Winter 2013 Knight Times

THE MA GA Z INE O F PA CE A CA DE MY

KnightTimes W in t er 2013

What’s Your Legacy?

Pace students past and present leave a lasting heritage

Start Small. Think Big.

www.paceacademy.org/auction

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

Contributors Amanda Allen ’08

Contents

Amanda was valedictorian of the Pace Class of 2008 and attended Vanderbilt University as a Lanier Scholar. She is now working toward a master’s degree in the Humanities at the University of Chicago, specializing in cultural policy and art history. Upon receiving her graduate degree this June, she hopes to begin working at an arts institution to further pursue her interest in art and culture.

David Lynn ’82

Dave holds an English degree from the University of Rochester, an automotive design degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca. and a Masters in Industrial design from Georgia Tech. Most of his career has been spent as a racecar design engineer. More recently he has taught industrial and automotive design at Georgia Tech while acting as a partner in Laughing Dog Design Studio.

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Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64

After graduating from Pace, Martha attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga. where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She left Georgia to live in New York City and began her career at McGrawHill Book Company. During her years at McGraw-Hill, she held several positions, including copywriter, copy supervisor, advertising manager and public relations liaison. After marrying, she and her husband moved to Litchfield County, Conn. where they raised two daughters. In 1989, Martha joined a New York-based marketing communications firm where she became a partner and editorial services director. Today she works as a freelance content consultant, writer and editor for corporate communications.

Hayley Silverstein ’14

Hayley has attended Pace since the fifth grade. She is an avid participant in numerous Pace activities, including Model UN, the Ambassador program, French tutoring and Knight Capital. She has been interested in writing from a young age and has finally found an outlet for it in the Upper School. She is currently on the staff of Pace’s student-run newspaper, The Knightly News, as the editor for the news section. She hopes to continue writing in college on a newspaper staff.

Letter from the Editor

Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64

visited Pace this past fall. A member of our first graduating class, she stops by the school whenever she is in Atlanta, and you can tell that, to Martha, our campus is hallowed ground.

Head of School Fred Assaf and I had the opportunity to chat with Martha during her visit, and we listened intently as she described her high school experience. She recounted the location of her Castle classrooms, the construction of the current Upper School and the tight-knit bonds between classmates. She was particularly moved by her memories of Pace’s first headmaster, Frank Kaley, and of the familial environment he created during his tenure. Pace truly was her home, she said, and remains so today.

I was touched by Pace’s legacy in Martha’s life, and by her loyalty and love for her alma mater. I asked her to record some of her memories for this publication and she graciously agreed. You can read Martha’s article, Growing Up with Pace, on page 20. It is a lovely reminder of the impact people and places have on our lives and of the power of the Pace community.

Caitlin Goodrich ’00

Director of Communications

36 6 NEWS What you need to know 10 Around Pace A look at what’s happening at Pace 18 Leaving a legacy Pace families make Aim High a priority 20 Growing up with pace A member of Pace’s first graduating class shares her stories 22 a legacy of learning Alumni pursue careers in education 26 Knightflix Studemt-run broadcast delivers live events to online community 34 ALUMNI Where are they now?

35 Creating a legacy of service Alumnus defends human rights 36 Alumni Reunions and events bring Pace grads home again On the cover: During the Alumni Tent Party, Sherry Kaley Roberts ’66 pays tribute to the school her father built.

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KnightTimes Fred Assaf head OF SC H OOL

Division Heads Michael Gannon he ad of u ppe r school

John Anderson H EA D OF MID D LE SC H OOL

Anna Valerius H EA D OF LOWER SC H OOL

Communications Department Caitlin Goodrich ’00 D IREC TOR OF C OMMUNIC ATIONS

Jessica Castleberry C OMMUNIC ATIONS AS S OC IATE, GRA P H IC D ES IGNER

Bonni Bigler-Sokolsky WEB MA NA GER

Rebekah Bailey Gr aphic D e sign 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.

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

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

Letter from the Head of School

Pace Academy’s former headmasters. From left to right, Frank Kaley, George Kirkpatrick, Peter Cobb and Mike Murphy.

Building a Legacy Dear Pace Family, We recently wrapped up our fall semester with a string of joyous events—holiday concerts by our performing artists, an incredibly successful Booster Bash, the start of the winter athletics season and a beautiful Lower School Holiday Program. At print time, the Aim High campaign had reached $30 million—just $2 million away from our goal!

Clearly, it’s been a busy and exciting time on campus!

And while there was much to celebrate during our first semester, the fall was not without its share of heartache and challenges for our school and our nation. As always, the Pace family came together to overcome these obstacles, reminding me once again that we live in a truly unique community.

And for that, I want to say thank you!

In this issue of the KnightTimes, we ask, “What’s your legacy?” We talk to students building a broadcasting program sure to impact our school for years to come. We catch up with Pace families who have contributed to the Aim High campaign, which will benefit generations of Pace students.

We hear from Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64, a member of our first graduating class, about her memories of our school’s early days. We profile alumni who were inspired by Pace teachers to pursue careers in education, and we applaud Kevin Linder ’94 for the legacy of service he is creating through vital volunteer work.

As we prepare to construct a new, state-of-theart facility, I’ve found myself looking out my office window at the current Upper School and reflecting on the students and teachers that occupied the building in years past—and on the men who have sat at my desk. I am overwhelmingly grateful for their service and commitment to Pace. We stand on their shoulders—their legacy—as we strive together to create our own. The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will certainly be part of that legacy.

Thank you for joining me in this important work!

Sincerely,

Fred Assaf

Head of school

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Counting Down Fall Debate Highlights Upper School Debate squad starts season strong After nine first-semester debate tournaments and four invitation-only round robins, the Upper School debate squad has had arguably its best start to a season in recent memory.

The team of seniors Jordan Epstein and Victor Skenderi finished the fall semester ranked first in the nation, and seniors Paula Cheng and Brian Klarman finished eighth.

Pace is the only school in the nation with two teams in the top 10.

Other highlights include: 1. In September, Epstein and Skenderi placed third at the prestigious Greenhill Round Robin. In the main Greenhill Invitational, the team finished in fifth place, and Cheng and Klarman tied for 12th.

2. At the Georgetown University Invitational in early October, Epstein and Skenderi finished in third place; Cheng and Klarman finished 12th.

3. Later in October, Epstein and Skenderi reached the semifinal round of the St. Mark’s School of Texas Invitational, placing them among the top four teams of nearly 150 students from 17 states. Sophomores Clyde Shepherd and Tanner Lewis won the invitation-only sophomore division of the tournament.

4. On Nov. 1, Epstein and Skenderi won first place at the University of Michigan’s national Senior Round Robin, finishing undefeated. They also were named top and second-place individual speakers. Junior Erik Howard was named the top individual speaker in the Junior Round Robin.

5. Following the University of Michigan round robins, 12 Pace debaters, including seniors Jon Adelman, Jack Bowen, Cheng and Klarman; juniors Katie Duval, Kal Golde, Howard and Anshuman Parikh; and Lewis and Shepherd, reached the elimination rounds in the varsity division of the tournament. In a field of 350 students from 20 states, Epstein and Skenderi reached the finals (top four students). Pace freshmen Reid Funston and Jacob Queller reached the finals of the novice division, marking the third consecutive year that Pace freshmen have been in the finals.

6. Prior to the Thanksgiving break, Epstein and Skenderi and Cheng and Klarman continued their fall-semester dominance at the Glenbrooks Invitational in Chicago. Epstein and Skenderi reached the final round and earned second place. Cheng and Klarman finished in fifth place. Sophomores Jeri Brand and Arielle Levin finished third in the junior varsity division, and Brand was named the top individual speaker in the division.

7. In the team’s final tournament of the semester, three teams performed exceptionally well at the Scranton Electric City Invitational in Pennsylvania. Cheng and Klarman and Bowen and Parikh closed out the tournament at the finals level, earning first and second place. Epstein and Skenderi finished in fifth place. Epstein, Skenderi and Klarman earned first, second and third individual speaker honors, respectively.

Pace senior debaters Jordan Epstein and Victor Skenderi.

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

Knightly News Earns GSPA Award

This fall, members of the Upper School newspaper staff traveled to the University of Georgia for the Georgia Scholastic Press Association’s (GSPA) conference.

Hundreds of high school students from across the state participated in the conference. The Knightly News’s first issue of the 2012-13 school year earned the Best Overall Design award.

Artist Creates Oneof-a-Kind Installation

Artist Andrew Scott Ross’s intricate three-dimensional paper sculptures blend biological and archaeological themes with personal and primitive mythology.

Ross visited Pace in October to work with Middle and Upper School students and create a unique installation in the Middle School Conference Room.

N E WS NEWS N EW NE WS

Our SAGE Stars

Kat Garmilla (center) and her outstanding team.

pace cafeteria fare is the best around Pace students and faculty have long suspected that the food served Caption

by SAGE, the school’s dining service, is some of the finest cafeteria fare in the country. Those suspicions have now been confirmed.

Pace’s SAGE team, led by Kat Garmilla, was one of the four teams highlighted in the company’s most recent promotional video.

Subhead “The dining offerings at Pace are always innovative, diverse and nutritionally sound,” says SAGE President Paco Rodriguez. “There Senior Morgan Batey committed to play basketball for the is always something for everyone. The presentation and quality Vanderbilt University Commodores during a signing ceremony of everyday lunch is what we want all of our SAGE operations on Nov. 9. Morgan, a standout player who led the Knights to emulate. Under [Garmilla’s] leadership, the bar for scored quality,643 atosecond-place finish in the 2011 state tournament, presentation and excitement continually rises.” points last season and had 462 rebounds, a school and state With nearly 200 clients nationwide, SAGE is the leading food— record. service provider for independent schools and private colleges.

Every day, Garmilla and her team serve up an assortment of hot items, homemade soups, salads and desserts. They stock impressive salad and deli bars, and frequently set up special food stations highlighting various ethnic foods or special ingredients. “Lunch is

the best meal I eat all day,” is a frequent refrain in the cafeteria.

Garmilla and her team also cater school events, arriving in the wee morning hours to prepare for breakfast meetings and staying late to clean up after evening receptions.

