KnightTimes Spring 2014

SPRING 2014

T H E M A G A Z I N E O F PA C E A C A D E M Y

Introducing

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

S P R I N G 2 0 14

Letter from the Editor This past summer, I traveled to Italy with a group of Pace Upper School students. We spent nearly two weeks walking the streets of Milan, Florence and Rome, soaking up art and culture in the birthplace of the Renaissance. We also ate a lot of pizza. And gelato.

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

Pace’s mission is to create confident citizens of the world, and programs like global education and service learning help us accomplish that mission. But in this issue of the KnightTimes, we think big about a more cohesive and integrated approach to shaping these global citizens we talk so much about—individuals who, in the words of Head of School Fred Assaf, “want to be successful while making a positive difference.”

The solution, we believe, is the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL). You’ll learn more about our vision for the ICGL in the following pages and about Rebecca Jones ’96 and Erin Mazursky ’03, alumnae who see the world through a truly global lens and are committed to making a difference.

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

Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 Director of Communications

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

Contact us to deliver a meal: 404-926-3727 pacecares@paceacademy.org KnightTimes KnightTimes||Spring Spring2014 2014

3

Th e m a g a z i n e o f Pac e Aca dem y

SPRING 2014 Contents

6 NEWS What you need to know

10 PACESETTERS Honoring students who set the pace outside of school

12 AROUND PACE A look at what's happening at Pace

18 Queen of the Knights 20 Construction Updates 22 WINTER Sports Highlights A synopsis of athletic achievements

26 Global education Trips to Kilimanjaro and Cambodia

28 THE PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund New endowment makes financial aid a priority and names the Middle School

30 Walsh Field Pace receives the largest alumni gift in school history

32 A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Pace announces the creation of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership

38 ALUMNI

Contributors Julia Beck ’15 Julia Beck came to Pace in the ninth grade, and her favorite classes are English and Spanish. Beck likes to travel and participated in a global education trip to Cambodia over spring break. This summer, she’ll travel to Panama with a Spanish-immersion program. She plays golf for the Knights and will be the co-editorin-chief of the Upper School student newspaper, the Knightly News, her senior year.

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

Will Frampton ’99 After graduating from Pace, Will Frampton attended Erskine College in South Carolina, where he majored in English. College internships at CNN in Atlanta helped pave the way to a career in television broadcasting. He got his start at WTHI, the CBS station in Terre Haute, Ind. Subsequent reporting stints in Columbia, S.C. and Sacramento, Calif. followed. Eventually, he returned to Atlanta, where he now reports for the local CBS station. Frampton earned an Emmy for his reporting from Afghanistan in December of 2007.

His reports can be seen regularly on CBS Atlanta News.

He and his wife, Sarah, live in Buckhead.

38 Alumni at St Andrews 40 Erin Mazursky '03 Profile

Robin LaLone ’12

42 Rebecca Jones '96 Profile

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

44 Where Are They Now? 50 Out and About

4

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Letter f ro m the Hea d o f Sch ool

Dear Pace Family, As an English teacher, I’m very familiar with the rule of three in writing. The principle suggests that things that come in threes are more satisfying or more effective than those that come in any other number. There’s even a Latin phrase that expresses this idea: Omne trium perfectum —translated “Everything that comes in threes is perfect.”

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

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

The second gift has nothing to do with construction or new buildings —it’s about building prepared, confident citizens of the world. The Isdell Family Foundation has decided to fund the Isdell Center for Global Leadership, a collaborative, cross-divisional program at Pace (see story on page 32). Neville and Pamela Isdell and Cara Isdell Lee ’97 truly understand the power of our school’s mission, and with their help, we’ll elevate our efforts to create students who are ethical, empathic, innovative, culturally competent and adaptable citizens of the world.

Finally, as someone who’s education was made possible by financial aid, the Garcia family’s decision to endow the PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund in memory of PJ Garcia ’09 touches me to the core. Carol and Paul Garcia and their children’s wish to offer four full-tuition, need-based grants to Upper School students illustrates their belief in the power of a Pace education. We’ll name the Garcia Family Middle School in their honor (see story on page 28).

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

Sincerely,

Fred Assaf Head of school

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

5

NEWS

966 W. Paces Ferry Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org

NEWS

What You Need to Know

KnightTimes Fred Assaf hea d O F S C H O O L

Division Heads Michael Gannon he a d of u p p e r school

John Anderson HEAD O F M I DDL E SCHOOL

Anna Valerius HEAD O F L O WER SCHOOL

Communications Department Caitlin Goodrich Jones ’00 D I RE C TO R O F C O MM UNICAT IONS, EDITOR

Ryan Vihlen CREAT I V E S ERV I C ES M ANAGER, G RAPH I C DE S I G N ER

Lela Wallace DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Our Mission To 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 Cares Are 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.

Josh Rogers and Kal Golde were recognized as STAR students.

Double the STAR Power Each year, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Department of Education partner to present the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program.

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

This year, there was a tie. Seniors Kal Golde and Josh Rogers were named Pace’s STAR Students and selected Upper School teachers Elizabeth Kann and Gus Whyte as their STAR Teachers, respectively.

Elizabeth Kann

Gus Whyte

To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Caitlin Goodrich Jones at cjones@paceacademy.org.

6

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

NEWS

Syreeta Moseley Named Head of Lower School This summer, Syreeta Moseley will become Pace Academy’s sixth Head of Lower School following an extensive nationwide search.

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

Moseley brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position.

The Moseleys She was a lead third-grade teacher for 10 years; she is an expert in the development and implementation of multisensory learning and research-based curriculum; and she provided professional development, training and evaluation to educators throughout Georgia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEWS

Commending Creativity Since its inception in 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards has become the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the U.S. Each year, students in grades seven through 12 apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published. Luminaries in the visual and literary arts jury the submissions and look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

Pace students honored with 2014 Scholastic Awards are:

Gold Key, American Visions Nominee (“Best of Show�; advances to national competition) Rachel Much, painting

Gold Key

Rachel Much's painting received a Gold Key and will advance to the national competition as an American Visions Nominee.

Katie Brewster, short story Morgan Brewton-Johnson, photography portfolio Richie Everett, drawing Mary Liles Fiveash, ceramics (2) Jason Malik, ceramics Rachel Much, painting Jillian Paul, ceramics

Silver Key Mackenzie Attridge, photography Katie Brewster, flash fiction Hunter Cesinger, short story Juliana DeRosa, ceramics Katie Duval, poetry and short story Jason Malik, mixed media Hannah Seabright, personal essay/memoir Nicole Shafer, ceramics Emma St. Amand, ceramics Morgan Brewton-Johnson (left) and Rachel Much proudly stand in front of their exhibited work.

One of Mary Liles Fiveash's Gold Key plates

8

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Honorable Mention Jeri Brand, poetry Anna Brown, painting Kelly Brown, digital art Arden Carlton, photography (3) Katie Duval, photography portfolio and photography portfolio Maggie Inman, photography Mackenzie Kelly, photography and sculpture Hope Lennox, painting Jaclyn Lund, ceramics Jason Malik, mixed media Rachel Much, drawing and painting (3) Carolyn Propst, painting Kevin Silverstein, ceramics portfolio and ceramics (2) Elle Stang, mixed media and painting

n so

m

n so

K a ti e

W

illi

a

Morg

an Brewt

onJo hn

Elle Sta n

g

NEWS

Cory Bush

Sam Downey

Big Apple Bound Seniors Cory Bush and Sam Downey have had extraordinary careers on the Pace stage. Bush will long be remembered for roles such as Wendy in Peter Pan, Vicki in Caught in the Net and Anybodys in West Side Story. Downey delighted audiences as Captain Hook in Peter Pan, Fyedka in Fiddler on the Roof and Colonel Melkett in Black Comedy.

Both Bush and Downey plan to continue their theatrical training this fall at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, one of the country’s most prestigious centers of undergraduate and graduate study in the arts.

They will join Colin Barham ’12, a sophomore at Tisch, creating quite the contingent of Pace alumni in Manhattan.

Avril Osei

In March, juniors Tanner Lewis and Clyde Shepherd took home the championship title at the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association (GFCA) Varsity State Debate Tournament. Lewis and Shepherd advanced to the elimination debates as the top seed and defeated the Westminster Schools to become champions.

Pace also received the GFCA School of Excellence Award in the Helen McClellan Division (500 or fewer students) for the third consecutive season. Debate coach Shuntá Jordan was named the 2014 GFCA Debate Coach of the Year.

In addition, the Pace debate team earned the 2012–2013 Leading Chapter Award in the Georgia Northern Mountain District of the National Forensic League Speech & Debate Honor Society, the highest recognition the League can bestow upon a chapter. Out of more than 3,000 member schools nationwide, Pace was one of only 109 to receive the Leading Chapter Award.

