Get to know USN's High School Quiz Bowl team through a Q&A session with Ophelia Cherry-Pulay '25 and Daniel Guo '25.
Q: What is the mission of your club/org? A: Obviously, the team’s goal is to do well at important tournaments like the state tournament and nationals, but in order to do that, we foster a close-knit community and learn interesting things that help us succeed later.
Q: How many years has your club/org been in existence?
A: Our club has been in existence for a long time. We have always been excellent in the local sphere (we won seven local tournaments in a row last year) and the national sphere as well. However, despite this deep history, it is super easy for anyone to join our club as we are super open to anyone that may be interested.
Q: What does your club/org hope to accomplish this school year? A: This year, we aim to win state again (two in a row) and do better than we did at nationals last year (last year we got fifth place). Outside of tournament success, we aim to develop our skills while fostering a cooperative team environment. We also aim to engage with the local quiz bowl community, building relationships with other nearby teams.
Q: Does your club/org have any upcoming events?
A: High School Quiz Bowl always has tournaments and events on the horizon. In January, we will host a tournament for local teams on a set of difficult questions, and in February, we will attend several local tournaments. And, the set of questions we wrote, Planetfall, is being played around the country and even internationally.
Q: What is it like to be a member of your club/org?
A: Being a member of High School Quiz Bowl can look however you want it to. We have four practices a week, including Sunday night, Monday night, Wednesday morning, and Thursday night, but attendance isn’t mandatory. There are tournament opportunities, usually one or two times a month, for more dedicated team members, and everyone can participate in writing next year’s tournament set.
Q: If interested in joining your club/org, what are the next best steps? A: If you’re interested in joining High School Quiz Bowl, shoot an email to Ophelia Cherry-Pulay '25 and Daniel Guo '25 or stop either of us in the hallway. We would be very glad to sign you up and to see new people interested in joining.
Students in grades 5-8 and their families can take USN Evening Class 702: Mah and Pah Jong and Me to learn to play a board game together while benefiting USN's need-based scholarship endowment.
The Helen Meador Summer International Fellowship funded a summer of professional development in South America for Lower School Naturalist Carrie Riley. Through this profound experience, she said she plans to bring these lessons into her teaching, grounding her voice in wonder, joy, and a commitment to protecting the natural world, which she loves.
The impact of USN’s Art Department is not confined to art studios in the Christine Slayden Tibbott Center. Students often engage with art in ways that transcend traditional classroom learning, such as at the opening reception for artist Yanira Vissepó's “Fantastical Views.”
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.
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.
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.