Knight Times Fall 2009

ALUMNI PUTS HIS MARK ON ATLANTA HISTORY

KnightTimes FALL 2009

BEHIND THE SCENES OF ANNIE

Propping Up

Pace Theatre

Giving the crew their due

KnightTimes Produced by Pace Academy Communications department

Fred Assaf he ad OF SC H O O L

Mike Gannon he ad of u pper sch ool

John Anderson HE AD OF MI DDL E SCH O O L

Anna Valerius

REDIRECT YOUR

TAXES DEADLINE EXTENDED TO

DECEMBER 15

HE A D OF LOW ER SCH O O L

Linda Smith DIRE CTO R OF COMM UN I C A T I O N S

Jessica Tanner COMM UNICATIONS AS S O C I A TE , G RAP H IC DESIGNER

Bonni Bigler web manag e r

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

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

Target Your Taxes Week Dec. 7-11 • • •

Come to the Castle and fill out the forms, or go to www.paceacademy.com and click on the icon Redirect a portion of your Georgia income taxes to scholarship assistance for prospective Pace students.

Receive a tax credit against your Georgia income tax liability for amounts donated.

www.paceacademy.org or 404-240-9106 2

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966 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W. Atlanta, GA 30327 www.paceacademy.org To contribute ideas for the KnightTimes, please email Jessica Tanner at jtanner@paceacademy.org

LETT ER F ROM T HE HE AD OF S CHO O L

Winter’s Coming Dear Pace Family, I hope you had a chance to see Annie! The show left all of us with an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment. Thanks again to all our actors, musicians and stage crew. The support of the numerous volunteers, alumni, benefactors and parents make it possible for Pace Theatre to provide these excellent opportunities. Our theatre and arts faculty are the best in Atlanta, and we are grateful to them for their commitment to excellence on the stage and behind the scenes.

As we usher in the holidays we look forward to a fun-filled winter season. Our basketball, wrestling, swimming, debate and cheerleading teams are underway.

Please try to take in a few games this winter, and support the Knights.

Perhaps one of Pace’s most beloved traditions is the Pace Lower School

Contents

Holiday Program. Steeped in our JudeoChristian heritage, our elementary school students will tell the story of Hanukkah and Christmas to the delight of a packed house in the Fine Arts Center at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 and at 7 p.m on Thursday, Dec. 17.

This is a very special event. I encourage each of you to try to make time to be a part of this Pace tradition.

Finally, as we head into the Holiday season we remember how fortunate we are to have such a loving familycentered community. Thanks to all of our teachers, volunteers, parents, alumni and benefactors for their commitment to Pace. I wish you and yours a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Fred Assaf Head of school

Cover photo by Susan Beallor-Snyder

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4 Announcements What you need to know 7 Around Pace A look into what is happening at Pace 10 BEHIND THE SCENES OF ANNIE A look at what goes into making a play 16 WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW A look at the upcoming season. Fall headlines 18 REINVENTING THE WHEEL Rick Berman invents pottery technique 20 Alumni Updates. World traveler. Local restorator.

28 Just For Fun Boo! KnightTimes | Fall 09

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A N N OUN C E ME NTS

Independent school statistics speak volumes sat scores substantially higher than national average 2008–2009 SAT results show National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) students have achieved substantially higher SAT scores than the national average. This year, NAIS students have tested to a 91-point advantage in critical reading (592 versus 501), an 88-point advantage in mathematics (603 versus 515), and a 101-point advantage in writing (594 versus 493).

By gender, NAIS female students outperformed their male counterparts in critical reading (598 versus 586) and writing (609 versus 579), while male students recorded higher scores for mathematics (613 versus 593). Comparing the results by race/ethnicity, NAIS students within each group have higher scores than the comparable national averages across all three SAT tests, especially among African-American and Hispanic students in NAIS schools as compared to the national averages in these groups.

Finally, the SAT scores reveal that the lower a family’s income, the greater the educational benefits of attending an NAIS member school are to the individual student. Even though SAT scores increase in direct relation to income, the size of the improvement across income levels in NAIS schools is not as large as in the national results. The gap between the lowest income level and the highest income level among NAIS test-takers is 71 points in critical reading (versus 95 points nationally), just 53 points in mathematics (versus 90 points nationally), and 75 points in writing (versus 93 points nationally).

Courting 2009 senior class king and queen titles go to Sophie Weiner and jon allen

Pace homecoming titles went to seniors Sophie Weiner and Jon Allen. “Everyone on the court was a close friend of mine so it was great spending quality time as royalty,” said Jon. “Walking down the football field with other seniors on court and having the whole school cheering was exhilarating. William and Lex are two of my best friends, and we were all play fighting over who was going to get the crown. Being on court was an honor, and I was not expecting to win. It was a great experience that I will never forget and that will forever connect me to the Pace community. I can’t wait to tell my children.”

The other members of court were freshmen Alex Paré, Lindsey Zwecker, Jack Bowen and Billy Stonecipher; sophomores Laney Gaskin, Hayley Kahn, Parker Draughon and Sean Berry; juniors Carley Gaynes, Danielle Kerker, Randolph Goulding and Greg Lambert; seniors Hannah Coletta, Camille Dishongh, Lex Alvarez and William Morse.

“Being on court was a great experience that I will never forget and that will forever connect me with the Pace community.”

— Jon Allen, ’10

Light One Candle In its 19th year, the holiday production of “Light One Candle” has special meaning for seniors as they advise the first graders who have inherited their former roles.

Anna Valerius, Head of LS, was a first grade teacher when the idea came to her. “It is a gift to our Pace family from the youngest children in the school; a celebration of the miracles of the season,” she said.

After much research, including consultations with ministers and rabbis, the script was written by faculty.

“Light One Candle” portrays the story of the Macabees and the tradition of Hanukkah and chronicles the birth of Christ and the Christmas story. First-grade students are the actors, and the remainder of the LS students are musicians or members of the chorus. This year the final scene features 20 seniors joining on stage the character they once played as Pace first graders.

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ANNOU N CEM E N T S

Pace art is golden Students earn awards at regional art competition

Get your weather report directly from the source

Pace’s own weather station goes live

Will Cox

Ashton Lager

Ashton Lager

McKenzie Berezin

Kate Kolbinsky

The Pace Academy weather station is now operational and online. A generous gift of the Parent’s Club, the weather station is a complete, state-of-the-art system that reports temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed/direction, UV and solar radiation, barometric pressure and can calculate a variety of weather related indicators. You can find current conditions at Pace by going to www. paceknights.org and scrolling down to find the weather icon. The weather station is a joint project (initiated by science teacher Jonathan Day) between the science and IT departments and will generate data that can be used by all Pace students.

