by Emerson Unertl-Coffman ’28
November 15, 2024
As students returned to USN to begin the 2024-25 school year, they were greeted with the sight of seven new high school teachers, each coming from a diverse range of teaching backgrounds and experience levels.
Sarah Helms, one of two new math teachers, just moved to Nashville from Colorado. This was a big move, as she had been there for 12 years and left some good friends behind, but still finds Nashville a nice place to be.
“I like Nashville a lot. It’s hard to replace the friendships when you move, but I like it so far.”
Coming from a public school, USN’s small classes cultivate a very different environment, which has been a welcome change.
“I feel like it’s easier to teach [students] more of the fun stuff about geometry when the class size is a little bit smaller,” Helms said.
Also hailing from Colorado is Ceramics teacher Natalie Thedford. Previously teaching at the University of Colorado, Thedford recalls that most of her students at the University of Colorado had a good foundation in high school arts programs, and she feels passionate about giving the same thing to her students. She also enjoys getting to see her students more often at USN.
“In the university setting, you only meet a couple times a week, as opposed to here, [where] I see my classes [three or] four times a week. It’s nice to get more face time.
Also coming from the college level is 9th and 10th grade English teacher Dr. Phil Bandy, or “Mr. Dr. Bandy” to students who can’t remember his title. He was previously an English professor at the University of Wisconsin, where he got a PhD in teaching. Bandy loves the energy and intellectual engagement that USN students bring to the classroom.
“I think USN students are very energized and ready to go. [At Wisconsin] I found a lot of students disengaged from the classes they were taking with me because they had to take them to get their credits,” Bandy said.
He was also impressed by the care and kindness that he received during his job interview.
“When they interviewed me, I got to meet seven or eight administrators and faculty during that process who were extremely kind to me,” Bandy said. “Then the final part of the interview was with 12 students there who came to campus just to talk to me about the job, and they were well-prepared and invested. That was really impressive, because the students at this school really care about this school.”
While teaching classes at college may be different from high school, French teacher Morgan Miense has a somewhat more diverse background. While she most recently taught in New York, she has also been to several other countries in her 15 years of teaching. This includes France, but also Tanzania and Madagascar. She, too, admires the qualities of USN students.
“I feel the students are really driven. They care a lot about their work,” Miense said. “That’s one thing that has stood out, not that the other places that didn’t have that, but I truly feel this place has students that care about how they’re doing academically.”
In her free time, Miense loves to dance.
“I like all sorts of forms of dance. [The] most recent one that I’ve been getting into is Afrobeat dance,” she said. “My mom was a dance teacher, so I [have been] dancing ever since I was maybe two. I danced when I lived in France as well as Madagascar. It’s one of my passions besides teaching.”
Eric Royer teaches two classes of freshman biology and three classes of AP environmental science, as well as coaching USN’s cross-country team. Having previously taught at Ensworth Middle School, he has noticed that USN students have a lot more freedom of expression than those at Ensworth.
However, the main thing that he noticed coming to USN was the faculty relationships. He had heard a lot about the strong faculty bonds at USN, but was still surprised by the way he was welcomed in.
“The thing that surprised me a lot about USN was how readily the faculty who have been here 10, 15, or 20 years welcomed me, supported me, and helped me adjust and make my transition.”
He feels that this does not happen at every school, remarking that it sometimes feels like “You’re out on an island.”
When he is not teaching, Royer’s favorite activity is running.
“I know that might not be what most people think is fun, but it’s something that I do almost every day, kind of like my me time,” he said.
Another running enthusiast joining USN’s staff is Alex Wankowicz, a new Algebra II and Physics I teacher. Wankowicz loves to spend time outdoors whenever he can.
“Whether I’m hiking, rock climbing, trail running, backpacking, [I’m happy],” he said.
He has found Nashville a pretty good environment for his interests; examples of places he’s run include Percy Warner, Shelby Park, and Beaman Park.
He was drawn to USN by its focus on community, something that bears a lot of similarity to his previous teaching job at the Drew School in San Francisco. He’s had an amazing time working with USN’s student body.
“10 out of 10; they are incredible. I really like how friendly and welcoming they’ve been. They’re really good advocates, [and are] very mature. It’s been a great student population to work with,” he said.
Last but not least, Ayesha Nawaz joins USN to teach 11th grade US history. She moved to Nashville two years ago, and previously taught at Valor Collegiate Prep, a local charter school. Coming to USN from a background of teaching at public schools, she was a bit concerned about the environment at a private one.
“I’ve always taught at public school, and I was a little nervous [to teach at a private one]. I didn’t know if private schools would be more snooty or entitled,” Nawaz said.
Soon after coming to USN, though, she realized there was no need for concern.
“I was surprised that I didn’t get that kind of feeling,” she said. “I don’t think that USN is a private school which thinks of itself as better than other people.”
On her own time, Nawaz likes to cultivate flowers.
“I love to garden. I love to have my hands and dig in the dirt and plant flowers. Mostly flowers; my husband does the vegetables,” Nawaz said.
In some way or another, every teacher in this article praised USN’s community-focused aspects, and all have have felt welcomed by both the students and faculty.
