Fresh off their district championship, the USN mock trial team won the school's first-ever state championship. Congratulations to Xavier Warren '24, Margot Ross '24, Caroline Quinones '24, Bronson Schmidt '25, Erin Joyce '25, Ophelia Cherry-Pulay '25, Benjamin Kampine '24, and Henry Gatto '25.
By Wilson Hubbell, HS Science Teacher
The 43rd Annual Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition took place Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 at the historic Davidson County Courthouse in downtown Nashville, and USN was ready to take home the championship.
After two days of preliminary trial rounds with Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater presiding, USN was named the 2024 Tennessee State High School Mock Trial champion. It was the school's first statewide win, and the team prevailed over the two-time defending champion, Montgomery Bell Academy.
Special congratulations go to Margot Ross '24, who was named Best Advocate for the Defense for the entire tournament, and Xavier Warren '24, who won team MVP.
The team will now represent Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Wilmington, Delaware, in May. It is supported by faculty advisor Wilson Hubbell and USN alumni Ned Hildebrand '06 and Ben Raybin '03.
Allison Van Konynenburg returns to USN as Interim HS Dean of Teaching and Learning. Taking on additional responsibilities this academic year, Justin Fitzpatrick is now Interim HS Dean for Academic Affairs and Laura Snow is the High School Academic Operations Manager.
Please join us in welcoming to USN: LS Spanish Teacher Connor Mitchell, LS Music Teacher Marisa Frank, LS Learning Support Specialist MacKenzie Grant, Fourth Grade Teacher Alexis Novotny, Second Grade Teachers Cara Bishop and Lindsay Moates, First Grade Teachers Marisa Depke and Molly Roth '10, and Kindergarten Teacher Ellen Haber '00. Also, Naturalist Carrie Riley transitions to LS from the HS Science Department.
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.