Pace students earned five Gold and Silver Keys in the 2010 regional Scholastic Art and Writing Competition Awards for individual entries.

Gold Key winners were seniors Will Cox and Ashton Lager for ceramics, Sophomore Kate Kolbinsky took a Silver Key for ceramics, junior McKenzie Berezin took Silver for photography and Ashton took her second award, a Silver Key for painting.

The Scholastic Art Awards are open to grades 7-12 in the United States and are sponsored regionally by Georgia State University (GSU).

Silver Key and Gold Key artwork will be on display at GSU from Nov. 30-Dec. 5. The award ceremony is on Sat., Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. Gold Key works advance to New York City for national judging in March or April.

Back with a vengeance Senior named best actor for region at competition After a nearly 20-year absence from the Georgia High School Association One-Act Play Competition, sophomore Hurst Williamson took top honors in this year’s competition with the Best Actor award for our region. Hurst, Andrew Riley and Jackie Maize performed a play called “Words, Words, Words” by David Ives.

Parents Club raises more than $100,000 at Fall Fair Fall Fair had another successful year, as the Parents Club raised a whopping $104,500. The great day of fun has translated into important additions to Pace: Two digital bulletin board monitors for the Inman Center and US; more than $20,000 to decorate the Randall Room in the LS; a TiVo HD DVR; two $500 scholarships and a chaperone for the Model UN trip; two Sony Cybershot cameras, a defibrillator for the US, equipment to make the climbing wall operational; operating costs and supplies for the Sustainability Project; funding for the College Counseling interest evaluation program; beanbag chairs; a Holocaust trip for Kathie Larkin; SLR digital camera with lenses; natatorium safety equipment; storage stand for basses; art materials; a Henri Matisse Serigraph; a digital blood pressure monitor for LS; books; puzzles; an SLR reading lab; Baggy books; and electronic dictionaries.

The photos of Susan Beallor-Snyder will be exhibited in the Fine Arts Center from Monday, Jan. 25 through Friday, Feb. 5. In FLY ON THE WALL: THEATRE REHEARSALS, Susan takes US Theatre and MS drama and theatre production and rehearsal photos. For more information, call (917) 968-7310.

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A N N OUN C E ME NTS

Senior takes another math tournament Huang took first at Uga Oliver Huang took first place among some 350 students at the University of Georgia Math Tournament in Athens recently. Loaded with problems requiring high-level logical and abstract thinking skills the UGA tournament is one of the most challenging of the year. Oliver won a $4,000 scholarship to UGA and $100 cash. The rest of the team—seniors John Calhoun, Annie Bonnot, Kat Belinfante and Melissa Dalis and sophomore Mariam Dvalishvili also did well at the tournament.

Oliver is now the reigning champ of both the UGA and the Georgia Tech Math Tournaments (where he also won a scholarship to Tech). These are considered the most difficult of the Georgia tournaments.

It’s not up for debate MS debate takes top honors in all divisions In the second middle school tournament of the year, the Pace varsity team of Anshuman Parikh and Erik Howard (4-0 record) took second place, the JV team of Michael Sloman and Jay Kumar took first place; the novice team of Josh Rogers and Kyle Johnson took first place-undefeated and novice individual Will Egan took second place at the Renfroe Middle School tournament in October. In September, Josh Rogers took first place as best speaker in the novice individual division at the Emory tournament.

Additional awards earned at the October tournament were varsity individual Anshuman Parikh, seventh and Erik Howard, 10th. JV individuals were Michael Sloman, third, and Jay Kumar, seventh. Novice team placement was Will Egan and Olivia Levine, sixth (3-1 record). Novice individuals were Josh Rogers, fourth, Kyle Johnson, 11th and Olivia Levine, 16th place.

Additional Pace awards earned at the September Emory tournament were; varsity team Anshuman Parikh and Erik Howard, fifth, Wylie Heiner and John Morrison, sixth and varsity individual Anshuman Parikh, sixth. Novice teams Michael Sloman and Aadit Kumar, third (undefeated) and Tripp Conrad and Evelyn Hobbs, fourth (undefeated). Novice individual Sam Rubenstein, fifth, and Kyle Johnson, 10th.

5th grader chosen for Olympic Development Program squad

Fifth grader Jessica Haidet will be one of 40 girls in her age group to represent Georgia in the Olympic Development Program (ODP). Jessica participated in two, three-hour state tryouts with more than 100 girls born in 1998. The ODP was created

by US Soccer around 25 years ago to identify and develop talent for the national team, as well as providing opportunities to play college soccer and earn college scholarships.

Children’s illustrator visits LS Caldecott winner, illustrator, drummer and karate black belt Brian Pinkney delighted LS students on Oct. 29 with stories of his past and inspirations for some of his books including “Jo Jo’s Flying Kick and Max Finds Two Sticks.” The acclaimed New York author has won numerous awards including two Caldecott Honors, four Coretta Scott King Honors, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award.

Three Georgia chess champions from Pace Freshman Ryan Christianson, sophomore Michael Christianson and junior Sam Kallman took top honors in October at the Georgia State Grade-Level Chess Championships. The repeat winners took first place in their grade level last year as well as this year. The event at Greater Atlanta Christian School included 81 Georgia schools along with some home-schooled students with winners from each grade.

In addition, first grader Alden Wright earned fifth place; fifth grader Prashanth Kumar earned sixth place; seventh grader Aadit Kumar earned sixth place; eighth grader Jay Kumar earned sixth place; eighth grader Jeremy Paul earned second place. Other Pace participants at the championships included first grader Madeline Simpson, second grader Rohan Jatar, third graders Larry Simpson and Ben Nottingham, fourth graders Sneha Nagarajan, Daniel Blumen and Joseph Mathias and fifth grader John Propst.

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AROU ND P A CE

It’s more than meets the eye former pace student’s work displayed in ms

An interesting new painting hangs near the MS office. Created during his last months at Pace, Luke Putney’s 13-foot mural shows an imaginary outdoor scene in amazing detail.

The intense work includes many elements. “A dramatic waterfall crashes down a rocky slope as bats fly through the night sky,” said MS art teacher Jane Sibley. “A dense woodland, filled with ferns and hanging moss, hides snakes and spiders spinning webs. Along the river’s edge a leopard lounges on a rock wall, unaware of a partially submerged alligator waiting for a victim.”

The abundance of detail in the painting is unusual, especially because Luke is blind. The intense six-month project by the then eighth grader is dedicated to the teacher who helped make it possible for him to run cross country in his last year at Pace. Spanish teacher Holly JimÉnez guided Luke on each run through the sometimes-rough terrain of cross-country trails.

