University School of Nashville sent two teams to Cullman, Alabama for the quiz bowl team's first competition of the school year, and both groups reached the playoffs.
By Wilson Hubbell, HS Science Teacher & Quiz Bowl Coach
Saturday, September 17, the High School quiz bowl team returned to action at the West Point High School Invitational in Cullman, Alabama. The squad had prepared over the summer, and despite both teams fielding only three players instead of the standard four, they came out firing on all cylinders.
The A Team of Frederick Rudolph '23, Daniel Guo '25, and Rohan Ramachandran '25 rolled through the preliminaries 5-1, qualifying for the playoffs and then advancing to the semifinals. A talented Hoover High School (Cullman, Ala.) team knocked them out, but USN finished fourth.
The B Team of Isaac Spiller '24, Evan Giles '26, and Penelope Graham '25 made the playoffs too, which made the tournament the first invitational in eight years that two USN teams have qualified for playoff rounds. The B Team got knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Additionally, Isaac placed fifth in individual scoring, and Rohan placed ninth. The season will continue in Tusculum, Tenn. on September 24; please congratulate these Tigers.
The quiz bowl team poses with its fourth place trophy; pictured (from left) are Evan Giles '26, Penelope Graham '25, Isaac Spiller '24, Frederick Rudolph '23, Daniel Guo '25, and Rohan Ramachandran '25.
Middle and High School Art Teacher Emily Holt will be honored with the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools’ Hubert Smothers Excellence in Teaching Award on Monday, November 9 in Memphis.
Third graders visited Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area for an immersive history lesson and guided site tour that will set the stage for this year's studies in Tennessee history and Native American history.
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.
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.
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.
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.