ICGL in Action

In 2014, Pace Academy launched the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL), a results-oriented program that furthers the school’s mission to “create prepared, confident citizens of the world.”

The ICGL cultivates leadership and critical-thinking capabilities among students and faculty of all ages by exploring an annual global theme through curricular and co-curricular activities, community and global partnerships, a scholar-in-residence program, leadership fellowships, and domestic and international study tours.

Since the ICGL’s inception, Pace Academy has become a model for global-education programming on a national level, and the school is proud to host the 2019 Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) Global Educators Conference April 4-6. The GEBG Global Educators Conference aims to help globally minded schools move toward their institutional goals and will bring together more than 300 leaders in K-12 schools to delve into best practices in the field of global education.

Neville Isdell, a Pace Life Trustee and former chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, will deliver the conference’s welcome address. Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, will speak on economics and energy, and Lina Attar, founder and CEO of The Karam Foundation, will discuss the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

The Global Educators Conference offers six tracks: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Global Citizenship; Global Curriculum and Content; Professional Development; Technology; and Travel Program Development. Breakout sessions and panel discusses focus on topics such as Kindergarten Globetrotters, How to Have Conversations of Consequence, Making Global Travel a Reality for Every Student and Leveraging Journalistic Behaviors to Create Better Global Citizens.

Fourteen members of the Pace faculty will participate in the conference, including panelists and presenters Trish Anderson, Fred Assaf, Joanne Brown, Zeena Lattouf, Rebecca Rhodes, Katie Sandlin, Amy Underwood and Heather White. 

“In an increasingly interconnected world, we at Pace Academy believe that young people must understand multiple perspectives, embrace empathy and advocate for the common good,” says Trish Anderson, director of the ICGL. “We’re honored to welcome like-minded educators to our campus and our city to advance our shared goals.”

On March 19, Upper School students heard from John R. Seydel, director of sustainability for the City of Atlanta Government Mayor’s Office of Resilience. Seydel’s visit wrapped up a series of assemblies focused on the Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) theme of Energy.

Seydel discuss how the Office of Sustainability works with the Office of Resiliency to move Atlanta toward its Clean Energy Plan. The plan aims to power all city government facilities with 100-percent renewable energies by 2035—and all of Atlanta by 2050!

Over the past eight days, Pace students, faculty, and administrators have hosted 11 students and teachers from Ceará, Brazil. These visitors represent PRECE, an educational program that has partnered with Pace through the Isdell Center for Global Leadership.

While in the U.S., the PRECE group has immersed itself in our language and culture with the goal of learning more about our educational approach. Many Pace families, students and teachers have served as hosts, opening their homes and classrooms to our guests. The group has participated in activities in all three divisions—shadowing students, giving presentations, attending sporting events and joining in day-to-day life at Pace.

“Our PRECE guests have also visited some of Pace's partner organizations like the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the First Presbyterian Church Prayer Breakfast,” says Lower and Upper School counselor Kacy Brubaker, who worked with PRECE in Brazil for several years led Pace students on an ICGL study tour there this past summer. “With all that they have shared with us and all that we have shared with them, this has truly been a collaborative partnership.”

Junior Tanner Walton has received a National Silver Medal for photography in the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The award-winning image, A Ride Through Delhi, earned a Gold Key at the regional level of the competition to advance to national judging. Walton took the photograph this past summer on an Isdell Center for Global Leadership study tour to India. 

Fifty-eight eighth graders have departed on Isdell Center for Global Leadership (ICGL) study tours, which leaves 30 members of the class at Pace. Those remaining students are now in the midst of two days of global-education activities.

Students traveling on our ICGL study tour to Japan this summer spent the day exploring Japanese art and culture with faculty advisers Katy Cowles and Anna Murphy. Tomorrow, they’ll prepare for the adventure and culinary portion of their travels by hiking on the East Palisades Trail and enjoying lunch at Tanaka Japanese restaurant.

Those traveling to Greece this summer or not participating in an ICGL trip focused on Greek culture and history today. They visited the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Annunciation, where they met with Orthodox priests to discuss Greek Orthodox religion, and they toured the ancient Greek exhibit at Emory University’s Michael C. Carlos Museum. The day concluded with a meal at Athens Pizza. Tomorrow, students will receive an introduction to the India unit of their history class with a day focused on Hinduism and Indian culture. Following discussion with Pace faculty and guest speakers, they’ll visit the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and dine at Himalayas Indian restaurant.

“We are so excited that these two days present fun and meaningful experiences for our eighth-grade students,” says Head of Middle School Graham Anthony. “They add variety and value to the final period before spring break.”