace.

18 rETIrING TEACHErSWe say goodbye to longtime faculty members Beth Barrow-titus, B.J. hayes, Becky Jones, Jo ray van vliet and Patty smith.

22 END-OF-THE-YEAr AWArDSExcellent teachers and students are recognized.

24 THE CLASS OF 2013Celebrating this year's graduating class.

28 FIFTY YEArS OF FuNPace's annual Fall Fair turns 50!

32 ALuMNIWhere are they now?

37 ALuMNI ASSOCIATION WELCOMES NEW PrESIDENTaustin mcDonalD ’97 takes over.

ContentsContributors

Michelle Yancich ’13A member of the Class of 2013, Yancich will attend Yale university this fall, where she will major in Classics. She was the winner of Pace’s highest award, the Frank D. Kaley Award. Yancich was an active member of the Junior Classical League, Knight Gallery, theatre, and the Knightingales and Troubadours. She cites Latin teacher elizaBeth kann as her inspiration and her “second mother.”

She is interning for Pace Academy’s Communications Office this summer.

Hayley Shoji ’12A sophomore at the university of Alabama, Shoji is majoring in public relations and is a member of the Delta Gamma sorority. At Pace, Shoji was on the debate team, Student Council and Honor Council, and was a student ambassador and a basketball cheerleader. She is interning for the Pace Academy Alumni Office this summer.

Will Frampton ’99After graduation, Frampton attended Erskine College in South Carolina, where he majored in English, graduating in 2003. College internships at CNN helped pave the way to a career in TV broadcasting, and Frampton got his start at WTHI, the CBS station in Terre Haute, Ind. Reporting stints in Columbia, S.C., and Sacramento, Calif., followed, finally leading to his

return 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.

Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million! Thanks a million!

Happy 50th anniversary to the Fall Fair!


Division Heads

Michael GannonHEAD OF uPPEr SCHOOL

John AndersonHEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Anna ValeriusHEAD OF LOWEr SCHOOL

Communications Department

Caitlin Goodrich ’00DIrECTOr OF COMMuNICATIONS,

EDITOr

Jessica CastleberryCrEATIVE SErVICES MANAGEr,

GrAPHIC DESIGNEr

Lela WallaceDIGITAL 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.

966 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W.Atlanta, GA 30327

www.paceacademy.org

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

KnightTimesFred Assaf

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Thank You!We raised $659,000from your contributions to the

Georgia Private School Tax Credit!

This money will allow qualified students to benefit from a Pace Academy education through graduation. When taxes are reimbursed,

you will receive a dollar-for-dollar tax return.

PLEASE NOTE:

There will be changes for 2014:

Next year's $58-million cap will be met by April 1.

LLCs and S-Corps will be able to redirect up to $10,000.

Forms will be sent to previous donors in October.

For more information, contact Kat Cooper in Advancement at

404-240-9106 or [email protected].

www.paceacademy.org/taxcredit


Appreciation for Our CommunityDear Pace Family,

There was more than a little excitement around campus as the 2012-13 school year came to a close. Between concerts and exhibits, state-tournament runs and end-of-the-year banquets, my calendar was packed—but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

In the midst of the general year-end craziness, we managed to surpass our $32-million Aim High campaign goal and break ground on The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. My family and I watched from next door as Bridges Hall came down piece by piece.

Although the building was filled with memories, its demolition was more sweet than bitter as it marks the beginning of an exciting chapter in Pace Academy history. I’m thrilled to have a front-row seat as our new Upper School takes shape and am forever grateful to all of you for making it possible. THANK YOU!

This summer is not only a time of transition for our school, but also a time of change for our family. Our son Jack became our first

Pace graduate (only four more to go!) and is preparing to leave for his freshman year at Notre Dame in the fall.

This milestone made Pace’s 2013 graduation festivities particularly poignant for me. I found myself with a new lens on the school that has become home and even more respect for the individuals who help shape the young people in our care. As a Pace parent, I have never been more grateful to or proud of the school we have chosen for our children.

Commencement Speaker Ambassador Andrew Young was right when he asked our seniors to “realize that [they] have been given the best education possible in human history.” Our faculty, staff, students, parents, grandparents and alumni create the environment that makes this magic happen. To all of you I say, thank you for another outstanding year. Here’s to many more!

Sincerely,

Fred Assaf HEAD OF SCHOOL

LETTEr FrOM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL


Following Senior Honors Day on Friday, May 17, the Pace community gathered in the Gardens to break ground on The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. The ceremony marked a significant milestone in the Aim High campaign, which surpassed its $32-million goal in April.

The program included Head of School FreD assaF, Pace parent Betsy orr ’78, Aim High Co-Chair elizaBeth richarDs, Aim High Co-Chair roBert sheFt, Former Board of Trustees Chairman JeFF

seaman and current Board of Trustees Chairman tim walsh ’81.

It was a celebratory, sunny afternoon during which program participants recognized the dedicated Aim High Campaign Committee made up of current parents and parents of alumni, Life Trustees, grandparents, alumni, faculty and staff. One-hundred percent of the Pace Academy faculty, staff and Board of Trustees contributed to the campaign and, to date, more than 83 percent of Pace

parents have participated. This spring, Pace secured the necessary

building permits for the Upper School project from the City of Atlanta, and active demolition of the existing structure began June 3 and continued throughout the summer.

If all goes according to plan, The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will welcome students for the start of the 2014-15 school year. Thank you to all campaign leadership, donors and volunteers!

Clockwise from top left, Board of Trustees Chairman Tim Walsh ’81, Campaign Co-Chairs Robert Sheft and Elizabeth Richards, arthur Blank and Head of School Fred Assaf pose in front of Bridges Hall; Upper School faculty show their support (100 percent of Pace faculty gave to the campaign); Assaf with members of Frank kaley's family. Kaley was Pace's first headmaster; Members of the various Campaign Committees celebrate their success.

It’s Finally Time!PACE BREAKS GROUND ON THE NEw UPPER SCHOOL


Pace’s Junior Classical League wrapped up the Latin competition season this April when 28 students attended the GJCL State Convention at Rock Eagle 4-H Camp. Of special note are michelle yancich, michael sloman and Jaclyn lunD, who placed 24th, 17th and 11th respectively, out of nearly 1,100 Latin students in attendance.

In addition, the Upper Level Certamen team (Yancich, Lund, Sloman and sophomore Jonathan sPalten) advanced to quarter-finals, while both the Lower (anDrew wu, ciara saDaka, stePhen reisner and connor Pelletier) and Novice (alexis Benson,

kyle Duval, clay sullivan and Prashanth kumar) teams advanced to semi-finals.

Multiple students placed in artistic and performance contests, with Lund earning an overall Graphic Arts first place. The Upper School’s Gangnam Style parody video, Ruling Roman Style, earned second place in the multimedia competition.

Prior to State Convention, 54 Pace Latin students participated in the National Latin Exam, for which nine students won silver medals, 13 won gold medals, and Jackson Fuller, eric schank and anDrew wu earned Perfect Papers.

Middle and Upper School members of the Junior Classical League gather with teachers kim Peterson and elizaBeth kann.

Who Says Latin is Dead?jUNiOR CLASSiCAL LEAGUE EARNS PRAiSE AT STATE CONvENTiON

NEWS

UGA NamesAdelmanFoundationFellow

Senior Jon aDelman is one of 20 students to receive The University of Georgia’s Foundation Fellowship, the school’s most prestigious undergraduate academic scholarship.

The Foundation Fellowship program looks first and foremost for students who meet the highest academic threshold. Beyond that, the program seeks students who are leaders in their schools and communities, who possess special artistic, athletic and other talents, who demonstrate intense intellectual curiosity about the world around them, and who possess the commitment to share their knowledge and gifts.

Announcing the 2013-14 Theater SeasonOn May 15, Upper School Arts faculty, students and families gathered for dinner on the Fine Arts Center stage at the annual theatre banquet. As dinner wound down, the company on stage buzzed with excitement as the highlight of the evening drew near: Dr. GeorGe menGert’s announcement of the

2013-14 Upper School Theatre season.The season will include A Cheever Evening

(an adaptation of stories penned by John Cheever) as the winter play, Macbeth as the spring play, What’s Eating Katie? (a musical written by Pace parent Dina zeckhausen) as the 9th and 10th Grade Showcase and Peter

Pan as the Fall Musical. The Middle School drama program, directed

by Patrick camPBell, has announced that next year’s season will include Screenagers as the fall play, Bye Bye Birdie as the spring musical and, back by popular demand, an Improv Throwdown in April.


On July 1, Pace welcomed rick holiFielD as director of Diversity. Holifield comes to Pace after 10 years as director of Multicultural Affairs and dean of Upper School Student Life at St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Conn.

There, he was instrumental in strategic planning and governance, curriculum development, faculty recruitment and retention, admissions and financial aid. He set the vision for the school’s policies and procedures as they related to equity, diversity and inclusion, counseled families and students, taught an African-American Studies course and implemented new programs related to diversity.

Holifield will oversee diversity efforts in the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools by supporting students, faculty and families of diverse backgrounds; facilitating diversity programming; ensuring that the Pace curriculum reflects the diversity of local and global communities; assisting Admissions and College Counseling; managing community partnerships and working with the school’s Diversity Committee.

Holifield’s sons, caleB, a rising eighth grader, and eliJah, a rising junior, also will join the Pace family in the fall.

Each year, the Georgia Center for the Book, in partnership with the Center for the Book in Washington, D.C. and Target Corp., sponsors Letters About Literature, a national student competition. In the program, students in grades four through 12 are asked to write a letter to the author—living or dead—whose work has had the most impact on their lives or influenced their view of the world.

Thousands of students from around the state have participated in Letters about Literature since 2002. Entries are judged at the state and national levels in three age categories. This year, three Pace Middle School students won awards in the Georgia Level of the competition. Sixth-grader

Blair myers, writing to Uglies author Scott Westerfeld, won third place in the state in Level 1. Sixth-grader Davis mathis took second place in the state in Level 1 for her letter to Little Women author Louisa May Alcott.

Eighth-grader avery herman won first place in the state in Level 2. He wrote to Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and advanced to the national competition.

Prior to the summer break, the Upper School Knight Capital Investment Club presented Head of Upper School mike Gannon with an oversized check for $4,000 for need-based financial aid at Pace. The club has donated $15,000 in the past three years—$11,000 in the previous two years to the Aim High campaign.