District Manager Tom Williamson credits Garmilla with SAGE’s success at Pace. “She truly exemplifies what SAGE is about,” he says. “During her timeschool at Pace, she Morgan has shown zeal—and During the 2010-2011 year, wassuch named RegionI mean zeal—for sureClass each Alunch or catered event is executed 5A Player of themaking Year, AJC All-State Player of the Year, withSouth excellence. many good leaders, leads by example; AJC FultonLike All-Metro Player of theKat Year, GACA Class A she sets tone forand excellence, precision andAthlete attention Player ofathe Year Northside Neighbor of to thedetail.

Year.

The realisfun starts as her team up onclass, this passion.

But what Morgan also co-president of picks the senior a Peer Leader really drives Kat immediate — knowing that her and a member of is thethe Pace softball gratification team. customer (student, faculty or parent) is pleased with the service or food.”

Not surprisingly, Garmilla won the 2012 SAGE Most Valuable Player Award. Congratulations to the Pace SAGE team! To view the video, visit www.sagedining.com.

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Slade Named Head Football Coach former nfl linebacker takes the lead

When the varsity football team assembles for the 2013 season, the atheletes will play for a new head coach. Head of School Fred Assaf appointed former NFL linebacker Chris Slade to the head coaching position in December. Slade will succeed Head Coach Matt Hall, who launched the football program in 2006. Hall will continue at Pace as Upper School dean of students, varsity baseball head coach and an Upper School history teacher.

“When Matt and his wife, Kelsey, arrived at Pace, there was no football,” Assaf wrote in a message to faculty and staff. “We had no practice field, no game field, no equipment.

We had to design jerseys, order stickers for our helmets and play games at Chastain Park.

Matt’s spirit, confidence and vision have carried us through these amazing first years.

Truly, it has been wonderful to watch, and without Matt’s steady and caring hand, we would not be the school we are today.”

Slade joined the Pace community in the fall of 2012 and has served as assistant varsity football coach, assistant eighth-grade basketball coach and an admissions associate.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and playing experience to his new role. In high school, Slade was the All-State Virginia High School Defensive Player of the Year, a member of USA Today’s second team All-USA, and part of state champion football and basketball teams.

He went on to attend the University of Virginia, where he was a team captain, a two-time All-American and 1992’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was named to the All-ACC Football Team three times and holds the All-ACC career record for sacks (40).

In addition, Slade was named one of the ACC’s top 50 players of all time and received the ACC Legend Award. The University of Virginia retired his jersey following his final season at the school.

Slade was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1993 NFL Draft. During his eight years with the team, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and was a threetime Defensive Player of the Year. He served as a team captain and was recognized as a Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro after the 1997 season. Slade was named to the Patriots’ 1990s All-Decade Team. He played his final professional season as a Carolina Panther.

Fall Fair Works Magic

On Oct. 20, thousands gathered under sunny skies for the Parents Club’s annual Fall Fair, which generated more than $125,000 for the school.

The money will be used to replace safety material under the Lower School playground swings; purchase electric string instruments, eight new band instruments, and a new art drying rack and ceramic kiln; and fund numerous other teacher requests for classroom supplies. The Parents Club also contributed to financial aid, the Global Education program and the Aim High campaign. The event was chaired by Pace parents Ripple Alkire and Alex Karamanolis.

Have You Seen Argo?

No doubt you’ve heard the Oscar buzz surrounding Argo, director Ben Affleck’s latest political thriller. And if you’ve seen the movie, you know that when CIA investigator Jack O’Donnell (played by actor Bryan Cranston) calls Hamilton Jordan, Jimmy Carter’s Chief of Staff, he’s told that Jordan isn’t taking calls. O’Donnell asks where Jordan’s children attend school and is told, “Pace Academy in Buckhead, Ga.” O’Donnell then pretends to be “Mr. Murphy from Pace Academy” in order to get through to Jordan on his personal phone line.

Josh Grossberg ’92 attended a screening of Argo followed by a panel discussion with cast members and asked Affleck about the Pace mention. According to Grossberg, Affleck reported that he lived in Atlanta while his wife, Jennifer Garner, was filming The Odd Life of Timothy Green. He was working on the Argo script during that time and would drive by Pace every day. He ultimately decided to include the school in the film.

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

N E WS NEWS N EW S

Students Win Ceramic Arts Awards In November, four ceramics students brought home Georgia High School Ceramic Arts Awards. Students from across the state submitted more than 700 pieces, and 125 were selected for participation. Twenty

pieces received major awards.

Congratulations to seniors Robert Brooks (pottery) and Jake Silverstein (pottery) and juniors Josh Rogers (sculpture) and Hayley Silverstein (sculpture).

Haley Silversteins’s sculpture

Josh Roger’s sculpture

Middle School Debate Dominates The Middle School debaters had an excellent semester. With nearly all of the 19 eighth graders in Jordana Sternberg’s Caption elective debate class (and several not in the class) competing in every tournament, Pace won top “sweeps” awards at each of the season’s first three tournaments. A sweeps award is given to the team with the most students and wins in the highest-difficulty divisions of a tournament. Pace won third-place sweeps in Subhead September, second-place sweeps in October and first-place sweeps Senior Morgan Batey committed to play basketball for the in November.

Vanderbilt during a signing ceremony Semester University highlights Commodores include Pace beginners winning the top on Nov. 9. Morgan, a standout who ledtournament. the Knights The to top seven individual speaker awardsplayer at their first aspeaker second-place finish in theChristopher 2011 state tournament, 643 Howard, scored followed by was eighth-grader points last season and had 462 rebounds, a school and state record.

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eighth-graders Eno Reyes, Rob Warren, Avery Herman, Jake Movsovitz, Jack McMillin and Brian Sloan. At the October tournament, eighth-graders Zoe Weitzner and Tom Phillips won the first-place team award in the junior varsity division.

Weitzner was named best individual speaker, and eighth-grader Will Trimble was third out of 66 students.

Howard, Movsovitz, Will Movsovitz and Sloan moved up to varsity for the October tournament and won multiple awards During theNovember, 2010-2011Howard school year, Morgan was named Region there. In and Reyes won varsity speaker 5A Player of the Year, AJC Class A All-State Player of the Year, awards, and eighth-grader Katy Leitz was 17th place in the AJC South Fulton All-Metro Player of the Year, GACA Class junior varsity division. At the December tournament, Will A Player of thewas Year Neighbor of 60 thestudents.

Year.

Movsovitz theand topNorthside varsity speaker out Athlete of almost Morgan is also co-president of the senior class, a Peer Leader and a member of the Pace softball team.

Georgia Private School Tax credits may not be available much longer!

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www.paceacademy.org/taxcredit

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A R O U N D PA C E

What’s Happening at the Academy 1. Students Get to Work on Freshman Service Day

4. Just Dance

On Oct. 17, the ninth-grade class participated in the Upper School’s annual Freshman Service Day, which introduces service as a key component of every student’s Pace education. This year, students volunteered at Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children, Atlanta Community Food Bank (pictured), Books for Africa, Easter Seals - The Guice Center, My Sister’s House and Project Open Hand.

The Upper and Middle School fall dance concert took place Nov. 16 and ushered in the holiday season with 13 outstanding numbers. Technical director Scott Sargent designed lighting that highlighted the dancers’ dramatic routines; Bonni BiglerSokolsky provided assistance with choreography and musical direction; and Pace parent Pam Wilkins produced and directed the evening’s smash-hit production.

2. Nature 101

5. Grandparents and Special Friends Day

In October, the fourth grade journeyed to Toccoa, Ga., for an overnight field trip. There, students took part in activities including aquatic ecology, outdoor team building and a game of predator/prey that illustrated the predator/prey relationship. On the way home, students participated in the Seeing Stars program at the Elachee Nature Science Center, where they studied the size and brightness of stars, constellations, moon phases and planets.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day kicked off on the evening of Nov. 19 with a special reception for all Pace grandparents at the Atlanta History Center. Guests enjoyed a performance by the Upper School chorus as well as a presentation regarding plans for The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School. The festivities continued in the Lower School on Nov. 20 when grandparents and special friends were treated to student performances and classroom visits.

3. Exploring India Through Photography This summer, eight Upper School students and faculty members France Dorman and Nancy Robinson traveled to India to capture the country’s unique art and culture through photography. The resulting artwork was showcased in India – The Golden Triangle, an exhibit that ran in the Fine Arts Center Nov. 5-30. A photo by senior Caroline Herman is pictured on the opposite page.

6. Holiday Music Delights Audiences Throughout early December, performing arts students treated Pace parents and friends to a series of holiday concerts that showcased their talents and spread holiday cheer. Middle and Upper School strings students under the direction of Tara Harris performed on Dec. 2, and the Upper School chorus performed in the Castle Rotunda while new Lower School students trimmed the tree during Sing in the Season.

The Middle and Upper School bands and director Danny Doyle wowed the crowd at their concert on Dec. 5, and on Dec. 9, Beth Barrow-Titus led the Upper School chorus and eighth-grade ensemble POP, etc. in a beautiful performance. The Upper School choral concert was followed by performances by the sixth- and seventh-grade chorus under the direction of Phyllis Sommer.

7. Lower School “Lights One Candle” The Lower School staged performances of Light One Candle, its annual holiday program, on Dec. 19 and 20 in the Fine Arts Center. The beloved holiday tradition, now in its 22nd year, is a retelling of the Hanukkah and Christmas stories. Pre-First students portrayed angels; first-grade students were cast as the historical figures; students in the second, third and fourth grades served as the chorus; and fifth graders narrated the stories. As usual, the students gave beautiful performances.

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AROUND PACE

Homecoming 2012

Students celebrated the start of Homecoming & Reunion Weekend at a school-wide pep rally on Oct. 18. The new pep band and cheerleaders led the crowd in classic Pace cheers; Athletic Director Kris Palmerton recognized the fall varsity athletes; and the varsity football team debuted their “Alumni Special� play.

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

The festivities continued on Oct. 19 as the Knights took on Landmark Christian School at Riverview Road Athletic Complex and the Homecoming Court was introduced. Homecoming Queen Kelly McGonnigle and King David Weiner (pictured below) were later crowned at the Homecoming Dance.

AROUND PACE

Parents Club Auction Enhances Student Life

The 2013 Parents Club Auction is just around the corner, but Lower School students have enjoyed the benefits of last year’s event all year long. Students have been thrilled with their new Apple iPad Learning Lab, purchased with funds raised by the 2012 Auction.

Recently, third-grade science classes used the new iPads to explore a 3-D model of the bones in the human body. “The app let us turn the body around on the screen and see all the bones in 3-D. It was awesome!” said third-grader Brigid Arndt.

