Get to know the new faces you'll soon see in Middle School classrooms and hallways.
Bethany DiSantis, the MS/HS Choir Director, is a passionate lifelong choral musician. DiSantis is a native of Johnson City and received both her B.M. and M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University. She joyfully returns to her old stomping grounds to join the USN community. She previously taught at Gladeville Middle School in Wilson County. In addition to being a music educator, DiSantis is an active performer in the Middle Tennessee choral music community and can be found performing with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, where she serves as section leader, and Vocal Arts Nashville, a professional chamber choir. When she's not singing, she loves playing video games, cooking, and hanging out with her cats, Buttercup and Gizmo.
Brandon Graber is teaching seventh grade math. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa and comes to USN with five years of teaching experience with grades 7-12 in Iowa and Mississippi. Graber is excited to get the school year started and to work with the wonderful students and colleagues at USN. He is looking forward to helping students discover what they are passionate about while also helping them develop critical thinking skills while learning new math content. In his free time, Graber enjoys watching sports, spending time with his wife and family, and traveling whenever given the opportunity. You will also always see Graber rocking his Iowa Hawkeye gear as he is an avid fan of the Hawkeyes.
Brittany Iams is the Middle School Math Specialist. She holds a master's degree in Education Policy from Vanderbilt University and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Saint Mary’s College. Iams comes to USN with 14 years of experience in education. her experience includes five years as the Director of Math and two years as the STEM Curriculum Specialist at Valor Collegiate Academies in Nashville. Additionally, Iams also has seven years of experience teaching middle school math and elementary school. She is the parent of a USN second grader and is eager to join the USN community as a faculty member.
Artclectic Patrons Party early-bird tickets are $125 each and can be purchased here through Thursday, October 1. The price increases to $150 per person on Friday, October 2. For more than 30 years, Artclectic has been one of Nashville's premier juried art shows, welcoming nationally recognized artists and visitors from across the city to USN's Sperling Gym turned art gallery. The weekend features exceptional artwork, artist demonstrations, student experiences, family activities, and special events that celebrate creativity, with proceeds benefiting USN.
USN Evening Classes, our one-night classes that benefit our need-based scholarship endowment, were recently featured on the City Cast Nashville podcast. Visit usneveningclasses.org to view the fall catalog.
The Helen Meador Summer International Fellowship funded a summer of professional development in South America for Lower School Naturalist Carrie Riley. Through this profound experience, she said she plans to bring these lessons into her teaching, grounding her voice in wonder, joy, and a commitment to protecting the natural world, which she loves.
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.
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.
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.