Congratulations to Sam ’20 and Ava ’19 for earning Gold Keys. Read on for their poems and the achievements of other USN High Schoolers for their written works.
by Freya Sachs '00, English department chair
This year, USN freshmen to seniors earned recognition in the Scholastic Writing Awards for their poetry, short stories, essays, and more in the Southeast Writing Region-At-Large. Two pieces of work — by Sam Horner '20 and Ava Neff '19 — earned Gold Keys and have been sent on to the national level. We'll hear news about that next month. Read their poems here.
The following students earned Silver Key Awards:
Bella Barocas ’19, Poetry
Basil Egli ’19, Poetry
Lauren French ’21, Poetry
Erica Friedman ’21, Poetry
Shriya Karam ’19, Journalism
Sophie Perfetto ’19, Poetry
Olivia Rhee ’20, Short Story
Andrew Steed ’19, Science Fiction/Fantasy
The following students earned Honorable Mentions:
Kaya Booth ’22, Short Story
Sam Horner ’20, Poetry
MP King ’22, Critical Essay
Ava Neff ’19, Short Story (2)
Aerial Towles ’19, Novel Writing
You can find the full list of awards for our region here.
Peabody Demonstration School's first African-American graduate passed away September 3, 2025. Cassandra Teague Walker '67 returned to her alma mater many times to share her experiences with young students and is featured on the 21st Avenue garage mural.
The National Merit Scholarship Program honors seniors whose PSAT scores show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. Congratulations to seniors Darcy Dove, Finch Fleming, Evan Giles, Ismaeel Moskinzada, and Lin Zheng for this honor.
Thank you to the many families, faculty, and staff who have donated their pre-loved books, games, and puzzles for resale. USNA continues to accept donations. Fall Book Frenzy takes place Thursday, September 25 through Saturday, September 27 in Cheek Gym. This annual used book sale benefits the Hassenfeld Library.
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.