Lower School computer and science teacher Charlotte Brown proposed the purchase of the iPad Learning Lab and was thrilled when the Parents Club fulfilled her request. The

lab provides students with endless opportunities for enhanced learning. “In our effort to teach to each child’s learning style, iPads add another dimension to our resources,” she says. “And the interface comes to kids so naturally; they barely need any instruction to get started!” The mobile iPad cart is available for daily checkout by any Lower School teacher.

All of the proceeds from the annual Parents Club Auction are used to fund Pace teacher and staff requests that directly benefit Pace students. Last year’s event raised more than $350,000 and, in addition to the Lower School iPad Learning Lab, funded such requests as a new Lower School Spanish curriculum with workbooks and textbooks, instruments for the new pep band, Olympic-style weightlifting training platforms, Global Education in all divisions and numerous other enhancements. Additionally, the Parents Club donated $175,000 to the Aim High campaign and has now paid $350,000 of its $500,000 pledge.

The Parents Club is hard at work on “White Hot Knight,” this year’s Auction, chaired by parents Erin Little, Hope Sheft and Holly Smith. The event will take place March 23, 2013 at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead. To learn how you can help continue to enhance Pace student life through Auction sponsorship or donation opportunities, visit www.paceacademy.org/auction.

- by Pace parent Shea Brown

Jazz Vocalist Annie Selleck Visits Pace How many different ways can someone sing the familiar song You Are My Sunshine?

Members of the Upper School chorus learned the answer to that question on Sept. 13 when jazz vocalist Annie Sellick paid them a visit. The correct response? As many ways as the vocal imagination can conjure.

Sellick performs at concerts and jazz festivals across the globe and has released half a dozen records. During her master class with Pace students, she discussed jazz vocal styles and techniques. “It’s all about changing the feel and inflection of the song, using your unique voice and making the song your own,” said Sellick. She and internationally acclaimed guitarist Pat Bergeson, Sellick’s husband, demonstrated by interpreting You Are My Sunshine in the swing, Latin and traditional New Orleans “second-line” styles.

Sellick also introduced the concept of scat singing in which vocalists try to impersonate other instruments without the use of lyrics. She invited the chorus to join in and, by the end of the class, the students had shed any vocal inhibitions and engaged in a full-on, interactive scatting jam session with Sellick and Bergeson.

Sellick will return to Atlanta on April 14 to perform for Pace Arts Alliance members.

- by Pace parent Bruce Pulver

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AROUND PACE

Panel Explores Faith Traditions

On Dec. 7, the Pace Middle School welcomed representatives from multiple faith traditions to an assembly entitled “Examining Our Traditions and Beliefs: A Panel Discussion on Christianity, Islam and Judaism.”

Dr. Scott Weimer of North Avenue Presbyterian Church, Noor Abbady and Fairyal Halim of the Islamic Speakers Bureau, Rabbi Philip Kranz of Temple Sinai, and Father Frank McNamee of the Cathedral of Christ the King participated in the informative and thought-provoking forum.

During the assembly, eighth-grade students asked panelists questions regarding their religious teachings and traditions, views of current religious conflicts, gender issues and discrimination. While the discussion highlighted some of the differences between the religions represented, the overwhelming theme of the conversation was the similarities between traditions. “What we have in common is more important than our differences,” Abbady said.

Classic Tale Comes to Life on Stage West Side Story kicked off the Upper School Theatre season with a bang during its Nov. 8-11 run. The musical, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, explores the rivalry between the Sharks and the Jets, two street gangs in 1950s New York. With music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, its popular score includes showstoppers such as Maria,

Seniors Joey Capelouto and Megan McCurry.

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

America, Somewhere, Tonight and I Feel Pretty.

Directed by George Mengert and with music direction

by Beth Barrow-Titus, Pace’s production of West Side Story featured a talented cast of 38 Upper School students, led by senior Megan McCurry as Maria and senior Joey Capelouto as Tony. Rounding out the principal cast were seniors Ben Hirsch, Alex Paré and Zach Steinfeld; juniors Cory Bush, Sam Downey and Alexandra McCorkle; sophomores Cooper Drose and Rebecca Husk; and freshman Jared Goldman. The cast played to packed houses and received rave reviews.

Senior Zach Steinfeld as Riff (front) and the Jets.

AROUND PACE

Ten Out of Ten Greek Deities Agree: The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza Delivers!

This fall’s Middle School production of The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza was, in a word, spectacular. Performances took place Oct. 18 and 19 in front of spellbound audience members who learned that, no matter how bad things might get in their lives, nothing compares to how dicey it was to live amongst the gods of ancient Greece.

With great dramatic skill, all of the student actors delivered charming and hilarious accounts of life in a time when texts might read DLKEYB (“Don’t let Kronos eat your babies”) or DDBWH (“Don’t do business with Hades”).

- by Pace parent Rob Carter

Booster Bash On Nov. 3, more than 250 Pace Knights fans gathered in the Inman Center for the Booster Club’s annual Booster Bash, a celebration of Pace Athletics. Parents and coaches mingled, enjoyed a wonderful dinner by nearby restaurant Local Three and bid on more than 100 unique sports-themed silent auction items.

Head of School Fred Assaf served as emcee for the live auction, and bidding wars ensued over everything from VIP Falcons tickets to a chance to meet Shaquille O’Neal at Inside the NBA (pictured right) to a quilt made from Pace cheerleading uniforms.

The event, chaired by Pace parents Hillary Baker and Sybil Hadley, raised more than $49,000 for Pace Athletics and improvements to Boyd Gymnasium.

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AROUND PACE

Fall Sports Highlights Varsity Cross Country

Varsity Volleyball

Coached by Steve & Jolie Cunningham The varsity cross-country teams came a long way this season.

The boys finished fourth in the region and tenth in the state, while the girls were the Region 5A runners-up—a huge accomplishment—and went on to finish fifth in the state. The team will say farewell to seniors Sallie Boone, Morgan

Coached by Anna Bush The varsity volleyball team continues to grow under the leadership of second-year Head Coach Anna Bush. Although the team ended the season with a 6-24 record, they played hard and showed tremendous promise for the future. The team will bid farewell to seniors Maddie Everett, Sallie Hays and Caroline Smith.

Frazier, Maria Moraitakis, Taylor Schofield, Zach Steinfeld

and Georgia Tse.

Varsity Football Coached by Matt Hall While the varsity football team closed the season with a 3-7 record, several players had outstanding seasons. Three Knights were named to the Region 5A All-Region Team: junior wide receiver Kameron Uter, junior defensive back Denzel Franklin and sophomore quarterback Kevin Johnson. Both Franklin and Uter were named Northside Neighbor Athletes of the Week during the season.

The team will lose seniors Jack Assaf, Tiger Brown, Adam Ellender, Tommy Hoff, Jeffrey Jones, John McCrea, Alex Nash, Kahlil Nevett-James, Jordan Schuchmann, Jake Wawro, David Weiner

and Reid Williams.

Senior football players and cheerleaders

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Water Polo Club Coached by John Ague The water polo team finished its season in eighth place in the Georgia High School Water Polo Association. Pace, the smallest school in the top 10, was well represented by this year’s captains, seniors Robert Brooks, Joey Capelouto, Jeff Handler, Sam Schaffer, William Sadlo and Jason Wiener.

Wiener ended his career at Pace with 217 goals and a spot on the Georgia High School Water Polo Association (GHSWPA) AllState First Team.

Freshman Ciara Sadaka also was selected to the GHSWPA AllState Girls Team.

Both Wiener and Sadaka represented Pace at the All Star Tournament at Greater Atlanta Christian on Oct. 18.

AROUND PACE

Spotlight on Varsity Softball The varsity softball team, under the leadership of Head Coach Kris Palmerton, made Pace history this year, fighting its way into the Elite Eight of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) state tournament.

The team was led by an incredible group of seniors: Amber Easley, Claire Wiskind, Sydney Willis and Lindsey Zwecker. Each senior made numerous Sports Illustrated-worthy plays at her respective position.

On the mound, pitchers Maryellen Malone and Lane Dikeman (a Northside Neighbor Athlete of the Week), both sophomores, also were major influences, and freshman second baseman Lauren Pickman made several clutch plays that led to huge wins for the Diamond Knights. At the plate, every player had her strengths that, when combined, made a powerful scoring team.

Region 5A head coaches named seven Knights to All-Region teams. Easley earned First-Team honors for the fourth consecutive year, capping off an outstanding Pace career. Joining Easley on the First Team were Dikeman and sophomore Lauren Hadley. Dikeman led the Knights in the circle, pitching Pace to 14 of its 17 victories. Hadley, who hit atop the Knights’ lineup for most of the season, led Pace in nearly every offensive category.

Named to the All-Region 5A Second Team were Zwecker, who will play at Dickinson College in 2013;

sophomore outfielder Nora Harlin, who led the Knights with a .474 batting average with runners in scoring position and a perfect fielding percentage; Malone, who played five defensive positions for the Knights; and freshman designated player Sarah Werner, who was a key fixture in the Knights’ offensive attack, which averaged 6.4 runs a game.

Senior Amber Easley.

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Leaving a Legacy

Meet four Pace families who have made Aiming High a priority.

As the demolition of the current Upper School approaches and the Aim High campaign enters its final phase, the excitement around campus is palpable. At print time, the campaign had raised $30 million to build The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, a $32-million facility.

The new building will support Pace’s growing academic and extracurricular programs and strengthen the educational experience, while maintaining the school’s traditions and sense of community. The entire Pace community has been asked to make a pledge to Aim High, and the Butler, Hamied/Barqawi, Hirokawa and McCullough families have graciously chosen to participate. Here are their Pace stories.

Jane and Scott Butler’s ’81

enthusiasm for Pace is contagious. Their daughter Jennifer is a recent graduate, and daughters Amy ’18 and Emily Butler ’21 are thriving in their respective divisions.

For Scott, a Pace alumnus, watching his children partake in the same traditions he remembers as a student “brings the whole Pace experience full circle,” he says. His daughters have even taken classes from many of the teachers he had in school. “All of our girls have benefitted from close bonds with faculty members and participated in many extracurricular activities,” the Butlers say. “This has enhanced both their experience in the classroom and their love of school.”

