by Justin Karpinos, high school dean of student life
One of the familiar milestones of September in the high school is the Clubs Fair.
For thirty furious minutes, the Auditorium becomes a sea of tables, e-mail signup lists, music, complimentary candies, and carnival barking. Everything feels brand new, and students are thinking about how they want to make their mark and engage with the school community.
Registering as a club at USN is a fairly simple process–-all students need are three members, a willing faculty sponsor, and a designated meeting time/place. Clubs are approved on a one-year basis; each year, the leadership of a club has to step forward to establish itself. This practice helps clubs stay vital and encourages leaders to recruit younger students to ensure their organizations’ existence in the future.
USN doesn't require students to participate in clubs; involvement is purely elective, and for the most part, tends to take a back seat to academic and ‘school program’ commitments (athletics, theatre productions, debate, Model UN, etc.). Every student’s threshold for engagement is different; our best advice to freshman parents and students is that clubs should be fun above all else, that students shouldn’t put all their co-curricular eggs in one basket, and that some involvement should be service-oriented.
It’s not uncommon to see students sign up for a dozen clubs, try each of them, and gradually whittle their list down to something that’s more manageable throughout the year. We encourage club leaders not to get overly excited at having a huge membership immediately following the club fair; the paring down of rosters is natural and expected.
An academic and educational leader with experience working with elementary grades in Australia and California, Kristian Noden will join USN for the 2024-2025 academic year.
At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, we will bid adieu to MS/HS Art Teacher Delia Seigenthaler, Operations Staffer Don Brown, and Head of LS Amy Woodson. A retirement reception will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 10 in Gordon Multipurpose Room
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.