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August 2026 Summer Junior Irish News We hope our Junior Irish family enjoyed a great summer filled with fun

Mark Your Calendars!

and relaxation. Father Ryan has been busy this summer, which calls for a summer edition of our Junior Irish News.

Don’t miss a moment of Junior Irish events and admissions events for 2026-2027.

Thanks to everyone who made Camp Ryan part of their summer adventure! We loved hosting you this summer on Norwood Drive.

August 18: The Admissions application for fall 2027 goes

Thanks, too, to everyone who came to the Charlie Becker Football Camp. It was an amazing day, led by our own Charlie Becker ’24 and Indiana

live at fatherryan.org/apply.

Hoosier National Champion. He and other former Irish players put Nashville’s youth through great training and mentoring at Giacosa

August 19: In-person Application Help Session,

Stadium.

5:30–7:30pm, Champions Room, located just inside Giacosa Stadium. All 8th Grade families are invited to receive hands-on guidance through every step of the process, with our Enrollment team available. Laptops provided to assist with both the Father Ryan admissions application (application fee: $50) and the Tuition Assistance application through

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Clarity (application fee: $65). Whether you’re just getting started or finalizing details, we’re here to ensure the process is clear, accessible, and personalized for your family. August 28: Junior Irish Night to kick-off the Irish’s 1st home game October 25: Preview Day,

Welcome to Father Ryan, New Students!

1:00-3:00pm, registration begins at 12:30pm

On Sunday, August 2, we welcomed the Class of 2030 and 26 transfer students to the Father Ryan family. We are excited for everything our incoming students will experience as part of our community and all that

October 29: Open Visit Day

they will contribute to our school and to Nashville through leadership, purpose, community, and service.

November 10: Morning Coffee with Father Ryan showcasing the Hayes Scholars Program, open to all families December 12: Breakfast with Santa Event January 15: Winter Junior Irish Night Click below for more information on these Junior Irish events and to register

A highly anticipated part of the day is announcing which Houses our incoming students will join. This “family within a family” at Father Ryan creates belonging immediately. Students will remain in their House for four years to form deep bonds across grades and interests. Our Incoming Students By-the-Numbers 217 incoming students 45 zip codes represented 111 first-time Father Ryan students 106 legacies (current siblings, alumni parents, or grandparents; if we count Irish cousins, the figure is higher!) We are also excited to welcome home our new Chaplain, Father Christian Hamrick ’17, who returns to his faith formation roots to guide and inspire the faith journeys of our community. https://fatherryanorg.finalsite.com/fs/comms-manager/view/f437c01c-de80-4f9f-b873-49163932a1da

Click Here We welcome individual tours and campus visits. Click below to schedule yours today.

Visit Father Ryan Know someone who would like to receive our monthly news, filled with information and events? Complete this 2/8

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short form so we can share our news.

Irish Artists' Summer Achievements

Are You Ready for Football Season, Ryan Nation?

Currently on exhibit at the Frist Museum of Art is the work of six Father Ryan artists, part of 100 Middle Tennessee

Nothing says “fall” in the South like Friday Night Lights! Our Irish are

emerging artists chosen for the eighth annual Teens Take the

gearing up for a great fall season under Coach Zach Mettenberger as he enters his second season at Father Ryan.

Frist! The exhibition runs until August 17 in the museum’s

On Friday, August 28, we kick off our first home game vs. Riverdale with JUNIOR IRISH NIGHT! August 28 5:00-7:00pm Father Ryan’s Academic Lawn Free carnival games, bounce house, lawn games, Father Ryan tattoos, DJ, and swag bags with Father Ryan Hacky Sack & T-shirts Show your pride and wear your favorite Father Ryan gear. At 6:35pm, we will line up with our student body as the Marching Band leads us across the bridge to Giacosa Stadium to cheer on the Irish against Riverdale. Free carnival and football game for all registered children. Registration is required to secure a swag bag. Parent(s) will need to purchase a ticket for the football game. Please visit fatherryan.org/gamedayparking for parking info. Food may be purchased at the carnival and football game.

Meet Our Football Coaching Staff To kick off football season, our team and coaching staff recently enjoyed Media Day.

Upper Level Education Corridor. Congratulations Louisa Giggie '29, Lucy Hernandez '28, Ava Hunt '28, Andrea Ramos '27, Alessandro Ward '28, and Laila Wilson '28. This fall, our visual arts faculty and students will prepare for upcoming competitions including The Middle Tennessee Student Art Awards held at the Parthenon and the Scholastic Art Awards held at Cheekwood. Interested students will also be applying for the Governors School for the Arts, a three-week, summer 2027 intensive for students in fine art, dance, music, and theater. Our Dance Team participated in the Universal Dance Association (UDA) Dance Camp, earning a coveted bid to UDA Nationals in February. Four dancers were selected for

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the UDA All-American Team. Congratulations to Ava Malucci '27, Kate Coles '28, Tatum Garrigan '28, and Millie Allen '28.

Head coach Zach Mettenberger (back row, 4th from left) enters his second season leading the Irish football program in 2026 and has assembled an experienced coaching staff ahead of the season opener on August 21 at Overton and the August 28 home opener versus Riverdale and Junior Irish Night. Coach Mettenberger’s staff brings a wealth of experience from high school, college football and the National Football League. Coach Pat Curran ’00 returns as offensive coordinator with Adam Fermstad (wide receivers), John Dooling (offensive line), Dexter McCluster (running backs) and Ken Whisenhunt (quarterbacks), while the defensive coaches include Marcus Dean '15 (cornerbacks), Robert Crawford '15 (outside linebackers), Davian Hill (safeties) and Tyler

Irish Athletics Our Irish student-athletes continue to rack up accolades and awards this summer: Football kicker Peter

Vrabel (defensive line). Go Irish!

