From the Director: Looking ‘Forward’ to 2024-2025

By Amani Reed, Director

Over the last few days, I have watched our students in all grades mark the end of this academic year with culminating projects, independent study presentations, and celebratory events bringing the Kona Ice Truck, inflatables, a tent, and 2,000 chairs to our Back Lawn. The end of the school year is a time when we recognize the hard work and achievements of our students. We also should reflect on the accomplishments of the University School of Nashville community.

During 2023-2024, we have thoughtfully examined our school at its core today and the school we want to become. We asked more than 6,000 members of the USN community to share their perspectives on myriad issues multiple times to help inform the future of our school. While I have shared my appreciation for your feedback, I want to be sure you know how this information is being used.

The strategic planning process has been inclusive of the entire USN community and data-driven, using an unprecedented amount of comments from our enthusiastic families, educators, students, and even alumni and parents of alumni. Since our initial invitation to participate in October, three surveys and multiple focus groups have yielded nearly 4,000 comments, which the Strategic Planning Committee analyzed and used to shape priorities and goals. The Board of Trustees approved the strategic plan during its May meeting. I will begin working with the Administrative Team this summer on implementing the strategic approach, determining desired outcomes, and defining success metrics. I look "Forward" to sharing our strategic plan will be shared with the entire USN community during a launch event this fall.

Our November listening sessions and surveys for the three Administrative Team positions were also instrumental in writing the opportunity statements for our new Head of Lower School, Head of High School, and Chief Financial Officer as were your attendance and input during their on-campus interviews in February and March. As we welcome three new administrators this summer, I will determine the individual strengths and collective organizational capacity of the reshaped Administrative Team, which has seen the retirements of eight administrators in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

In February, we asked faculty, families, and students to share their thoughts on health needs and health care measures within our school walls. What echoed loudest was that the Health Room located on the third floor of the West Wing was insufficiently meeting school needs. This summer, our Operations Department will retrofit underutilized spaces on the second floor of the Sperling Center to become our new Health Room. The new location puts our health services in a quieter area with more privacy yet also closer to the Fitness Center, gyms, playground, and an elevator. The former PE Office will become the Health Room administrative office and intake space where students can wait to be seen. The visiting team girls’ locker room will be renovated into two treatment rooms that meet health codes and provide adequate medication storage. The visiting team boys’ locker room will be subdivided into two locker rooms to handle guests.

We also will hire a new Health Team Director, a position created during the COVID-19 pandemic that has been vacant since fall 2022. This full-time medical professional will bring our health services policies and procedures into best practices and handle the administrative tasks of directing a clinic. With improved facilities to address health issues and foster the well-being of our students, they can better focus on their academic success.

Best wishes for your Summer Break.