Vol. 24, No. 1 | Fall 2021

THE MUS MISSION: Memphis University School is a college-preparatory school dedicated to academic excellence, cultivation of service and leadership, and the development of wellrounded young men of strong moral character, consistent with the school’s Christian tradition.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Photo: Brandon Dill

Seventh graders Luke Henry, William Warmath, and Noah Glover walk together across campus.

College Board Honors

71 OWLS for AP Achievement

Memphis University School offered 21 Advanced Placement courses for possible college credit in the 2020-21 school year. We also offered 20 Honors Accelerated courses, designed to be equivalent in rigor to AP courses. Students at MUS have been among the nation’s top Advanced Placement performers since the school began participating in 1963.

Since its inception in 1955, the AP program has been based on the premise that qualified juniors and seniors are capable of college-level work, and that such achievement should be rewarded by advanced placement and/or college credit.

In May 2021 MUS administered 318 AP exams to 145 students, and 90% of tests taken by MUS students resulted in a score of 3 or higher. Students earned a 4 or 5 on 68% of the tests.

A committee of readers representing colleges and secondary schools graded the exams. Once the results were tallied, 22 Owls from the Class of 2021 and 17 from the Class of 2022 qualified for AP Scholar with Distinction recognition.

The AP courses offered in 2020-21 included Art History, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, Latin, Music Theory, Physics 2, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Physics C: Mechanics, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, United States Government and Politics, and United States History.

AP Exams Students

71

resulted in a score of

71 Earned AP Scholar Awards

AP Scholar with Distinction students earned this top designation, an honor granted to students who earn an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Omar Alyousef ’21

Wesley Butler ’21

Leo Campbell ’21

Harmon Colvett ’21

Hart Gowen ’21

Cooper Grinspun ’21

Dutch Hansen ’21

Zachary Herman ’21

Jack Jabbour ’21

McKnight Johnston ’21

Matthew Jones ’21

Akbar Latif ’21

Cullen Lonergan ’21

Colin McCown ’21

Fawwaz Omer ’21

Holden Pate ’21

Samy Paul ’21

Ryan Peng ’21

Will Schuessler ’21

Max Shackelford ’21

Edwin Shy ’21

J.P. Wood ’21

Simeon Betapudi ’22

Collin Craft ’22

Noah Emmert ’22

Will Fraser ’22

Edward Grinder ’22

Mark Hieatt ’22

Jordan Infeld ’22

Evan Jones ’22

Alex Li ’22

Samuel Lim ’22

Matthew Mellone ’22

Vincent Ores ’22

Forest Rudd ’22

Witt Smith ’22

Garner Uhlhorn ’22

Christopher Yarbro ’22

Kerry Zhao ’22

AP Scholar with Honor

students earned this designation, an honor granted to students who earn an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Joseph Barnes ’21

Braxton Hart ’21

Griffin Hood ’21

Hud McGehee ’21

Watts Miller ’21

Wade Roberts ’21

Felix Campbell ’22

Will Chandler ’22

AP Scholar

Dex Jack ’22

Reece Needham ’22

Johnathan Ray ’22

Talal Siddiq ’22

Micah Unowsky ’22

Coleman Whitehead ’22

Jacob Zamore ’22

students received this designation, an honor granted to students who earn scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Jack Beard ’21

Evan Boswell ’21

Ben Burkhart ’21

Drew Burnett ’21

Doug Curtis ’21

Luke Donovan ’21

Chip Eason ’21

Judson Fair ’21

Paul Jones ’21

Weber Wilson ’21

Turner Bishop ’22

McRae Dickinson ’22

Cole Latkovic ’22

Hamza Ranjha ’22

Evan Schrier ’22

Hayes Wilkinson ’22

Jack Zaptin ’23

National Merit and College Board Recognize 22 Owls

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation and College Board recently recognized 22 students from the Class of 2022 and 2023 for their strong performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Seniors Simeon Betapudi, Mark Hieatt, Evan Jones, Forest Rudd, Witt Smith, Garner Uhlhorn, Christopher Yarbro, and Kerry Zhao are among 16,000 students identified as National Merit Semifinalists, an honor bestowed upon less than 1% of high school seniors in the United States who took the exam.

“We are very proud of all our students who earned recognition from National Merit and the College Board,” said Assistant Headmaster Barry Ray. “These young men worked diligently in their courses and prepared themselves well for the PSAT. The six young men recognized in the National African American Recognition Program represent the largest number of MUS students honored in this program to date. We congratulate all of our honorees and look forward to celebrating their future accomplishments.”

National Merit Semifinalists

Simeon Betapudi

Mark Hieatt

Evan Jones

Forest Rudd

Kerry Zhao Christopher Yarbro

Garner Uhlhorn

Witt Smith

National Merit Commended

Seniors Will Chandler, Collin Craft, Noah Emmert, Edward Grinder, Jordan Infeld, Dex Jack, West Loden, and Reece Needham received the designation of National Merit Commended Student for their performance on the exam.

College Board Recognition

Seniors Ayo Adebiyi, Kyler Herring, Loro Lado, Vincent Ores, Johnathan Ray, and junior Kyan Ramsay were designated College Board National African American Recognition Program Scholars for their performance on the exam.

The six young men recognized in the National African American Recognition Program represent the largest number of MUS students honored in this program to date.

Assistant Headmaster Barry Ray

Will Chandler Collin Craft Noah Emmert

Edward Grinder

Reece Needham

West Loden

Jordan Infeld Dex Jack

Vincent Ores

Loro Lado

Ayo Adebiyi Kyler Herring

Johnathan Ray Kyan Ramsay

Gadbois Elected to MAA Congress

Instructor in Mathematics Steve Gadbois has taken on statewide and national mathematics leadership roles. He is the representativeat-large for the interests of high school mathematics teachers for the Mathematical Association of America Congress (MAA), and he serves as secretary for the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association (TMTA).

