The two-year project of Moniaka ’19 focused on pedestrian safety in major Antioch intersection.
by Juanita I.C. Traughber, communications director
Moniaka Bonds ’19 earned her Girl Scout Gold Award this spring and is receiving media attention for the gravity of her work and the impact it has made.
The Gold Award is the highest award that a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. Each project must be no less than 50 hours of work and reflect the scout’s interests, identify needs in the community, and attempt to meet those needs.
For her project, Moniaka focused on crosswalk safety at the intersection of Murfreesboro Road and Pin Hook Road, the site of many accidents. The senior worked with Metro Council and Metro Public Works to have safety signs and interval timers installed at the major intersection. Over the course of two years, she also spoke at community meetings about crosswalk safety as well as produced pamphlets, car decals, and T-shirts.
The Tennessee Tribune, a weekly newspaper written for the African American community, has published an article on Moniaka’s work, and WKRN Channel 2 has expressed interest in broadcasting a feature on her.
Middle and High School Art Teacher Emily Holt will be honored with the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools’ Hubert Smothers Excellence in Teaching Award on Monday, November 9 in Memphis.
Third graders visited Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area for an immersive history lesson and guided site tour that will set the stage for this year's studies in Tennessee history and Native American history.
Middle School and High School Chinese Teacher Josephine Huang has been involved with USN as a volunteer, a parent, and a teacher. Now in her 20th year as a faculty member, Huang's innovative lessons and belief in relationships continue to instill in students a lifelong love of learning.
With trail names like Megawatt, Electric Avenue, High Voltage and Livewire, the mountain bike team knew it was time to pedal out some extra watts for their NICA/TICL State Championships at Raccoon Mountain, and survive the technical trails above Chattanooga full of boulder gardens, rock drops and sandy rubble.
Winged Deer Park and trails in Johnson City hosted our 4th race on Sunday October 11th, and despite a bit of hurricane outwash winds and showers - and reduced team numbers due to fall break and distance from Nashville - our racers utilized all available skills and speed which helped “wing" Sophomore Claire Dehner to a 4th place podium spot, our first podium appearance and medal for the season.
Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.