Another of his teachers, Ms. Sibley helped Luke complete the exceptional project. “As the river meanders toward the ocean, palm trees appear blowing in the wind while the sun sets in the distance,” she continued her description. “High above the sandy beach, a monkey holding a banana, swings from one of the trees.”

“He may be legally blind, but in his mind he enthusiastically visualized each element very clearly,” said Sibley. “He painted most of the mural himself—including a separately attached spray-painted sunset. When he had difficulty placing the brush where he wanted it, he asked for my help. With the details, he carefully described the exact gesture, placement and color mixture.”

Arriving at Pace in the fourth grade, Luke gradually lost his sight completely over the years and transferred to Whitefield Academy this year which allowed him easier campus mobility. In addition to friends at Pace, he left a strong reminder of the power of persistence.

Top models US Class researches EGYPT Emily Stevens’ history class researched Egyptian-civilization building projects, learning about builders, design, construction, use and decoration. Using their research, they constructed models of ancient monuments then taught their classmates what they had learned.

15 reasons to laugh MS DRAMA PUTS ON A PLAY ABOUT WHY NOT TO BE IN A PLAY Deck

The MS drama “15 Reasons Not to be in a Play” took a hilarious look at theatre itself.

The play about not being in a play included 15 monologue and ensemble skits through which the actors related their various reasons for not wanting to participate in a theatre production. Those reasons ranged from the most basic — “plays stink” to the more complex — repercussions affecting the world climate. Under the direction of Joey Villemez and assistant director Colin Barham, “15 Reasons Not to be in a Play” was an enjoyable glimpse into MS life.

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A RO UN D P A C E

Broadway Comes to Pace Cast of “RENT” surprises Pace as Diversity program gears up for the year Cast of “RENT” singing with students

Going to the Dogs the ls’ annual pet day brings animals of all shapes and sizes to pace For weeks, first-graders learned about animals and which ones make good pets. They wrote stories about their furry friends and on Oct. 20, each student brought in a pet of their choice whether real or make believe. While dogs made up a predictable, yet adorable, majority, there were cats, rabbits, hamsters and even a wooden dinosaur.

@ Fall fair

Good Times

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In a late October diversity event, the cast of Broadway’s “Rent” joined the Anti-Defamation League and their No Place for Hate campaign inCaption an afternoon assembly at Pace. Students saw a video presentation, heard student narratives recited by cast members and enthusiastically joined the cast to sing on stage. The “Rent” cast was in town for the Great American Teacher Awards Gala later that evening where Pace and Ron Clark students sang with the cast for the evening’s entertainment.

In reviewing other fall diversity events at Pace, director Philip McAdoo mentioned the Human Race Machine, which was on campus to show participants what they would look like if they had been born as one of six different races. “The machine helped us think about other people’s experience and how we experience other people,” he said. Although Philip received some thoughtful and powerful student reflections that week, no one wanted to stand before their peers and share their stories, so the “Rent” cast read them at the assembly. “How do we create a mutual place of respect,” Philip asked.

“And, how do we empower all students to use their voices to advocate for themselves as well as others.”

In early November the movie “The Prep School Negro” was shown to more than 100 community members with great reviews. After the movie, director André Robert Lee led a discussion. The film explored the difficult experiences of young African-American scholarship students when they attend the most elite prep schools in America.

The Pace diversity program is modeled after initiatives at major colleges and universities such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke, Harvard and other educational institutions which support and encourage intelligent dialogue about difference.

AROU ND P A CE

How to Handle An Overstressed Child THE PARENTING CONNECTION HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND AND ALLEVIATE YOUR CHILD’S STRESS

Parenting Connection is the part of the Parents Club charged with the development of strong parent networks, and the provision of opportunities for parent education.

For most parents the pressures facing today’s children seem much greater than when we were growing up. In our local community we worry about the impact of over scheduling our kids, the insidious pressures of achieving social success, and the intensely competitive environment for getting into college. But do we really know what issues cause our children stress, and if they are stressed how can we recognize the symptoms and take action to help them?

The annual survey of the American Psychological Association (APA) conducted in the summer of 2009 contains some revealing information about what children aged 8 through 17 are really worried about. Here are some surprising results: Parents are not good at predicting the levels of stress felt by their children or the reasons for that stress. We tend to underestimate how stressed our kids are, and at the same time overestimate the impact of family relationships and the impact of the busy lives that our children lead. With regard to the latter point Georgia Witkin, author of KidStress, commented from her own research “[Parents] were afraid that kids would be on overload. That wasn’t even on the kids’ radar. [One] said the only stressful part of all the activities is that ‘my mother gets so stressed driving me around.’”

The survey showed that the main stressors for

the children were doing well in school (44%) and their family’s finances (30%). The latter issue probably reflects the reality that children tend to worry about the things they see their parents worry about. Despite this, 63% of parents in the survey incorrectly stated that their stress levels had slight or no stress on their children.

Other key issues for the 8-12 age group were the way they looked/weight (17%) and getting along with friends (22%). Significant worries for students 13-17 were getting into college/ what to do after school (29%), and the way they looked/weight (26%), while the proportion worrying about getting along with friends had fallen to 11%.

Some level of worry is present in most students, but the real issue for parents is identifying when their child has stress to a point where they cannot cope. Potential symptoms of this ‘stress overload’ include: physical illnesses such as headaches, stomach aches, muscle pains and chronic fatigue; withdrawal from other people and activities; an increase in negative emotions such as anger, lashing out at others, tearfulness or a sense of hopelessness; difficulty sleeping, eating or concentrating; and chronic feelings of worry and nervousness.

Our own Upper School counselor, Sara Siegel, is a clinical social worker with extensive experience in recognizing and treating stress in young people. Sara emphasizes that there is no magic bullet for managing stress but some basic, common sense approaches can make a big difference such as: taking deep

breaths accompanied by thoughts of being in control to reinforce the sense of “I can handle this;” exercising and eating regular meals, and avoiding excessive caffeine; helping the student identify ‘stress traps’ such as avoidance, procrastination, and poor time management. Talking on the phone and texting are ways to hide temporarily from stress but in the end they can make the situation worse.

Other stress relievers are: setting small goals and breaking tasks into small manageable chunks; rehearsing, practicing, and visualizing how to handle situations which are causing anxiety; focusing on things we can control and letting go of the rest; talking about problems with others, or even writing about the cause of the anxiety and how it can be overcome; lowering unrealistic expectations; accepting ourselves as we are with all our strengths and imperfections.

In common with many child psychologists Sara stresses that parents have a very important role in teaching their children healthy ways to manage stress. Without these techniques some children will grow into adults with long-termhealth issues caused by stress.

Pace parents can always consult with Sara or Dr. Mark Crawford if they have concerns about how best to address the anxiety levels of their child.

