AHA! Moment: Solving riddles and more awards
Assistant Head of Academics Joel Bezaire shares his takeaways from a guest teaching session in 6th grade, and announces more awards for Middle Schoolers in this week's AHA! Moment.
This week in 6th Grade, I was privileged to “guest teach” a two-day lesson on the historical context of "The Bletchley Riddle," the novel they’re reading in Ms. Dismuke’s class.
As a “historical fiction” novel, the main characters and plot are fictional, but the story takes place in a nonfiction context; in this case, it’s the World War 2 code breaking operation at Bletchley Park in England.
This week’s lessons focused on Alan Turing and his role in building the Bombe, one of the first computers invented. During the war's final months, this device was used to break the German Enigma code daily. Historians estimate that the operation at Bletchley Park shortened the war in the European theater by two to four years and saved 14 million lives.
Students learned more details about how Turing (who is a tertiary character in the novel) built a model Enigma machine out of a soda can (and learned how to make and break codes from it). They also learned the Fundamental Counting Principle, the mathematical concept behind exactly how nefarious the Enigma machine was in setting up unbreakable codes. Of course, we learned how Turing and the Bletchley crew broke those “unbreakable” Enigma codes, and a bit about the sad end of Turing’s life. He was not recognized as a hero of the war until sometime in the 2010s – long, long after he had passed away.
Kelliana Olson '31, Crockett Zieher '31, and Matthias Keuler '31 all show off their "Soda Can Enigma Machine" creations.
Students have a little way to go in the book, but they will continue to combine ELA, history, and mathematics in Ms. Dismuke’s class as they solve The Bletchley Riddle from various angles. Parents, if you want to see how our “Soda Can Enigma Machines” work, stay tuned for information about our “Bletchley Bash,” which will be held later in the Spring.
Keeping with our theme from the AHA! Moment a couple of weeks ago, we have some more winners to announce from our USN Middle School.
Oliver Stahl '29, Matthew Golann '29, and Asher Huffman '29 (Enya Joseph '29 not pictured) picking up some hardware at the MathCounts competition.
Back
As a “historical fiction” novel, the main characters and plot are fictional, but the story takes place in a nonfiction context; in this case, it’s the World War 2 code breaking operation at Bletchley Park in England.
This week’s lessons focused on Alan Turing and his role in building the Bombe, one of the first computers invented. During the war's final months, this device was used to break the German Enigma code daily. Historians estimate that the operation at Bletchley Park shortened the war in the European theater by two to four years and saved 14 million lives.
Students learned more details about how Turing (who is a tertiary character in the novel) built a model Enigma machine out of a soda can (and learned how to make and break codes from it). They also learned the Fundamental Counting Principle, the mathematical concept behind exactly how nefarious the Enigma machine was in setting up unbreakable codes. Of course, we learned how Turing and the Bletchley crew broke those “unbreakable” Enigma codes, and a bit about the sad end of Turing’s life. He was not recognized as a hero of the war until sometime in the 2010s – long, long after he had passed away.
Kelliana Olson '31, Crockett Zieher '31, and Matthias Keuler '31 all show off their "Soda Can Enigma Machine" creations.
Students have a little way to go in the book, but they will continue to combine ELA, history, and mathematics in Ms. Dismuke’s class as they solve The Bletchley Riddle from various angles. Parents, if you want to see how our “Soda Can Enigma Machines” work, stay tuned for information about our “Bletchley Bash,” which will be held later in the Spring.
More Awards:
Keeping with our theme from the AHA! Moment a couple of weeks ago, we have some more winners to announce from our USN Middle School.
First, our MathCounts team represented us beautifully last weekend down at MTSU, with our top team of 8th Graders Enya Joseph '29, Asher Huffman '29, Matthew Golann '29, and Oliver Stahl '29 finishing in 4th place in a stacked field of a dozen or more strong teams:
- MBA
- MEIGS Academic Magnet
- Central Magnet
- USN
Oliver Stahl '29, Matthew Golann '29, and Asher Huffman '29 (Enya Joseph '29 not pictured) picking up some hardware at the MathCounts competition.
Additionally, our AMC8 scores came back; AMC8 is a nationwide math contest, and all of our 8th graders participate plus interested 6th and 7th graders. Our overall school performance rose by a strong 1.5 average points (out of 25) over last year, and congratulations go to our top finishers:
- Harper Hughey ‘29
- Allen Chen ‘29, Max Parker ‘29, Lucas Lupu ‘31
- Zoey Wei ‘31, Elsa Absi ‘29, Abe Boehler ‘29, Madison Rhodes ‘29
Mr. Bezaire
Assistant Head of Academics (AHA!), Middle School
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
-
Ava ’26 recognized by National Council of Teachers of English
Congratulations to the rising senior, who has been selected for a 2025 Achievement Award in Writing by the National Council of Teachers of English.Read More -
Retired faculty, staff return to USN
As part of a longstanding tradition, retired teachers and professionals from USN over the years came together to celebrate, connect, and reminisce during their annual luncheon in Durnan Auditorium.Read More -
Athletes beyond Edgehill
Read MoreIt is common to have five or more University School of Nashville student-athletes sign college athletic commitment letters each year, and this year, USN saw eight more student-athletes commit to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. USN has several alumni participating in their chosen sport at the collegiate level from the Classes of 2021 through 2025. Continue reading to learn more about where Tigers are competing beyond Edgehill.
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
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
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.
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.