Inside MUS | Vol. 26, No. 1

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Henry Lindeman '24 and Mia Murphy dance as Sam and Donna in the fall production of Mamma Mia!

ARTS

26 Mamma Mia! Rocks Hyde Chapel

28 Focusing on Photography

29 Owls Win BRACE Awards

SPORTS

30 Football Owls Make Run to Quarterfinals

34 Golf Places First in Region

36 Lower School Tennis Wins State Championship

INSIGHT

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.

37 Lower School Academic Support Coordinator Margaret Rodriguez on Making Good Choices

Dean's Scholars

Students who have earned 90 or above in every regular honors course and 80 or above in every honors accelerated and AP course are designated Dean's Scholars.

Grade 12

Jack Blackwell

Lewis Butler

Nathan Chambers

Braden Chubb

Abdullah Elahi

Nathaniel Greenfield

Charles Hamlett

Frederick Huang

Andrew Jones

Varun

Krishnamurthi

Jeffrey Liu

Kevin Ma

Max Mascolino

Nickolas Mathews

Parth Mishra

Spencer Norris

Thomas Preston

Ismael Qureshi

Byars Tayloe

Rhodes Temme

Heiskell

Weatherford

Charlie West

Andrew Xu

Henry Yu

Lou Zhou

Grade 11

Zain Al-Shallah

Mac Barcroft

Kai Barnes

Parker Blackwell

Samuel Callan

Gabe Chen

Tyler Dang

Bryan Ding

Henry Duncan

Harrison Goetze

Will Gramm

Jack Haddad

Will Hess

Ross Kaye

Joel Lim

Gates Luton

Zander Mathes

John McAllister

Ihsan Omer

DEAN'S HONOR ROLLS

Second Semester 2022-23 School Year

Bennett Owen

Parth Patel

Eshaan Patnaik

Hays Prather

Jackson Ransom

Everett Sego

Neil Seth

Owen Sharp

Jeremiah Tisdell

Charlie Treadwell

Worrick Uhlhorn

Marley White

Evan Wu

Jerry Xiao

Seth Yarbrough

Alan Zhou

Grade 10

Hall Akin

Patrick Burke

Joephen Chen

Alan Cheng

Hyde Crabtree

Tucker Davis

Houston Donato

Hunter Fair

Bennett Frazer

Wills Frazer

Ethan Friday

Wilkes Gowen

Cort Jones

Chrishton King

Rushil Komeravelli

Mac Ladd

Oscar Liu

Michael Liu

Leo Meske

Levi Miller

Kushal Patel

Davis Rudd

Baker Schell

Paxton Silver

Kip Stalls

Whitt Stockburger

Luke Walters

Ethan Zaptin

Grade 9

Landry Cooper

Reese Deupree

Albert Ding

Brady Ehrhart

Will Fortas

Maddox Giel

Joshua Gramm

Miller Griesbeck

Jackson Hood

Advay Iyer

Nicholas Lee

Reid LeMay

Rohan Manne Miles McCarroll

Tucker Melcher

Wilson Pace

Glover Patton

Henry Phan

Daxton Saunders

Hunter Smith

Porter Spiceland

Aidan Stacey

Will Stinson

Ashwin

Subramaniam

Cannon Thakkar

Henry Thompson

Luke Tjiong

Carter Wildrick

George Willmott

Ethan Zhao

Grade 8

Carson Alexander

Liam Curran

Adams Feild

Chase Frazer

Abdullah Khawaja

Benjamin Nichol

Sebastian Oh

Grade 7

Palmer Albertine

Andrew Anand

Benji Berry

Isaac Cowens

Saber Dul Dul

Ethan Ferdinand

William Frazee

Mack Gober

Nat Harris

Peo Hughes

Raahim Kashmiri

Russell Lindeman

Robb McDonald

Mustafa Mirza

Will Perkins

Mustafa Rehan

Benjamin Sims

Bruce Stockburger

Gus Williams

Joseph Zhao

Dean’s List

Students who have earned a weighted semester GPA of at least 3.25 with no semester grade below 80 are placed on the Dean's List.

Grade 12

Van Abbay

Aryaan Ahmed

James Alexander

Jordan Bond

Wesley Caldwell

Clarence Chapman

Drew Clift

Jacob Cole

Wilson Ezzell

Shawn Felsenthal

Roberto Ferrer

Guimaraes

George Flinn

Jack Fortas

Charlie Gallop

Charlie Gamble

Harrison Hayden

Rowland Hayden

Johnny Heinz

John Lee

Wilson LeMay

Eli Lewis

Ben McBride

Ian McGehee

Eliot Morris

Brown Nickey

Max Painter

Taylor Patteson

Clyde Patton

Sam Phan

Doty Rawson

Andrew Schell

Malcolm Shaw

Liam Shepherd

DeWitt Shy

David Simpson

Hill Smith

Barrett Summers

Morgan Temme

James Van Der Jagt

William Watkins

Demar Wells

Tanner Williams

Edward Wilson

Nolan Yaren

Benjamin Zague

Grade 11

Parks Applegate

Steve Blen

Pritchard

Brooksbank

Knox Brown

Griffin Brown

Ron Byrnes

Casey Cooper

Lee Couloubaritsis

Dannie Dong

Oliver Doughtie

Luke Early

William Eubank

Jack Fowler

Jorge Garcia

Hayes Graham

Nathaniel Griffin

Palmer Harris

Gavin Helton

Jack Jarratt

Martin Kerlan

Jordan Kirshbaum

Will Klepper

Andrew Kuhlo

Clayton Kuhlo

Caleb Latkovic

Henry Lindeman

Tucker Lowery

Sai Madasu

William Mallory

Wyatt McAllister

Logan McCandless

Michael McDonnell

Catcher Miller

Sims Miller

Trevor Moore

Mason Morris

Brandon Nicholson

Grayson Pollan

Hank Sayle

Cooper Shannon

Makhi Shaw

Will Skinner

Andrew Tancredi

Wilson Thakkar

Tol Thomas

Joseph Weller

Henry White

Sam Wilson

Ben Wunderlich

Grade 10

Andrew Bruce

Louis Brundick

Thomas Byrnes

Amrik Chakravarty

Thomas Davis

Ammar Duldul

Tyler Edmundson

Charlie Engelberg

Connor Ford

Abe Friedman

Diego

Guerrero Viloria

Andersen Henry

Brady Hughes

Jeremiah Johnson

Coleman Kimmel

Sudeep

Kundavajjala

Aidan Lightman

Jacob McCabe

Henry Mills

Wils Moore

Sujay Mukatira

Stephen Nash

Andrew Ogbeide

Tony Jon Parks

Joey Paul

Noah Porter

William Renovich

Samuel Schroerlucke

Aidan Smith

Cooper Solberg

Gabe Ungab

Samuel West

Dennis White

Alex Yong

Grade 9

Harry Alexander

Caleb Brapoh

Bill Chiang

Charles Doughtie

Bo Echols

Witt Ezzell

Charlie Harris

Jacob Hindman

Dawson Hopping

Bennett Jones

Muneeb Kazmi

Dallas Keras

Davis Lane

George Luton

Kevin McCullers

Trey McDonald

Patrick McKay

John Norfleet

Preston Norris

William Nunn

Aadil Omer

Carlos Orbegoso

Feild Owen

Max Park

Jacob Ray

Caleb Register

Boyd Rhodes

Whit Sansom

Jack Simpson

Joe Sweeney

Will Tayloe

McEwen Taylor

Ari Thiyagarajaa

Henry Turner

Trey Urcavich

Sohum Valaulikar

Leon Vuong

Devin Wells

Henry West

Joshua Wittber

Alex Wunderlich

Lucas Zhang

Grade 8

Will Brezina

Joshua Dong Woodson

Dunavant

Hamilton Eggers

Ike Emmert

Foster Fogelman

Allen Halliday

Arqish Heerani

Luke Henry

Jacob Hill

Joel Hobson

Drew Knighton

Becket Liles

Wyatt Martin

Brantley Moore

John Painter

Clay Patterson

Coleman Russell

Jack Shanker

Cannon Sherman

Walker Shirley

Henry Sproles

Gray Stakem

Doug Suddarth

William Warmath

Glenn Williams

Grade 7

Yigael Diaz

Paul Duffee

Beau Green

James Hanlon

Thomas Higginbotham

Earl Houston

Caleb Loudenbeck

Ari Madasu

Jack Mavar

Ellis McKinnon

Andrew Phillips

Price Renovich

Omar Saeed

Charlie Savage

Knox Sims

Leo Smythe

Ross Sorin

Drew Tayloe

Garrett Thompson

Will Walk

Kenny Wertheimer

Cobb Whipple

Kemmons Wilson

Because of omissions in the previous list, this is a corrected version of the 2022-23 Second Semester Honor Roll.

