KnightTimes Winter 2021

WINTER 2021

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

VOLLE Y BA LL WINS AGAIN

As You Like It U P P E R S C H O O L T H E AT R E I N N OVAT E S & E X C E L S

CROSS COUNTRY VA R S I T Y R U N N E R S S E T T H E PA C E

Live from Pace Academy…

It’s SATURDAY KNIGHT! Join us for the annual PACE ACADEMY AUCTION on Saturday, March 20. Pre-show programming starts at 6:30 p.m.; the live broadcast begins at 7 p.m.

The star-studded virtual production features members of the Pace community, surprise guests, a live auction and SKL Supper Club, family meals and prix fixe menus curated by Atlanta’s best chefs and restaurants.

Learn more and register at www.paceacademy.org/auction.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our students find ways to connect. This past fall, a friendly ping pong tournament brought Upper School students together under the large tent in the gardens.

Follow Pace! facebook.com/ paceacademy

instagram.com/ paceacademy

twitter.com/ paceacademy

When Pace Academy began school in person in August, many wondered if we would make it to Labor Day before the COVID-19 pandemic mandated a move to fully virtual learning. Seven months have come and gone since then and, with spring and vaccines on the horizon, a glimmer of light may just be visible at the end of the tunnel.

Not long ago, I caught up with a member of the senior class and asked how things were going. Was constant masking difficult? Did eating lunch 6 feet from her classmates lessen the spirit of comradery? Her response was simple: “I’m just glad to be here, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure we stay.”

It goes without saying that these months have not been easy for so many members of the Pace community, and they have required herculean efforts from our faculty, staff and administrators. Yet in a year where simply showing up has been hard, the Pace community has shown up—and then some.

In true Pace fashion, students, parents, faculty and staff have responded to challenges with more than what has been required of them. They have shown strength, courage, resilience, creativity, humor, grace and compassion. And so, in this issue of the KnightTimes, we salute and celebrate the many ways our Pace Knights continue to strive for excellence.

CAI T LI N G O O D R I C H J O N E S ’00 D I R E C TO R O F C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

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

Contact us to deliver a meal: pacecares@paceacademy.org

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

06 NEWS 08 AROUND PACE A look at what’s happening on campus 08 SPIRIT WEEK

HEAD OF SCHOOL

09 HOMECOMING

FRED ASSAF

12 MICHAEL MERLIN Teaching financial responsibility

DIVISION HEADS

14 PACE FUND DONOR PROFILE THE JANKI FAMILY

MICHAEL GANNON Head of Upper School GRAHAM ANTHONY Head of Middle School

16 CASTLE CIRCLE MEMBER PROFILE THE ADAMS FAMILY

SYREETA MOSELEY Head of Lower School

18 RACIAL EQUITY Making progress within our school community

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

21 MINIMESTERS EXPLORE AFRICAN HISTORY

CAITLIN GOODRICH JONES ’00 Director of Communications, Editor OMAR LÓPEZ THISMÓN Digital Content Producer RYAN VIHLEN Creative Services Manager, Graphic Designer LELA WALLACE Digital Communications Manager

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS FRED ASSAF GEMSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHIC www.gemshots.com SMAX PHOTOGRAPHY www.smaxart.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS HAYLEY SHOJI COATES ’12 DANA RAWLS

OUR MISSION

22 FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS E-sports, equestrian, football, football cheerleading, mountain biking, softball and water polo

28 ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS 28 HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES 32 STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY 36 ACCELERATE PACE 36 CONSTRUCTION UPDATE 38 SCOTT BUTLER ’81 & NATALIE UNDERWOOD SHIRLEY ’01 Accelerate Pace Alumni Co-Chairs 40 ICGL The Isdell Center for Global Leadership’s Year of Global Health 43 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 44 AS YOU LIKE IT Drama pivots from stage to screen 48 FOUR IN A ROW Varsity volleyball earns another state championship 52 CROSS-COUNTRY GOES FAR Our girls reign supreme 56 ALUMNI

26 FLAG FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

56 ALUMNI UPDATES

27 MEET CHAD WABREK Our new director of Athletics

61 PAIGE ALEXANDER ’84 The Carter Center's new CEO 63 COLLEGE IN THE TIME OF COVID

Georgia Private School Tax Credit funds are still available for 2021!

THANK YOU to the 485 Pace families who have already supported the Georgia Private School Tax Credit Program for the 2021 tax year.

If you have not yet participated, submit your form now at www.paceacademy.org/tax-credit.

Individual and business taxpayers in the state of Georgia have a unique opportunity to redirect a portion of their state tax liability to the independent school(s) of their choice. The funds are then used for need-based financial aid. Pace has come to rely heavily on this program to strengthen its financial aid resources and depends on our entire family of parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty, staff and other friends of the school to make this program a success.

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

This program does not cost the taxpayer anything—it is simply a redirection of taxes already owed to the state. The taxpayer receives 100% credit on their tax return for the amount of their contribution. Think of it as prepaying taxes already owed to the state and giving them to Pace!

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

Tax credits are limited based on the taxpayer’s filing status—$1,000 individual; $2,500 married filing jointly; $1,250 married filing separately; $10,000 for taxpayers who receive pass-through income from an S-Corp, LLC or Partnership; 75% of a C-Corp’s or eligible Trust’s total Georgia tax liability.

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Please contact the Pace Academy Office of Advancement at 404-240-9103 or visit www.paceacademy.org/tax-credit to learn more about the program and submit your form.

Dear Pace Community, The dawn of a new year seemed more momentous this time around—I don’t know about you, but waving goodbye to 2020 felt pretty nice. In the weeks since welcoming 2021, I have reflected on what these unprecedented times have meant for the Pace community: what we’ve learned, how we’ve grown and what we’ve celebrated.

For me, the challenges we have faced—and continue to face—have only heightened the brilliance of the bright spots, many of which are highlighted in this issue of the KnightTimes. Our limitations have inspired innovation in all areas of school life. Upper School theatre students, in partnership with alumnus ANDREW RILEY ’10, pulled off an award-winning film production of As You Like It (page 44); our volleyball and girls cross-country teams powered through unpredictable seasons to bring home state titles (pages 48 and 52, respectively); and we continue to make progress toward the goals set forth in our Action Plan for Racial Equity (page 18). Perhaps most worthy of our respect and gratitude, our students, faculty and staff have engaged in the most important work in the world: the cultivation of confident global citizens.

As we reimagine Pace traditions and discover new ways of living in the midst of a pandemic, I want to express my gratitude for your continued commitment to our school. COVID-19 has increased the distance between many of us—we miss welcoming parent volunteers to campus, hosting grandparents and friends for special events, enjoying beautiful music at concerts and cheering on the Knights at sporting events—but your support remains steadfast. I have no doubt that these months will make us stronger as a community. In many ways, they already have.

Our sense of community brought each of us to this school, and even a global pandemic cannot stop us from thriving. Thank you for your partnership.

Sincerely,

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL THE COVER This past fall, our varsity volleyball team earned a fourth consecutive state title, firmly cementing the program among the nation’s volleyball powerhouses. The trophy rests upon the shoulders of the Knights who came before and their commitment to building a legacy grounded in humility, the grind and the steady courage to strive for excellence. Read the story on page 48.

Image by Crystal Moore Photography

THIS PAGE

FRED ASSAF

HEAD OF SCHOOL

In their inaugural season, our girls flag football team captured the area championship in decisive fashion.

Read about the team's historic debut on page 26.

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NEWS What you ne ed to know

Cantillo Helms Human Resources In October, STEPHANIE CANTILLO joined the administrative team as chief human resources officer. A graduate of Florida State University, Cantillo spent the past five years leading the human resources department at St. Martin’s Episcopal School and brings additional experience from organizations such as The Atlanta Opera and Four Seasons Hotels to her role at Pace.

“I am thrilled to start this next chapter at Pace Academy,” Cantillo says. “Having been raised by educators and activists, one of the things I am most excited about is Pace's commitment to equity and inclusion. I look forward to contributing to the lives of the faculty and staff of our Pace community.”

University of Chicago Recognizes Smith Upper School math teacher JASON SMITH has received the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator Award, given to teachers who have played significant roles in UChicago students’ educations while making positive impacts on their lives.

“An Outstanding Educator shapes young minds in meaningful ways—thoughtfully approaching instruction, sharing an infectious love for learning, and caring for students both inside and outside of the classroom,” the school writes. “This year’s Outstanding Educator Award winners… are exceptional in their field and role models for all students.”

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NEWS

Kallingal Joins ASYO Premier Ensemble Sophomore violinist AMARTYA KALLINGAL, pictured with his saxophone at last year’s Knight of Jazz, has been selected to participate in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra (ASYO) for the 2020–2021 season. The newly-created ASYO Digital Academy offers virtual masterclasses with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, studio classes and workshops in topics such as conducting and music theory. In addition, Kallingal was invited to join one of four ASYO Premier Ensembles and to participate in live rehearsals and recording sessions at Atlanta Symphony Hall.

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AROUND PACE A Look at What's Happening at Pace

SENIORS ASSEMBLE:

SPIRIT WEEK 2021 The Class of 2021 returned from the winter break ready to spread Pace spirit across campus with their Marvel Comics-themed Spirit Week motif: Seniors Assemble. Throughout the week-long competition between the Upper School classes, students worked together to create elaborate, themed banners and hilarious videos. While the annual Friday-afternoon skit presentation was not possible, the seniors still unveiled their enormous banner in dramatic fashion.

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AROUND PACE

A SALUTE TO THE HOMECOMING COURT Thanks to COVID protocols, this year’s Homecoming festivities lacked the festiveness of years past, but a socially distanced, outdoor viewing of the Knights’ matchup against Lovett— and a Pace victory!—provided cause for celebration nonetheless.

Seniors EMILY BUTLER and MICHAEL FU represented the Class of 2021 as Homecoming Queen and King. Other members of the court were seniors AUSTIN CHASTAIN, AUDREY HOLTON, CHARLIE JANKO and ALIVIA WYNN; juniors MATTHEW ARONSON, DYLAN BAKER, MARISSA GOODMAN and HENRY SMITH; sophomores ELLA BERMAN, FRANK CALDWELL, GRAVES HAMILTON and BROOKS NUCKOLS; and freshmen GABBY MAUTNER, TED MILLER, ETHAN RUCKER and MIA WILLIAMS.

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T

ERIC FORSLUND with FOREST POLLARD and LUCA TANASA

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he Middle and Upper School debate teams had a busy fall semester.

Under the leadership of Upper School Director of Speech and Debate ERIC FORSLUND, students adapted to debate in the COVID era, which meant attending virtual tournaments as opposed to competing at in-person events.

For Middle School debaters, season highlights included the Sandra W. Silvers Invitational, in which eighth-grader CAMPBELL HIGHSMITH and seventhgrader NAYANA NAG captured first- and second-place individual speaker honors, respectively, and finished second as a team in the rookie division. At the Westminster tournament, eighth-grader JULIA GOODE was the novice division’s top speaker, while her debate partner, eighth-grader MEGAN KLINGLER, was fourth.

Goode, Klingler, Highsmith and eighth-grader AMINA ZUBAIRI finished an incredibly successful first semester by capturing trophies at five tournaments while competing against mostly highschool students.

Upper School debaters saw similar success. At the Peach State Championship, sophomores KABIR SINGH and LUCA TANASA claimed the varsity title, defeating a team from Florida in the finals. Tanasa was named the tournament’s second speaker, while Singh was third. In the rookie division, freshman COLE BELINFANTE finished third.

At the Glenbrooks Speech and Debate Tournament—“the biggest tournament of the first half of the year,” says Forslund— the team of sophomore FOREST POLLARD and Tanasa finished as quarterfinalists in the second-year policy debate division, defeating teams from Kansas, Illinois, California and Iowa over the course of the weekend. Tanasa was named the eighthbest speaker; Pollard was 12th.

“Upper School students competed at 15 tournaments and captured numerous speaker and team awards, including their first varsity championship in two years,” Forslund reports. “Altogether, more than 30 students—22 of whom were making their debate debuts—competed at tournaments this past fall. The team is young but very talented. We have a bright future ahead!"

A Night In With

F

or the past three years, Pace Academy parents, faculty, staff and friends have gathered for A Night Out With Keeping Pace, an evening supporting the Keeping Pace academic summer program on our campus.

Keeping Pace, now entering its 16th year, serves students from underresourced communities with limited summer opportunities, and is staffed

by Pace faculty, students and alumni.

Given the inability to come together in person and the continued need to fund Keeping Pace, A Night Out With Keeping Pace stayed in this year.

The December event included a number of sponsorship opportunities, including at the $200 level, a pick-up dinner featuring tasty treats from Bites

by Eydt Catering, Local Three and UrbanTree Cidery. In addition, an online auction—coordinated by Pace parents DEBRA ROSENBLOUM and ANGIE JANKO—included one-of-a-kind items like the always popular second-semester sophomore parking spot, a VIP guided tour of Disney World, autographed sports memorabilia and original artwork. There was also an assortment of jewelry, Pace gear, books and more.

When all was said and done, A Night In With Keeping Pace raised more than $51,000 to support the much-needed program for the summer of 2021.

Would you like to make a difference to Keeping Pace? Please contact Keeping Pace Director MARTHA DOWNER-ASSAF at martha.downer@paceacademy.org for information regarding volunteer and sponsorship opportunities.