The Butlers Jane and Scott are incredibly involved in the Pace community as well. They have served as grade representatives in both the Lower and Upper Schools, volunteer with the Annual Fund and are currently the Aim High Grade Leaders for the fourth grade. Their love and appreciation for Pace has contributed to their wholehearted support of the Aim High campaign. “The Upper School is really the last tie to history that hasn’t been touched,” Scott says. “It’s absolutely time for the building to be upgraded for future generations.”

The Butlers believe The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will allow Pace to “leapfrog” in front of every other independent school in Atlanta. “Anyone who has experienced Pace, met our faculty, engaged with other parents or attended Pace events should recognize that this is a very important project for the school,” they say. “We should all enthusiastically support the campaign.”

Smith ’12

Neda Barqawi

and Khalid Hamied were thrilled to enroll their daughter, Larine Hamied ’15, at Pace last year. During the admissions process, they were impressed by the school’s outstanding educational environment and the sense of community they observed, and they believed Pace would provide Larine with an important academic foundation and a bright future.

So far so good. Since beginning at Pace, her parents say Larine has benefitted from “a good balance between strong academics and character building.” Larine’s involvement in multiple extracurricular activities has complemented her academic experience, and Khalid and Neda enthusiastically participate in the life of the school as well, supporting Pace’s arts and athletics programs.

They got to know many of Larine’s peers when students visited the family’s native The Hamied/Barqawis country of Jordan during a 2012 spring break Global Education study tour. The trip, conducted in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International, demonstrated “service beyond the school itself” and impressed Khalid and Neda. “It illustrated how Pace provides students with meaningful opportunities for personal growth, both inside and outside the school walls,” they say.

Khalid and Neda believe that the new Upper School will make Pace an even greater space in which students can learn and grow. They are particularly excited about the state-of-the-art science labs and technology planned for the building and are confident that the changes will have an incredibly positive impact on the school and the Pace family. “It is a very special place,” they say.

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Ben, Corey, Haley ’23 and Dylan ’25 Hirokawa may be relatively new to Pace, but already their membership in the school community has been an extremely rewarding experience.

“Our children could not be more different from one another,” Ben and Corey say. “But the small-school feel, the community, and the nurturing faculty ensures that every child at Pace is noticed, valued for who they are and encouraged. We’re excited to see what the coming years hold for our children.”

The Hirokawas chose Pace because they believed their children would receive the greatest educational experience possible here. Until last year, they had had very little exposure to the Upper School facilities, but the Upper School students they encountered and their The Hirokawas “intelligence, maturity, composure and kindness to the younger students” impressed them.

“The current facilities are not up to par with the incredible quality of these students and the faculty members,” they say. Ben and Corey believe that the modern classrooms and innovative technologies available in The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will allow students and faculty to make the most of their talents and academic pursuits. “We all owe it to our children to do everything we can to ensure they receive the best resources possible to support and enhance the world-class education that Pace provides,” they say.

The McCulloughs

According to Bob and Rachel McCullough, Pace is more than just a school for their daughters Morgan ’18, Caroline ’21 and Brooke ’23; it is a community in which their family thrives.

Every morning, their children wake up excited to go to school and immerse themselves in the environment that their parents describe as “secure, happy and comfortable.” The McCulloughs say that each of their girls is blessed with incredible teachers who provide the tools necessary to ensure their success, both as individuals and students. Beyond their academic and extracurricular experiences, all three children have formed friendships at Pace that have extended to include entire families, furthering the school’s sense of community and its function as a home away from home.

Bob and Rachel have served as grade representatives, are Aim High Grade Leaders for the seventh grade and regularly volunteer at the school. It’s all part of their commitment to the Pace family. “The new Upper School will distinguish Pace in terms of how it prepares students for college and beyond,” the McCulloughs say. “We sincerely hope the Aim High campaign reaches 100-percent parent participation.”

- by Amanda Allen ’08

To make a gift or pledge to the Aim High campaign, visit www.paceacademy.org/ aimhigh.

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Growing Up with Pace

Scenes from the early 1960s.

As our campus prepares to change again, one alumna recalls the early days of Pace Academy.

I

enrolled in Pace in 1960 as a ninth grader—one of six in my class. My mother, Sally Pafford, was hired

by Headmaster Frank Kaley that same year to teach second grade. I remember taking entrance exams in the kindergarten classroom, now the Kaley Room and Head of School’s office.

Martha Pafford The Pace campus was much smaller Schindhelm ’64 then. In the 1964 PaceSetter, Hunt Hogue ’64, one of the first students to attend Pace, wrote that the school’s original building was in “a cramped old house on 15th Street.” Needless to say, the Castle was, and is, a far cry from that.

In addition to his role as headmaster, Kaley (forever “Mr. Kaley” to us) served as our homeroom teacher and biology instructor in what had been a study. When we moved into the new Upper School building, that room—the first one to the left of the Castle’s main entrance—became the headmaster’s office. I have no idea where Kaley’s previous office was located, because we never saw him sitting down. He was everywhere—kneeling to speak to a young student, conversing with a teacher, stopping by a class or watching students play sports on the back field.

Like all teenagers, we upperclassmen got into our share of trouble, but we were never far from Kaley’s eye. He was a master at ferreting out an instigator, who usually confessed

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immediately and willingly. We never wanted to disappoint him.

As my mother said more than once, Kaley commanded respect; he never demanded it.

We were such a small group, and there was simply no room— space-wise or otherwise—for any type of discrimination. The outgoing and the shy, the leaders and the followers, the average learners and the high achievers all blended into a natural, onefor-all and all-for-one band of brothers and sisters.

All classes were held in the Castle until we moved into the newly built Upper School in 1961. Until then, the sunroom across from our homeroom in the Castle was (and still is) used for administrative purposes. The Castle Board Room, with its hand-painted murals (which have remained intact) served as our study hall, cafeteria and meeting area for clubs. The adjoining kitchen, complete with its original appliances and green and black tiles, was a gathering place for teachers and where our beloved Doris and her crew, including man-of-all-trades Floyd, prepared lunch.

We took history in what had been the breakfast room. Wynn Creal gave our French class in one of the upstairs front bedrooms. My mother’s second-grade class occupied the upstairs three-windowed turret room, which is an integral element of the Pace logo. Sara Parker’s first grade was in the former master suite, complete with its luxurious bath and fireplace.

In spite of the beauty and serenity of our surroundings, we followed a rigorous curriculum that encompassed language,

“The beauty and distinctiveness of the Castle still take my breath away.” history, science, physical education and fine arts. Those who had a penchant for the liberal arts could choose to concentrate on those subjects in addition to taking requisite courses. I was able to take four years of French and four years of Latin; others took advanced math and science courses.

Until our sophomore year, virtually every inch in the Castle had a function. We took chorus in a room that I believe had been the servants’ quarters. We learned how to type from Sally Tinsley in an attic turret room. The basement was used for art and music, as well as some P.E. classes. In spite of the limited facilities, Kaley and his staff made sure students had the opportunity to develop their skills in baseball, track, soccer, basketball and wrestling. Football was not part of the curriculum in those days.

David Rumrill ’64 remembers: “We practiced basketball at Northwest Presbyterian Church on Northside Drive. We never had a home court, so all our games were ‘away’ at our opponents’ courts. The wrestling room was in the basement of the Castle. We didn’t have a wrestling David Rumr ill ’64 team per se; it was just part of P.E. I played soccer. We practiced and played on the field beyond the terraced gardens. We had a pretty good soccer team. We all ran track. Most ‘road work’ was done by running the streets and

neighborhoods around the West Paces Ferry area and north.”

At that time, terraced gardens stretched far back from the rear of the Castle. May Day was held there when the azaleas were in full bloom. For a year or so, beyond the Gardens, remnants of old stables could be seen adjacent to the grassy playing field.

Our new Upper School building was equipped with a science lab and a ‘real’ cafeteria that also served as a venue for plays and other functions. Over time, the high school faculty increased to include English instructor Mabel Holbrook; Johnie Belle Brumfield, who taught Latin; Mary Ann Hagewood, who was in charge of senior science and math; Thomas Banks, who was recruited from Emory for senior English; and Shirley Mast, who taught history. Coach Bob Chambers, who eventually became assistant headmaster, was the school’s head coach and sophomore science teacher.

The beauty and distinctiveness of the Castle still take my breath away. It provided the setting for a unique experience and a very special privilege: to become a member of the Class of 1964, Pace Academy’s first high school graduates. I hope that every student who walks through the Castle’s front door for the first time will learn to cherish his school, and take care to remember the core values and spirit of this very special place.

- by Martha Pafford Schindhelm ’64

Clockwise from left, Upper School science labs today look much like they did in 1965; Phase I of the Upper School building was completed in 1961; Headmaster Frank Kaley speaks to students in the Gardens; Second-grade teacher Sally Pafford, the author’s mother, with a student in 1966; students line up to enter the Castle Board Room for lessons.

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A Legacy of Learning Meg Tyler Foster ’98 directs

Wesleyan School’s Middle School chorus.

Inspired by their Pace teachers, alumni pursue careers in education.

Pace has long produced students who become leaders and significant contributors to society, and perhaps none have contributed more than those who hear and answer the call to teach.

Great educators selflessly share knowledge and nurture students’ ability to learn. Their passion is infectious and is passed down to their pupils, some of whom are moved to follow in that generous tradition. These Pace alumni have ventured far and wide and teach a variety of topics, but all carry with them the passion and commitment that was, and is, cultivated at Pace. Now, it’s their turn to create a legacy.

M

eg Tyler Foster ’98 credits her mother with igniting her passion for music at a young age. Former Pace parent Beth Tyler enrolled her four-year-old daughter in the children’s choir at the Cathedral of St. Philip under the direction of Mabel Boyter. A succession of music teachers, including former Pace faculty members Marilyn Humphreys and Lisa Barksdale and current Fine Arts Chair Beth BarrowTitus, continued to nurture Foster’s love for singing and music. And George Mengert afforded her the opportunity to fall in love with the stage in second grade by casting her as Gretl in The Sound of Music.

By Foster’s sophomore year in high school, she was considering a career in music education.

During her senior year at Pace, Foster served as president of the chorus. Barrow-Titus shared with her an inside look at aspects of being a choral conductor that students do not regularly see: repertoire selection, trip planning, and building and organizing a music library. “[Barrow-Titus] also modeled what it meant to both love and challenge her students musically,” Foster says. “In many of my college choral education classes, I found myself reverting back to teaching the same way I was taught; fortunately, I was taught by the best!”