Additionally, the club uses profits from its investments to give an annual gift of $1,000 in an Investment in Education Award to a deserving teacher. This year’s award recipient was French teacher DaviD matanes.

Rick Holifield Named Director of Diversity

Future Literary LegendsTHREE MiDDLE SCHOOLERS EARN RECOGNiTiON iN LiTERATURE AND wRiTiNG COMPETiTiON

Knight Capital Supports Financial Aid

Palmerton Seven-timeAD of the Year

Athletic Director kris Palmerton has been named the Georgia Athletic Directors Association 2013 Region 5A Athletic Director of the Year. Palmerton, who also coaches softball and track & field, has received this honor seven times during his tenure at Pace. In addition, he is a former Class A State Athletic Director of the Year, has been named Track & Field Coach of the Year four times and was once recognized as Softball Coach of the Year.

From left, sixth-grader Davis Mathis, eighth-grader Avery Herman and sixth-grader Blair Myers.


NEWS

PACESETTERS

Honoring Students Who Set the Pace Outside of School

Walking to Cure CancerEach year, more than four million people in more than 20 countries participate in Relay for Life, a movement that raises funds and awareness for cancer research. On May 31, sophomore corrine orr and junior corey richarDs captained a team of Pace students that participated in the 12-hour Relay for Life of Vinings-Smyrna event. The team walked from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. and raised $7,970, putting it in the Platinum Team Fundraising Club Level.

“Almost all of us have been touched by cancer in some way, so we decided to make a difference by walking and raising money [for] the American Cancer Society,” the girls said.

The team included Orr and Richards, sophomores Grace Francour, anna Brown, caroline Denny, claire snyDer, Ginny reynolDs, Jessica castro, Juliana Derosa, katie nelson, maGGie inman, morGan Baker, natalie marcrum, Payton Pulver, rachel morrisroe and sarah smith, and juniors katie Brewster, lauren Flick and mackenzie attriDGe.

Ted Hobbs, Eagle ScoutOn April 21, Hammonds House Museum and Boy Scout Troup 232 celebrated the dedication of four benches crafted by Eagle Scout candidate and Pace sophomore teD hoBBs. The benches commemorate the contributions of the African-American artists included in the Museum’s collection. Fulton County Commissioner Joan Garner presented Hobbs with a Certificate of Recognition at the dedication. Head of School FreD assaF and members of Troup 232 attended the ceremony.

Fifth Graders on Fire molly BuFFenBarGer, roBert cushman, nikki ruBin, aiDan Gannon, Josh Pickman and lilli wooDruFF might look like your average fifth graders, but they may just be the next big thing.

The students are members of Freezing Fire, a band that formed in 2012 and played several gigs throughout the year. Their hard work and countless

hours of practice paid off when they played at Virginia Highlands Summerfest in June, and, in the words of one audience member, “really rocked it.”


A R O U N D PA C E

The End of the Year in Pictures

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1. Middle School Team Challenge Day: On May 10, Middle School students competed in the annual Team Challenge Day. They played a volleyball tournament, a faculty-versus-student basketball game, Jeopardy! and tug-of-war. 2. Lower School Principal for a Day: The Hirokawa, Leach, Lee, Loomis, Rice and Romig families planned a medieval-themed day for Lower School students on May 9. 3. Lower School Field Days: This year, Lower School Field Days took place at Riverview Road Athletic Complex. A good time was had by all. 4. Advanced Art Studio Exhibit: Seniors in Advanced Art Studio displayed their artwork from April 22-May 3. 5. Final Choral Performance: Beth Barrow-titus directed the final performance of her career. 6. Fourth-grade Play: Fourth graders portrayed important figures in American history in their class play on May 9.


SuMMEr CONSTruCTION:Demolition of Bridges Hall and construction of The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School began the first week of June.

Photo taken from the Fine Arts Center by Eric Estroff '12.


Spring 2013 ushered in the inaugural 9th & 10th Grade Showcase. The production was a response to the overwhelming popularity of the Upper School theatre program and provided talented underclassmen more performance opportunities.

With the support of Head of School FreD assaF and Head of Upper School mike Gannon, the backbone of Pace Academy’s Fine Arts Program—GeorGe menGert, Beth Barrow-titus and scott sarGent—sought out a director from the community. They quickly enlisted roBert “BoB” Putnam, who has been involved in Atlanta theatre and drama education for decades.

Putnam set out to give every interested student an onstage theatre experience. “I found two one-act plays that offered multiple casting

options and challenged the students with enhancing their skills of comedy, plus the discoveries and depth of strong dramatic work,” he says.

As a result, 12 enthusiastic freshmen and sophomores performed Check Please!, a humorous sketch about a series of dreadful blind dates, and Rabbit, a dark drama focused on the struggles of a group of teens in a post-apocalyptic world. With minimal staging and sets, the focus was on the actors as they delved into diametrically distinct acting techniques and pushed their theatrical boundaries. As freshman lexi ruBin said, “Doing the show with Mr. Putnam was really neat, especially since a lot of us got to play types of roles that we had never played before.”

- by Pace parent Diane Duvall

Eighth-graders kyle Duval, Prashanth kumar and seth swiecichowski and senior taJ Gillani spent the spring semester working with Georgia Tech’s Senior Design Team 20 to develop a robot design analysis and evaluation tutorial program.

New robotics students will use the program in the classroom and on their FIRST LEGO League robotics team designs. The Pace students served as subject matter experts during the development process, offering information about robot challenges, constraints, limitations and competition rules. They also provided sketches of robot designs from past competitions, morphological charts and decision trees, which the Tech team converted into a useable, drag-and-drop interactive tutorial. Gillani tested the program and suggested changes and improvements.

The program will next be sent to the FIRST LEGO League and will be made available to all FLL teams worldwide. The RoboKnights would like to thank Dr. wenke lee and JinG lee, parents of second-grader Brian lee, for connecting the Pace students with the Georgia Tech team.

ArOuND PACE

Freshmen and Sophomores Shine in Inaugural “Showcase”

RoboKnights Collaborate with Georgia Tech

Strings Program SoarsA gift from the Pace Parents Club recently allowed Strings Director tara harris to purchase a full string quartet of Yamaha electric instruments.

With the new instruments, advanced Middle and Upper School students are learning modifications to standard classical string techniques. The electric instruments don’t have “bodies” like traditional acoustic instruments and incorporate guitar pedals for a truly unique sound.

Audience members at the May 5 strings concert enjoyed the new music—a cello added a “wawa” riff, a viola used a “flanger” effect, and a cool violin sound was enhanced by extra reverb and octaves.

Additionally, Pace’s ongoing collaboration with renowned jazz violinist Christian Howes (pictured above) has continued to expand students’ repertoire and musical thinking. Howes paid a return visit to campus this spring to inspire and educate advanced strings students. Changes within the strings program will continue in the 2013-14 year with the creation of a jazz orchestra and a pops and jazz concert in March 2014.- by Pace parent Gail starr

The cast of the 9th & 10th Grade Showcase.


ArOuND PACE

Upper Schoolers Celebrate GAP

Top, the senior class tells the underclassmen how many days of high school they have left; Bottom, freshmen cheer on their fellow classmates at the Physics Phlotilla.

In addition to the concert for the Arts Alliance, Sellick performed a workshop for chorus teacher Beth Barrow-titus's upper School class this past fall. Pictured, Sellick instructs junior JorDan Brown.

As Head of Upper School mike Gannon frequently puts it, the annual Great American Picnic (GAP) is “not great … not American … and hardly a picnic.” The students, however, might beg to differ.

GAP marks the last day of school for seniors, and the Class of 2013 brought the year to a close by parading down West Paces Ferry Road. They gathered in an energetic mass on the Fine Arts Center stage, sporting T-shirts that read “CAUTION: Class of 2013, bringing the school down with ‘em.”

The rest of the day included a cookout in the Gardens, the highly anticipated water-gun fight, a seniors-versus-faculty kickball game (the teachers were victorious), the freshmen Physics Phlotilla, and four hours of warm and sincere senior testimonials.

On April 14, Nashville-based jazz vocalist Annie Sellick returned to Atlanta to perform at the Pace Arts Alliance’s annual Membership Appreciation Concert, which took place at the home of Pace parents Pat and kim thomson.

Sellick opened the evening with a jazzy, upbeat rendition of The Muppet Movie’s hit song Rainbow Connection, which set a tone of celebration and gratitude. What followed was an intimate and up-close thank-you concert for the 2012-13 Arts Alliance members.

The Arts Alliance will continue its tradition of member appreciation events in the 2013-14 school year. Pace parents may join the organization via the Online Student Information Updater (OSIU). Alumni, grandparents and friends of the school should contact 2013-14 Membership Chair annika eichenlauB at [email protected] to join.

Annie Sellick Headlines Arts Alliance Concert


Active demolition of Bridges Hall began the week of June 3, and by June 12, the building was nothing but a pile of rubble. Here’s a look at our progress as we build The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

Before the Upper School came down, students (with the appropriate approvals) took to its halls armed with cans of

colorful paint. Over the course of a joyous afternoon, they left their mark on Pace’s first classroom building.

ArOuND PACE

Pardon Our Progress

Paint Party!

June 5: Demolition begins with the library and surrounding rooms, including the computer lab.

June 7: A view from the Gardens.


April 27 marked the end of the 2012-13 theatre season, and the cast of Ray Cooney’s comedy, Caught in the Net, left the audience in hysterics. Junior sam Downey starred as bigamist taxi-driver John Smith, whose life centers around keeping his two families (wife Barbara and son Gavin, played by reBecca husk and sam nail, and wife Mary and daughter Vicki, played by alex Paré and cory Bush) oblivious to each others’ existence—a difficult task once Vicki and Gavin meet online and insist on seeing each other.

Senior Ben hirsch played the role of exuberant but overwhelmed lodger Stanley Gardner, and sophomore cooPer Peery was featured as Stanley’s hopelessly confused father. The actors interacted on a set that contained one house serving as both families’ homes, which led to extremely complex but expertly executed staging by Director GeorGe menGert.

Caught in the Net: A Chaotic Comedy

ArOuND PACE

June 11: The bulldozers near completion.

June 20: The ground is leveled and compacted in preparation for the foundation.

June 24: An aerial view.

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

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

[email protected]

Pictured left to right, Rebecca Husk, Cooper Peery and Alex Paré.


At the start of the 2013-14 school year, the Pace Academy Board of Trustees will welcome two new members: Bruce carroll and natasha swann, both current parents.