K al G

Lewis, Shepherd Win GFCA State Debate Tournament

olde

Left to right: Clyde Shepherd, Shuntá Jordan and Tanner Lewis

National Merit Recognizes Five Seniors Every year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes a select group of high school seniors as National Merit Scholars based on academic records, test scores, written recommendations, activities, leadership and an essay. Seniors Kal Golde, Elle Stang and Katie Williamson were among the 2014 winners and will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

The same organization recognizes outstanding Black American high school students as National Achievement Scholars based on consistently high academic performance, written recommendations and test scores. Pace seniors Morgan Brewton-Johnson and Osei Avril were among the 700 students nationwide to receive the prestigious designation and $2,500 scholarships.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

9

PACESETTERS

PACESETTERS

Honoring Students Who Set the Pace Outside of School

Top: Pickman (third from right) and members of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Emory Take Steps walk team at the 2013 event.

Bottom: Dr. Subra Kugathasan and Pickman’s Take Steps walk team was recognized as the Top GI Fundraising Team. Pickman is holding “the beautiful golden colon trophy.”

10

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Channeling Adversity into Advocacy At the age of 11, just before sixth grade, sophomore Lauren Pickman was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. The chronic disease affects the innermost lining of the large intestine, causing ulcers, severe abdominal pain, nausea and bleeding. Its symptoms can be embarrassing and often lead to countless hours in hospitals and doctors offices.

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

“I got involved with the CCFA in seventh grade when I participated in my first Take Steps Walk, [the CFFA’s largest annual fundraiser],” Pickman says. “I have participated every year since then.” Together, she and her family have raised more than $10,000 for the organization and serve as advocates for others with Crohn’s and Colitis.

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

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

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

Pickman has found a welcoming community as a result of her disease and her involvement with CCFA — and she also may have found a calling. “I’ve always loved math and science, but now I can see how those classes apply outside the classroom,” she says. “[My experience] has made me very interested in medicine and research for chronic illnesses. Maybe one day I can help find a cure for Crohn’s and Colitis.”

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

PACESETTERS

Cushman Heads to Carnegie Hall

Robert Cushman

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

Cushman will attend an intensive workshop in June to work with some of the best music pedagogues in the country. The workshop will culminate in a performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall on June 28.

“I’ve been to New York to see my cousin, but I’ve never been to Carnegie Hall,” Cushman says. “I’m really excited about the honor of being picked and about playing music. It will be wonderful to represent Pace at Carnegie Hall.”

Building Connections Through Baseball Baseball is in the blood of junior Cooper Drose and eighthgrader Schuyler Drose. The boys’ late grandfather, Robert Drose, loved the sport, and in the 1960s, pushed to integrate youth leagues in Charleston, S.C. Both Drose boys have played the game since they were very young, and now they hope to share their love of the sport with children in the Dominican Republic.

This spring, the brothers launched the 100 Gloves project and began collecting gently used baseball equipment for the 95 boys in the Julio Castillo League. “A few years ago, our cousin visited the Dominican Republic, where his mother grew up,” Schuyler says. “He saw lots of boys playing baseball. Even though they had very little equipment— most didn’t have gloves, and some were barefoot— they were still having a great time. We thought it would be fun to start a project where we sent used bats, gloves, cleats and helmets to them.”

The boys will collect gear throughout the summer but have already stockpiled more than 150 pieces. As for delivering the equipment to the Latin American nation, well, they’re still trying to figure that out.

“We might put it in barrels to ship, but we’re still researching that,” Schuyler says. “If anyone reading this article has experience with this, please let us know.”

The Drose family hopes to travel to the Dominican Republic later this year to deliver the gear themselves, but whether or not they’re able to make the trip, the equipment certainly will. That thought pleases Cooper. “I love baseball,” he says. “It’s a huge part of my life.

I can’t wait to go out on the field and play every spring. If I can share that feeling with another kid who might need a little help to love the game as much as I do, then the work we’ve put into [100 Gloves] will be worth it!”

Learn more about the project at 100Gloves.org.

The Drose Bros.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

11

AROUND PACE

AROUND PACE A Look at What's Happening at Pace

Class of 2016

Class of 2017

Class of 2014

Class of 2015

Spirit Week: A Favorite Tradition Ask any Pace Upper School student what his or her favorite Pace tradition is and no doubt more than 90 percent will say Spirit Week. It’s a week filled with late nights and lots of time spent with the whole grade—and that’s just the way Pace kids like it!

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

The Academic Village caused a slight twist in tradition this year; the juniors, who typically decorate the whole Upper School, decorated two trailers, while the freshmen, who typically decorate the Gardens, decorated the Academic Village’s Quad. All grades embraced the change —even the seniors, who decorate the whole school.

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

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

— by Julia Beck ’15

12

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

AROUND PACE

Lower School Plays

Bye Bye Birdie Brings Back the ’50s

Spring means a season of colorful and creative Lower School plays. From poetry and Charlotte’s Web to a musical journey through the 20th century, each Lower School production was educational—and entertaining!

The days of poodle skirts, soda fountains and ’50s rock-n-roll came to life in the Middle School’s dynamic production of Bye Bye Birdie, which ran in the Fine Arts Center Feb. 20–22. The hilarious musical is an account of teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie’s transition from glamorous rock star to Army draftee.

Under the leadership of Middle School Drama Director Patrick Campbell and Musical Director Susan Wallace, the cast of 41 students pulled off three outstanding performances for sell-out crowds. Dance instructor Meg Morrissey’s energetic choreography and Technical Director Scott Sargent’s colorful set truly transported audiences back to the days when rock stars were royalty and The Ed Sullivan Show was a Sunday-night staple.

Eighth-graders Cole McCorkle and Nicole Ortiz led the cast as music agent Albert Peterson and secretary Rose Alvarez, respectively. Seventh-grader Hoke Faser channeled Elvis as Conrad Birdie, and seventh-grader Grace Pottorff perfectly portrayed the typical American teenager in the role of Kim Macafee. Other principal cast members included Susie Pieper, Kendall Willis, Jeb Carter, Jeremy Levin, Schuyler Drose, Aleks Golde and Harrison Husk.

Second-Grade Play

Third-Grade Play

Fifth-Grade Play

Left: Cole McCorkle and Nicole Ortiz led the cast of Bye Bye Birdie.

Above: Conrad Birdie (played by Hoke Faser) gets mobbed by adoring fans.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

13

AROUND PACE

Reimagining Science in the Upper School “There so much more to learning than what goes on inside the classroom,” says Upper School Science Department Chair Jonathan Day, echoing an emerging theme at Pace.

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

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

To that end, the Upper School science team has been hard at work.

For the second year, the faculty coordinated science minimesters — weeklong non-graded courses like Dinosaurs in the Movies, Abnormal Psychology and Forensics that allow students to explore potential areas of interest outside of the standard science curriculum.

A series of informal “Lunch n Learns” has connected students to professional scientists in the Pace community—people like Pace parents Dana Meaney-Delman of the Centers for Disease Control and computer scientist Wenke Lee. And alumni speakers like diagnostic radiologist Dr. Kiery Braithwaite ’90 and journalist David Hanson ’96 have provided further insight into sciencerelated career options. “Our guests talk about their lifestyles and the challenges that they’ve faced,” says Day. “Their visits are about more than science; they’re about life decisions.”

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

Students who really want to get their hands dirty have had the opportunity to take Theatre Technical Director Scott Sargent’s sustainability course, which focuses on sustainable building design and instruction. The class’s fully functioning 8’ x 16’ sustainable house (pictured left)—complete with a working kitchen and bathroom —will be complete by the end of the school year.

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

“I’d like to think that these initiatives have really expanded our students’ definitions of science and broadened their understanding of its impact on their lives,” Day says. “Even if a student doesn’t choose to pursue a career in a related field, building enthusiasm around science is essential.”

14

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

AROUND PACE

Cheever’s Short Stories — On Stage Author John Cheever’s most comical and moving stories came to life on the Fine Arts Center stage Feb. 1 and 2. The Upper School winter play, A Cheever Evening by A.R. Gurney, chronicled the post-war angst and alienation of America’s burgeoning suburban class. Upper School Theatre Director George Mengert and Director of Communications Caitlin Jones co-directed the production, which featured a talented cast of 18 students.

Rebecca Husk & Cooper Drose

Landon Goldstein, Peter Hurley & Cooper Peery

Sam Downey & Lindsey Sample

Sam Nail

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

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

15

AROUND PACE

Lower School Arts Laureates

Middle School Arts Laureates

Upper School Arts Laureates

Artists in Action: Springs Arts Festival 2014 Every year, the Pace community highlights its talented visual and performing artists during the Spring Arts Festival. Each grade names Arts Laureates, students who excel in the arts. Throughout the week, Laureates perform or discuss their work during assemblies.

This year’s celebration kicked off with a performance by CoResonance, strings instructor Tara Harris’s electric string quartet. The week also included lunchtime concerts, demonstrations by visiting artists and an all-school art exhibit featuring the work of 61 students.

16

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

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

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

AROUND PACE

The Virtual Classroom

Sophia Ellis with teacher Greg Lefever

How a teacher-student duo used technology to facilitate long-distance learning.

Most fifth graders use an iPad to play Flappy Bird, post photos on Instagram or watch their favorite TV shows, but Sophia Ellis ’21 recently used her tablet to connect to Greg Lefever’s Lower School classroom.

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

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

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

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

In the classroom, Sophia was treated like any other student. Her iPad was propped up on a desk so she could see Lefever and the whiteboard at the front of the room. She participated in class discussions, and if she had a question, she raised her hand. She soon discovered that the process of distance learning didn’t put her at a distance at all. Even though she wasn’t sitting at a desk, Sophia felt part of the classroom just like any other student. When it was time to socialize, her best friend would carry the iPad around so Sophia could talk to all of her classmates.

