It was very uplifting to me when I came across a speech from Tony Romo, the injured Dallas Cowboys quarterback who has seen rookie Dak Prescott claim the job no one believed would be his. It put Romo in the awkward position of returning as backup quarterback, but he has accepted the situation with grace. Now if I were overly cynical, I would say Romo is just saying the right thing – and there is no way he actually believes the following statement – but I will choose today to take him at his word.
“I can remember when I was a kid just starting out and wanting to be part of something bigger than myself. For every high school kid out there or college player, there’s greatness in being the kind of teammate who truly wants to be part of the team. Everyone wants to be the reason they’re winning or losing. Every single one of us wants to be that person. But there are special moments that come from a shared commitment, to play a role while doing it together. That’s what you remember – not your stats or your prestige, but the relationships and the achievement you achieved through a group. It’s hard to do, but there’s great joy in that. And all the while your desire burns to be the best you’ve ever been. You can be both – I’ve figured that out in this process. It’s what separates sports from everything else. It’s why we love it, why we trust it, it’s why I still want to play and compete.
“Lastly, I just want to leave you with something I’ve learned in this process, as well. I feel like we all have two battles, or two enemies, going on. One with the man across from you. The second is with the man inside of you. I think once you control the one inside of you, the one across from you really doesn’t matter. I think that’s what we’re all trying to do.”
So much about youth sports has changed in the past 10-15 years. No longer do kids have the opportunity to go to the park and just play the game of the season. Everything is overly structured from the time they first begin to play, and parents are pushing frantically in fear that their child will fall behind in their quest for them to be outstanding. Club or recreational teams have become the minor leagues from which children pursue the dream to have some college coach look upon them with favor and tell them he wants to offer them a scholarship. Romo’s comments, coming from a celebrated All-Pro QB, take us back to the core values of why schools find sports an integral part of the educational mission: shared commitments, being a teammate, forming relationships. Doing something as a TEAM while still desiring to be your best individually remains a key character trait to learn.
Finally, Romo’s description of winning the battle over your own self-centeredness and how it negates the power of the outside competitors is classically honest and true. I can only imagine how proud his high school coaches were when they read this. Or maybe I don’t have to imagine. Our success this season in football was as good an example as I can remember. Several of the boys had to sacrifice personal goals so the team could play a style that gave us the best chance to win. The longer I coach the more thankful I am for the boys here at MUS who are willing to come together as a team and make those sacrifices necessary for the good of the team. Those character traits will pay huge dividends for all of us in the future.
Eighty students have earned AP Scholar Awards in the College Board’s 2016 Advanced Placement exams. Among these juniors, seniors, and one sophomore, eight Owls have achieved the highest honor of National AP Scholar.
“I commend these students and their teachers for their hard work in these accomplishments,” Academic Dean Flip Eikner ’77 said. “AP tests provide an objective measure of college-level skill and knowledge acquired in rigorous coursework at the high school level.”
MUS offers 21 Advanced Placement courses, designed to reproduce the difficult content of college courses and help students learn focused study habits. Many earn college credit for their scores. The highest possible exam score of 5 designates the student as “extremely well
qualified” in that particular subject.
Last May 168 Owls took 333 tests, earning the highest mark on 39 percent of the exams. The average score of all tests taken by Owls was 4.06. The national average was 2.85. More than 94 percent of tests taken by MUS students resulted in a score of 3 or higher.
The MUS AP courses are Art History, Biology, CalculusAB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, European History, French Language and Culture, Latin, Music Theory and Composition, Physics I, 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.
The top honor of National AP Scholar is granted to students in the United States who receive an average score of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. Eight students met these requirements.
AP National Scholar Roster
Forest Colerick ’16
Witt Fesmire ’16
Will McAtee ’16
Saatvik Mohan ’16
Patrick Murphy ’16
Patton Orr ’16
Ohm Patel ’17
Colin Threlkeld ’16
Forty-two students received AP Scholar with Distinction
honors, indicating they earned 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.
AP Scholar with Distinction Roster
Reed Barnes ’16
Sam Bartz ’16
Chandler Clayton ’16
Forest Colerick ’16
Tucker Colerick ’16
David Dabov ’16
Nathan Dinh ’16
Andrew Douglass ’17
Dylan Echlin ’16
Brooks Eikner ’17
Witt Fesmire ’16
Tom Fowlkes ’16
Philip Freeburg ’16
Matt Fuess ’16
Owen Galvin ’16
Kian Ghodoussi ’17
Andrew Hanissian ’16
Cameron Lakin ’16
Kyle Lam ’16
Grayson Lee ’16
Jason Lin ’16
Eric Makapugay ’16
Will McAtee ’16
Rahul Mehra ’17
Saatvik Mohan ’16
Murray Morrison ’16
Patrick Murphy ’16
Josh Myers ’16
Patton Orr ’16
Ohm Patel ’17
Aneesh Ram ’17
Andres Salas ’16
Alex Salazar ’17
Zach Shulkin ’16
Bilal Siddiq ’16
Ramiz Somjee ’17
Jacob Suppiah ’17
Daniel Tancredi ’16
Colin Threlkeld ’16
Tom Wells ’17
Chang Yu ’18
Ray Zhou ’17
Fourteen students received the AP Scholar with Honor designation, indicating they
earned 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.
AP Scholar with Honor Roster
Darius Cowan ’17
Philip Deaton ’17
Billy Dunavant ’16
Cole Harrison ’16
Austin Hord ’16
Henry Keel ’16
Austin Lacy ’16
Alex Mansour ’16
Mac McArtor ’16
Ogonna Oraedu ’17
Chris Roberts ’16
Callaway Rogers ’17
Will Schneider ’17
Theo Wayt ’16
Twenty-four students received the AP Scholar designation,
indicating they earned scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.
AP Scholar Roster
Keith Burks ’17
Andres Carro ’16
Carter Coleman ’16
Matthew Davidoff ’16
Danny Harris ’16
Henry Holmes ’17
Gil Humphreys ’16
Alex Hyde ’17
Ammaar Kazi ’17
Cade Klawinski ’17
Matt Kruczek ’16
Jack McCaghren ’17
Jonathan Peters ’16
Jack Richman ’16
Joey Rodriguez ‘17
Jacob Rotter ’17
Russell Sands ’16
Reid Smith ’16
McLean Todd ’17
Henry Trammell ’17
Jordan Wallace ’16
Wesley Wells ’16
Connor Whitson ’16
Linhao Zheng ’17
The National Merit Scholarship Program has begun its annual release of award recipients, and 22 Owls, all seniors, have been recognized. Eleven were named National Merit Semifinalists - the highest number of semifinalists for any independent school in the Mid-South. An additional 11 seniors were named Commended Students. Together, the semifinalists and commended
represent 21 percent of the senior class. The semifinalists are Philip Deaton, Andrew Douglass, Brooks Eikner, Ammaar Kazi, Rahul Mehra, Ogonna Oraedu, Ohm Patel, Callaway Rogers, Alex Salazar, McLean Todd, and Ray Zhou. If they become finalists, they will compete next spring for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million. Finalist notifications begin in February.
The NMSP also honored Kian Ghodoussi, Charlie Gilliland, Grady Hecht, Alex Hyde, Josh Karchmer, Ravi Lipman, Ramiz Somjee, Jacob Suppiah, Henry Trammell, Tom Wells, and Alex Wolf as National Merit Commended Students. They are among 34,000 U.S. students honored for their outstanding academic promise.
Senior Ohm Patel is the first student in the 14-year history of the Fall Startup national math test to achieve a perfect score – and he did it with time to spare.