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Photo by Brian L. Morgan.

Also during her final year at Pace, Foster was invited into one of Humphreys’ third-grade classes. Observing and eventually even teaching some of the lessons, Foster began to learn firsthand how to design, execute and evaluate lesson plans. The class took place on “Day 7,” which soon became her favorite day in the cycle. “It was then that I was sure that my calling was music education,” she says.

Foster went on to earn a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a Master of Music from Georgia State. Like many students, she admits that, “It wasn’t until college that I fully realized that all of my Pace teachers—not just my music teachers— had shown me what a profound impact a teacher can have on a student, be it through conveying content or simply caring. My encounters with each teacher at Pace had an impact on the teacher I am today.”

Foster is now in her 11th year of teaching middle school chorus at Wesleyan School, a private, Christian K-12 school in Norcross, Ga., and was named the school’s director of Fine Arts this past year. Her musical passion also finds expression as conductor of the children’s choir at her church.

As an educator, Foster says her greatest challenge is holding a student’s attention, particularly in this era of Internet and smartphones. With minds ever bouncing from one topic or activity to the next, it is too rare that students do much more than scratch the surface of an interest. So, Foster teaches students how to focus on one thing at a time. She grabs their focus by starting each lesson or rehearsal with a “hook” designed to capture their attention and then allows the pacing and content of the session to maintain that singular focus.

“The arts really lend themselves to developing focus because as a fine art student’s focus deepens so does his or her connection with the art itself—a song, a painting, a character, etc.,” Foster says. “It is connections like these that stick with the student long after the song is over, the painting is complete or the curtain falls. Being even a small part of helping a student experience this is why I love to teach in the arts!”

S

alutatorian and Frank D. Kaley Award winner Brian King ’92 knew he wanted to be a teacher even as a fifth grader infatuated with his teacher’s grade book.

What started as a simple desire to be the master of the grade book blossomed into a decision to pursue education as a career. King credits his many extraordinary teachers at Pace with challenging him and sharing with him their own passion for learning, each contributing an essential part of his education and inspiration.

From former faculty member Jim Withers, King learned that sometimes you have to struggle intellectually and that perseverance in that endeavor has its rewards. His literary voice, like that of many others, was teased and cajoled out of him by English teacher Ricks Carson. Former French teachers Suzanne Kohn and Anne-Marie Batac, math teachers Martha Kasilus and Jan Julian, Brian King ’92 and coach Mark Sommerville all taught with unique styles that made their respective subjects interesting and deepened King’s appreciation for educators.

After graduating from Pace, King earned a bachelor’s degree in religion with a minor in French from Duke University. A year of living and working in Israel was followed by a return to academia and a Juris Doctor from the Duke University School of Law. “As well respected as Duke is, Pace teachers on the whole were the best I experienced as a student,” King says. “What better inspiration for a career in education could there be?”

In 2003, King began teaching seventh- and eighth-grade social studies at Milwaukee Jewish Day School. He is most passionate about teaching two particular subjects: American history and “anything related to character development.”

“I created a unique world studies curriculum that merges the study of geography and culture with philanthropy and social justice,” he says. “The program, called Voice of the Children, turns seventh graders into philanthropists and forever changes their relationship to the world around them and their understanding of their ability to influence it.” Through the program, King’s students have raised tens of thousands of dollars to help children in the developing world.

In 2010, the Milwaukee Jewish Day School Board asked King to become head of the K-8 institution. As Head of School, he is in charge of 57 faculty and staff and responsible for 203 students. While teaching, King found his greatest challenge was meeting the needs of each and every student in the class. Now, as an administrator, that quest has become the continual recruitment of new students and fundraising, both critical to a school’s success.

“Pace teachers on the whole were the best I experienced as a student,” King says.

“What better inspiration for a career in education could there be?”

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“I find Twitter to be very helpful for me. I follow various educators, news organizations, journalists and politicians,” she says. Technology is also used in the classroom whenever practical. “I use Google Drive, Twitter, created a YouTube channel,” she says. “I use cell phone polling from PollEverywhere.com to get a pulse on students’ opinions in an anonymous format.” Lehman and her class follow current events together almost in real time and share in both a passion for history and for learning.

I June Weltner Lehman ’98

J

une Weltner Lehman ’98

inherited her love of history from her father, Charles Weltner, a U.S. Congressman from Georgia who served from 1962–1966. But it was Head of Upper School Michael Gannon’s American history lecture about the caning of Charles Sumner on the floor of the U.S. Senate that called her to become a history teacher. So compelling was this account of an amazing bit of history that Lehman decided she wanted to be the one to share it with future generations of students.

The education and environment at Pace played a big part in Lehman’s decision to become an educator. “I loved everything about Pace,” she says. So many teachers, traditions and organizations, the closeness of the Pace community, and the strong relationships with individual teachers and administrators provided the foundation and the model for the teacher that Lehman is today. The teaching styles and commitment of numerous teachers—B.J. Hayes, Rick Canfield, Ricks Carson, to name a few—are reflected as Lehman shares history with her students. She uses the close-knit Pace community as a model for the environment she creates teaching Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics to seniors at St. Catherine’s School, an independent K-12 girls school in Richmond, Va. After Pace, Lehman attended Vanderbilt University, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and History.

She earned a master’s in history from the University of Richmond in 2004. That same year, she took the position she currently holds at St. Catherine’s. At the high school level, the school shares some resources with its brother school, St. Christopher’s, and as such Lehman teaches both boys and girls.

On a daily basis, she strives to remain relevant and use technology that affords students the greatest access to information. Teachers once struggled with movie projectors and VCRs, now it is computers and software, the Internet, tablets and smartphones. Given Lehman’s subject matter, current events offer new information to students every hour and, as a teacher, she feels the need to stay one step ahead of her students.

This requires Lehman to follow current events carefully, subscribing to several major news feeds and reviewing them on a daily basis.

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t seems David Liebmann’s ’87 career in education was cast as early as second grade when former faculty member Anne Lane let the young man who wandered into her classroom help set up the space for the upcoming school year. Living just around the corner from the school, Liebmann felt very much at home at Pace from an early age. His sophomore year, it was Ricks Carson who inspired him to explore the wide world of literature and writing. In addition to the inspiration provided by teachers at Pace, the Boy Scouts allowed Liebmann to discover how much he enjoyed being a leader, teaching and, as an Eagle Scout, working with younger children.

After Pace, Liebmann studied at Middlebury College where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During his senior year as an undergraduate, Pace welcomed him back “home” for a month of student teaching in Carson’s classroom, and the die was cast. “I’ve never looked back on my career choice,” David Liebmann says. “That month Liebmann ’87 set the course for me.” With Pace Academy at the top of his newly minted résumé, it was clear to prospective employers that Liebmann understood and met the high expectations that are the hallmark of independent college preparatory schools.

A series of jobs at a number of distinguished private schools, including Pace and The Westminster Schools, primarily teaching English, have led Liebmann to his current post as assistant head of the Fay School in Boston, Mass. Though mostly absorbed in administrative duties, he still enjoys teaching one section of ninth-grade English, but his greatest teaching passions lie in interdisciplinary work that allows connections to be drawn between disparate fields.

Beth Barrow-Titus

Pat Mote

Rick Canfield

M

L

ike many educators, Ben Wise ’97 seems to have been born to aggie Riddell ’08 has always loved school and had a desire teach. “I never really wanted to do anything else,” he says. Along to share that passion with those who may not have had the with many wonderful teachers, he was most inspired to become a positive experiences of a transformative education. While at Pace and teacher by his mother, Laura Wise, whose curiosity about the world in college, she was deeply involved in service learning programs and was infectious. other charitable activities and learned she could make an impact.

The best teachers, Wise notes, are those who are learners as well, A psychology major at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, leaders on a journey of shared enlightenment. “Ricks Carson, Stan she received her bachelor’s degree in 2012. Upon graduation, Riddell Gillespie, Pat Mote—it was always clear to us that these teachers enrolled in Teach for America and was placed at East St. John High weren’t just conveying information so we could take School in La Place, La., where she teaches ninthtests; they were themselves learning every day, using grade English. East St. John is a large public high class as an occasion to think through things they school; 85 percent of its students live below the cared about. Ours was a mutual process of discovery, poverty line. For Riddell, the contrast with Pace is and I’ve always thought of them as very generous for incredible. having shared that with me.”

When Riddell signed on with Teach for America, After Pace, Wise earned a bachelor’s degree from she thought that teaching might be a short-term Auburn University followed by a master’s from Rice assignment, serving society and sharing a passion University in 2004 and a Ph.D. from Rice University while contemplating the next step in her career. But in 2008. His journey then took him to Harvard her teaching experience thus far has left her more University as a lecturer and to the University of North committed to a long-term stay in education, possibly Carolina at Chapel Hill for a postdoctoral fellowship. in counseling or teacher development. Very aware In 2009, Wise became an assistant professor of that she had taken her Pace education for granted, Maggie history at the University of Florida, where he Riddell is now grateful for her high school experience Riddell ’08 continues to work today. He was named a teacher of and “the amazing Pace faculty.”

“Relationships and the year in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in At Pace, she says, respectful behavior was simply a 2010. given; no one even raised his hand to speak because character education Wise strives to present his students with a vision it was nearly unimaginable that anyone would are equally as of learning that is focused on positive intellectual interrupt or talk over someone. At her new school, habits that give rise to a better society and make Riddell is learning and implementing numerous important as them better neighbors, workers and citizens. “It is systems designed to create and preserve the order content and skills.” not enough to learn things, ideas and facts,” he says. necessary to facilitate learning. Because of the socio“Teaching must leave students with the ability to economic situation of the majority of the students at think and learn as a lifelong pursuit.”

East St. John and many similar schools, teachers find themselves frequently falling into the role of parent as well as teacher. While this makes teaching that much more intense and challenging, it also increases the opportunity to make a positive impact.

“I’d say my teaching philosophy is based on the idea that every child can learn and every child wants to learn,” Riddell says. “Circumstances will always be complicated, but a teacher can have a transformational impact if she can show each child that he or she has potential and something to offer the world. Relationships and character education are equally as important as content and skills. I’m on a team with my kids to help them climb the mountain of adversity to reach their (and our) goals!”

G

reat educators recognize that students learn differently. Some are inspired by a particular person, while others are captivated by a specific subject. Still others respond to significant experiences—winning a debate championship or an outstanding season of basketball.