Natasha SwannSwann and her husband, christoPher, are parents to alexanDer ’21, anDrew ’23 and William, 4. She has been an active parent volunteer, serving as Aim High Division Co-Chair for the Lower School, a member of the Auction Committee and a grade representative. She also is a 2013-14 Annual Fund volunteer.

“We chose Pace for its academic rigor, small size and strong sense of community,” Swann says. “I am honored to serve on the Board of Trustees. Pace is a special place for our family, and I am looking forward to helping the school in any way I can.”

Bruce CarrollCarroll and his wife, GaBriela, have two sons at Pace: Dillon ’20 and aiDan ’23. Carroll brings to the Board more than 20 years of telecommunications experience, particularly in the areas of finance, marketing and project management. He currently serves as senior product manager for ARRIS.

Carroll and his family are actively involved with several local organizations that support educational, medical and community needs, and he has volunteered as a den leader and cub master for the Pace Academy Cub Scout Pack 4 for five years. The Carrolls also have been energetic Lower School parent volunteers, Parents Club sponsors and Booster Club members.

“I consider it an honor and a privilege to be selected to serve Pace in this role,” Carroll says. “I hope to contribute to Pace’s success.”

Two members of the Board of Trustees completed their terms this summer, and we’d like to thank them for their dedicated and generous service to Pace. Both syBil haDley and sally williamson joined the Board in 2004 and served the maximum three, three-year terms.

Sybil HadleyHadley and her husband, roy, have four children at Pace: lauren ’15, Dustin ’15, maDison ’23 and victoria ’23. She was active in governance work during her Board tenure and served as secretary of the Board. Hadley also was instrumental in developing the school’s current Strategic Plan and has been an active member of Pace's Booster Club, serving most recently as a 2012 Booster Bash co-chair.

“There is not a Pace event at which you won’t find [Hadley],” Head of School FreD assaF said during the Board’s final meeting of the 2012-13 school year. “In many ways, this is the reason she was able to see our strategic path forward in such a clear way. We thank her for her tremendous leadership and vision.”

Sally WilliamsonWilliamson and her husband, mark, are the parents of hurst ’11 and katie ’14. Williamson also took an active role in Board governance and served as secretary. In addition, she was a leader in Pace’s marketing, advancement and long-range planning efforts.

“[Williamson] has been a model for other Trustees in her commitment to Pace,” said Assaf. “She has done all of this for our school while being a super volunteer, helping as a grade representative, Parents Club volunteer and Booster Club supporter. We are grateful for her amazing leadership.”

ArOuND PACE

Board of Trustees Names New Members

Longtime Members Roll Off Board

C O R R E C T I O N S

While we make every effort to present accurate information in each issue of the KnightTimes, sometimes we make mistakes or inadvertently omit individuals who should be recognized. Please note the following corrections to our spring issue:

In the News section, senior maDDie everett was not listed among the Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners. Everett earned a Silver Key Award for ceramics and has enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Evolution of Bridges Hall failed to mention that nell chamBers served as a long-term substitute in the fall of 1964 and went on to teach first grade in Bridges Hall from 1973 to 1984. craiG owens ’72 named a tree in the Gardens in her honor. We are forever grateful for Chambers’ service to Pace.

The article also stated that teacher Jean ForD left her job as a public-school principal to become Pace’s first third-grade teacher. Her son, DouG ForD ’67, informs us that she was not, in fact, a public-school principal but rather Pace’s first principal. “Being in a classroom was always [Ford’s] first love, and administration was not in her wheelhouse,” Ford says. “When Headmaster Frank kaley came on board, she was able to follow her first love of classroom teaching.”

The Evolution of Bridges Hall stated that Jean tremeGe roBertson was hired to teach French in 1969. In fact, she began teaching at Pace in 1964. At the time, a French position was not available, so she taught sixth-grade homeroom, Middle School science and kindergarten. The following year, she began teaching Upper School French and became head of the foreign language department. Robertson was the first faculty member invited to join The 1957 Heritage Society and may have been the first individual to make a planned gift to Pace.


Girls and Boys Track and FieldCoached by Jolie CunninghamThe track team had an outstanding season, with 13 athletes advancing to the state competition. At the state meet, junior

kenny selmon took home state-champion titles in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. Junior Josh roGers placed fifth and fourth in the 1600 and 3200 meters, respectively, and set two new school records. Junior JorDan Brown was fifth in the 400 meters.

In the 4 x 400 relay, freshman xori Johnson, senior reiD williams, Brown and Selmon placed fifth. The boys placed sixth place overall in the state.

For the girls, junior alex Bussey set a personal and school record in the triple jump, finishing fourth in the state. Freshman Jilly Paul and junior callie cunninGham set personal records in the 3200 and 1600

meters, respectively. The 4 x 100 team of freshman molly marks, Bussey, junior

shaBrea DuFFy and sophomore lauren haDley set a team record and placed third in the state. Duffy was sixth in the 100 hurdles, while Hadley finished third in the 300 hurdles. The 4 x 400 relay team of Bussey, Cunningham, Hadley and sophomore katie williamson placed seventh.

The team was led by seniors Jon aDelman, tommy hoFF, JeFFrey Jones, maryse laPu, harry morelanD, taylor schoFielD, DaviD weiner and reiD williams.

Girls and Boys GolfCoached by Christy Ellis (girls) and Bailey Player (boys)After a great season for the girls golf team, sophomore Julia Beck competed in the state tournament in Savannah, where she finished the round with an 89 and placed 10th individually out of 33 in the tournament. The team will miss senior annie armstronG.

Coined “The Golfing Knights” by Coach Player, the boys team had a strong season and, at the region tournament, missed going to sectionals by two strokes. In the end, they finished fifth in the region. Seniors Jack Bowen and John mccrea will be missed.

BaseballCoached by Matt HallThe baseball team had some unfortunate injuries this season, but the end of its schedule saw more success than the beginning. Notable wins were against Whitefield, Our Lady of Mercy and Paideia. The team will lose seniors JareD allen, anDy mccall, James seaman, miles sheFt and zach steinFelD.

Girls and Boys TennisCoached by Sara Eden (girls) and Neil DeRosa (boys)It was a great season for the girls and boys tennis teams. They

now hold the titles of area champs following wins against Paideia and Eagles Landing, respectively. Both also won the semi-finals of the state tournament. The girls lost to Walker, and the boys fell to First Presbyterian Day School in the finals. Both teams were led by their seniors—alexanDer reckForD, steven zelDin, Joey kimmel, ariel stern and kate thomson.

GymnasticsCoached by Steve CunninghamThe varsity gymnastics team finished the season with a strong team effort at the state-qualifying meet. Pace was the only single-A school in a field of 38 schools and placed 20th. Of the more than 120 individual competitors, the Pace girls consistently placed in the top 50 on each event. The team was led by seniors kelly mcGonniGle and maDison snyDer.

Girls and Boys LacrosseCoached by Courtney Morrison (girls) and Tom Kates (boys)Four members of the girls lacrosse team were honored as Georgia All-Academic players: syDney willis, katherine merritt, claire wiskinD and sarah JacoBson. Willis also received the team’s first Defensive All-Area Honorable Mention in the GHSA’s Girls Lacrosse All-Area Team. The team will lose seniors Willis, Wiskind and caroline Powers.

The boys lacrosse team ended the season with a record of 10-8. A highlight of the season was a triple-overtime win against Fellowship Christian. Senior Jack assaF was recognized as an Academic All-American and also was the team's leading scorer. The team was led by seniors Assaf, JorDan schuchmann, tiGer Brown, Ben morelanD and roBert Brooks.

Girls and Boys SoccerCoached by Liz Tutt (girls) and Brooks Fleming (boys)The girls once again had a great season, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen playoff game but losing to Hebron Christian Academy. The team will lose four-year varsity veterans and seniors lauren schaFFer, caroline smith, lucy wellBorn and linDsey zwecker.

Following a successful season, the boys lost to Walker in penalty kicks in the first round of the state playoffs. Seniors aDam ellenDer, alex nash, DaviD ninan and saJat raBBani contributed to a great year!

Spring Sports Wrap Up

Both the girls and boys tennis teams named Area champs!

Kenny Selmon is the

state champ!


B.J. Hayes, Middle School History

In August of 1972, the events at the Watergate Hotel hadn’t yet forced President Nixon out of office, and the

Vietnam War was still raging. These are just two of the time stamps that B.J. hayes uses to tell the story of how long she’s been a history teacher at Pace Academy.

“I didn’t know when I walked through those [Castle] doors in 1972 that I was going to be here 41 years,” says the teacher whom thousands of Pace students have come to know lovingly as “Ms. Hayes.”

She was just 22 when she accepted a teaching position at Pace. Hayes was 63 when she said goodbye this summer. The allure of travel with her husband and of

spending more time with her daughter, sara hayes stewart ’04, and granddaughter in Alabama finally enticed Hayes to notify Head of School FreD assaF of her intent to retire.

“Year after year, I appreciated being here more and more,” she says. “Truly, I have a heartfelt appreciation for my career at Pace. I can look back and say it’s just been a blessing. It’s been a wonderful blessing for me.”

For students who attended Pace through their Middle School

years, Hayes was at the center of some of their most indelible memories. For decades, springtime for a seventh grader meant boarding a bus to Washington, D.C., with Hayes as the lead chaperone and guide.

Her creative methods of teaching the Spanish Armada of 1588 made it nearly impossible for students to forget that date, and her annual appearance as Abraham Lincoln truly brought “Four score, and seven years ago …” to life.

“I first have a passion for history,” says Hayes. “I know that it’s about stories and about people, and I suppose I present it that way.”

The reality of being a seventh-grade teacher, however, is that you’re bound to have students who struggle with the challenges of puberty and peer pressure. While she has loved teaching, Hayes has always known that a big part of her job is to be a friend and

A Fond Farewell to Our Retiring Teachers

Students celebrated B.J. Hayes Day on May 9. They dressed in red, white and blue and recognized Hayes's 41 years of service in a special assembly.


mentor to students who needed a shot of self-confidence.“I just want them to think of me as someone who supports

them and encourages them,” she says. “Everybody is going to face challenges, and everyone should appreciate the blessings in their lives. So, I think Pace is wonderful because of the way we talk with and nurture individual students.”

In her final days at Pace, Hayes relished every chance to be the teacher and mentor that thousands of students have come to know across 41 years.

“It was a very sweet year, if I can call it that,” she says. “I savored every classroom experience. It was the last seventh-grade trip, the last Civil War unit and the last Lincoln’s birthday. I really looked at it and appreciated what it means, but I’m sure that [retirement] is right for me. The timing is right.”