— Parenting Connection Co-Chairs: Kathy Herman, Elaine Levine, Gail Phillips, Richard Rushton and Lori Zwecker

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Crew members consult about the sets.

T

he cast of Annie had just finished Act I on opening night, and Dr. George Mengert was ecstatic. “It’s great!” he exclaimed during intermission to the 39 actors and actresses in his cast, as they sat backstage in the chorus room prepping for Act II. The audience was eating it up.

After weeks of blocking scenes, choreographing moves, fine-tuning musical scores, designing and constructing sets, and crafting costumes, “Doc” Mengert and his cast and crew had transformed the stage of Pace’s Fine Arts Center into a world of optimism against a backdrop of Great Depression-era doom and gloom. A dank orphanage, a shanty town underneath New York City’s 59th Street bridge, a new U.S. president weighed down by the burden of putting 15 million unemployed Americans back to work all combined into a two-and-a-half hour show that gently reminded the audience both of today’s trying times and the threads of light that get us through them.

It all came together with hardworking directors, cast, crew and 13 committees of parent volunteers.

Making a b y b e ts y mcka y | p hotos by susan be allo r- snyder

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hard at work: Tom Barham, winner of the Golden Paintbrush Award consults with John Cooke while Cooke’s wife, Jillian paints sets. In the background, Stephanie Husk,

production coordinator, and her husband Bryan sand the hot dog stand.

Play

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Clockwise, Makeup Artist Natasha Drena applies makeup to Daniel Dodson before the final dress rehearsal; Tony Papadopoulos’ new do gets perfected by a professional from Van Michael Salon.; Dr. Mengert and his two assistant directors, Anna Bokman and Stacy Horesh, watch Annie Butler audition — she got the part of July; Scott Campbell and Beth Barrow-Titus plan out the music with pianist Susan Wallace.

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“Because they [the scene changes] were so fast, we decided not to use a curtain and do all live changes in front of the audience, but the crew did an outstanding job.”

—Scott Sargent, technical director and set designer words of encouragement: director George Mengert gives a pep talk to his cast and crew before dress rehearsal.

“The times seemed to cry out for ‘Annie,’” recalls Dr. Mengert of his decision last spring to make the popular Broadway show his pick for the 2009 fall musical. The United States was in a recession, unemployment was rising, and the country had a new president, just like in 1933, shortly after Franklin Delano Roosevelt arrived in Washington. Yet despite the grim times, Annie found a new father and a new home.

“Annie is the voice of optimism that things are going to be better,” Dr. Mengert says.

Dr. Mengert also wanted to make the fall musical a community affair, as it long had been, filling his cast with students of all ages, along with faculty, parents and alumni.

Unusual in a high school musical, the mix had younger kids looking up to the older ones.

“They liked watching us rehearse,” said senior Jon Allen. The older kids played games with the orphans on the floor of the hallway during rehearsal breaks. But senior Nikki Rinow, who played Miss Hannigan, treated the younger kids differently once she started getting into character, which she always does well before going on stage. Her smiles would morph into scowls as she wrapped her mind around the anger Miss Hannigan feels. After having Annie

dumped on her doorstep, Miss Hannigan sees the young girl lavished with special treatment.

“Usually I’m very patient, but then I would start yelling at the kids,” she said of the actresses who played the orphans.

Pace has a unique history with Annie, having staged the show in 1985 with late Pace parent George Humphreys as Daddy Warbucks. Now, Doc would dedicate this show to him. Two alumni — Bill Darby and Randy Marcrum — reprised some roles from the original Pace show. And 10th grade English teacher Don Dupree took to the stage for the first time since 1976.

To be cast as this year’s Daddy Warbucks, junior Tony Papadopoulos made an unusual sacrifice. He agreed to shave his head— and then allowed seniors in the cast to shear his shaggy locks with the whole Upper School cheering on during assembly one morning.

Having had a “substantial amount of hair” since he was about 12 years old, the ordeal was a shock for both he and his mother. He knew he wanted to do it since first seeing his name on the cast list, and it really put him in character.

“Afterwards, looking in the mirror it was quite easy to see myself as the fast-talking, quickthinking, billionare, Oliver Warbucks,” Tony said.

before and after: The hard work of the makeup, hair, costumes and set crew makes the actors and their characters come to life.

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cuts faux-vintage Life magazine covers; Bryan Husk, parent of seventh grader Rebecca Husk, paints a sign.; Bottom, Nikki Rinow (Miss Hannigan) gets into character with Caillin Cooke (Annie).

Austin Brown

It was just one of the lengths needed to pull off an authentic show. Nearly every day starting in late August, cast members would find an email from assistant director Stacy Horesh, marshaling them to the next rehearsal, where she and assistant director Anna Bokman helped block every scene.

“Tony and Caillin should bring homework to do between rehearsals,” Stacy advised one night when she knew Daddy Warbucks and Annie, played by seventh grader Caillin Cooke, would have a long wait between scenes. Night after night, Beth Barrow-Titus brought out voices young and adult to give the show its musical polish. Choreographer Jen McQueen taught the 10 orphans to be tough, but also to jump and dance and be carefree.

Meanwhile, technical director and set designer Scott Sargent mapped out a set that reflected the Depression-era period but that fit a fast-moving modern musical. It wasn’t easy. Scene changes in Annie are fast, so he knew a full set with lots of walls and windows wouldn’t work. Instead, he and his stagecraft classes constructed smaller pieces that could be moved easily. “Scene changes were the biggest challenge,” said Scott. “Because they were so fast, we decided not to use a curtain and do all live changes in front of the audience, but the crew did an outstanding job.” He gave Daddy Warbucks’ living room an Art Deco feel rather than its usual classical look, to convey a sense of a man alone in an empty, cold and modern mansion. The Mona Lisa painting, which Daddy Warbucks shunned at first, was actually a version of the masterpiece printed off the Internet and set in a $10 frame from Goodwill.

Scott likes art, and the Kandinsky used in Warbucks’ living room — also an Internet print job — was used to add a splash of color to the cold mansion living room.

He dug out a New York City backdrop inherited years ago from a friend at the Alliance Theatre. A couple of chairs came from the Castle boardroom. Dr. Mengert went to CNN to make authentic-sounding recordings of 1930s radio spots to air on stage. Pace parent Anne Kelly, in charge of props, searched on

e-Bay for items like a ventriloquist doll and filled 15 plastic champagne glasses with a resin mix that hardened to resemble real bubbly.

Suddenly, it was the weekend before the show. “Please, please, please give us whatever time you have,” Jillian Cooke, Caillin’s mom, pleaded with parents in an email, attaching a long to-do list of lastminute chores. The orphanage walls needed to be distressed to create faux cracks in the plaster. There was a mad dash to the only Christmas tree farm open in the Atlanta area, in Woodstock, for the tree for Warbucks’ mansion —an ordeal that involved waiting for the treecutter to finish taking a shower.

