Time to Talk Spring Break

Despite the good news of vaccination being on the horizon for educators, the CDC continues to recommend that you do not travel at this time and instead stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Families that choose to not heed this advice should get PCR tested and self-quarantine for seven to 10 days after travel.
By some miracle of time and space, we’re now just a month away from the spring holiday that seemed so distant when we resumed, on tenterhooks, in January. First, whew — we’re weathering the seasonal ups and downs, making our way through the toughest stretch that schools in town have faced so far. Next, we need to keep doing what we know works, day by day — and we’ll get there. Then once we do, we each need one of those look-ourselves-in-the-mirror moments in advance of our time away from campus.
 
We can refer to precedent now — to Fall Break, to Thanksgiving, and to the Winter vacation. In each instance, we worried (or at least I sure did) about cases materializing when we came back, and we actually saw very little. But as they say, past performance does not guarantee future results. So we’re rocketed back into worry mode, wondering about variants and COVID-19 fatigue and complacency. After all, we deserve a break, right —but a break from being sensible about public health? I’d argue, unsurprisingly, no.
 
In the school head chat world, there’s a superabundance of strategizing and second-guessing sprouting up to protect campuses from irresponsible travel choices — in the form of delayed starts, mandated testing, shifts to remote, and the list goes on. Let me confirm that USN won’t go down one of those alternative roads, and here’s why:
 
First, we’ve worked too hard to simply concede that in-person school should be sacrificed preemptively. Second, many families aren’t in a position to travel, whether because of work obligations, financial challenges, or their deep commitment to limit risk. And they should not be asked to accommodate others who are willing to roll the COVID-19 dice. Third, from a practical standpoint, lengthening the break just postpones the return anyway, and we rarely get more when we expect less from one another.
 
To quote verbatim from its travel advisory page, “CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.” Not exactly subtle — and to reiterate, it applies any time we travel. That’s not to say that you could not put the family in a hermetically sealed minivan and head to a remote cabin to safely hole up for a while, but this is no time for a big group outing to the beach or a multimodal journey to a high-profile destination. It’s just not.

If resisting that temptation proves impossible, our backstop is to rely on your choice to follow the directions further down that CDC page it says “Get [PCR} tested again with a viral test 3-5 days after your trip and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative. If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.” I can promise you that our Health Team would appreciate any call to clarify expectations, and our school community would appreciate you taking responsibility to help us all stay safe. So much better than starting us down the road to playing detective, which, in truth, we will reluctantly do when all else fails.

The big news of the week, of course, concerns our quest for vaccines. We’ve received confirmation that by Saturday, February 20 — and perhaps even on that very day — faculty and staff can receive the Phase 1b jab, courtesy of TriStar Health. That timeframe does put us smack dab in Spring Break for our second shots, but we’ll figure it out. Mostly, we’re just grateful that our turn is in sight. And for me, relief to the greatest worry I’ve carried since last summer — the health risk to the remarkable people whose efforts make USN possible.

To celebrate, how about the special virtual version of Music Night — presented in the comfort of your home sweet home? Some of the dearest friends this treasured facet of the USN gem ever brought to our stage graciously volunteered to share a song. And we’re highlighting some USN-connected restaurants as options for dinner. It’s Saturday, February 20 for what I’d deem the perfect week-after-Valentines-Day evening.

Gotta pull together to make this work,
Vince Durnan
Director
 
 
 
 
 
 
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School News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Get crafty with USN Evening Classes

    There are a variety of USN Evening Classes available this fall to help you create special gifts for yourself and others. These one-night classes are open to the Nashville community and benefit University School of Nashville's need-based scholarship endowment.
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  • Secure your tickets to Artclectic Patrons Party today

    For more than 30 years, Artclectic has been one of Nashville's premier juried art shows, welcoming nationally recognized artists and visitors from across the city to USN's Sperling Gym turned art gallery. The weekend features exceptional artwork, artist demonstrations, student experiences, family activities, and special events that celebrate creativity, with proceeds benefiting USN. Purchase your tickets today.
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  • Travel grant takes naturalist to Galápagos Islands

    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.
     
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Archive

Athletics News

List of 3 news stories.

  • 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.
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  • MS athletics recaps for September 11-17

    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.
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  • MTB Race #2 Report - Rockabilly Ridge Trails, Oakfield, TN

    Steve Smail
    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.
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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

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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.