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Coordinates: 33°50′56″N 84°25′00″W / 33.84892°N 84.416694°W / 33.84892; -84.416694
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In February 2007, the school unveiled its master campus plans for the next two decades and signed an historic agreement with its neighbors. The plan includes an addition to the Lower School, a new Upper School classroom building, new off site athletic fields and an on site residence for the headmaster. The SHINE Capital Campaign kicked off on October 17, 2007, beginning the first stage of the 20-year plan.<ref>[http://www.paceacademy.org/page.cfm?p=88 PaceAcademy.org: Master campus plan]</ref>
In February 2007, the school unveiled its master campus plans for the next two decades and signed an historic agreement with its neighbors. The plan includes an addition to the Lower School, a new Upper School classroom building, new off site athletic fields and an on site residence for the headmaster. The SHINE Capital Campaign kicked off on October 17, 2007, beginning the first stage of the 20-year plan.<ref>[http://www.paceacademy.org/page.cfm?p=88 PaceAcademy.org: Master campus plan]</ref>


Pace is an awful school. Oh but gays are welcome here;)
===Awards and recognition===
During the 2004-05 school year, Pace Academy was recognized with the [[Blue Ribbon Schools Program|Blue Ribbon School]] Award of Excellence by the [[United States Department of Education]] <ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103178638.html "Atlanta Schools Named No Child Left Behind Blue-Ribbon School"], ''Atlanta Inquirer'', October 2, 2004. Accessed November 9, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-2003.pdf U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 through 2006 (PDF)], [[United States Department of Education]]. Accessed May 11, 2006.</ref> the highest award an American school can receive.<ref name="journalinquirer1">{{Cite web
|url = http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6
|title = Unknown title
|accessdate = 2010-01-31
|year = November 16, 2006
|publisher = JournalInquirer.com
}}{{dead link|date=January 2010}}</ref>


==School programs==
==School programs==

Revision as of 16:58, 27 April 2010

Pace Academy
Pace Academy Logo
Address
Map
966 W. Pace’s Ferry Rd.

,
Coordinates33°50′56″N 84°25′00″W / 33.84892°N 84.416694°W / 33.84892; -84.416694
Information
TypePrivate, Coeducational
MottoTo Have the Courage to Strive for Excellence
Established1958
Head teacherFred Assaf
Number of students996
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Navy Blue, Columbia Blue and White
MascotKnights
WebsitePace Academy

Pace Academy is a pre-first through twelfth grade college preparatory private school, located at 966 West Paces Ferry Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia. Pace has approximately 995 students total, with approximately 350 of those in the Upper School (ninth through twelfth grades).

History

Pace Academy was founded in 1958 and graduated its first class in 1964. Originally, the school occupied a single building, a home previously belonging to the Ogden family. As the school expanded, the building was converted to serve as the school's administrative and business center. Its external architecture led it to be referred to colloquially as "The Castle" by members of Pace's community. The Castle was eventually named Kirkpatrick Hall in honor of George Kirkpatrick, who served as headmaster of the school for twenty-two years between the 1970s and 1990s.

In the 1970s, the school purchased the adjacent property belonging to the Randall family and converted the home on the property into the Lower School, housing pre-first through sixth grade. In the early 1980s, the school expanded the Upper School (then seventh through twelfth grades) with the addition of a library, cafeteria, and lower hall. The fall of 1990 saw the opening of the school's Fine Arts Center, finally giving the school's renowned theater program a home.

In the past decade, the school has seen significant expansion. The school's original natatorium and tennis courts were leveled in the late 90s and replaced by the Inman Center, which opened in January 2000. New tennis courts and a lacrosse field were built on land (referred to by students as "Pace Mountain") behind the school. A middle school facility and a new natatorium were completed in 2004. The middle school allowed Pace to move its sixth through eighth grades into a single facility.

The Inman Center is a hub of Pace Academy activity. It houses lockers for grades nine through twelve. The building also houses the Campus Store, cafeteria, wrestling room, gymnastics area, indoor track, and main basketball court. Boyd Gymnasium, which opened as the school's original gym in 1966, is still in use, but sees less frequent activity.