Sophia’s digital experience extended way beyond the classroom; she participated in a school-wide pep rally via the iPad—although she says that the noise was a little overwhelming through the tablet. “Being included in Pace events and activities through the iPad really helped her heal,” says her mother.

Lefever has been at Pace for five years and hadn’t tried teaching or communicating with a student on a tablet before. He found it to be a great success because it is so interactive; Sophia would even take tests with her classmates. Written exams were sent home with her little sister, Clara, and Sophia would sit down in front of the iPad and take her test along with the class.

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

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

Sophia returned to school in February and is now back to using her iPad for fun and games.

Her situation illustrates Pace’s individualized approach to technology, as well as Lefever’s creativity and willingness to help. It is a great reflection of the Pace motto. “The courage to strive for excellence” doesn’t just apply to Pace students; the teachers who guide, support and educate these students deserve credit for being adaptable and making new things happen.

Sophia Ellis at home using FaceTime

— by Robin LaLone ’12

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

17

AROUND PACE

Celebrating Our “Queen of the Knights” More than 750 members of the Pace community gathered on April 5 for the Parents Club’s annual Auction & Gala. This year’s theme, “Queen of the Knights,” honored retiring Head of Lower School Anna Valerius, who has served the school for 31 years.

The beautiful event, chaired by parents Michele Boushka, Jessica Sutherland Levenson ’93 and Leigh Draughon Walsh ’81, took place in the Georgia Aquarium’s Oceans Ballroom. The evening included a performance by the Upper School chorus, live and silent auctions, a delicious dinner and tributes to Pace’s beloved “Mrs. V.” Former chairs of the Pace Academy Board of Trustees presented Valerius with a beautiful bracelet, plane tickets to Europe and a painting by artist Steve Penley that depicts Valerius greeting Lower School students at the Randall House door, as she’s done for more than 18 years. The painting, a gift from Pace parents Stephanie and Mitch Nelson, will hang in the Pace Lower School for years to come.

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

Photos by Ashton Staniszewski

18

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

AROUND PACE

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

19

AROUND PACE

20

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

AROUND PACE

It’s Time… to Finish Construction!

Many in the Pace community are looking forward to a summer of downtime, rest and vacations, but the Upper School project team will be busy putting the finishing touches on what is quickly becoming the remarkable new Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

While it seems like only yesterday, it was almost 12 months ago that the first construction crews arrived on site to begin one of the most transformative projects on the Pace campus —and what an experience it’s been!

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

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

Inside the building, construction crews have finished installing mechanical systems, walls have been closed up and painting has begun.

Over the next three months, all of the flooring, ceilings, millwork packages and audio/visual systems will arrive for immediate installation.

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

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

Instead of heading to a landfill, the furnishings and equipment will find a meaningful new home.

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

So, enjoy your summer of relaxation… as for us, we’ll be working to make sure that The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School is ready for your return! It’s going to be a busy summer… we can’t wait!

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

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

21

WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Owen & Harrison Moncino

Harrison Moncino, Back-to-Back State Champ

On February 7, junior Harrison Moncino took to the diving board to defend his 2013 state championship in this year’s GHSA competition. He finished the day with a score of 573.65—nearly 90 points ahead of his closest competitor —and another state title.

“It feels amazing,” Moncino told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m overjoyed to be two-time state champion…

I’m hoping for a three-peat next year and also a four-time All-American.” Moncino, a two-time All-American, has broken all Pace diving records and was the state runner-up as a freshman.

Sophomore Owen Moncino, finished in fifth place with a score of 413.20, his strongest meet ever. Both boys received All-State honors.

Left: Two-time State Champion Harrison Moncino displays perfect form.

Above: Owen Moncino

22

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Top Row: Elizabeth Roos, Anna Van Zyverden, Corinne Orr, Katie Nelson and Caroline Mills Bottom Row: Brenner Appel, Madison Graham, Grace Ferry, Gwynnie LaMastra and Annie Butler

Spotlight on Girls Swimming Sixth in the state, first in Class A Here’s the thing about swimming: it’s an all-classification sport, which means, unlike other Georgia High School Association activities, athletes compete against all other athletes in the state —not just those in their respective classes.

But swimming against schools five The third- and sixth-place relay team times the size of Pace doesn’t intimidate the dream team of senior Gwynnie LaMastra and sophomores Brenner Appel, GracE Ferry and Madison Graham. “We just try to go fast,” LaMastra says.

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

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

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

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

LaMastra has committed to continue her athletic career at Johns Hopkins University next fall. Her teammates say they’ll miss her, but they feel they ended the season appropriately. “[Our state performance] was the best going-away gift we could give Gwynnie,” Appel says. “We can’t wait to go visit her in Baltimore.”

WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

The Boys State Team

Gwynnie LaMastra

Varsity Swimming

Coached by John Ague

After a strong season, the varsity swimming team had a recordsetting weekend at the GHSA State Championships in early February.

In a field of 44 schools, the girls team finished sixth in the state, and the boys finished 22nd.

While Pace’s three boys relay teams performed well in the preliminary round of competition, they failed to qualify for the finals. The

Lauren Hadley

girls 200-medley and 400-freestyle relay teams, however, advanced to the finals, where they finished third and sixth in the state, respectively, and set new school records in both races (see opposite page).

The team will lose seniors Kal Golde, LaMastra, Elizabeth Roos and Wilson Alexander.

Evelyn Hobbs

Zoe Weitzner

Varsity Girls Basketball Coached by Regina Tate

The varsity girls basketball team finished the regular season with an overall record of 12–12 and a third-place regular-season finish in Region 5A. The team advanced to the state tournament but lost in

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

Hannah Ferry

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

23

WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Tripp Conrad

Armani Lashley

John King

Varsity Boys Basketball Coached Demetrius Smith

The varsity boys basketball team faced tough competition over the course of the season, often going head to head with schools in much larger GHSA classifications. The Knights defeated Atlanta International School in the first round of the region tournament, but fell to Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in the quarterfinal. They ended the season with a 14–12 record.

Senior Armani Lashley and junior Elijah Holifield were named to the All-Region team. The Knights will lose seniors Tripp Conrad, Carter Draughon, Denzel Franklin, John King, Lashley, Will Rucker, Kenny Selmon, Aaron Simon and Kameron Uter.

Elijah Holifield

Varsity Basketball Cheerleading Coached by Karen Sommerville

The varsity basketball cheerleaders kept players energized and fans on their feet throughout the 2013–2014 season. Their spirit permeated pep rallies, and the squad bids farewell to seniors Mackenzie Attridge, Hallie Bedol, Katie Brewster,

24

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Morgan Brewton-Johnson, Kelly Brown, Eda Calapkulu, Jessica Cooper, Lauren Flick, Amelia Hess, Madison Hoff, Katie Lucke, Riley Muse, Corey Richards and Hannah Seabright.

WINTER SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Sloman

Jack Walsh

Phillip Werner

Varsity Wrestling

Coached by Mark Sommerville Following a strong varsity wrestling season, seniors Keith Tremege and Phillip Werner, sophomore Jack Walsh and freshman DeAndre Byrd advanced to the sectional tournament.

Tremege and Werner placed fifth in the tournament, while Walsh finished third and advanced to the state meet. Walsh placed fifth in

Knights Head to College

Gwynnie LaMastra

Nine of the 107 members of the Class of 2014 have committed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. Congratulations to the following student-athletes!

Pace Athletics recognized its future college athletes during a special morning assembly on March 7. From left to right: LaMastra, Uter, Datoc, King, Franklin, Bussey and Selmon (not pictured: Conrad and Ramirez)

Pace Athletics recognized its Division I college athletes on National Signing Day in February.

Top row: Ramirez and Datoc; Bottom row: Uter, Franklin and Selmon

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

Johns Hopkins University, swimming

Alex Bussey

John King

University of New Haven, volleyball

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, football

Tripp conrad

Raphael Ramirez

College of Coastal Georgia, golf

North Carolina State University, baseball

Jared Datoc

Kameron Uter

Georgia Institute of Technology, baseball

Wake Forest University, baseball and football

Denzel Franklin

Kenny Selmon

Stanford University, football

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, track

Eighth-Grade Boys Win League Title

Under the leadership of coaches Pete Pope and Chris Slade, the eighthgrade boys basketball team entered the league tournament at the Paideia School as the No. 1 seed.

In the semifinals, the Knights defeated W.D. Mohammed 41–19 to advance to the championship game. They delivered a thrilling 53–36 win over Fulton Leadership Academy and took the championship title on Saturday, Jan 25.

The Knights ended the season with a 12–1 record, their sole loss a four-point heartbreaker in the first game of the season. Harrison Lewis, Caleb Holifield, Jonathan Rushton and Michael Simon were named to the all-tournament team.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

25

GLOBAL EDUCATION

Spring Break — Pace Academy Style Global education takes students to Cambodia and Tanzania.

Cambodia In March, high temperatures in the Cambodian city of Battambang hover around 95 degrees, and rain is scarce. But the 19 Upper School students who traveled to the northwestern section of the Asian nation in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International didn’t let the conditions slow their work.

