The Performing Arts Curriculum Experience or PACE  is an elective at Mamaroneck High School that allows students to pursue several types of performing arts: theater, music, and dance. Throughout the four year PACE experience, each student gets to explore every subject in detail. PACE 1, 2 and 3 rotate between the three art forms each week, focusing on different units in each rotation, learning how to play various instruments, participating in and creating choreography, and exploring theater. 

Rotations are done in groups, where one may meet a variety of different people. Sofia Martinez (‘23) explains how meeting people with different strengths leads to “building one another up,” as people go beyond their comfort zone and gain inspiration from those with different skill sets. 

Martinez describes how the PACE program and its community “allows you to explore and grow into yourself, not only as an artist but as a person.”  Although the PACE curriculum focuses on teamwork and working in groups, it also focuses on individual growth, letting students build their skills and gain experience in areas that they might want to pursue later in life. 

Julien Bettencourt (‘23) explains that “a lot of schools don’t have that,” and  emphasizes how unique the PACE program is to MHS. One of the ways that this program is commemorated is through the Senior Shows, a series of three performances that highlight each individual art form, as well as a fourth Senior Recital that serves as the PACE seniors’ final performance. 

Although each show focuses on a different aspect of PACE, they are similar in that they allow seniors to have more independence in their performances. Those who focused on theater create new plays, as well as directing and casting them. Musicians sing or play their chosen instruments, and students in the dance program choreograph their own dances. Martinez expresses how being allowed to “find your own style and show that to your peers” is one of the many advantages of the PACE senior shows. Bettencourt also describes how there is “a lot of freedom” in the senior shows, and how this independence is gratifying. 

The hard work and dedication seniors put into the senior shows act as a monument for their years in PACE, highlighting individual growth and giving students the ability to explore their own creativity. All four years of the performing arts curriculum introduce students to the world of performing arts and give them the skills and confidence to pursue them in the future. 

As seniors performed their final show on June 16, they will have completed the PACE program, not only finding a supportive and welcoming community, but also a valuable and lasting experience.