During his three-year term with MAA lasting through June 2024, Gadbois hopes to address the topic of math doctorate students being steered toward university-level careers.

“I’ve been a tenured professor at a selective college, and I much prefer – and do a better job –teaching at a strong high school,” Gadbois says. “The entire math community would be better served if more highly trained mathematicians chose to teach, effectively, below the university level.”

The MAA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the world’s largest community of mathematicians, students, and enthusiasts. Gadbois was one of 20 teachers nationwide awarded the 2019-20 Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished Mathematics Teaching in Middle School and High School by MAA. He also received the award in 2016.

In his Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association role, he coordinated the organization’s conference at MUS on October 22-23. According to Gadbois, “The TMTA fall conference was much anticipated because last year’s conference – as well as the high school math contests in both 2020 and 2021 – were canceled because of the pandemic.”   About 80 teachers from around the region participated in the conference sessions.

Fudge Awarded Fulbright Grant

Technical Director of Theater

Robert Fudge has received a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Research that will include six months of study at the University of Helsinki in Finland from January through June 2022. Fudge, who is one of only 22 teachers nationwide to receive the 2021 award, will focus his research on the confluence of design, craft, art, and engineering that occurs in theater construction and technology. He sums it up as “traditional arts and crafts meeting technology and how the things we make shape us,” and he ties the concept to the interdisciplinary thinking and creating that happens at 6191 Park Avenue.

“I like when I have projects for students that don’t quite fit in any category,” he says. “Broad experience prepares students to be full citizens. It is the basis of an MUS liberal arts education.”

The Fulbright program awards grants to accomplished U.S. educators for an intensive professional development program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, a record of service, and demonstrated leadership potential.

Mr. Robert Fudge works in the theater shop with Arnab Das ’20.

From left, math instructors Darin Clifft, Sabrina McCullough, Heather Davis, Elizabeth Hopper, Caroline Hollis, Shelli Henry, Nancy Gates, Steve Gadbois, and Chris Fiano at the TMTA conference.

Photo: Brandon Dill

MATH MADNESS TAKES OFF

In this new nationwide mathematics competition, Math Madness pits over 280 teams in online bracket competition. Owls went far in the contest, with the Upper School team finishing in the sweet 16 of its bracket (2-1), and the Lower School team in the elite eight (3-1). Math Madness Advisors Darin Clifft and Heather Davis are proud of the results.

“The boys get so excited when they can participate realtime, head-to head with other teams. They’re watching the score intently and trying to match point for point; it’s like watching a basketball game!” Clifft said. “It really does warm my heart as an educator when I see how excited these boys get as they solve a math problem that challenges them in new ways. MUS has always encouraged competition to push the boys to improve their skills, and this is another great example of our students rising to meet the challenge.”

UPPER SCHOOL TEAM

Juniors Varun Krishnamurthi, Jeffrey Liu, Ismael Qureshi, and Lou Zhou; sophomores Bryan Ding, Dannie Dong, and Jerry Xiao; freshmen Joephen Chen, Alan Cheng, Michael Liu, Oscar Liu, and Kushal Patel

LOWER SCHOOL TEAM

Eighth graders Albert Ding, Henry Phan, Addy Ramakrishnan, Ari Thiyagarajaa, Sohum Valaulikar, Carter Wildrick, Lucas Zhang, and Andrew Zhou;  and seventh graders Carson Alexander, Will Brezina, Joshua Dong, Braylon Jones, Abdullah Khawaja, Ryo Kimura, Becket Liles, and Hudson Mattern

Hudson Mattern, Abdullah Khawaja, Joshua Dong, and Ryo Kimura

Andrew Zhou, Albert Ding, Lucas Zhang, and Sohum Valaulikar

Addy Ramakrishnan and Becket Liles

Why are Extracurricular Activities Important?

The mission of MUS includes the development of well-rounded young men of strong moral character. But what does that look like in practice? The Owl’s Hoot writer junior Eliot Morris chatted with Student Life Coordinator Stephond Allmond ’10 to discuss the importance of students getting involved.

Quotes are edited for content and clarity.

Eliot Morris (EM): What does it mean to be well-rounded?

Mr. Stephond Allmond (SA): Life throws challenges at you from time to time. One aspect of being well-rounded is when you are faced with adversity, you have to be ready to adapt. Having great character, a great education, and using your resources helps a lot.

EM: What is your advice for someone who is mostly concerned with grades and getting into college but might be lacking in extracurriculars?

SA: Colleges also look to see if you’re involved – clubs, sports, arts, volunteering. Not only is being involved in extracurricular activities helpful to getting into colleges, but it helps to build the well-rounded individual when paired with academics.

EM: If I’m feeling overwhelmed by all my obligations, how can I manage my time?

SA: Prioritization for one. First, understand how your time is being used, then find areas for improvement. Teachers and counselors can help with this. Communicate with teachers, understand what resources are available to you while you’re going through this, and build a plan around that. We have great people in place for those things.

EM: Picture this: I’m a freshman who just moved to Memphis last week. Today is my first day of school. How do I find my friend group?

SA: Let people know your interests. Talk to the people in the Counseling Center [Mr. Joe Abrahams, Mr. Eddie Batey, Mrs. Amy Poag, and me], and then you can start to get connected with different clubs and programs. The onus is not just on the student. It’s a collaboration.

EM: Do MUS students have fun? You always hear about how much work it is.

SA: It’s a lot of work because that sets the standard for academic excellence, but we definitely have fun. 100%. You cannot have academic excellence without opportunities to have fun. Of course, being involved helps a lot.

EM: How do students improve the lives of their peers?

SA: Living by the Community Creed sets an example. The leadership roles and freedom at MUS give you the opportunity to be the best version of yourself. Once students are accountable for themselves, that automatically translates over to their peers. I see it all the time; seventh and eighth graders are looking up to the seniors.