While the school's location in the heart of Buckhead's posh residential area can be seen as one of its assets, it has created space limitations. A 2001 plan to build a track and field facility on a nearby piece of land was met with local opposition and was retracted. A subsequent plan to build a smaller facility on land adjacent to the campus was again met with opposition, and was denied by Atlanta's City Council in 2005. In January 2006, the school acquired land off-campus in nearby Cobb County to expand its athletic facilities. These facilities include a football/soccer field, a track, a baseball field, and a lacrosse field.

In February 2007, the school unveiled its master campus plans for the next two decades and signed an historic agreement with its neighbors. The plan includes an addition to the Lower School, a new Upper School classroom building, new off site athletic fields and an on site residence for the headmaster. The SHINE Capital Campaign kicked off on October 17, 2007, beginning the first stage of the 20-year plan.[1]

Pace is an awful school. Oh but gays are welcome here;)

School programs

For most of its existence, the school has been best recognized for two of its programs. Pace's debate program is renowned throughout the country and has won the Georgia High School Association's State Debate Championship each year since 1988. The program also captured the national title in 2002. In 2004, the team captured its sixth-straight Richard B. Russell All State (All Classification) Debate Championship.

Pace is also widely recognized for its Fine Arts program. In particular, the school's theater program has received wide accolades since the 1970s. The program's unusually large budget, as well as the school's recruitment of young acting talent, has allowed the school to produce musicals and dramas on par with professional theater groups.

Pace Academy also has a robotics team for both Middle and Upper School, the Roboknights and the Radbotics. The Middle School team participates in the FIRST Lego League, while the Upper School team participates in the FIRST Tech Challenge.[2]

Pace has a notable Policy Simulation Program, which includes Model UN, TUFTS EPIIC Inquiry, and Model Arab League. The program is led by Helen Smith and was started in the early 1990s.

Sports programs

Pace is also known in the region for several of its sports programs. Under Coach Charlie Owens, the baseball team won the Georgia Class A State Championship from 1993 to 1995, all of which included future Major League Baseball player Michael Barrett.

The boys soccer team won the final three Fall Soccer League championships (2002 to 2004), and finished second nationally in the final NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches of America) poll during the fall of 2003.[3] In its first season in the GHSA Spring League in 2006, the team captured the Class AA/A State Championship and finished 19th nationally[4] and 5th in Region II in the Final NSCAA poll.[5]

The boys lacrosse team, coached by former All-Ivy League defenseman Mike Gannon, has consistently contended for the GHSA All-Classification championship in its eight years of existence. The team reached the state finals twice, and played in the last two state semifinals.

In 2006, the school announced plans to add a football team, with varsity play scheduled to begin in 2009. For most of its existence, the school focused on its soccer and baseball programs, opting to take part in a smaller fall soccer season to allow players to play baseball in the spring. However, the cancellation of the fall soccer season left the spring season the only option, encouraging the school to finally develop a football program.[6]

The Middle School football team reached the championships of the Atlanta Metro Football League in its first year in existence. Matt Hall is the head coach of the Varsity football team, playing its first season in 2008. He is a former player on the Amherst College football team.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ PaceAcademy.org: Master campus plan
  2. ^ "RoboKnights". RoboKnights Wiki. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  3. ^ "High School Boys Fall Rankings -- National, Nov. 24, 2003 - Week 11". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  4. ^ "High School Spring Rankings Boys, National Last Poll - June 13, 2006". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  5. ^ "High School Spring Rankings Boys, Region II Last Poll - June 13, 2006". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  6. ^ "Unknown title". Pace Academy. Retrieved 2010-01-31.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Barrett passes on Clemson, signs with Expos", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 10, 1995. Accessed November 9, 2007. "For most folks, the entire experience might be overwhelming, but when former Pace Academy shortstop Michael Barrett signed a professional contract Friday with the Montreal Expos, it seemed to his family like little more than the ordinary course of business."
  8. ^ "SPEED READS", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 12, 2001. Accessed November 9, 2007. " Harrison, a 1996 graduate of Pace Academy in Buckhead, stars in Showtime's "Queer as Folk," which depicts the lives and loves of a group of gay men and lesbians."
  9. ^ "FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 13, 1996. Accessed November 9, 2007. "Blessed with a lot of natural talent, a positive attitude and an unusual amount of inner strength, Pace Academy's Sarah-Elizabeth Langford used those qualities to become a two-sport standout for the Lady Knights."