The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press.
As the school year comes to a close and summer lurks just over the horizon, it never really feels like anything’s winding down. With exams, final projects, independent study presentations, spring sport championships, and about a dozen senior traditions, a USN student’s final few weeks are always packed to the brim.
Already, we’re looking on to next fall, with StuCo elections, buddy matching, and course requests. Before the 2026-2027 school year arrives with a flurry of activity, there’s time for reflection on the past year and planning for the next.
When July arrives, our school will be joined by new director Rob Hereford, an incoming freshman class ready to take on high school, and a few new teachers preparing to learn what USN’s really about.
As these teachers in the process of applying to work at USN visited campus for interviews and demo classes, one common remark I heard was about USN’s student involvement.
USN students have historically taken places in the traditional roles of administration in planning and funding a modicum of activities, celebrations, and learning opportunities that can be found around campus daily.
Every year, students take another step forward in claiming responsibilities. During the 2025-2026 school year, the Class of 2027 broke the record for money raised for Prom, Zeitgeist was bigger than ever before, students worked on creating their own neuroscience class and stepped into teaching in Lower School, the participants of YIG and Quiz Bowl continued their annual winning streaks, upperclassmen completed independent studies ranging from filmmaking to biomedical research, and sports teams achieved historic milestones.
The traditional aspects of education such as memorization, critical thinking, and mental improvement are invaluable, but USN and its student body also value skills like leadership, advocacy, teamwork, and the ability to make what you want happen really happen.
The ways students learn these skills is often through student-led extracurricular activities and clubs. USN boasts a constantly fluctuating amount of recreational clubs, orgs, affinity groups, and competitive academic teams. Nearly every week, there’s something going on that can be attributed back to student leadership. The majority of students will at some point become the founder or leader of a club, or take on another leadership role that has them putting in work outside of their school day to get things done. This willingness to take on responsibilities sets USN apart from other independent schools.
The skills learned through these experiences are the kinds that are invaluable in the real world, and will serve USN students beyond college and into their lives as adults. Being confidently involved in every step of the process of getting things done is the true mark of a successful USN student.