Beth Barrow-Titus, Fine Arts ChairA few years after Hayes’s 20th anniversary at Pace, Beth Barrow-titus joined the faculty for what would be the final chapter in a lifetime of teaching and mentoring middle and high school students. Prior to coming to Pace, Barrow-Titus had been so content teaching at the Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y., that she never had a reason to

go anywhere else.However, a 1996 invitation from former Pace Headmaster Peter

coBB, previously headmaster at the Nichols School, opened a door that Barrow-Titus could not resist walking through.

“I loved the area,” she says of her first visit to the campus and to Atlanta. “I was so impressed with the facility. I had the chance to talk with a number of students, who were impressive personally and intellectually.”

A few weeks later, she and her husband packed up their lives in Buffalo and moved south. Barrow-Titus was about to begin a 17-year run as the leader of Pace Academy’s highly accomplished Upper School chorus.

Over her years at Pace, she also was a classroom teacher (Advanced Placement Music Theory, Music in Film), musical director for the always-outstanding Upper School Fall Musical and countless Middle School drama productions, director of

Pace’s Upper School—and at times Middle School—ensembles, and an encourager and friend. She retired as Visual & Performing Arts Chair, having guided the department to a level that leaves her brimming with pride.

“This [past year was] one of the best choral sounds I have had at Pace,” she says of her final class of high school singers. From Simon and Garfunkel to Eric Clapton, Cyndi Lauper and the score of Les Miserables, Barrow-Titus took her students across genres and generations in their performances. The end result of their efforts often moved Barrow-Titus to tears.

“I’m not sure the kids thought about this, but I selected this [past year’s] repertoire over the [previous] summer when I knew I was going to be retiring,” she says. “Every piece was special to me, and there’s a sentiment there that I hope the kids picked up on—One Day More (from Les Miserables), I Will Remember You (by Sarah McLaughlin), pieces like that.”

Because of her involvement with the Middle School choral and musical theatre programs, Barrow-Titus was a mentor and teacher to some students from sixth grade through graduation.

“I love the kids. They’re really special to me,” she says. “I’ve been very blessed to have this opportunity to work with delightful young men and women.”

“I feel like, more than anything, that I did what I came here to do. I came here to build a program. I feel like I’ve done that. The chorus and my AP theory students are doing really well. I feel at this point that it’s time to have some time to myself.”

Jo Ray Van Vliet, Technology and RoboticsThose sentiments seem to resonate with another life-long teacher who retired this year. Jo ray van vliet came to Pace as the Middle School technology teacher in 2005, the final stop on a teaching career that saw her hold jobs in 23 cities and towns over 44 years.

With a husband in the army, her family was always on the move, and Van Vliet couldn’t be more thankful that their journey ultimately led her to Pace.

“This was probably the best job ever,” says Van Vliet—strong praise from a woman who taught in

Germany, France and the United Kingdom while her husband was stationed there.

“I taught for a very long time—since 1969—and this school has the most supportive parents ever.”

Tasked with teaching 11-, 12- and 13-year-old students the often-complex lessons of HTML programming and other

Barrow-Titus on her annual chorus trip to Walt Disney World.


technologies, Van Vliet says Pace gave her the freedom to teach in a way that helped Middle Schoolers truly learn the material.

“I got to coach robotics teams. I got to teach all different sorts of programming to the kids, and they had fun,” she says. “There is something that happens when you see a student really get something. You know, the ‘a-ha!’ moment. [It happened when I was] teaching HTML to sixth graders … they suddenly understood what translates from their programming into what they see on the Internet. They saw what they did on the Internet and they were like, ‘Wow, I did that. I’m wonderful!’ When they think they’re wonderful, that’s the best thing.”

This, however, is clearly the time to enjoy retirement, says Van Vliet. In recent years, teaching at Pace has required her to live apart from her husband. Their primary home is two hours north of metro Atlanta, where Dr. John Van Vliet is a business and public policy professor at Young Harris College.

“My husband was very nice about letting me commute and be in Atlanta,” she says. “It’s time to move on, but I’m going to miss this place.”

Patty Smith, Middle and Upper School LibrarianIn the fall of 1986, the Pace Upper School library had one

computer, an Apple Macintosh. The card catalogue system was the primary conduit to books and resources, and the windows on the south end of the Upper School building faced a parking lot, athletic field and otherwise undeveloped property. The Fine Arts Center was still five years from opening.

This is the Pace Academy that Patty smith knew when she took a job as librarian. It is perhaps only fitting that Pace’s head librarian ended her legacy there, just as the library itself came to an end with the demolition of the Upper School.

“I spent nearly all my adult life at Pace, with the exception of a few years,” says Smith. “It was like my car was on automatic. It just came to 966 West Paces Ferry Road every day.”

“I’ve been tremendously happy,” she adds.Smith’s steadfast devotion to the school, the students and

the library is nothing like what she envisioned for herself some 27 years ago. Even though her daughter attended Pace in the mid-1980s, Smith only looked at Pace as a job to bridge the gap between a life of research in rare books.

“I’d never planned to be here,” she says. “I’d just finished library school at Emory, and this opening came up. I really had

planned to go into rare books. When the librarian left and a position was open, I thought, I’ll apply.”

Smith is able to look back now and laugh at herself, of how unsure she was that she might not last beyond the first year.

“I remember my first day. I was a little scared, because I thought, ‘If I’m a librarian, they’re going to ask me all these things about the Dewey Decimal System, and if I don’t know that thing by heart, I’m going to be outta there.’ That really worried me, but no one ever did,” says Smith, laughing.

It was not long before the Pace Upper School and library became a second home for Smith, and her internal GPS became naturally fixated on 966 West Paces Ferry Road. For nearly three decades, the people and the place made it too good to give up.

“I think that people, once they come here [to work and teach], they enjoy it so much that they’re reluctant to leave. It’s just so pleasant, and a lot of people make it a good place to work.”

The attraction of retirement, however, eventually became too strong to ignore. Smith will not reveal her age—“I’m old-fashioned,” she says—but believes her time has come to enjoy other things that simply don’t fit in a working person’s schedule.

“I want to write. I’ve always enjoyed writing,” she says, adding that she likes to compose songs at the piano. “I just think it’s a good time [to retire] ... I want to be able to do other things while I can. I want to travel.”

In particular, Smith says there is a family home tugging at her. It’s in her native state of South Carolina, on the coast near Charleston. It is a life of relaxation and peace that she is ready to enjoy.

Smith is held back only by the realization of how much she will miss working with and helping Pace students. It is a place, she says, that simply brings out the best in young adults.

“Here at Pace, we get to see so many of our students return, and they do come back, and they keep in touch,” says Smith. “That’s been the thing to me that’s been so joyous—seeing them be happy and successful in life no matter what path they took, and that they felt like the school meant something. And if the school meant something, I’d like to think that in some way, some small way, the library meant something.”

Becky Jones, Lower School ResourceRoughly 200 yards west of the library office that Smith has known for so many years, another Pace legend packed up her classroom at the end of the school year.

Becky Jones arrived at the Lower School in 1995, having already spent a full career teaching students around the world. There was something about Pace, however, that hooked Jones and

“I spent nearly all my adult life at Pace, with the exception of a few years.It was like my car was on automatic.

It just came to 966 West Paces Ferry Road every day.” —PATTY SMITH


didn’t let go.“This is my sanctuary,” she says, sitting

among her fourth graders in a literature class. She asks them to stay quiet and focus on their reading, while she does the interview for this article. All of them do exactly as they’re told.

“I’d had a lot of teaching, but this was it for me. This was the best job.”

Jones, with her lively teaching style, weekly word games and periodic in-class exercises to keep children loose, quickly grew to be a staple of the Lower School. While her ways of letting students openly discuss works of literature and other subjects helped grow young minds in preparation for Middle and Upper School, Jones says it was always the character lessons she tried to emphasize over everything else.

“People will forget what you said, and they’ll forget what you did,” says Jones. “But they’ll never forget how you made them feel, and that’s really important to me. I think that’s the best thing I can teach them.”

The job of teacher in the Lower School was one that kept Jones on her toes every day, in more ways than one. Beyond being prepared for class, Jones always knew she had to be sharp and genuine or the kids might see right through her.

“It’s like getting on a horse that knows you can’t ride,” says

Jones. “Forget it. Kids can smell fake from a thousand miles away. You cannot fake it. You love it or you don’t. You cannot fake it.”

For Jones, to think back on her 18 years at Pace is to reminisce on her mission of molding the character of boys and girls, then letting them go as they continue their growth toward adulthood. It is enough to make Jones emotional.

“To see them from Pre-First to right now, graduating, I could just weep thinking about those kids,” says Jones. “I saw you in Pre-First … who would have known you’re right here heading off to the premier colleges in the world? It’s just the most exciting thing in the world to see kids blossom and grow.”

“And they always do,” she says, emphatically. And with that, she cannot hold back the tears.

“I’m a teacher. I am a teacher,” she says. “Now that I’m retiring, I don’t know what I am.”

Her reasons for retirement are understandable. The allure of family and travel, of spending more time with a growing set of grandkids, are the only forces powerful enough to draw Jones away from what she insists is the greatest job she ever held.

“I’m happiest right here,” she says. “I can’t think of a better place for a child to be than Pace Academy.”

—by will FramPton '99

To view interviews with our retiring teachers, visit www.paceacademy.org/newsroom.