“At the 28-minute mark, I glanced at Ohm, who gave me a two-thumbs-up sign as he calmly sat while everyone else was frantically finishing up,” said Dr. Steve Gadbois, instructor in math. “I thought he was asking if there were two minutes left, so I gestured ‘yes’ to him.”
Afterward Gadbois learned that Patel was indicating he had finished the test, and he thought he had gotten all 100 questions correct.
When the results of the September 28
competition were released, Patel did, indeed, have a perfect score.
Ninety-four Owls participated in the Fall Startup competition, administered by National Assessment & Testing. The 100-problem, 30-minute competition is designed to motivate math students early in the year and assess their readiness to compete.
Questions range from simple arithmetic (What is the remainder when 4,726 is divided by 6?) to basic calculus (If the velocity of a particle is given by 3 exp(2t) + 1, what is its acceleration when t=-1?).
Eighth grader Fisher Marks and seventh grader Scott Ledbetter helped lead the first-place team at the West Tennessee VEX Robotics Training Camp at Collierville High School this summer. The team won awards in three categories: a design award for robot uniqueness, functionality, and design; the Camp Champs award, based on accumulation of points in a variety of STEM and robot challenges during the week; and the top award in the tournament championship held the last day of camp.
The camp fielded 99 participants in grades six to 11 from all over the Mid-South who spent the week building robots and competing in robotics missions. Instructor in Science Garrett Smithson said Marks and Ledbetter displayed persistence, determination, and abundant team spirit in their quest for excellence.
“Scott was the lead driver, and Fisher was the lead programmer for their team, the Mystic Weedles,” said Smithson, advisor to the school’s RoboBuzzards seventh- and eighthgrade robotics club. “They redesigned their robot numerous times and altered strategies over multiple rounds of course competition in their pursuit to be the best. I’m super proud of these boys.”
Fifteen student members of the Collierville Dragons robotics team mentored the campers during this weeklong event, which was sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority. VEX robotics engineering and programming camps are designed for students who enjoy problem-solving, mechanics and engineering, and designing robots. The courses provide a strong foundation for future study in math and computer and mechanical engineering.
Latin was alive and well – in word and song – at the Latin Veterani Dinner held in the Dining Hall October 24. Seventy-five Latin scholars from MUS and other area schools feasted on lasagna, chicken Alfredo, and tiramisu as Mr. Charles Umiker, an instructor from Rhodes College, played guitar and sang songs in Latin.
“Begun in the 1990s by the late Ms. Barbara Hardin of Germantown High School, this annual dinner provides an informal evening of camaraderie and encouragement for Latin ‘veterans’ – instructors and their students who have matriculated to advanced levels in the curriculum,” Instructor in Latin Ryan Sellers said.
After an almost 20-year hiatus, Sellers resurrected the event in 2014. Guests this year included students and teachers from Bartlett, Briarcrest, Germantown, Houston, Hutchison, St. Mary’s, Westwood, and White Station high schools.
Junior Wyatt Berry received The Vince Gill Volunteer of the Year Award during the 2016 Sneds Tour. The award recognizes one member of the golf tour who best embodies the giving spirit and commitment that singer Vince Gill has shown to charities, including junior golf. Berry was selected because of his participation with several local nonprofit organizations, particularly the MUS chapter of Ducks Unlimited. Berry founded the chapter in 2014, raising money for Ducks Unlimited through an annual sportsman’s dinner. Last year chapter members raised $60,000 during the event.
Three mathletes received top honors in the 60th annual Statewide High School Mathematics Contest sponsored by the Tennessee Mathematics Teachers’ Association. The contest offers exams in six different math subjects. Only the top 10 scorers in the state are recognized for each exam, with the top three winners receiving plaques, and each first place winner also receiving a monetary award. Junior Jackson Moody placed first in the state on the precalculus exam, junior Chang Yu placed third in the state on the calculus and advanced topics exam, and freshman Arjun Puri placed third in the state on the geometry exam. Department of Mathematics Chair Nancy Gates was not surprised by their accomplishments.
“The consistently high performance of these three students in particular
is really impressive; they always seem to be at the top,” Gates said. “We look forward to seeing what they achieve next.”
The students and other contest winners were recognized at a banquet September 23 at Middle Tennessee State University.
The only thing possibly more terrifying than public speaking might be public spelling; however, 25 brave Owls faced that fear with great intestinal fortitude at the annual MUS Spelling Bee in late October.
The competition was so hot that the seventh and eighth graders cycled through multiple runs of the word list before eliminations began. Lower School Principal Clay Smythe ’85 deemed the competitors “seriously,
the best group” that the faculty has seen in years.
The contest lasted almost an hour before the smoke cleared and three seventh graders emerged as winners: Mark Hieatt, first place; Forest Rudd, second; and Loro Lado, third.
The English Department facilitates the annual spelling bee. Mr. Dax Torrey ’94 was the reader, and Mrs. Michelle Crews was the repeater. The winning word was “intestate.”
Senior Josh Karchmer was one of only three high school students in Tennessee this year to be honored by the Princeton Prize in Race Relations program. He received a Certificate of Accomplishment for his work creating the Homework Helps Tutoring program for elementary schoolchildren at Lester Community Center. Karchmer, fellow honoree Adeline Jo Quinlen of St. Mary’s, and winner Saneela Tameez of Hutchison were honored at a ceremony in July at the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.
Karchmer began volunteering at Lester during his freshman year at MUS, and he quickly realized there were more children in need of homework help than he could assist single-handedly. So he created a program and recruited other friends and classmates to join him. His program is committed to securing volunteers to enrich and strengthen race relations while empowering children in Memphis through education.
The mission of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations is to promote harmony, respect, and understanding among people of different races by identifying and recognizing high school-age students whose efforts have had a significant, positive effect on race relations in their schools or communities.
Pre-college summer programs are a great way to experience college classes, pursue specific interests, and make new friends. In addition to enhancing your college application, some courses also grant college credit. Deadlines for the majority of pre-college classes are in January and February. If you are interested in researching 2017 opportunities, see the College Counseling Department.
Junior AJ Varner attended Harvard this summer for the university’s PreCollege program. Staying in the historic undergraduate house in Harvard Square, he studied world health through three case studies: The 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and cholera epidemic, and the recent West Africa Ebola outbreak. Through each case study, students discussed the challenges and unintended consequences of health care efforts conducted in the poorest parts of the world. The students used Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World (Random House Publishing Group, 2003) as a source reference for the case studies.
To learn more about this and other summer programs at Harvard, visit summer.harvard.edu/high-school-programs.
Junior Chang Yu has been awarded a scholarship from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in recognition of excellent research during the Governor’s School for Engineering course he attended in Knoxville this summer. Yu was among only 26 students admitted to this highly competitive program.
“In the morning courses, we explored scientific policy-making and engineering design,” Yu said. “During the engineering design classes, I worked with other students to build an automatic ping-pong ball launcher. Every afternoon we had a materials science and engineering course ... [in which we] explored concepts through fascinating experiments.”
Yu and his lab partner researched and conducted experiments on cold rolling, a process to strengthen metals, and presented their findings at the end of the course. A panel of professors and teaching assistants placed their presentation first over 13 others. Yu’s work led to a merit-based scholarship offer, which totals $14,000 and is funded jointly by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Center for Materials Processing.
“During my four weeks at Governor’s School, I met peers from all across the state and made many interesting friends,” Yu said. “From my experiences, I realized that the most important thing is having fun while learning.”
To learn more about Tennessee Governor's School, go to tn.gov/education.