Jill Sabulis, parent of two Pace alumni and president and artistic director of Georgia School Costumes, had many of the costumes needed for this show. She has provided costumes for Pace productions since My Fair Lady in 2001, but this was the first production with this many kids since Oliver!, which was staged 11 years ago. She put the finishing touches on racks of costumes. A makeup crew transformed cast members one by one. The orchestra assembled, under the direction of Scott Campbell.

Then, on Nov. 12, Doc Mengert’s birthday, the curtain went up.

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It may be getting cold outside, but pace’s winter sports are nothing but hot.

WITH so many STATE appearances LAST YEAR, FANS CAN ONLY HOPE THIS will be a repeat year.

Winter SportsPreview Girls Basketball

With point-guard Haley Zwecker injured for the first half of the season, Coach Regina Tate is looking to Morgan Batey, Kaitlyn Dinkins, mckenzie berezin

and Sarah Patterson to lead the lessexperienced players. Batey’s athleticism and Dinkins’ versatility should play out the first half of the season while Zwecker is out.

The biggest issue will be establishing a solid post presence on the defense and making rebounds. “I have a fair amount of guards who can score and shoot the ball. But defense is what wins games ... and we have to be a better rebounding team,” says Coach Tate.

Swim and Dive

Seniors Mary Hunter Cunningham, Grace Southworth, Sam Colt, All-

American Emily Kaplan, Chris Merritt and Grace Alexander have stepped up their game to encourage the younger athletes, as well as provide encouragement and support, said Coach John Ague.

They competed very well at the first meet against Walton High School with first place finishes by Jared Wasserman in the 50-yard freestyle, Emily Kaplan in one-meter diving, John McCrea and Katherine Ford in the 100-yard backstroke, Sam Colt and Grace

Fall Sports Headlines Varsity Cross Country Shines at State The varsity boys and girls cross country teams once again had strong showings at the 16

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GHSA Cross Country State Championships in Carrollton, G.A. The boys team led by Jack Harris (21st), Billy Stonecipher (25th), Alex Daniels (27th), Greg Lambert (28th) and Zack Lindsey (36th) brought home the

The loss of Namat Lawal last year to graduation was substantial, but the growth potential in the 12-man roster is considerable.

Claire Quintrell, Lindsey Zwecker and senior Charmaine Mech round out potential Most Improved winners by the end of the season. Chelsea Botts has the ability to be a great defender and fans can look forward to positive play from her this year.

Their first game was a nailbiter, but the girls won 57-54 over Mt. Paran Christian School.

The team upset East Jackson Comprehensive High School 62-35 in the first round of the Talon Tip-Off thanks to a great team effort.

Butler in the 100-yard breaststroke, and both the boys and girls took first place in the 400yard freestyle relay “Our goal each year is to send student/ athletes to the State Championship Meet and to always try to be in the top five of the “A” classification schools,” said Coach Ague.

Next, the team looks forward to getting relays qualified in December for the state meet in February. “I am anxious to see everyone get into race-shape,” said Coach Ague. “This is the stage where we really see how we compare to the other schools.”

fourth place trophy. The girls team once again finished in the top ten placing eighth led by Taylor Gordon (19th), Camille Dishongh (39th), Julia Greatrex (41st), Emily Wilson (46th) and Grace Alexander (54th).

Varsity Boys Basketball Led by returning junior starters Josh Swan and Alex Davis, the “cagers” lost a lot of size to graduation last year, so more players will be called upon to keep up the pace.

“We are filled with talented guards, so you will notice a much more up-tempo style— utilizing the whole court [to compensate for our loss in size],” said Coach Callahan.

After beating Mt. Paran in a practice game, a close win over Riverwood (71-70), as well as winning the first round of the Talon Tip-off against host team East Jackson 100-74, it looks like they may have another very successful year. The Riverwood game was close, but they are one of Pace’s big neighborhood rivals.

Allen Swan hit two free throws with 12

seconds left to put Pace up 71-67 and secure the win.

Three-year varsity sharpshooter Alex Hart, ’10, will return and is expected to make significant contributions to this year’s team.

Junior Billy Selmon makes up one of those “very talented” guards that combines both defensive skill as well as the knack of scoring.

Defensively, it will be up to senior Jack Harris, post players Tony Papadopoulos, ’11, and Connor Perkey, ’12, to be aggressive and quick against a larger and stronger opponents.

Sophomores Allen Swan, Robert Jones, Cameron Winders, and Brandon Stoll will contribute to a successful season.

Varsity Wrestling Pace had three State-qualifiers in senior William Morse (fourth-place finisher),

senior Michael Kamor and sophomore Wheeler Ernst. This year, it is going to be very important that these three, along with seniors Chad Milich, Jake Howard, Will Webster, Patrick McGonnigle and Field McMillian, “encourage and be a good example to transfer their talent and experience to improve the less experienced,” said head coach Mark S0mmerville.

Coach Sommerville has added two coaches to his team, MS history teacher, Graham Anthony and US math teacher, Gus Whyte.

After missing out on last year’s area and state competition because of injury, sophomore Alex Stephens will get to compete this year, and Coach Sommerville is looking to Alex to improve substantially.

The 20th Annual Pace Invitational Wrestling Tournament will be held Dec. 12 with a start time at 10 a.m. There are 10 teams competing this year from the metro Atlanta area. The finals are scheduled for 5 p.m. After 20 years, this will be the last year that Pace hosts the invitational.

Volleyball player to all-area first team Senior Mikki Mori, who played Libero and Designated Server for the Knights, was named to the 2009 All-Area 5AA/A first team by the Area 5AA/A Head Coaches.

THREE SOFTBALL PLAYERS ON ALL-REGION TEAMs Three players placed on this year’s 2009 All-Region 5A Softball Teams. Junior Erin Haagenson who hit .400, drove in 12 runs and scored 12 runs while pitching the Knights to eight victories was named First Team All-

Region. Freshman Amber Easley was also named to the First Team. Easley batted .378 on the season drove in six runs, scored 12 and stole six bases on six attempts. Senior Annie Bonnot was named to the All-Region Second Team. Bonnot hit .326 for Pace, drove in six runs and scored 12.

KnightTimes | Fall 09

17

Salku

Salku

Carbon Trap Raku

Carbon Trap Raku

Reinventing the Wheel BERMAN’S CERAMICS TECHNIQUES SPARK INTEREST

Potter and Pace faculty member Rick Berman’s ceramics-firing techniques, Carbon Trap Raku and Salku, are giving people in the art world something to talk about.