90 OWLS NAMED AP SCHOLARS

Students at MUS have been among the nation’s top Advanced Placement performers since the school began participating in 1963, and this year was no different. In May the school administered 419 AP exams to 207 students, and 89% of tests taken by MUS students resulted in a score of 3 or higher. Students earned a 4 or 5 on 67% of the tests.

A committee of readers representing colleges and

AP Scholar with Distinction

Forty-eight students earned this top honor, which is granted to students who receive 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.

Cristian Arocho ’23

Aaron Barawid ’23

Jack Blackwell ’23

Abdullah Elahi ’23

Charlie Gamble ’23

Charles Hamlett ’23

Frederick Huang ’23

Amar Kanakamedala ’23

Joseph Keeler ’23

Varun Krishnamurthi ’23

Eli Lewis ’23

Jeffrey Liu ’23

Kevin Ma ’23

Max Mascolino ’23

Ben McBride ’23

Parth Mishra ’23

Brown Nickey ’23

Thomas Preston ’23

Ismael Qureshi ’23

Mohid Saeed ’23

Alyaan Salman ’23

Michael Schell ’23

Charlie West ’23

Edward Wilson ’23

Henry Yu ’23

Jack Zaptin ’23

Lou Zhou ’23

Parker Blackwell ’24

Samuel Callan ’24

Gabe Chen ’24

Tyler Dang ’24

Bryan Ding ’24

Dannie Dong ’24

Henry Duncan ’24

Harrison Goetze ’24

Will Gramm ’24

Will Hess ’24

Joel Lim ’24

Ihsan Omer ’24

Parth Patel ’24

Eshaan Patnaik ’24

Everett Sego ’24

Charlie Treadwell ’24

Worrick Uhlhorn ’24

Evan Wu ’24

Jerry Xiao ’24

Seth Yarbrough ’24

Alan Zhou ’24

secondary schools graded the exams, and 90 Owls received recognition.

Since its inception in 1955, the Advanced Placement 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.

AP Scholar with Honor

Thirteen students received this designation, which is granted to students who receive 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.

Lewis Butler ’23

Thomas Cates ’23

Braden Chubb ’23

Ian McGehee ’23

Nicholas Tam ’23

Rhodes Temme ’23

Harry Feild ’24

Tucker Lowery ’24

Zander Mathes ’24

Hays Prather ’24

Jackson Ransom ’24

Alan Cheng ’25

Oscar Liu ’25

AP Scholar

Twenty-nine students received this designation, which is granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Aryaan Ahmed ’23

Clarence Chapman ’23

Jacob Cole ’23

George Flinn ’23

Nathaniel Greenfield ’23

Johnny Heinz ’23

Hamza Janjua ’23

Wilson LeMay ’23

Nickolas Mathews ’23

Isaac Palmer ’23

Kyan Ramsay ’23

Demar Wells ’23

Andrew Xu ’23

Lee Couloubaritsis ’24

Andrew Kuhlo ’24

Caleb Latkovic ’24

Gates Luton ’24

John McAllister ’24

Wyatt McAllister ’24

Bennett Owen ’24

Cooper Shannon ’24

Jeremiah Tisdell ’24

Joseph Weller ’24

Marley White ’24

Fenton Wright ’24

Joephen Chen ’25

Michael Liu ’25

Kushal Patel ’25

Joel Paul ’25

9 National Merit Semifinalist Owls

Nine seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists, indicating their PSAT scores rank in the top 1% nationwide.

Parker Blackwell, Samuel Callan, Gabe Chen, Tyler Dang, Bryan Ding, Will Gramm, Parth Patel, Evan Wu, and Alan Zhou are among 16,000 students to receive the honor. Semifinalists will compete for one of 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered next spring.

College Board Honors 3 Owls

J15 Students Commended Scholars

The following 15 seniors have received recognition as National Merit Commended Scholars indicating their PSAT scores rank among the top 3-4% in the United States: Dannie Dong, Henry Duncan, Harry Feild, Harrison Goetze, Hayes Graham, Nathaniel Griffin, Will Hess, Andrew Kuhlo, Tucker Lowery, Zander Mathes, Eshaan Patnaik, Everett Sego, Neil Seth, Charlie Treadwell, and Jerry Xiao.

Patel Receives Math Award

eremiah Tisdell ’24, Ammar Duldul ’25, and Tyler Edmundson ’25 received National African American Recognition Awards as a part of the College Board National Recognition Program.

The program honors academically exceptional African American students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and scored in the top 10 percent of the state on the PSAT or earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP exams.

Parth Patel ’24 received Honorable Mention in the Steven H. Strogatz Prize for Math Communication competition, a worldwide contest for high school students. His 10-page project is a study of differential equations inspired by homework Mrs. Nancy Gates assigned in Calculus BC. According to Instructor in Math Steve Gadbois, “Parth didn’t simply mimic the usual approach to orthogonal trajectories; he tackled it his own way, and he chose to name his result ‘Orthogonal Friends.’”

102 Compete in Fall Startup Math

One hundred two Owls from Upper School and Lower School competed in the Fall Startup Math Contest October 25. They had 30 minutes for 100 questions that began with an arithmetic problem (8,239 divided by 7) and progressed to an area problem requiring calculus.

Dr. Steve Gadbois, mathematics instructor, announced that the following students received awards for the top score in their grade:

12 11 10 9 8 7

Dannie Dong (also top school score)

Alan Cheng

Albert Ding

Shay Mukatira

Joseph Zhao

Mohid Salman

Robotics Alliance is Runner-Up

Two Owl robotics squads joined forces to finish second in the Hub City West Tennessee Invitational VEX Robotics Competition at the University of Memphis at Lambuth Saturday, November 4.

Jackson Area Robotics invited MUS teams 99331M and 99331U to the early-season competition. Team M had a strong offensive robot while Team U ran their defensive bot during the tournament. This alliance allowed them to upset the topseeded team in the semifinals.

A clever maneuver from St. George’s and their teammates from Madison County overpowered the two Owl bots in the finals. Four of the seven MUS competitors are new to VEX competitions, but all are hungry for a bid to the state tournament after their runner-up finish.

99331M

Advay Adapa ’27

Ike Emmert ’27

Chase Frazer ’27

Walker Shirley ’27

99331U

Jesse Menzer ’27

Darrian Williams ’27

Yigael Diaz ’28

Owls surround the robot fighting arena as they prepare for battle.

Ike Emmert '27, Chase Frazer '27, Advay Adapa '27, and Walker Shirley '27 posing with Yigael Diaz '28, Darrian Williams '27, and Jesse Menzer '27.

