After nine rounds of tough competition, a group of USN sixth graders took home the title during this year's Battle of the Books competition. Congratulations to Adelaide Dervan ‘32, Emily Nicholson ‘32, Indy O’Hare ‘32, Eliana Wolf ‘32, and Mila Kennedy ‘32.
By Courtney Brown, MS/HS Librarian
On Saturday, May 9, middle school teams from University School of Nashville, Harpeth Hall, Franklin Road Academy, and Ensworth met at USN to battle knowledge of the 20 Volunteer State Book Award nominees at the Battle of the Books. Students formed teams, read as many VSBA books as they could, and then studied trivia about the books to compete against each other. This year was the biggest yet, with 15 teams and 66 students competing.
The tournament is set up with five rounds of back-to-back competition, with the three highest-scoring teams advancing to the finals. One USN team, one Harpeth Hall team, and one Ensworth team battled it out in the finals, and ultimately, USN walked away victorious. The members of the winning team were Adelaide Dervan ‘32, Emily Nicholson ‘32, Indy O’Hare ‘32, Eliana Wolf ‘32, and Mila Kennedy ‘32. Congratulations to the team for their impressive performance!
Adelaide Dervan ‘32, Emily Nicholson ‘32, Indy O’Hare ‘32, Eliana Wolf ‘32, and Mila Kennedy ‘32 pose with their certificates after winning the Battle of the Books.
Over the summer, the Operations staff worked to prepare the Edgehill Campus for the year ahead, beginning with the Back Lawn renovation, installing new carpet in classrooms and the Hassenfeld Library, replacing furniture, painting, updating lighting, improving HVAC systems, updating the Sperling Gym concession area, and replacing a part of the floor in Cheek Gym.
Expect to see an active construction site as students, families, and faculty return to the Edgehill Campus. Progress continues on USN's most anticipated campus improvement of summer 2026.
University School of Nashville is excited to announce the return of curricular travel opportunities. Student applications for the 2026-2026 school year will open Friday, August 21, 2026. Additional details, including, financial aid processes, and application timelines, will be shared with families soon.
Please contact K-12 Director of Experiential Learning Kalee Barbis with any questions, kbarbis@usn.org.
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.