by Juanita I.C. Traughber, communications director
A retirement reception will be held 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 18 in the Auditorium for USN Director of Service Learning Betty (Pearson) White and Fourth Grade Teacher Lynn Noel.
USN Director of Service Learning Betty (Pearson) White and Fourth Grade Teacher Lynn Noel will retire at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
White began her career at USN as head of Middle School from 1980 to 1988. She then set up USN's exchange program with Kwansei Gakuin High School in Japan to learn how to interact and work effectively with international students before returning in 1990 as a High School English teacher. A Tennessee Certified Service Learning Trainer and USN director of service learning, White guides students as they create and implement service projects in the Edgehill community and beyond, including mentoring and tutoring public school students, working in a community garden, and preparing meals for Urban Housing residents, among other ventures. She is the advisor to the High School Community Service Club as well as teaches Leadership & Service and Transitions in English and Culture. In addition, White developed a creative writing class for USN freshmen and sixth graders at Cameron at LEAD Public Schools. In retirement she plans to travel with her husband, spend more time with her grandchildren, continue volunteering, play more tennis, pickleball, and bridge, and sip coffee leisurely in the mornings.
Noel joined USN in 1982 to teach third grade and rewrite the science curriculum for Lower School. After 23 years, she moved across the hall to teach fourth grade for 12 years. Integrating multiple subjects into her lesson plan has been a favorite of Noel’s teaching career, she said, such as incorporating writing and social studies in the third-grade artist unit and the fourth-grade immigration unit as well as blending science into everyday activities. USN has a special place in her hearts because her four children attended school here: Bryan ‘97, Mason, Rebecca ‘05, and Lynleigh ‘07. In retirement Noel plans to travel, including a trip to Texas with Fourth Grade Teacher Kim Avington and retired teacher Karen Marler to visit former retired teacher Nikki Hunt, as well as enjoy her three grandchildren, read, cross stitch, and jog.
Aliza Ahmed '26, Uma Ehrig '26, Victor Peng '26, Ruchika Ramachandran '27, and Yvonne Wang '27 participated in the Asian Educators Alliance conference this year in Atlanta, Georgia.
Anna Brook '30, Claire Yu '30, Clio Cherry-Pulay '29, and Liam Mooney '28 took him the championship during the 4th annual USN Middle School Quiz Bowl Championships. Two teams will travel to Chicago to compete in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Middle School National Championships on Saturday, May 10.
Cpl. Robert Gibson joined University School of Nashville in November as a School Resource Officer, a certified police officer who is primarily assigned to a school and provides safety and security-related functions, including emergency response, safety training, traffic direction, and patrol functions.
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.