Pace has always nurtured students with great Ben teachers and coaches who expose them to a wide Wise ’97 variety of subjects and experiences. Not surprisingly, those who answer the call to carry on the great educational tradition show that same diversity of interest and approach, but all have a unifying passion to share, serve and educate.

- by David Lynn ’82

Pace teachers have a unifying passion to share, serve and educate

Stan gillespie

Ricks Carson

Anne Lane

Mark Sommerville

Jim Withers

B.J. Hayes

Faculty members Neil DeRosa, Matt Walker and George created KnightFlix in 2008 after hearing a demand for broadcasting Pace sporting events. With the help of a generous Pace parent, they gathered the necessary equipment and worked out the technical aspects of the project before then-junior Andrew Riley ’10 jumped in. Riley began broadcasting football games live via the Internet and, after Riley’s graduation, John Carolin ’12 assumed responsibility of KnightFlix. The program is now in the enthusiastic and capable hands of sophomore director Dean Papastrat, junior John Morrison, and freshmen Jordan Harris, Joe Loughran and Connor Pelletier.

KnightFlix is essentially student-run, which makes its professional-quality broadcasts all the more commendable. In the past, Walker and Sokolsky were responsible for setting up and operating the equipment while training students. “Now that the project has been running for about five years and we have very responsible students in charge, my ‘job’ is pretty minimal,” Sokolsky says. “I’m just there for support and advice if things go awry.”

Walker believes it is best for students to run KnightFlix’s day-to-day operations because it is more meaningful to the Pace community, and the students managing the program benefit. “Experiential learning is some of the most valuable,” he says.

Sokolsky agrees. “I think [students] learn more if they have to do everything on their own. The best way to learn how to change a flat tire on a car is to change a flat tire on a car!”

Sokolsky

The KnightFlix team. From left to right, Connor Pelletier, Dean Papastrat, John Morrison and Joe Loughran.

Inside the Broadcasting Booth

The student-run KnightFlix program brings arts and athletic events to online viewers.

For those students, parents, friends and teachers who are unable to attend Pace sporting events but still want to watch the competitions, KnightFlix provides the perfect solution.

KnightFlix is Pace’s student-run webcasting and videography program, which broadcasts live arts and athletic events online at knightlife.paceacademy.org/knightflix.

The Pace Academy Alumni Association invites all alumni to the ...

Throwdown BEFORE the Teardown UNDRUECTRION

CONST

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IT’S TIME … to say farewell to the Upper School and celebrate The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School.

As KnightFlix’s director and lead technician, Papastrat is responsible for running the software that publishes the broadcasts, updating the website, scheduling events and contacting coaches regarding video policies. However, he frequently goes above and beyond expectations by editing and animating the in-game graphics, as well as ondemand media.

Papastrat became interested in the project even before he was a student at Pace. “When I was looking at applying to Pace, I took a particular interest in the school’s webcast program,” he says.

“I had always wanted to do it at my old school, but we didn’t have enough resources. So, once I was a freshman, I immediately got involved during Jordan Harris the first week of school.” Papastrat’s ability to manage a live broadcast and work with technology and animation at an advanced level is one of the reasons KnightFlix has seen so much recent success.

When not filming the live-action sporting events, Harris serves as sports commentator. He enjoys football the most and would like to cover baseball in the future. Harris was attracted to the project because he has “always been

interested in the sports-broadcasting profession, and was told by many radio personalities that [he] has a pretty good voice for it.” He says that what goes on behind the cameras “is a very tough job. We have to think of ways to make the broadcast exciting. It just can’t be game coverage. We have to do score updates, school announcements, answer questions from our Twitter followers and do evaluations on teams we have never seen before.” Harris adds that when football Coach Kevin Johnson is in the box with them, what he tends to say is heard on air, which makes the broadcasts more fun and lively.

KnightFlix’s impressive start, along with its exponential growth and success over the years, makes it hard to believe that the best is yet to come. “The sky’s the limit!”

Sokolsky says. “As the videography program grows, we may be able to produce some professional-grade videos and broadcasts— perhaps as part of a future class. I would also love to see more kids get involved. While we can’t broadcast two shows at the same time, we could have more than one team producing broadcasts.”

“We have to think of ways to make the broadcast exciting.”

Saturday, May 4, 2013 7 p.m. in the Pace Gardens www.paceacademy.org/alumni

- by Hayley Silverstein `14

Come reminisce and pay tribute to Pace Academy’s past, present and future before the building is torn down.

Attire is blue-jean chic!

KnightTimes | Winter 2013

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ALUMNI

Where Are They Now? ALUMNI UPDATES

Cary Donaldson ’99

appeared in the Oct. 19, 2012 episode of the CBS drama series Blue Bloods and played Henry Ford in a recent History Channel miniseries called The Men Who Built America. Cary is an actor in New York City.

Kip Pastor’s ’00 film, In Organic We Trust, won the Audience Award at the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival and received a Special Mention for the Green Award from the Planet in Focus Film Festival.

Wes Frances ’03 graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in May 2012. He recently passed the Georgia Bar Exam and began working as an associate at Waldon Adelman Castilla Hiestand & Prout in Atlanta.

In 2011, Jason Tanenbaum ’04 launched C4 Belts, a socially conscious, eco-friendly accessory company. The Atlanta-based company’s stylish, interchangeable belts and buckles are available in more than 20 colors for mixing and matching. In just its first year, C4 has reached more than 300 stores around the U.S. and distributes to stores in six countries. Check out C4 at www. c4belts.com or at Mountain High Outfitters in the West Paces Ferry shopping center.

Rahima Dosani ’05 graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 with degrees in international health and

Clockwise from left: Cary Donaldson ’99, Laura Peters ’08, Charlie Yow ’08.

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health care management and spent three years doing health strategy consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory. She recently made the switch from the private health sector to the public health sector and accepted a position with the Clinton Foundation in Malawi. Her role entails working with the Ministry of Health to drive strategic planning and implementation for the national vaccine program in Malawi. This includes increasing efficiency of new vaccine introductions and enhancing the effectiveness of the entire in-country vaccine delivery system and supply chain from a national to a health-facility level.

In June, Sarah Butler ’07 graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a double Bachelor of Fine Arts in fashion design and graphic design. She was salutatorian of her class. In March 2012, Sarah accepted a position designing for LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s and moved to New York City to start her job in August. She is on a team of three designers and touches all product categories. Sarah’s first official design for the collection will hit stores in June of 2013.

Laura Peters ’08 graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2012 and moved to Japan at the end of July to begin teaching with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). She began the lengthy application process early in her senior year after a professor who learned of her interest in living

and teaching abroad recommended the program.

Laura serves as an assistant language teacher and visits three schools every week. She assists teachers with their lessons, plans her own lessons, checks essays and papers, and speaks with the students in English as much as possible. The JET program emphasizes “grassroots internationalization,” so part of her job is teaching the students about American culture and other cultures around the world. She also participates in larger group events like speech contests, English summer camps and English seminars that give students extra time to practice the language outside of school. Laura did not study Japanese before moving to Japan, so she is taking classes to learn the language in her free time.

Charlie Yow ’08 graduated from the University of Chicago in June 2012. Following graduation, Charlie worked on an architectural dig at the Iron Age site of Zincirli/Sama’al in southeast Turkey, a city that flourished between 900 and 700 BCE. The project, “Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli,” was operated by the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute under the direction of Professor David Schloen. On the excavations, the team used the scientific processes of observation, categorization and analysis to study the development and history of the site.

Catherine Lee ’10 attends Georgia Southern University and is president of the GSU Equestrian Team. The team rides against schools such as Clemson, College of Charleston and the University of South Carolina. Catherine competes in both the English and Western riding styles. She will begin nursing school in the spring of 2013.

Eric Estroff ’12 is spending his spring semester at George Washington University as an intern for Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13).

Connor Perkey ’12 walked on to the Davidson College basketball team and is playing forward for the Wildcats this season. His father, Rich, also played basketball at Davidson.

FORMER FACULTY UPDATE

After leaving Pace, former faculty member Fred Black was the builder and owner/operator of Djongo’s, a Jamaican cabana bar and restaurant in Blue Mountain, Fla. He then spent two years restoring a 100-year-old farmhouse in Walton County, Ga. Fred has since moved back to Atlanta where he has served on the Board of the Georgia Charter Educational Foundation since 2009. He also coaches the Championship DII Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball team at the Shepherd Spinal Center. The team competes on a national level.

SPOTLIGHT on Adam Chaikoff ’10 The political bug bit University of Chicago political science major Adam Chaikoff ’10 during the 2000 presidential election. “I was fascinated by the drama of Bush vs.

Gore, and my interest [in politics] has never waned since,” he says.

Chaikoff spent much of 2012 working tirelessly for Elizabeth Warren’s Senate campaign in Massachusetts, where his family now lives.

The campaign garnered national attention as Warren defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown to become the first woman Chaikoff with Senator Elizabeth Warren. to sit as the senator from for absentee ballots, hosting debateMassachusetts. watching parties and organizing phone “What appealed to me most about banks for out-of-state volunteers,” he Warren is that her success in leading says. the charge for the Consumer Financial And what was it like being on a Protection Bureau (CFPB), in the face of winning team? “There’s really no other tremendous opposition from entrenched feeling like it,” Chaikoff says. “The only corporate interests, proved that she way I can adequately describe it is that was a credible advocate for a more just it feels like every single effort you put political and economic system,” Chaikoff into the campaign, no matter how small, says. “Essentially, I could see that she helped change the course of the future.” was running on a record—rather than Chaikoff’s experience on the campaign just a promise—of fighting for working trail has only deepened his determination families.” to pursue a career in politics, “whether So, Chaikoff applied for an internship as a public official or as an advocate or with the campaign and was accepted. adviser working behind the scenes.”

From June to September, he worked During the presidential election, he for the Warren campaign in Somerville served as communications director and Newton, Mass., canvassing, phone for Students for Barack Obama at banking, entering data from campaign the University of Chicago. He also is events, monitoring local media outlets, involved in the University’s Model UN writing letters to the editor, researching and College Democrats programs. local issues, recruiting and training “I choose to be politically involved volunteers and planning house parties. because I see politics as the art of When Chaikoff returned to the building a better world,” Chaikoff says.