For four days, students dug foundations for four homes, laid bricks, tied rebar, moved tons of earth, and mixed and poured concrete. It was backbreaking but rewarding labor.

They remained focused not only on constructing homes but on building relationships.

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

When the students weren’t building cement pilings or shoveling dirt, they explored Cambodia. Their travels included visits to the capital city of Phnom Pen, the Royal Palace, the Killing Fields and multiple temples. They even rode elephants around the Bayon, a Khmer temple at Angkor.

In addition to Rhodes, the group included faculty advisors Trish Anderson and Tommy Hattori, seniors Tommy Burruss, Callie Cunningham, Scarlett Chang, Sam Downey, Evelyn Hobbs, Mackenzie Kelly, Elizabeth Roos, William Rushton and Bobby Stonecipher, and juniors Julia Beck, Anna Brown, Hannah Ferry, Grace Francour, Larine Hamied, Hannah Kelly, Caroline Mills, Rachel Morrisroe, Blake Murphy and Claire Snyder.

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

26

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

odia !

Camb

GLOBAL EDUCATION

In Their Own Words

Tanzania !

“Every day of the trip was incredible, but the days we spent on the build site were without a doubt my favorite.

We built strong relationships with the homeowners, skilled workers and translators—even with the language barrier.

I learned far more than I ever could have in the classroom. I learned that there is so much out there that we can’t experience through reading about it in text books, and that even as students, we truly have the capability to make an impact in the world. The Cambodia trip further instilled in me a love for travel and helping others. I am certain that this will not be my last Habitat for Humanity trip.” — senior Elizabeth Roos “The summit night climb [up Kilimanjaro] was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was seven hours straight through a blizzard in the middle of the night on no sleep. At the top it was so cloudy that you couldn’t see down, but we did watch the sunrise, and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Everything about the trip made it honestly the best two weeks of my life.” — junior Lacey O’Sullivan “One of my favorite parts of the [Cambodia] trip was trying to figure out ways to communicate with the people we were working with and the children that were so eager to interact with us.

We soon discovered that the smile is truly a universal language! Even if I was completely messing up the little bit of Khmer that I had learned, the people would still smile at me as if they understood, and then we would both begin to laugh. It was an incredibly rewarding trip that truly changed my life.”

— junior Anna Brown

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

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

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

They began their ascent up Kilimanjaro on March 9 and would spend five nights and six days on the treacherous peak.

Singleton worked with Massai Wanderings, a company that coordinated an army of guides, cooks and porters —48 individuals in all —who helped make the trip possible. The group spent five to eight hours each day gaining altitude in oftenmiserable conditions; the rainy season came early, bringing with it rain, hail, snow and sleet. “[Gus Whyte] and I were so proud of the kids,” Singleton says. “They accomplished so much more every single day than they ever thought they could. We became a well-functioning little family. Every single person had a bad day and needed help, and every single person had a good day and could provide help.”

To celebrate the climb, the group participated in a two-day overnight safari in the Ngorongoro Crater and the Lake Manyara region. “It was a great way to end the trip,” says junior Lacey O’Sullivan.

In addition to Singleton, Whyte and O’Sullivan, the group included juniors Anna Hoffman, Lydia James, Sarah Lettes, Katie Nelson, Carolyn Propst and Sarah Thomson, sophomores Natalie Novellas, Jilly Paul and James Sadlo and freshman Thomas Hoover.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

27

GARCIA FAMILY MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Garcia Family. From left to right: Christopher, Ali, Andrew, Matthew, Carol, Paul, Elizabeth and PJ

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

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

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

PJ passed away on Aug. 17, 2013, and to honor his memory, his father, Pace Life Trustee Paul Garcia, his mother, Carol, and his siblings Matthew ’03, Andrew, Christopher, Ali ’11 and Elizabeth ’11 have endowed the PJ Garcia Scholarship Fund.

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

28

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

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

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

The Family Behind the Gift The Garcia family moved to Atlanta from Florida in 1999, when Paul took over as CEO of Global Payments, one of the world’s lead-

ing payment-processing companies. With six children, Carol and Paul took the task of finding a school home very seriously.

They enlisted the services of former Pace Headmaster and educational consultant George Kirkpatrick, who introduced them to the school.

“We loved that Pace was a diverse community,” Carol remembers. “We liked its small size.

It just felt right to us.” Matthew and Andrew enrolled, and the others soon followed.

“I started at Pace as a sophomore,” says Matthew, now a partner at NSG/SWAT, a New York-based marketing, branding and advertising firm. “My experience was really positive from the beginning. This far removed, I don’t think of the fact that I wasn’t there for all four years of high school. Pace is

GARCIA FAMILY MIDDLE SCHOOL

“We had some insight into the fact that funding for financial aid is not keeping pace with everything else the school does” Paul says. “It’s time to change that.” where I have all my memories. It’s like I was there the whole time.”

Paul and Carol also quickly became involved in the life of the school. Carol volunteered in the snack bar for nine years —“the place where you really learn what’s happening in the school,” she says. Paul joined the Board of Trustees and chaired development efforts during the Middle School capitol campaign. He served on the search committee that selected current Head of School Fred Assaf and later became Board chairman. He currently leads Pace Academy’s Life Trustees.

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

Ali, a junior at Tulane University, agrees.

“Pace has done so much for me—not just for my education, but for my overall wellbeing,” she says. “Pace teaches students to be happy with whom they are and celebrates the fact that each student is unique. It made me the person I am today.”

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

PJ Garcia

and students truly impacted my life,” Elizabeth says. “I could not imagine having gone to a better high school.”

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

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

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

The Garcia’s gift is the largest Pace has received for financial aid, and to recognize that gift in a tangible way, the school will name the Middle School in their honor.

“Having our name on a building won’t hurt if we want our grandkids to go to Pace,” Paul says with a laugh. But it’s also significant in that Paul led the campaign that made the building a reality. “We love the Middle School and are honored beyond words,” he says.

And how would PJ feel about his family’s gift? “PJ would feel great about it,” Paul says.

“Pace was a wonderful place for him.” •

What is an Endowment Gift?

Endowment giving is both timeless and limitless. Gifts contributed to Pace Academy’s endowment can fall into two categories. First, gifts without specific limitations go into a general endowment fund. This fund is important as it gives the school maximum flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the institution.

It functions as a permanent financial resource, spent when necessary at the discretion of the Board of Trustees to accomplish the school’s mission and navigate unanticipated circumstances.

Second, Pace receives support from restricted endowment funds.

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

For more information about gifts to Pace’s endowment, please call Heather White, director of Advancement, at 404-240-9107.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

29

WALSH FIELD

Walsh Field

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

30

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

WALSH FIELD

Artist's rendering

W

“When we launched the Aim High capital campaign in August 2012, our objective was to build an outstanding Upper School,” says Head of School Fred Assaf.

Mission accomplished—and then some.

In April, Assaf announced that the $32-million Aim High campaign for a new Upper School had exceeded $35 million. “Throughout the Aim High campaign, the generosity of the Pace community has been overwhelming. To exceed our goal was the most welcome of surprises,” he told parents and faculty.

But the good news didn’t stop there. Assaf also revealed that the Pace Academy Board of Trustees had designated the additional funds for the construction of a state-of-the-art stadium and track at the school’s Athletics Complex, informally known as Riverview Road.

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

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

Leigh and Tim Walsh have long been connected to Pace. Leigh’s mother, Lyn Draughon, taught Spanish at the school for 12 years. The Walsh’s eldest child, James ’12, is a Pace alumnus, and son Jack ’16 and daughter Megan ’18 are current students. Tim

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

“We are blessed to give back to the school that has given our family so much,” Tim says. “We both had life-changing educational experiences at Pace, and it’s been equally Leigh & Tim Walsh transformative for our children. Athletics are important to us because participation in sports teaches skills that serve students well throughout their lives. Dedication, preparation, teamwork, winning, losing, overcoming adversity—all of these elements should be part of a young person’s education.”

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

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

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

31

ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

A Vision for the Future 32

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Pace Academy announces plans to launch the Isdell Center for Global Leadership.

W

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

33

ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

The Isdell Center for Global Leadership “As we start to think strategically about the next 10 years, our focus will be on sustaining the growth we’ve experienced through further innovations and advances in teaching and learning,” says Head of School Fred Assaf, who joined the Pace community in 2005 and oversaw many of the aforementioned capital improvements and initiatives. “We want to concentrate on our fundamental calling and think carefully about how best to fulfill our mission. How do we remain at the forefront of teaching and learning, and how do we best develop young men and women who not only have a deep understanding of the world and the people around them, but who also want to be successful while making a positive difference?”

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

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

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

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

Defining the ICGL “At Pace, we strive to give our students an excellent education in all subject areas and an awareness of the world around them,” says Trish Anderson, director of global education and service learning as well as an Upper School history teacher and dean. “But as the world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, the traditional gap between scholarship and global citizenship is narrowing. We want to make sure we provide students with more meaningful opportunities to explore this connection between learning and life in the classroom and in the wider world.”

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

The ICGL

by Division While the ICGL will unite students and faculty in all divisions, the student experience within each division will vary.

