The amazing USN bands, grades 6-12, perform tonight, December 4, at 7:00 in the auditorium. Read more.












December 9 is the Second Tuesday. Come to the Second Tuesday Lunch at noon in the Payne Library Room to chat with Vince Durnan and other administrators. Drinks and dessert provided.


It takes more than a building to build a great school.
Read more.

Class of 2009




Mark your calendars—it’s time for USN’s Annual Red Cross Blood Drive on January 30. Read more.


Here’s a way to get some holiday shopping done and help children on the opposite side of the globe while you do. Buy hand-knitted scarves, gloves, and more from the USN HS “Knitwits” at their sale December 10 at Martha’s at the Plantation, 5:00-7:00. Read more.


Come see the Theatre Guild’s “Coffee Shop Showcase” at Bongo Java’s After Hours Theatre December 5, 6:00 and 8:00. Students will perform beautiful and hilarious pieces of Success and Joy. Call 414-7607 to reserve tickets, $7 for adults and $5 for students.


USN’s annual offering of Evening Classes begins in January, and we need your help. Learn how you can volunteer to assist with Registration and Hospitality.


Don’t Go to the Mall
We know some other ways to solve your holiday gift giving dilemmas:
Honor a special teacher or staff member with a tax-free donation to sponsor a book for the USN Hassenfeld Library collection. Read more, or fill out the on-line form.

Have a paver on USN’s Buhl Terrace engraved with the name of anyone you would like to honor.

Give a signed and numbered 10x28” Phil Ponder color print of USN. Email Anne Westfall to purchase a print.


USNA, the parent/family, faculty and staff association, has its monthly meeting Wednesday, December 10 at 1:00 in the Payne Library Meeting Room. Please come and learn more about USN and ways to get involved. Email Monica Urness.

Make life a little easier for your high school student during exams with a special exam packet, sold by the sophomore class. Read more.

HS Exam Package Form



Sunday’s Tennessean included a column by Robyn Shaffer ’09 answering the question of whether texting while driving should be illegal.



Kalpana Vallabhaneni, Ian Trupin, and Keegen Gillette joined Kia Bahner at the Big Brother/Big Sister breakfast on November 19 at Loews Vanderbilt Plaza.






11th Grade parents, save the date of Sunday, January 25 from 3:00 to 5:00. Parents Anne Blake and Sudha Singh will host this USNA (the family/parent association) sponsored Parent Social at the Blake-Rogers’ home, 205 Ensworth Ave., 37205.  Reminders will go out in January.  




Ms. Cuellar with Doris Palomino from Perú, who spoke to the AP Spanish class. Read more.







Next Tuesday is the high school’s Dance Showcase, with dancers sharing their work in progress in the auditorium at 6:00. Read more.



HS students interested in applying for USN’s Mary Interlandi Scholarship for summer study at Interlochen Center for the Arts must notify Lee Ann Merrick of their interest by tomorrow, December 5. Read more.



Before Thanksgiving HS science teachers Bill Rodriguez and George Flatau went to Percy Warner Park and completed the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon, described on its website as “26.2 tough and memorable miles, with a total of 3,500 feet of elevation gain and loss.”


return to top of page

After they learned in science class about the size of their carbon footprints, sixth graders took home and planted more than 140 trees—maples, willow oaks, and Eastern redbuds—as one way to connect to the earth.





Students in 7th grade Pre Algebra are conducting research to create scatter plots on their graphing calculators and determine if there is correlation between two variables. These students are measuring hand length, which they will then compare to their shoe size.

Former USN swimmers Matt Lukach ’04 and Stephen Rodriguez ’04 work with the MS swim team on flip-turns. Matt is part of the MS swim coaching staff this year and Stephen happened to be home for Thanksgiving.









8th grade parents, tomorrow morning (December 5) you have one more chance to preview 9th grade at USN. Come to the Morris Conference Room at 8:00.



7th grade Guatemalan exchange student Isa Alarcon visits Ms. Vazquez’s 3rd grade Spanish class to teach students about the Guatemalan tradition of rug-making.








Author Ji-li Jiang talks to USN MS students about her book, Red Scarf Girl.







5th graders apply the scientific method by conducting experimental trials with weighted tennis balls, then compiling and analyzing their data.












Fifth graders played math games the day before Thanksgiving break.




FC Academy Soccer Club is holding an informational meeting Friday, December 5 in the Gordon Multipurpose Room, 5:30-6:45. The club needs players, both boys and girls, U-9, 10, 11, 13 and 14. Email Daniel Gordon to learn more.



Read the MS physical education newsletter to learn what students have been doing this semester.



return to top of page

All kindergarten through fourth grade students (left)—and many guests—gathered in the gym to celebrate Grandparents’ Day. Children used ribbons, parachutes, and sign language while singing songs to this year’s theme, “Familiar Favorites.” Email Connie Culpepper for a link to more Kimberly Manz photos taken on Grandparents’ Day.

At the Parents’ Day performance of Grandparents’ Day, seniors (far left) who have been at USN since kindergarten joined this year’s kindergarten turkeys and danced the Turkey Trot, the steps of which they remembered well.



Third grade artists painted landscapes using aerial perspective to create the illusion of depth behind the tipis they built in conjunction with their classroom study of westward expansion.







The elementary team of Elsa Wilson, Jing Dai and Puja Jagasia placed fifth in team trophy standings in the Christ the King chess tournament, and Puja won the top female trophy in that section.
 
The primary team of Wei Dai, John Goodson, Max Oreck, Joshua Esquivel, and Elias Woolsey took second. John Goodson was the top unrated male player.



USN and Gilda’s Gang are teaming up again for the 2009 Country Music Kids’ Marathon. Read more.



return to top of page

Left: Ian Robertson ’09
Center: Hannah Deegan ’11
Right: The high school girls’ soccer team enjoyed their end-of-season celebration.

Ian Trupin ’09 was named to the first team All-State cross country team. He was individual state champion for Division IIA.

Zaf Ahmed was named Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year by the Tennessean after his team repeated as Division IIA state champion.



HS boys’ basketball off to 2-1 start

HS girls’ basketball looking for first win

HS swimming mixes it up versus Smyrna

HS boys’ bowling still looking for first win, girls’ defeat Harpeth Hall for second

MS swimming finishes well in Invitational Meet

MS girls’ soccer finishes season in HVAC Silver Bracket Semi-finals

MS boys’ soccer falls in HVAC Gold Bracket championship

MS boys’ Basketball 5th/6th season opener

MS Tigers of the Week November 17-21

MS Tigers of the Week December 1-5




return to top of page