EM: What makes a student an MUS student?

SA: A student who can overcome adversity. Not only overcome it but excel despite it. At first it’s hard, but as you go you realize, “Hey, I can really do this. I can get through this.” That creates a sense of pride. I honestly don’t think people really understand what it means to be an MUS student until they go to college and graduate. I didn’t. You just have to experience it. It’s an amazing feeling.

1. Reece Needham '22, editor of The Owl yearbook

2. Food For Dudes Chicken Wing Contest

3. French Club's Tour De Courtyard

4. Will Chandler '22, Volleyball Club president

5. Clayton Nearn '22 and Fred Schaeffer '22 rep the 2nd Amendment Club

6. Kyan Ramsay '23 and Kris Johnson '23 for the Multicultural Student Association

7. Abdullah Elahi '23, Mental Health Club president

Food For Dudes Celebrates the Power of Pleasing the Palate

It doesn’t take long on our campus to realize that boys eat. A lot. The emergence of a club like Food For Dudes is inevitable.

Club President Andrew Jones, a junior, describes it as a “club for the people” where guys can get together and show their love for food by cooking together. He specifically enjoys grilling, and on Fridays in the fall he could be found flipping burgers and dogs with fellow members before varsity football games.

One way Food For Dudes shared their love for food was by welcoming students and parents from Christ Methodist Day School with a warm breakfast one October morning. In conjunction with the Admissions Office, they served up sausage, eggs, pancakes, and hash browns, and as it normally happens around food, conversation bloomed.

“Everyone needs food,” Jones said. “You can use it at a social gathering to break the ice.”

Now the club has close to 90 students registered, according to Jones, and even though they may not all be present and cooking at one time, members can take comfort in knowing that there are plenty of other dudes who share their interest.

1. Mr. Jonathan Large and senior Clayton Nearn

2. Sophomore Aidan Glover, junior Andrew Jones, and senior John Monaghan

3. Junior Ben McBride, junior Will McDaniel, Nearn, Jones, and junior Barrett Summers

4. McBride and Jones

Owls Soar at Model UN

Ten Owls attended the YMCA Model United Nations conference in Murfreesboro Nov. 4-7, along with their sponsor, Mrs. Jenny Pratt. Three juniors served as elected officers this year. Amar Kanakamedala and Parth Mishra were General Assembly liaisons, and Kyan Ramsay was General Assembly vice president. MUS students reflected 2% of all conference delegates but served in 11% of all officer positions! All three juniors were elected to serve again next year with Mishra and Ramsay serving as General Assembly vice presidents and Kanakamedala as General Assembly president.

Seven seniors made up two country delegations at the conference. Dex Jack, West Loden, and Garner Uhlhorn represented Madagascar and wrote an impressive resolution on anti-terrorist penguin training. Will Fraser, Jordan Infeld, Samuel Lim, and Vincent Ores represented France and presented “A Resolution to Mitigate Crimes Against Journalism.”

France delegates Jordan Infeld, Samuel Lim, and Vincent Ores

Madagascar delegates Dex Jack, West Loden, and Garner Uhlhorn

Parth Mishra and Kyan Ramsay

Top, from left, Dex Jack, Samuel Lim, Will Fraser, Mrs. Jenny Pratt, Jordan Infeld, Garner Uhlhorn; bottom, Vincent Ores, Kyan Ramsay, Amar Kanakamedala, Parth Mishra, and West Loden

FESTIVUS FESTIVITIES FESTIVUS FESTIVITIES

The annual Latin Fall Festivus celebration kicked off on campus with Bubones competing for lauds and coveted owl bobbleheads. The MUS-only event consisted of five competitions: Certamen, the Latin quiz bowl competition; Academic Decathlon, a written test covering 10 subjects from common Latin expressions to culture and geography; Classical Meme, an art contest with a contemporary twist to ancient references that would make any classicist chuckle; Mythology Spelling Bee; and the Catapult Contest to determine whose contraption can throw a tennis ball the farthest.

“We’re very pleased that so many students came out on a cold Saturday morning to participate in the 14th annual Latin Fall Festivus,” said Mr. Ryan Sellers, Latin instructor and Classical and Modern Languages Department chair. “This is the first in-person Latin competition that we’ve organized since the beginning of the pandemic, and it’s wonderful to see that COVID has not diminished the enthusiasm that our students have for the language and culture of ancient Rome.”

In addition to Sellers, event organizers included Latin instructors Mr. David Gagliano, Mrs. Marilyn Reinhardt, and Mr. Trey Suddarth, History Instructor Ted Fockler ’10, and Lower School Principal Loyal Murphy ’86

WINNERS:

Certamen

Levels 3-5: Team of Kevin Ma, Vincent Ores, Forest Rudd, Lou Zhou

Level 2: Team of Luke Akers, Wills Frazer, Michael Liu, and Ethan Zaptin

Level 1: Team of Joshua Gramm, Jacob Hindman, Trey McDonald, Fletcher Taylor, Luke Tjiong

Academic Decathlon

Latin 4/5: Forest Rudd

Latin 3: Jerry Xiao

Latin 2: Rushil Komeravelli

Latin 1: Lucas Zhang

Classical Meme: Worrick Uhlhorn

Mythology Spelling Bee: Parker Blackwell

Catapult Contest: Team of Harrison Goetze and Charlie Treadwell

Harrison Goetze and Charlie Treadwell, Catapult Contest winners

Ethan Zaptin, Michael Liu, Wills Frazer, and Luke Akers, Certamen level 2 winners

Forest Rudd, Lou Zhou, Vincent Ores, and Kevin Ma, Certamen level 3-5 winners

Above, the Catapult Contest sees stiff competition. Right, Latin Club members work diligently during the Academic Decathlon.