Lower School • Expand Design Think • Cross-cultural

exploration of theme • Projects with

partner schools • Coding development lab • Policy simulation program • Study tour for rising

sixth graders

[ Ann u a l

34

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

G l o b a l

T h e m e ]

ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

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

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

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

• Science & Technology • Culture & Arts • Social Entrepreneurship & Business • Service & Environmental Sustainability • Public Policy & International Relations

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

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

The outstanding Pace faculty will serve as the heart of the ICGL, and faculty support will be central to its mission. The ICGL will serve as a resource for teachers as they develop ideas for their classrooms.

It will offer curricular and co-curricular opportunities, and it will provide support and training, particularly when it comes to technology.

Through the ICGL, faculty may participate in professional development and serve as divisional coordinators or advisory board members.

They’ll interact with annual scholars in residence and receive financial support for international study tours. “We also hope that the ICGL’s cross-divisional structure will facilitate more sustained and

Middle School

Upper School

• Integrate theme

• Dive into five focus areas

into curriculum

• Isdell CARE Fellowship

• Global issues classes

• Isdell Global Leaders

• Service learning classes

• Isdell Global Internships

• Expand policy

• Social entrepreneurship

simulation program • Expand science and

technology teams • Domestic and

international study tours

• Additional co-curricular

support • Internships • Domestic and

international study tours

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

35

ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

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

36

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

meaningful relationships with colleagues in other divisions,” Assaf says.

Alumni and parents will play a key role in the ICGL as well. Assaf and others will search for community mentors, advisory board members, speakers and internship connections.

“The ICGL will offer alumni and parents a chance to connect with Pace in a way that doesn’t carry any sort of financial burden,” Assaf says. “It will provide people in our community other tangible ways to give, and that’s really exciting to me.”

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

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

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

The Next Steps The ICGL will launch with the start of the 2014–2015 school year with Anderson at the helm. In its first year, its focus will be exploration and analysis with the goal of refining and solidifying the program’s curriculum and structure. One of Anderson’s initial tasks will be to discuss with faculty and divisional leaders Pace’s current co-curricular offerings with a view towards integration and expansion through the new program.

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

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

ISDELL CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP

Making Truly Global Education a Reality The Isdell family is addicted to travel. “It’s infectious,” says Neville Isdell, former CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, a Pace Life Trustee and a current Pace grandparent. “It’s a disease that my wife, Pamela, and I have passed on to our daughter, Cara Isdell Lee ’97. She’s trying to pass it along to her son, Rory Lee ’26.”

Yet to call the Isdell’s affliction “travel” doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s more a fervent commitment to exploring the world with the intent of truly comprehending other people, other cultures, other ways of seeing things; it’s an attempt to understand how the world works. “We live in a globalized society,” Isdell says. “You have to appreciate that connection to be successful in the world of tomorrow.”

Isdell knows what he’s talking about. At 70, he’s lived in 11 countries and served at the helm of one of the world’s most recognized brands, where he worked for 43 years.

He keeps a list of the countries he’s visited.

The current tally sits at 145.

“My education was moving around the world,” Isdell says. He spent his early years in Northern Ireland but relocated to Zambia at age 10. An Irish geography teacher inspired his curiosity about far-flung locales. “He was fascinating and made the subject interesting,” Isdell recalls. “He captured the excitement of other cultures and places. I was lucky. His lessons weren’t curriculum-based; he made them all come to life. That doesn’t always happen.”

Indeed, over the course of Isdell’s recent travels, he has observed “a rise of a national ethos—not just in the U.S.— that rejects how other people live and what they do,” he explains. “To me that is very dangerous to the development of a global society.”

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

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

Programs like the Social Entrepreneurship Challenge and global education are a good start, but Head of School Fred Assaf and the Isdells envisioned something more far-reaching. “There are global education programs that don’t have depth and philosophy,” Isdell says. “They only scratch the surface.”

The secret to that depth, Isdell believes, is starting young. “A truly global education must begin at a young age and grow as children pick up on the nuances of what’s happening around them and in the rest of the world,” he says.

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

As a Pace alumna and a current parent, Cara Isdell Lee has a unique perspective. She became involved with the service learning program during junior high. “We had the opportunity to go with older kids to volunteer.

I went to Perry Homes, [a public housing project that has since been demolished].

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

The service learning program at Pace was so meaningful to Cara Isdell Lee that she endowed The Cara Isdell Service Learning Award, which is given annually to a sophomore student. Her interactions with older students had a tremendous impact as well— one that was highlighted again during a field trip to Zoo Atlanta this past fall. Cara Isdell Lee served as a chaperone when Pre-First students explored the zoo with seniors in Advanced Placement environmental science.

“It was amazing to see how great the seniors are,” she says. “I was blown away. They’re wonderful, and the little ones so look up to them. We need more of that.”

Cara Isdell Lee will be intimately involved as the ICGL takes shape, and she has experience with building global leaders—one in particular. Rory, 6, already has two passports and has visited 22 countries. He speaks French and is learning Spanish. “He can talk to adults like an adult,” Cara Isdell Lee says.

“He talks about other countries —he’s even on the UNICEF Youth Board.”

It’s that kind of confidence and adaptability that the Isdells hope the ICGL will instill in other Pace students. “We’ve seen Rory grow and benefit from travel and interactions with different kinds of people and places,” Pamela Isdell says. “We want other children to benefit from that too.” •

The Isdell Family

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

37

ALUMNI

Photo courtesy of St Andrews

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

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

The town of 20,000 is home to the University of St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university and the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world. While the ancient city may be the birthplace of golf, in recent years, it has become home to a growing number of Pace alumni.

Since 2006, seven Pace students have enrolled at St Andrews—an impressive number given the relatively small size of Pace’s graduating classes. According to the university’s admissions department, 19 students from the state of Georgia applied during the 2012–2013 admissions cycle; Claire Wiskind ’13 was among the six that enrolled. The year before, Alex Miller ’12 and Alexandra Sugarman ’12 made

38

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

up a significant percentage of the Georgia contingency.

“We’ve found that once we get one or two students from a school—and they succeed and enjoy themselves as they invariably do—they then tell all their friends and the snowball starts to roll,” says Alex Rougvie, director of St Andrews Extension Programmes.

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

Michael Melia ’09 was the next Pace alumnus to enroll at St Andrews and has remained in the UK to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. David Hardin ’11 followed, and William Rushton ’14 will

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

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

“As college counselors, we love to talk about colleges that are out-of-the-box,” says Director of College Counseling Gavin Bradley. “That’s our job. We find that the more challenged students are, the more they

ALUMNI

learn and grow as individuals.” So, Bradley and his team very consciously build relationships with schools like St Andrews and McGill University in Montreal—and the universities do the same.

“We work quite hard at recruiting [students from Pace and the U.S.],” says Rougvie.

“Around 15 percent of our undergraduates are from America. We love having them!”

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

These efforts pay off. Wiskind recalls picking up a catalog from St Andrews’ table at a local college fair. “Their classes on international relations and Middle Eastern studies sounded amazing,” she says. Encouragement from Secor only heightened her interest.

St Andrews is one of Europe’s most prestigious and selective universities and draws students from all over the globe. The school averages 11 applicants per opening, so it goes without saying that accepted students must make the grade. But, according to Hugh Martin, former executive officer to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor at St Andrews and now chief of staff to the Director and President at the London School of Economics and Political Science, just because an applicant has an outstanding academic record doesn’t mean he or she is a fit for the school. “[When I was at St Andrews], we looked first and foremost for students for whom studying at a prestigious and ancient university in another country was a challenge that they wanted and understood— at least in part— what it entailed,” Martin says.

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

Wiskind agrees. “Pace helped me figure out what I was interested in. I participated in global education trips that helped me get a taste for what it’s like visiting other parts of the world and made me want to explore more.

Pace also helped me become very independent and responsible for myself and my goals.”

That sense of independence and self-suf-

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

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

“I don’t really have this sense of being surrounded by foreignness, and technology makes keeping in touch fairly easy,” Wiskind says. “I only feel really far away when I accidentally text my parents at 9 a.m. my time, and they aren’t very happy because it’s 4 a.m. at home.”

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

Harbin now speaks fluently and is in school at HEC Paris, Europe’s leading business school. She recently accepted a digital strategy and marketing position with CANAL+, a French film and television studio and distributor. She loves la vie française and doesn’t foresee her stint as an expatriate ending any time soon. “I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever return to the U.S.,” she says.

The same might be true for Wiskind. “My experience so far has been amazing purely because of the exposure to students from all over the world and seeing how much is similar— as corny as that sounds. I love living in a foreign country.” There’s a good chance she’ll continue to live abroad following graduation.

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

1

2

3

4

5 1. Amy Secor, William Rushton '14, Gavin Bradley and Director of St Andrews Extension Programs Alex Rougvie during Rougvie's recent visit to Pace 2. Michael Melia '09 3. Claire Wiskind '13 (right) and friends in St Andrews' official academic gowns 4. Jordan Harbin '06 (left) in Paris with her brother, Marshall Harbin '12, a student at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Their sister, Connor '10, is a student at Canada's McGill University.

5. Alexandra Sugarman '12

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

39

ALUMNI

A Life of Purpose

Erin Mazursky ’03 is changing the world one community at a time.