University of Chicago in late September, “So much of what goes on in our lives he interned for the campaign’s MOOSE and the world around us is determined (Massachusetts Out-of-Staters for by politics, so, for me, it makes more Elizabeth) Team. “My duties were sense to get involved than to sit on the registering students from Massachusetts sidelines.”

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ALUMNI

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3

4

1. Henry, son of Molly Haining Scott ’93; 2. Langley James, son of Kimberly Tucker Hooper ’97; 3. Evelyn Mae Mann, daughter of Megan McSwain Mann ’99; and 4. Mary Elizabeth Rushing Lott ’96, McGregor and Candler with Harris.

BIRTHS

Sherie Rosenberg Moalemzadeh ’92

and her husband, Shary, welcomed daughter Elle Yasmin on August 18, 2012. She was 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Elle joins big brother Jake and big sister Hailey.

The family lives in New York City.

Molly Haining Scott ’93 and her husband, John, had a baby boy, William “Henry” Scott, IV, on Oct. 9, 2012. He was 7 pounds, 12.7 ounces and 20.5 inches. Henry joins big sister Julia, 3. The family lives in Atlanta’s Morningside neighborhood, and John recently took a new job at Wellcentive in Roswell.

Clay Johnson ’95 and his wife, Rosalyn, welcomed son Felix on July 3, 2012. Clay was recently appointed to a Presidential Innovation Fellowship helping the government figure out how to make it simpler for small businesses to contract with the federal

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KnightTimes | Winter 2013

government.

Mary Elizabeth Rushing Lott ’96

and her husband, McGregor, welcomed Harris Chapman on Sept. 4, 2012. Harris joins big sister Candler. The family lives in Waycross, Ga., where Mary Elizabeth practices pediatric medicine.

Kimberly Tucker Hooper ’97 and her husband, Brian, had a son, Langley James, on April 5, 2012. Excited aunt Jillian Tucker ’00 has visited her “curious and fun” nephew many times at the family’s new home in Pensacola, Fla. Megan McSwain Mann ’99 and her husband, Reuben, had a daughter, Evelyn Mae, on Nov. 17, 2012. She was 5 pounds, 4 ounces and 18 inches long. Evelyn joins big brother John.

Katie Roberts Morris ’99 and her husband, Whit, welcomed daughter Betsy Goodwin on Sept. 19, 2012. She weighed 7

pounds, 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. The family lives in Richmond, Va., where Katie works at EastCoast Entertainment as a booking agent for The Second City and other national touring artists.

Dorsey Stinson Bryan ’00 and her husband, Austin, recently moved back to Atlanta and welcomed daughter Elizabeth “Ellie” Virginia on Sept. 10, 2012.

Amanda Rogers Inman ’00 and Walker Inman welcomed daughter Eliza Burke on Sept. 3, 2012. The family lives in Boston, where Amanda is a financial analyst at Ropes & Gray. Walker earned his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at MIT and is working on a startup out of the university.

Chrissy Brooker McWatters ’00 and her husband, Matt, welcomed daughter Amelia Marie on Oct. 8, 2012. Amelia weighed 8 pounds, four ounces and was 20.5 inches. The

family lives in Nashville, Tenn. where Matt is getting his MBA at Belmont University while working fulltime in business development for a general contractor. Chrissy is an oncology nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Ashley and Jake Lowery ’03 welcomed daughter Lyla Karen on Aug. 18, 2012. She weighed 7 pounds and measured 21.5 inches. The proud grandmother is former Lower School faculty member Holly Lowery. The family lives in the Atlanta area, where Jake is a Portfolio Manager at ING Investment Management.

Laura Ridall Torbert ’03 and Walt Torbert ’97 welcomed son John “Hanson” on Oct. 4, 2012. He was 7 pounds, 7 ounces and joins big brother Walter, 2. The family lives in Atlanta, where Walt works for Carlyle’s Corporate Catering, and Laura is a stayat-home mom.

3 2

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4 3

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1. Lyla, daughter of Jake Lowery ’03; 2. Laura Ridall Torbert ’03, Walt Torbert ’97 and Walter welcomed Hanson; 3. Betsy, daughter of Katie Roberts Morris ’99; 4. Amelia, daughter of Chrissy Brooker McWatters ’00; and 5. Eliza, daughter of Amanda Rogers Inman ’00.

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ALUMNI

Marriages

Heather Andrews Roberts ’93

married John Allen Roberts in Palm Beach on June 23, 2012. The couple resides in Birmingham, Ala. Marty Massey Brown ’93 and Julie Perry Cook ’92 attended the wedding.

Will Frampton ’99 married Sarah Dickman in Chico, Calif. on Sept. 22, 2012. Stewart Grace ’98 served as a groomsman. The couple lives in Atlanta, where Will is a reporter for Atlanta’s CBS station.

J.D. Richey ’00 married Stephanie Starmer at the Mansell House in Alpharetta, Ga. on Aug. 12, 2012. Kristen Milam Weinstein ’00 attended. The couple honeymooned in Curaçao and resides in the Atlanta area.

Megan Fox Ford ’01 and William Ford were married at Annadel Estate Winery in Sonoma, Calif. on July 14, 2012. Jaci Thomson Shanks ’01 was the matron of honor, and Stacey Cohen Weitzner ’01 was a bridesmaid. The couple met in 2008

while getting their MBAs at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Megan and Bill currently live in Budapest, Hungary, where Megan works in finance for E&J Gallo Winery, and Bill works for the Boston Consulting Group.

Owen Carson ’04, son of Pace faculty member Ricks Carson, married Sarah Kipp on Sept. 8, 2012, in Brevard, N.C. The couple met their junior year at Brevard College and became engaged in August 2011. They were married at Key Falls Inn, a historic bed and breakfast in Pisgah Forest, N.C. Sarah is in her third year as a special education teacher at Brevard High School. Owen is a field ecologist at Equinox Environmental, a small private environmental consulting firm in Asheville, N.C. His focus is on plants and wildlife. Owen and Sarah live in Brevard, have three cats and a dog, and “are always looking for an adventure!”

Thomas McNeill ’05 married Elizabeth Yanda (a Holy Innocents’ graduate) at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta on

Megan Fox Ford ’01 and William.

Will Frampton ’99 with his wife Sarah.

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Lindsay Stuart ’07 married Kevin.

July 28, 2012. Pace alumni in attendance were: Gus Barchers ’07, Kathleen McNeill ’02, Camille Barchers ’02, Joe Savarese ’07, Alex Mikhalevsky ’05, Phillip Masui ’05, Bailey Quintrell ’05, Bud Whitmire ’05, Aaron Ducoffe ’05, Rashid Lattouf ’05, John Hawkins ’05, Pearson Weems ’05,

and The couple lives in Atlanta, where Thomas is a sales representative for Penn Tool, and Elizabeth is a physician’s assistant at Emory University Winship Cancer Institute.

Michael Specht ’07 married Marilyn Payne (a Paideia graduate) at Blackberry Creek Farm in Rome, Ga. on Oct. 6, 2012. Camilo Flores ’07 and former Pace faculty member DeVere Beard were groomsmen. Fulton Byrne ’07 attended.

Michael and Marilyn attended preschool together and were high school sweethearts. Michael graduated from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he earned a visual arts degree with a Beth McNeill Silbert ’99.

concentration in photography. He works as a camera test engineer for Apple Inc. in Cupertino, Ca. Marilyn went to New College of Florida and graduated with a degree in environmental studies.

She works for Save The Bay in Oakland, Ca., one of the oldest non-profits in the San Francisco Bay area. The couple lives in San Francisco.

Lindsay Stuart ’07 married Kevin Duck at the Little Chapel at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church on June 16, 2012.

Katie Stuart ’09 was maid of honor, Kathleen Ninan ’07 and Rachel Pocock ’07 served as bridesmaids, and Jack Bowen ’13 was an usher. Beth Peters ’07, Eleanor Levine ’07, Caroline Nadal ’07, Jake Minkley ’07 and Olivia Mills ’07 attended the celebration. Lindsay and Kevin live in Mountain View, Ca., where Kevin works for Google, and Lindsay is a high school English teacher.

Top: Owen Carson ’04 married Sarah Bottom: Thomas McNeill ’05 married Elizabeth surrounded by Pace alumni.

J.D. Richey ’00 and his wife, Stephanie.

Heather Andrews Roberts ’93 and John.

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ALUMNI in memoriam Hulett Sumlin,

father of Andy ’79, John ’81 and Dodge Sumlin ’85, passed away unexpectedly on Nov. 4, 2012. He was a longtime employee of Piedmont Hospital and was president and chief executive upon his retirement in 1991.

The notice of Mardi Glass’s passing in the fall 2012 KnightTimes failed to mention that Mardi is also survived by her son David Glass ’90.

Michael Rushing, father of Mary Elizabeth Rushing Lott ’96 and Melanie Rushing Hall ’99, and husband of Pace Life Trustee Mary Rushing, passed away following a battle with lymphoma on Nov. 10, 2012. His family remembers him as a passionate, intellectual and athletic man with an unforgettable sense of humor, who was diligent, honest and loyal.

David and Lauren Wilson Lauren Woodall Wilson,

wife of David Wilson ’01, passed away on Dec. 24, 2012 following a brief battle with neuroblastoma, a very rare type of cancer.

Bess Wyche, a former member of the Pace Class of 2002 and sister of Hank ’05 and Gordon Wyche ’06, passed away on Oct. 11, 2012 after a 21-month battle with leukemia.

Holly Rhodes, mother of Anna ’06, Nick ’08 and Peter Rhodes and wife of Will Rhodes passed away on Nov. 11, 2012 after suffering a severe injury in a fall at home. She was an active member of the Pace community who was loved deeply by her family and friends.

Class of 2002 On Nov. 24, the Class of 2002 held an unofficial 10-year reunion at the Octopus Bar, owned by Terry Brown’s brother, Angus. It was an enjoyable evening of catching up hosted

by Laura Bollman, Elizabeth Kulinski, Genna Gaddy Franconi, Rebecca Hurlburt Causey and Kassidy Bynoe.

Pictured left to right are Andy Drinkard, Charlie McAlpin, Jonathan Newman, Lucy Inman, Charlie Korschun, Witt Wisebram, Causey, Collin Freer, Kathleen McNeill, Camille Barchers, Brett Wise, Tracey Steele, Meredith Wertheim Blechman, Brian Becker, Bynoe, Anna Zane, Liz Westbrook, Brown, Bollman, Kulinski and Franconi.