“I’m happiest right here.” — BECKY JONES


Lower SchoolCITIzENShIP AWARDPaul Louis Biondi and Lucy Ferry

Middle SchoolORKIN SChOLARS6th GradeBlair Myers and Jack Thomson7th GradeCasey Monyak and Gracie Schneider8th GradeChristopher Howard and Julia Ross

ThE WhEELER SChOLAR AThLETE AWARD7th GradeDavid Roos and Molly Shapiro 8th Grade Ross Cefalu and Zoe Weitzner

B.J. hAYES GOOD CITIzEN AWARDRachel Hall and Harrison Lewis

DAUGhTERS OF ThE AMERICAN REvOLUTION GOOD CITIzENShIP AWARDAnnie Nottingham and Seth Swiecichowski

Upper SchoolPACE PARENTS CLUB 20 YEARS OF SERvICE AWARDCharles Smith

BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESENTATION FOR 40 YEARS OF SERvICENeil DeRosa

CLASS OF 2009 OUTSTANDING TEAChING AWARDKeith Newman

CUM LAUDE SOCIETY TEAChING AWARDCharlie Owens

JANE AND hERMAN hIPP ENGLISh DEPARTMENT FELLOWShIPBrooks Fleming

JESSE C. CRAWFORD ExCELLENCE IN TEAChING AWARDEmily Stevens

KNIGhT CAPITAL INvESTMENT IN EDUCATION AWARD David Matanes

LOLLY hAND SChOOLKEEPER AWARDMichael Callahan

PaCesetter DEDICATIONTommy Hattori

DEAN'S AWARD FOR ChARACTER, NINTh GRADE Tory Dancu and Mark Handler

FACULTY AWARD FOR SChOLARShIP Elise Bradshaw and Andrew Wu

FRANCES FELICITé ThOMAS AWARD Sean Murtaugh

Awarding ExcellenceEND-OF-THE-YEAr AWArDS rECOGNIZE OuTSTANDING FACuLTY AND STuDENTS

ALuMNI

From top left, the Middle School Orkin Scholars; The Middle School winners of The Wheeler Scholar Athlete Award, The Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award and the B.J. Hayes Good Citizen Award; Paul-Louis Biondi and Lucy Ferry were honored for citizenship in the Lower School; The upper School award winners.


JIM AND LESLEY WhEELER SChOLAR AThLETE AWARD, NINTh GRADE Mick Assaf and Sarah Werner

LANCE AND ShIELD AWARD, NINTh GRADE Grace Ferry and Jack Walsh

MIKE MURPhY COURAGE TO STRIvE FOR ExCELLENCE AWARD, NINTh GRADEDarby Cochran and Harrison Ray

RENAISSANCE AWARD FOR vISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, NINTh GRADE Tory Dancu, Jared Goldman, Jake Richards and Lian Shepherd

CARA ISDELL SERvICE LEARNING AWARD Morgan Baker and Jack Spencer

DEAN'S AWARD FOR ChARACTER, 10Th GRADE Corinne Orr and Dean Papastrat

FACULTY AWARD FOR SChOLARShIP Hannah Kelly and Elijah Sheft

JIM AND LESLEY WhEELER SChOLAR AThLETE AWARD, 10Th GRADE Harrison Moncino and Lacey O'Sullivan

LANCE AND ShIELD AWARD, 10Th GRADELauren Hadley and Kevin Johnson

MIKE MURPhY COURAGE TO STRIvE FOR ExCELLENCE AWARD, 10Th GRADERachel Morrisroe and Kamran Sadiq

MIMI ANN DEAS AWARDMark Grenader and Maria Grenader

RENAISSANCE AWARD FOR vISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, 10Th GRADE Caillin Cooke, Rebecca Husk, Rachel Much and Forrest Schneider

AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE BOOK AWARDKatherine Merritt

ALUMNI SChOLAR AWARDNathan Sokolic

COLUMBIA UNIvERSITY BOOK PRIzEKatie Williamson

CRISSA NOELLE hAWKINS SChOLARShIP AWARDEvelyn Hobbs and Phillip Werner

DARTMOUTh COLLEGE BOOK AWARD Tommy Burruss

ERIC hAY hENDERSON, JR. FRIENDShIP AWARDBaiza Cherinet and Riley Muse

FRANK WOODLING COMMUNITY SERvICE AWARDCory Bush and Nathan Sokolic

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TEChNOLOGY MAThEMATICS AWARD Joshua Rogers

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TEChNOLOGY SCIENCE AWARD Anshuman Parikh

hARvARD UNIvERSITY BOOK PRIzEKal Golde

hISTORY DEPARTMENT AWARDKal Golde

JIM AND LESLEY WhEELER SChOLAR AThLETE AWARD, 11Th GRADE Gwynnie LaMastra and Will Rucker

LANCE AND ShIELD AWARD, 11Th GRADECallie Cunningham and Kenny Selmon

MIKE MURPhY COURAGE TO STRIvE FOR ExCELLENCE AWARD, 11Th GRADE Elizabeth Roos and Nathan Sokolic

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEAChERS OF ENGLISh WRITING AChIEvEMENT AWARDS IN WRITINGKatie Duval

RENAISSANCE AWARD FOR vISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, 11Th GRADE Cory Bush, Scarlett Chang, Sam Downey and Jason Malik

SEWANEE BOOK AWARD FOR ExCELLENCECharlie Burruss

SMITh COLLEGE BOOK AWARDSarah Sukin

UNIvERSITY OF PENNSYLvANIA BOOK AWARDJoshua Rogers

vANDERBILT UNIvERSITY BOOK AWARD-ENGLISh DEPARTMENT AWARD Jacob St. Amand

WELLESLEY COLLEGE BOOK AWARD Kelliann Haidet

YALE UNIvERSITY BOOK AWARDMichael Sloman

Excellence in TeachingAwards

The Kessler Award is presented to members of the Lower and upper School faculty who exemplify Pace Academy's motto, "The Courage to Strive for Excellence." The award is co-sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Kessler Foundation. It includes a stipend for a travel study experience that will advance the recipient's professionalism, base of experience and expertise, leading to enriched association with students.

With the addition of the Middle School in 2005, Pace and the Alumni Association began presenting a similar award to Middle School teachers. The award is presented each year to a teacher who makes a positive difference in the lives of students.

This year's Excellence in Teaching Award winners are: amy truJillo, Lower School;katharine norton, Middle School; and Gus whyte, upper School.

Trujillo, left, with Head of upper School anna valerius.


The Class of 2013 kicked off its Commencement weekend with the annual luncheon at the home of Head of School FreD assaF and wife martha Downer-assaF, at which students were welcomed into the Pace Academy Alumni Association.

Soon afterwards was Senior Honors Day, a ceremony celebrating the many achievements of the graduating class and a few outstanding teachers. Head of Upper School mike Gannon noted, “I know I have a tendency to speak in hyperbole … but this year’s class might just be my favorite class.”

Baccalaureate followed: a non-denominational worship service during which Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Phillip Kranz addressed the class. His speech emphasized the importance of “living with intensity” and “learning for the sake of learning,” encouraging the graduates to love more, learn more and read more: for “how can I die when I have so much to read?”

Dean tommy hattori then bid his class farewell in a heartfelt address thanking both the seniors and Pace as a whole for welcoming him and his family into the Pace family.

Finally, the afternoon of May 18 brought the official graduation ceremony for the Class of 2013. Class President alex Paré spoke to the class, celebrating its uniqueness: “Our grade has allowed itself to be itself,” she said. Valedictorian anDrew schettino touched on the incredible achievements of the class in sports, arts, debate and other extracurricular activities, and encouraged his classmates to pursue their passions.

Salutatorian mereDith BraDshaw introduced the Commencement speaker: the 55th Mayor of Atlanta, key figure in the Civil Rights movement and “Mr. International” Andrew Young. Young delivered an accessible, relevant speech to the Class of 2013, warning its members of the problem of stress

Pomp and Circumstance … and the Class of 2013


in their upcoming school years and advising them on how to cope: “Get a song or psalm or a Bible verse or a great anthem—something that thrills you or excites you—and in those moments you’re beginning to stress, play it.”

Before the presentation of the diplomas, Assaf took a moment to “sing the praises of this class” and thanked graduates for making a substantive difference in his life. “It is my hope and prayer for you that you will always know what it is to have the courage to strive for excellence and the joy in your heart to celebrate it!” he said.

Sprinkled throughout the Commencement weekend was the musical presence of the Upper School chorus. Soloists meGan mccurry and Bradshaw brought the audience to tears with For Good (from the musical Wicked), and all 70 members of the chorus ended the graduation ceremony with Paul Simon’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, reminding the members of the Class of 2013 that “Your time has come to shine / All your dreams are on their way… [and] if you ever need a friend / I’m sailing right behind.”

—by michelle yancich ’13

Clockwise from top left, Ambassador Andrew Young inspires the graduates to de-stress and be unafraid of failure and resilient in the face of change; The graduates exit Peachtree Presbyterian Church to applause from the faculty; Andrew Schettino gives his valedictory address.

Facts About the Class of 2013

· The class includes 99 students.

· Over the past five years, Pace has sent an

average of nine students to the University of

Georgia per year. This year, 16 will attend UGA.

· The class's gift to the school is a financial

aid award, continuing the Class of 2009's gift,

which expired this year.

· The class included 28 Lifers, students who

started at Pace in Pre-First.


JON ADELMAN: University of GeorgiaJARED ALLEN: University of Texas, Austin ANNIE ARMSTRONG: University of GeorgiaJACK ASSAF: University of Notre Dame MAx BARAB: University of VirginiaMEGAN BLASBERG: University of GeorgiaJENNA BLUMENTHAL: University of Georgia SALLIE BOONE: Auburn UniversityJACK BOWEN: University of MichiganMEREDITH BRADSHAW: Vanderbilt UniversityROBERT BROOKS: Rhodes CollegeTIGER BROWN: Claremont McKenna CollegeNATALIE CAMRUD: Scripps CollegeJOEY CAPELOUTO: Tulane UniversityHEALY CHAIT: Cooper UnionPAULA CHENG: Emory UniversityRYAN CHRISTIANSON: Carnegie Mellon UniversityBRIANNA COCHRAN: University of GeorgiaASANTE CREWS: Brown UniversityKATE CUNNINGHAM: University of MississippiDJIBRIL DIAKITE: Bates CollegeAMBER EASLEY: Clark Atlanta UniversityADAM ELLENDER: University of GeorgiaJORDAN EPSTEIN: Georgetown UniversityMADDIE EVERETT: School of the Art Institute of Chicago

MORGAN FRAzIER: Vanderbilt UniversityTAJ GILLANI: Georgia Institute of TechnologyJEFF HANDLER: University of MichiganSALLIE HAYS: University of GeorgiaCAROLINE HERMAN: Skidmore CollegeBEN HIRSCH: Georgia Institute of TechnologyTOMMY HOFF: Auburn UniversityJEFFREY JONES: Bates CollegePHILIP KIM: Northwestern UniversityJOEY KIMMEL: Franklin and Marshall CollegeBRIAN KLARMAN: Emory UniversityMORGAN KROHNGOLD: College of CharlestonMORGAN LAMBERT: Georgia Institute of TechnologyMARYSE LAPU: Vanderbilt UniversityRENEE LEWIS: Vanderbilt UniversityHALEY LOWREY: University of MississippiKATJA MARTIN: Georgia State UniversityANDY MCCALL: University of VirginiaJOHN MCCREA: University of GeorgiaMEGAN MCCURRY: Rice UniversityKELLY MCGONNIGLE: University of VirginiaLAUREN MELVILLE: Kenyon CollegeABBIE MILICH: Auburn UniversitySUzANNE MONYAK: Georgetown UniversityMARIA MORAITAKIS: Boston College

Oh, the Places They'll Go!

