Seniors take field trip to cast first ballot

All 40 eligible University School of Nashville students in the Class of 2037 registered to vote ahead of the voter registration deadline, and Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 walked across the street from USN to the Scarritt Bennett Center to cast their first ballots on the final day of early voting.
By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications

Seniors Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 were greeted with claps and cheers as they voted for the first time this fall. The pair walked across the street from University School of Nashville to the Scarritt Bennett Center during their lunch break on the final day of early voting and proudly wore their “I voted” stickers back to class.

“I am really excited about being able to do this because I get to do something about the issues I care about,” Eleanor said. “I get to have an impact now.”

Eleanor said she decided how to cast her ballot for Tennessee Constitution amendments largely based on her research for Cameron Parsons’ Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics class and classmates' presentations.

“And outside of that, I talked to my friends who are in other groups for the other amendments, and my friend gave me her presentation for one of the other [amendments],” Eleanor said, adding that she read news articles on candidates. “Then also I've just been following what the candidates are doing, like that [governor] debate a few days ago.”

On the other hand, Dylan Omary '27 said he made his decisions for candidates and amendments based on his family’s beliefs and values as he discussed and reviewed the sample ballot with his parents.

“I went based off that with full trust in them and their views,” Dylan said. 

Eleanor and Dylan are among the 40 members of USN’s Class of 2027 who are eligible to vote and registered. Elisabeth Crane ’27, Molly O'Loughlin ’27, Julia Young ’27, and Luna Kear ’28 worked with Parsons to ensure all 18-year-old classmates could vote in the November 2026 election.

Among USN’s guiding principles that drive curriculum development is responsible citizenship, in which students apply ethical and responsible citizenship to matters of choice, demonstrating concern for others and care for the natural world.

This past spring, USN’s Office of College Counseling surveyed young alumni in the Classes of 2016-2025 on their experiences beyond our Edgehill Campus, and 90% of eligible USN young alumni voted in the 2024 presidential election compared with the 48% national average. 

USN’s intentional curriculum and programming create independent, civically engaged, and responsible adults who are well prepared for life in a global society.
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School News

List of 3 news stories.

  •  University School of Nashville students Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 voted first the first time on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at the Scarritt Bennett.

    Seniors take field trip to cast first ballot

    All 40 eligible University School of Nashville students in the Class of 2037 registered to vote ahead of the voter registration deadline, and Eleanor Mixon '27 and Dylan Omary '27 walked across the street from USN to the Scarritt Bennett Center to cast their first ballots on the final day of early voting.
    Read More
  • The ballot box and beyond: USN Seniors civically engaged

    Students in High School History Teacher Cameron Parsons' Advanced Topics: American Government and Politics Class have been working diligently on civic engagement projects that required them to participate in the democratic process.
    Read More
  • An evening of erudition: 22 seniors enter Cum Laude Society

    Congratulations to the Class of 2027 inductees of the USN Cum Laude Society: Jack Barrett, Charlie Blau, Alder Brandon, Olivia Brown, Elisabeth Crane, Alexandra Drewry, Lucia Gellert, Melis Kurtulus, Abigail Manoukian, Lily Margalit, Eleanor Mixon, Louisa Nordberg, Mia Orefice, Karsen Puzniak, Ruchika Ramachandran, Jacqueline Seale, Elliott Spiller, Laine Theobald, Alexander Truss, Yifan Wang, Madeleine Wiseman, and Julia Young.
    Read More
Archive

Athletics News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on “Electric" State Champs Trails, Dehner Snags Overall Podium Medal

    Steve Smail & MTB Team Coaches
    With trail names like Megawatt, Electric Avenue, High Voltage and Livewire, the mountain bike team knew it was time to pedal out some extra watts for their NICA/TICL State Championships at Raccoon Mountain, and survive the technical trails above Chattanooga full of boulder gardens, rock drops and sandy rubble.
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  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on Winged Deer Trails, HS Makes Podium Appearance

    Steve Smail
    Winged Deer Park and trails in Johnson City hosted our 4th race on Sunday October 11th, and despite a bit of hurricane outwash winds and showers - and reduced team numbers due to fall break and distance from Nashville - our racers utilized all available skills and speed which helped “wing" Sophomore Claire Dehner to a 4th place podium spot, our first podium appearance and medal for the season.
     
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  • HS athletics recaps for September 11-17

    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.
    Read More
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.