Class of 2003 Over the Thanksgiving holiday, several members of the Class of 2003 gathered at Wing Factory in Buckhead to catch up and reminisce.

ALUMNI OUT AND ABOUT

Game Day College Counselor Amy Secor ran into Matt ’12 and Pat O’Brien ’10 at a Notre Dame University game this fall. Matt and Pat are students at Notre Dame.

Pictured here are (top row, L to R) Steve Shirley, Alex Gaddy, William Watters, Cam Simonds, Jon Birdsong, Pete Goodrich, Billy Richardson; (bottom row, L to R) Alec White, Erin Mazursky, Julianna Rue Cagle and Katie Daly.

Submit photos of you and your Pace classmates at informal gatherings.

Send photos to alumni@paceacademy.org.

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Creating a Legacy of Service

Lawyer Kevin Linder ’94 defends human rights and victims of domestic violence.

T

There, Linder volunteered with the Wassu Kafo organization he friendly confines of 966 West Paces Ferry Road have a and encountered situations unlike any he’d seen in an way of launching some long, fascinating life journeys. No American courtroom. He worked tirelessly to prevent the genital one knows that better than Kevin Linder ’94. His journey mutilation of young girls and to educate the people of Gambia post Pace has taken him from college and grad school in the about the shockingly widespread issue. mid-Atlantic and Midwest, to Massachusetts, and across the “Mostly my work there was advocacy ... trying to get [Wassu Atlantic to Africa to stand up for victims of some of the most Kafo’s] study implemented as a way to avoid female genital gruesome human rights violations imaginable. mutilation,” says Linder. “Our study was promoting rites of If you ask him now, Linder will tell you that the seeds for his passage for women that didn’t involve genital cutting, and to growth and ultimate legal career were planted during his time show that the practice was harmful.” at Pace, when the fast-paced tutelage of The work, however, was not designed teachers like Helen Smith and Anne-Marie to sustain a life for the couple. “It was a Batac helped lay a foundation for the man volunteer position,” says Linder. “It was great he would become. work and no money. The story of my life.”

“I was inspired by Helen Smith and the In 2010, Linder did what he had to do. He way she taught her Modern European moved back to Atlanta and entered into a History class, the AP class,” says Linder. “She regular routine of trans-Atlantic flights so made you challenge your own beliefs, and that he and Berendsen can see each other once really, really dig into the material you were every few months. The tradeoff: Linder gets to studying, and that taught you how to think. do what he loves without having to work for It set me up well for college and everything free. after.”

He started his own practice, Gerard Linder, The “everything after” in Linder’s life has LLC, picking up civil cases where the D.A. taken him in many directions, but always leaves off with criminal cases. His current with the same GPS: his desire to give back job description sounds much like that of his and help others. volunteer position in Gambia.

“I knew I was going to be a lawyer pretty “I do a lot of work with women who are in much from high school,” says Linder. “I situations that are pretty horrible. I basically wanted to help people, help the most “I felt that being from Pace use my background from the D.A.’s office to vulnerable among us.” instilled in me the whole be an advocate for people who don’t have a After Pace, Linder began compiling a list honor code situation. I was voice.” of prestigious degrees. He graduated from on the Honor Council my Even though the practice allows him to make Princeton University in 1998 and from Washington University School of Law in junior year, and it affected a living for the first time in nearly three years, St. Louis in 2001. Not long after, Linder me my whole life. As far as for Linder, some things don’t change. He says landed a job that would ignite a passion and learning goes, I think that that up to one third of his yearly work is pro bono. “Most lawyers will maybe give 10 to 40 influence his future career moves.

Pace was probably the finest hours per year; I give about 120.”

In 2002, he went to work for the Plymouth institution I attended.”

As a result of his work with the Atlanta County District Attorney’s Office in Volunteer Lawyer’s Foundation, Linder was Massachusetts, a direct transition from his named the 2012 Domestic Violence Project Volunteer of the college days interning with the Fulton County D.A.’s office. “I Year. “Kevin can be called on at the last moment and does not loved working for the victims of domestic violence and child bat an eye at complicated fact patterns or difficult clients,” molestation,” he says. “You’re the voice of the victim in the the October 2012 issue of The Atlanta Lawyer states. “His mild D.A.’s office every day.” demeanor belies the zealous advocacy Kevin brings to each case The pull of family, however, eventually led Linder back to he takes on.”

Atlanta. In 2005, he bought a Liberty Tax Service franchise, Linder credits Pace for instilling in him the desire to give serving DeKalb and Fulton Counties. It was a way to make back. “The service learning program at Pace, that was big for money and sustain a good life in his hometown, but Linder me,” he says. “I got pretty involved in that, and it helped me a knew something wasn’t right. lot. I wanted to work for the betterment of society.”

“I missed helping people when I was in the private sector.”

Nearly 20 years after graduating from Pace, Linder’s And something in Linder’s private life was motivating him to institutional experience here becomes more special with every move on as well. He had fallen in love with Rijk Berendsen, added year or perspective. a native of South Africa. Due to Berendsen’s immigration “I think really you don’t appreciate Pace while you’re there, status, the only way the men could be together was to live in but afterwards you understand how much it meant to you. I had Berendsen’s home country. They were married in 2007 in the some of the best teachers there, people who cared, and I was in Netherlands and by 2008 had moved to the West African nation a situation in which I could really reach my potential.” of Gambia, where Berendsen works as a general manager of a hotel.

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ALUMNI

Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2012

alumni from far and wide gather for Pace’s annual Reunion celebrations The festivities got under way Friday, Oct. 19 at the Alumni Tailgate prior to the varsity football game at Riverview Road Athletic Complex. As the Knights took on Landmark Christian School, alumni and their families enjoyed food from The Varsity in a VIP tent.

The party continued on Saturday morning as many alumni brought their families to the Pace Fall Fair. Later that day, alumni and their significant others mixed and mingled with current and former faculty members at the third annual Alumni Reunion Tent Party in the Pace Gardens. During the event, alumni were invited into the Upper School building to document their memories of

teachers and classrooms on the Upper School walls. Following the cocktail reception, the Classes of 1967, 1972, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2007 held reunion parties at various locations around Atlanta.

On Sunday, Oct. 21, debaters past and present came together to celebrate four decades of Pace debate at the brunch in Knights Hall.

Roy Schwartzman ’78, professor of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina and one of Pace’s first debater was the keynote speaker at the event.

Photo credit: Ashton Staniszewski

Class reunions

Left: George Clowers and Deborah Parsons Clowers ’72 Right: Jill Pinkerton Huitron ’73, Lamar Mouchet ’72 and Marie Mouchet

Left: Nell Chambers, Marie Mouchet, Lamar Mouchet `72, Susan Regenstein McMillin `72 and Bob Chambers Right: 1987 Graduates reunite

Left: Brian Steely ’92 and Matthew Payne ’92 Right: 1992 graduates

Dodie Larkin Young, Charlotte Smith, and Mary Reed Greene Durkin

Below: Class of 1992

Bright Woodruff Owens, Elizabeth Dangar Cleveland, Helen Sweitzer Mihalevich and Amy Napier Hofstetter

Class of 1997 reunion 36

KnightTimes | Winter 2013

Class of 2007 reunion

Alumni Tailgate party

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1. Philip and Morgan Perry Cook ’07 and Leigh Ann Gillis

2. David Favero, Melissa Cohen Favero ’91 and son Stewart 3. Melanie and Trey Pope ’86 and Elizabeth and Fred Glass ’89 4. Former Pace parents Russell Peters and James Brown, Beth Peters ’07, Matt Simonds ’07 and Ross Brown ’07 5. Aim High Co-Chair Elizabeth Richards

discusses plans for the new Upper School.

6. Eric Williams ’87 and Rena Ann Peck Stricker ’87

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Alumni Reunion Tent party

7. Members of the Class of 2007 in Helen Smith’s classroom.

8. Members of the Class of 1967

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ALUMNI

Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2012 Alumni Reunion Tent party

1

2

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5

4 DEbate brunch

6 1. Meridy Werder King ’82, Judie Rascoe ’82, Ginny Greene Dolan ’82 and Lindsey DeRosa Enright ’82

2. Tom Enright, Neil DeRosa, Lindsey DeRosa Enright ’82 and Fulton

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Byrne ’07

3. Alumni documented memories of the Upper School on the building’s walls.

4. From left to right, Richard Haining ’97 and his wife, Stefanie, Katie Covington and Wes Jones 5. John Inman ’81 greets a fellow alumnus 6. Debaters past and present.

7. Diane Baker ’73, Helen Smith and Josh Belinfante ’95 8. George Mengert recalls the early days of the Pace debate program.

9. Debate brunch keynote speaker Ron Schwartzman ’78.

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Alumni Come Home for the Holidays

More than 70 college-aged alumni returned to campus on Dec. 21 for the annual Alumni Holiday Lunch. Alumni caught up with their former teachers over Willy’s burritos and learned more about plans for the new Upper School.

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3 1. Jack Harris ’10, Jason Smith, Arthur Omilian ’11 and Nabeel Kalla ’11 2. Chelsea Gray ’11, Tia Potskhverashvili ’11, Eric Estroff ’12 and Katherine Ford ’11 3. Brandon Stoll ’12, Glendrevious Harris ’12 and Austin Brown ’12 4. Andrew Riley ’10, Evan Zeldin ’10, Jarrett Bowie ’10 and Jonathan Day 5. Annalise Ford ’08, Hannah Fearing ’08 and Kensey Baker ’08

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6. Helen Smith, Kat Belinfante ’10, Sarah Capelouto ’10 and Melissa Dalis ’10

Join the Alumni Challenge!

A small group of Pace alumni have committed $400,000 to the Aim High campaign to build The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School and have challenged the alumni community to raise an additional $750,000 to meet a $1,000,000 goal.

Honor current and former Pace faculty and staff with your gift.

To learn more or give, visit www.paceacademy.org/aimhigh.

KnightTimes | Winter 2013

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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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

We rely on the generous support of our parents, grandparents, alumni and friends to maintain the exceptional student experience so valued by our entire community.

Gifts to the Annual Fund support all students and programs at Pace.

2012-2013 Annual Fund Goal: $1 million If you have not made your gift today, please go to

www.paceacademy.org/support.

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

For questions or to make a gift of stock, contact Matt Wawro, Director of Advancement, at 404-926-3724 or mwawro@paceacademy.org.

ANNUAL FUND 2012-2013