Berman’s Carbon Trap Raku is featured in the September/October issue of Clay Times magazine, and he conducted a workshop at the annual Georgia Art Educators Association (GAEA) Professional Learning Conference in November on his Salku technique.

Berman’s experimentation with Carbon Trap Raku started in 1996 and has been used

by Pace students for 12 years. It continues to be part of his creative process even now. Clay Times magazine, a world-wide publication of ceramic arts and pottery, published the article written by Berman, which covers every detail of the process from preparation to firing to final result.

Last summer, GAEA Annual Conference cochair Kathy Jackson approached Berman about

18

KnightTimes | Fall 09

leading a Salku workshop after attending one of his wood-firing workshops at the Hambidge Center for the Arts and Sciences in Rabun Gap. “There seems to be quite a bit of interest in seeing it done around the country,” said Berman. “Salku: An Experimental Process” was held at the GAEA Professional Learning Conference in Young Harris, Georgia. Workshop participants built and fired a Salku kiln.

Berman’s hopes are that participants will return to their schools and build a similar kiln that can be used by students experimenting with the Salku technique.

“I’m always messing around with the possibilities of fusing or discovering new techniques, and every now and then something comes of it,” said Berman. “I have such a short attention span that I get bored with things after I figure them out, so I’m constantly trying to keep myself interested and go places I haven’t been. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise.”

Salku

KnightTimes | Fall 09

19

A LU M N I

Updates what have PACE alumni been up to?

<

Baker & Stalzer, LLC has rolled out a new online will system. Clients can now write their wills online, just by clicking through an on-screen interview, available from the website, www. bakerlg.com.

David Liebmann ’87 is assistant head of Fay School and resides outside of Boston, Mass. < Chris Leavy

<

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KnightTimes | Fall 09

Temple Moore ’00 is currently traveling the world with her boyfriend from Atlanta and their blog is www.syrupsun.com. They began April 1 and spent five months traveling around South America; Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Columbia and Brazil. They volunteered at an Animal Rescue Center in Bolivia. In September, they flew to South Africa and spent a little more than a month there.

They are currently in Botswana and will head to Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania where they will volunteer at a children’s orphanage. After that they head to the Middle East and India.

Heather Allen ’05 graduated from University of Virginia in May, moved to Los Angeles in search of jobs in the entertainment industry, and is now in Las Vegas working as a Prize Coordinator on the new “Let’s Make A Deal” game show. As a prize coordinator, Heather is responsible for producing all prizing aspects of the game show episodes. “Let’s Make a Deal,” hosted by comedian Wayne Brady, airs weekdays at 10 a.m. on CBS in Atlanta.

Katie “Alana” Cheshire ’07 recently appeared in a production of “The Clean House” at Indiana University-Bloomington’s Wells-Metz <

’89, his wife June and their three children went to Brazil last August.

The highlights of the trip were relaxing on the Brazilian beaches and exploring the Amazon — the kids are still talking about piranha fishing, Cayman hunting and monkey watching.

Josh Belinfante ’95, former executive counsel to Gov. Sonny Perdue, has joined RobbinsLaw LLC, where he will focus on litigation, health care regulation and appellate and administrative law. As Perdue’s counsel since January 2007, Belinfante drafted laws on health care, eminent domain and civil practice.

Belinfante holds a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a resident of Sandy Springs.

David Hanson ’96 was recently featured in the Ledger-Enquirer in an article titled “Atlanta native David Hanson paddles canoe along Chattahoochee River.” The article outlines David’s three-month canoe trip on the Chattahoochee. David currently lives in Seattle, Wash., where he freelances and is a teaching artist for Arts Corps.

GeorgAnna Thorpe Wiley ’96 was

working in rural Alaska when she decided to spend a year doing international volunteer work which included working with pregnant bats in Australia, visiting the Dalai Lama and teaching women in mud huts in Ghana about birth control. Along the way she met an Englishman on the back of a camel in India and was married shortly thereafter. The couple recently moved back to the states with their toddler to Tucson, Ariz., where GeorgAnna was helping deliver babies just over the border and working with under-served immigrants. She now works as a nurse-midwife at Georgia’s only freestanding birthing center in Savannah where she helps women give birth naturally and take care of their bodies. GeorgAnna is also expecting her second child next June.

Theater. Alana played Ana, an Argentine woman with breast cancer. An article about the play can be found in the Indiana Daily Student, www. idsnews.com Courtney Schaefer> ’07 is spending her junior fall abroad in Lyon, France, to pursue her French major at L’Université Lumière Lyon 2. This past summer, Courtney was in London for four weeks at Sotheby’s Institute of Art studying the business of art auctions and the art world to help with her art history degree. She was recently in Paris where she met up with fellow Pace alumna, Olivia Mills ‘07, who is studying in Madrid, Spain this semester.

DJ EDLER ’09 was named America East Rookie of the Week, the conference announced in late September. D.J. is a freshman at the University of Vermont and plays forward. At that time, he had scored in each of his past three games and was tied for fourth among league leaders with three goals on the season.

He also led the Catamounts with six points through the first five games.

Edler was named the Offensive MVP of the Smith Barney Classic, leading the tournament in goals and points. <

Diane Baker Robison ’73, an attorney with

Marriages Clay Johnson ’95 married Rosalyn Lemieux Sept. 20 at Chateau Raysse in Souilliac, France. After honeymooning in Egypt they are living in Washington, D.C., where Clay is director of Sunlight Labs for the Sunlight Foundation.

Kimberly J. Tucker ‘97 married Brian J. Hooper in Seaside, Fla., on May 2. Kimberly and Brian both attended Washington and Lee University and met at an alumni event in <

Recognition & News

A L UM N I

< Anne Smith Stephenson ’99

married Martin Stephenson at the Parish Church of St. Helena in Beaufort, S.C., on May 9. Laura Shapiro, ’99 served as the Maid of Honor.

Other Pace alumni in attendance were Anne’s brothers Ian Smith ’90, Owen Smith ’92, and Graham Smith ’97, along with Whitney Rybert ’99, Katie Roberts Morris ‘99, Laura Adilman ’99, Will Amos ’99, Megan McSwain Mann ’99, Caroline Owings ’99, and Brittany Odom Smith ’96.

Births David Lynn ’82 and his partner, Tracey

De Paolo, welcomed a boy, Brisco Harrison De Paolo, on May 8.

Ashley Warren Jordaan ’88 and her husband Hendrik welcomed their fifth child, Hendrik Daniel Jordaan, on Sept. 21. Baby Hendrik joins big siblings Caroline, 8, Richter, 8, Marie, 7 and Anna, 4. Ashley and her family live in Denver, Colo. Ashley is a partner at the law firm of Holme, Roberts and Owen where she has practiced since 1998.