Science and English Meet in Detective Fiction

Continuing a longstanding tradition, students in Mr. Tim Greer’s Detective Fiction class participated in the annual Gunshot Residue Lab. The purpose of the lab is to demonstrate that gunpowder residue can indicate how far from the target a gun – a prop gun in this case – was fired. The lobby of Hyde Chapel was secured as students set up paper targets down range. Wearing safety glasses and hearing protection, they fired blanks at the targets from various distances and measured how far the gunpowder spread.

Detective Fiction often investigates the intersection of science and literature. Sgt. Tony Barbarotto, crime scene specialist with the Memphis Police Department, visited the Detective Fiction class and Forensics Club, advised by Ms. Rosalyn Croce, to demonstrate capturing “evidence” and fingerprints.

Andrew Harris '22

KJ Milan '22

Talal Siddiq '22

Sgt. Tony Barbarotto

Mr. Tim Greer demonstrates that blank rounds can still be dangerous.

Owls Spread Wings Across Memphis on Day of Service

The return of Parent Back-to-School Day in September also marked the return of a tradition for students who get the day off: the Civic Service Organization’s Day of Service.

Instead of reporting to homeroom at 8:15 a.m., volunteers donned tennis shoes and T-shirts and reported to the Happy Mexican parking lot to get their assignments for the day.

Projects included packing and distributing food with MIFA, Neighborhood Christian Center, and Catholic Charities of West Tennessee and prepping and weeding neighborhood gardens with Carpenter Art Garden and Memphis Tilth.

A new project partnered with Clean Memphis and the Burlington Area Community Association to put a spin on typical trash cleanup. Using Litterati, a free app that uses AI and machine learning, Owls logged all of the single-use trash they picked up in the area. This information was exported to a dashboard visible to Public Works and informed the city not only of problem areas but also the possible source of the problem.

Imagine driving down the road and seeing tons of trash from a specific fast food restaurant. Litterati uses pictures to identify the type of trash (straws, paper bags, cups) and the branding. Public Works can use that information to shape advocacy, policymaking, targeted messaging, and resource allocation in the future.

Through the work of CSO President Matthew Mellone, the vice presidents and executives, Mr. Jonathan Large, Mrs. Michelle Crews, Mr. Eddy Batey, and the volunteers, another successful Day of Service is in the books.

Memphis Tilth crew after a day of working the land

Volunteers deliver meals with MIFA

Packing food boxes at Catholic Charities

Volunteers at Carpenter Art Garden

Packing food with Neighborhood Christian Center

Junior Joseph Keeler collects trash with Clean Memphis.

a very scary

Halloween Halloween

at the U

Seniors James Barton, Coy Stiles, Kyler Herring, junior Andrew Jones, John Nelson, and Hays Hurdle

An unlikely duo of Bob Ross and Avatar Aang meet in the courtyard.

Mr. Garrett Smithson and Mr. Lee Loden

Jigsaw, a giant baby, and the Grinch

Strength and Conditioning Head Coach Chris Wadsworth, left, and sophomore Andrew Tancredi, right. Wait…

It was inevitable. Senior Mark Hieatt

English instructors Elizabeth Crosby, Anna Hedgepeth, Nat Akin, Eric Dalle ’93, Anne McWaters, Chris Colbeck, Tim Greer, Lin Askew, Norman Thompson, and Michelle Crews take you on an odyssey.

Student Life Coordinator Stephond Allmond ’10 (from the future) and seventh-grader Ben Mullins await the results of the costume contest.

Sophomore Gabe Chen is geared up for Mr. Jonathan Large’s AP U.S. History class.

ScienceEnvironmental Water Lab

Mrs. Shauna Miller's Environmental Science students learned that microscopicorganismsinwatercan indicateecologicalcondition.

RoboBuzzards

Twenty-three young engineers in Grades 7-9 competed November 10 in a challenge to transport blocks, cones, and balls across a course. Mr. Garrett Smitson and Mr. Nick Blackwell are the club's co-advisors.

Heart Dissection

Mr. Nick Blackwell's Life Science classes have done a variety of dissections, including pig hearts.

Projectile Lab

Science Department Chair Lee Loden challenged his physics students to predict where projectiles would land in a bucket using formulas.

Egg Drop

Mr. Garrett Smithson's physical science students took a new approach to the traditional egg drop, building cars to carry eggs down a steep ramp.

Halloween Chemistry Demo

Mrs. Analice Sowell and Ms. Rosalyn Croce performed their annual Halloween chemistry demonstration, including colorful fire, fake blood, and elephant toothpaste. It's not magic; it's chemistry!

Directed by: Mr. Flip Eikner ’77

Assistant Director: Ms. Kim Justis

Technical Direction by: Mr. Robert Fudge

Musical Direction by: Mr. Matt Tutor ’91

Costumes by: Ms. Alexandria Perel-Sams

Choreography by: Mr. Daniel Stuart Nelson

Dance Captain: Callie Wittmann

Set Design by: Mr. Robert Fudge and the MUS Theater Production Classes

Production Support by: Mr. Ted Fockler ’10 and Mr. Brooks Eikner ’17

Beadle serenades Mrs. Lovett.

Anthony shirks the beggar woman.

Jonas and Beadle recount the tale of Sweeney Todd.

