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, Zoƫ 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.
Middle School and High School Chinese Teacher Josephine Huang has been involved with USN as a volunteer, a parent, and a teacher. Now in her 20th year as a faculty member, Huang's innovative lessons and belief in relationships continue to instill in students a lifelong love of learning.
Director of Auxiliary Services Rebecca Stokes was given the Summer Programs and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative’s award for her work including students in the selection of a new playground, transitioning the school bookstore, refining registration systems and processes for summer camps & enrichment activities, and expanding the school’s cultural and holiday celebrations to be inclusive of USN’s diverse student body.
University School of Nashville welcomes prospective families to tour the Edgehill Campus, speak with students, faculty, and administrators, and learn about our K-12 school's academic, athletic, and arts offerings. Sessions will take place at 9:30 a.m. for Middle & High Schools and 1 p.m. for Lower School. Let us know you are coming at usn.org/preview.
Winged 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.
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.
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.