Dana Feinstein Friedman ’97 and her husband, Craig, welcomed a girl, Savannah May, on May 21. The family lives in Manhattan Annie Richardson Goode ’98 and her husband, Jason, welcomed a boy, Clinton Wells Goode, on May 13.

With Your

Pace Family Tommy Moore, 99 and his wife Tiffany welcomed a boy, Samuel Thomas “Sam” Moore, on Feb. 16. The family lives in Denver, Colo.

Spotlight on Alumna | Anna Ninan

The international community development work of Anna Ninan ’05 was spotlighted for the Pace community Nov. 11 in a presentation sponsored by the new Global Education program at Pace. Anna told of her path from Pace to Mali during both an evening presentation and in individual classes during the day.

After graduating from Brown University, Anna became the USA Executive Director of the Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP).

MHOP’s mission is to create the first universal primary health care system in Mali by working

RECONNE C T

<

Washington, D.C. Kimberly is also a graduate of American University Washington College of Law, and Brian is a graduate of Harvard Law School. After honeymooning in Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand, Kimberly and Brian moved to Pensacola, Fla., where Brian is a commercial litigator, and Kimberly is a lawyer and teacher.

with community representatives and Mali leaders at the local and national levels. Anna has also worked with CARE in Ecuador, the NAZ Foundation in India and with the Clinton HIV/ AIDS Initiative in Ethiopia.

During college, Anna became deeply involved in organizing, participatory education, and international development. Facilitating educational programs in prisons, mental health hospitals, and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) centers, Anna has focused on education as a key component of political engagement and empowerment. She is the cofounder of Generation Citizen, an organization devoted to developing curriculum for public schools that empowers students to be active members of their communities.

Anna joined her interests in education, organizing, and global health by accepting her position as the USA Executive Director of the MHOP. Working in a Malian slum neighborhood, MHOP leads community-organizing programs to improve the health outcomes in one of the poorest countries in the world.

ALUMNI

HOLIDAY

PARTY 12.5.09

alumni@paceacademy.org Photo: Katie Kibler ’12 Family: Pace faculty members Jody Beckman Rushton ’82, Rick Canfield, Jo Novy, France Dorman, Barbara Howells Boukater ’92

KnightTimes | Fall 09

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A LU M N I

Pace alumni and family check out of Atlanta to check out the world

Caption

“Take a chance, leave your comfort zone and broaden your horizons.”

— Katherine (Brown) Ohlhausen

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KnightTimes | Fall 09

For the Ohlhausens, Katherine (Brown) ’84, her husband Eric and their two children Marshall and Wallis, taking a trip around the world was something that they only once joked about. But when the timing gave way and their children were at the perfect age of 9 and 11, they decided to “check out” of their life in Atlanta, and they got out the map.

After laying out a huge world map and choosing their destinations, the Ohlhausens started planning the trip of their lives — 30 countries on 34 flights over 330 days.

They rented their home and got permission to home school Wallis and Marshall and left in the summer of 2007.

Katherine said the trip made her kids realize that, at the core, people have so much in common with one another. “Marshall and Wallis have a better understanding of the human experience in so many different cultures. Traveling through India and Asia,

to Europe and South America, they realize that no matter where you are from, all people are basically the same, no matter their color, language or religion,” she said.

The places that left a lasting impression on her family were Laos and Cambodia. “The people are gracious and spiritually beautiful.

The monks of Laos, and Angor Wat of Siem Reap, Cambodia were awe-inspiring and breath-taking,” she said. New Zealand brought a sense of adventure and diverse ecosystems. “It is truly amazing to be on the beach one minute and then at a glacier the next.”

Katherine’s husband, Eric, is currently writing a book about their travels, to encourage families to realize that life is short, and that there may not be another time to pick up and leave. Katherine’s motto is to be like Nike and “Just Do It.” Check out their blog: www.familywalkabout. blogspot.com.

LION TAMER Gabriela and Bruce Carroll TIGHTROPE WALKER Toco Properties Deep Blue Insight Group Rooms to Go Children’s Fund Cornerstone Bank howstuffworks.com Honda Carland Honda Carland North Acura Carland Global Payments, Inc. The Ramsey Family in honor of the Pace Teachers and Staff

Thank you to all of our sponsors, chairs, committee members, staff and volunteers

STRONGMAN Boland Jones Family S. G. Contracting, Inc. Atlantic Trust TREPEZE ARTIST The Berry Family The Spinelli Family The Carpet Lady Christy and Chris Payne Caroline and David Crawford AHD International South of Market Conner Partners, Inc. CLOWN St. Regis Atlanta

Montez and Shep Hammack Leah and Ted Taylor The Stebbins Family The Bethel Family Cathie and John Crawford UNICYCLIST Blain Upchurch and family The Janki Family Laura and Jim Gash Mitch and Alli Allen and family The Swann Family Roberts and Daughdrill, P.C. The Alkire Family The Singletary Family Jane and Scott Butler Karamanolis Family Suzanne and Brooks Bollman Julie Edelman and Howard Kaplan The Shapiro Family Jenny and Miles Marks JUGGLER The Schultz Family Movsovitz-Edlin Family Patricia Simone and Robert Schreiner Leigh and Tim Walsh Ginger and Dan Greene Heiner Family South of Hampton

Morrisroe Family Melanie and Bobby Chambliss The McCall Family The Doherty Family The Friestad Family The Loughran Family Susan and Doug Brown IN KIND The Paper Route Glazer Construction Lanier Parking Solutions Atlanta Braves Atlanta Falcons Caribou Coffee Church of the Apostles The Coca-Cola Company DJ Cisco Ben Hirsch Jaclyn Lund Mckesson Medical-Surgical Momentum Naydya Merchant Resurgens Orthopaedic Sage Dining Services Stock Building Supplies The Shamburger Family Tina Wheat, RN, BSN 790 The Zone

