This spring, more than 139,000 Latin students in all 50 states and 20 other countries took the National Latin Exam. Eight Upper School students received gold medals: freshmen Sydney Faux, Giana Karamanolis and Jason Tapper; sophomores Amalie Little and Harley Ryan; juniors Mae Shippen and Alan Tapper; and senior Jacob Sloman. Special congratulations to A. Tapper and Sloman, who also received Book Awards for their fourth- and fifth-consecutive gold medals, respectively.

In addition, four Upper School Latin students earned Letters of Commendation following their participation in the annual Classical Association of the Midwest and South Latin Translation Contest. Faux, Sloman, and juniors Paul-Louis Biondi and Austin Fuller scored among the top 20% of entries in 32 states and three Canadian provinces to earn the recognition.

Eighth-grader Belle Divine, one of this year’s Middle School Arts Laureates, is among 10 finalists, ages 13-15, selected to participate in the American Harp Society’s 23rd National Competition.

The 2019 competition will be held at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in June. Congratulations and good luck, Belle!  

Eleven members of the varsity track and field teams competed in the GHSA Class AAA state championship May 9-11 and, when all was said and done, several Knights ended up on the podium.

In the 800 meters, junior George Adams claimed the state title in 1:56.12; junior Sam Adams followed in 1:56.40 to take silver. Their performances garnered invitations to the Meet of Champions on Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m. at Marietta High School. G. Adams also landed on the podium with a third-place finish in the 1600 meters, and freshman Edward Blaha placed fifth in the 3200—both school records! Out of 34 teams, the Pace boys finished ninth overall.

For the girls, juniors Payton Payne and Paula Sandoval competed in the 3200 and finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Senior Justice Jackson finished her Pace track career on the state podium with a sixth-place finish in the 400, and sophomore Laura Romig was fourth in the 800 meters. The Pace girls finished in eighth place out of 32 teams. Congratulations, Knights!

For the first time since 1995, the varsity baseball team has advanced to the Georgia High School Association state finals!

The Knights will travel to Macon to take on Pike County High School in a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 21, with games beginning at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. If required, a third game will take place in Macon on Wednesday evening, May 22. The Knights will play at Luther Williams Stadium, home of the Macon Bacon.

A fan bus will depart from Pace’s back parking lot at 2:30 p.m. on May 21 and will return to Pace at the conclusion of the second game. Middle and Upper School students may sign up to ride the fan bus here. The sign-up deadline is Monday, May 20, at 3 p.m.

Tickets to Tuesday’s doubleheader are $13. The Booster Club will cover the cost of student tickets. Can’t make the games? Watch them live at NFHSNetwork.com/GHSA. Additional information about the state championship is available here.

On Saturday, May 18, 119 prepared, confident citizens of the world will become Pace alumni. Graduation festivities will begin on Friday, May 17, at 1 p.m., as seniors and their families gather in the Fine Arts Center for Senior Honors Day; a 5 p.m. Baccalaureate service will follow in the same location. Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International and a Pace parent, will deliver the Baccalaureate address.

Commencement exercises will take place on Saturday, May 18, at 9:30 a.m. at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church (please note the new location and time), and the ceremony will be streamed live live at www.paceacademy.org/pace-graduation. Per school tradition, the identity of the graduation speaker will not be revealed until the ceremony.

The members of the Class of 2019—31 of whom have attended Pace since Pre-First—plan to attend 60 different colleges in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-one students are the sole matriculant to their college. Learn more about the Class of 2019 and help us congratulate our seniors!