AROUND PACE

DONORS $10,000 Anonymous $2,000–$3,000 Wenke & Jing Lee Jay & Wendy Schmitt Sandeep & Michelle Soni $1,000–$1,999 Neal & Wendy Aronson Stephen & Dana Aronson Bill Jonas & Lisa Gleim-Jonas $500–$999 Michele Johnson & Anthony Burnett Samir Bhatia & Kavita Kotte Pat & Michele Boushka Ellen Downer Tim & Joelle Fox Paul & Carol Garcia Steve & Deborah Rogers Bobby & Debra Rosenbloum $250–$499 Russ Maxa & Laura Drohan Ryan & Whitney Paulowsky Jim & Keri Roth Fidel Turner $200–$249 Craig & Allison Camp Alfie & Yao Chen David & Marisa Chin Yee Andrew & Erica Cozewith Dave & Genna Delmonte Don & Jennifer Demba Blake & Heather Dexter Rene & Barbarella Diaz David & Jennifer Foster Adam & Jodi Ganz Wayne & Kim Grant Shelby & Alexis Guilbert Phillip & Jane Hight Eddie & Ciara Irons Dan & Terri Janki

Shawn & Angie Janko Matt & Stephanie Johnson Josh & Lindsey Kamin Spyro & Laura Karetsos John Keller Zak Lee & Cara Isdell Lee Ryan & Jessica Levenson Skip & Victoria Lockard Stan & Julie Logan Eric & Amy Mininberg Troy & Bette Selfridge Dean & Ashley Stamoulis $100–$199 Tim Altizer & Frances Thomas Noah & Madeline Bader Neil Campbell & Allison Berger Hardy & Amy Brumfield Chris & Bo Byrne Brian & Dea Canova Tom & Shannon Dempsey Michael & Ashley Dickey Paul Ginsberg & Nicole Felton Sean & Kim Fogarty Katie Goodman Paul Huang & Jean Song Jim & Tracey Klein Andrew & Ali Labovitz Anand & Tejal Lalaji Andrew & Heather Litvak Michael & Caren Merlin Trey & Melanie Pope Billy & Z. Rice Brian & Tracy Seitz

Paul & Marissa Share Darrell & Meredith Sutton Brian & Allison Timberlake Jimmy & Laura Trimble Ricks & Katie Tucker Stacey & Jordan Weitzner

ITEM DONORS 3 Realms Alexander Academy, Matt Schuck ’07 Atlanta United Baskets by Chinette Johnson, SOAPED Donice Bloodworth Beth Bristow Tutorial Services Allison Camp Josie Cross ’17 Deborah Celecia Wagoner Images Martha Downer & Fred Assaf Dawne Raulet Hall Michael Knight Mark Knott Mel & Julie Landis Legendary Events Lise Libby Lowe’s Home Improvement Pace Academy Pace Academy Athletics Publix Range Boutique Bobby & Debra Rosenbloum Stephanie Sherling Starbucks TEMO Foods The Home Depot THE SHED Andrew Thomas ’17 TWIST By W Nancy B. Westfall Zappos

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Parent Turns Financial Literacy Passion into Action “As an English teacher, my primary goal is to foster my students’ passion for reading and writing complex texts, which includes reading about finance and investing. It's an honor to work with Mr. Merlin and Jonathan to teach students at Pace to teach themselves how they can be financially independent one day.”

ROBE RT K AU F M A N Upper School English Teacher

“One benefit of participating in Knight Capital is that you learn life skills that are crucial for adulthood. So, everyone in Knight Capital is learning skills that will carry far past their Pace careers.”

JONAT H A N M E R L I N ’ 2 2

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AROUND PACE

“F

inances are often a taboo topic for families, which can make it hard for parents to teach their kids the basics of managing money,” says Pace Academy parent MICHAEL MERLIN (pictured, opposite page), who is admittedly passionate about the importance of financial literacy.

Electronic management of money adds to the difficulty. “In this day and age, kids don’t handle actual money very often,” he says. “To them it just magically appears from nowhere.

Often their first real lesson in finances is in college, when they have to make that call to mom or dad because they are out of money.”

Merlin, the founder of Merlin Wealth Management, and his wife, CAREN MERLIN, a derivatives trader at Wachovia before becoming an at-home parent, both see educating children in finances as essential. “[Financial literacy] is applicable to everyone—yet much of our population lacks financial understanding,” he says. “If we want our kids to handle money responsibly, we have to teach them the skills.”

When the couple’s older son, JONATHAN MERLIN ’22, enrolled as a freshman at Pace in 2018, Merlin was curious about opportunities for Upper School students to learn about finance. He broached the subject with Head of School FRED ASSAF, who mentioned the Upper School’s student investment club, Knight Capital, during their conversation. “I also discovered that our longtime family friends—the Laddens—were involved with Knight Capital,” Merlin says. “ANDREW LADDEN ’19 was serving as co-president of the club with CHARLIE HIRSCH ’19, and BRAD LADDEN was a parent adviser. Soon after, Andrew called and invited me to join his dad in advising the club. I agreed, and Jonathan became a member.”

With a focus on investing, Knight Capital doesn’t address all aspects of financial literacy—for example, credit, debt or managing a college budget—rather it’s about “sparking the students’ interest and making finance fun,” Merlin says. The group is responsible for presenting the Knight Capital Investment in Education Award to a faculty member at Senior Honors Day each spring, as well as making a charitable gift to Pace of investment earnings, when available.

Merlin has enjoyed watching Knight Capital evolve and grow. “When Jonathan and I arrived, there were 13 members; this year we have about 50,” he says. Twenty-five to 30 students usually show up for meetings, held during the Upper School’s morning break, twice monthly in English teacher ROBERT KAUFMAN’s classroom. Kaufman, who became faculty adviser this school year, has embraced the role enthusiastically, following in the footsteps of former Pace teacher and longtime adviser KEITH NEWMAN, and former teacher GUS WHYTE, who served in the advisory role last year.

In Merlin’s first year of involvement, the students, without actual dollars to invest, played an online stock market game. He observed them making “irrational decisions and just trying to win the game—it was not about ‘real’ money.” The next year, Merlin sought a donor to provide the investment funds to the club and was able to secure an anonymous $50,000 gift. “Now [with funds to invest], the kids are laser-focused on their investment decisions and motivated to see the portfolio’s value increase,” he says.

Merlin is pleased to see the Knight Capital investors “applying all their lessons in a responsible, methodical way.” In addition, he believes that choosing an aspect of Pace to support—“is very motivating and is a responsibility they take seriously,” he says.

Last school year, the club donated more than $8,000 to Pace for need-based financial aid.

With its increasing popularity and recent coverage in the student-run paper, The Knightly News, participation in Knight Capital is expected to remain strong. Merlin is hopeful that the number of girls joining will continue to grow; he notes that Kaufman has viewed broader participation in the club by girls as a priority and has recruited several to join this year. Merlin also hopes to one day see financial literacy on the topic list for the Upper School’s winter minimesters. A final consideration for the future: With enough interest, Merlin is game to teach a financial literacy class to adults in the Pace community.

Read The Knightly News article at tinyurl.com/paceknightcapital.

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AROUND PACE

the Janki Family DO N OR S POT LI G H T TERRI and DAN JANKI became advocates and supporters of Pace Academy in 2008 when they moved from Ridgefield, Conn., to Atlanta and enrolled their daughters, CAROLINE JANKI ’21 and MADELINE JANKI ’19, in Pre-First and second grade. Pace has since felt like home, even with a two-year stretch during which the family—now also including RYAN JANKI ’29—returned to Ridgefield.

Before settling in the Peach State, the couple lived in Boston, where they met while participating in GE’s financial management program; Hong Kong, where, as newlyweds, they launched their careers with GE; and then Ridgefield, where their girls were born.

Exploring Atlanta school options, the couple knew from positive experiences in Ridgefield the type of educational setting they were seeking. Terri says, “We wanted a close-knit, family feel with involved parents and strong academics… a place where our girls would thrive and we would meet other parents.”

Terri’s own school days made her particularly intent on finding a school that would offer the children connection and support. Her father’s frequent job transfers brought multiple school changes: “I grew up being the new girl every two to three years,” she explains. “Moving so often, I didn’t have the opportunity to build relationships with my teachers or view them as mentors.”

Dan, who had attended Catholic schools as a child, says his early views on education were shaped in that “private, very disciplined” setting. These views developed further in college: “My experiences at Ohio State University—an extremely

large, public university—provided me with significant contrasts [to K–12].” He names a ‘fend-for-yourself’ approach as an example; these contrasts underscored for him the benefit of a supportive, independent-school environment.

A culture valuing parent volunteerism was also important, especially to Terri, who had retired from GE Capital in 2006 to be an at-home parent and hoped for opportunities to engage. “Lucky for us, it was an expansion year for the Lower School, and they were willing to meet with us, [even though] we were well past the admissions cycle,” Terri says.

The couple was sold after their visit to Pace. Dan explains, “We knew we had found a school that valued the partnership that exists between faculty, students and parents, and that offered excellent academics.”

In their 12 years at Pace, the Jankis have strived to uphold their end of the partnership. Terri has volunteered in leadership roles for the Parents Club and the Parents Club Auction; served as a grade representative; and taken on duties such as Lower School office volunteer and Inman Center Snack Bar parent.

They have also partnered by supporting key fundraising initiatives. “We understand that the Pace Fund supplements the operating budget and helps further the school’s strategic plan—ultimately enhancing the academic experience,” Dan says.

The Jankis signed on to be gradelevel leaders during the Aim High capital campaign for the Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, and were early to support Accelerate Pace, Pace’s current capital campaign.

Terri says they are grateful to every division. She appreciates “partnering with the Lower School teachers and learning specialists on what is best for your child to encourage success.” She cites the emphasis on the student-teacher relationship as a valuable aspect of Pace’s Middle and Upper School programs.

“And of course the Isdell Center for Global Leadership makes Pace unique.”

The girls have been to Thailand (Madeline) and South Africa and Lesotho (Caroline) on Habitat for Humanity study tours, and Caroline also ventured on a Care for AIDS trip to Kenya. In fourth grade, Ryan loves “everything [the teachers] do to help you to improve your learning and all the sports and clubs,” with robotics being his favorite.

As a senior, Caroline is grateful for “the traditions and the teachers, as well as the coaches who help you not only to grow as an athlete, but... to strengthen your character.”

Madeline, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, has great affection for Pace. “I know that the Pace community... is always there for me...with guidance, career help or anything in between.” She adds, “Pace was a home for me—I realized that when my family moved away for two years… [I missed] the school pride, connectedness and love that every student and teacher has toward one another.”

Dan’s leadership roles over the course of 30 years at GE inform his thoughts on the Pace education and learning priorities for students. He reflects, “We—parents and teachers—have the same goals for students: to develop the ability to selfadvocate; to be confident, engaged and independent learners; and to know when to ask questions or seek help for success in the next chapter.”

The Jankis’ future hopes for Pace include continued technology investments as well as athletic excellence. Seeing implementation of the Action Plan for Racial Equity is also important to them. Terry says, “We hope this is reflected in admissions as well as hiring—and that the curricula reflect many points of view, helping to instill openmindedness and build a community that embraces differences.” l

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T HE CAS T L E CIRCL E ME MBE R PROF IL E ace Academy parent SETH ADAMS lends a note of dry humor to most conversations, even those on planned giving, often considered a serious subject.

A financial adviser, Seth has frequent opportunities to discuss planned gift opportunities with his clients.

In 2019, conversations on the topic became personal, as Seth and his wife, KATHRYN ADAMS, decided the time was right for their own planned gift to Pace. The couple named Pace as a retirement plan beneficiary—an easy way of making a planned gift—and in doing so, became members of Pace’s Castle Circle, recognizing those who make future provisions for Pace.

“However,” Seth deadpans, “given that most planned gifts are distributed as a part of an estate, we fully intend to delay the distribution of ours for many years to come!”

Most certainly, their planned gift is not just years—but decades—away from distribution.

Jokes aside, Seth describes the couple’s decision to make estate provisions for Pace and join The Castle Circle as an easy one that came from the heart. “We wanted to give back to the Pace community that our family has been so fortunate to have been part of,” he says.

Pace has been central to the Adamses’ lives since their daughters, TOWNSEND ADAMS ’25 and MADELYN ADAMS ’26, enrolled in Pre-First.

Seth says they are grateful for “the foundation of love and security the Pace ‘family’” has provided their daughters as well as “the lifelong values that Pace has instilled in each of them.”

He adds, “Just as Pace has created its legacy within our daughters, we hope to create a

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legacy at Pace with our planned gift.”

Kathryn’s warm feelings toward Pace match Seth’s and began even before their children enrolled. “When our girls were little, we brought them to the Fall Fair and couldn’t help but notice how kind the Pace students were to them,” she says. “Now, in our ninth year as a Pace family, I am still so proud that we are Pace Knights.”

Throughout the years, the couple has found ways to contribute to the Pace community.

Seth recounts some of the highlights: “We’ve worked the Knights Grill at the Fall Fair, told racers to turn around at the Pace Race halfway point and helped plate meals at the Middle School’s Medieval Banquet—all fun ways to engage and enhance our relationships with other Pace families.”

More recently, Seth joined Pace’s Planned Giving Committee. “I felt that it was a great dovetail to leverage my industry background to further the financial goals of Pace,” he says.

