The Pace community spent the weekend celebrating the accomplishments of the 86 members of the Class of 2012, who graduated on May 19. Pace Academy’s 49th graduating class includes artists, athletes, academics, community volunteers, world travelers, innovators and leaders who have been admitted to some of the nation’s top colleges and universities.
Head of School Fred Assaf and his wife, Martha Downer-Assaf, hosted a luncheon for the class at their home on May 17, during which Alumni Association President Josh Belinfante welcomed the group to the Alumni Association and students received their caps and gowns.
Seniors received academic and honor awards during Senior Honors on May 18, and a luncheon for students, family and friends followed in the Pace Gardens. That same day, former Pace faculty member The Reverend Edith Woodling addressed the class at Baccalaureate. City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed delivered Saturday's Commencement address. The spirit of community and family, a trademark of the Pace experience, pervaded all of the graduation festivities.
Twenty-three members of the Class of 2012 are Pace Senior Citizens, meaning they have attended the school since Pre-First. The senior class averaged nearly 1320/1980 on the SAT, and each member has completed at least one Advanced Placement course. Three students will attend college outside the United States.
“While most members of the senior class have made plans for next year that take us to new places all across the country, a small part of us will always remain here at Pace,” senior Claire Quintrell wrote in the year’s final edition of The Knightly News. “There’s no denying that every senior class is full of pride, and the Class of 2012 is no different. There is an indescribable uniqueness about us, some rarity on our class possesses. The seniors will leave a deep void in the Pace community that will be hard to fill.”