Senior Kian Ghodoussi is very happy he checked his junk email last fall. In it he found an invitation to apply for the Telluride Association Summer Program, a fully paid, sixweek summer study hosted either at Cornell University or the University of Michigan. It is available to juniors with high scores on the PSAT.
One of 56 juniors chosen from 1,100 applicants, Ghodoussi found himself on a Michigan-bound plane in June, on his way to a program offering a collegelevel experience – and, as he would discover, a new perspective.
In the seminar titled “Archetype and Contemporary Art,” Ghodoussi and his 11 highly diverse classmates dove into art, literature, and philosophy under the instruction of a host of artists
and professors.
Through artwork and readings from philosophical, literary, and critical texts, they examined a postmodern world and its cultural priorities, pondering complex questions: Have any universal values or remnants of traditional humanism endured? If so, how does art reflect them? If not, does art have any purpose today?
Such was the nature and tone for the entire summer, manifest the first night the students arrived.
“We began by discussing [philosopher Albert] Camus and his question about suicide,” Ghodoussi said. “Justifying living is an interesting introductory conversation to have with a bunch of strangers.”
While exhausting, the intense,
metaphysical conversations were also exciting and compelling, he said.
“We spent two to three hours in readings each day, then analyzed the pieces with works of art. It was an amazing study. I had zero interest in art before [the seminar]. It wasn’t that I disliked it; I just never thought about it.”
Reflecting on his experience recently, Ghodoussi expressed a transformed mindset.
“I am now very aware of how art can improve empathy and enlighten society, but I’m also concerned about it,” he said. “Art is primarily elitist and spins in on itself now – like learning for the sake of learning. Only a limited number of people can actually afford the time and money to do it. That shouldn’t be the case.”
Fourteen Owls earned perfect scores on the 2016 National Latin Exam, a trio of whom repeated this feat for the third consecutive year. Juniors Charlie Evans, Jackson Howell, and Jackson Moody were three of the 35 students earning this distinction among the 140,000 participants nationwide. Additional MUS students attaining perfect scores this year were seniors Rahul Mehra, Aneesh Ram, and Henry Trammell in Latin IV Poetry; juniors Brad Kerkhof, Sam Payne, Jon Staffel, and Matthew Temple in Latin III; sophomores Ethan Hurst, Zuhair Somjee, and Ty Williams in Latin II; and freshman Arjun Puri in Latin I. A tribute to excellent instruction and hard work in the classroom, a total of 151 Owls earned recognition by scoring above the national average. They earned 90 Summa Cum Laude Gold Medals, 24 Maxima Cum Laude Silver Medals,
12 Magna Cum Laude awards, and 11 Cum Laude awards. The top 10 percent of students nationwide earn Summa Cum Laude, the next 10 percent obtain Maxima, and so forth.
Bubones also made their mark at the 63rd annual National Junior Classical League Convention, which drew almost 1,500 attendees from 33 states and Canada. Six students journeyed to Indiana with Latin Instructor David Gagliano this summer, recording individual performances in academic, creative, and athletic events.
Sophomores Hurst, Brandan Roachell, Somjee, Jet Tan, Loyd Templeton, and Williams competed in six to 19 contests each.
Ethan Hurst
Olympika, First Place in each of the eight swimming events
Graphic Arts, First Place
Overall Olympika, Third Place
Reading Comprehension: Level II, 10th Place
Overall Sweepstakes (cumulative academic scores), 10th Place
Hellenic History II, 11th Place
Overall Graphic Arts, 20th Place
Brandan Roachell
Hellenic History II, 17th Place
Zuhair Somjee
Reading Comprehension: Level II, 11th Place
Ancient Geography II, 17th Place
Hellenic History II, 19th Place
Jet Tan
Academic Heptathlon II, 18th Place
Hellenic History II, 20th Place
Reading Comprehension: Level II, 20th Place
Loyd Templeton
Hellenic History II, 13th Place
Classical Art II, 16th Place
Mottoes II, 18th Place
Reading Comprehension: Level II, 18th Place
Mathletes annually testtheir computational skills against schools across the country in the Team Scramble math competition. Earning the first perfect 100 in competition history last year, the Owls once again proved themselves formidable competitors. The team scored 98, a total which put them in first place out of 116 schools in the competition. An academy in the northeast placed second with an 84.
The 100-question exam encompassed math problemsranging from simple subtraction to basic
calculus, all of which had to be completed within 30 minutes. MUS fielded nearly 100 participants from seventh to 12th grade. To solve problems and proofread answers, students used an organizational system devised last year largely by Advanced Topics in Mathematics student Patrick Murphy ’16. Dr. Steve Gadbois, instructor in mathematics, was extremely pleased with the results.
“In the past 14 years, there has been only one 100 (MUS in 2015), and a 99 and 98 by a science and technology school in New Jersey in 2007 and 2008.”
Memphis contemporary muralist and illustrator Michael Roy, aka Birdcap, created a painting titled An Attempt at Empathy as the Artist-in-Residence this year. The painting is based on artist Frida Kahlo’s 1938 work What the Water Gave Me. He also created a spray-painted street-art piece titled Owl Green
Now in its sixth year, the LuckettGuinn Artist-in-Residence program brings a different local artist to campus for a week every fall. Mr. Grant Burke, acting chair of the school’s Fine Arts Department, founded the program to support local artists and also offer students a first-hand glimpse at how different styles of art are created.
At a recent all-school chapel program, Burke and Birdcap presented the completed artwork, which will hang in the Campus Center alongside pieces from the previous five residencies as part of the school’s growing permanent collection.
Birdcap attended Memphis College of Art before moving to Korea for five years, where he taught art and English and became fascinated by the local street art. In Memphis his list of commissions continues to grow, and his work currently appears at Wiseacre Brewery and the Eclectic Eye, among numerous other public and private spaces.
Students and faculty were invited to participate in the artist residency by watching Birdcap at work, asking questions, and painting alongside him throughout the week. Burke’s four art classes shared the studio with Birdcap during his residency and
also learned the finer techniques of spray-painting street art during an outdoor demonstration in the school’s Thomas Amphitheater. The additional piece of art Birdcap created through that exercise, Owl Green, has been installed in the Fisher Fine Arts Wing.
Burke said this year’s contemporaryart theme was inevitable. “Looking at modern art from a street-art perspective is a bit overdue,” he said. “We examined the difference between street art and graffiti and discussed the worldwide phenomenon of Banksy, a great example of how street art, even though it often pushes buttons, can be a legitimate, thought-provoking form of modern art.”
As the sixth artist to participate in the program, Birdcap follows previous resident artists Mr. Pinkney Herbert, Mr. Jared Small, Mrs. Nancy Cheairs, Mr. George Hunt, and Mr. David Lynch.
The Luckett-Guinn Artist-in-Residence program has been funded for the past three years by alumni Oliver Luckett ’92, and Scott Guinn ’07. Luckett recently published his first book, The Social Organism (Hachette Books, 2016).
The Arts Department has added four new music offerings this year, two academic courses in Lower School, and two extracurricular opportunities for all grade levels.
Concert Band, a traditional course covering foundational elements of music, is available for Grades 7-8. In this class, students cover reading music and instrument and ensemble fundamentals. A beginning section is available for students who have never played an instrument, and an advanced section is geared for students who have studied an instrument for at least one year.
In Eighth-Grade Music Appreciation, students survey music from the medieval/Renaissance period up to the present, including a broad introduction to 20th century American music.
Extracurricular individual lessons with faculty and adjunct teachers can be scheduled for students in all grades. Lessons are most commonly in guitar, piano, and voice. Instruction in other instruments, music theory, and improvisation may also be available, depending on instructors’ schedules.
