Read on for the latest happenings in USN's Young Naturalist Program.
By Lauren Hagan, Naturalist Teacher
On Tuesday, January 12 and Thursday, January 14, our brave young naturalists ventured out into the cold to observe and compare the beautiful twigs and buds of our kindergarten class trees. We observed the large claw-like buds of the Red Door sycamore, the tiny claw-like buds of the Green Door black cherry, the clusters of buds on the end of the Blue Door swamp white oak twig, and the colorful buds of the Yellow Door dogwood.
In the winter, when the leaves have fallen off the deciduous trees, scientists use the twigs and buds to help them identify trees. Back in the classroom, students observed the twigs and buds more closely and recorded their observations on a recording page. Now, we will wait for the longer hours of daylight and the warmer temperatures to signal these miraculous buds to burst forth into leaves and flowers.
LS Naturalist Teacher Lauren Hagan, Abner King '33, Zoë Mathis '33, and Stella Luecke '33 observe a twig from the tree on campus adopted by Red Door kindergarten.
Students made drawings and observations about the twigs and leaves they collected.
Each kindergarten class has a tree on campus that it observes throughout the year.
Seniors turned their tassels and graduated from University School of Nashville on Sunday, May 17, on the Back Lawn. Visit usn.org/classof2026 for more highlights from their last year on Edgehill and to learn what they will do next.
The girls lacrosse team ended its season in overtime to become state runner-up. Tennis players Carter Kojetin '29 finished as a state quarterfinalist, Sophie Oliver '26 and Mary Kate Adler '28 finished as state semifinalists, and Veer Kodali '29 and Max Parker '29 finished as state champions. Meanwhile, eight runners competed at the state track and field meet in Knoxville, where Griffin Davidson '27, Caleb Freifeld '28, Drew Zwerner '28, and Jack Fruin '27, sprinted to first in the 4x800m relay and Jack also placed first in the 800m dash.
For the entire USN community: an invitation to give in gratitude, in celebration, and in honor of the woman who has given so much to our school. Make a gift at usn.org/giving to support students with needs beyond tuition and honor Interim Director Juliet Douglas.
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.