Cast

Anthony Hope – Joseph Weller '24

Sweeney Todd – Reece Needham '22

Beggar Woman – Stella Blen

Mrs. Lovett – Nora James Eikner

Judge Turpin – West Loden '22

Beadle Bamford – Kris Johnson '23

Johanna – Madeline Bray

Tobias Ragg – Sara Kate Burnett

Pirelli – Juliette Forgette

Jonas Fogg – Johnathan Ray '22

Policeman – Mark Hieatt '22

The Company

Cristian Arocho '23

Emery Brown

Kendyl Brown

Will Chandler '22

Lacy Ferrell

Elle Fowler

CQ Gintz

Lily Kate Heard

Will Hess '24

Claire Klemis

Sara Ottinger

Kyan Ramsay '23

Grayson Skipper '24

Camille Smith

Darla Suitt

Alex Wallace

Callie Wittmann

Orchestra

Piano/Organ – Ms. Sandy Murphree

Percussion – Ms. Kim Trammell

Flute – Ms. Jeanne Simmons

Violin – Ms. Ella Golden

Viola – Mr. Aaron Tubergen

Cello – Mr. Joseph Miller

Violin – Gabe Chen '24

Clarinet – Jeffrey Liu '23

Oboe – Joel Lim '24

Stage Crew

Afternoon Shop Class

Mr. Trip Corder, Shop Supervision

Charlie Bragg '25

Noah Brooks '25

Polly Carpenter

Alan Cheng '25

Braden Chubb '23

Paige Fernández

Harrison Goetze '24

Hayes Graham '24

Nuha Hasan

Aidan Hill '27

Kris Johnson '23

Joseph Keeler '23

Wallace Keeler '26

Rushil Komeravelli '25

Scott Ledbetter '22

Eli Lewis '23

Joel Lim '24

Henry Lindeman '24

Declan Lonergan '25

Palmer Lowery '25

Run Crew

Sound

Adriana McDonald

Henry Mills '25

Reece Needham '22

Isaac Palmer '23

Caleb Register '26

Bo Richards '25

Alejandro Salas '24

Paxton Silver '25

Luke Snider '22

Ari Thiyagarajaa '26

Rishi Yalamanchili '25

Zeon Wang '25

Carter Wildrick '26

CJ Williams '25

Lou Zhou '23

Theater

Production Class

Wills Frazer '25

Scott Ledbetter '22

Isaac Palmer '23

Paxton Silver '25

Luke Snider '22

Audio Engineer – Rishi Yalamanchili '25

Effects – Mr. Robert Fudge

Lights

Design – Paige Fernández

Programmer – Hayes Graham '24

Followspot – Declan Lonergan '25

Alan Cheng '25

Makeup & Costume Technician –

Ms. Polly Carpenter

Stage Management

Tech Booth – Paige Fernández

Backstage – Henry Lindeman '24

Actors – Reece Needham '22

Backstage Crew

Harrison Goetze '24

Nuha Hasan

Joseph Keeler '23

Lou Zhou '23

Parent Coordinator – Ms. Amy Chandler

Photography – Mr. Brandon Dill

Judge Turpin prepares for a close shave.

Pirelli peddles his miracle elixir.

Sweeney Todd rises!

The Demon Barber plots his revenge.

Homecoming Posters

Instructor in Art Laura Beck challenged students to come up with creative and unique posters for Homecoming. Freshman Wills Frazer won the Upper School division and eighth grader Derrion Harris-Larkin won in Lower School.

1. Wills Frazer '25 2. Mrs. Laura Beck 3. Hays Hurdle '22 4. Vincent Ores '22 5. Wesley Street '23 6. Derrion Harris-Larkin '26 7. Mohammad Husein '22

Henry Earns Art Honorable Mention

Seventh grader Luke Henry earned an honorable mention for his self-portrait in the Briarcrest Regional Art Contest. As part of Mrs. Laura Beck’s portrait assignment, seventh-grade Owls learned to use grids to enlarge their school portraits and explore facial proportions. After studying value scales, the boys used colored pencils, applied in layers, to bring out the facial features and give them form.

The Briarcrest art contest and exhibition, an event created to promote student artwork, visual learning, and arts education, typically hosts over 300 submissions from nearly 50 schools.

Becket Liles

Carson Alexander

Braylon Jones

Gray Stakem

Luke Henry

Hudson Mattern

Musical Craft

Arts Department Chair Grant Burke challenges his 3D Design students to build their very own ukuleles from scratch, from cutting and sanding the bodies to tuning the strings.

BRIGHT LIGHTS

bounce light and create illuminating shots.

Juniors and seniors in Mr. Grant Burke’s Photography class used reflectors to

Senior Clayton Nearn, junior Edward Wilson, and senior Jake Yarbrough photograph senior William Shell using the reflector.

Senior Webb Daniel

Senior Nash Kaye

Junior Charlie Gallop

Pawsitive Portraits

Seventh-grade artists in Mrs. Laura Beck’s class teamed up with the Memphis Humane Society to spotlight pets that get picked over, returned, and have lost hope of finding a forever home. The watercolor portraits were displayed on campus with information on how to adopt the pets, and the artwork will be donated to the new owners. Pets ready for adoption can be seen at memphishumane.org.

Musicians Named to National Honor Ensembles

Two students from the Class of 2024 have been selected for National Association for Music Education All-National Honor Ensembles (ANHE). Dannie Dong has been chosen for the Concert Band, timpani; and Evan Wu for the String Orchestra, viola.

“Being selected to the All-National Ensembles is a great honor,” said Instructor in Music Chris Piecuch. “In a normal year, these students would be invited to perform in Carnegie Hall. Congratulations to these young men and to all the students who auditioned.”

Dong and Wu have been invited to participate in a virtual program January 22-24, 2022, that will include several rehearsals with 2021 ANHE conductors and workshops with renown clinicians. Each ensemble will create a final, recorded performance that will premiere on the Music in Our Schools Month website (nafme.org/programs/miosm).

Dannie Dong

Evan Wu

Jaibriel Bowers

Ike Emmert

Luke Henry

GRIDIRON OWLS EXHIBIT ‘CHAMPIONSHIP QUALITY’ SPIRIT

Excited to return to a more normal season, the varsity football team worked hard this summer preparing for a challenging schedule and looked forward to playing in front of friends, family, and fans again. With several key starters returning from last year’s state championship run, Coach Bobby Alston and his staff were excited about this season. They hoped the difficult schedule would prepare the Owls for another playoff run. Compiling some outstanding wins and a few tough losses, the Owls fought to the opening round of the playoffs where they fell to Father Ryan.

