Noah ’23 and Henry ’23 claimed a co-championship in the novice division while Oscar ’21, Mayowa ’21, Phillip ’23, and Jessica ’23 placed in the top ranks as speakers.
By Bill Wilson, HS Debate Coach
USN had its best team performance ever at the Chattahoochee Cougar Classic in Atlanta last weekend.
In the varsity division, three USN teams reached elimination rounds, more than any other school in the competition. Oscar Fox ’21 and Mayowa Kassim ’21 finished preliminary rounds with a 5-1 record, and earned the fourth seed in the round of 16, where they did not debate because they met the 13th seed of Christopher Cheek ’21 and Luke Kim ’23, who finished 4-2 in prelims. Oscar and Mayowa lost a 2-1 decision in the quarterfinals Sunday morning to Alpharetta High School of Georgia. Wiley Barzelay ’21 and Lucas Heckers ’21 also finished 4-2, good for the 11th seed in the bracket where they lost to Alpharetta in the round of 16. Mayowa was the fourth overall speaker in varsity, and Oscar was the 12th place speaker.
In the novice division, Noah Kim ’23 and Henry Stack ’23 claimed a co-championship after finishing 4-1 in prelims and winning unanimous decisions over Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet in the round of 16 and The Galloway School of Georgia in the quarterfinal round. The teams of Ayodeji Ajayi ’23 and Sarah Kate Esquivel ’23, and Phillip Feaster ’23 and Jessica Mullenbach ’23 also finished with 4-1 records before falling in the round of 16 to Atlanta schools Woodward Academy and Pace Academy. Noah was the top speaker out of 98 competitors, while Phillip and Jessica earned the 4th and 6th place speaker awards.
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.