Kathryn, whose work is in human resources, also looked for new ways to engage at Pace as their daughters moved into Middle School.

“There was less need for parents who could chaperone field trips and plan Valentine’s Day parties as they grew older,” she explains. “This year I am co-chairing Pace LEAD, a group that provides a place for parents to network, dialogue, and share wisdom and experiences in relation to children’s potential use of alcohol and other substances.”

The couple looks forward to seeing what future years at Pace hold for Townsend and Madelyn, and is committed to making a difference at Pace now, and through their eventual planned gift, to future generations of Pace students. l

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OUR ACTION PLAN FOR RACIAL EQUITY:

TRACKING OUR PROGRESS MAKING STRIDES IN THE AREA OF OUR COMMUNITY

ace Academy is committed to eradicating racism and its legacy, and to dismantling any racial hierarchies within our school community. As an institution of learning, we have a responsibility to ensure that every community member feels supported, valued and safe.”

Published in July 2020, Pace’s Action Plan for Racial Equity reflects our school community’s pledge to examine institutional practices, policies and procedures, and to implement meaningful changes in an effort to foster true racial equity.

The Board of Trustees, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer JOANNE BROWN and Director of Student Life DR. TROY BAKER are working alongside dedicated students, faculty, staff, administrators, parents and alumni to see that the action items detailed in the plan come to fruition.

The plan focuses on six areas: Teaching & Curriculum, Our Community, Listening & Learning, Our People, Joining Our

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Community and Our Pledge. In each issue of this magazine, we report on strides made in one of these areas. Up next?

Our Community.

“Pace is grounded in the core value of respect for others and their unique ideas and beliefs,” the plan states. “There is no place for hate in our school community.”

Making good on that declaration requires first and foremost that written policies and community standards explicitly state our intolerance of behaviors that compromise the experience of any community member. Prior to the start of the 2020–2021 school year, the Lower School code of conduct was updated to include language regarding racial equity, and a similar review is underway in the Middle School. These language revisions utilize input from our leadership and faculty, as well as tools from Teaching Tolerance, an organization that assists schools, educators and children in becoming active participants in a diverse democracy by emphasizing social justice and anti-bias.

Upper School leaders, in partnership with Brown and Baker, are revising the student handbook to address more specifically racist and/or coded language, overt racism, the use of hate speech, racist paraphernalia and other forms of bigotry, and to more clearly articulate community standards regarding equity.

Successfully operating from a single playbook also necessitates a shared understanding of and commitment to its ground rules. To that end, Brown and Baker continue to work to ensure that all students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni understand the goals set forth in the Action Plan for Racial Equity.

Over the course of the fall semester, members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Lower School leadership teams worked with students to develop community agreements for each Lower School class. The process allowed them to walk students through the language used and the objectives in the Action Plan for Racial Equity—a task they also undertook

AROUND PACE THANKS TO THE 2020 –2021 D I V E R S I T Y, EQUITY & INCLUSION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AMY AGAMI SHAWN A FRED ASSAF Head of School TROY BAKER Director of Student Life ALEXANDRA BATES JOSH BELINFANTE ’95

NIRVANA KELLY, TROY BAKER, KACY BRUBAKER and ASHLEY ZOMALT meet with Lower School students as part of the Read4Respect program.

ALISON BROWN JOANNE BROWN Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer RONNIE BROWN BRUCE CARROLL MARISA CHIN YEE ELIZABETH CORRELL RICHARDS Board of Trustees Chair DANEEN DURR KEITH EVANS MICHELE JOHNSON TED MCMULLAN BEA PEREZ Committee Chair DOUG SHANLEY-BALYEAT TONY SUNDERMEIER SARAH ZAMPELL

Additional information on our progress is available at:

www.paceacademy.org/ diversity-inclusion

with all Upper School students. Brown and Baker spent time in every Upper School English class to provide an overview of the Action Plan and engage in conversation with students about its implementation from a student perspective. “We have found that students across all three divisions are curious and willing to engage around the content,” Brown reports. “They are appreciative of the time and space to have these discussions and—even when they disagree—are learning to actively listen to each other for understanding.”

Brown and Baker also hosted virtual coffees for parents in all three divisions to share how the plan is being implemented. They partnered with the Office of Alumni Relations to facilitate small-group discussions regarding racial healing and presented a virtual town hall to share the school’s work with graduates, and they continue to engage with the leaders of the Association of Black Pace Academy Alumni.

With support from diversity, equity and inclusion coordinators in each division, Brown and Baker meet regularly with division leadership to gather information that allows them to better align the student experience throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. And they have worked with faculty and coaching staff to provide education around the plan.

“Our hope is that now, in the second semester of the school year, all members of the Pace community understand the Action Plan for Racial Equity and how they can play a role in its implementation,” Baker says.

Armed with that shared understanding, parents, faculty, staff and alumni will continue to engage in programming that develops the fluency and skills necessary to address matters of race, diversity, equity and inclusion at Pace. “Education around issues of racial equity should be endless,” Brown says. “We’re excited that so many members of our community have embraced the opportunity to learn, grow and become true citizens of the world.” l

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AROUND PACE AFFINITY GROUPS Affinity groups provide safe spaces for students, faculty and staff with Jewi sh a shared identity to gather and Af fin it y G talk about their lived experiences ro u p while also serving to affirm identity. Upper School student affinity groups include Black/African American/African Diaspora, Latino/Latinx/Hispanic, Asian American/Asian/Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ and Jewish student groups. Additional educational group spaces

exist for white allies. A Black/African American/African Diaspora affinity group for Middle School students launched this past summer.

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Other communityrelated initiatives from the

OFFICE OF

DIVERSITY, EQUITY &

INCLUSION

H I S PA N I C H E R I TAG E M O N T H

S H A B B AT & S E R V E

The annual celebration of Hispanic and Latino Americans’ cultures and contributions included history lessons, cross-curricular collaborations and an Upper School presentation from award-winning poet Carlos Andrés Gómez.

The Upper School Jewish Affinity Group coordinated socially distanced Shabbat gatherings, the ritual Friday-night Sabbath meal. More than 60 students participated and later planted daffodils at the Bremen Jewish Home.

DIWALI

S U N D AY S U P P E R

Student-led celebrations of the Hindu festival of lights included dance performances, educational presentations and culinary experiences.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in partnership with Hands On Atlanta, Pace community members gathered for a virtual Sunday Supper and engaged in conversation around the concepts of Beloved Community and The Fierce Urgency of Now.

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AROUND PACE

MINIMESTER COURSES OFFERED INCLUDED: Great Speeches of the Global Black Liberation Movement

REPRESENTATION MATTERS MINIMESTERS E XPLORE AFRICAN HISTORY

“To become prepared, confident citizens of the world, students must be taught from an antiracist curriculum, one that is factually accurate, includes multiple perspectives and inspires critical thinking.”

— Pace Academy’s Action Plan for Racial Equity Since 2013, the Upper School science department has kicked off the second semester with a “minimester,” a series of short, intensive courses that allow students to delve deeper into a specific subject matter. This year, the history department took over the task of curating the weeklong course schedule with African, African Diaspora and African American history as its theme.

“All of the classes were authentic courses that could have been taught as senior electives or college courses—they were that good,” says TIM HORNOR, chair of the history department. “I am grateful to our teachers for presenting such interesting and thought-provoking courses.”

Minimester topics included everything from the African American experience in theatre to economic policy’s role in shaping the lives of Black Americans (see sidebar for the full course list), and members of the faculty welcomed the opportunity to explore areas of interest and expertise beyond their day-to-day curriculum.

“Critical race theory (CRT) was the framework of my master’s thesis,” says Upper School history teacher DUKE SHERRELL. “CRT has been popular in the news, but few people understand its history or what it means, so I wanted to provide some context to the theory for Pace students. The students made the course easy and rewarding to teach because they were willing to have difficult conversations around race, gender and other topics without ostracizing or attacking other’s beliefs and experiences.”

For students in Sherrell’s classes, the experience was equally worthwhile. “Learning about interest convergence, one of the pillars of CRT, helped me see racial issues from a different perspective and understand how I can be a better ally for people of color while continuing to push for racial equity,” says ALLISON SILVERBOARD. Junior JAYLA WIDEMAN also found the course impactful. “Up until this point, I have been more centered on the activism necessary in antiracism,” she says. “I enjoyed learning about the more academic side of antiracism.” l

The African American Experience: Theatre and Race Recording 2020: Oral History, StoryCorps and People of Color 13th: The Netflix Documentary The Integration of Atlanta Private Schools: An Oral History Project Four Teams, One City: Race in Boston Professional Sports An Introduction to the Art of Africa, the African Diaspora and the United States Let the People See: Emmett Till and the Civil Rights Movement An Introduction to Critical Race Theory Economic Policy’s Role in the Shaping of Black Lives in America The African Diaspora in the EU: The Creation of the Afro-European Identity Ethiopia, From Aksum to Present African American Representation in Cinema Fighting Words: Songs of Resistance and Rebellion Student Activism in the African American Civil Rights Movement

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IGHLIGHT

FALL SPORTS 22

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VA R S I T Y FOOT BAL L Coached by CHRIS SLADE, NERMIN DELIC, TERRENCE EDWARDS, KEVIN JOHNSON, BILL LELLYETT, JUSTIN MILLER, CEDRIC OGLESBY, DUKE SHERRELL, RON VEAL, SEKOU WALTON and ED WILLIAMS Courage in the face of adversity characterized the 2020 varsity football squad. The Knights worked hard throughout the season to overcome challenges posed by the COVID pandemic, while also standing strong in support of sophomore JORDAN SLOAN, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a game and continues to recover at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center.

In spite of the circumstances, the Knights ended the regular season with a 5–2 record, notching wins over Holy Innocents’, McNair, Lovett, Towers and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate.

The team advanced to the first round of the GHSA Class AA state playoffs, but fell to Fannin County by a touchdown.

Following the season, 12 Knights were named to 6AA All-Region teams. All-Region First Team honorees included freshman HEVIN BROWN-SHULER, sophomore DAVIS RICE, junior XAVIER AGOSTINO, and seniors JUSTIN JOHNSON, JAYDEN THOMAS, CHRISTIAN BING and PEARSON BATES. All-Region Second Team selections were freshman GEORGE LITTLE, juniors JAYDEN GASQUE and HUNTER ROCKER, and seniors MYLES BOLTON and JAMAAL JONES. In addition, Agostino was named to Georgia High School Football Daily’s Class AA All-State team, while Thomas received Honorable Mention recognition. Bates made Recruit Georgia’s Class AA All-State team.

Next season, the team will miss seniors TOMMY ASSAF, Bates, Bing, Bolton, Johnson, Jones, EVAN SMITH-ROOKS, ALEXANDER SWANN and Thomas.

M O U N TA I N BIKING

ATHLETICS

Coached by JESSE MARSHBURN and DAN BROOKS Open to students in grades seven through 12, the mountain biking club team completed its seventh season with the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League this past fall.

The Knights rode many miles at Cochran Shoals and other Atlanta-area mountain bike trials while training to compete in the Georgia League’s fiverace series. Travel to practices and races was made easier thanks to a new, stateof-the-art bike trailer donated by Pace parent and coach DAN BROOKS. Due to public health precautions, races were run in a time-trial format with only one team allowed on the course at a time and limited spectators at venues.

Despite the changes, the members of the young team pushed each other to do their best, competed hard all season and had fun.

VA R S I T Y FOOT BAL L CH E E RLEADI NG Coached by LORI BAKER and JAY BORDERS Without pep rallies or good oldfashioned spirit huddles, this season looked very different for varsity football cheerleading. Despite COVID restrictions, the squad adapted to its new normal and focused on spreading Pace spirit whenever possible.

Seniors HAYLEY CAVINDER, CAROLINE JANKI, MAGGIE JENKINS, EVE KOGON and MARY PAIGE POPE led the team. “We had an amazing season learning how to make the best out of something that we couldn’t control, and the girls did an exceptional job,” says coach LORI BAKER. While cheering through masks and leading smaller crowds, the squad fostered an atmosphere of spirit, hope and fun.

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ATHLETICS

E - S PO R T S Coached by CHARLIE BRYANT In December, the Pace E-sports team wrapped up its second season as a varsity sport and fielded two squads for two different games: Rocket League and Overwatch.

Rocket League, a three-on-three game, requires players to control flying cars while they work with teammates to move a ball toward a goal—similar to a soccer game.

Senior AIDAN CRITZ captained the Rocket League team, which also included senior JACK MACRAE and freshman SOREN MATHIAS. The trio missed qualifying for the GHSA state playoffs by just one win.

In Overwatch, two teams of six battle in an arena game over control of different objectives in each round. Sophomore WILL HANKINS captained the Overwatch crew, leading sophomores JAY FOSTER, ALEX GOODRICH, OLIVER LOREE and AUSTIN SCOTT, alongside freshmen NOAH BENZ, LAWSON GOWDER and AARAV KOKANE. The squad’s season included significant growth in the areas of teamwork and communication—skills that will contribute to additional success next year.

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VA R S I T Y S O F T B A L L Coached by SELENA COLLINS-PATTERSON, ARMANDO VIZCAINO-SANTIAGO, LAUREN HADLEY ’15 and KAYLA CATO The varsity softball team’s 2020 season included its most wins in recent years and a trip to the first round of the GHSA Class AA state playoffs. Despite a challenging schedule, the Knights notched a competitive 16–14–1 overall record—with a tie against Class 7A powerhouse Marietta High School—and an 8–2 region record.