The season started on a warm evening in late August as classmates renewed the traditional fan tunnel and packed the stands during a 39-10 win over Arlington. Unfortunately, the

corrected the next week as rival Christian Brothers came to Hull-Dobbs Field. Looking to avenge last-year’s loss, the Owls jumped on the Purple Wave early and never let up, winning, 31-9, to improve to 5-3, 2-2.

After a solid win the next week against PURE Academy, 45-22, the Owls would drop their final regular-season game to Brentwood Academy, 30-28, to earn the No. 4 seed out of the West Division. They would face Father Ryan at home the next week in the playoffs.

Despite being prepared and feeling confident, the Owls fell to the Irish, 14-0, to conclude the year at 6-5, 2-3.

Coach Alston is taking many positives from this season.

“I was very impressed all year with the character of our

Hunter Barnes, left, and George Hamsley, right

Several new records were set this season. Senior receiver Mac Owen’s 1,210 receiving yards exceeded the mark formerly set by Maurice Hampton ’19 in 2018 (1,174). Owen’s four touchdown catches against Ridgeway set a record for most touchdown catches in a game. Owen, along with fellow seniors James Allen, Hunter Barnes, Chris Bird, Daniel Boatright, Evans Culpepper, McRae Dickinson, George Hamsley, Kyler

Herring, Will Jenks, Clayton Nearn, Daniel Peoples, Hamza Ranjha, Colby Ring, Jack Ryan, William Shell, Clarkson Shoaf, Porter Webber, Henry Weeks, Hayes Wilkinson, and Christopher Yarbro all made significant contributions to the team and will be missed.

Varsity/JV Football

Coaches: Varsity Staff

JV Record: 3-1-1

Roster: Seniors James Allen, Hunter Barnes, Chris Bird, Evans Culpepper, McRae Dickinson, George Hamsley, Kyler

Herring, Will Jenks, Clayton Nearn, Mac Owen, Daniel Peoples, Hamza Ranjha, Colby Ring, Jack Ryan, William Shell, Clarkson Shoaf, Porter Webber, Henry Weeks, Hayes Wilkinson, and Christopher Yarbro; juniors Stryker Aitken, Adrish Biswas, Jack Blackwell, Jordan Bond, Lewis Butler, Carter Campbell, Braden Chubb, Jacob Cole, Jack Fortas, Nicholas Galler, Jacob Harrington, Harrison Hayden, John Lee, Wilson LeMay, Griffin Marshall, Nickolas Mathews, Ben McBride, Will McDaniel, Jackson Moore, Max Painter, Dylan Robinson, Malcolm Shaw, Liam Shepherd, DeWitt Shy, Wyatt Solberg, William Tayloe, Morgan Temme, Rhodes Temme, William Watkins, Heiskell Weatherford, Demar Wells, Edward Wilson, and Benjamin Zague; sophomores Griffin Allen, Mac Barcroft, Steve Blen, Wilson Bridgforth, Noland Brown, Knox Brown, Trey Charleston, Donovan Claggett, Casey Cooper, Luke Early, Jack Fowler, Aidan Glover, Walker Griesbeck, Palmer Harris, Gavin Helton, George Henley, Jack Jarratt, Barton Johnson, Martin Kerlan, Clayton Kuhlo, Michael McDonnell, Catcher

Miller, Sims Miller, Alex Nail, Brandon Nicholson, Parks Painter, Tyler Perry, Grayson Pollan, Cooper Shannon, Makhi Shaw, Hudson Shoaf, Will Skinner, Dion Stutts, Andrew Tancredi, Jack Taylor, Van Thompson, Jeremiah Tisdell, Sam Wilson, and Ben Wunderlich; freshmen Joakim Dodson, Jackson Ford, Yasir Muhammad, Javier Rawls, and Michael Ray

Managers: Senior Daniel Boatright; juniors Reid Chauhan, Andrew Jones, and Jack Knighton; sophomores Will Hess and Will Klepper

Tyler Perry runs past the Ridgeway defense.

Will Jenks scores against PURE.

Hunter Barnes catches a screen pass.

9th Grade Football

Coaches: Varsity Staff

Record: 4-2-0

Roster: Bryan Billups, Noah Brooks, Parker Brown, Patrick Burke, Thomas Byrnes, William Craft, Thomas Davis, Tucker Davis, Turner Davis, Joakim Dodson, Caleb Ellis, Jackson Ford, Charlie Gerhart, Wilkes Gowen, Foster Houseal, Palmer Howie, Brady Hughes, TJ Mayes, Jacob McCabe, Leo Meske, Levi Miller, Yasir Muhammad, Stephen Nash, Owen Parker, Michael Ray, John Redd, William Renovich, Bo Richards, Paxton Silver, Kyle Sneed, George Steffens, Hall Thompson, Owens Unglesby, Jacob Wade, CJ Williams, Michael Yarbro, Ethan Zaptin

8th Grade Football

Coaches: Head Coach Bobby Wade '84, assistant coaches Trevor Benitone '91, Henry Dickinson '11, Jack Heathcott '17, Larry Heathcott, Malik Smith '14, Ben Stallworth '07

Record: 8-1-0, East Shelby Middle School Champions

Roster: Remon Brown, Miller Caldwell, Charles Doughtie, Brady Ehrhart, Will Fortas, Sam Galler, Gavin Gatere, Maddox Giel, Dylan Graham, Miller Griesbeck, Jacob Hill, Jacob Hindman, Jackson Hood, Oliver Leavitt, Watts Liebenow, Patrick McKay, Reid McKnett, Henry Moak, Gray Nevels, John Cal Ozier, Boyd Rhodes, Thompson Saenger, Whit Sansom, Carter Sayle, Scotty Stafford, Henry Turner, Devin Wells, George Willmott

