From the Director: The New Familiar

Remote learning will continue to be our routine through the end of the school year, and Commencement will likely take place mid-summer.
About every second or third conversation of late features some reference to “the new normal.” Permit me to confess that nothing about this increasingly regular at-home routine feels normal. And I’m not expecting that it will. What could be said is that it’s familiar, in surprising ways, given that we've turned the world upside down in barely a month. So when guidance came our way about not returning to campus for the rest of the semester, it hit from two directions.
 
First, hearing that public health interests require us to maintain physical distancing protocols makes perfect sense. After our state’s slow start in response, the remarkable flattening of our curve and the decrease in our transmission rate below 1.0 show that our efforts matter—just look at the IHME data set from U of Washington. Cases and mortality, devastating as they have been individually, have yet to outstrip the resources of the heroic health care front lines. And we still need vetted, approved methods of bringing people together in numbers under a single roof.
 
Even knowing all that, the finality and loss inherent in this reality hurt just as much. Each of our minds drifts easily to some culminating ritual, some happy gathering that marks year's end. We've been so busy earnestly figuring out remote learning that it seems only fair to be rewarded by well-earned festivities together, as we ought to be. But now we have to wait, and sadness comes pretty naturally, at least it does for me.
 
Yes, we’re in good company, respecting Gov. Bill Lee’s thoughtful request. Yes, we’re standing with Metro Nashville Public Schools in their decision, a choice that imposes hardships on families beyond anything most of us will know. Yes, we reached quick consensus with our independent school neighbors on the benefit of a combined approach for the good of our city and its people, and yes, we’ve commiserated with colleagues from coast to coast, and we know we are living an indelible chapter in history, but why us, right?
 
That question stretches far beyond my capacity to provide a decent answer. Guessing you could find a wiser source. What’s left for us at USN is to make something of this time we almost certainly would not have chosen. Let’s start by appreciating that we’re now four weeks in, almost halfway to the finish line for this fourth quarter of our academic calendar. We've created and learned, of necessity, at a hard-to-fathom pace, to the point where we're making adjustments and course corrections. The artifacts of that journey emerge with each new day. In some ways, we'd face challenges toggling back into the schedules of now long-distant February. 
 
With help from school communities out West, who started down the remote learning path a few weeks ahead of us, we anticipate a different set of challenges at this point. Forgive yourself for a little more fatigue than you might expect, given the amount of sleep now available. And maybe a periodic motivation deficit—watch for us to vary some routines and leave room to get ready for the big push to a meaningful finish. We’re entering phase II, after this month, and the announcement that this is our route forward through May 22.
 
Meanwhile, we continue to explore ways to best celebrate the beloved members of USN's Class of 2020. Our cap and gown orders sit delivered on campus, but every next word from health officials suggests that big gatherings in May still remain contrary to guidelines. We’re also exploring possible June and July dates, knowing that the “valve” spoken of by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York will be opening only slowly through the summer. On that note, we’ve circled May 1 for a decision about USN Summer Camps on campus, feeling the strong interest in our offering those programs right alongside our responsibility to limit any exposure and transmission, even as we anticipate the pandemic abating locally.
 
And for some of us here, thoughts turn to resuming classes together in August, most likely following the example of Germany or Singapore or other nations ahead of our curve, folding in emerging plans envisioned by Gov. Gavin Newsom in California. Count on us to be ready and to make good use of the summer for that purpose. At this point, having a few weeks to plan and prepare feels like a gift from above.
 
Mostly, though, we’re living each day as a chance to be there for students, for families, and for one another, in the new familiar. Let that be enough for right now.
 
With great appreciation for your community spirit,
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School News

List of 3 news stories.

  • University School of Nashville students Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 voted first the first time on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at the Scarritt Bennett.

    Seniors take field trip to cast first ballot

    All 40 eligible University School of Nashville students in the Class of 2037 registered to vote ahead of the voter registration deadline, and Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 walked across the street from USN to the Scarritt Bennett Center to cast their first ballots on the final day of early voting.
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  • The ballot box and beyond: USN Seniors civically engaged

    Students in High School History Teacher Cameron Parsons' Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics Class have been working diligently on civic engagement projects that required them to participate in the democratic process.
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  • An evening of erudition: 22 seniors enter Cum Laude Society

    Congratulations to the Class of 2027 inductees of the USN Cum Laude Society: Jack Barrett, Charlie Blau, Alder Brandon, Olivia Brown, Elisabeth Crane, Alexandra Drewry, Lucia Gellert, Melis Kurtulus, Abigail Manoukian, Lily Margalit, Eleanor Mixon, Louisa Nordberg, Mia Orefice, Karsen Puzniak, Ruchika Ramachandran, Jacqueline Seale, Elliott Spiller, Laine Theobald, Alexander Truss, Yifan Wang, Madeleine Wiseman, and Julia Young.
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Archive

Athletics News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on “Electric" State Champs Trails, Dehner Snags Overall Podium Medal

    Steve Smail & MTB Team Coaches
    With trail names like Megawatt, Electric Avenue, High Voltage and Livewire, the mountain bike team knew it was time to pedal out some extra watts for their NICA/TICL State Championships at Raccoon Mountain, and survive the technical trails above Chattanooga full of boulder gardens, rock drops and sandy rubble.
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  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on Winged Deer Trails, HS Makes Podium Appearance

    Steve Smail
    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.
     
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  • 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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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.