Following the season, seniors SYDNEY SILVERSTEIN and JAMIE KORNHEISER and sophomore VICTORIA HADLEY were named to the GHSA All-Region First Team. Senior HELENA HARRIS and sophomores MADISON HADLEY, SOPHIA MADOR and SARA MAZUR received GHSA All-Region Second Team honors. Junior MARISSA GOODMAN and sophomore EMMA BETH NEVILLE were named All-Region Honorable Mention.

In addition, Kornheiser received GADC All-State honors, and she and V. Hadley were named GACA Second Team All-State. The team will miss the leadership of Kornheiser, Silverstein and Harris.

WAT E R P O L O C L U B

ATHLETICS

Coached by JOHN AGUE and JASON WEINER ’13 The Georgia High School Water Polo League’s decision to postpone its fall season due to COVID-19 didn’t stop the 29 Middle and Upper School players ready to get in the pool. Operating under new protocols, the Knights cobbled together a schedule with other league teams, which allowed them to compete from August through October.

“We played some of the top teams in our league and learned a lot from every experience,” says coach JOHN AGUE. “We now have players who can’t wait to get started next fall.”

Team leaders included sophomore CARTER FREUDENSTEIN, the Knights’ top scorer, as well as freshman AVI NARULA, junior CAMERON SAINI and senior AMALIE LITTLE, the lone member of the Class of 2021 on the team and a major contributor to the Knights’ past successes. Photography by ASHFORD LITTLE

EQUESTRIAN Coached by SELBY HILL This past fall, the Middle and Upper School equestrian club teams put in one of their strongest seasons to date.

Despite a comparatively small roster, both teams captured wins at major shows, and the Middle School squad placed in the top three at three different events, meriting a trip to the region finals in February—a first!

In addition, six members of the teams qualified to compete individually in the region finals: freshman ELLIE ARONSON; seventh-graders VIRGINIA FOSTER, JIYA PATEL, COLBIE WEST and BODHI WISE; and fourth-grader OLIVIA GRAUBART.

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SPOTLIGHT ON FLAG FOOTBALL

PACE’S NEWEST VARSITY SPORT HITS THE GROUND RUNNING When the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) announced plans to make girls flag football a sanctioned sport for the 2020–2021 season, Pace Athletics jumped at the chance to participate—and had the perfect person to lead the team.

Assistant Director of Sports Performance TY JOHNSON played flag football at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in competitive co-ed leagues and, later, with the Women’s Flag Football Network’s (WFFN) USA travel team.

Needless to say, Johnson was ready to guide the Knights in their inaugural season.

As Johnson began to recruit a team, she reminded potential players “to throw out all the stereotypes and barriers that are placed against women in the football world. Our time is now,” she said, “and we must continue to change the narrative and to create history with this interscholastic program. Don't be afraid of the opportunity.”

Her message came through loud and clear. Pace fielded a team of 16 Upper School student-athletes who barreled through the regular season and entered the GHSA state playoffs with a 9–0 record. A 21–6 win over the Newton County High School catapulted the Knights into the Sweet 16, where they ultimately fell to Northside Columbus High School 18–6.

The team’s talent, drive and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed. At the conclusion of the season, Johnson was named Area Coach of the Year, while senior JAMIE KORNHEISER earned Player of the Year and First Team All-Area honors, as well as an Athlete of the Week nod from Prep Sports Nation. Senior SYDNEY SILVERSTEIN joined Kornheiser on the All-Area First Team; freshmen KENNEDI EVANS and KATELYN SOUZA were named Second Team All-Area; junior MADISON AUCHINCLOSS and freshman ANSLI HENNINGS received All-Area Honorable Mention honors.

Johnson attributes much of the team’s success to the leadership of seniors LIZZY KAYE, Kornheiser and Silverstein. Clearly, the future is bright for Pace flag football.

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GET TO KNOW CHAD WABREK, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

It’s

hard to miss CHAD WABREK and his Pace Knight spirit. He’s a whirlwind of energy, a detail-oriented strategic thinker and a believer in the power of community—traits that serve him well as director of Pace Academy Athletics and the Knights’ biggest fan.

Wabrek, formerly associate director of Pace Athletics, assumed his new position this past fall and hit the ground running. He brings to the role extensive teaching, coaching and administrative experience at schools such as Suffield Academy, Louisville Collegiate School and Greenhill School, as well as a commitment to his three Cs: Clarity, Consistency and Communication.

Read on to get to know Chad Wabrek…

You’ve now been a Pace Knight for more than a year. How do you describe our school to those outside our community?

At Pace, people genuinely care about and look out for one another. Students receive tools to learn and improve, and teachers and coaches demand that they strive for excellence in many different ways.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Working with student-athletes every day is refreshing, rewarding and a true honor. Parents want their children to have positive role models, so I don’t take lightly the opportunity to partner with coaches to provide important perspectives and life lessons.

Finding success amidst a challenge is what making a difference is all about, which is why I got into teaching and coaching in the first place.

ATHLETICS

What are your hopes for Pace Athletics?

I want all of our student-athletes to understand what it means to be a Pace Knight For Life (#PK4L). Wins and losses come and go; practices and game days have their highs and lows. But to harness the lessons learned through athletics and apply them to one’s daily life should be the ultimate goal.

Representing Pace must mean something more than simply wearing a uniform with our school name on it. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so Pace Knights should approach any athletics opportunity with that mindset. My hope is that our student-athletes will meet head-on the challenge of striving to compete at the highest level while protecting the Pace brand of excellence and sportsmanship—and bringing excitement to Knights’ fans!

Anything else you want to share?

When I wake up, I recite this poem as a reminder of the opportunity each day presents. While it might mean less sleep and more work, it works for me.

Today is the beginning of a new day.

God has given me this day to use as I will.

I can waste it or use it for good.

What I do today is important, Because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, Leaving in its place that which I traded for it.

I want it to be gain not loss; Good, not evil; Success, not failure; In order that I not regret the price I paid for it, Because the future is a whole string of NOWs.

What makes you most proud to be a Pace Knight?

First, our school spirit! I visited Pace for the first time during Spirit Week 2019. While everyone I met explained that it was not a typical week, I was totally impressed by the vibrant energy. I quickly realized that that energy was not something the school community simply turns on and off. Second, our passion and pride. Our students are proud to be part of such a special community and want to represent the school well. Finally, our school perspective. Pace requires a skillset rooted in natural curiosity, a willingness to include others and the desire to do better—all part of creating global leaders. Very few places outline a process to accomplish that. We do.

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AT- H O M E

Holiday Concerts In Decembers past, the Fine Arts Center has been filled with holiday music as band, strings and choral students presented their winter concerts. This year, COVID protocols precluded indoor gatherings, so music lovers listened to students’ performances from the comfort of their own homes—or wherever they happened to be.

In video messages, the Middle and Upper School orchestras performed pieces such as Midnight Howl, Evening Sleigh Ride and The First Noel. Members of the seventh- and eighth-grade bands, along with the Upper School percussion ensemble, took a lighthearted, comedic approach to their holiday video greeting, which featured Dreidl Adventure, Bell Carol Rock and Carol of the Boomers, as well as a cameo from Head of Middle School GRAHAM ANTHONY on the sax.

View all of the videos at www.paceacademy.org/arts.

6TH GRADE

STRINGS

7TH & 8TH GRADE

STRINGS

UPPER SCHOOL

STRINGS

MIDDLE SCHOOL

BAND

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Strings imagery

by ANTON HARRIS

ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

Carols & Lights “Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on,” actor Donald O’Connor declares in the 1952 classic Singin’ in the Rain. It’s a mantra members of the Middle and Upper School chorus, led by DONNA POTTORFF and SUSAN WALLACE, took to heart as they braved drizzle and chilly temps to present their annual holiday concert.

The event, reimagined due to COVID-19 protocols, took place entirely outside. Friends and family traveled throughout the campus, enjoying hot chocolate and a series of performances from small ensembles before gathering in the back parking lot for a socially distanced performance from both groups. The attendees may have departed with cold, wet feet, but their hearts were most certainly warm.

Photos by Nicole Craine

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ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

The Candle Burns On FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS, Lower School students have shared the Hanukkah and Christmas stories with the Pace Academy community through Light One Candle, a production that unites generations of Pace graduates. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the holiday program, but its message of hope, faith and resilience shined on—as the song says—“through our hopes and our tears.”

Under the direction of Visual & Performing Arts Chair SEAN BRYAN, Pre-First students donned angel wings, while first-graders took on the roles of the historical figures depicted in the ageold stories for holiday-themed video and photo shoots. Per tradition, fifth graders served as narrators. The photos and video were compiled into a brief holiday greeting, shared with the Pace community via email prior to the holiday break. Watch the video at www.paceacademy.org/arts.

Photos by Ashton Staniszewski

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ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

Middle School Art

IN THE STUDIO

CHLOE PIERCE ’27 BEATRIX BOEHNER ’25

Our visual artists have been hard at work. Take a moment to peruse a few of their recent creations.

OLIVIA DIAZ ’25 GRIFFIN BRYAN ’25

CATHERINE BREADY ’29

ELLIE MILLER ’25

CHARLIE SOKOLSKY ’29 AVA PIDURU ’28

LIBBY SOBER ’29

Lower School Art

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“This picture reminds me of looking up at the sky with all the stars out.”

MARYAM DANDASHLY ’22

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ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

“I really like to use shadows and light in my photographs, which adds a zen theme to certain images.”

LEAH FAVERO ’22

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Wyatt Childers ’27

photograph by NASH AUSBAND ’27

Stiles Pilcher ’27

photograph by ANSLEY VINCENT ’27

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ALL ABOUT PACE ARTS

Campbell Hanna ’27, Ella Reagan Roth ’27 and photography teacher Chris Berry

photograph by KEVIN D. LILES

Self Portrait

photograph by ELLA REAGAN ROTH ’27

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ACCELERATE PACE

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FAC E S O F F U N D R AI S I N G MEET THE TE AM BEHIND A C C E L E R AT E PA C E Campaign Leadership

Parent Committee Volunteers

Elizabeth Correll Richards Board of Trustees Chair

NEW PARENTS Eric Brune Buddy Blaha Chris Gabriel Spyro Karetsos Tricia Kinney Leigh & Michael Segall

Campaign Co-Chairs Amy & Ronnie Agami

C E L E B R AT I N G A CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE

W

ork continues on Pace Academy’s Kam Memar Lower School, a 36,500-squarefoot addition to the school’s existing Lower School classroom building at the corner of W. Paces Ferry and Rilman roads. The project reached a major milestone on Dec. 2, as crews placed the building’s final major beam, marking its official “topping out.”

Members of the Board of Trustees, teams from New South Construction and UDS Development Services, and students, faculty and staff watched as the beam—signed by all Lower School students and teachers—was hoisted high into the sky and secured atop the building.

With steel work complete and structural floor slabs poured, crews have now begun framing the Kam Memar Lower School’s exterior, priming it to receive its “skin.”

The metal studs, yellow sheathing and waterproof coating (visible at print time) will soon be hidden by beautiful brick, stone and limestone. In addition, the construction team has begun installing the building’s roofing system, which, once complete, will pave the way for work on interior finishes.

“Walls, electrical conduits and HVAC ductwork are on the way,” says Project Manager BOB MILLS, president and chief operating officer of UDS Development Services and parent of two Pace alumni. “We are also continuing preplanning efforts for the new commercial kitchen that will be installed in the existing Lower School classroom building, as well as putting the final design touches on what is sure to be the world’s greatest playground.” l

Taylor & Ronnie Brown Allyson & Jim Maske

Alumni Committee ALUMNI CO-CHAIRS Scott Butler ’81 Natalie Underwood Shirley ’01

Parent Committee LOWER SCHOOL CHAIR Ken Crumley MIDDLE SCHOOL CHAIR Julie Goldstrom UPPER SCHOOL CHAIR Derek Hardesty NEW PARENT CO-CHAIRS Amy Brumfield Stephanie McDonald INCLUSION & COMMUNITY CO-CHAIRS Marisa & David Chin Yee Ciara & Eddie Irons

SIXTH GRADE Alfred Kallingal Chris McDaid Carson Pilcher Natasha Swann

ALUMNI PARENTS Charley Brickley ’88 Trey Pope ’86

PRE-FIRST Lindsay Borenstein Kim Chenevey Ashley Howell FIRST GRADE Stacy Crumley Michelle Edwards Kathleen Morris Natalie Underwood Shirley ’01 SECOND GRADE Jenny Beauchamp Hillary Shaw Hyman Tatyana & Sean O Charlie Thompson THIRD GRADE Jennifer Bodner Jennifer Hayes Ellen Laddin Shivani Mukkamala Crystal Shah FOURTH GRADE Mary Bready Grace Gavrik Amanda Parrilli

SEVENTH GRADE Bill Monroe Wendy Siskin Ellie & Josh Weiss EIGHTH GRADE Pete Davis Alli & Matt Richardson NINTH GRADE Valerie Ausband Sarah Gray Lisa Lemke Tad Little 10TH GRADE Ripple Alkire Matt Gaudet Kimberly Nuckols Leslie Stebbins 11TH GRADE Ed Holmes Palmer Proctor Rodney Schiffer 12TH GRADE Michelle Boushka Bob Brennan ’88 Scott Butler ’81 Mike Hall Jimmy Trimble

FIFTH GRADE Kara & Anand Dutta Banu Asik Elizondo Julia Kaufman

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SCOT T BUTLER ’ 81 loved going to the events—the Fall Fair, Phlotilla, Light One Candle, the Auction, Dad’s Day—all the plays and musicals.” he says. “There are so many great Pace traditions. Any time there is a gathering, our family is there. I don’t think I’ve missed one.”