Senior End-of-the-Year AwardsARTS ALLIANCE CAREER CONTRIBUTION TO ThE ARTS AWARDJoey Capelouto, Ben Hirsch, Megan McCurry, Lauren Melville, Alex Paré, William Sadlo, Zach Steinfeld, Michelle Yancich and Evan Young

atlaNta jourNal-CoNstitutioN CUPJon Adelman

BOOSTER CLUB CAREER CONTRIBUTION TO AThLETICS AWARDJohn McCrea

BOOSTER CLUB PACE SILvER KNIGhT AWARDZach Steinfeld and Lindsey Zwecker

ChARLIE OWENS LETTER BLANKETSJon Adelman, Jared Allen, Annie Armstrong, Jack Assaf, Sallie Boone, Kate Cunningham, Amber Easley, Sallie Hays, Jeffrey Jones, Joey Kimmel, Morgan Lambert, Maryse Lapu, Andy McCall, John McCrea, Kelly McGonnigle, Abbie Milich, Alex Paré, Sajat Rabbani, Alexander Reckford, William Sadlo, Lauren Schaffer, Jordan

Schuchmann, James Seaman, Miles Sheft, Caroline Smith, Madison Snyder, Zach Steinfeld, Ariel Stern, Georgia Tse, Lucy Wellborn, Jason Wiener, Reid Williams, Sydney Willis, Claire Wiskind, Steven Zeldin and Lindsey Zwecker

DAUGhTERS OF ThE AMERICAN REvOLUTION CITIzENShIP AWARDJack Assaf

DEPARTMENTAL AWARDSEnglish: Suzanne MonyakHistory: Claire WiskindScience: Andrew SchettinoForeign Language, French: Kate ThomsonForeign Language, Latin: Michelle YancichForeign Language, Spanish: Kate Cunningham

FRANK D. KALEY AWARDMichelle Yancich

GEORGE G. KIRKPATRICK PACE KNIGhT AWARDLauren Schaffer and Sam Schaffer

GLADYS JOhNSON SERvICE LEADERShIP AWARDLauren Melville and Zach Steinfeld

HEADMASTER’S AWARDMegan McCurry, Alex Paré, Miles Sheft andVictor Skenderi

hILTON I. KORT SERvICE ABOvE SELF AWARDMorgan Frazier and Alexander Reckford

JAMES DE LA FUENTE FINE ARTS AWARDMegan McCurry and William Sadlo

ThE JIM AND LESLEY WhEELER SChOLAR AThLETE AWARDSJack Assaf and Lauren Schaffer

KENT C. TAYLOR JR. AWARDMax Barab, Jack Bowen, Paula Cheng,Asante Crews, Jeff Handler and Abbie Milich

LANCE AND ShIELD AWARDAmber Easley and Jordan Schuchmann


BEN MORELAND: Westminster CollegeHARRY MORELAND: Southern Methodist UniversitySARA MULLALLY: Southern Methodist UniversityALEx NASH: Clemson UniversityMITCH NEMETH: University of GeorgiaKAHLIL NEVETT-JAMES: Birmingham-Southern CollegeDAVID NINAN: Virginia Polytechnic InstituteEMILY PAIR: Northeastern UniversityALEx PARé: The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillANNIE KATE POTTLE: The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCAROLINE POWERS: Texas Christian UniversitySAJAT RABBANI: Boston College ALExANDER RECKFORD: The University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWILLIAM SADLO: Bates CollegeBRIA SAMUELS: Elon UniversityLAUREN SCHAFFER: University of PennsylvaniaSAM SCHAFFER: New York UniversityANDREW SCHETTINO: University of PennsylvaniaTAYLOR SCHOFIELD: Southern Methodist UniversityTATE SCHREINER: University of Southern CaliforniaJORDAN SCHUCHMANN: University of Southern CaliforniaJAMES SEAMAN: University of PennsylvaniaMILES SHEFT: University of PennsylvaniaJON SHINGLER: University of GeorgiaJAKE SILVERSTEIN: University of Colorado, Boulder

VICTOR SKENDERI: Harvard UniversityCAROLINE SMITH: Vanderbilt UniversityMADISON SNYDER: University of MichiganzACH STEINFELD: Georgia Institute of TechnologyARIEL STERN: Washington University in St. LouisBILLY STONECIPHER: Augsburg CollegeMARY MADISON TESLER: Rhodes CollegeKATE THOMSON: Vanderbilt UniversityMADISON THORNE: George Washington UniversityMOMO TRANG: Brandeis UniversityGEORGIA TSE: Duke University ADRIANNA URqUIETA: University of Miami JAKE WAWRO: University of MichiganELLIE WEBER: College of CharlestonDAVID WEINER: University of Georgia LUCY WELLBORN: University of GeorgiaJASON WIENER: University of California, BerkeleyREID WILLIAMS: University of GeorgiaSYDNEY WILLIS: University of GeorgiaCLAIRE WISKIND: University of St. AndrewsMICHELLE YANCICH: Yale UniversityEVAN YOUNG: University of GeorgiaSTEVEN zELDIN: University of GeorgiaLINDSEY zWECKER: Dickinson College

MARGERY RUSSELL WILMOT SPIRIT AWARDJoey Capelouto, Amber Easley, Adam Ellender, Sydney Willis and Lindsey Zwecker

MIKE MURPhY COURAGE TO STRIvE FOR ExCELLENCE AWARDBen Hirsch and Adrianna Urquieta

PACE LITERARY PRIzENatalie Camrud

PACE SENIOR CITIzENSJared Allen, Jack Bowen, Meredith Bradshaw, Joey Capelouto, Healy Chait, Jordan Epstein, Maddie Everett, Jeff Handler, Caroline Herman, Haley Lowrey, Andy McCall, John McCrea, Kelly McGonnigle, Lauren Melville, Abbie Milich, Emily Pair, Andrew Schettino, Tate Schreiner, James Seaman, Miles Sheft, Caroline Smith, William Stonecipher, Madison Thorne, Ellie Weber, Lucy Wellborn, Reid Williams, Steven Zeldin and Lindsey Zwecker

PETER F. hOFFMAN hONOR SChOLARShIPJeffrey Jones and Maria Moraitakis

RALPh LEE NEWTON LITERARY AWARDNatalie Camrud, Brian Klarman, Suzanne Monyak and Lindsey Zwecker

RAYMOND BUCKLEY SENIOR AThLETE AWARDJeffrey Jones and Sydney Willis

ROBERT A. YELLOWLEES AWARDSara Mullally and Jake Silverstein

SALUTATORIANMeredith Bradshaw

ThE SYDNEY RUShIN MAThEMATICS PRIzEJon Adelman

vALEDICTORIANAndrew Schettino

Top, College Counselors Gavin BraDley and amy secor with Valedictorian anDrew schettino and Salutatorian mereDith BraDshaw; Bottom, Head of School FreD assaF and members of the Kaley family present michelle yancich with the Frank D. Kaley Award.


The Pace Academy Fall Fair is a long-standing school and community tradition with a surprisingly interesting and versatile history. Thousands (about 9,000 to be exact!) of children and adults look forward to the annual event. With each year comes a new theme, new leadership and new activities ... and the excitement builds.

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Country fair 1976

Country fai

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But even more important than the event itself is how the money raised benefits Pace. The always-generous members of Parents Club fulfill requests from teachers for items they need to provide the best education possible to their students, whether it's new camera equipment for a photography class or a special field trip. Steeped in history, the Pace Fall Fair began as a humble event and has grown to a full-scale production directed by parents and requiring immense organization.

It began 50 years ago under the title of “The Annual Harvest Dinner” as the primary fundraiser for the Pace Parents Club. Since then, the Fall Fair has been in a constant state of transformation, metamorphosing from the Harvest Dinner to the Harvest Bazaar to the Country Fair to an International Fair and finally to simply the Pace Fall Fair.


The event began in 1963 as a Thanksgiving-themed dinner in the Castle. After a successful first year, the tradition was established, and

1964 brought another dinner attended by all the faculty and staff. The annual event endured and was renamed the Harvest Bazaar in 1971. During the event, Boyd Gym housed a plethora of booths, including one selling the ever-popular Fall Fair favorite—goldfish, of course!

The 1973-74 Pacesetter states that a Powder Puff football game at Pace took place in conjunction with the Bazaar. Now associated with Homecoming weekend, Powder Puff is an all-girls flag football competition during which the girls’ male classmates serve as coaches and cheerleaders. The yearbook jokes: “In spite of the rain and the hairy cheerleading on the sidelines, the Super Sophs defeated marcus mouchet’s [Class of 1975] Maulers.”

By 1976, the name of the celebration was again in flux; the Harvest Bazaar became the Country Fair and stayed that way until the 1980s. The affair grew larger with each passing year—in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Pace Country Fair even featured a roller coaster on the Castle’s front lawn. In 1980, the Country Fair

changed to the International Fair, at which “there was ethnic music, dance and mime” along with “the usual favorites.”

The Fall Fair has always been a welcome ground for eccentric figures, and this dates back to its beginning. In 1972, Donald Duck showed up; in 1984, a panda and elephant—who both looked suspiciously bipedal and made of cloth. The Braves mascot and the Chick-fil-A cows have attended, and in 1990 even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle appeared!

Another favorite pastime at the Fall Fair has been seeing the Pace faculty and staff behind bars. A single jail cell has stood in the Gardens once a year for decades now, allowing students, teachers and often the current headmaster to experience a few moments in “prison.” If that wasn’t enough, other opportunities to torment faculty have arisen: the 1975 Pacesetter notes, “If one needed to take out his frustrations, he could throw wet sponges at his

favorite faculty members.”In 1988, Pace Academy celebrated its 30th anniversary, and

the Fall Fair was an especially tremendous celebration. Faculty members ricks carson and lisa Browne BarksDale, along with the Upper School chorus, presented a new school song, which is now performed annually at graduation. In keeping with that year’s “Outer SPace” theme, students enjoyed hot-air

International fair 1980Pace fair 1987

fall festival 1983

country fair 1978


balloon rides. Following that year, the Fall Fair changed themes annually—from wizards to jungle creatures and everywhere in between.

lori zwecker (mother of haley ’12, linDsey ’13 and mitchell ’17), co-chair of the 2002 event with Pam mcGonniGle (mother of Pat ’10 and kelly ’13), says their theme, Patriotic Knight , was a response to 9/11 the previous year. She and McGonnigle felt there should be a tribute, and everything was red, white and blue.