Wu’s Research Published

Senior Evan Wu spent much of his free time the last two years on an unconventional task for a high school student: analyzing genetic data for human and mice tissue and writing about it. His resulting research paper –Conserved Spatiotemporal Expression Landscape of Dominant tRNA Genes in Human and Mouse – has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.

He began the research after his freshman Biology course and sought advice during the two-year project from his teacher, Instructor in Science Laura Landry. She is named alongside Wu on the paper, but she shines the light on Wu.

“Evan is an extraordinary student with intense focus and determination. This is an outstanding achievement for a high school student,” Landry said. “Evan did all the analysis, data crunching, research, and writing. I read through drafts and data and did a small amount of troubleshooting to give him feedback and encouragement along the way.”

Wu used data published on RNA expression from previous research projects to critically analyze the expression patterns in human and mice tissues, Landry said. “He made a new discovery – not previously published – which is that in both species, the total expression of tRNA is the highest in the heart. His findings also confirmed previously published data on other organ expression patterns, which helps to support his analysis methods and statistical approach.”

“It felt kind of like a scavenger hunt,” Wu said. “A lot of my process was reading through papers to make sure I didn’t double-dip on anything. Your data is a sea of numbers, but when you can make sense of it, it’s really rewarding.”

The research was tedious, he said, and sometimes he felt

like giving up, especially when he encountered a problem with the data. “You get nervous that all your work will go to waste,” he said. When that happened, he would take a break, returning when he felt motivated again. He said he appreciated Ms. Landry’s encouragement during these times.

He ran into a roadblock when he realized the method overcounted sequences surrounding the tRNA genes, and his data was inflated because of matches that weren’t specific. However, he found a way to filter the data by perfectly matching the sequences from the samples to a reference tRNA sequence, allowing him to find accurate tRNA abundance readings.

During his research he learned that although tRNA expression is similar in humans and mice, alanine-decoding tRNA is higher in mice because of the high duplication of alanine tRNA genes in the mouse genome. Determining the exact relation of these alanine tRNA genes might be a topic for further research, Wu said. He is taking Ms. Landry’s Honors Accelerated Biology II: Molecular Biology class this year and looks forward to learning a process that would help in such research, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for isolating and amplifying a specific sequence of DNA. He expects this process would allow him to generate his own data to verify the alanine tRNA abundance in the mouse genome.

Patnaik Publishes Research

Eshaan Patnaik ’24 is listed as the primary author on two research papers in the peerreviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The articles, which involved research and writing from June to October, summarize findings from previously published results.

“Endothelial Dysfunction in Systemic Sclerosis,” published September 21, reviews the molecular aspect of the endothelial dysfunction that leads to the development of systemic sclerosis, or

scleroderma. The paper concluded, “Therapeutic advances targeting the various aspects of endothelial dysfunction would be useful.”

“Epigenetic Modulators as Therapeutic Agents in Cancer,” published October 6, examines how the study of epigenetic modifications – reversible factors caused by environment or behavior that do not alter the DNA sequence – has opened new possibilities for cancer treatment strategies and therapeutics.

Senior Evan Wu and Instructor in Science Laura Landry

OWLS EXPLORE DETECTIVE FICTION

Students in Mr. Tim Greer’s Detective Fiction class tackled a variety of labs this semester while they put the work described in detective novels to the test.

The first lab included Owls examining the accuracy of fingerprinting. Students tested the method out on one another while dressed in camouflage for Homecoming.

The yearly gunshot residue lab took place in the lobby of Hyde Chapel as students tested how distance affects the amount of gunshot residue on a target. Sparks flew as they fired the prop gun multiple times. Strict safety protocols were in place, and the lobby was closed to the public.

Finally, a scent dog from Search Dog South, an all-volunteer Mid-South Memphis rescue team, searched for Assistant Headmaster McKee Humphreys ’01. This lab aims to compare the exploits of literary scent dogs to their real-life counterparts. Mr. Humphreys was eventually discovered by the rescue team in his office after the hound picked up his scent in various parts of campus.

Students in Detective Fiction investigate recurring motifs such as justice, the raising and allaying of fear, human fascination with the unexplained, and man’s desire to attain knowledge. They examine the work of authors Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe, among others.

Seniors Clayton Kuhlo, Jack Haddad, and Walker Griesbeck prepare to test out the accuracy of fingerprinting science.

Search Dog South utilizes bloodhounds to search for missing persons, in this case Assistant Headmaster McKee Humphreys '01.

Zander Mathes '24, dressed in his finest Halloween attire, fires the prop gun while surrounded by fellow classmates and English Instructor Tim Greer.

Hank Sayle '24 makes sparks fly in the lobby of Hyde Chapel.

1 Lower School Counselor Marisa Mills throws up the "U" after being plunged into the Dunk Tank. 2 Thomas Levy '28 tries to nail the target to knock teachers into the dunk tank

3 Javier Rawls '25, Brandon Nicholson '24, Noah Spears '26, and Gavin Helton '24 drop by the tailgate prior to opening kickoff. 4 Beau Green '28, Hudson Mattern '27, Oliver Leavitt '26, Ethan Vines '29, Haadi Ranjha '27, and Soren Johnson '27 pose with their Jenga tower.

5 Wilkes Gowen '25 and Tony Jon Parks '25 test out their cornhole skills. 6 Sarah Dow McVean, Ethan Vines '29, and Eva Mollerup enjoy the face painting activities. 7 Anthony Edwards '28 and Jake Villanueva '28 8 Cheerleader Mary Drew Beard helps prepare Jeremy Burks '26 for the opening game.

TAILGATE

CELEBRATES SEASON

The Tailgate by the Creek kicked off the 2023 Owls football season with cheeseburgers, a dunk tank, cornhole, and face painting before the August 18 matchup with Bartlett.

Director of Admissions Joe Cummings, Lower School Counselor Marisa Mills, and English Instructor Jeff Posson ’03 joined Headmaster Pete Sanders in getting dunked into the tank by students.

History Instructors Jonathan Large and Davis Smith manned the grills to make burgers for fellow tailgaters. Families, cheerleaders, football players, and students of all ages enjoyed the festivities before the official start of the season.

Danté Stutts ’29, brother of the late Dion Stutts ’24, led the Red and Blue out onto the field during a raucous Owl Walk following the tailgate. The home squad went on to defeat Bartlett 37-0 to open the season.

Thanks to the Parents’ Association and Counseling Department for sponsoring a great event.

C OLLEGES V ISIT MUS

Throughout the fall, Upper School students could be found in Morgan Foyer learning about colleges and universities from representatives invited to 6191 Park Avenue.

After school multiple times a week, Owls queued up to ask about academics, scholarships, and extracurriculars while they tried to get to know each institution. Other schools held virtual meetings where students could talk with reps from institutions across the country.

September 15 the College Counseling Department hosted a college fair in Morrison Courtyard attended by Centre College, Elon University, Fordham University, Millsaps College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rhodes College, Savannah College of Art and Design, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Temple University, Tulane University of Louisiana, University of Vermont, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Washington University in St. Louis. The previous week, Air Force, Stetson University, and the University of Memphis Herff College of Engineering stopped by for a smaller college fair during Homeroom.

1 Patrick McKay '26, Devin Wells '26, and Jackson Hood '26 show off their college pamphlets.

2 Owls flock to Morgan Foyer to learn more about colleges.

3 Jackson Hood '26 receives information from Stetson University.

4 Kevin McCullers '26, Advay Iyer '26, Carter Wildrick '26, Luke Tjiong '26, Max Park '26, and Wilson Pace '26 pick up a variety of college materials.