Scott feels the sense of community and cott Butler’s Pace affiliation began belonging the school offers families is an in 1968, in Pre-First. A Pace Lifer, aspect that hasn’t changed over time. “To he became a Pace parent in 2005, me, it's always felt like home,” he says. when his daughters JENNIFER SMITH “When I was a student, enrollment was ’12 and AMY BUTLER ’18 enrolled. When about 600, and now it’s a little over a thouScott’s youngest daughter, EMILY BUTLER sand, but it’s still a place where everybody ’21, graduates in May, Scott will take on another role—that of “former” Pace parent. knows your name.”

Scott believes Pace must evolve and But he plans to stay engaged (and hopes to grow both its facilities and resources “like be a Pace grandparent one day). any building that stands the test of time. If Scott’s Pace memories—still fresh in his you have a decades-old home, it needs to mind—range from playing Crazy Eights be kept up to date,” he explains. “Plus, the in the Senior Cellar to school science bandwidth of education has changed so projects gone wrong. He recalls, “Another much—when I was a student and needed student and I built a wind tunnel—sort of to do research, I used the library’s Dewey an aquarium with glass on all sides. The Decimal System or Encyclopedia Britannica. experiment involved balsa wood model Today, it’s all about technology.” airplane wings and a hairdryer for the Scott feels drawn to both phases of wind source. Another student’s ‘bright’ the Accelerate Pace capital campaign. “In idea was to set off a smoke bomb inside order to keep the Pace education leading it to show the airflow over and under the edge, its buildings must be leading edge. wings—which filled the whole classroom The boundaries of education should not be with smoke," he recalls. "The teacher was limited by outdated facilities.” there immediately with the fire extinguishHe adds, “I'm supporting Accelerate Pace er. While we were in shock, thankfully not only because of the strong place it holds there was no fire, just smoke everywhere. in my heart, but because I believe it’s imporOf course, this would never happen in a tant to do so as an alumnus. Pace provides classroom today,” he laughs. an innovative, globally focused education, Scott’s experiences as a Pace parent have and its facilities need to match.” l deepened his affection for Pace. “I have

S

O U R S TOR I E S

Meet Accelerate Pace Alumni Co-Chairs SCOTT BUTLER ’81 and NATALIE UNDERWOOD SHIRLEY ’01.

Current parents as well as alumni, they each have strong ties to the Pace community.

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ACCELERATE PACE

N AT A L I E UN DE R WOOD S H I R L E Y ’ 01

A

s a Pace Academy Lifer married to fellow alumnus BLAKE SHIRLEY ’01 and mother of Lower School Knights BLAKE SHIRLEY, JR. ’30 and JACK SHIRLEY ’32, it was only natural for Natalie Underwood Shirley ’01 to serve as alumni co-chair of the Accelerate Pace campaign. She is also a Pace Fund volunteer, Lower School grade rep, past Alumni Knight Cap chair and more. She is Pace through and through.

Natalie has fond memories of her time as a Pace student. She recalls being one of the first student-athletes to play basketball in the brand new Inman Center her junior year: “It was so exciting, so big and new— we felt like we were in the NBA!” Upper School history teacher HELEN SMITH stands out as a favorite teacher.

“Instead of giving me a bad grade, she would have me redo an assignment to improve my writing and research,” Natalie shares. “I was scared of her at first, but then I realized how deeply she cares about her students’ learning and overall growth. I admire how she teaches her students to think

critically and encourages them to share their knowledge during exciting class discussions—we had many! Ms. Smith certainly knows how to ‘teach her students a lesson,’ but the older I get, the more I realize they were life lessons.”

When the time came for Natalie and Blake to find a school for their older son, Pace held a clear distinction for them.

“Pace had afforded me a well-rounded education, truly preparing me for college so that I could easily compete in advanced learning and the real world,” Natalie says. But the couple also valued the sense of camaraderie and the faculty, with its focus on the development of the whole child. She adds, “Coming back to tour as parents, it felt very familiar, but Blake and I were impressed

by the ways Pace had continued to advance and evolve.”

Natalie says seeing Pace grow since she and her husband were students is why she continues to stay involved and support projects like Accelerate Pace. “Pace has to compete with other schools for students, so we need to keep up the pace—no pun intended!” she says. “Families have high expectations when it comes to their children’s education, and our learning environment needs to match those expectations.”

Natalie views Pace as part of every graduate’s legacy, whether or not they become Pace parents. At Pace, “our sense of community is strong,” she says, “and you don’t feel that everywhere. It has to do with the size, but it also has to do with the people.”

“Alumni involvement is so important,” Natalie adds, “which is why I accepted the position of co-chair. I’m thankful for what Pace has given my family, but also, I want to invest in it for future generations. For Blake and me, it’s a way to pay it forward.” l

As of Jan. 25, 2021, Accelerate Pace gifts and pledges totaled $22,487,775—nearly 65% of our $35million goal. Help us pick up the pace by making your gift or pledge today at accelerate.paceacademy.org.

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ICGL: GLOBAL HEALTH

THE YEAR OF GLOBAL HEALTH As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, so does our schoolwide study of Global Health, this year’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) annual theme. From tiny parks and pandemic preparedness to book clubs and bees, here’s how Pace students, faculty and staff are tackling The Year of Global Health.

Cross-Curricular Comprehension Throughout the year, the fifth grade has explored the theme of Global Health in a variety of ways. Students kicked off their study by researching real-life healthcare heroes and creating virtual-reality worlds in which their heroes might operate. They also flexed their research muscles by investigating diseases and sharing their findings with classmates, and, after the cholera epidemic came to life through The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson, students wrote their own historical fiction incorporating their research. In science, a unit on nutrition led to the creation of student-run restaurants, complete with strict dietary guidelines, while mental health and the brain have figured prominently in discussions around the novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. l

The Tiniest Park Project Reading Across the Globe December marked the launch of a cross-cultural exchange book club for 12 Upper School students. A joint initiative of Pace’s Woodruff Library and the ICGL, the book club brings together students from Pace and PRECE schools in Brazil, a longstanding ICGL partner. First on the discussion docket? Ways to Disappear, a novel by Brazilian author Idra Novey, who Zoomed in for one of the book club’s first meetings. l

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As part of their study of social entrepreneurship and innovation in healthcare, ICGL Social Innovation Fellows JAY FOSTER, BRIAN LEE, OVIE NIRGUDKAR, CAITLYN PINSKER, KATE ROMERO and MARIT UYHAM partnered with Trees Atlanta to participate in Livable Buckhead’s Big PATH, Tiny Park Project. Fellows reimagined what a healthy greenspace could look like versus a wasteland to create World of Waste. The tiny park was on display on the PATH400 trail and received the award for the Best Student-Designed Park.

The Fellows followed up their win by competing in the Young Founders Institute’s Teen Entrepreneurship Makeathon, in which they were challenged to create a business to address an environmental issue facing their community. In response, they designed a sustainable solution to single-use plastic in the Pace cafeterias—and walked away with the second-place prize. l

An International Dialogue: COVID Around the World IGLs Report on COVID This year’s class of Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs)—seniors EVAN ELSTER and MADISON MARTIN and juniors PRANHAVH PRADEEP and JORDAN WHITE— continue to educate the Pace community around issues of global health and to chronicle their findings in a series of videos. Learn about everything from the COVID basics to vaccine readiness on the ICGL’s Instagram account, @pace_icgl. l

ICGL Council Leads the Way The Upper School ICGL Student

Council, a group

of 10 student leaders charged with

educating the Pace community about

Global Health, continues to highlight one health-related topic per month

by sharing information and resources in

assemblies, hosting hands-on activities and designing

educational infographics to display throughout campus.

In December, the group focused on pandemic preparedness and examined

the origins and spread of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, exploring how governments, businesses and nonprofits developed plans and strategies to deal with the

emerging disease. To highlight January’s topic of HIV/AIDS, the council hosted a community-wide discussion on How to Survive a Plague, a documentary chroni-

cling activists’ battle to confront and halt the virus’s deadly spread. In February,

In November, a group of eighth-grade French and Spanish students joined a virtual dialogue with 150 of their peers in India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the U.S. An initiative of the Global Education Benchmark Group, the conversation allowed students to engage in respectful dialogue and share their perspectives on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their lives, as well as its economic, environmental and ethical repercussions. l

“Global Health is not just focused on one disease in a specific area; it is a focus on environmental issues, diseases and social issues that are affecting people globally.”

ALEXANDRA HARRIS ’26

the council turned its efforts to exploring issues related to substance abuse and focused on how to support those impacted by addiction. l

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ICGL: GLOBAL HEALTH

World AIDS Day in The Year of Global Health

Although the ICGL will not offer tr avel oppor tuni ties this year, Lower, Middl e and Upper School students are digging into Global Health at home. Follow @pace_icgl on Instagram to see how this y e a r ’s t h e m e c o m e s t o l i f e .

In observance of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, and as part of the ICGL’s Year of Global Health, the Woodruff Library and the ICGL co-sponsored a quilt panel in an online display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

The physical quilt, made up of 48,000 panels, honors the lives of those who have died of AIDS-related causes. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National AIDS Memorial displayed sections of the Quilt through a virtual experience. “This special initiative for 2020 will create the first-ever nationwide AIDS Memorial Quilt display that will represent Quilt panels from all 50 states and U.S. territories—in one place for everyone to learn, remember and honor our lost friends and loved ones,” the organization wrote.

As part of Pace’s sponsorship, the ICGL Global Health Fellows, who have spent the past year researching AIDS, selected the panels that make up Pace’s display, and senior ALIVIA WYNN composed an accompanying essay. During an Upper School assembly, the Global Health Fellows shared with classmates how they approached selecting the blocks for Pace’s online panel, while AID Atlanta Information Services Program Manager Loreen Krug discussed the organization and its important work. Finally, as part of the observances of World AIDS Day, the Gender & Sexuality Alliance created an actual quilt panel to be donated to the National AIDS Memorial.

View the AIDS Memorial Quilt at www.aidsmemorial.org/interactive-aids-quilt. l

A Place at Pace for Pollinators A continued decline in animal pollinators may signal a worldwide health crisis, so second graders have been working hard to ensure that the Pace campus provides a welcoming environment for bees and other insects.

In Design Thinking, students consulted with educators and Zoo Atlanta bee experts, reviewed campus plans to determine potential locations for a pollinator garden and conducted research to inform the creation of bee watering stations. Look for the finished garden on campus soon! l

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The Bigger Picture Throughout the winter, Middle School students have dug deep into issues of Global Health from a biosocial perspective, recognizing the roles of different traditions, governments and histories in determining well-being, and framing global health problems in relation to the lives of individuals, families and communities. During three-day summits, students in each grade formed United Nations health advisory teams to understand the skill sets necessary to tackle issues and develop action plans in response to specific challenges.

“The biggest takeaway for me was that global health isn't just about health care, it’s about making health care equitable,” says seventh-grader COLBIE WEST. “As the world stands, less fortunate people are more likely to be in environments that make them more susceptible to disease. Although these people may be at high risk, they have a small chance of getting reliable health care. Our job is to change that." l

THE WINTER MONTHS brought with them a multitude of community engagement opportunities for Pace Knights of all ages. Activities included food drives for Open Hand Atlanta and the Atlanta Community Food Bank, as well as clothing collections for Intown Collaborative Ministries, Lost-N-Found Youth, Soccer in the Streets, The Bloom Closet and Purpose Built Schools Atlanta. Students, parents, faculty and staff planted trees, wrote letters, registered voters and generally attempted to live out the Pace mission to be prepared, confident citizens of the world.

ICGL: GLOBAL HEALTH

A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT UPDATE

The fifth grade’s annual visit to the Easterseals Guice Center has become a favorite holiday tradition. This year, rather than hosting a holiday party for the children the Guice Center serves, fifth graders—in their holiday PJ best—wrapped books, made cards and created video recordings of their favorite picture books to be shared with the children. Prior to the classroom activities, fifth graders Zoomed with Guice Center leadership to learn more about their important work.

In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, a national day of service, the Pace Community Engagement Board hosted and highlighted virtual, in-person and donation-based opportunities for students, faculty, staff, families and alumni to support local and global communities. Partner organizations included Books for Africa, Blue Heron Nature Preserve, LostN-Found Youth Thrift Shop, 3 Pieces, Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta BeltLine.

The Upper School Community Engagement Board joined forces with Vote Forward, an organization that strives to increase the participation of traditionally under-represented groups in the electorate. In advance of Georgia’s Senate run-off elections, students took part in a three-stage letterwriting campaign to support voter registration, vote-by-mail efforts and a get-out-the-vote campaign.

In partnership with the Woodruff Library, the Upper School Guice Center club coordinated Pace’s participation in the center’s annual Share the Magic campaign.

Pace students purchased gifts for the students the Guice Center serves to ensure they received some holiday cheer over the winter break.