Zwecker remembers sitting in a Fall Fair chair meeting on the morning of Sept. 11. “We were all sitting around the table, and everyone's phones went off," she says. “Parents were worried about what to do with their kids, and it was just so intense."

What began as a small dinner has grown into a citywide event. The Fall Fair now draws more than 9,000 attendees from the community every year. It includes haunted houses, food from local vendors, work by local artists, activity booths, inflatables, book and media sales and general fun for the entire family.

“We really see the Fair as one of the ways in which Pace’s parents, faculty and staff give back to the community,” says 2013 Fall Fair Co-Chair allyson maske. “It’s an event people put on their calendars every year, and attendance just continues to grow.”

Being a Fall Fair chair or even a member of a committee is a monumental task. "I like to say running the Fair is like running a company for a year," says Zwecker. "The year we did it, we had 52 committees under us. It's a huge job, but no matter what you feel like you forgot to do, it will still go on. People will show up in hoards, and the kids will still love it."

The funds raised by the annual event also have grown from year to year. Last year’s Fall Fair generated $125,000, which was used to fund playground upgrades, strings and band instruments, art supplies, video cameras, ceramic kilns, classroom materials and new curriculums. With the funds, the Parents Club also contributed to Pace’s need-based financial aid program, Global Education and the Aim High campaign for The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

The 50th Pace Fall Fair will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013. Its theme, Raise the Roof, is not only a nod to the construction taking place on campus, but to the Fair’s golden birthday celebration.

Just as the Fair has evolved over five decades, this year’s event will have to adapt to the challenges posed by the construction of the new Upper School. “We’ve moved some activities to the top of Pace Mountain,” says Maske. “We’ve added more inflatables and significantly reduced the size of the street market, which will be back in full force in 2014. Our focus has been on the kids—we keep asking ourselves what they will most enjoy.”

Without a doubt, the 2013 Fall Fair, chaired by Maske and cathy Funston, will be another great success. “This is our opportunity to thank the Pace and Atlanta communities for 50 wonderful years of Fall Fairs,” says Maske. “It’s going to be great!”

—with contributions from michelle yancich ’13

Pace Fair 1990

Pace Fair 2003

fall Fair 2006

fall fair 2010


Where Are They Now?

ALuMNI

ALUMNI UPDATESroy schwartzman ’78, a professor of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, won the 2013 National Association of Communication Centers Joyce Ferguson Faculty Paper Award.

eric silverstein ’00 and his food truck, the Peached Tortilla, appeared on Live with Kelly and Michael on June 14 as part of the show’s Truckin’ Amazing Cook-Off. The Austin, Texas-based Peached Tortilla was one of 10 food trucks selected as finalists in the contest. The trucks competed for the title of No. 1 food truck in America and a $20,000 grand prize. The winner will be determined by viewer votes.

After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Drew GillesPie ’01 completed a master’s in human computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University in 2011. Drew is a user- experience designer with Trulia in San Francisco and married Lindsay Kovnat in New Hope, Pa., on July 13, 2013.

erin culP ’02 spent more than three years teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ungheni, Moldova. Following her service, she enrolled in Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) and earned her Masters of Public Affairs in May 2013. Erin was among a group of SPEA students honored in May when the Peace Corps recognized its long and productive partnership with the school.

Erin also was part of a team of five students to win the Indiana University Excellence in Service-Learning Student Award for its work in a fund-development class. Through the service-learning course, the team partnered with a local nonprofit organization to conduct a comprehensive analysis of its fund-development portfolio. Erin began working at a Chicago-based fundraising consulting firm in July 2013.

Grant GillesPie ’04 completed his undergraduate degree at Southern Methodist University in 2008 and is now a marketing manager for Rodale Inc., a publisher of health, fitness and wellness magazines such as Men’s Health. Grant lives in New York.

aaron DucoFFe ’05 graduated from Emory University School of Medicine in May 2013 and began his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Florida this summer. Aaron hopes to pursue a fellowship in shoulder and elbow arthroscopy, trauma and joint reconstruction. “My ultimate [goal is] to be a Major League Baseball, National Football

League or U.S. Ski Team surgeon,” he says. “I also would like to consult with orthopaedic device companies as a side project while pursuing more research.” Aaron already has published several articles, delivered multiple presentations and worked on surgical device development.

Blair GillesPie ’08 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from

Washington and Lee University and is an associate consultant with Bain & Company in Atlanta.

christian Datoc ’09, mereDith DishonGh ’09 and alex wilson ’09 graduated from Furman University this spring.

Christian earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and headed to Washington, D.C., for post-graduate congressional internships in the offices of Saxby Chambliss and Tom Price. He hopes the internships will lead to a permanent staff position on Capital Hill.

Alex received a bachelor’s in accounting and will begin the Masters in Accounting program at Wake Forest University in August 2013.

Meredith earned a bachelor’s in business administration and Spanish and accepted a position with a consulting firm in Greenville, S.C.

Christian and Alex are Pace Lifers, which means they have attended school together for 17 consecutive years, beginning with Mrs. Cook’s Pre-First class. They remain very close friends.

Jon allen ’10 took first place in Emerson College’s E3 competition. The yearlong immersion into entrepreneurship forces students to formulate their own ideas and determine the strategy necessary to bring them to the market. Allen’s “Classic Red,” a bottled, all-natural twist on the classic Shirley Temple drink, took home $5,000 in cash, $3,000 in legal services and $2,000 in public relations services. Since its inception, the E3 program has seen a 35-percent launch rate, and 20 percent of participating students are currently involved in their own small-business ventures.

kaitlyn Dinkins ’11 has been named a co-captain of the Harvard women’s basketball team for the 2013-14 season. Kaitlyn’s teammates also voted her as the recipient of The Robin L. Mitchell Harvard Pride Award. The award is given annually to the player

ALuMNI

Top, Class of 2009 members Jared Datoc, Meredith Dishongh and Alex Wilson graduated from Furman University; Bottom, Jon Allen took first place in an entrepreneurship program for his drink, Classic Red.


Clockwise from top left, Silas Hughes, son of Trip Hughes ’91, was born in February; Catherine Rigsby Wile ’98 and Chip Wile ’98 welcomed daughter Jane Alyce, who joins their twin sons Woodson and Rigsby; Ashton Olivia, daughter of Jaci Thompson Shanks ’01, was born on May 17; Eliana Catherine, daughter of Gregory Simmons Lemos ’00; Alumni Association President Austin McDonald ’97 welcomed his third child, daughter Alden Elizabeth; Dana Feinstein Friedman ’97 welcomed son Charles Jacob.

Baby Knights

Jeff Hathcoat

who displays exceptional sportsmanship, enthusiasm and dedication to the team, while always putting the team first and contributing to the Harvard community on and off the court. Kaitlyn is the first junior to be elected team captain since 1989 and is just the ninth junior in program history to have the honor bestowed upon her.

BIRThStriP huGhes ’91 and his wife, Kristin, welcomed their third child, Silas, in February 2013. Silas joins his big brother Sawyer, 5, and sister Adeline, 2. The family lives in Canton, Ga., and Trip teaches graphic design, outdoor education and AP psychology at Fellowship Christian School in Roswell.

austin mcDonalD ’97 and his wife, Stephanie, are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Alden Elizabeth. Alden was born on March 30, 2013 in Atlanta and weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Big sister Eloise, 4, and brother Hudson, 2, are smitten with their new baby sister.

katie lamB rosenGren ’97 and her husband, Brent, welcomed a son Brent McNaughton “Mac” on Sept. 24, 2012. He joins big sister Ann, 4.

Dana Feinstein FrieDman ’97, and her husband, Craig, welcomed son Charles Jacob on May 31, 2013. Charlie, who was 7 pounds and 20 inches long, joins big sister Savannah, 4.

The family lives in Atlanta, where Dana is a campus recruiting manager for PNC Financial Services, and Craig practices employment law at Jones Day.

catherine riGsBy wile ’98 and chiP wile ’98 welcomed daughter Jane Alyce into the world on Jan. 31, 2013. She joins twin brothers Woodson and Rigsby. The family lives in High Point, N.C. Chip continues to travel the NASCAR circuit while Catherine spends her days chasing three children under three!

GreGory simmons lemos ’00 and her husband, Rob, welcomed daughter Eliana Catherine on Feb. 28, 2013 at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, D.C. Eliana weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. The family lives in Arlington, Va. Rob runs his own private equity firm, and until recently, Gregory was a digital journalist covering politics, Congress and elections at ABC News in Washington, D.C.

katy mercer cahill ’01 and her husband, Paul, welcomed Margaret Farr on Dec. 14, 2012. She joins big sister Mary Frances, 3. Katy is a nurse at Children’s Healthcare, and the family lives in Atlanta’s Brookhaven neighborhood.

Jaci thomPson shanks ’01 and her husband, Jamie, welcomed daughter Ashton Olivia on May 17, 2013. She was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 20.5 inches. Jaci is a trademark and copyright attorney at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, and


ALuMNI

Jamie is the vice president of Finance at Carter-Haston Real Estate, a Nashville-based real estate asset/property management company. The couple met as undergraduates at the University of Virginia and now lives in Atlanta’s Candler Park neighborhood.

katie tison BaDDour ’02 and her husband, Michael, welcomed a son, Hunter Carlyle, on Sept. 12, 2012.

MARRIAGESstewart Grace ’98 married April Deel in Asheville, N.C., on April 20, 2013. John Grace ’00 served as the best man, and wheeler Bryan ’98 and will FramPton ’99 served as groomsmen. Patrick shea ’98 also was in attendance. Stewart and April currently reside in Atlanta’s Brookhaven neighborhood.

alaina Beach erwin ’00 married Jake Erwin on April 20, 2013. The event took place in the Huguenot Loft in downtown Greenville, S.C. Brooke BeaDle ’00 was the maid of honor, and kell harris ’00 and JareD Paul ’90 were in attendance. Both Alaina and Jake are attorneys and work and live in downtown Greenville. Alaina practices workers’ compensation defense; Jake is a public defender.

PACE PLAY DATES

Pace legacies ashton shanks, daughter of Jaci thomPson

shanks ’01, Hunter Baddour, son of katie tison BaDDour

’02, and Walter and Hanson Torbert, sons of laura riDall

torBert ’03 and walt torBert ’97, get to know one another. Submit your Pace Play Date photos to [email protected].