Pep Band, the latest extracurricular addition to MUS music, is more like a standard rock band than a traditional pep band. Electric instruments and drums combined with the MUS Drum Corps make for a unique sound –and an interactive experience for the student section at games. Pep Band students qualify for physical education exemption.
For more information contact Director of Music Matt Tutor ’91, matt.tutor@musowls.org or Instrumental Music Instructor
Stephanie Hancock, stephanie.hancock@musowls.org.
When asked about the political and social nature of his plays, the late playwright and director Edward Albee opined that all theater comes from a place of agitation, of wanting to change something in the world. He paraphrased William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, claiming that theater holds a mirror up to its audience, saying, “This is who you are. You don’t like it? Tough. Change.”
Recurrent political upheaval and the theater’s interaction with it were prominent themes in the recent production of the Bard’s beloved classic The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, performed by student and faculty players on the Hyde Chapel stage in November.
The play opens as Caesar returns in triumph to Rome, having defeated the sons of his late rival Pompey. The
soothsayer’s admonition, “Beware the Ides of March,” foreshadows coming events but, Caesar ignores the warning, and the tragedy is set in motion. Many are now convinced that Caesar might become more than a powerful politician and general; he may soon become a king.
Factions emerge. Democratic ideals give way to war; the conspirators are defeated; and order is restored at a terrible price: the return of the emperors. This study of courage, envy, patriotism, and betrayal has long been one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies. Director of Theater
Timothy Greer discussed a few of the MUS theater program’s reasons for staging it in the fall of 2016: “The play is both timely and timeless, and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has great
relevance to our daily experience at MUS,” he said. “The play possesses tremendous power to demonstrate the importance of the humanities: history, languages, literature, rhetoric, ethics, and the performing arts. Mr. [Ted] Fockler ’10, Mr. [Robert] Fudge, and I had a shared view of the scope and magnitude of the play that made staging Julius Caesar in its traditional historical milieu seem like the proper approach for us. Our audience certainly responded enthusiastically.”
The audience was not alone in its enthusiasm, Greer went on to note.
“It was a treat for the cast and crew to have the opportunity to work on a production like this one. They rose to the challenge, and, of course, there is no better way to study a great play than to become one of the characters in it.”
Brutus ......................................................................... Witt Miesse
Cassius Brooks Eikner
Julius Caesar Mr. Whit Tenent
Calpurnia .................................................... Mrs. Michelle Crews
Mark Antony Jon Staffel
Octavius George Crews, Stan Smythe
Portia ...................................................................Olivia Wilkinson
Casca Sam Payne
Metellus Cimber ................................................. Joey Rodriguez
Decius Brutus James Blatchford
Trebonius Darius Cowan
Cinna ................................................................ Joshua Blackburn
Ligarius Henry Duncan
Artemidorus Dylan Riggs
Lepidus ...................................................................... Dylan Riggs
Lucius James Smythe
Cinna the Poet Reece Needham
Marullus Mr. Trey Suddarth
Flavius Mr. Ryan Sellers
Messenger................................................................. Ben Cramer
Pindarus Henry Duncan
Popilius Lena Ben Cramer
Publius .......................................................................... Vijdan Gill
Varro Vijdan Gill
Claudius Eli Nations
Soothsayer .................................................................. Eli Nations
Strato
Ty Williams
Titinius ................................................................... Darius Cowan
Messala Joey Rodriguez
Antony’s Soldiers Sam Payne, Matthew Strock
Citizens ........................... Sophie Fernandez, Matthew Strock, James Smythe, The Company
Stage Manager Chris Padilla
Run Crew Alexander Goodwin, Cameron Wyatt
Sound .............................................................................. Eli Gruen
Lights Cash Brown
Fight Director Mr. Timothy Greer
Fight Captain ............................................................. Dylan Riggs
Rehearsal Assistant Macon Orr
Parent Coordinators Mrs. Kim Justis Eikner, Mrs. Tam Riggs
President....................................................................Josh Karchmer
Vice President........................................................Joseph Threlkeld
Secretary-Treasurer..........................................Jonathan Williams
Chaplain......................................................................Christian Berry
Parliamentarian ............................................................Evan Smith
Social Events Commissioner.....................................Dylan Riggs
Special Activities Commissioner.....................Tavion Alexander
Student Athletics Commissioner...........................Ryan Pahlow
Student Welfare Commissioner..........................Webster Austin
Grade 12 Representatives Jack Heathcott, Charlie Jones, Jack McCaghren, Cole Middlebrook, Steven Regis, Matt Silver, Alex Wolf
Grade 11 Representatives Smith Duncan, Miller Grissinger, Alex Humphreys, Jeremy Jacobs, Chris Kerkhof, Hastings McEwan, Bobby Wade
Grade 10 Representatives ......... Joshua Blackburn, J.J. Johnson, Emerson Manley, Matthew Rogers, Weston Touliatos, Philip Wunderlich, Grant Young
Grade 9 Representatives ................................ Stratton Barousse, Robert Dickinson, Charlie Eason, Gregory Guo, Keithran Hopson, Will McEwan, Will Portera
President Akbar Latif
Vice President Harm Thomas
Grade 8 Representatives Jack Beard, Judson Fair,
Hart Gowen, Elijah Graham, Jack Jabbour, Chris Parks, Wes Vanderslice, Tamaz Young, Tylyn Young
Grade 7 Representatives James Allen, Turner Bishop, Collin Craft, McRae Dickinson, William Gooch, Edward Grinder, John Monaghan, Ricky Ransom, Forest Rudd, Kollin White
President................................................................Louis Wittenberg
Grade 12 Representatives..............Jack Crosby, Henry Trammell
Grade 11 Representatives........Josiah Crutchfield, Charlie Evans
Grade 10 Representatives...Stephen Christenbury, Sloan Miles
Grade 9 Representatives......Michael Gayoso, Ben Spiegelman
Grade 8 Representatives.....................Drew Burnett, Edwin Shy
Grade 7 Representatives..Brooks Croone, Coleman Whitehead
President.......................................................................Luke Wilfong
Vice Presidents...........................Jacob Suppiah, Henry Trammell
Senior Executives................Andrew Douglass, Kian Ghodoussi, Jake Meskin, Whit Waggoner
Junior Executives.......John McBride, Matthew Temple, Leon Vo
Grade 12 Representatives Frederick Danielson, Philip Deaton, Grady Hecht, Cade Klawinski, Rahul Mehra, Christopher Nanney, Joshua Tyler
Grade 11 Representatives....................................Benton Ferebee, Benjamin Freeman, Carlo Guinocor, Brad Kerkhof, William Miller, Macon Orr, John Ross Swaim
Grade 10 Representatives Louis Allen, Jonathan Douglass, Bailey Keel, Stillman McFadden, Ev Nichol, William Quinlen, Henry Wood
Grade 9 Representatives Robert Ayotte, Parth Dahima, Jonathan Johnson, Kyle Koester, Ben Merriman, Drew Rakers, McKee Whittemore
President Michael Gallagher
Vice President Banks Benitone
Secretary
Fawwaz Omer
Treasurer J.P. Wood
Communications Officers Jeffrey Ince, Everett Miller, Samy Paul
Grade 8 Representative Jon Van Hoozer
Grade 7 Representative Jack Ryan
Senior Class .................................................. Alex Hyde, President
Government Club ................................. Kanha Mishra, President
Literary Magazine (The MUSe) .............. Darius Cowan, Editor
Lower School Newspaper (Buboles News) ... Fawwaz Omer, Ryan Peng, Editors
Upper School Newspaper (The Owl’s Hoot) ... Brooks Eikner, Barry Klug, Editors
Yearbook (The Owl) ..................... Will Collier, Alex Wolf, Editors
Grade 12 Christian Berry, George Crews, Philip Deaton, Brooks Eikner, Kobe Gibson, Josh Gray, Marcus Gronauer, Jack Heathcott, Alex Hyde, Parker Kaye, Cade Klawinski, Jamie Lindy, Jack McCaghren, Cole Middlebrook, Mayur Patil, Aneesh Ram, Mason Rudolph, Matt Silver, Evan Smith, Jacob Suppiah, Harrison Tabor, Will Tomes, Henry Trammell, Luke Wilfong, Alex Wolf
Grade 11.................................... Josiah Crutchfield, Smith Duncan, Charlie Evans, Benjamin Freeman, Miller Grissinger, Edward Henley, Jackson Howell, Jeremy Jacobs, Marshall Jones, Liam Kaltenborn, Barry Klug, Aidan Lonergan, John McBride, Hastings McEwan, Mathon Parker, Rick Reinhard, Ryan
Seamons, Zachary Street, John Ross Swaim, Matthew Temple, Leon Vo, Bobby Wade, Rucker Wilkinson, Jonathan Williams, Cameron Wyatt, Chang Yu
Over the past couple of years, Owls have met robots that can take out terrorists and bombs, they have seen robots perform detailed scientific and construction procedures, and they have built robots to navigate competitive courses. In December they created an entirely different kind of robot – one that spreads holiday cheer and knows if you’ve been naughty or nice.