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As You Like It COVID challenges create opportunities for innovation and imagination to thrive.

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AS YOU LIKE IT

“All the world’s a stage,” a melancholy Jaques declares in As You Like It, Shakespeare’s popular pastoral comedy.

It’s a metaphor Upper School Theatre Director SEAN BRYAN and his cast and crew took quite literally as they approached staging a play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

As summer 2020 unfolded, Bryan knew that Pace Academy COVID protocols would call for mandatory masking indoors, strict social distancing and limited gatherings—hard-to-meet standards in traditional theatre.

So, when determining which production would kick off the 2020–2021 season, Bryan decided to shift the show from stage to screen and to tackle a piece in the public domain “in case we had to pivot,” he explains. The message was equally important.

“I didn’t want to do a tragedy in the middle of 2020. No one needed to be feeling the depths of their soul. It had to be a comedy.”

He settled on Shakespeare. As You Like It’s romance, humor and rural setting made it the perfect fit, and shooting outside with appropriate distance between unmasked actors would make it doable. The woods atop Pace Mountain would become the Forest of Arden, while the Castle and its surrounding areas would serve as the play’s city setting.

The question of how to bring to life the Bard’s five acts on film was answered with a coincidence Shakespeare himself might have scripted. As COVID canceled film and television productions around the world, Emmy Award-winning producer ANDREW RILEY ’10 (see story on next page) found himself out of work, laid off from his job as producer of the Georgia Public Broadcasting series Georgia Outdoors.

Riley took the setback in stride and partnered with director Kara Hammond to launch

K+A Entertainment, a group specializing in video and live-stream event production. A well-timed call from Pace Technical Director SCOTT SARGENT convinced K+A to join the As You Like It team, and the rest, as they say, is history. With all of the pieces in place, Bryan and his cast of 22 got to work.

“I was pretty intimidated when I heard that we were doing Shakespeare,” recalls senior OLIVIA ULLMAN, cast as Touchstone, the court jester. “The dialogue can be so hard to follow, and the fact that we were filming outside made it even more daunting.”

Bryan understood the apprehension. “My primary goal was to make sure students understood what they were saying,” he reports.

“We spent six weeks just breaking down the language so the cast could experience the rich qualities of the characters. It was a crash course in Shakespeare acting.”

Bringing the play to the big screen also required a level of subtlety that doesn’t necessarily come naturally to stage actors. “The kids had to learn to develop their characters with the camera in mind. That’s very different than playing to an audience of 600.”

Throughout the process, however, Bryan was adamant that the production retain the feeling of a stage play rather than a feature film. “I kept calling it a documentary,” he says. “My goal was to capture what our actors were saying and doing rather than focus on the techniques required to make a film—things like close-up shots and multiple takes.”

“Sean wanted to make sure that we kept the integrity of the stage play. He didn’t want it to feel like a movie,” Riley explains. “I wanted it to feel like a movie but look like a stage play.”

To achieve that complex aesthetic, Bryan and Riley adapted As You Like It into 13 shots, one of which was filmed continuously over a 20-minute period, something unheard of in feature-film production. Filming took place over six days; three cameras captured each scene from multiple angles.

“It was a marathon,” Riley recalls, “but working with the students was the easiest part. Sean prepared them so well. They were flawless—better than the professional actors I’ve worked with. They made it an amazing experience.”

Once filming wrapped, Riley, Bryan and their team set about culling more than 30 hours of footage to create the final, one-hour-and-49-minute cut, which they screened for the cast and crew in early December, prior to publicly releasing the film at www.paceacademy.org/arts.

Bryan could not be more pleased with the result. “This is not a flash-in-the-pan kind of movie,” he says. “It’s not something you can have on in the background while you play on your phone. You have to invest in it, which I love. And I’m so proud of our students. They all stepped up, were happy to be there and just wanted to create. In the end, we pulled off something really great.”

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The Man Behind the Camera:

Andrew Riley ’10 It all started in a meeting of the Pace Academy Film Society.

ANDREW RILEY ’10, then in the eighth grade, had been permitted to sit in on a meeting of the Upper School club in which adviser JULIE HALL led a discussion about a Sidney Poitier film.

“It was the first time I’d watched a serious story about issues of race,” Riley recalls. “It led to a moment of realization. I understood the power of cinema and storytelling to create social change.”

Since then, Riley has worked to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world through his work. As a student at Elon University, he channeled his passion for film and broadcast— he was the founding member of Pace’s KnightFlix program—into a major in media arts and entertainment with a cinema focus. A second major in history and Riley’s resulting research skills led to a post-college position as an associate producer on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s (GPB) Georgia Outdoors.

Riley quickly worked his way up at GPB, taking over as producer of Georgia Outdoors and collaborating with host Sharon Collins on a second show, Hometown Georgia. The Macon Sound, a one-hour special featuring interviews and live performances representing the city’s rich musical heritage, reawakened Riley’s love for live music and sparked a desire to livestream concerts.

“When you’re up in the front of a show with your camera, it’s almost like you’re playing music with the musicians,” Riley says.

“I wanted other people to see what I saw through my camera.”

He made it happen in early 2018 when he successfully streamed a concert—Atlanta bands Trash Panda and Zale—to a live internet audience.

COVID-19’s arrival in 2020 put a damper on live music and spurred layoffs, including Riley’s from GPB. This turn of events led him to pursue a new career with K+A Entertainment, his own venture. But the six-time Emmy Award winner continues to come back to the lessons he learned at Pace.

“I live by the motto, To have the courage to strive for excellence,” he says. “As a Pace Lifer, I’ve carried that with me. Having the courage to strive for excellence doesn’t end when you graduate from Pace. I think about it every day in my career and in my life.”

To honor the impact Pace has had on him, Riley gave his first Emmy Award to the school and to the students with whom he worked on As You Like It. “I won that Emmy for an episode of Georgia Outdoors, and it was the first professional recognition I received that made me realize how Pace had shaped me and my trajectory. Reconnecting with Pace has been a blessing.”

Riley’s Emmy Award is now on display in the Fine Arts Center, and he and the K+A Entertainment team will be back on campus this spring to livestream the Upper School’s outdoor production of Mamma Mia.

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AS YOU LIKE IT

“My biggest takeaway from this production was the importance of working as a team. Every person—whether in the cast, on the film crew or in sound production—worked so hard to create the final product.”

AUDREY HOLTON ’21

“When it came to watching the final product, I was so proud of everyone’s hard work that I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. The entire process solidified my decision to continue learning about film in college.”

ALIVIA WYNN ’21

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“From ninth grade year to my senior year, I have grown so much during my time in Pace volleyball.

When thinking of the past four years, I will remember friendship and teamwork most.”

H A N N A H PAC E ’ 21

A FIRM FOUNDATION 48

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VOLLEYBALL

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL CAPTURES ITS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE STATE TITLE n numerology, the study of the mystical relationship between numbers and their significance, the numeral four represents focus and stability. It provides a secure foundation—like the four legs of a table— and connotes discipline and hard work, method and pragmatism.

It is fitting then, that this past fall, Pace Academy’s varsity volleyball team added a fourth consecutive state title to its long list of accolades, firmly cementing the program’s place among volleyball powerhouses across the state and the nation. No doubt, the trophy rests upon the shoulders of the Knights who came before and their commitment to building a program grounded in humility, the grind and the steady courage to strive for excellence.

Despite the program’s recent successes, the 2020 trophy felt out of reach as the Knights began the season. “I had no idea what to expect,” says Head Coach ANNA BUSH,

who, in a decade at Pace, has led the squad to the state finals five times. “We graduated five starters and had 10 new players, seven of whom were freshmen; we were playing against unfamiliar teams in a new classification; we were unsure how the COVID pandemic would affect the season; and, with 15 players, we had our largest roster ever.”

Things did not start well for the Knights.

Five games in, they had yet to notch a win.

But Bush and Assistant Coaches SCOTT MCEWAN and TAYLOR BRYAN were encouraged by what they saw in practices.

“The way it worked out, we were actually three deep in five different positions,” she says. “It created a good, competitive practice environment. Everyone was trying to be better, and the level of improvement week to week was enormous.”

While the team’s size proved advantageous for training, the more seasoned players worried it would inhibit the Knights’ ability to foster that chemistry so vital to success. “I was looking forward to meeting

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VOLLEYBALL

everyone, but I was extremely worried we would not be able to bond with 15 people,” recalls junior TAYLOR KNOWLTON. “I was completely wrong.”

As the season progressed, Bush saw her upperclassmen—seniors HANNAH PACE and ELLIOT MATHIS, and juniors MEGAN HARDESTY, JULIA HOLMES, Knowlton and MORGAN NEILL—step up. “They started to understand what it meant to lead the team,” Bush says, “and they did a great job keeping everyone engaged.”

Things began to fall into place as the team came together. The Knights defeated Elite Scholars Academy and Lovett to win the area title and the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, a victory that awarded Pace home-court advantage through the semifinal round. By then, the team had found its groove. They swept Dade County, Vidalia and Union County high schools en route to the finals, where a strong team from Chickamauga’s Gordon Lee High School waited.

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In their first-ever state finals appearance, Gordon Lee’s Trojans came ready to play.

“They were on my radar back in August,” Bush says. “I knew that they were returning most of their starters, and I had watched a lot of their film. At the end of the day, I felt that our serve-receive and serving was better, and that would set the tone. Then we would have to get a little lucky.”

Bush was also worried about her team’s youth, particularly given the fact that Lakepoint Sports Complex would allow spectators. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Knights had played in near-empty gyms throughout most of the season, and Bush wondered whether a crowd would rattle her younger players. She decided to call in reinforcements. Three-time statechampions ADA JANE AGOLLI ’20 and LUCY FERRY ’20 returned to talk to the team prior to the final match. “You’re going to be nervous,” they said. “But don’t worry about making mistakes. Look confident. Be confident. Know what your job is and do

your job. The coaches have coached you.

You know what to do.”

It was a message the Knights took to heart, particularly the newest members of the team, sophomores BROOKE BRUMFIELD and BRIEA CRAFT, and freshmen GRACE AGOLLI, GADIT BEJAR, ADRIENNE DURR, DHRU LALAJI, CAITLYN ROCKER, ELLIE SISKIN and ISABELLE WILHELM. The ever-prepared Pace squad took the court—and, buoyed by a crowd of masked supporters, took the first two sets.

The team lost its momentum in the third set, however. “We were just awful,” Bush recalls. “But midway through that fourth set, we had a string of points and a couple runs. We closed the set within 2 points of Gordon Lee. Even though we lost that set, closing the gap changed the momentum.”

In volleyball, the fifth set goes to 15 points, unlike the previous four in which play ends when a team reaches 25. “We broke it down into thirds,” Bush says. “We

STATE CHAMPS

VOLLEYBALL

ANNA BUSH

HEAD COACH GHSA Class A/AA Coach of the Year

SCOTT MCEWAN

ASSISTANT COACH

TAYLOR BRYAN

ASSISTANT COACH

GRACE AGOLLI

GHSA Class A/AA Player of the Year

GADIT BEJAR BROOKE BRUMFIELD BRIEA CRAFT ADRIENNE DURR MEGAN HARDESTY JULIA HOLMES TAYLOR KNOWLTON DHRU LALAJI ELLIOT MATHIS MORGAN NEILL HANNAH PACE CAITLYN ROCKER ELLIE SISKIN

GHSA Class A/AA All-State Team

ISABELLE WILHELM

wanted to be the first team to 5, then the first team to 10.”

The Knights were up 7–6 when sophomore BROOKE BRUMFIELD went back to serve. “You want to serve deep, the last 3 feet of the court,” Bush says. “It forces the other team to make a decision, and it’s difficult to pass the ball. That’s exactly what Brooke did. Gordon Lee didn’t know if the balls were in or out. I could see the [Trojan] players looking at the scoreboard.

They were thinking about the score rather than playing the game. I knew then that the set was ours.”

The Knights won the final set 15–8.

“It was so unreal,” Knowlton remembers.

“Winning in five sets in such a close game felt strangely rewarding. Knowing that we had to fight for every single point made the experience that much better.”

Despite their track record, winning state titles is not something Bush or her players take for granted. “We’ve always just

looked ahead to prepare for the next game, and this year was no different” says Pace, the only member of the team to sport all four championship rings. “We never looked back.”

Or, as Bush likes to say, “It’s one in a row four times.” Her players get that message loud and clear.

“Looking to next season, my goals are very simple: I want us to become even closer as a team,” says Knowlton. “We can’t play just to prove ourselves to others.

It’s far more important that we grow together, improve individually and, more than anything, feel proud of ourselves for whatever we accomplish. Win or lose, I want to look back on my last season knowing that my team and I made the best of our time together and left it all on the court.” • Images by Crystal Moore Photography

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CROSS-COUNTRY

EYES ON THE PRIZE VARSITY GIRLS CROSS-COUNTRY CLAIMS FIRST STATE TITLE SINCE 2013

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The varsity girls cross-country team and its coaches had more questions than answers as they embarked on the 2020 season. The Knights had watched as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country in March, forcing learning online and putting an end to spring sports. As the calendar crept toward summer, training camps and large-group practices went out the window, replaced by masks and social distancing guidelines.

“Needless to say, we knew that if we were going to have a season, it was going to be very weird,” says Head Coach JOLIE CUNNINGHAM. “But that was a big if.”