It’s amazing what can happen when a stellar athletic career ends with an injury.

At 19, Erin Mazursky ’03 had no way of knowing a broken foot would open so many unimaginable doors. But now, at 29, Mazursky realizes that the premature conclusion of her tenure as goalie of the Georgetown University soccer team helped steer her to the cutting edge of community and neighborhood empowerment in the United States and across the globe.

Apparently, that’s what happens when you trade soccer practice for anti-genocide student-activist meetings. “I knew I was interested in working on issues around poverty and what causes poverty in our world,” says Mazursky, recalling her days as a culture and politics major. “That really drove me to think about the systemic problems in our society that allow poverty to exist.”

In those days, the events in Darfur held a steady place in the news cycle. It was the kind of international human rights crisis that ignited Mazursky’s passion to bring about change, and—with an extra 40 hours each week—she had the time to organize and energize others around that cause.

“I wound up helping found a student group called STAND (standnow. org),” she says. “It became an anti-genocide advocacy group around ending the genocide in Darfur.”

She can’t help but laugh as she tells the story, realizing how young she was to be reaching for such an ambitious goal. “[It was] my sophomore year in college,” she says, smiling. “I think we very naively were like, ‘We’ll create this political will, and then we can go about our business.’”

Naive as it may have been, the passion produced results. As the crisis in Darfur carried on, STAND continued to pull in followers, with Mazursky leading the way. “We went from one chapter at Georgetown to more than 1,000 chapters in 30 countries within three years,” she says. “It showed me the power of organizing—not just educating people, but giving them a way to take action around something they really cared about.”

Since then, Mazursky’s passion has taken her to virtually every corner of the earth: Albania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Turkey, Nicaragua, India, and the list goes on.

Whether assisting a youth movement in advance of Albanian parliamentary elections or helping create a constituency in India focused on ending violence against women, Mazursky has been unafraid to immerse herself in the most demanding and stressful humanitarian situations imaginable.

“I’ve been a community organizer at heart my whole life,” Mazursky explains. She says she saw herself that way even before working on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

“I think that community organizing oftentimes gets a bad rap. I’ve heard ‘socialist,’ ‘communist,’ ‘liberal’— whatever it is. To me, community organizing is about taking responsibility to enable others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty.”

It is a calling Mazursky embraces, though the reality of working in the non-profit world means she will likely forego a career path that might lead to more comfort and stability.

“In a lot of ways, I’m kind of winging it,” she says. It is true for her now more than ever. She recently left a well-paying position with Purpose, a New York-based strategyconsulting firm. Mazursky left because she had a vision for which she was willing to sacrifice her own stability.

Mazursky with then Senator Barack Obama and actor George Clooney at a rally to save Darfur at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The rally took place in the spring of 2006, and Mazursky, Obama and Clooney each addressed the more than 75,000 participants.

ALUMNI

1 “When you start your own business or organization, the money doesn’t come immediately,” she says. Instead, the payoff has been the formation and growth of her own community-empowerment organization.

She calls it Rhize.

“Rhize is sort of a double entendre,” she explains. “I was taken by the idea of the rhizome, which is a network of roots, like the ginger root, that, if separated from the network, can grow its own network and continue to flourish.”

Network. Grow. Flourish. These are the same key words Mazursky applies to people and neighborhoods.

“The vision for Rhize is communities of action around the world— places in which people have the access to the tools and the connections to create the change they want to see,” she says.

Though she lives in New York, Mazursky’s hometown is Rhize’s current base.

“We think Atlanta is at this tipping point of transformation, where you have young people moving back into the city, taking ownership of their neighborhoods,” she says. “We’re launching a dinner-party project called Cities of Purpose, where we’re asking people to host dinner parties of six to 14 people and just go around the table and talk about what they love about Atlanta. What brought you to Atlanta? What made you stay? What is your greatest hope? From that, we want to help people design initiatives to activate on this hope and vision for our city.”

So far, it’s going well. “In our first week, we had 100 people sign up to host a dinner,” Mazursky says. Not long after that, the number soared to 196 sign-ups and 3,000 participants—and the numbers continue to grow. Atlanta seems to be an appropriate setting for the rise of Rhize. After all, Mazursky grew into the leader she is today by virtue of the leadership and community-service roles she assumed while at Pace.

“It all started at Pace,” she says. “Pace really prepared me for the world in a way. It was a place of opportunity. I was better prepared in college than a lot of my peers. I loved the service program. I was a peer leader, which was one of the best experiences I had. It was a positive, reaffirming environment that gave me a lot of opportunity to find what I loved later in life.”

Eleven years after leaving the friendly confines of 966 W. Paces Ferry Road, Mazursky is doing precisely what she loves, grounded in the virtues attained from eight years of Pace Academy experiences and education.

“We all work to be our best and to be the best version of ourselves,” she says. “And I just continue to try and figure out how I can make the biggest impact in the world.”

Visit rhize.org and action.imperative.com for more information about Rhize and Cities of Purpose.

2

3

4 1. Mazursky with members of Georgetown's STAND chapter after a campus rally in the fall of 2005.

2. Leading a strategy session with STAND's national managing committee in the fall of 2006.

3. Speaking on a panel at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, alongside US–AU Ambassador Michael Battle while she was serving as Youth Advisor at USAID in the spring of 2011.

4. Mazursky blocks a shot for the Georgetown women's soccer team.

She was the starting goalkeeper her freshman year before injury ended her soccer career.

— by Will Frampton ’99

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

41

ALUMNI

Jones and her fiancé, Peter Gaff, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in June 2013

Calm in Times of Crisis

Rebecca Jones ’96 is on a global mission.

To say Rebecca Jones ’96 loves to travel would be the ultimate understatement. The Pace alumna has been to more than 50 countries and is currently serving a three-month term in Nairobi, Kenya, with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Civilian Response. As a crisis response program officer, she can be deployed on USAID missions anywhere in the world for two to 12 months at a time.

A deployment can entail any variety of responsibilities —from serving as an interim Foreign Service Officer to responding to an emergency.

Currently, Jones works to manage USAID’s response to the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR), where recent violence between religious groups threatens to descend into genocide. The international response to the conflict in CAR has been slow. Because U.S. representatives are rarely permitted to enter the country due to security risks, Jones is based in nearby Kenya. She periodically travels to Cameroon to meet with program partners, monitors the humanitarian situation in CAR, holds meetings with researchers, experts and representatives from donor governments, and gives guidance to conflict prevention organizations on the ground in CAR. For Jones, the most rewarding aspect of the job is the opportunity to make an impact and potentially save lives, while trying to put a stop to a conflict that is spiraling out of control. “International development is a long-term process,” Jones explains. “It’s hard to see results right away… but I love my job. I love everything I do.”

Jones is the first to admit that her career path has been a bit unconventional. “I think the common thread is that I’ve always wanted to do international work, and I’ve always wanted to help people,” she says.

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Georgia, Jones majored in art history and studied abroad in Italy. After graduation, she worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the American Red Cross helping disadvantaged and refugee communities in the Seattle area.

Looking to gain international experience, Jones served in the Peace

42

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Corps in Thailand for two years and found the experience challenging and immensely rewarding. She was eager to continue international work and enrolled in the Master of International Development program at American University in Washington, D.C. After completing her master’s degree, Jones was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow, a prestigious leadership-development position through the Office of Personnel Management. The fellowship provides employment opportunities in various departments of the federal government, and ultimately led Jones to her work with USAID. She worked for a year in D.C. on USAID’s Haiti projects and then spent two-and-a-half years on the ground in Haiti. Her current deployment to Kenya is her first posting with the Office of Civilian Response.

In her line of work, it is particularly important to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In her spare time, Jones soaks up music and art and enjoys getting outdoors—particularly running and hiking. Wedding planning is also on her to-do list these days. After her current deployment in Kenya, she will return to her home base in Washington, D.C., where she will get married in May. Looking back, Jones feels her Pace education helped prepare her for any variety of careers, particularly by honing her writing skills. “I would tell Pace students now that they should try to become the best writers possible,” she says. “Communication skills are extremely useful, no matter what job you go into.”

Where Jones's career path will lead her next is unclear. “I’ve always wanted to do something in a helping profession, and I’ve enjoyed every job I ever had,” she says. “But I like to say, ‘I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.’”

— by Lara Goodrich Ezor ’06

ALUMNI

Lira, Uganda, 2007. Jones shows humanitarian relief workers how to use a GPS device for data collection and analysis in camps for internally displaced persons.

Jones on the airstrip in Obo, a town in the southeastern Central African Republic.

Jones is pictured in a small community on an island in Thailand near the Burma border. She spent time there in 2004 performing a needs assessment with the Foundation for Children, a Thai NGO.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

43

ALUMNI

Where Are They Now? Lydia Dean Pilcher ’75 is a film and television producer and the founder of Cine Mosaic, a production company based in New York City. Cine Mosaic has established itself as one of New York’s leading independent production companies, and Lydia recently produced Cutie and the Boxer, a documentary that explores the 40-year marriage of painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. The film was nominated for a 2014 Academy Award.

