Accelerate Pace Donor Spotlight

Pace Academy parents Grace and Nenad Gavric believe it’s important to plan in advance, a shared value that was especially apparent when they began to research school options for their two young sons. With this in mind, they now enjoy joking that they attended Pace before either of their boys, Adrian ’29 and Mason ’31. 

“Adrian was only 2 when Nenad and I attended our first Pace open house,” Grace laughs. The couple took additional opportunities to visit and tour Pace, and in 2016—three years after that first open house—Adrian joined Pace’s Pre-First class. In 2018, Mason also enrolled in Pre-First—thrilled to be a Pace Knight like his big brother.

For the Gavrics, getting to know Pace early on was a great decision. “We were blown away from the beginning,” Grace explains. “We were so impressed with the Pace students who spoke during the open house, as well as those we met when touring. They all spoke with such confidence! The entire experience left a lasting impression.”

The sense that Pace would be the right fit for their family has been affirmed by their experiences over the past four years. “The community has been beyond welcoming, and the teachers are so nurturing—they do a wonderful job,” Grace says. “Pace is our kids’ happy place.” 

The Gavrics’ inclination to plan and the high value they place on education were both factors in their decision to “accelerate” their own giving—and move swiftly in making a commitment to the Accelerate Pace campaign. “In our household, education is our top priority,” Nenad says. “For us it was logical to participate at the beginning.”

“Accelerate Pace will enhance the school environment in so many ways; we believe it is important to give,” Nenad explains. “Also, we consider it a great teaching moment for our sons. We want them to understand that it’s important to give back to your community.”

As Accelerate Pace moves forward, the campaign value “Accelerate Giving” continues to resonate with the Gavrics. In their book, giving early has meant doing their part in the plan—and helping bring the goals of Accelerate Pace closer to reality.