University School of Nashville Association members elected new Executive Board officers its general membership meeting on Wednesday, March 22. Read on for the slate and opportunities to get involved during the final months of this school year.
By Angie Howard, USNA President
University School of Nashville Association, our school's parent and family organization, recently elected Executive Board members for the 2023-2024 school year.
Thanks to all who will be sharing their time and talents: President - Amanda Payne (Parent of Clay Payne '25) Presidents-Elect - Dara Freiberg (Parent of Asher Freiberg '27 & Rory Freiberg '31) & Erin Zagnoev (Parent of Rena Zagnoev '29, Sari Zagnoev '32 & Tali Zagnoev '35) Lower School Vice President - Grace Hu (Parent of Gryff Greenstone '33 & Max Greenstone '34) Middle School Vice President - Kim Kikkawa (Parent of Anderson Kikkawa '29) High School Vice President - Wendy Gatto (Parent of Henry Gatto '25) Marketing Vice-Presidents - Debra Sapp (Parent of Leah Sapp '25 & Joshua Sapp '30) & Crystal Hochhalter [step-up] (Parent of Camille Hochhalter '33) Secretary - Erin Jain (Parent of Adi Jain '29, Leela Jain '30, Kian Jain '34) Treasurer - Margaret Hill (Parent of Sophia Hill '28) Volunteer Coordinators - Melanie Block (Parent of Owen Block '23 & Wyatt Block '26) & Dana Al-Sarraj (Parent of Hashem Amro '30 & Ameera Amro '32) Cultural Collaborator - Ashley Upkins (Parent of Braylin Davis '26) Dads' Alliance Chair - John Sullivan (Parent of Mason Sullivan '32) Ex-Officio/Past President - Angie Howard (Parent of Matt Howard '23) Members-At-Large - Ashley Bosshart (Parent of Adeline Buda '35), Kavi Carmona (Parent of Eliza Carmona '35), Carolyn Hecklin Hyatt '02 (Parent of Dylan Hyatt '32 & Lyla Hyatt '34) & Tamara Ozenne (Parent of Joseph Ozenne '24)
While this group will soon be planning ahead for the next school year, there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved with USNA before this school year ends. Here's a look at some upcoming events and activities:
Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. USN Evening Classes presents An Evening with Geoff Bennett in Durnan Auditorium. Register now for this free event with the co-anchor of PBS NewsHour.
Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sports of All Sorts will take place at the River Campus. Volunteer to help out at this fun-filled family event celebrating our spring season sports.
Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. Attend a parent education event with Ross Szabo, author of "Behind Happy Faces: Creating Life-Changing Connection" in the Ensworth Theater on the Ensworth High School campus. Register now for this free event, sponsored by USNA and other independent schools' parent associations. Unable to attend in person? A Zoom link will be provided to registrants.
Saturday, April 1 at 6 p.m. Don't miss Music Night, an adults-only evening of music, food, and drinks, in the Durnan Auditorium. This year's event features Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame Member Gretchen Peters as the headliner, with USN's K-12 Situation as the opening act. Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased here. Proceeds from Music Night will benefit improvements to the River Campus concessions areas.
The girls lacrosse team ended its season in overtime to become state runner-up. Tennis players Carter Kojetin '29 finished as a state quarterfinalist, Sophie Oliver '26 and Mary Kate Adler '28 finished as state semifinalists, and Veer Kodali '29 and Max Parker '29 finished as state champions. Meanwhile, eight runners competed at the state track and field meet in Knoxville, where Griffin Davidson '27, Caleb Freifeld '28, Drew Zwerner '28, and Jack Fruin '27, sprinted to first in the 4x800m relay and Jack also placed first in the 800m dash.
For the entire USN community: an invitation to give in gratitude, in celebration, and in honor of the woman who has given so much to our school. Make a gift at usn.org/giving to support students with needs beyond tuition and honor Interim Director Juliet Douglas.
The Middle School Quiz Bowl finished off another successful season with a trip to the Middle School National Championship Tournament in Chicago. The team fought hard and ended the season as a top-100 program in the country, finishing 75th overall. Congratulations to the team on a great performance and to Lucas Lupu ’31, named an All Star for being the fifth-highest scorer nationwide.
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.