On Oct. 26, Pace Academy celebrated its sixth annual TEDx event. The global TED platform is founded upon the notion that “Ideas Change Everything.” TEDx is an independently organized TED event organized by volunteers in the local community.
The TEDx PaceAcademy organization is entirely student-led, save for head organizer and Upper School English teacher Robert Kaufman, who founded the event in the spring of 2021 with a program titled “Challenging the Status Quo.”
The theme of the 2025 event—created by Pace Academy students involved in TEDx—was “The Little Things.” Through a series of speeches, it highlighted the small moments that often go unnoticed alongside the larger milestones celebrated in today’s world—moments that are equally profound in their impact.
Prior to the event, a charity bake sale raised hundreds of dollars for the Agape Youth and Family Center. The Agape organization focuses on the enrichment, education and provision of meals to children of low-income families across Atlanta. Little donations were made at the event to achieve a far greater impact on the wider community of Atlanta.
With over 400 people in attendance at the school’s Zalik Theater, the event began with a musical number featuring singers Lucy Bryan ’27, Gus Loomis ’28, Elizabeth Romig ’28 and Jonathan Stephens ’28, accompanied by musicians Sawyer Barnette ‘26, Jack Ellner ‘26, Eddie Langford ‘26 and performing arts teacher Hannah O’Connor. Together, they performed Chris Stapleton’s “Starting Over” and Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.”
Speakers Caleb Gibbs ’33, Zoe Davis ’33, Lizzie Brune ’31, Emma Alvarez ’28, Andy Levenson ’27, Roan Dutta ’26, Brittain Meadows ’26 and Jolie Litvak ’26 followed, each sharing their own unique take on “The Little Things” and how these simple moments have greatly influenced their lives.
“The smallest choices can open the doors to the rooms we’re meant to fill,” Meadows said at the conclusion of her speech, “The Museum of Silence.” Levenson emphasized the importance of daily discipline in his speech, “Lessons from the Ice Bath”: “Challenge yourself and try to improve little by little every day.” In the opening line of his speech, “Kicking the Stigma Against Mental Health” Dutta asserted, “We live in a world obsessed with big moments. The viral videos. The dramatic highlights. But what if I told you that none of those big moments matter… without the little ones?”
“Speechless. It was truly an inspiring afternoon,” said Upper School geometry teacher Krista Wilhelmsen. “I am so proud and thankful to be a part of a community that includes [these students]. In addition to an experience that left me in utter awe, I learned and am determined to do better myself in a variety of ways.”
Wilhelmsen’s words encapsulate the goal of each year’s TEDx event: to share stories that inspire curiosity, challenge assumptions and open doors to new ways of thinking.
Those that wish to learn more about TEDx at Pace can visit the TEDxPaceAcademy website. The website contains general information about the organization, as well as a compilation of each talk since 2021.