Mr. Lee Loden’s Honors Physics II/Robotics seniors, Mackey Alexander, Carson Boucek, Eli Christenbury, Hill Fulmer, Andre Johnson, Will Johnson, Charlie Jones, Nelson Kaye, Parker Kaye, and Joshua Tyler took on this challenge over the last month. While simultaneously working on the mechanics of a competitive robot design, they fashioned a keyboard-playing robot in the likeness of Old Saint Nick. Robo Claus debuted in the Dining Hall December 9, “strolling” among the tables playing five holiday tunes on a digital piano keyboard.
“The students had to program a ‘down code’ and ‘up code’ for the notes they needed, so somebody had to know how to read music and figure out which note each one was and how it corresponded to our servos [small programmable motors with arms that pressed the keyboard keys],” Loden said.
The students also had to build and wire the lifesize, mobile Santa, fit the servos on the keyboard, and program them to press the right keys to play the songs.
“So there’s been a lot of stuff happening,” Loden said.
The entire class worked on the mechanics of the project, but they were divided into five teams in order to write songs for the robot to play. They quickly learned that this was going to be their biggest obstacle. Each song would require 300-500 lines of code in order to be a recognizable jingle. Each team comprised one coder and one builder – except for the team of Fulmer and Will Johnson.
“We were both builders; we weren’t good at coding … or music, for that matter,” Johnson said. “I was really worried that we’d be the last team to finish.”
Everyone contributed to the construction. Nelson Kaye and Parker Kaye built the driving portion of the robot. Will Johnson, Boucek, and Alexander worked on the servos. The team wrote code to tell each servo when, how fast, and how much each arm would rotate to play the musical notes on the keyboard.
Alexander and Christenbury, both musicians, tackled the lion’s share of the music hurdles.
“I found the sheet music. We were working within two scales, but some songs were more complicated than others,” Alexander said.
According to Christenbury it was a painstaking process to figure out spacing and timing of the servos on the keyboard so they would cover the notes of the songs.
“We needed the value of each press and release within 255 degrees range of motion for each servo – with each servo existing in a different location. And we had to get the spacing right between each note,” he said. “It was really annoying. I didn’t want it to beat me.”
There were no instruction manuals, so he spent one afternoon from 1:15-5:30 p.m. working on nothing but this problem. Once he solved the riddle, everything began falling into place - so much so that the Fulmer/ Johnson team finished We Wish You a Merry Christmas well before their deadline, and Andre Johnson began to improvise a hip-hop song for Santa to play.
“Andre programmed the piano riff from a 2 Chainz song. It was pretty funny,” Christenbury said. “At first he just did it by hand. He made everybody stop their projects to listen … and it was totally wrong, unidentifiable. But he’s got it now. It sounds good.”
Eighth graders in Mr. Garrett Smithson’s Physical Science classes recently got a crash course in Sir Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion. Working in two-man teams, the students designed and built prototype cars to safely carry drivers (raw eggs) down a ramp into a steel beam.
For each car they could use only three sheets of paper, a meter of tape, a glue gun, and one straw; axles and wheels were provided. The ramp was set at three heights (1 meter, 1.5 meters, and 2.0 meters), then raised all the way to the ceiling for a final bragging-rights challenge.
The teams recorded the times for their vehicle’s runs as they calculated speed, acceleration, and force sustained. If wheels or axles were lost, they received credit for the run but could not proceed to the next run. If the egg cracked slightly in the collision but did not break
open, the team could continue – but seriously injured drivers (broken eggs) disqualified the team.
Smithson says this lab demonstrates physics principles in a tangible way, but it also teaches the consequences of automobile collisions more
effectively than driver-education videos of accidents.
“Learning the physics of a collision helps boys understand the forces at work in moving vehicles,” Smithson says. “And the only casualties are a few broken eggs.”
In preparation for Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton (seventh grader William Gooch) and Donald Trump (eighth grader Watts Miller) withstood a barrage of questions from the audience in an event arranged by
eighth grader and debate moderator Michael Gallagher during Lower School assembly November 4.
Clinton representatives and seventh graders Jack Ryan, Forest Rudd, Kollin White, and Christopher Yarbro; and Trump representatives and seventh graders Charlie Anderson, Will Baird, Jeb Losch, and eighth grader McKnight Johnston also made presentations, speaking on race relations, the economy, terrorism, and global energy.
Under the direction of eighth grader Wesley Butler, the Debate Club met
for weeks leading up to the event as the two teams prepared their arguments from the actual published party platforms.
Students voted during lunch November 9 under the watchful eye of Lower School Principal and Election Commissioner Clay Smythe ’85. The winner was write-in candidate and eighth-grade Owl Nash Stewart Electing a non-ticket candidate was not only an impressive feat, but also an emphasis on the true winner of any proper race: democracy.
SOCCSO President Luke Wilfong used an excerpt from Luke 12:48 as a challenge at the beginning of the year: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Under this commission he encouraged students to give of their time and resources, and the results were seen in a number of successful events during first semester.
About 85 Upper School students dedicated a morning to service during Parents Back-to-School Day in mid-September, serving at Perea Preschool, Carpenter Art Garden/ Cornerstone, Urban Farms, and MIFA Meals on Wheels. Wilfong commended the project organizers for their efforts.
“We had a good event thanks to
our project leaders. [Senior] Henry Trammell and [junior] Matthew Temple, for example, did outstanding work organizing large groups of volunteers for Meals on Wheels and Perea,” he said. “And the groups led by [senior] Kian Ghodoussi and [junior] Macon Orr worked very hard at Carpenter Art Garden and Urban Farms.”
The 2016 varsity golf team won the TSSAA Division II-AA state championship, held at Willowbrook Golf Club in Manchester. The Owls won the event easily, defeating runners-up MBA and Baylor by 23 shots to secure their third state title in the last four years.
The title capped what had already been a winning season. MUS won the regional championship earlier in the year, taking care of Briarcrest, Christian Brothers, and St. Benedict. Seniors Goodman Rudolph and Trent Scull, in addition to junior Wyatt Berry, made the all-region team. With the regional title, the Owls strode into the state tournament with much confidence.