To minimize the risk of COVID exposure, the team spent the later part of the summer training in small groups and added coaches ELIZABETH RUCKER and

CROSS-COUNTRY

TAMARA NEILEY to allow for simultaneous practices at multiple locations. When the season began, the Knights took part in lesser-known meets with fewer competitors and donned masks whenever they weren’t on the course. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) altered its protocols as well, staggering race times, expanding the size of starting boxes, limiting spectators and modifying awards ceremonies. The measures—combined with Pace Academy’s strict on-campus COVID guidelines— proved effective, but they hampered the relationship-building that typically characterizes a cross-country season.

“The beauty of cross-country at Pace is that our older student-athletes take the younger ones under their wings,” Cunningham reports. “They go from

morning practices to Waffle House in the summer; they travel to meets on buses; they socialize during competitions; they cheer each other on. None of that was possible this year. We had to reimagine everything.”

Nevertheless, the team persisted—and thrived. “The protocols and risk around the virus forced us to think in more of a team mindset,” senior LAURA ROMIG says. “Anything we did on the weekends could have shut down the entire team for everyone. We all had to make sacrifices for each other, and I’m really proud of the girls for being willing to commit everything to the team.”

In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Knights defied expectations from

the beginning. “[Coach Cunningham’s] constant encouragement fired us up from day one,” says junior LAURA ARENTH. “We started the season ready for grueling months of constant running and ready to bring home a state championship.”

Their hard work paid off: “About halfway through the season, I knew they had a chance,” says Cunningham.

Led by Romig and senior HANNA VINCENT, the team members set their sights on shopping for state-championship rings and breezed through the Region 6-AA meet. The region title boosted the Knights’ confidence going into state—a competition that was sure to come down to Pace and neighborhood rival Lovett.

In another unanticipated turn of events, it poured rain the morning of the state

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CROSS-COUNTRY

championship. “[The weather] would have been enough to throw off any team,” says Romig. “But the thing about our team is that we’re pretty unflappable. We showed up focused and ready to win.”

Freshman CAROLINE HOOD led the way for the Knights, finishing in sixth place overall with a time of 20:50. Vincent followed right behind in eighth, while junior KATE JONAS, Romig and Arenth, in 10th, 11th and 12th, completed Pace’s pack. Freshman WELLS HOWE and junior AUSTIN CULPEPPER, in 15th and 23rd place, respectively, weren’t far behind.

When the scores were tallied, the Knights bested Lovett by a whopping 18 points to take the title, the team’s first since 2013.

Hood, Vincent and Jonas capped off the season with All-State honors.

“After this year of confusion and chaos, it feels unreal to have been able to win state as a team,” Romig says. “But at the same time, it feels right. We’ve been working toward this for four years. All of our hours spent running, all of our focus and all of our courage led to this; it wasn’t a fluke. I’m so proud of our team and what we’ve been able to accomplish together.” •

“We were never sure if the rest of the season would happen, but we always trained like it would. And we had our eyes set on a state championship from the beginning.”

LAURA ROMIG ’21

“Our coaches’ confidence in us over the course of the season allowed us to become truly confident in ourselves and our ability, and our common desire for a state championship bonded the team and ultimately contributed to our success.”

LAURA ARENTH ’22 54

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CROSS-COUNTRY

As

last season’s state runner-up, the varsity boys cross-country team set its sight on the top of the 2020 GHSA podium. Coming off a region championship, it looked like Pace had the meet in the bag.

Despite less-than-ideal conditions on race day, the Knights stepped up to the starting line confident in their abilities to bring home the title, but it was not to be. Junior standout GEORGE BLAHA fell ill mid race. His heroic 15th-place finish, coupled with the fact that each of his teammates ran their best times on the course, led to silver medals for the team.

Junior EDWARD BLAHA quite literally ran away with the individual state title, finishing the 5k in 16:28, a full 11 seconds in front of the second-place runner and in 12th place across all GHSA classifications.

Juniors GRANT THOMPSON and ROBERT MALLIS and senior ROBERT HOUSER followed for the Knights, crossing the finish line in fourth, 10th and 11th place, respectively. Freshman JACKSON HURD and senior SAM WEBB were 20th and 21st. All three of the squad’s top finishers landed spots on the Class AA All-State Team, and Edward earned a spot on the 2020 Powerade All-Metro Cross-Country Team.

But the Knights’ season didn’t stop at state. The team went on to race in the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Ala., and walked away with a 10th-place finish.

“This is the first time a Pace team has been ranked nationally,” says Edward.

“We’re really proud of that—and we’re already thinking about next season.”

So is Head Coach STEVE CUNNINGHAM. “Last year’s team was really good,” Cunningham says. “This year’s team was great, and next year’s can be even better.”

NATIONALLY RANKED BOYS END SEASON

STATE RUNNER-UP

“Without question, this season produced the most accomplished group of runners in Pace history. Both the boys and girls teams rewrote the record board like no others.”

STEVE CUNNINGHAM Coach KnightTimes ||| WINTER 2021

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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UPDATES [1] BRETT BERNS ’83 graduated from the University of Virginia and served as a combat infantryman in the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade before dedicating his career to the celebration of the stage and film legacy of his late father, acclaimed songwriter and record-producer Bert Berns. Brett is lead producer of the Broadway-bound musical Piece of My Heart, which premiered Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre. He also directed the documentary BANG! The Bert Berns Story, which was rereleased in February following an acclaimed theatrical

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run. These efforts culminated in his father’s recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The film had a virtual theatrical rerelease on Feb. 2, and will begin streaming across streaming platforms such as Amazon on March 2.

[2] JOSH GROSSBERG ’92 is the archival producer on HBO's Between the World and Me. Based on the award-winning book

by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the film unfolds as a father's series of letters to his 15-yearold son exploring the meaning of being Black in today's America amidst systemic racism. Between the World and Me, which premiered in November on HBO and HBO

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Max, features a mixture of archival footage, animation and performances from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance and others. A member of the Producers Guild based in New York, Josh continues to work on writing, producing and directing scripted and unscripted programs that air regularly on broadcast and cable television.

[3] JENNIFER ARMSTRONG ’09 has been named to the Forbes 2021 30 Under 30 list in the finance category. Jennifer is an associate portfolio strategist at Bridgewater Associates in Stamford, Conn., who “builds tailored research for clients and the hedge

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State University’s Master of Exercise Science program, won a half-Ironman triathlon in Panama City Beach this past November.

Grace finished the 1.2-mile swimming portion, the 56-mile bicycling leg and the 13.1-mile run in 4 hours, 33 minutes, 56 seconds, beating both men and women to the finish line—a feat the Ironman collection of races said had never been accomplished by a woman competitor before.

[5] BAIZA CHERINET ’14, a graduate of Rhodes College, joined Coyote Logistics as a carrier sales account manager. Coyote, a third-party logistics company, works as a mediator between the shipper and carrier sides of the supply chain.

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fund's co-CIOs Ray Dalio, Greg Jensen and Bob Prince,” Forbes writes. “Her research into changing economic conditions is published in Bridgewater’s annual strategic reports, daily observations and quarterly investor letters, and quarterly calls. Previously, she worked with Ray Dalio to study credit cycles and contributed to his 2018 book, Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Armstrong won the Nelson A. Rockefeller Prize as the school's top economics student.”

[4] GRACE ALEXANDER ’10, a graduate of Rollins College and a student in Kennesaw

[6] KYLE ORR ’16 graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in sport management and accepted a position as executive assistant to the founder, chairman and CEO of MELT, an Atlantabased sports-marketing agency. MELT has represented hundreds of corporations, including The Coca-Cola Company, for more than 20 years and was gearing up for its 18th NCAA Final Four prior to the event’s COVID-induced cancelation.

“Additionally, we run a very successful program called MELT U,” Kyle writes. “We had 40 interns ready to come into the office this past summer before we had to pivot to an online professional development program aimed toward college students. Our virtual program became a massive success with more than 1,000 student participants and 50 podcasts recorded with industry leaders from Coca-Cola to ESPN and CBS.” Kyle is also helping promote Build Brand YOU, a book

by MELT CEO Vince Thompson.

“Pace is the greatest school in the country,” Kyle writes. “The friendships, connections and teaching I received were second to none.”

MARRIAGES [7] KRISTI ODOM ’98 married Darren Gustaveson—twice!—on Oct. 1, 2020. A private ceremony atop Seneca Rocks in West Virginia was followed by a more pub-

lic ceremony and reception at a brewery in Bluemont, Va. BRITTANY ODOM ’96 and DAVID TAYLOR ’98 attended.

The couple honeymooned in Mo’orea, an island in the South Pacific, where Kristi, a photographer, captured images of the many humpback whales they encountered.

Following their adventure, Kristi and Darren moved to Longmont, Colo.

Prior to the wedding, a dream came true for Kristi when her work was featured on NationalGeorgraphic.com. “I always thought that I would have to go far away and do some exotic story to get in National Geographic, but my local story on citizen scientists made the cut,” Kristi writes. “I started photographing dragonflies and butterflies for a talk I gave during Nikon’s 2018 PhotoPlus Expo. I had no idea what that story would lead to. I am so grateful to have worked on an article that highlights how anyone can make a change, and how we don’t have to go far to connect with nature.”

[8] ANDREW HENDERSON ’05 and Meghan Derderian were married on Aug. 21, 2020, in a small family wedding at the base of Mary Jane Mountain in Winter Park, Colo. Pace attendees were best man PERRY ELLISON ’05 and his wife, ALLISON KESSLER ELLISON ’06. Meghan and Andrew love spending time in the mountains with their two dogs.

[9] STEPHANIE WEINRAUB ’08 married Andrew Morty in 2018 at Springkell House in Dumfries, Scotland. Classmate HANNAH FEARING ’08 served as one of Stephanie’s attendants. The couple met while Stephanie was in Scotland on a Fulbright Fellowship. She now works at Historic Scotland as a traditional skills specialist in building conservation. Andrew is a vice president at JP Morgan’s European Technology Center in Glasgow. They make their home in the countryside within Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.

[10] MARIAM DVALISHVILI ’12 married Daniel Majarwitz on Sept. 26, 2020, at the Country Club of the South. Mariam is in her final year of medical school at the Medical College of Georgia; Daniel is a first-year resident in medical psychology.

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BIRTHS [11] Suzanne and STEWART TEEGARDEN ’99 welcomed their fourth daughter, Millie Carden, on Oct. 14, 2020. Millie’s big sisters Mary Wade, 8, Anne Thomas, 6, and Janie, 4, enjoy—and look forward to sharing with Millie—long distance motorhome adventures, time at the beach, snow skiing, the Chattahoochee River and hunting with dad.

Stewart is a principal with Gay Construction Company where he recently celebrated 20 years since starting as an intern. One of his early assignments included construction of Pace’s Garcia Family Middle School. The family recently moved to the Riverside neighborhood in Sandy Springs, Ga.

[12] KIP PASTOR ’00 and his wife, Sam Shuman, welcomed baby girl Skye on July 13, 2020.

[13] LAURA COKER BUSSERT ’04 and Jarred Bussert welcomed William “Will” Colton on Sept. 30, 2020. Will weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces and was 17.5 inches long. He joins big brother Jack. DR. DARA PERLOW MATTHEW ’04 delivered both Jack and Will.

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Laura is a human resources business partner for Lowe’s with responsibility for 12 stores in the Metro Atlanta area. Jarred works for Majors Management as the vice president of IT. The family resides in Brookhaven, Ga. [14] JENNI RIDALL LATA ’05 and her husband, Mike Lata, welcomed son Oscar Daniel on Aug. 20, 2020.

[15] KIEFER PIRRUNG ’05 and his wife, Molly Pirrung, had a daughter, Margaret, on Aug. 21, 2020. Parker, 2, loves being a big sister.

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Eve is a consultant for The Conservatory NYC. Daniel continues to work in the real estate industry in Dallas.

[17] MILLIE LEDBETTER GREINER ’06 and her husband, Jordan Greiner, welcomed Margaret Anne on Sept. 16, 2020. She joins big brother Ollie, 3. The family recently moved to Richardson, Texas.

[18] ASHLEY LOHMANN HANSON ’06 and her husband, Chris Hanson, welcomed their first child, Adeline Marie, on Nov. 10, 2020. The family’s two Australian shepherds love showering Adeline with puppy

Molly is director of investor relations at TTV Capital located in Midtown Atlanta.

Kiefer is a partner and CFO at Prime Wine & Spirits, an alcohol distributor servicing Georgia and Washington State. He is also a franchisee of Roosters Men's Grooming Center, a classic barbershop for the modern day with locations on Peachtree Road near Piedmont Hospital and—coming soon— East Cobb and Decatur.

kisses and taking her on hikes near their home in San Rafael, Calif.

[19] Brianne and HARRISON KAUFMAN ’06 welcomed daughter Addison “Addie” Marie on Sept. 4, 2020. She joins big sister Luca, who is in love. Harrison works for Loeb Enterprises, a venture capital firm, and Brianne works in technology strategy at AT&T. The family lives in Atlanta.

[16] EVE WERTHEIM FRID ’06 and her husband, Daniel Frid, welcomed daughter Nili Gene on Oct. 23, 2020. “Big brother Guy welcomed her with open arms,” Eve reports. “We are all settling into our new routine as a family of four.”