5 Charlie Treadwell '24 and Wilson Bridgforth '24

6 Freshmen Coleman Russell and Carson Alexander

7 Thomas Byrnes '25

8 Hays Prather '24 and Sam Wilson '24

9 Thompson Saenger '26, Max Park '26, and McEwen Taylor '26 make the rounds at the college fair.

10 Tyler Dang '24 and Seth Yarbrough '24

11 Sudeep Kundavajjala '25 and Chrishton King '25

12 Liam McCarver '26

13 Everett Sego '24 checks out his college options.

Toolbox Tuesday Adds First Aid and CPR

The popular Toolbox Tuesday series returned to 6191 Park Avenue this fall, with two new activities added for eighth graders: Athletics Assistant Director Dave Ferebee taught first aid, and Lower School Dean of Students Joe Tyler taught compression-only CPR. Seventh graders joined in this semester, receiving etiquette and tietying lessons.

Science Instructor Nick Blackwell continued teaching Owls to cook omelets and cacio e pepe. Physical Education Director Matt Bakke and Coach Kyle Finney returned to teach how to change a tire and – a lesson put to good use by two boys from the Class of 2028 – jump a battery.

Gus Williams and his friend Kemmons Wilson were excited when Mrs. Virginia Williams’ car wouldn’t start. To her surprise, the eighth graders sprang into action to jumpstart her car with jumper cables.

Other Toolbox Tuesday lessons included building fires, ironing, using a drill – with a tower building competition –sewing on buttons, and tying fishing knots.

Seventh-grade Owls brushed up on etiquette, learning about first impressions and email protocol, among other lessons. Tying ties was also on the agenda, and Religion Instructor Elliott Dent held a tie-tying competition so the boys could practice their skill.

History Instructor Whit Tenent '00 and Mustafa Rehan '28 go over the finer details of knot tying. Cole Evans '28, James Grove '28, and Mac Canale '28 work the makeshift kitchen in Science Instructor Nick Blackwell's classroom. Danté Stutts '29 and Mac Smith '29 practice tie tying during Toolbox Tuesday. Thomas Levy '28 tries out his homemade omelet.

Lower School Dean of Students Joe Tyler shows Max Thompson '28 how to correctly perform CPR.

Tucker Lowery '24 aided Garrett Thompson '28, Charlie Savage '28, and Omar Saeed '28 in constructing the tallest tower during the tools portion of their rotation.

FoundersDay Owls Celebrate Day

Headmaster Pete Sanders celebrated Founders Day by providing Mempops popsicles to faculty, staff, and students. Yard games were set up across the Ceremonial Lawn for the students’ enjoyment. Owls of all ages spread out to play cornhole, football, soccer, and more during their Organizational Period. Founders Day is celebrated September 13 every year to mark the day in 1893 when James White Sheffey Rhea and Edwin Sidney Werts launched their collegepreparatory school in Memphis, the original MUS. This year festivities were held on September 14.

Ike Emmert '27 and Alex Yong '25 took to the pickleball court with their Mempops during the festivities.

Joephen Chen '25, Parth Patel '24, and Evan Wu '24 enjoy Mempops during Founders Day.

Members of the eighth grade football team enjoyed the day in their jerseys.

Juniors Michael Shallow and Charlie Gerhart play a competitive game of cornhole during Founders Day.

CarpenterCarterWildrick'26worksonbuildingafenceat ArtGarden.

Civic Service Organization Holds Service Day

As parents arrived on campus for Parent Back-to-School Day September 13, 230 Upper School students began serving the Mid-South in a host of volunteer projects organized by the Civic Service Organization.

Carpenter Art Garden: Repaired and rebuilt a fence

Catholic Charities Food Distribution: Distributed boxes of groceries to underserved Memphians in a drive-up food pantry

Forrest Spence Fund: Landscaping and grounds cleaning work at the new Forrest Spence Fund headquarters

Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: Cooked meals for Church Health patients

Hanley Elementary School: Read to 45 Hanley first graders, served snacks, and played games

Memphis Athletic Ministries: Sorted and salvaged athletic equipment affected during a recent warehouse flood

Memphis Gridiron Ministries:

Built and repaired shelving and organized storage in the trailer locker rooms on the MGM football field

Perea Elementary School:

Read books and served snacks to third, fourth, and fifth graders

St. Columba Episcopal Camp, Conference Center: Storm cleanup and grounds beautification projects

St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen: Prepared and served food to Memphians in need

The CSO raised $5,432 in homerooms to fund its activities around the city of Memphis. Donors who gave $20 or more got a free pass on shaving for November.

One-time or periodic events:

Forrest Spence 5K - August 26

Service Day - September 13

More Than A Meal lunch-making - September 15

Emmanual Center cookout and festival - September 23

Special Olympics - October 14

Set up for Dixon party Art on Fire - October 21

Alcy Ball festival and Trunk or Treat - October 28

MUS Campus Cleanup - November 4

More Than A Meal lunch-making - November 10

Malick Gaye '24, Marley White '24, Palmer Howie '25, Luke Akers '25, and Grayson Skipper '24 make lunch bags and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the less fortunate.

Maddox Yarbrough '27 and William Warmath '27 play with students at Hanley Elementary School.

Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation Extends Grants

Thanks to the Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation for funding these projects.

Food Drive

Wallace Keeler ’26 and Glover Patton ’26 $500 for “Forgotten Angel” presents at the Salvation Army Angel Tree.

Wils Moore ’25 $1,000 for golf access for students at Memphis Shelby County Schools.

Michael Ray ’25 and Matthew Ray ’27 $1,000 to buy cots and blankets for Idlewild Presbyterian Church Room in the Inn.

Tom Crosby ’26 $1,000 to put more rubber mulch on the Balmoral Ridgeway Elementary School playground.

Henry Duncan ’24 $1,000 to host sports festivals and cookouts at Binghampton Christian Academy.

Albert Ding ’26 $600 to host sports festivals and cookouts at the Emmanuel Center.

Parth Patel ’24 and Parker Blackwell ’24 $250 for Thanksgiving festivities at Hanley

Tyler Dang ’24 with Rebecca Burnett and Caroline Farmer of Hutchison $1,800 for monthly cookouts and

Admissions Assistant Director Glenn Rogers and Math Department Co-Chair Darin Clifft direct traffic during the food distribution.

Tyler Dang '24 hands out food during the fall food distribution.

Eshaan Patnaik '24, Parth Patel '24, and Joel Lim '24 sort and organize food items to be handed out.

COMING HOME

Homecoming Court

Adela Calzada / Owen Sharp

Khaki Callan / William Eubank

Kelsi Cowles / Grayson Pollan

Ella Dobbs / Hank Sayle

Lara Eason / Andrew Kuhlo

Emily Nunn / William Mallory

COMING

Owls Get into Spirit

Football Homecoming 2023 continued time-honored traditions, including theme days, a pep rally, alumni visits, and the Homecoming Court.

Heroes and villains clashed to kick off the Homecoming week costume theme days. The following day students donned their board shorts and Hawaiian shirts for Beach Day while the week ended with the yearly Homecoming shirts and seniors wearing camo.

Headmaster Pete Sanders led the 15 Snappy Rahs with the MUS cheerleaders during the pep rally, which also featured senior skits and a spelling bee between grades.

The student section dressed for a trip to the ski lodge for the October 20 Homecoming football game. Owls celebrated both Homecoming and Senior Day on Hull-Dobbs Field. The No. 62 jersey of Dion Stutts ’24, who passed away over the summer, was displayed during the Senior Day ceremony.

The Homecoming court and senior escorts took to the field during halftime of the Owls’ 42-0 win over Oakhaven. Students chose Adela Calzada,

senior Owen Sharp, as their queen.

escorted by

Heroes and villains clash during Homecoming Week.