Matthew Cohen ’95 has joined First Long Island Investors as assistant general counsel. The company is located in Jericho, N.Y. Matthew and his wife, Keren, recently moved to Melville, N.Y. They are expecting a child in May. Ethan Smith ’95 shared his struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the winter issue of the KnightTimes. Following the article’s publication, Ethan was selected as the keynote speaker for the 2014 International OCD Foundation Conference. Ethan is a writer, director, producer and actor in Los Angeles. His latest film, Dark House, debuted in theaters in March.

Rob Haining ’00 recently began a new job as an engineer at Modest, Inc., a Chicago-based startup focused on building retail solutions for mobile devices. The company’s founders previously ran technology for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. In his new role, Rob is developing the mobile software that will power the platform. He lives in New York City.

After six years in San Francisco, Scott Riddell ’00 moved to Los Angeles to accept a position with stylist, editor and designer Rachel Zoe’s media company, Zoe Media. Scott serves as a digital director for TheZoeReport, the company’s daily newsletter. He helps build strategy for new and existing advertising and media partners online and offline.

Scott represents the face of Zoe Media on the West Coast to its many global brand partners such as Gap, Nike, Levi’s and Intel.

“The atmosphere at the office is full of excitement, and working with Rachel and Rodger [Berman, Zoe’s husband and business partner] is a joy and incredibly surreal,” he says. “The company is experiencing major growth, so it is a honor to be a part of the Zoe team.”

Ben Thorpe ’00 was part of the three-person team that won the 64th Annual National Moot Court Competition on Feb. 13, 2014. The competition took place at the New York City Bar Association. Ben also won the award for Best Individual Speaker. He is a third-year student at the University of Georgia School of Law and recently argued a case before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Annie Callahan ’03 has been accepted to Vanderbilt University’s Master’s of Clinical Mental Heath Counseling program on a partial scholarship. She will move to Nashville in the fall. Most recently, Annie has worked in makeup artistry and commercial real estate office management. She ran the Atlanta Half Marathon this past Thanksgiving.

44

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Andrew Henderson ’05 has been accepted to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program. In July, he and his wife, Kathleen, will move from Denver to New Haven, Conn., where Andrew will begin the two-year program.

McCoy Pitt ’06 graduated from The University of Virginia School of Law in December 2013 with a JD and a master’s in foreign affairs. He is living in Paris for five months and will begin working in Washington, D.C., in October 2014.

Jon Allen ’10, a student at Boston’s Emerson College, recently performed in the Wheelock Family Theatre’s production of Hairspray.

The Boston Globe called the production “a highlight of the theater season” and singled out Allen’s performance, calling him “a seductively loose-limbed Seawood [Stubbs].”

Alex Davis ’11, a junior guard for Oglethorpe University’s men’s basketball team, was named to the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) All-Tournament Team. In the March SAA Championship game versus Centre College, Alex scored 17 points and had a game-high six assists.

Despite falling to Centre 76–75 in overtime, the team had one of the best seasons in the program’s history with a record 21 wins.

Claire Dillon ’11, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, was accepted to the school’s TexasMedia program, an intensive advertising track ranked No. 1 in the nation for media programs. Claire is one of 35 students working with clients to develop comprehensive media strategies and communication platforms.

Claire spent her 2013 summer and winter breaks as the sole intern for Sagepath, an Atlanta-based digital advertising agency that serves clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Racetrac, Kate Spade and Lululemon. This spring, she is managing a project for McDonald’s in Austin, and she will return to Atlanta to work for Sagepath again this summer. “My role within the company is getting bigger,” Claire says. “Sagepath has been much more than just a ‘first job’—it’s taken my abilities to the next level and is pushing me deeper into the [advertising] water.”

Claire will soon spend six weeks studying abroad in Aix-enProvence, France, where she’ll immerse herself in French culture while completing credits for a French and art history minor. There, she plans to visit Hallie Cross ’11, who will be working in Paris for Unruly Media, an advertising agency. “I cannot wait to get back to France,” Claire says. “The last time, I was there was on a Pace [global education study tour]!”

Robin LaLone ’12, a communications major at Auburn University, has been selected for one of four summer internships with Liz Lapidus Public Relations. The Atlanta-based boutique firm specializes in upscale retail, hospitality, real estate and art brands. Robin is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and serves on the sorority’s public relations and graphics committees. She is a volunteer with Reading is Fundamental, a children’s literacy organization, and is working towards a minor in Spanish.

ALUMNI

1

2

3

4

1. Jimmy Bernthal Andersen with his mother, Jamie Bernthal Andersen '01

5

6

7

2. Michael Wilk Hall 3. Elijah Jack Haygood 4. Anne Thomas Teegarden 5. Benjamin Alexander Silbert 6. Hayden Mary Andrews 7. Charlie Willingham Duckett with older brother William

BIRTHS Luckie Smith Duckett ’99 and her husband, Trey, welcomed Charles “Charlie” Willingham, on Feb. 19, 2014. Charlie joins big brother William, 3. The family recently moved back to the Atlanta area, where Trey has joined an orthopedic surgery practice.

Melanie Rushing Hall ’99 and her husband, Tom, had a son, Michael Wilk, on Feb. 11, 2014. He was 6 pounds 15 ounces. The family lives in Jackson, Wyo. Elizabeth McNeill Silbert ’99 and her husband, David, welcomed son Benjamin “Ben” Alexander on Jan. 2, 2014. The family lives in Atlanta, where both Beth and David work at the international law firm of King & Spalding.

Stewart Teegarden ’99 and his wife, Susanne, welcomed daughter Anne Thomas on Feb. 26, 2014. She joins big sister Mary Wade, 2. The family lives in Atlanta.

Daniel Andrews ’00 and his wife, Michelle, had a daughter, Hayden Mary, on Jan. 23, 2014. As a resident of New York City, Daniel reports that his No. 1 goal is to ensure that Hayden grows up a Braves fan and hates the Mets.

Jamie Bernthal Andersen '01 and her husband, James, joyfully welcomed their first child, James "Jimmy" Bernthal. Jimmy was born on March 8, 2014, and was 7 pounds, 1 ounce and 20.5 inches.

The family resides in New York, N.Y., where Jamie is a vice president at J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank, and James is a director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's investment bank.

Patrick Bowman ’01 and his wife, Dr. Kathryn Smith Bowman DVM, had a son, Daniel Rankin, on Dec. 7, 2013. After eight years of active-duty service and three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the United States Marine Corps, Patrick transitioned to the Reserves and civilian life. In September 2013, he and his wife moved back to Atlanta, where Patrick is maintenance manager for AmericanAirFilter International.

Hannah Osborn Haygood ’01 and her husband, Nate, moved to Bozeman, Mont., in 2012 and welcomed their first child, son Elijah Jack, on March 7, 2014. Hannah is a special education teacher at Bozeman High School. Nate works for Keller Williams Realty and will soon finish a degree in Natural Resources and Rangeland Ecology with a focus on Wildlife Habitat Management at Montana State University.

MARRIAGES Will Bruer ’99 and Anja Schoeke (a graduate of Atlanta International School) married in Sandy Springs on Oct. 12, 2013, at the home of Will’s parents. The Reverend Edith Woodling, a former Pace faculty member, officiated the ceremony.

Groomsmen included Andrew Griffin ’99, Tucker Ezell ’98, former Pace student David Wasserman and Patrick Corbett ’12. Other Pace alumni in attendance were Jon Blank ’99, Edgar Crossett ’99, Laura Adilman ’99, Caroline Owings ’99, Laura Shapiro ’99, Matt Stone ’99, Megan McSwain Mann ’99, David Lewis ’00 and Crawford Craige ‘00.

The couple lives in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Both Will and Anja are

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

45

ALUMNI

2

1

3

4

licensed psychologists and partners at Open Door Psychology, LLC in Alpharetta, Ga. Will also is employed by the Veterans Administration.

Beth Rose Boylston ’01 married Andrew Boylston at Atlanta’s Cherokee Town Club on Dec. 27, 2013.

Katherine Colbath Bishop ’00 married Cameron Bishop on Nov. 2, 2013, at Atlanta’s Peachtree Road Methodist Church. The couple lives in Atlanta. Katherine graduated from The University of the South and the Medical University of South Carolina. She is a physician assistant practicing dermatology in Buckhead. Cameron is originally from Hilton Head, S.C., graduated from Clemson University and received his master’s degrees from Georgia Tech. He is an architect with D. Stanley Dixon Architects.

Lain Shakespeare ’01 married Amelia Trace Lerner on June 29, 2013. The groom’s sister, Susie Shakespeare Karshner ’04, was in attendance. Amelia works in the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University. Lain works in the marketing department at MailChimp. The couple volunteers with the Wren’s Nest.

Ashley Morrison Soldan ’00 married Thomas Soldan in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8, 2014. Christina Morrison ’05 served as maid of honor. Jillian Tucker ’00 and Ansly Paulk Moyer ’00 were bridesmaids. Guests included Kell Harris ’00, Chrissy Brooker McWatters ’00, Mary Liebman ’00, Jenni Ridall Coale ’05, Maggie Matthews ’05 and Alex Marsden ’02. Ashley and Tom reside in Northern Virginia.

