Vol. 38 Issue #4
December 7, 2012
The Knightly News Pace Academy 966 West Paces Ferry Road Atlanta, Georgia 30327
p. 3 Five Minutes with Lizzie
p. 6 Fifteen Gifts Under $15
p. 7 Legalize Marijuana?
Students Treasure Holiday Traditions Photo: Carolyn Propst
By: Hayley Silverstein News Editor ‘14 In the weeks leading up to winter break, as the temperature drops and the smell of pine and peppermint become all too familiar, the holidays always bring about a sense of excitement and anticipation. Students and teachers at the Academy treasure their unique holiday traditions that help to spread the holiday spirit. With the end of the semester nearing, students become increasingly anxious as the final barrier of exams is the only thing separating them from the holidays and a much-needed break. However, not even the weight of exams is enough to stop students and teachers from celebrating the holidays with their own traditions inside and outside of school. New students bring in an ornament of their choice to adorn the Christmas tree in the Castle’s rotunda, which is covered with Stars of David, the smiling faces of Lower School students, snowflakes, and brightly colored objects that catch the sunlight. Sophomore Carolyn Propst said that she still gets excited seeing
Current sophomore girls get into the spirit at the ice skating rink last holiday season. her pre-first ornament on the tree in the Castle each year. Many can remember watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in Middle School, or performing in the Lower School’s Holiday Program as an angel or a singing animal. The Upper School has its own holiday traditions. Chorus, Strings, and Band members perform at holiday concerts in the FAC during December, and the Upper School Chorus sings holiday music in the Inman Center every year in a program
called “Sing in the Season.” Mr. Canfield brings out his tree and menorah to adorn his classroom in celebration of both Christmas and Hanukkah, and teachers wear holiday-appropriate clothing in the form of ties, jewelry, and sweaters. Many students play Secret Santa and exchange gifts outside of school. Junior Sam Downey recalled that his favorite holiday memory at Pace was playing “munchkin ball during exam week, when I jumped and hit my head on the little rim and my
judges. However, with the new, pristine Upper School building, will these traditions continue? Spirit Week began years ago as a celebration of Homecoming week, which happened during basketball season since the football team did not exist. The week culminated on Friday with a big pep rally and the Homecoming basketball game. Originally held in Boyd, the Friday Spirit Week celebration was much more low-key. Much like our current Homecoming pep rally, every grade had one theme: Blue and White. Only the seniors decorated, and the competition was about grade participation in the week-long dress-up days, as well as basketball game attendance. Recently, though, the festivities have grown massively. Banners now extend across the Inman Center track, even the toilets are decorated, and Pace students are exhausted after
late-night dance practices. The Student Council even had to introduce a spending limit for each grade to prevent the festivities from getting blown too far out of proportion. Next year, however, there will be no Upper School building, and in its place will be the “academic village.” This opens up a world of opportunities, with a new layout for decoration that nobody has ever seen. Pace students will have the chance to decorate the open courtyard, the outside of the trailers, and “deck out” the interior of this temporary space. The following year in the new Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, Pace Academy will face a drastic change. It is still under debate how the school will handle the future of Spirit Week, but there is no doubt that the administration will want to maintain the perfection of the
head hurt with Christmas cheer.” While Sam looked to holidays past, junior Hallie Bedol is looking ahead. She said, “My favorite holiday tradition at Pace is the Holiday Program. I see it every year and it gets me in the holiday spirit! I also can’t wait until we are seniors when we go and stand behind the character we played in the program.” Students don’t just love the holiday season because it means a break from school; the holidays are beloved because they liven the atmosphere, bring about ex-
periences that are solely reserved for this time of year (Christmas songs on the radio, and peppermint hot chocolate at Starbucks), and give students an excuse to be merry for no reason. Outside of school, students embrace the holidays in ways ranging from spending time with just the family to celebrating multiple holidays with an array of family and friends. Some students travel, like sophomore Tracy Knight, whose family goes down to Jacksonville to visit her aunt and uncle, and Sam, who treks to California to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s with his entire family. Hallie said, “Every year we have a little holiday party, and since my mom is Christian and my dad is Jewish, we call it ‘Chrismukkah’ because it is half Christmas and half Hanukkah.” Other students uphold family traditions of seeing “The Nutcracker” at the Fox Theater, Christmas caroling around the neighborhood, or playing dreidel with younger siblings. No matter how students choose to embrace the holiday spirit, the hope of snow and the excitement of having time off from school to spend time with friends and family are common throughout the student body during the holidays.
Future of Spirit Week Remains Unclear By: Sam Rubenstein Staff Writer ‘14
With the planned demolition of the 60-year-old Pace Academy Upper School building, the existence of another Pace legacy has been called into question. During the first week immediately following winter break, high school students work within their grades to put on Spirit Week. During this time, the Gardens may turn into a Native American village, the Inman Center could resemble scenes from “Super Mario Bros.,” and the Upper School building has the possibility of being transformed into an Arabian street market. The week reaches a climax on Friday, when each grade displays their themed banner and performs their dance for the
Photo: Lee Wilson The 2012 junior banner was the largest free-standing banner ever created for Spirit Week. new building. One very likely possibility is that specific areas will be designated for Spirit Week. The Upper School may very well be off limits from the spirit of Spirit Week.
Has Spirit Week gotten too big? Will this tradition endure? Will Spirit Week return to the old days of a dinky pep rally in Boyd? Only time will tell the future of this glorified tradition.