Riding the USN 'COVID coaster'

The Health Team shares best practices to avoid contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus. And if your family needs advice, USN's medical doctors and nurses are just a few clicks or a phone call away.
By Margee Brennan, M.D., Health Team Director

When I last wrote about our day to day operations, USN had navigated returning to in-person classes, survived Fall Break, and we were looking at how to return safely after Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks. We learned as a community what it means to quarantine a classroom, or a sports team, or a travel group, or more. We rode the wave as numbers started to soar in the greater metro area. Our numbers ebbed and flowed.

Fast forward to Friday, January 29. It is the end of our fourth week of the new semester, and we have tallied more than half of our fall cases and two-thirds of the quarantine numbers. We have identified what looks like our first few cases of in-school transmission in Middle School and have nearly a quarter of our High School in quarantine. Broader strokes were made in response by the Middle School division sending two grades remote for a time and the High School benching Grades 9-12 as well. In the words of Director Vince Durnan, it feels like we are “riding the COVID coaster.”

We have been examining our data and trying to figure out what we can learn to help us going forward. Operating school during a pandemic is, after all, still new territory to us. We are seeing more and more how one event — be it a play date, a small family gathering, or plane travel — can affect so many others in our community.

Beyond the already well-known masking, distancing, and hand-washing there are some extra precautions we can all take.
  1. For one, consider symptoms, even mild, a reason to test. The drive-thru Davidson Co. COVID-19 Assessment Centers are open during the week and are returning results often within 24 hours. Stay home and keep your children home if someone in the household is sick until test results are back. 
  2. If your student participates in travel sports, consider the risk level of the event. Did they fly on a plane? See lots of unmasked people? Eat out in restaurants? Strongly consider self-quarantine upon their return. The same is true if a family needs to travel for other reasons or you have guests coming to you. We would be happy to talk with anyone about a safer return to school after anything that stretches your protective bubble.
  3. Our aim on the Health Team is to be more proactive than ever before. Email us (covid-alert@usn.org), call us (615-277-7380 on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.), ask us, inform us. When in doubt, keep your student(s) home until you check with us. Consider that an ounce of prevention might translate into stopping, not just the spread of infection but also the need to quarantine a lot of Tigers.
Also, usn.org/HealthTeamFAQ remains a resource for answers to questions we are frequently asked. 
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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.
    Read More

  • 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.
     
    Read More

  • 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.
    Read More

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.