46

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Todd Pitt ’02 and Julie Niedzwiecki Pitt were married on Dec. 31, 2014, at Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta. They enjoyed a reception at the Ritz Carlton Downtown with family and friends from all over the United States and the world. Laura Bollman Cockey ’02 participated in the ceremony as a reader. Other Pace alumni in attendance included Benjamin Pitt ’05, Amanda Orrison ’08, McCoy Pitt ’06 and Ben Ewing ’06.

Todd is an infantry Captain in the United States Army. After graduating from Ranger school, he spent three years in Germany

ALUMNI

5

6 1. The Morrison/Soldan wedding 2. The Rose/Boylston wedding 3. The Davis/Carson wedding 4. The Colbath/Bishop wedding 5. Todd and Julie Pitt with Laura Bollman Cockey '02 and her husband, Preston.

6. The Parke/Ostenson wedding

7

and is currently in training at Fort Bragg, N.C. Julie is a graduate of The University of Georgia and received her MBA, first in her class, through Purdue University at the school’s satellite campus in Hannover, Germany.

Graham Carson ’03 married Jessica Davis in July 2013 in a community garden on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The reception was in Williamsburg, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, in a venue overlooking the East River and the Manhattan skyline. Pace graduates in attendance were Amanda Nemeroff ’04 and brother-of-thegroom Owen Carson ’04.

The couple lives in Denver, Colo., where Graham teaches preschool at the Denver Cooperative Preschool, and Jessica works as a technical writer. The couple enjoys hiking and exploring the outdoors. Graham is the son of longtime Pace English teacher Ricks Carson and the nephew of Pace French teacher Nancy Robinson.

7. The Schoeke/Bruer wedding

ceremony took place at Atlanta’s Church of the Apostles and was followed by a reception at Cherokee Town Club. Christina Nixon ’08, Emily Evans ’08 and Hannah Alexander ’08 served as greeters, and Cristina Flores ’08, Maggie Thomsen ’08, Kensey Baker ’08, Kate Heyer ’08 and Kayla Schmandt ’08 attended.

The couple met at the University of Georgia and lives in Atlanta.

Jeff is a sales engineer at Pardot, an Atlanta-based marketing automation software company. Katherine is an account executive at three, an integrated advertising agency. The Ostensons are in the process of adopting a puppy named Heidi from the Atlanta Humane Society. “We are excited to be building our lives together as newlyweds!”

Katherine says.

Katherine Parke Ostenson ’08 married Jeff Ostenson (an alumnus of Providence Christian Academy) on Feb. 22, 2014. The

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

47

Save the Date

Homecoming

& Reunion

Weekend

2014 Oct. 10 –11, 2014

Reunion Gatherings for the Classes of 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004 & 2009 More information at: www.paceacademy.org/ alumni/reunion #ReuKNIGHT2014

ALUMNI

IN MEMORIAM Dr. Robert Nye Downer, father of Martha Downer-Assaf, father-in-law of Head of School Fred Assaf, and grandfather of Jack ’13, Hank ’15, Mick ’16, Sam ’19 and Tommy Assaf ’21 passed away on Jan. 11, 2014. Robert practiced facial plastic surgery and pediatric otolaryngology in Dayton, Ohio. He was on the staff of Good Samaritan Hospital, Kettering Memorial Hospital and Children’s Medical Centre, where he served as chief of staff. He retired in 1995 from the practice of medicine and enjoyed golfing, theater, sports and traveling. “Dr. Downer will be deeply missed and remain in our hearts forever,” the family wrote.

Diane Macon, mother of Barclay MACON ’00 and former Pace student Marshall Macon, and wife of Barclay Macon, passed away on March 6, 2014, following a seven-year battle with cancer. “Diane’s passions were her family and her friends, the latter of whom are numerous and whose friendships she cherished,” her family wrote. “Always optimistic, her enthusiasm for life was a testament to her beautiful spirit.”

Robert Pastor, father of Kip Pastor ’00 and Tiffin Pastor Eisenberg ’99, and husband of Margy Pastor, passed away on Jan. 8, 2014, following a long battle with cancer. Pastor was “an influential scholar and policymaker who spent decades working for better inter-American relations and democracy and free elections in the Western Hemisphere,” the Associated Press reported.

Pastor was President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean, taught at Emory University and was a senior fellow at the Carter Center. He later served as vice president of international affairs for American University and went on to become director of the Center for North American Studies and the Center for Democracy and Election Management at the university.

He was a resource to Pace students and faculty during his years in Atlanta. “Bob made scholarship human,” recalls longtime faculty member Helen Smith. “His vast knowledge and wide experience did not separate him from students but allowed him to speak with insight and authority while recognizing how best to reach the group he was addressing. In times of emergency, such as the attacks of Sept. 11, he put Pace high on the list of what must have been innumerable demands on his time.”

Pace Academy Life Trustee Martha Thwaite passed away on Jan. 26, 2014. She was a longtime member of Northside Methodist Church and the Junior League, an avid Braves fan, and “the focal point of her family and the anchor for future generations.” Her family remembers her spunk and her “gracious, personable style.”

Martha is survived by her six children, including Lila Thwaite McAlpin ’74 and Walter Thwaite ’82; 12 grandchildren, including Lila McAlpin Retnasaba ’98, and Kirk ’00, Charlie ’02 and Henry McAlpin ’05; and seven great-grandchildren. She served Pace on the Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1984 and became a Life Trustee in 1985.

ALUMNI

Alumni Office Contributes to the Freshman 15 Alumni, send your news and photos to alumni@paceacademy.org.

Are you interested in helping coordinate your class’s upcoming reunion?

Email alumni@paceacademy.org

On Feb. 6, parents of the members of the Class of 2013 gathered in Knights Hall to stuff Valentine’s Day care packages for their college freshmen (pictured above).

During the event, which was organized by the Alumni Office, parents enjoyed catching up and sharing stories of move-in days, empty nests and campus visits. The 100 care packages included assorted candies, salted treats, the 2013 yearbook spring supplement, other must-have items and lots of parental (and Pace) love.

BABY KNIGHTS Have you recently welcomed a new addition to your family?

Let us know and we’ll send your little Knight his or her very own Pace T-shirt. Email alumni@paceacademy.org.

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

49

ALUMNI

ALUMNI OUT AND ABOUT

Send photos of you and your Pace classmates out and about to alumni@paceacademy.org.

In February 2014, David Grilli ’96 and Rebecca Jones ’96 had a chance meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, thanks to a series of business-related coincidences.

Rebecca works for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Civilian Response, and managed programs aimed at preventing mass atrocities in the Central African Republic (see story on page 42). She was in Entebbe on her way to visit the Central African Republic from Nairobi, where she is based. Rebecca lives in Washington, D.C., and is getting married in May 2014.

David is an 11-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps who continues to serve in the aviation field as a Department of Defense contractor at various overseas locations. They are pictured at a restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. David and his family live in Beaufort, S.C. Becky Arnold ’03 recently spent two weeks visiting Linda Oyesiku ’06 in Mozambique, where Linda has been serving as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer since May 2012. They visited the capital of Maputo as well as Linda’s site, Villa de Manjacaze, and two beach towns. Becky served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia from 2010–2012.

Becky Arnold '03 and Linda Oyesiku '06 in Mozambique

50

KnightTimes | Spring 2014

Alumni Speaker Series: David Hanson ’96 Visits Pace Seattle-based journalist, photographer and filmmaker David Hanson ’96 returned to his alma mater on April 9 as the Alumni

Association’s 2014 Alumni Speaker. David writes for magazines such as Southern Living, Outside, Mountain and National Geographic Adventure, and has traveled all over the world as a freelance journalist.

David and his brother, Michael Hanson ’99, recently paddled the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers for their most recent project, Who Owns Water, a documentary about the decades-old water wars in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. During his visit, David visited with students and screened his film for alumni, parents and other friends of Pace at an evening gathering.

David also works with WhyHunger.org, a non-profit, New York-based advocate for hunger awareness and community food security. Through portraits and personal stories, he documents recipients of USDA Community Food Project grants, grassroots initiatives aimed at increasing access to fresh, local food for lowincome communities. He and Michael co-authored the 2012 book Breaking Through Concrete.

Where's Sir Winsalot?

Let Sir Winsalot tag along on your summer vacations and share your travels with the KnightTimes using the hashtag #sirwinsalot.

Then, see where else he's been!

Have you liked, followed or joined us yet?

www.facebook.com/ paceacademyalumniassociation

www.linkedin.com/ paceacademyalumniassociation

www.twitter.com/ pacealumni

966 W. Paces Ferry Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327 www.paceacademy.org

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED If you have received multiple copies of this publication, please contact the Advancement Office at 404-240-9103 or advancement@paceacademy.org to update your address.

The Annual Fund is the most important yearly fundraising effort at Pace Academy.

We rely on the generous support of our parents, grandparents, alumni and friends to maintain the exceptional student experience so valued by our entire community. Gifts to the Annual Fund support all students and programs at Pace.

2013–2014 Annual Fund Goal: $1 million If you have not made your gift, please visit

www.paceacademy.org/annualfund.

All contributions must be paid by May 15, and are tax-deductible as allowed by current IRS regulations.

For questions or to make a gift of stock, contact the Advancement Office at 404-240-9103 or advancement@paceacademy.org.