William Mallory '24 and Emily Nunn, Grayson Pollan '24 and Kelsi Cowles, William Eubank '24 and Khaki Callan, Owen Sharp '24 and Adela Calzada, Hank Sayle '24 and Ella Dobbs, and Andrew Kuhlo '24 and Lara Eason.

HALLOWEEN HALLOWEENI I

Grayson Pollan '24 came to school as Willy Wonka and Barton Johnson '24, Henry Duncan '24, Seth Yarbrough '24, Andrew Kuhlo '24, and Clayton Kuhlo '24 were the Oompa Loompas from the popular franchise.

Malick Gaye '24, Logan McCandless '24, and Marley White '24 built a robot in honor of Assistant Headmaster Barry Ray, complete with voice lines.

Davis Younker '26 dressed up as a member of the rock band KISS for Halloween.

Zach Wildrick '29 and Hudson Wooten '29 enjoyed the Halloween festivities in the Lower School.

Members of the faculty and staff dressed up as different versions of Assistant Headmaster Barry Ray in honor of his upcoming retirement.

Hudson Rhodes '29, Ethan Vines '29, Danté Stutts '29, Boyce Clanton '29, Max Lino '29, Wells Martin '29, and Wallace Bradshaw '29

Grayson Pollan '24, Grayson Skipper '24, and Luke Early '24 with their own candy dispensing robot

Students Participate in Bullying Prevention

The Counseling Department held events in October to highlight National Bullying Prevention Month.

In the Stick to Being Kind exercise, counselors collected notes expressing kind thoughts during Social-Emotional Learning small groups and displayed them on the 100-hallway bulletin board. Lower School Owls wrote an encouraging note or something they admire about a randomly assigned fellow student. The notes were displayed on the Lower School bulletin board.

During a game of Simon Says in Thomas Amphitheater, students were able to recognize times they or their peers have been bullied or treated negatively. Owls also participated in the Bullying Kahoot Game where they answered questions about bullying, how to prevent it, and being an upstander.

Upper School and Lower School students were able to sign an anti-bullying pledge during lunch on October 27 and enter a raffle for prizes.

In the Mix It Up Lunch, students sat with peers they did not know well to encourage building new relationships.

CLUB DAY CLUB DAY

Lucas Zhang '26 and Kevin McCullers '26

Leo Meske '25 heads up the Duck Hunt Club.

OWLS PERFORM EGGSCELLENT SCIENCE EGGSCELLENT EGGSCELLENT

Eighth-grade Owls in Mr. Nick Blackwell's and Mr. Garrett Smithson’s Physical Science classes tested their engineering mettle in two separate egg-related activities in September.

First, groups of Owls had 20 minutes to construct a landing pad from paper and masking tape. Then each team dropped an egg from 1, 2, and 3 meters to test if their makeshift platform worked. A crack in the egg resulted in disqualification.

This exercise prepared students for the annual Car Crash Egg Lab. Mr. Smithson estimated around 90% of the student body has participated in this fun experiment.

Students were given 90 minutes to create a paper car in which an egg could survive a crash. Guidelines required the car to be of a specific length and width and required space for wheels. Any cars not meeting the guidelines was disqualified. Owls found ways to be inventive, using drinking straw pieces and extra paper for cushion.

Once construction was completed, the eighth-grade engineers tested their inventions by sending them down a ramp from varied heights. A cracked egg resulted in disqualification. Those who advanced to the final rounds eventually were able to drop their egg cars almost straight down in a competition for bragging rights.

Anthony Edwards '28 prepares to send his egg car down the ramp to test its durability.

Tommie Reed '28 aims for the makeshift platform so his egg doesn't crack.

James Grove '28 shows off his egg car.

Peo Hughes '28 prepares to drop an egg onto his landing pad.

Hudson Mashburn '28 goes to the tallest height to test his homemade car.

Special Events Honor Veterans

Thanks to the recently created Alumni Veterans Committee, special events in the week before Veterans Day celebrated the men and women who have served our country.

A distinguished alumni panel took the Hyde Chapel stage November 8 to answer questions posed by History Instructor Jason Peters ’88. Cage Carruthers ’76, Trevor Benitone ’91, Christopher Williamson ’06, and Maj. John Reinhardt ’07 spoke about life in the military and how MUS prepared them for serving their country.

Maj. Gen. F. Dexter Tutor, father of Music Instructor Matt Tutor ’91, spoke in Chapel November 10 about the history and

significance of Veterans Day and those who have defended the freedoms we enjoy. Now retired, Maj. Gen. Tutor served as special assistant to the director in the Air National Guard in Arlington, Virginia. Maj. Reinhardt, the 164th Logistics Readiness Squadron Commander for the Tennessee Air National Guard, offered an inspiring presentation about the U.S. flag, assisted by members of the color guard from the 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis Air National Guard.

Physical Education Director Matt Bakke had Lower School classes perform militarystyle drills complete with chanting in honor of Veterans Day! They took off for the football field after several exercises.

The color guard from the 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis Air National Guard

Fitz Wilson '29 works on his burpees during the military-style drills in physical education.

Beg To Differ performed prior to the Veterans Day chapel.

Alumni military veterans gather after the chapel presentation, in front, Swift Treadwell ’68, McClain Gordon ’67, Cage Carruthers ’76, John Reinhardt ’07, Mike Webster ’71; back, Andy McArtor ’86, Trevor Benitone ’91, David Malone ’75, and Christopher Williamson ’06.

Met Crump '60, Dexter Tutor, Dean Tutor, Cage Carruthers '76, Gatlin Hardin ’04, and John Reinhardt ’07

Downtown Memphis Trip

ASKEW MASKS A SURPRISE

Students arriving to Mr. Lin Askew’s American Literature classes were in for a surprise the week of September 21.

To celebrate Stephen King’s birthday, Askew hid in his office wearing a clown mask made popular by the film IT, which is based on a novel by the author. After the Owls watched a trailer for the popular horror flick, the long-time English instructor gave his students a start by bursting through the doorway with a plate of cookies.

After a brief scare and many laughs, the students shared cookies with their instructor and proceeded to their lesson.

English Instructor Lin Askew took his American Literature class to the trails on the east portion of campus to “watch, listen, smell, and feel” nature. The Owls were not to speak. Instead, they focused on a small portion of the woods and sketched their findings.

in the Woods Owls Meditate

George Willmott '26

Aadil Omer '26

Fletcher Taylor '26

The 2023-24 Student Council took a trip to Downtown Memphis to tour the culinary scene as part of Student Council Leadership Week.

TOUR DE COUR HEATS UP COURTYARD

The French Club held a Tour de Cour – Tour de France with a tricycle twist – for members in Morrison Courtyard during Organizational Period September 26. Four competitors hopped on their trikes and raced around the courtyard, with Wyatt Martin ’27 taking home the grand prize. Other competitors were Harry Feild ’24, Townes Jones ’25, and McEwen Taylor ’26

Owls Create Historical Timelines

Mr. Clay Smythe’s ’85 New Testament classes engaged in a group project, a PowerPoint presentation in front of the class augmented by a detailed, laminated timeline covering Judaism’s biblical, cultural, and political events from 1000 BC to 100 AD.

The class was broken into teams of three students, and each team was named for a defunct Memphis professional sports franchise.

PowerPoint presentations began with a brief history of their team, its league, the ownership, and the playing venue, complete with pictures of players in uniform and contemporary commentary from media outlets. After the intro, the boys presented the religious, cultural, and political story of the historical kingdoms between King David’s and King Solomon’s Israel in 1000-900 BC to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Seniors Shadow Mentors

Seniors Shadow Mentors

Seniors took advantage of a day away from campus during PSAT testing by taking part in Job Shadow Day, Wednesday, October 11. Owls partnered with mentors in career fields that interested them to shadow the professionals for a day. Companies hosting students included Barnhart, Germantown Performing Arts Center, the Memphis Police Department, Silverleafe Capital Partners, and The Mallory Group.

