Undefeated Ethics Bowl Team qualifies for nationals
USN's Ethics Bowl team won both the Tennessee Ethical Bowl and the Divisional Playoff, going undefeated over seven matches to qualify for the National High School Ethics Bowl at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Congratulations to Caroline Keiper '25, Zinnia Nichols-Loller '25, Ellie Rothman '25, Ellie Klein '25, Eliza Nichols '25, Amelie Soslow '25, Jaya Gupta '25, and Kati Tong '25.
By Jeff Edmonds, Assistant Head of High School for Academics
Last weekend, USN’s Ethics Bowl team sent eight juniors (Zinnia Nichols-Loller, Ellie Klein, Ellie Rothman, Kati Tong, Eliza Nichols, Amelie Soslow, Caroline Keiper, and Jaya Gupta) to compete in the 2024 Tennessee Ethics Bowl at The Webb School in Knoxville, sponsored by the Philosophy Department at the University of Tennessee. USN’s team, the Epicureans, went undefeated through their six matches and ultimately defeated Knoxville Farragut to take home the championship. Over the course of the six rounds, the team won 17 of 20 judge's ballots, perhaps the first time in history that 85% of philosophers agreed on anything.
Last weekend, USN’s Ethics Bowl team sent eight juniors (Zinnia Nichols-Loller, Ellie Klein, Ellie Rothman, Kati Tong, Eliza Nichols, Amelie Soslow, Caroline Keiper, and Jaya Gupta) to compete in the 2024 Tennessee Ethics Bowl at The Webb School in Knoxville, sponsored by the Philosophy Department at the University of Tennessee. USN’s team, the Epicureans, went undefeated through their six matches and ultimately defeated Knoxville Farragut to take home the championship. Over the course of the six rounds, the team won 17 of 20 judge's ballots, perhaps the first time in history that 85% of philosophers agreed on anything.
This victory qualified them for the Divisional Playoff, a single match to determine who from the larger division will be invited as one of 24 teams to the National High School Ethics Bowl. USN’s team swept the judge’s ballots, and will head to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in April to compete on the national stage.
Ethics Bowl is a competition that rewards collaboration, intellectual precision, and clear argumentation, With a 45-minute break for lunch, students wrestled from 8:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. with wide-ranging and complex ethical matters, including nuclear disarmament, violence towards Koroks in Legend of Zelda, nutrition in school cafeterias, copyright in the age of AI, the limits of honesty in marriages, and what the producers of Netflix’s "Dahmer owe to his victims," just to name a few.
Winning a round takes thinking together about real moral questions with nuance, openness, and curiosity. In each of these cases, the team worked collaboratively to outline ethical stakes, take a clear position, and defend it or adapt it in real-time in response to questions from other teams and trained philosophers.
Faithful to the spirit of student independence at USN, this team was self-coached and student-run. They researched, debated, and constructed all their arguments together. As official coach, my major contributions to the team’s success included taking photos of the trophy and making hotel reservations. I also passed out Pop Tarts at critical moments, when intensely active brains sent glucose levels low.
While always appreciative of the higher delights of the mind, the team was also happy to be delivered back to USN in time for the Homecoming Dance, affirming the value, indeed, of all forms of pleasure — as their namesake Epicurus would have it.
Please wish these students the best of luck as they prepare over the next weeks to represent USN against the best teams in the country.
School News
List of 3 news stories.
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Seniors take field trip to cast first ballot
Read MoreAll 40 eligible University School of Nashville students in the Class of 2037 registered to vote ahead of the voter registration deadline, and Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 walked across the street from USN to the Scarritt Bennett Center to cast their first ballots on the final day of early voting. -
The ballot box and beyond: USN Seniors civically engaged
Students in High School History Teacher Cameron Parsons' Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics Class have been working diligently on civic engagement projects that required them to participate in the democratic process.Read More -
An evening of erudition: 22 seniors enter Cum Laude Society
Congratulations to the Class of 2027 inductees of the USN Cum Laude Society: Jack Barrett, Charlie Blau, Alder Brandon, Olivia Brown, Elisabeth Crane, Alexandra Drewry, Lucia Gellert, Melis Kurtulus, Abigail Manoukian, Lily Margalit, Eleanor Mixon, Louisa Nordberg, Mia Orefice, Karsen Puzniak, Ruchika Ramachandran, Jacqueline Seale, Elliott Spiller, Laine Theobald, Alexander Truss, Yifan Wang, Madeleine Wiseman, and Julia Young.Read More
Athletics News
List of 3 news stories.
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Mountain Bike Team Takes on “Electric" State Champs Trails, Dehner Snags Overall Podium Medal
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.Read More -
Mountain Bike Team Takes on Winged Deer Trails, HS Makes Podium Appearance
Read MoreWinged 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. -
HS athletics recaps for September 11-17
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.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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.
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.