Hagey ’27 was named one of six national

Be sure to make your plans to cheer on the Irish at their 2026 home games:

champions out of 1,110+ competing kickers and

Aug. 28 vs. Riverdale (Senior Night, Junior Irish Night) Sept. 4 vs. McCallie Sept. 25 vs. JPII Oct. 9 vs. MBA Oct. 30 vs. Christian Brothers (Homecoming)

Buy Tickets

punters at the 2026 Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp, the nation’s premier high school kicking organization. This summer, our Boys Basketball team was undefeated in the Summer League, under

Hayes Scholars in Boston

the guidance of Head Basketball Coach Malik Mims. Coach Mims joined us last year, bringing over a decade of experience. He was Welch College’s

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assistant basketball coach and assistant athletic director and director of STARS Basketball since 2022. Read more about Coach Mims. Caroline Perri '26 and Ryder Ortner '26 were named to the TSWA DII-AA Track &

In July, juniors and seniors from our Hayes Scholars Program for topachieving students traveled to Boston for a Hayes Scholars’ tradition: college tours. This year, students toured Northeastern University, Boston College, and Boston University, visited Harvard, and enjoyed a workshop at MIT on finding exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) using models of three different telescopes. They also played tourist in Boston by walking the Freedom Trail and checking out Faneuil Hall. Last summer, the Hayes Scholars visited Emory University and

Field All-State team. Caroline, who will compete for Notre Dame University, was recognized for the Long Jump, 400 meters, and Pentathlon; and Ryder for 800 meters.

Georgia Tech.

Hayden Yandell '26 was named to the TSWA

Learn more about the Hayes Scholars Program.

2026 DII-AA All-State Baseball team and

This month, our Class of 2026 graduates embark on their next adventure. Where are they matriculating? Visit

continues his baseball career at Lincoln

fatherryan.org/academics to see where they are headed.

Memorial University.

Summer Faith Formation This summer, 70 juniors and seniors attended a +SEARCH+ retreat, with students returning 31 times as Student Leaders and 5 students serving as Co-Directors. SEARCH retreats remain a popular and impactful faith activity for our students. Our President, Paul Davis ’81, cites his SEARCH retreat experience as one of the most transformative of his Father Ryan student years.

Lacrosse standouts Abigail Ellis '27 (First Team) and Reese Bartell '27 (Second Team) received AllMidstate honors for the 2025-2026 season. Abigail was named the Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year at the 2026 Tennessean Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards, finishing the season with 47 goals, 32 assists, 138 draw controls, 47 ground balls, and causing 41 turnovers. She also received TGLA USA

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Lacrosse All-American honors. Ava Francescon ’26, a standout guard on the Girls Basketball team, received the National Federation of State High School Associations Award for Excellence for Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity, given in In July, 46 students attended the 59th Annual Youth Leadership Workshop (YLW), which included 42 participants and 4 leaders. Three Father Ryan alumni served as adult leaders at YLW, which educates young leaders in the Catholic faith and empowers them to utilize their God-given gifts, talents, and abilities.

tandem by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). It honors student-athletes like Ava who take extraordinary strides in manifesting exceptional character. We are thrilled to welcome new coaches to the Ryan Nation: Brian Harris as Head Baseball Coach, succeeding longtime coach Mike Mascari '96, who announced his retirement last spring. A Vanderbilt standout and

The time our students spend in fellowship and faith communities over the summer infuses every Campus Ministry and Service Learning activity during the school year. Students continue to attend retreats during the academic year, growing in and reflecting on their journeys.

All-SEC shortstop, Coach Harris played pro for two seasons before transitioning to

Read our Irish Insights blog post on how we create ethical leaders.

coaching at the University of Illinois

Congratulations to Father Reed Robinson ’18 on his ordination to

Chicago and Tulane University before

the priesthood on June 12 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation. He is serving at St. Edward Church before returning to Rome in the fall to further pursue his vocation and studies. Photo credit: Nashville Catholic.

returning to Nashville to pursue youth coaching and instruction. Most recently, he was director and lead instructor for Harris Ball Club, where he coached highperforming youth travel baseball. Read more about Coach Harris.

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Jake Williams as Associate Head Wrestling Coach, joining legendary Head Coach Pat Simpson ’74. Coach Williams has coached 15+ individual state champions, three All-Americans, 30+ individuals who placed at state competitions, and led Louisiana’s

First Day of School!

Brother Martin High School to two

We welcomed all of our students back to campus for the first day of the 2026-2027 school year, featuring our new school skirts, Senior Crowns and Backpacks, and our Deans of Students dressing for the occasion!

consecutive state titles. In high school, he was the 2009 New Mexico state champion and NHSCA All-American, among other honors. At Cumberland University, he was a two-time NAIA National Champion.

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Want to learn more about Junior Irish opportunities? Visit our Junior Irish webpage to learn more about how you can get your child involved with Father Ryan today!

Junior Irish Webpage

Erin (Baltz) Riggs '00

Peyton (Carell) Fuller'13

Ben Spence

Erin (Corrigan) Vallett '95

Director of Enrollment

Assoc. Director of Enrollment

Enrollment Registrar

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