7th Grade Football

Coaches: Head Coach Derek Clenin '03, assistant coaches Jay Edwards '07, Drew Karban '10, Trey Moore '14, Will Thompson '95

Record: 6-3-0, East Shelby Middle School Champions

Roster: Cross Alpe, Walker Atkinson, Jaibriel Bowers, Bennett Brooksbank, Henry Cannon, Barrett Clift, Liam Curran, Woodson Dunavant, Hamilton Eggers, Adams Feild, Foster Flaherty, Ian

Friday, Noah Glenn, Andrew Lester, Dhilan Madasu, Wyatt Martin, Will McBride, John Painter, Matthew Ray, Luke Russell, Alex Sansom, Brayden Santibanez, Cannon Sherman, Tanner Sherman, Walter Sherman, Logan Smith, Sam Speed, Austin Spence, Kreider Tayloe, Dylan Taylor, William Warmath, James Watkins, Joshua West, Glenn Williams

Jackson Hood '26 runs the ball in for a touchdown against Houston.

FOOTBALL HOMECOMING 2021

Pep Rally Snapshots

The Homecoming Court and senior escorts took the field during halftime of the Owls’ 41-7 win over

Hays Hurdle, Caroline Erb, Nelson Saenz, Brigi Mills, Coy Stiles, Lily Cox, Brooks Croone, Turley, John Nelson, Lily Williams, John Monaghan, and Emmy Yambrek

Headmaster Pete Sanders leads the 15 Snappy Rahs.

Hays Hurdle, Nelson Saenz, John Monaghan, Brooks Croone, John Nelson, and Coy Stiles

Photos by Jerry Gallik

It's not a pep rally without the tackle.

This is U!

Cross Country Displays Dedication and Great Team Atmosphere

The cross country season never really concludes, at least not at MUS, as runners work almost year-round to get in shape and prepare to peak at the right time. The right time, as usual, is the Division II-AA State Meet, and this year that meet was held at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville, where the Owls ran well, finishing 12th as a team.

Head Coach Joe Tyler had a group of hard-working runners, and he, along with Assistant Coach Matt Bakke, enjoyed working with them this year. Seniors Caleb Skinner and Witt Smith; juniors Charles Hamlett, Andrew Schell, and Charlie West; sophomores Will Gramm, Sai Madasu, Bennett Owen, and Jerry Xiao; and freshmen Evan Gilliland, Palmer Hinote, Elston Liles, Stanton Miller, Baker Schell, Luke Walters, and Zeon Wang all improved as the year went along.

The Owls gained experience in two out-of-town meets, the Coleman Midgett Invitational at the state course in Hendersonville and the Chickasaw Trails Invitational in Oakville,

Alabama. They also ran in meets held at Shelby Farms during the regular season, including three league meets, the Frank Horton Invitational (held under the lights), and the County Championships. The team ran hard at all these meets, even winning two of the league competitions.

At the region meet, also at Shelby Farms, the team put out a fine effort, claiming second overall as the Owls had eight runners finish in the top 22. Then the squad advanced to state and placed 12th out of 16 teams. Skinner was the team’s top finisher, running 17:02.28 and finishing 31st overall.

Tyler appreciated these athletes and enjoyed working with them.

“Our goal this year was to re-establish identity within the cross-country program,” Tyler said. “The members of the team created a great atmosphere and displayed dedication and commitment to one another. A nice foundation has been set for next season. Coach Bakke and I could not be more pleased.”

Photos by Jerry Gallik

Lower School Cross Country

Coaches: Antony Eddy, Dave Ferebee

Record: Second at Regional Meet, Shelby League Champions, 12th at State Meet

Roster: Eighth graders Harry Alexander, Albert Ding, Thomas Donahoe, Kellett Giles, Joshua Gramm, Bennett Jones, Dallas Keras, Michael Langston, Trey McDonald, Porter Spiceland, McEwen Taylor, Carter Wildrick, Davis Younker, Andrew Zhou; seventh graders Carson Alexander, Will Brezina, Webb Canale, Luke Henry, Max Levy, Coleman Russell, Jack Shanker, Edwin Wallis

Russ Billings Award

Seniors Witt Smith, left, and Caleb Skinner, right, are the recipients of the Russ Billings Award, presented by Cross Country Head Coach Joe Tyler. This award is given to the runners who demonstrate the qualities of Russ Billings ’80 – an exceptional team attitude, work ethic, and perseverance.

The Lower School Cross Country team stands proud after their Shelby League Championship.

Dallas Keras, Porter Spiceland, and McEwen Taylor

Young Varsity Golf Team Improves in State Championship

With last season’s team of four eighth-graders, two freshmen, and four sophomores, Head Golf Coach Cliff Frisby knew that patience would be essential with this year’s group, made up of many of the same members. The golfers had immense talent and outstanding potential, but they would also need to continue to gain experience and seasoning to perform at the championship level. Frisby was hoping for improvement and progress this season, and he was pleased with the results –the team had a strong year, ultimately finishing tied for fourth at the state tournament, bettering last-year’s sixthplace finish.

The roster once again featured all underclassmen: juniors James

Alexander, Clarence Chapman, Eliot Morris, and Brown Nickey; sophomores

Austin Bibb, Gates Luton, Wyatt

McAllister, and RJ Neal; and freshmen

Milling Chapman and Cooper Solberg.

With a more traditional schedule this year that included travel, the team started in Chattanooga at the Preview Tournament where the Owls finished fourth out of 12 strong teams. The squad would go on to win eight of its 10 dual matches, defeating Briarcrest, Christian Brothers, Evangelical Christian School, St. Benedict, St. George’s, and White Station. The Owls also played well in the other two tournaments, tying for first in the FCA Tournament and getting second at

the Ronnie Wenzler Memorial at Windyke East. The team had great confidence going into the postseason.