State competitors Rudolph, Scull, senior Jack Crosby, Berry, and sophomore Walker Crosby got off to a hot start, shooting a 284 to take a 14-shot lead over Montgomery Bell Academy after round one. Rudolph led the tournament with a 69, followed by a pair of 71s from Berry and Walker Crosby. Jack Crosby fired a 73, and Scull shot an 81.
Owls continued superb play in round two, shooting a 292 to clinch the state title. Rudolph finished his tournament with a 72, giving him a two-day total of 141 and earning him the individual state
by Daniel Black ’18title by two shots over Baylor’s Sam Marshall. Rudolph’s first-day 69 was the low round of the event. Jack Crosby shot a 71 on day two, and he finished the event tied for third. Berry shot a 74 on day two, giving him fifth overall; Walker Crosby shot a 75 on day two, which placed him in a tie for sixth; and Scull finished tied for 22nd with a final round 75.
The region and state titles capped off a fantastic run for the team, as they completed the season with a 41-2 record. In addition to the regional and state tournaments, the Owls were
victorious at the Baylor Preview to start the year, besting 10 of the state’s upper-echelon teams. Furthermore, they won the Ronnie Wenzler Memorial Tournament, played in honor of former MUS golf coach Ronnie Wenzler
This year’s team was a seniorladen bunch, led by Jack Crosby, Frederick Danielson, Jake Meskin, Goodman Rudolph, Mason Rudolph, and Scull. In addition to Berry and Walker Crosby, underclassmen included sophomores Henry Wells and Philip Wunderlich.
“We had one of the deepest teams
in school history and great senior leadership from many guys,” said Goodman Rudolph, winner of the Treadwell-Condon Award for the third year in a row. “Some of the young guys made noise too, like Wyatt, who finished tied for second at the regional championship, and Walker, who played a big role in the state championship. After how last year’s season ended with a third-place finish at regionals, we were eager to come back and prove ourselves.”
As Rudolph gave credit to the underclassmen, Berry made sure to note how much the seniors meant to the team.
“I think all of our guys on the golf team put a lot of work and effort into making our season successful. I’m also very honored to have participated with the six seniors,” Berry said. “It was special to have these guys finish out their last year at MUS with a great state win.”
With the six seniors departing, next year’s team will have a hole to be filled with experience and leadership. But
Coach: Jason Peters ’88
Record: 24-0-1
Roster: Sophomores Call Ford, Hall Upshaw; freshmen
Gregory Guo, Spence Wilson
Goodman Rudolph, who will be playing at Mississippi State University, was proud to finish with another state title.
“We had an unbelievable season and a state championship that I will always
be proud of and never forget. It’s sad to think that I will never play for the school again, but I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out. It’s great to be an MUS Owl.”
Coach: Jason Peters ’88
Record: 7-3, Shelby League Senior Division Champions
Roster: Eighth graders
Henry Nickey, Jack Rogers, Daniel Russell; seventh graders
James Barton, Will Pittman, Nelson Saenz
Accomplishing a feat achieved by only nine other MUS varsity football teams, the Owls will remember the 2016 season fondly. With their win over archrival Christian Brothers in late October, the squad finished an undefeated regular season at 10-0, the first perfect
regular season since 2009. A loss to Chattanooga Baylor in the quarterfinal was a bitter end to state dreams; however, players and coaches were pleased with the year’s achievements.
Led by captains Eli Christenbury, Steven Regis, and Evan Smith, the team started the season with six non-conference wins, defeating Central, 19-13; Kingsbury, 45-6; Ridgeway, 40-22; and Mississippi’s Grenada, 27-7; Olive Branch, 40-21; and South Panola, 29-0. In division play the squad won their next two games, besting St. Benedict, 43-0, and Briarcrest, 21-17, to stand at 8-0. The win over the Saints clinched the top seed out of the West in the playoffs, and momentum remained on the Owls’ side. After a 28-0 victory over Craigmont the following week, all that stood between the team and regular-season perfection was the finale against rival Christian Brothers. Ongoing injuries required sacrifice and flexibility, and the players delivered. Trailing by 7 entering the fourth quarter, the Owls rallied and scored
the game’s final 13 points to win 27-21 and claim the perfect record.
After the first-round bye in the playoffs, the Owls drew Baylor in the quarterfinals. Despite trailing by only a point early in the fourth quarter, Baylor held on to claim the 16-12 win.
Varsity Head Coach Bobby Alston looks back on the remarkable season.
“I have been blessed here at MUS to coach many fine teams. I can honestly say none exceeded my expectations more than this group of guys. Their tenacity of spirit was so inspiring and allowed us to post W’s several times when a loss looked inevitable. Completing an undefeated regular season by coming back to beat CBHS on their own field was the perfect icing on a perfect cake,” Alston said.
Several Owls set records and earned honors this year. Junior quarterback Steven Regis set two school records, most pass completions in a career at 309 and most pass attempts in a career at
Bradley Foley is off to the races in the opening moments of the game against Central. Maurice Hampton intercepts a return from Kingsbury.570. Junior kicker Trey Thomas set five school records, including most field goals made in a season, 19; most field goals attempted in a season, 25; best field-goal percentage in a career at 76 percent; most field goals attempted in a game, at six against Central; and most field goals made in a game, at five against South Panola. Junior Daniel Shumake set a record for most punts downed inside the 20 in a game, with six against Olive Branch. And three defensive players set marks for having the most productive season by position – senior Ogonna Oraedu (ends), junior Joe Carter (tackles), and sophomore Maurice Hampton (corners).
Sophomore Dorian Hopkins was the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football winner in the Division II Class AA Lineman category, besting two other outstanding finalists. Hopkins finished the year with 98 tackles, including 16 tackles for loss for 39 yards, five sacks for 21 yards, four quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, one safety, and one pass break-up. Hopkins becomes the school’s seventh Mr. Football winner and the first since 2014. (See page 35.) Senior players were Keith Burks, Christenbury, Philip Deaton, Bradley Foley, Kobe Gibson, Josh Gray, Jack Heathcott, Henry Holmes, Andre Johnson, David Jordan, Jalon Love, Cole Middlebrook, Christopher Nanney, Oraedu, Ryan Pahlow, Regis, Jacob Rotter, Smith, Jack Solberg, Jacob Suppiah, Harrison Tabor. The junior players were Tavion Alexander, John Bolton, Richard Bragorgos,
Carter, Buchanan Dunavant, Tide Faleye, Sean Fitzhenry, Miller Grissinger, Jordan Hays, Edward Henley, Noah Hooper, Anderson Horton, Michael Jennings, Barry Klug, Aedan McKay, Mac Robinson, Shumake, John Ross Swaim, Thomas, AJ Varner, Bobby Wade, Bays Webb, Will West, and Jake Wilbourn. Sophomore players were Scott Burnett, Stephen Christenbury, Anders Croone, Jack Dabov, John William Farris, Trey Fussell, William Garland, Ben Gilliland, Reagan Griffin, Hampton, Thomas Hayden, Jalen Hollimon, Hopkins, Bailey Keel, Emerson Manley, Sam Nelson, Eston Pahlow, Houston Pate, Matt Rhodes, Matthew Rogers, Dekari Scott, Sellers Shy, Alden Southerland, Liam Turley, and Johnathan Whitehead Freshman Marcus Henderson and managers Laura Carrier (Hutchison senior), and juniors Alexander Goodwin, Matthew Strock, and Mylan Taylor rounded out the team, along with assistant coaches Mr. Shawn Abel, Mr. Mark Chubb, Mr. Hamilton Eggers ’94, Mr. Jerry Ellis, Mr. Kyle Finney, Mr. Johnny Jones, Mr. Orlando McKay, Mr. Glenn Rogers, Mr. Buck Towner ’07, and Mr. Charlie White
The 2016 Varsity Football Team
Owls wrap up a Ridgeway Roadrunner.