Freshmen Haadi Ranjha, Bo Schroerlucke , and Walker Atkinson present their historical timeline to their New Testament class.

McEwen Taylor '26 races hard to the finish line.

Harry Feild '24, Townes Jones '25, McEwen Taylor '26, and Wyatt Martin '27 sit at the starting line ready to race.

Griffin Brown '24 and John McAllister '24

Palmer Harris '24 and host Bruce Lee at the Memphis Police Department Real Time Crime Center.

Marc Kelley and Seth Yarbrough '24 tour Smith & Nephew.

Mentors Join in Wingman Wednesdays

The Counseling Office created Wingman Wednesdays this semester to energize peer mentorship at MUS. The program paired new-to-MUS seventh, eighth, and ninth graders with upperclassmen in fun activities designed to build relationships and orient them to life at 6191 Park Avenue.

For one of the activities, the Wingman Committee organized a field day October 18 where the younger Owls joined with their wingmen to enjoy pickleball, Spikeball, and football on Rogers Field after school.

For the Turkey Trot, on November 15, the Wingmen pairs visited 11 stations around campus in a race to complete relationshipand trust-building tasks. A spoon and egg race, puzzles, push-up contest, Jenga game, and turkey hat craft station were a few of the activities. Winners received a trophy and medals following the afternoon activities.

On December 13, with plenty of snacks on hand, Wingmen helped their mentees study for semester exams.

Owls Dissect Pig Hearts

Mr. Nick Blackwell’s seventh-grade Life Science students took to the lab to continue their work on the circulatory system by dissecting pig hearts in October.

The lessons started with Mr. Blackwell instructing students on vessels and veins using a model of the human body. He then showed students how to take their own pulse and count their heartbeats per minute.

For the dissection, students cut specific sections of the pig hearts – which are similar to human hearts – to learn more about valves and vessels. Groups learned how blood pumps from the heart while observing the intricacies of the entire system.

Henry Mills '25, Hunter Rowe '29, and Chrishton King '25

Brady Hughes '25 and Mac Baker '29

Myles Gill '24 and Marcus Harris '29

Will Bailey '29

Yates Wilson '29 shows off a piece of dissected pig heart.

Daniel Conley '29 and Mac Baker '29 prepare their pig heart for dissecting.

UKELELES

Ethan Friday '25

In Mrs. Laura Beck's 2-D Design class, students created skateboard deck art. Back, Chase Givens '27, Matthew McKay '25, Hank Sayle '24, Friday, and Walker Griesbeck '24; front, Jeremiah Tisdell '24 and Walker Webb '24

Students crafted ukeleles in Mr. Grant Burke's 3-D Design class.

Zander

'24

Trevor Moore '24

3 Whitt Stockburger '25 and Bennett

'24

Bryson Robinson '24 5 Jack Haddad '24

Directed by: Mr. Ted Fockler ’10

Technical Direction by: Mr. Robert Fudge

Musical Direction by: Mr. Matt Tutor ’91

Costumes by: Ms. Amie Eoff

Choreography by: Ms. Haley Wilson

Set Design by: Mr. Robert Fudge and MUS

Theater Production Classes

Assistant Directors: Mr. Jeff Posson ’03 and Ms. Kim Justis

Production Support by: Ms. Austin Hasenmueller, Mrs. Candy Harris, and Mrs. Michele Cacioppo

Special Thanks

Mr. Pete Sanders, Mr. Rankin Fowlkes, Mr. Bobby Alston, Mr. Steve Phillips, Mr. Fred Taylor, Mr. Frank Dowdy, Ms. Liz Copeland, Ms. Kaitlan Koehler, Mrs. Rebecca Harris Greer, and Ms. Claire Farmer

Russell Lindeman '28, Tyler Edmundson '25, and Noah Brooks '25 Olivia Hale, Mia Murphy, and Maren Whittman Tucker Lowery '24 and Everett Sego '24

The cast and crew of Mamma Mia! celebrate a successful run.

Cast

Donna Alex Wallace (understudy Mia Murphy)

Sophie Erin Dambrie (understudy Francie Ozier)

Tonya Elle Fowler (understudy Ollie Hale)

Rosie Liza Pence (understudy Maren Wittmann)

Sky Joseph Weller ’24

Sam .... Henry Lindeman III ’24

Harry Tucker Lowery ’24

Bill Everett Sego ’24

Ali ............................ Lacy Ferrell

Lisa Francie Ozier (understudy Elia Cranfeld)

Pepper Will Hess ’24

Eddie Noah Brooks ’25

Men’s Chorus

Tyler Edmundson ’25

Witt Ezzell ’26

Hayes Graham ’24

Russell Lindeman ’28

Palmer Lowery ’25

Bo Richards ’25

Trey Urcavich ’26

Fenton Wright ’24

Girl’s Chorus

Sophia Coningham

Elia Cranfeld

Lauren Ehrhart

Maddie Fowler

Ollie Hale

Lillian Kent

Lucy Lyon

Mia Murphy

Gwen Palmer

Delaney Tutor

Maren Wittmann

staGe Crew run Crew

Theater Production Class

Colson Bragorgos ’24

William Craft ’25

Luke Early ’24

Logan McCandless ’24

Bo Richards ’25

Everett Sego ’24

Jordan Vandergrift ’27

Harrison Goetze ’24

– Independent Study

Will Hess ’24

– Independent Study

Fenton Wright ’24

– Independent Study

Afternoon Shop Class

Aidan Stacey ’26

Alex Wallace

Ali Thomas

Ansley “Red” Lattimer

Bo Richards ’25

Caleb Latkovic ’24

Caroline Chandler

Chrishton King ’25

Eliza Dent

Evan Gilliland ’25

Fenton Wright ’24

Harrison Goetze ’24

Hayes Graham ’24

Henry Lindeman III ’24

Henry Mills ’25

Hudson Williams ’29

Isabel Dent

Logan McCandless ’24

Mark Boatright ’25

Marley White ’24

Noah Brooks ’25

Paige Fernández

Palmer Lowery ’25

Ron Byrnes ’24

Sarah Blen

Sophia Coningham

Stella Pitzer

Tucker Lowery ’24

Walt Gilliland ’27

William Craft ’25

Witt Ezzell ’26

Sound

Audio Engineer – Andersen Henry ’25

A2, Mic Wrangler – Mark Boatright ’25

Lights

Design – Paige Fernández

Master Electrician – Hayes Graham ’24

Board Operator – Hudson Williams ’29

Followspot – Aidan Stacey ’26

Followspot – Isabel Dent

Costumes

Costume and Makeup Technician – Sophia Coningham

Stage Management

Actors – Fenton Wright ’24

Backstage – Harrison Goetze ’24

Tech Booth – Paige Fernández

House Manager – Marley White ’24

Backstage Crew

Sarah Blen

Eliza Dent

Caroline Chandler

Marley White ’24

Henry Mills ’25

Stella Pitzer

Additional Student Design Work

Structural Design and Fabrication

Supervision – Harrison Goetze ’24

Poster/Program Art – Paige Fernández

Prop Wrangling – Fenton Wright ’24 and Ansley “Red” Lattimer

Floor Paint Design – Caroline Chandler

orChestra

Mr. Angelo Râpan - Piano/Keyboards

Mr. Matt Tutor ’91 - Guitar

Mr. Jeremy Barzizza - Bass

Mr. Paul Mullikin – Drums

Mr. Joseph Miller - Cello

MUS Student Musicians

Gabe Chen ’24 - Violin

Michael Liu ’25 - Violin

Evan Wu ’24 - Viola

Additional orchestrations by Gabe Chen ’24 and Mr. Matt Tutor ’91

PHOTOGRAPHY

SHINES BEG TO DIFFER SHINES

Members of Beg To Differ performed for Rotary Club leaders at the Renasant Convention Center September 23 to kick off their performance season. This group of young men departed the stage to a standing ovation.

