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Pace Breaks Ground on New Upper School

On May 17, Pace Academy broke ground on The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School, a 75,000-square-foot facility that will replace the current Upper School, constructed in 1961. The groundbreaking is a significant milestone in the school’s Aim High campaign, which surpassed its $32-million goal last month. The family of Atlanta Falcons Owner & Chairman and The Home Depot Co-Founder Arthur M. Blank contributed Aim High’s lead gift.

“The support of the entire Pace community for this project has been overwhelming,” said Head of School Fred Assaf. “Our campaign committee, led by Board members and Pace parents Elizabeth Richards and Robert Sheft, has worked tirelessly to achieve our fundraising goals and complete the last piece of our Long-Range Plan. It’s now time for our new Upper School to become a reality.”

Designed by Pace Academy alumnus Sandy Cooper of Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will nearly double the space of the current Upper School and will include The Woodruff Library, a gift of Jane Woodruff and Buck and Ann Woodruff, as well as a 1,500-square-foot Student Commons, a College Counseling suite, an Academic Resource Center featuring private tutoring rooms and a learning lab, and state-of-the-art classrooms and science labs.

“As a Pace alumnus, I grew up in the current Upper School building,” said Tim Walsh ’81, Chair of the Pace Academy Board of Trustees. “My wife is a Pace alumna; my mother-in-law taught at Pace; my son is a member of the Class of 2012; and I have two current Pace students. Our family truly bleeds Pace blue. We couldn’t be more excited about the construction of this new facility and what it means for Pace Academy.”

The school’s Aim High campaign was led by a dedicated committee of current parents and parents of alumni, Life Trustees, grandparents, alumni, faculty and staff. One hundred-percent of the Pace Academy faculty, staff and Board of Trustees contributed to the campaign and, to date, more than 83 percent of Pace parents have participated.

“Pace is a very small community, so every gift to the Aim High campaign is important and has helped us reach our goals,” said Richards and Sheft. “We hope the entire Pace community is proud of this campaign. It has truly been a team effort.”

Pace has secured the necessary building permits for the project from the City of Atlanta and began constructing an “Academic Village” on its rear athletic fields this spring. The temporary facility will house Upper School students during the 2013-14 school year. The Upper School project is on schedule, and demolition of the existing structure will begin on May 25. The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will welcome students for the start of the 2014-15 school year.

Pictured from left to right are Tim Walsh, Robert Sheft, Elizabeth Richards, Arthur Blank and Fred Assaf.
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  • Farewell to the Class of 2013

    Pace Academy’s 2013 Commencement ceremony took place May 18 at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. During the ceremony, Class President Alex Paré celebrated the group’s individuality; Valedictorian Andrew Schettino touched on its incredible achievements; and Pace Academy Head of School Fred Assaf took a moment to sing its praises.
     
    Salutatorian Meredith Bradshaw introduced Commencement Speaker Ambassador Andrew Young, the 55th Mayor of Atlanta, a key figure in the Civil Rights movement and “Mr. International.” Young advised graduates not to “stress when [their] idea of success doesn’t work out.”
     
    “Realize that you have been given the best education possible at any time in human history,” he said. “What you have learned and what will be valuable is how you relate to others, particularly those who are different. Listen to each other. Learn from each other—even if you don’t agree.”
     
    The 99 members of the Class of 2013 made lasting contributions to the school’s arts, athletics, service learning and academic programs. The senior class averaged over 1300 on the SAT, and each member completed at least one Advanced Placement course before graduation.
     
    They will matriculate to 51 colleges and universities in 26 states and the District of Columbia. One member of the Class of 2013 has chosen to attend college in Scotland, continuing a streak of international students that extends back to 2008.

  • Students Place in Literature Contest

    Each year, the Georgia Center for the Book, in partnership with the Center for the Book in Washington, DC and Target Corp., sponsors Letters About Literature, an annual national student competition. In the program, students in grades four through 12 are asked to write a letter to the author — living or dead — whose work has had the most impact on their lives or influenced their view of the world.

    Thousands of students from around the state have participated in Letters about Literature since 2002. Entries are judged at the state and national level in three age categories. This year, three Pace Middle School students won awards in the Georgia Level of the competition. Sixth-grader Blair Myers, writing to “Uglies” author Scott Westerfeld, won third place in the state in Level 1. Sixth-grader Davis Mathis took second place in the state in Level 1 for her letter to “Little Women” author Louisa May Alcott.

    Eighth-grader Avery Herman won first place in the state in Level 2. He wrote to Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird," and has advanced to the national competition. Congratulations to these great writers!
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