Steven Regis tucks the ball for a gain.
Ryan Pahlow looks for a block from Cole Middlebrook.
Coached by the varsity staff
Record: 5-2
Roster: Juniors Tavion Alexander, Richard Bragorgos, Jack Eason, Tide Faleye, Sean Fitzhenry, Matt Fogelman, Miller Grissinger, Jordan Hays, Edward Henley, Noah Hooper, Michael Jennings, Barry Klug, Aedan McKay, Mac Robinson, John Ross Swaim, AJ Varner, Bobby Wade, Will West, Jake Wilbourn; sophomores Scott Burnett, Stephen Christenbury, Anders Croone, Jack Dabov, John William Farris, Trey Fussell, William Garland, Ben Gilliland, Reagan Griffin, Thomas Hayden, Jalen Hollimon, Bailey Keel, Emerson Manley, Sam Nelson, Eston Pahlow, Houston Pate, Matthew Rogers, Dekari Scott, Sellers Shy, Liam Turley, Johnathan Whitehead; freshman Marcus Henderson
Head Coach: Bobby Wade ’84
Assistant Coaches: Trevor Benitone ’91, Henry Dickinson ’11, Mason George ’06, Larry Heathcott, Ben Stallworth ’07, Jack Steffner ’09
Record: 8-0, City Champions
Roster: Elliot Allen, Will Arthur, Banks Benitone, Cameron Bouley, Walker Burks, Drew Burnett, Alex Coffman, Austin Dowdle, Beau Elkington, Christopher Goodwin, William Harris, Rhodes Heard, Jordan Helton, John Parker Hogan, George Howard, Jeffrey Ince, Will Jarratt, Warren Johnston, Roderic Lewis, Colby London, Mac Magness, Gavin McKay, McLean Meeks, Watts Miller, Gavin Murrey, Charlie Nichols, Darren Robinson, Jack Rogers, TR Santos, Will Schuessler, Dan Shell, Edwin Shy, Nash Stewart, Harm Thomas, Cason Triplett, Tamaz Young, Tylyn Young
Coached by the varsity staff
Record: 7-1
Roster: Alan Applewhite, Stratton Barousse, Vaught Benge, Matt Camp, Gus Carter, Robert Dickinson, Ben DiMento, Charlie Eason, Edward Erb, Charlie Gilbert, Marcus Henderson, Cody Hopkins, Keithran Hopson, Hunter Kendall, Caleb London, Devin Malone, Matthew McDaniel, Cole McDonald, Will McEwan, John Paik, Riley Palmer, Will Portera, Collins Robinson, Thomas Rogers, Ben Skahan, Ben Spiegelman, Charlie Street, Graham West, Sam Faber (manager)
Head Coaches: Derek Clenin ’03, Richard Moore ’98
Assistant Coaches: Bryan Crenshaw ’10, Jay Edwards ’07, Drew Karban ’10, Buck Towner ’07
Record: 5-5, City Semifinalists
Roster: James Allen, Hunter Barnes, Will Camp, Will Crosby, Patrick Curlee, McRae Dickinson, Dean DiMento, Andrew Doggett, Owen Fussell, Kyler Herring, Dex Jack, Will Jenks, Devin Meyers, KJ Milan, Clayton Nearn, Mac Owen, Jack Ryan, William Shell, Clarkson Shoaf, Porter Webber, Hayes Wilkinson, Duncan Williams
Owls line up against the Christian Brothers defense. Bobby Wade runs the ball against Ridgeway. 2016 City Champs KJ Milan runs the ball during the MUS vs. Collierville game.TENNESSEE TITANS MR. FOOTBALL
D-II AA LINEMAN OF THE YEAR
Dorian Hopkins (See page 35.)
LIBERTY BOWL HIGH SCHOOL
ALL-STAR TEAM
Bradley Foley
Ogonna Oraedu
Evan Smith
D-II AA WEST COACHES
ALL REGION TEAM
OFFENSIVE LINE Eli Christenbury
OFFENSIVE RECEIVER Maurice Hampton
OFFENSIVE BACK Bradley Foley, Steven Regis
DEFENSIVE LINE Joe Carter, Ogonna Oraedu
LINEBACKER Buchanan Dunavant
SECONDARY Maurice Hampton
SPECIAL TEAMS Trey Thomas
SPECIAL AWARDS
STEVE MINKIN HEADHUNTER AWARD
Dorian Hopkins
HOLIDAY HAM – TREY JORDAN “DO RIGHT” AWARD
Evan Smith
DAN GRIFFIN SPIRIT AWARD
Offense: Eli Christenbury
Defense: Evan Smith
W.S. ROBERTS MVP AWARD
Offense: Maurice Hampton, Bobby Wade
Defense: Dorian Hopkins
1st Team
Joe Carter
Bradley Foley
Maurice Hampton
Dorian Hopkins
Ogonna Oraedu
Ryan Pahlow
Steven Regis
Trey Thomas
Bobby Wade
2nd Team & Honorable Mention
Eli Christenbury
Buchanan Dunavant
Josh Gray
Jack Heathcott
Anderson Horton
Jalon Love
Matthew Rhodes
Evan Smith
John Bolton
Kobe Gibson
Daniel Shumake
These were the award lists available at press time.
From left, Coach Bobby Alston and captains Steven Regis, Evan Smith, and Eli Christenbury From left, Maurice Hampton, Bobby Wade, Eli Christenbury, Evan Smith, and Dorian Hopkins
Coming into the 2016 crosscountry season, which, according to Coach Joe Tyler, started the day after the 2015 Division II-AA state meet, he was looking for daily improvements. For Tyler what would make this season truly special was how much work and dedication his runners would put in during the offseason, particularly during the summer. Tyler and his assistants, Coach Jonas Holdeman and Coach Meredith McFarlin, stressed to their runners the importance of working the entire year, and the dedication that many of their athletes showed proved their commitment not only to individual improvement, but more important, to the improvement of the team.
The 16 varsity runners learned how
essential commitment and work are as they completed their season. This group included five seniors – George Crews, Charlie Gilliland, Davis Harano, Will Schneider, and Sloan Schneiter – runners with extensive experience in the program. The coaches allowed them to lead the younger runners and gave them ownership of the team. Whether they had a good season or struggled was dependent on the team, particularly these leaders.
The younger members of the varsity squad included juniors Smith Duncan, Benjamin Freeman, Jeremy Jacobs, Hastings McEwan, and Peter Raves; sophomores Hudson Miller and Kayhan Mirza; and freshmen Jackson Dyson, Rob McFadden, Alex Warr, and McKee Whittemore
Junior varsity runners included juniors Jack Eason and Aidan Lonergan, and freshmen Robert Ayotte, Hugh Bourland, Sam Burchett, Parth Dahima, and Edwin Rawson.
The Owls raced in six regular-season meets, including four league meets, all at Shelby Farms Park. The other local meet was the Frank Horton Invitational, also held at the park. Additionally, the team traveled to Danville, AL, for the Jesse Owens Meet. These competitions helped ready the Owls for the state meet, held at the five-kilometer Percy Warner Steeplechase Course in Nashville in early November.