The a cappella group went on to perform the National Anthem on Hull-Dobbs Field prior to kickoff of the November 10 playoff matchup with Knoxville Catholic. The Owls put on a show for the crowd gathered to cheer on the Red and Blue.

Beg To Differ, established in 1991, practiced vigorously throughout the fall to prepare for these events.

Center, Michael Ray '25 and Javier Rawls '25; top, Tol Thomas '24, Griffin Brown '24, Will Klepper '24, and Sam Wilson '24; bottom, Houston Donato '25

Mr. Grant Burke's Photography students: top, Will Klepper '24, Tol Thomas '24, Brandon Nicholson '24; bottom, Sam Schroerlucke '25

Artistic Owls Win BRACE Awards

Congratulations to the following Owls for winning awards in the Briarcrest Regional Art Contest and Exhibition:

Clarice W. Cox Watercolor Award - Junior Oscar Liu

Eighth grade, fourth place - Joseph Zhao

Seventh grade, fourth place - Hudson Bobo

Hudson Bobo '29

Joseph Zhao '28

Oscar Liu '25

Varsity/JV

Head Coach: Bobby Alston

Assistant Coaches: Varsity Staff

Manager: Will Klepper ‘24

JV Record: 5-2

F L L Football O

Varsity Record: 9-2, Appearance in the TSSAA Division II-AAA Quarterfinals

Roster: Seniors Griffin Allen, Mac Barcroft, Steve Blen, Wilson Bridgforth, Noland Brown, Trey Charleston, Casey Cooper, Lee Couloubaritsis, Luke Early, Palmer Harris, Gavin Helton, George Henley, Barton Johnson, Clayton Kuhlo, Catcher Miller, Brandon Nicholson, Tyler Perry, Cooper Shannon, Makhi Shaw, Hudson Shoaf, Will Skinner, Andrew Tancredi, Van Thompson, Jeremiah Tisdell, Max Williams and Sam Wilson; juniors Bryan Billups, Thomas Davis, Davis Edmonds, Charlie Gerhart, Brady Hughes, TJ Mayes, Jacob McCabe, Luke McEwan, Leo Meske, Stephen Nash, Javier Rawls, Michael Ray, John Redd, William Renovich, Bo Richards, Paxton Silver, Kyle Sneed, Bradley Snider, George Steffens, Hall Thompson, Owens Unglesby, Jacob Wade, and Michael Yarbro; sophomores Miller Caldwell, Charles Doughtie, Hugh Flanders, Will Fortas, Sam Galler, Gavin Gatere, Maddox Giel, Jackson

1 2

Gavin Gatere '26

Senior Owls were honored prior to the Homecoming game against Oakhaven. They posed with the No. 62 jersey of fallen teammate Dion Stutts '24.

9th Grade

Coach: Mark Chubb

Record: 3-5

Roster: Walker Atkinson, Bennett Brooksbank, Logic Cox, Liam Curran, Hamilton Eggers, Adams Feild, Foster Flaherty, Gray Gowen, Jackson Halpern, Dhilan Madasu, Henry Maxwell, Zach McKnight, John Painter, Elliott Poore, Matthew Ray, Cannon Sherman, Tanner Sherman, Walter Sherman, Logan Smith, Owen Smith, Sam Speed, Austin Spence, Jacob Stalls, Roland Starrett, Holden Straub, Dylan Taylor, Mason Todd, Anders Trammell, James Watkins, Joshua West, Glenn Williams, and Maddox Yarbrough

8th Grade

Head Coach: Bobby Wade '84

Assistant Coaches: Trevor Benitone '91, Henry Dickinson '11, Chris Evans '13, Larry Heathcott, Malik Smith '14, and Ben Stallworth '07

General Manager: Nick Blackwell

Record: 7-1, Appearance in the Shelby County Middle School Football League Championship

Roster: Palmer Albertine, House Benitone, Maddux Benitone, Benji Berry, Tadre Dixon, Dewey Drinkard, Anthony Edwards, Mack Gober, Beau Green, James Grove, James Hanlon, Thomas Higginbotham, William Hill, Hudson Jacks, Haynes Kiser, Thomas Levy, Caleb Loudenbeck, Ari Madasu, Jordan MarksGow, Hudson Mashburn, Nicolas Mason, Collin McGee, Ellis McKinnon, Tanner Mills, Andrew Phillips, Tommie Reed, Price Renovich, Andrew Selecman, John Mark Selecman, Bruce Stockburger, Emmett Tamplin, Drew Tayloe, Max Thompson, Cobb Whipple, Walker Wilhite, and Harry Word

7th Grade

Head Coach: Derek Clenin '03

Assistant Coaches: Drew Karban '10, Terrence Patterson, Michael Ray, Michael Schaefer '03, and Will Thompson '95

General Manager: Nick Blackwell

Record: 5-2, Appearance in the semifinals of the Shelby County Middle School Football League

Roster: Mac Alexander, Will Bailey, Mac Baker, Wallace Bradshaw, Boyce Clanton, Pal Conrad, Fort Gusmus, Marcus Harris, Wilkes Harris, Hunt Hill , Jack Hill, Graydon Hobson, Landon Hottinger, Harris Laughlin, Wells Martin, Colin McCabe, Joseph Moore, Ezekiel Redick, Ellis Rhett, Hudson Rhodes, Khristian Rooks, Charlie Russell, Witt Schroerlucke, Jaden Siggers, Mac Smith, Miller Spence, Danté Stutts, Warner Wells, Mac Wilson, Yates Wilson

Trap

Varsity

Coach: Hamilton Eggers ’94

Assistant Coach: Jonathan Large

Roster: Class of 2023, Aaron Barawid, Lewis Glankler, Rowland Hayden, John Lee, and Jackson Moore; seniors Wilson Bridgforth, Gabe Chen, Oliver Doughtie, George Henley, RJ Neal, Wilson Thakkar, Charlie Treadwell, Worrick Uhlhorn, and Ben Wunderlich; juniors Charlie Bragg, Hyde Crabtree, and Foster Houseal

Junior Varsity

Coach: Hamilton Eggers ’94

Assistant Coach: Jonathan Large

Roster: Seniors Will Fortenberry, Harrison Goetze, Tucker Lowery, and Zander Mathes; juniors Mac Ladd, Palmer Lowery, and Michael Yarbro; sophomores Miller Caldwell, Charlie Harris, Wallace Keeler, Watts Liebenow, and Whit Sansom

Foster Houseal '25

Charlie Bragg '25

CROSS COUNTRY

CROSS COUNTRY CROSS COUNTRY

UPPER SCHOOL

Coach: Joe Tyler

Record: Second in the region and 12th at state

Roster: Seniors Will Gramm, Sai Madasu, and Bennett Owen; juniors Palmer Hinote, Declan Lonergan, Marcus McCullers, Stanton Miller, Noah Porter, and Samuel West; sophomores Joshua Gramm, Bennett Jones, Porter Spiceland, McEwen Taylor, and Carter Wildrick; freshmen Krish Agrawal, Carson Alexander, Will Brezina, Webb Canale, Coleman Russell, and Darrian Williams

