The USN Quiz Bowl team won the state championship for the fourth year in a row. Congratulations to Emma Horwitz '26, who won first place in the inaugural Tennessee individual tournament.
By Justin De Santis, Faculty Advisor
On Saturday, February 28, the USN quiz bowl team played spectacularly, winning first place for the fourth consecutive year at the Tennessee state tournament, hosted by Tennessee Tech. The team went undefeated through 8 rounds of pool play. Following pool play, USN won out through the playoffs, besting Battle Ground Academy 440 to 155 in the quarterfinal, winning over Gallatin 535 to 140 in the semifinal, and coming out on top against season-long rival Merrol Hyde 350 to 200 in the final. In addition, three USN students ranked in the top 5 for individual scoring: Emma Horwitz ’26 was 4th, Jackson Green ’26 was 3rd, and Liam Mooney ’28 was 2nd.
Congratulations to the team: Emma Horowitz ’26, Jackson Green ’26, Mason Lack ’26, Evan Giles ’26, Lucia Gellert ’27, Karsen Puzniak ’27, Liam Mooney ’28, and coach Dr. Eric Mukherjee. Additional shout-out to Eva Choe ’26 and Arlo Williamson ’28, who had to miss this tournament due to the Science Olympiad and illness, respectively.
The following day, six members of the USN quiz bowl team competed in the first-ever Tennessee state individual tournament. All six USN students performed well in pool play, making it to the final round, consisting of the top 8 individuals.
The final was an incredibly close contest, and going into the last question, there was a three-way tie between Emma, Lucia, and a competitor from Merrol Hyde. The last question was on Geography, one of Emma's strongest categories, and she buzzed in on the first line of the question with the correct answer to take first place in the individual tournament. Final results include: Mason in 8th, Jackson in 7th, Evan in 5th, Liam in 4th, Lucia in 3rd, and Emma in 1st.
Students in grades 5-8 and their families can take USN Evening Class 702: Mah and Pah Jong and Me to learn to play a board game together while benefiting USN's need-based scholarship endowment.
The Helen Meador Summer International Fellowship funded a summer of professional development in South America for Lower School Naturalist Carrie Riley. Through this profound experience, she said she plans to bring these lessons into her teaching, grounding her voice in wonder, joy, and a commitment to protecting the natural world, which she loves.
The impact of USN’s Art Department is not confined to art studios in the Christine Slayden Tibbott Center. Students often engage with art in ways that transcend traditional classroom learning, such as at the opening reception for artist Yanira Vissepó's “Fantastical Views.”
Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.
Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.
The MTB team returned to the the twisty trails of tranquil Oakfield, TN on Sept 13th to take part in the second race of the season, as part of the 5-race series hosted by the NICA/TICL League.
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.