At the region tournament, held at Windyke West, the Owls just missed out on winning a region title, ultimately falling to Christian Brothers by four strokes but earning themselves a statetournament berth.

Then at the state tournament at the Sevierville Golf Club, the youthful team – Alexander, Chapman, Bibb, Neal, and Solberg – found itself in fourth place after the first day, led by Neal’s 72 (E). On day two, the team held steady and finished tied for fourth with Montgomery Bell Academy. The highlight of the day was Solberg, who shot the best round of the day by four shots, shooting 65 (-7) to claim sixth overall, an outstanding performance. Ultimately, the experience was very beneficial for this young squad.

As he looked back on the year, Coach Frisby enjoyed watching this group continue to grow, and he looks forward to next year.

“The 2021 Owls didn’t disappoint at this year’s state championship,” he said. “After posting a 625 total in the 2020 State Championship in Manchester, we rebounded with a 31-stroke improvement total of 594 at the challenging links-style course in Sevierville. The tournament returns there next year, and these Owls will be up to the challenge next season! Thank you to the entire varsity golf team for a great season.”

Photos by Jerry Gallik

James Alexander

Eliot Morris

Clarence Chapman

JV Golf

Coach: Jason Peters ’88

Record: 3-0-1, fifth at Dragon

Invitational Tournament at Glen Eagle

Roster: Juniors Patton Clyde and Taylor Patteson; sophomore Colson Bragorgos; and freshmen Wils Moore and Jackson Peters

LS Golf

Coach: Jason Peters ’88

Record: 6-0, Shelby League Junior and Senior Division Champions

Roster: Eighth graders James Graham, Warren Milnor, John Norfleet, Alex Wunderlich, and George Luton; seventh graders Foster Fogelman, Drew Knighton, Brantley Moore, Elliott Poore, and Charles Snider

Treadwell-Condon Award

Freshman Cooper Solberg is the recipient of the 2021 Treadwell-Condon Award, presented by Golf Head Coach Cliff Frisby. Solberg shot 65 (-7) on the second day of the State Championship to finish sixth overall and clinch a fourth-place finish for MUS.

Shelby League Senior Division Champions at Irene Country Club

Shelby League Junior Division Champions at Irene Country Club

Coach Peters and John Norfleet '26, first in Shelby League junior division

Brantley Moore '27, first in Shelby League senior division

Lower School Tennis Clinches State Championship

The Lower School tennis team captured the first USTA Tennessee Middle School State Championship title to cap off an amazing 11-0 record.

The season included wins over Evangelical Christian School, Lausanne, and St. George’s leading up to the Shelby League tournament at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center in September. Notable tournament performances were eighthgrader Lucas Zhang winning the singles championship and the team of eighth-grader Reid LeMay and seventh-grader Bo Schroerlucke securing runner-up status in the doubles championship.

Then, at the state championship in Murfreesboro, 12 guys were split into Red and Blue teams. The Blue team consisted of eighth graders LeMay, Ashwin Subramaniam, and Zhang; and seventh graders Foster Fogelman, Joel Hobson, and Schroerlucke. The Red team consisted of eighth graders Frank Crump, Albert Ding, Andrew Park, and Dudley Speake; and seventh graders Becket Liles and Benjamin Nichol

MUS was the only school to have two teams make it to the gold division with the Blue team finishing first and the Red team finishing fifth. The Blue team took the state tournament without losing a match and winning 83% of its games played.

“I was so proud of all the guys for how they competed at the highest level,” said Head Coach Jay Horne. “The future of MUS tennis looks very good!”

Horne also thanked coaches Drew Kohler and Phil Chamberlain for their contributions. The entire Lower School tennis team consisted of eighth graders Ehi Ataga, Crump, Reese Deupree, Ding, LeMay, Kevin McCullers, Park, Addy Ramakrishnan, Jack Rutter, Speake, Porter Spiceland, Will Stinson, Subramaniam, Trey Urcavich, and Zhang; and seventh graders Walker Atkinson, Colin Carter, Fogelman, Chase Frazer, Hobson, John Parker Jefferies, Soren Johnson, Drew Knighton, Liles, Nichol, Schroerlucke, Walker Shirley, Gray Stakem, William Warmath, and McCoy Wilson

TMSAA Middle School Champions in Murfreesboro

2021-22 Parents’ Association Board of Directors

Chairs

Vicki and Kurt Nelson

Secretaries

Suzanne and Barrett Sexton

Treasurers

Ashley and Casey West

Admissions Coordinators

Mia and Paul Henley

Blazer Consignment Coordinators

Carrie and Mark Temme

Communication/Parent Education

Elizabeth Manoah and Charles Lado

Fundraising Coordinators

Gwen and Jordan Coffey

Grandparent Coordinators

Sarah and Trey Watkins ’91

Hospitality Coordinators

Kara and Tom Preston ’74

Hospitality, Lower School

JJ and Jay Keras

Hospitality, Upper School

McLean and Oliver Doughtie ’92

Membership Coordinators

Kathryn and Max Painter ’88

New Family Mentor

Jennifer Ransom

Phonathon Coordinators

Lil and Lee Rudd

Spirit Coordinators

Kelly and Barry Bridgforth, Katie and Jeremy Alpert ’91

Grade 12 Representatives

Sarah and Jeff Jenks

Grade 11 Representatives

Kimberly and William Tayloe ’92

Grade 10 Representatives

Brooks and Jim Klepper

Grade 9 Representatives

Mary and Ryan Schell

Grade 8 Representatives

Jenny and Mason Ezzell

Grade 7 Representatives

Carey and Brad Snider

We, the students and faculty at Memphis University School, hereby pledge our full support to the Honor System. I pledge to be honest myself, and in order that the spirit and integrity of the Honor System may endure, I pledge that I will make known to the Honor Council any case of dishonesty which I may observe at MUS.

On the Cover

Food

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