LOWER SCHOOL

Coach: Matt Bakke

Record: Shelby County Middle School Championship

Roster: Eighth graders William Morris, Lewis Sewell, and Kemmons Wilson; seventh graders Ethan Beck, Ewan Beck, Peter Bennett, Hudson Bobo, James Byrd, Elliott Dent, Aariv Shah, Patrick Tadlock, Ethan Vines, Zach Wildrick, and Fitz Wilson

Sai Madasu '24

Bennett Owen '24

Samuel West '25

McEwen Taylor '26, Bennett Owen '24, and Stanton Miller '25

Below, Bennett Owen '24 and Porter Spiceland '26

GOLF

VARSITY

Coach: Cliff Frisby

Record: 7-0, first in region, fourth at state

Roster: Seniors Jeffrey Cunningham and RJ Neal; juniors Wils Moore, Sujay Mukatira, and Cooper Solberg; sophomore George Luton; freshmen Drew Knighton, Brantley Moore, and Charles Snider; eighth grader Will Perkins

RJ Neal '24

Brantley Moore '27, RJ Neal '24, Sujay Mukatira '25, Wils Moore '25, and Cooper Solberg '25

Will Perkins '28

RJ Neal '24 and Jeffrey Cunningham '24

JUNIOR VARSITY

Coach: Jason Peters '88

Record: 5-0, Shelby League Championship

Roster: Juniors John Logan Godwin, Mac Ladd, and Jackson Peters; sophomore Alex Wunderlich, and freshman Bo Schroerlucke

LOWER SCHOOL

Coach: Jason Peters '88

Record: 5-0, Shelby League Senior Division Championship

Roster: Eighth graders Michael Robbins and Cobb Whipple; seventh graders Miles Cross, Jack Faber, Hunt Hill, and Joseph Moore

Sujay Mukatira '25

Cooper Solberg '25

Jackson Peters '25

John Logan Godwin '25, Bo Schroerlucke '27, Head Coach Jason Peters '88, Jackson Peters '25, Mac Ladd '25, and Alex Wunderlich '26

Tennis

Lower School Tennis

Coach: Jay Horne

Record: 8-0, Shelby League Championship, USTA/TMSAA

Middle School Tennis State Champions

Roster: Eighth graders Richard Brinner, Mac Canale, Charles Cunningham, Ian daPonte Cooper, Cole Evans, Nat Harris, Peo Hughes, Russell Lindeman, Jack Mavar, Mustafa Rehan, Michael Robbins, Charlie Savage, Jack Shirley, Garrett Thompson, Will Walk, Joseph Zhao; seventh graders James Byrd, Charlie Dudek, Haygood Dunavant, Mohib Farooq, Graydon Hobson, Ben Park, Hunter Rowe, Mohid Salman, Colton Schrank, Witt Schroerlucke, and James Schwarz

Fencing

Coach: Sergey Petrosyan

Assistant Coach: Landon Springfield '18

Roster: Seniors Tyler Dang, Bryan Ding, Joel Lim, Eshaan Patnaik, Evan Wu, and Alan Zhou; juniors Amrik Chakravarty, Palmer Howie, Rushil Komeravelli, Michael Liu, Oscar Liu, Kushal Patel, Joey Paul, and Zeon Wang; sophomores Albert Ding, Aadil Omer, Henry Phan, and Ari Thiyagarajaa; freshmen Julian Boswell, Joshua Dong, Soren Johnson, Rex Levy, and Henry Sproles; seventh graders Kushal Das, Albert Liu, Hanson Liu, and Luke Wells

Assistant Coach Landon Springfield '18, Evan Wu '24, and Bryan Ding '24

Evan Wu '24 and Alan Zhou '24

Joshua Dong '27

MAKE GOOD CHOICES

Every day for the past decade, as students trickle out of my classroom, I tell them to “make good choices.” The first time I hold them after the bell and make them wait to be dismissed by those three words, the groans are audible and the eyerolls extreme. After a few weeks of the routine, no student needs a reminder.

By January, if I somehow forget to say it at the end of a class, it is a student who reminds me, with wide eyes and panic, that I may have missed the opportunity. And by the final day of school, students say it in unison with me as the last bell rings.

My experience in education has been in secondary education, and this routine may seem very elementary to some, but there is one thing I know about teenagers. They crave consistency just as much – if not more – as the littles in elementary.

Last year, my role at MUS – coordinator of academic support – was completely new. I no longer had the same students day in and day out in a traditional setting, but instead I offered support to boys in the Lower School based on factors such as learning styles, academic strengths, and skills-based lessons. The transition to a new school, especially at 13 years old, can be rough on any child. The freedom they get at MUS can be an added challenge: Many boys are faced with the choice between finishing an assignment before class or running over to the Dining Hall to grab a chicken biscuit.

That first year out of the classroom was different for me. I had no literature-based content to prepare, so I really had to dig deep into my teaching philosophy to think about how I was going to serve the students best in this role. I started simple: by being present and offering a consistent space where students could focus, work, and ask questions.

The boys learned to find me at the wall of Dunavant Lecture Hall and to talk to me about their plans for study hall, their upcoming assignments, and their need for better understanding of classwork.

In August, I had a few trickle into my room each day. By October, I had a core group in each study hall enter my room, show me their planner, and get down to work. And by the end of the first semester, seventh and eighth grade boys communicated with me, planned ahead, and made study groups to prepare together for upcoming exams.

As an educator, someone who has wanted to be a teacher her whole life, someone who tells the boys she is working her dream job (to which they wrinkle their noses and say, “Really?”), my biggest goal has been to help my students find who they are as learners and take ownership in their process. Once they have accomplished these goals, they can apply the learning strategies that help them most across all content areas. This is a huge undertaking, especially for Lower School boys who are going through many changes. The best thing that I can offer is the consistency of my support, the clear expectations offered in my room, and the constant reminder to find the things that work best for them.

My first group of students are now in their late 20s, and some keep in touch from time to time. If I’m lucky, I run into them in person and get to hear about the adults they have become. After a hug and a short conversation, we part ways.

Most times, those adults turn to me and say, “Mrs. Rodriguez – make good choices.” I can’t help but laugh and be proud of the learners they have become.

Owls pour into Lower School Room 103 for study time with Academic Support Coordinator Margaret Rodriguez.

Peter D. Sanders Headmaster

McKee Humphreys '01

Associate Headmaster and Interim Lower School Principal

Barry Ray

Assistant Headmaster and Upper School Principal

Ross Spain

Assistant Lower School Principal

Perry Dement Assistant Head for Advancement

Rankin Fowlkes Assistant Head for Business Operations and CFO

Joe Cummings Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management

Flip Eikner ’77

Academic Dean

Phillip Stalls

Assistant Academic Dean

Candy Harris

Senior Counselor

Jenny Byers

Assistant Head for College Counseling and Student Programming

Zach Hansen

Director of College Counseling and Strategic Initiatives

John Simi

Director of Technology

Wendy Trenthem

Director of Hyde Library

Ann Laughlin Director of Alumni and Parent Programs

Harvey Kay ’01 Director of Annual Fund

Liz Copeland

Director of Communications

Rebecca H. Greer

Assistant Director of Communications

Jonah Jordan

Managing Editor, Inside MUS

Kaitlan Koehler Graphic Designer

Memphis University School

6191 Park Avenue

Memphis, TN 38119

THE MUS MISSION:

Memphis University School is a college-preparatory school dedicated to academic excellence, cultivation of service and leadership, and the development of well-rounded young men of strong moral character, consistent with the school's Christian tradition.

OATH OF HONOR

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.

Mr. Ross Spain’s seventh-grade Old Testament class presented homemade projects depicting events from the Old Testament.

Hudson Bobo, top, presented on Noah's Ark, Beckett Mattern, bottom left, on the Ten Commandments, and Mac Baker on the Tower of Babel during this class.