LET US OUTFIT YOUR LITTLE KNIGhTPhiliP cranmer ’01 and his wife, Kristen, recently posted the below photo of their twins on our Facebook page with the caption, “Thought all of our Pace Academy friends would appreciate this.” And we do!

Let us know about your new family additions, and we will send you your own Pace baby T-Shirt. Email [email protected].

Baby Knights

Clockwise from top left, Katie Tison Baddour ’02 welcomed son Hunter Carlyle; Brent McNaughton "Mac," son of Katie Lamb Rosengren ’97, was born on Sept. 24, 2012; Katy Mercer Cahill ’01 welcomed daughter Margaret Farr.


1. The Arehart/Tyler wedding. 2. The Beach/Erwin wedding. 3. The Shakespeare/Karshner wedding.

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will tyler ’01 married Hayley Arehart Tyler on June 1, 2013 in Kanuga in Hendersonville, N.C. Pace alumni in attendance were PhiliP cranmer ’01, anDrew hoFFman ’01, meG tyler Foster ’98 and amanDa hoFFman ’98. Hayley is an elementary school Art Teacher for grades K-6 at St. Benedict’s Episcopal Day School in Smyrna, where she also works part time for the church as the youth director. Will is a leasing associate at Colliers International and represents landlords in commercial office leasing transactions.

susanna shakesPeare ’04 married Eric Karshner on Feb. 23, 2013 in Sundance, Utah. Pace alumni in attendance were lain shakesPeare ’01, katie Daly ’03, maGGie o’haire ’04, stewart BarBour ’04 and molly Daly ’07. The maid of honor was former Pace student Maggie Stevens. The couple resides just outside of Park City, Utah, where they enjoy all the skiing, golfing, hiking and camping the area has to offer.

millie leDBetter Greiner ’06 married Jordan Greiner in Daufuskie Island, S.C., on May 26, 2013. The couple lives in Nashville, where Millie works in youth ministries at a local church, and Jordan is an artist manager in the music business.

IN MEMORIAMDouGlas reiD ’64 passed away on June 10, 2013. A resident of Sandy Springs, he attended the University of Georgia and Georgia State University and served in the U.S. Army from 1969 until 1971. Professionally Doug worked in photography and automotive sales. He will be remembered for his compassionate nature, particularly as he cared for his mother until her final days.

Active Pace volunteer suzanne BonD passed away on April 5, 2013. Suzanne is the mother of Pace parent and Development Coordinator elizaBeth BonD Glass (wife of FreD Glass ’89) and grandmother of merritt ann ’19 and kathleen Glass ’22. She and her husband, merritt, were Pace Annual Fund volunteers and co-hosts for grandparent events, including gatherings for the school’s recent Aim High campaign.

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The Ledbetter/Greiner wedding.

ALUMNI

1. rick canFielD chats with Class of 2012 members hayley kahn and zeena lattouF. 2. From left, leila Brown armknecht ’79, Dot GriFFith ’79 and meriDy werDer kinG ’82. 3. From left, Life Trustee neville isDell, former faculty member Jim Diez, Head of School FreD assaF and Pamela isDell. 4.From left, kelley harris '00, caitlin GooDrich '00, mary lieBman '00, GreGory simmons lemos '00, kelly owens miller '00, lacy westerlunD '98 (kneeling), Britt Jackson GriFFin '00, catherine wooDlinG '00, heather zantzinGer '98 and liz towsenD '00. 5. charles smith performs.

On Saturday, May 4, hundreds of Pace alumni, current and former faculty and staff, and alumni parents gathered to say farewell to the Upper School building. Rain moved the party from the Gardens to the Inman Center cafeteria, where guests enjoyed food by Local Three Kitchen & Bar as well as music from longtime Pace Facilities team member charles smith and his band.

Following remarks from Head of School FreD assaF and Alumni Association President Josh BelinFante ’95, guests were given Sharpies and set loose to record their Pace memories on the walls of Bridges Hall.

Alumni Throw It Down

HOMECOMINGWEEKEND

OCTOBER 4-5, 2013

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Alumni Throw It Down

OCTOBER 4-5, 2013

As a lifer, austin mcDonalD ’97 is no stranger to the Pace community. He was taught by a slew of teachers whose names have rung across the campus for years—valerius, cook, smith and wheatley, to name a few. In his 13 years as a student, he participated in track, soccer and basketball.

McDonald was also a peer leader, a role that ended up being one of this favorites. He hesitantly applied for the program but was pleased that he was accepted. McDonald still keeps in touch with his co-peer leader and many of the students in his peer leadership group. “I’m glad they still do it. It’s such a great program,” he says.

One of the most important opportunities that Pace afforded McDonald was to become a well-rounded person. “You can really do what you want to do, and there are so many things that you can do," he says. “It’s not a sports school, it's not one thing or another, it’s really open to doing what you want."

McDonald attended Vanderbilt University, and after graduation, he returned to Atlanta to work as a financial analyst for Carter and Associates, a commercial real estate firm. He is now the COO at McDonald Development Company, where he has been for the past 10 years.

McDonald met his wife, Stephanie, during their freshman year at Vanderbilt. They started dating their sophomore year and have been together ever since. When she was accepted into Emory Law School, it made McDonald's job of convincing her to move to Atlanta that much easier. She worked for King & Spalding and Post Properties but now stays home to take care of their three children: 4-year-old Eloise, 3-year-old Hudson and their newest addition Alden, who was born March 30 (pictured above).

McDonald has been actively involved in the Alumni Association for some time. He made Annual Fund phone calls for his class for five years before being nominated to the Alumni Association Board. Now, McDonald is taking over as the President of the Board, succeeding Josh BelinFante ’95.

So, what is McDonald’s main goal in his new role? Participation. He wants to get more

alumni involved and engaged in the Pace community.

“There’s always been a core group of people who show up at things, but I feel like there are certain classes that we maybe miss," he says. "We’re going to make an effort to reach out to a few people in each class who can try to get other people in their class involved and come to some of the events we do. I want to get people back on campus."

— by hayley shoJi '12

McDonald Takes Over as Alumni Association President

“We're going to make an effort to reach out

to a few people in each class who can try to get

other people in their class involved."

ALUMNI

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joined us yet?

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ALUMNI

The Class of 1973 recently got together for a delightful evening of reminiscing at the home of sheryl Fowler Butler. Members of the Class of 1973 in attendance were: Butler, Jack alexanDer, DaviD chanDler, lynn clarke coGan, Billy DellinGer, Damon enDicott, marcie Jonas-mann, kristen kelsey, BoB liGGett, hank mathis, stePhanie morrison veenis, Jill Pinkerton huitron, rex rooker, Blair smith and laura virDen mcmillan.

Class of 1973 Reunites All in the Family

Bo heiner ’84 and his son wylie heiner ’14 made Pace history this spring when Wylie was elected president of the Class of 2014. Bo served as president of the Class of 1984. To our knowledge, the Heiners are the first father-son duo to serve as presidents of their respective classes.

We’ve torn It Down!this summer marked a milestone in Pace history as we demolished the Upper School

building to make way for the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

tHANK YOU to all alumni who participated in the Alumni Challenge!

We continue to surpass our $32-million campaign goal and have secured more than $1.2 million from 223 alumni.

thank You for Aiming High!

to pledge or make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/aimhigh.


Class of 1973 Reunites ALUMNI SPOTLIGhTS

Will Cox ’10 Honors Hall with Teaching Awardwill cox ’10 has been chosen to be part of the Society of Chemical Industry Scholars Program. The organization provides internship opportunities for outstanding college

sophomores and juniors. Cox, who is entering his senior year at the University of Alabama, spent the summer interning at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Refinery Chemical Plant.

In school, Cox helps a mechanical engineering professor with research and intends to work for an energy company once he graduates—perhaps internationally. “I’d love to get a chance to use the Chinese language I’ve been studying,” he says.

As part of the Scholars Program, Cox was asked to nominate one of his high school teachers “who played a significant role in [his] choice of college major.” As well as being recognized for their dedication and “role in inspiring students to pursue technical careers,”

these teachers receive a grant to be spent for academic purposes. Cox nominated chemistry teacher Julie hall. “She was always such an exciting

teacher and explained everything very intuitively,” he says. “She knows how to get students excited about chemistry.” Indeed she did in Cox’s case; he is set to graduate in 2014 with a major in chemical engineering.

—by michelle yancich ’13

Thomas Takes the FieldIt isn’t often that a young man postpones a chance to pursue his boyhood dreams in favor of education, but BranDon thomas ’09 did—twice.

The Colorado Rockies chose Thomas—a Pace peer leader and a baseball powerhouse for the Knights—in the 37th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He elected to attend Georgia Tech instead, where he was a standout in the classroom and on and off the field.

Draft-eligible upon completion of his junior year, Thomas was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ fourth pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He again chose to return to college and was one of 10 baseball finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, the NCAA’s premier award for senior student athletes.

Following the 2013 college baseball season, the Yankees drafted Thomas in the eighth round of draft. He made his professional baseball debut in centerfield with the Class A Staten Island Yankees in their season opener on June 17. Batting cleanup, Thomas captured his first career hit, stole second and plated one of the Yankees’ two runs in a victory over the Brooklyn Cyclones.

—Pace parent antoinette Datoc contributed to this article.

Generations of Grads

The Alumni Office kicked off a new tradition during Pace’s Commencement

festivities this year and asked alumni parents to pose for pictures with their graduating

Pace progeny. Congratulations to our newest Pace alumni and their parents!

Left, alli roBBins allen ’77 and JareD allen ’13

Left, charles wellBorn ’83 and lucy wellBorn ’13

Above, roBert BraDshaw ’82 and mereDith BraDshaw ’13

Left, Jay BurDett weBer ’77 and ellie weBer ’13

Right, Dan ePstein ’78 with sons JorDan ’13 and Brett ’10

Newsmakers and World Changers

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Thank You to Our Parents for Reaching

90-Percent Participation in the 2012-13 Annual Fund!

We raised $950,000!

For more information about the 2013-14 Annual Fund, contact Kat Cooper, Manager of the Annual Fund, at 404-240-9106 or [email protected].

www.paceacademy.org/annualfund

If you have received multiple copies of this publication, please contact the Advancement Office at 404-240-9101

or [email protected] to update your address.

Documents

KnightTimes Summer 2013