Alli Allen, Parent’s Club President Caroline Crawford and Christy Payne, 2009 Fall Fair Chairmen Jean Nottingham and Fran Konradt, Immediate Past Chairmen Kay Douglass and Sally Singletary, 2010 Fall Fair Chairmen; Aimee McDonald, Alumni Representative; Sarah Asher, Danielle Laursen and Kay Douglass, Assemblies; Julia Reynolds, Balloons; Gabriela Carroll and Gayla Van Zyvverden, Candy House; Angela Pace, Coke; Linda Smith Champion and Jessica Tanner, Communications; Deborah Wagoner, Jenny Bethel and Jennifer Healey, Decorations; Michelle Horesh and Susan Gruber, Early Ticket Sales; Robert Wood, Engineering; Danielle Cefalu, Stephanie Husk and Suzanne Shafer, Fair Day Ticket Sales; Kellie Appel and Forrest Caton, Food; Ellen Hirsch, Graphic Design; Radhika Behl, Hospitality; Beth Inman, Jail; Claire Shamburger, Hope Sheft and Holly Smith, Karaoke; Kathy Herman and Pam McGonnigle, Knight’s Grill; Kristin Doerr and Beth Maner, Mash; Amy Silverstein and Katie Lyday, Pace Family Communications; Debbie Pierce, Photography; Jennifer Hall and Sally SIngletary, Prizes; Melanie Pope and Jamie Martin, Public Relations; Judi Sloman, Service Learning; Jean Nottingham, Set-up and Tear Down; Nanette Adair, Dana Schank and Jane Butler, Signs and Banners; Leslie Stebbins and Tracey DeRosa, Sponsorships; Katherine Tolliday, Melissa Rovner and Randi Drake, Street Market; Kate Hood and Leslie Sullivan, T-shirts; Sarah Asher, Danielle Laursen and Kay Douglass, Teacher Raffle; Fran Konradt and Catherine Bradley, Transportation; Terri Janki and Hope Flammer, Treasurer; Kirk Laursen, Video; Maury Spinelli and Heather White, Pre-First Maze; Veronica Golden and Libby Smith, First Grade Obstacle Course; Jennifer McCarthy, Alexa Dudley, Blair Robbins and Anna Shippen, Second Grade Toys and Books; Elizabeth Glass and Ann Murphy, Third Grade Glamourama; Anne von Schlegell, Lauren Shapiro and Christine Davis, Fourth Grade Garden Games; Anna Patton and Rena Stricker, Fifth Grade Over the Rainbow; Kim Helfgott, Kathleen Waldrop and Stewart Little, Sixth and Seventh Grade Special Event Staffing; Dawn DiMeglio, Helen Rogers, Suzanne St. Paul and Zora Foote, Eighth Grade Field Games; Patti Krohngold and Ashley Lewman, Ninth Grade Art in the Field; Holly Mitchell, Kim Berry and Leigh Walsh, Tenth Grade Haunted House; Cathy Goulding Brashear, Armand Harris, Lynn Walden Davis and Michael Pashos, Eleventh Grade Coke Staffing; Lisa Malik and Candace Kerker, Eleventh Grade Goldfish; Louise Cunningham and Elizabeth Crane, Twelfth Grade Bake Sale KnightTimes | Fall 09

23

A L UM N I

Family Renovation

Alumni nurses the home of joel chandler harris back to health Before: The porch

Before: The back of the house

Twenty-six-year-old Lain Shakespeare ’01, is the executive director of The Wren’s Nest. He is also the great-great-great-grandson of Joel Chandler Harris, the famous author of the beloved and sometimes controversial Uncle Remus series of books and associate editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the late 1800s.

Lain has been recognized for restoring The Wren’s Nest, Atlanta’s oldest house museum which was originally owned by Harris from 1881-1908. He was featured in the October 2009 issue of Atlanta magazine in an article titled “Out of the Briar Patch.” Lain was also recently recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of its 40 Under 40, an acknowledgment of 40 influential Atlantans under the age of 40.

The home was sold after Harris’ death in 1908 to a group of women who acted as a board of directors for the estate. It was made into a museum in 1913, and nearly closed three years ago, until Lain stepped in and started the major renovation.

Lain consulted architects, preservationists and old photos to determine how to restore the home with as much historical accuracy as possible to keep the property on the National Registry of Historic Places.

From the bricks and mortar to commissioning custom wallpaper, Lain has ensured that the property be historically accurate, as close as possible to the way the home looked when his great-great-great grandfather lived there. The bedroom where Harris died is still, at the request of his widow, untouched and roped off to the public.

With the help of social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, Lain has brought much media attention to the home, himself and the significance of Harris’ writing. He updates his website’s blog and manages a photo gallery of the progression of the renovation on Facebook.

Visit www.thewrensnest.com to follow along with Lain’s restoration.

Authors past and present Pace seniors chosen to edit regional publication Lain encourages the youth of Atlanta to write and edit through The Wren’s Nest Publishing Company, a completely student-run literary journal by metro-Atlanta high schoolers. He was inspired by 826 National, a nonprofit that publishes student works and operates tutoring centers across the country. He met with the program director at the Decatur Book Festival—the largest independent book festival in the country—and they decided that what was missing from the festival’s inaugural year was teenage involvement— thus came The Wren’s Nest Publishing Company. This year Pace had two students edit this year’s publication, The Wayfarer’s Diary.

Edited by seniors Sam Colt and Susan Goldblatt, the most recent student publication of the Decatur Book Festival, The Wayfarer’s Diary, was released at the 2009 event in September. In all, eight metro-Atlanta students were chosen to edit and name the annual journal containing prose, poetry and artwork. Students were selected to edit the publication in late spring and worked throughout the summer at The Wren’s Nest. In addition to the editors, the work of seniors Melissa Dalis, Isaac Sukin and junior Christina Banick was included. The Wayfarer’s Diary can be purchased at www.wrensnestonline.com for $10. Proceeds from the sale of the magazine will go to next year’s student publication.

KnightTimes | Fall 09

25

J US T F OR F U N > LS Pre-First teacher, ELIZABETH

Boo!

BALENTINE

WHAT’S SCARIER THAN TEACHERS?!

TEACHERS DRESSED UP FOR HALLOWEEN!

< US English teacher, BAILEY

<

PLAYER

LS Pre-First teacher,

PATTY ALEXANDER;

“Peppermint Patty” won Mr. Assaf’s faculty costume contest

Caption

> US science teacher and alumnus, Kim <

Alston

MS teachers,

ANDREW HEACOCK, Kevin Coale, HOLLY JIMÉNEZ; dress

as an “L.O.P.” otherwise known as a MS “loss of privilege”.

26

<

JUST F OR F U N

LS music teacher,

VONDA VREILAND

and the kids ...

> LS Pre-First teacher, cheryl lassiter

< LS first grade teachers, Deb Cook and suzie lee; LS first grade associate teacher catherine chapman

27

966 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW Atlanta, GA 30327 www.paceacademy.org

END-OF-YEAR

Giving

The Pace Annual Fund

Bridging the gap between tuition income and operating expenses

2009-2010 Goal: $1,000,000

We’re half way there, and it’s the perfect time to give!

Let’s increase participation by the entire Pace family—faculty/staff, parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents—Pace needs everyone’s support!

Make your gift by the end of the year for a 2009 tax deduction.

Give online at www.paceacademy.org, click on Supporting Pace.

For questions or to make a gift of stock, contact Mary Denson, director of annual giving at 404-240-9107 or mdenson@paceacademy.org

2009-2010 ANNUAL FUND