Isdell Center for Global Leadership

The term global education sure sounds good when used in conjunction with Pace Academy’s mission: To create prepared, confident citizens of the world. But how does a school actually provide a global education?

We do it through our Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), a results-oriented program that cultivates leadership capabilities among students and faculty in our Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.

By exploring an annual global theme—this year Technology—and examining it from all angles and at all ages, we build critical-thinking skills that students then apply to other issues. Thinking on this level challenges perceptions, requires curiosity, and develops global mindsets and cultural appreciation.

Implementation of the ICGL looks different in each division. In the Lower School we strive to build awareness; understanding comes in Middle School, and Upper School students engage with global issues.

Pace students have opportunities to connect with other students and experts across the globe through curricular, co-curricular and hands-on activities; community and global partnerships; local field trips; a speaker series; leadership fellowships and internships; community engagement projects home and abroad; and domestic and international study tours.

To further support students as they discover their interests and passions and become global leaders, the ICGL structures co-curricular offerings around five organizational centers:

Science & Technology
Culture & Arts
Social Entrepreneurship & Business
Community Engagement & Environmental Sustainability
Public Policy & International Relations

Our hope is that our graduates leave Pace as ethical, empathetic, innovative, culturally aware and adaptable individuals.

ICGL By Division

Pace Academy’s Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) unites Lower, Middle and Upper School students under an umbrella of global leadership and a shared global theme. Students in all divisions have opportunities for intellectual and cultural exploration through age-appropriate curricular, co-curricular and hands-on activities, interactions with visiting scholars and faculty support.

Lower School

The goal of the ICGL in the Lower School is to build awareness of global issues while introducing students to myriad cultures, perspectives and problem-solving skills. Students are encouraged to be resourceful, resilient, empathetic and creative.

The Lower School ICGL experience includes:

Character education
Community Engagement opportunities
Design Thinking instruction
Coding development and policy simulation programs
Global school partnerships
After-school entrepreneurship programs
Partnerships with universities, Zoo Atlanta, the Georgia Aquarium, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, World Wildlife Fund, 100 People and other organizations
Study tours for rising sixth-grade students with a focus on Spanish-language immersion and community engagement

Middle School

Building on the knowledge and skills established in the Lower School, the goal of the ICGL in the Middle School is to further broaden students’ understanding while fostering global perspectives and encouraging diverse interests and passions.

The Middle School ICGL experience includes:

Character Education, an ongoing effort focused on building skills and traits such as creativity, integrity, self motivation, resilience, teamwork and time management
Discovery classes and clubs that explore global issues and civic engagement
Community Engagement opportunities
Co-curricular offerings such as debate and policy simulation
Partnerships with the UNICEF Youth Board, Georgia Tech, Project Esperanza, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the High Museum of Art, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the International Rescue Committee, 100 People and other organizations
Domestic and international study tours

Upper School

The goal of the ICGL in the Upper School is to foster engagement with global issues, while helping students solidify and pursue their interests through the program’s five focus areas. Students are encouraged to explore their growing curiosity about the world through as many of the five focus areas as possible.

The Upper School ICGL experience includes:

The Isdell Global Leaders and Emerging Leaders programs
Community Engagement opportunities
The Pace Academy Social Entrepreneurship Challenge
Women Mentoring Women
Partnerships with Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering, the David J. Senser CDC Museum, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the World Affairs Council of Atlanta the City of Atlanta, the Carter Center, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, CNN and other organizations
Domestic and international study tours
Co-curricular offerings such as debate and policy simulation

In This Section

Isdell Center for Global Leadership

ICGL By Division

Lower School

Middle School

Upper School

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Meet the ICGL Team