At the state meet the Owls raced very well, finishing sixth out of 11 teams with 168 points, 19 points behind fifthplace McCallie. McEwan had the team’s highest overall finish, completing the course in 17:11.84 to claim 11th overall.
Freeman also had an outstanding race, running 17:20.87 to finish 16th. Other Owl finishers included Raves, Warr, Crews, Jacobs, and Duncan.
Tyler acknowledged the importance of good leadership.
“Our achievement at the state meet was a direct result of the leadership provided by our seniors,” Tyler said. “Those guys have left a legacy.”
Despite losing the five Class of 2017 runners, Tyler is excited about the younger runners – and expects these guys to have started already preparing for the 2017 state meet.
Coaches: Antony Eddy, David Ferebee
Record: Finished in top nine against about 30 teams in the four regular season meets;finished fifth out of 11 in the Shelby County Championship
Roster: Eighth graders Cash Brown, Wesley Butler, Doug Curtis, Elijah Graham, Robert King, Colby London, Paul Marr, Hud McGehee, Aidan Saunders, Ahmad Selim, Wes Vanderslice, Will Watson, J.P. Wood; seventh graders Will Baird, Will Chandler, Patrick Gavin, Jackson Harding, Shuja Mirza, Gryffin Ostner, Cole Rutherford, Lawson Touliatos, Henry Weeks, Kollin White, Daniel Xu, Jack Zanone, Kerry Zhao
“Davis joined the team as a freshman and Charlie joined as a junior,” Tyler said. “During their time on the team, they both demonstrated to a high degree the characteristics for which this award is earned.”
Sophomore Maurice Hampton earned a place on the PG Select Baseball Rosters. The 40 spots, split between two 20-man rosters in an East/West matchup, were based on the players’ performances at Perfect Game USA events this summer. Hampton was one of only two players from Tennessee.
MUS celebrated the first of three 2016-17 National Letter of Intent signing days Wednesday, November 9. Family and friends celebrated these athletes’ decisions in a ceremony in Wunderlich Lobby.
The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. To learn more about the NLI program or see the next signing date, go to nationalletter.org.
Christian Berry - Princeton, Swimming
Parker Kaye - University of TennesseeKnoxville, Swimming
Cade Klawinski - High Point University, Lacrosse
Jack McCaghren - University of Pennsylvania, Swimming
Alex Robinson - University of Alabama, Swimming
Goodman Rudolph - Mississippi State University, Golf
Freshman lacrosse player Ben DiMento was named to the 2016 Southern Showcase All-Star Team Anthracite in November.
USA Swimming has announced the 2016 Scholastic All-America Team, and five Owls have made the cut.
Henry Keel ’16 and seniors
Christian Berry, Parker Kaye, Jack McCaghren, and Alex Robinson have met the requirements for this honor. This is the third time Keel has been named to the list, and the second
time for Berry, Kaye, and Robinson. To be an All-America Team member, the candidate must be a sophomore, junior, or senior in high school, must have at least a 3.5 GPA for the current year, and must have swum a Winter Junior qualifying time. USA Swimming serves as the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States.
Sophomore Dorian
Hopkins was named the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football DII-AA Lineman of the Year. A committee of Tennessee sports writers selected winners based on performance in the 2016 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. High school head coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists, announced at the end of November during a luncheon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Three Owls were named to All-State Soccer teams this summer. Matthew Davidoff ’16 and senior Jacob Suppiah were named to the Tennessee Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association DII-AA All-State Boys Soccer Team as midfielders, and Michael Swift ’16 was named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association DII All-State Boys Soccer Team as a forward.
The trap team closed a very good 2015-16 season, thanks to a strong, active squad of 29 varsity and 10 junior-varsity shooters. The Owls competed in five tournaments during the second semester, including the district tournament in April and the regional tournament in early June. They closed the year by competing in the state championship at the end of June.
The team began practicing twice a week during the second semester: Monday afternoons after school at Shelby Farms Park and Saturday mornings at the Memphis Sport Shooting Association in Lakeland. Going into the state championship, the top shooters were senior Henry George with a 90 percent average of hitting targets over the course of the season, junior Mac Robinson with an 87 percent average, Jim House ’16 with an 86.8 percent average, senior Burch Baine with an 85.84 percent average, and senior Hill Fulmer with an 85.82 percent average.
The next set of high performers includes junior Jack Eason with an 83.92 percent average, sophomore William Quinlen with an 82.92 percent average, sophomore Philip Wunderlich with a 74.08 percent average, junior Aidan Lonergan with a 74.08 percent average, and sophomore Richard Neff with a 71.88 percent average. All shooters showed marked improvement over the course of the season.
Coach Hamilton Eggers ’94 and Coach Jonathan Large awarded the Best Sportsmen Award to Baine and fellow senior Zachary Klinke for their constant cheerful willingness to help with preparation and clean-up efforts at practices and tournaments.
Other members of the team included the following shooters: 2016 graduates Alex Barksdale, Beck Blake, Carter Coleman, Bolton Gayden, Edwin Hussey, Jack Lewis, Patton Orr, Sam Reese, Russell Sands, Eli Weinberg; seniors Grady Hecht, Will Johnson, Charlie Jones, David Jordan, Griffen Walden; juniors Edward Henley, Will Huffman, John Keegan, Barry Klug, Bo McEwan, Hastings McEwan, Macon Orr, Mathon Parker, Charlie Rhodes, Will West; and sophomores Walker Crosby, Bailey Keel, and Thomas Mirth
Chairs
Laurie and Jeff Meskin
Secretary Susan and Jay Lindy ’80
Treasurer Helen Gronauer
Communication/Parent Education
Membership
Spirit Coordinators
Arts Coordinators
Grandparents
Fundraising
Admissions
Phonathon
Hospitality
Upper School Hospitality
Lower School Hospitality
Blazer Consignment
Grade 12 Reps
Grade 11 Reps
Grade 10 Reps
Grade 9 Reps
Grade 8 Reps
Grade 7 Reps
Maria and Mike Douglass
Stephanie and Spence Wilson
Stephanie and Jamie White, Julie and Gregg Meeks
Kim and Flip Eikner ’77, Tam and Rollin Riggs ’78
Courtney and Bryan Smith ’91
Susan and John Huffman
Karen and Larry Klawinski
Barbie and Mims Clayton
Beth and Walker Hays ’84
Kristen and Jay Keegan ’88
Jenny and Larry Herman
Ashley and Bert Robinson ’90
Kim and Bryan Jordan
Amy and Bill Rhodes
Melanie and Stilly McFadden ’75
Irene and Ron Ayotte
Amanda and Jason Gowen
Vicki and Kurt Nelson
Ellis Haguewood
Headmaster
Barry Ray
Upper School Principal
Clay Smythe
Lower School Principal
Bobby Alston
Director of Athletics
Bonnie Barnes
Director of Hyde Library
Flip Eikner
Academic Dean
Perry Dement
Director of Advancement
Claire Farmer
Director of Annual Fund
Rankin Fowlkes
Director of Business Operations
Joe Abrahams
Director of Counseling Services
Ann Laughlin
Director of Alumni and Parent Programs
Brian K. Smith
Director of College Counseling
Peggy Williamson
Director of Admissions
Liz Copeland
Director of Communications
Marci Woodmansee
Associate Director of Communications
Rebecca H. Greer
Managing Editor, Inside MUS
LeeAnn Christopherson
Creative Director
Sherry Henson
Graphic Designer
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.
Securing their third state title in the last four years, the varsity golf team defeated runners-up MBA and Baylor by 23 shots at the TSSAA Division II-AA championship in September. See junior Daniel Black’s story on page 26.