[20] COURTNEY SCHAEFER DEVEAU ’07 and PATRICK DEVEAU ‘05 had a son, Patrick "Chip" Fletcher Jr., on Nov. 27, 2020. The family recently relocated from Manhattan to Atlanta and is enjoying time with family.

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[21] Marija and NICK RHODES ’08 welcomed Peter Anton on Oct. 6, 2020, in Toronto. “Peter is a champ, and Marija and I are very happy and excited,” Nick writes.

Prior to Peter’s birth, Marija and Nick moved to Canada to be closer to Marija’s family but plan to move back to the States this year.

IN MEMORIAM [22] Former French teacher WYNN ARMSTRONG CREAL passed away on Jan. 7, 2021, at the age of 84 following a month-

long battle with COVID-19.

Wynn attended Pape School in Savannah and went on to study Latin and French at the University of Georgia. She began her teaching career at Druid Hills High School and arrived at Pace in 1960, when the school was just 2 years old. That fall, the Board of Trustees approved Headmaster FRANK KALEY’s request to hire three new teachers, increasing the total faculty from 11 to 14.

“Mrs. Wynn Creal is remembered by her students as a true Francophone and Francophile, whose passion for French language and culture was contagious,” the author reports in An Unfinished History of Pace Academy. “Her comfortable teach-

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ing style and her near-native command of the French language inspired a number of Pace students to pursue future careers in the area of foreign language. With her profound belief in the importance of exposing students to other cultures and languages, Mrs. Creal was an early pioneer in what was to become a ‘cutting-edge’ foreign language program at Pace Academy.”

Wynn departed Pace for Mt. Vernon Christian Academy in 1967, where she taught before entering residential real estate. She had a successful 40-year career as a residential real estate agent, primarily in the Druid Hills neighborhood of Atlanta.

“Wynn had a big heart and frequently opened her home to family members and friends, supporting them through the many passions and difficulties of their lives,” her family writes. “Whether lending a helping hand to family or to friends, she made it her mission to improve the lives of others.”

Wynn is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, George C. Creal Jr. and Casey O'Neal Creal, two granddaughters and a loving extended family. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Wynn’s memory to the Alzheimer's Association or North Avenue Presbyterian Church.

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[23] On July 11, 2020, JULIA SUTERS ’84 died of pancreatic cancer surrounded by her family in her home of 54 years. “She was our beloved daughter, sister, sisterin-law, aunt, cousin, neighbor, colleague and friend,” her family writes. “Julia was kind, generous, funny, optimistic and good-natured. Known for her trivia skills, holiday feasts, and thoughtful gifts, Julia was happiest hosting Christmas, relaxing at St. Augustine beach, taking trips, helping clients and spending time with loved ones.”

With her father, the late EVERETT SUTERS, Julia managed Curry Enterprises and later co-founded College Storage,

where she developed close friendships with her business partners. Julia attended Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, and volunteered at the Family Life Center and children's Sunday School.

She is survived by her mother, GARY SUTERS, and her family: Melissa Suters and Phyllis Buckner; Marianne, John, Matt and Leigh Varley; her dear friend Julie Melton; loving cousins; and her beloved dog, Millie. Donations may be made in Julia's memory to Angels Among Us Pet Rescue or Winship Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Emory University.

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CONTINUING EDUCATION: A CONVERSATION ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS

COOKING UP ALUMNI CONNECTIONS In November, alumni gathered for a virtual mac-and-cheese cook-along with ANDREW GUEST ’04. Attendees received the ingredient list in advance and created all kinds of cheesy goodness while catching up with old friends.

FACULTY & STAFF MILESTONES Upper School science teacher MATTHEW SMENTEK and ALISA DAVIS welcomed son Conor Matthew on Nov. 7, 2020, at Northside Hospital.

“Conor is running the show at home and has become quick friends with our dog, Nickel,” Matthew says.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE? E M A I L

U S !

alumni@paceacademy.org

The Alumni Association and the Association of Black Pace Academy Alumni invited members of the Pace community to join them on Oct. 20 for an alumni panel discussion on voting rights. Expert panelists included JOSH BELINFANTE ’95, SARAH-ELIZABETH LANGFORD ’96, BEN THORPE ’00 and TAOS WYNN ’04. JULIE NEWMAN ’96 served as moderator.

Discussion topics ranged from the history of voting rights to more current voting issues.

ALUMNI

OUT & ABOUT Members of the Class of 1986 got together for their 34th annual Christmas gathering at Howell’s Kitchen & Bar, owned by classmate QUILL HEALEY. The group included (seated left to right) NANCY WRAY IZLAR, AUDREY HILL MCMENAMY, SUSAN WEBSTER PARKER, COURTNEY SMELTZER PRESTEN, (back row left to right) ELIZABETH SIKES MCRAE, LARRY CUMMINGS, CHRIS PAYNE, MICHELLE ROOKS, BRIT DARBY and ANNE HALL ADAMS.

Former members of the Upper School chorus returned to Pace to help sing in the season at the Middle and Upper School Holiday Concert.

ALLIE APPEL ’20, CARSON MYERS ’17, JEB CARTER ’18, ANDREW MILLER ’20, JACOB SLOMAN ’19 and MATTHEW QUINTANA ’20 delighted the audience with their surprise appearance.

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PAIGE ALEXANDER ’84 has spent much of her adult life living overseas, working in senior-level global-development positions both for the government and the nonprofit sector. Her resume includes such well-known organizations as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) and the European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD).

Through the years, visits home to Atlanta have been infrequent—just holidays and special occasions, including her Pace Academy class reunions. (In 37 years, she has missed just one!)

However, attending future reunions will be easier now, after a move back to Atlanta this past summer for the next step in her career: chief executive officer of The Carter Center.

Alexander, who entered Pace in the second grade, has fond memories of the school. The small classes were the perfect environment for her, offering hands-on learning and individualized attention, and providing a solid educational foundation. “I can picture sitting in the classroom with the alphabet cards across the top of the room,” she says. Alexander recalls her teacher ANNE LANE in particular for the warm and welcoming learning environment she created.

Alexander traces her career direction to her Pace experiences and teachers. Two standouts are Upper School history teacher HELEN SMITH and former Upper School English teacher JIM WITHERS, whose teachings fueled her passions for political science and psychology. These interests came together when she began working in public policy after graduation from Tulane University, marking the beginning of what was to become a distinguished global career and leading to her current position.

In October 2020, Alexander and fellow Carter Center colleague SHANDAL SULLIVAN ’85 spoke with the Upper School’s Isdell Global Leaders (IGLs) about The Carter Center’s involvement in global health. Asked afterward about her impression of today’s Pace students, Alexander responded, “Wow, they are smart!” She was also impressed by the growth of global programming at the school and by the current students’ heightened awareness of global issues. “I would imagine that today’s Pace graduates have a solid view into the world and their options for participating in it.”

Pursuing a global career is much more common for Pace students today than it was for Alexander in the 1980s. Her advice for those interested in pursuing an international career is to take advantage of any and all opportunities that arise. “Take internships at organizations that interest you to rule in and rule out possible opportunities,” she advises “Internships are great—they offer you perspective into an organization and give you exposure within the organization.”

MEET PAIGE ALEXANDER

THE CARTER CENTER’S NEW CEO KnightTimes ||| WINTER 2021

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Have you liked or joined us yet?

www.facebook.com/paceacademy alumniassociation www.instagram.com/ pace_alumknights www.linkedin.com/groups/160587

Need an old yearbook?

Was yours lost, damaged or destroyed?

We can send you a new copy!

Contact Ryan Vihlen for availability. ryan.vihlen@paceacademy.org

PR O F E S S I O N A L S E R V I C E S

F O O D & B E V E R AG E

ANN NAGLE, REALTOR — DORSEY ALSTON (Atlanta) ANN NAGLE ’87 www.buckheadrealestateatlanta.com

MAGGIE’S TABLE (Atlanta) MAGGIE FOSTER ’99 www.maggiestableatl.com

BAKER LAW GROUP, LLC (Atlanta) DIANE BAKER ’73 www.bakerlg.com THE BECKER LAW FIRM, LLC (Atlanta) BRIAN BECKER ’02 www.thebeckerfirm.com BIZHELP CONSULTING (Fernandina Beach, FL) CINDY GAY JACOBY ’83 www.bizhelpconsulting.com

THE PEACHED TORTILLA (Austin, TX) ERIC SILVERSTEIN ’00 www.thepeachedtortilla.com R E TA I L CIE DENIM KELCIE SCHOFIELD ’10 www.ciedenim.com OPUS COFFEE (Gainesville, FL) KATIE MAYER LARSON ’97 www.opuscoffee.com

BUILD TECHNOLOGY GROUP (Atlanta) CHRISTOPHER HARDWICK ’96 www.buildtechnologygroup.com

SAGE STUDIO & GALLERY (Austin, TX) KATIE STAHL ’01 www.sagestudioatx.com

COURTNEY MCMILLAN — ATLANTA FINE HOMES SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY (Atlanta) COURTNEY RANCK MCMILLAN ’96 courtneymcmillan.atlantafinehomes.com/eng

TWIST BY W LILY NADINE WAGONER ’19 www.twistbyw.com

DEBORAH CELECIA WAGONER IMAGES LLC (Atlanta) DEBORAH CELECIA WAGONER ’84 www.dcw-photo.com

INTOWN GOLF CLUB (Atlanta) JON BIRDSONG ’03 www.intowngolfclub.com

DEKALB MOTOR ESCORT (Atlanta) CLAUDIE STOKES SMITH ’84 www.dekalbmotorescort.com

View our ever-growing AlumniOwned Small Business Directory and/or add your business to the list at www.paceacademy.org/alumni.

LEARNING LINKZ TUTORING (Atlanta) LYNN SMITH GUYTON ’90 www.learninglinkz.com STELLER FITNESS CHRISTINE JONESTELLER ’99 #stellerfitness TATE BUILDERS & ASSOCIATES (Atlanta) EMILY H. TATE ’94 www.tatebuildersinc.com TOWNSEND TRAVELS (Atlanta) LIZ TOWNSEND ’00 www.townsendtravels.com WALKER ESTATE PLANNING (Atlanta) EDRA WALKER ’97 www.walkerestateplanning.com

OT H E R

All in the Family Times have been tough, particularly for small businesses. Support fellow Pace Academy alumni by supporting their businesses.

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College in the Time of COVID 1

We asked recent Pace alumni to tell us about their on- and off-campus experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on for glimpses into the undergrad adventure.

ALEXANDRA BAKER ’19 [1] Boston College “I’ve been on campus, but three of my classes were fully online; one was a hybrid; one was in person. This past semester, we weren’t allowed to participate in club sports or gather in big groups. We have to sign up to go to the gym and wear our masks the whole time. I stay in touch with my Pace friends through group chats and social media—and when I’ve come back to Atlanta, I’ve seen them from a distance.”

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PRASHANTH KUMAR ’17 [2] Harvard College “My school has been really strict in response to the pandemic. Only first-years and certain upperclassmen who required on-campus housing for academic reasons were invited back to live in the dorms, with everyone else completing school remotely.

All in-person activities and gatherings— including athletics—were canceled, and dining was made to-go. Students living on campus underwent three COVID tests per week. I've stayed connected with my Pace friends through texts and Facetime calls. I also was fortunate to have ZOIE FREIER ’20 randomly sorted into the same on-campus house as me and see her pretty much every day in our courtyard!”

ABIGAIL LUND ’19 [3] University of Virginia “[This past fall,] I lived on grounds with remote instruction in all of my classes.

UVA’s response has evolved. All students were tested before we arrived on campus, and there was a 10-person gathering limit; mask wearing was strictly enforced. At one point when cases spiked, the limit even decreased to five people. By the end of the semester, my roommates and I were

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required to get COVID tests every nine days. Staying in touch with friends from Pace has been difficult because of Zoom fatigue and the increased workload from online classes. I’ve found that whenever I have a break from school work, I want to be off of my computer or phone—and I don’t want to ask my friends to spend more time on screens either.”

ETHAN MUCH ’18 [4] Emory University “In response to the pandemic, Emory switched the vast majority of in-person classes to online and only allowed firstyear, international and transfer students to live on the campus. Emory has also offered free COVID-19 tests to all students and faculty at multiple sites on campus.

I’ve kept in touch with my Pace friends via texting and social media—and being in Atlanta has allowed me to attend a few socially distanced, outdoor meetups with my fellow Knights!”

TAYLOR UPCHURCH ’17 [5] New York University “I was abroad in Tel Aviv and had to fly back to Atlanta in March in response to the pandemic. Over the summer and through the fall, all of my classes were over Zoom.

On campus in New York, free and random COVID testing has been instituted for all NYU students, administrators and professors. Throughout the spring, my friends KATE TRIMBLE ’17, LIZABETH FROHWEIN ’17 and SARI LEVEN ’17 scheduled weekly Zoom happy hours. Over the summer and through the fall, it was great to catch up with more Pace friends at outdoor, sociallydistanced meetups in Atlanta. Although it was an unimaginable year for all of us, I'm grateful that my family and friends are safe.

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

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Y O U R S U P P O R T MAT T E R S !

The Pace Fund—Pace Academy’s highest giving priority—provides vital resources that directly support ALL students, faculty members and programs at Pace. 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.

In this unusual school year, your support makes a difference like never before. We are so grateful for your partnership in keeping Pace strong and prepared for the future.

For more information or to make a gift, visit www.paceacademy.org/support/the-pace-fund.