MUS News Archive

College Admission Deans Panel: April 12

3/24/2023

Upper School parents are encouraged to attend an MUS/Hutchison College Admission Deans Panel on Wednesday, April 12, 5:30 p.m., in Hyde Chapel.

NHS Inducts 62 Owls

3/24/2023

The Memphis University School chapter of the National Honor Society inducted 62 members from the junior and senior classes in a ceremony March 24.

Dr. David Jackson, chair of the selection committee, welcomed students and families to the ceremony while speaking on wisdom and the National Honor Society principles. Senior members then addressed the four pillars of the society, lighting candles to correspond with each trait: Amar Kanakamedala on scholarship, Parth Mishra on leadership, Carter Campbell on character, and John Lee on service.

Free US Physicals Night: April 26

3/23/2023

Mark your calendars for Free Physicals Night on Wednesday, April 26, at Zupmed in the Laurelwood Shopping Center. Available for all rising Upper School students, the physicals will be provided in this order: rising seniors will begin at 5:30 p.m.; rising juniors, 5:45 p.m.; rising sophomores, 6 p.m.; rising freshmen, 6:15 p.m.

Sports Events Through April 1

3/23/2023

There are many sports opportunities to check out through April 1! Tickets for home events can be purchased HERE. Live streams for most home games can be found HERE.

Students Elect Owen Honor Council President

3/23/2023

The student body elected junior Bennett Owen to be the 2023-24 Honor Council president.

The Honor Council, composed of representatives from each class and a president elected by the student body, is charged with the responsibility of seeing that the school’s Honor Code is upheld and that any violation is dealt with fairly and justly.

Spain Named MUS Assistant Principal

3/22/2023

Mr. Ross Spain has been named Memphis University School’s new Lower School assistant principal and Admissions associate, effective this summer. Spain comes to MUS from Presbyterian Day School where he has been director of Student Life since 2009.

Lower School Luau: April 1

3/22/2023

Lower School students are invited to a spring Luau Saturday, April 1, 7-9 p.m., in Todd-Snowden Gym. Hutchison and St. Mary's seventh and eighth graders have been invited to join us.

Q3 Report Cards Just Ahead!

3/21/2023

Third quarter report cards will be available online Friday, March 24.

Register for Spring Formal by April 16

3/21/2023

Student Council is hosting the Upper School Spring Formal on Saturday, April 22, 8-11 p.m., at the Memphis Botanic Garden. The registration form (on the US Dance Registration Resource Board) must be completed by MUS students and their parents by Sunday, April 16, 11:45 p.m.

Wu Biology Olympiad Semifinalist

3/21/2023

Junior Evan Wu was among 400 semifinalists from around the world who competed in the Biology Olympiad on March 16. Wu and juniors Bryan Ding and Eshaan Patnaik and freshman Ari Thiyagarajaa took the online open exam February 2.

Owls Visit Selma and Montgomery

3/13/2023

Owls traveled to Alabama for an educational tour to wrap up Black History Month. Led by English Department Chair Elizabeth Crosby and History Department Chair Jonathan Jones, the group first stopped at the site where Ell Persons was lynched in 1917 off Summer Avenue near the Wolf River. A marker stands near where the lynching took place. This event led to the formation of the Memphis chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Elahi Educates about Ramadan

3/9/2023

Senior Abdullah Elahi held a chapel presentation March 8 on the most blessed time for Muslims around the world – Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, and introspection. This year the observance runs from March 22 - April 21.

Owls Complete 14-Hour Contest

3/7/2023

Armed with laptops, a whiteboard, comfortable clothes, and assorted snacks, seniors Amar Kanakamedala, Jeffrey Liu, Henry Yu, Lou Zhou, and junior Evan Wu sequestered themselves for 14 continuous hours March 3 to compete in the MathWorks Math Modeling Challenge, an online contest with $100,000 in scholarships at stake. They completed a research paper titled "Riding into the Future: Evaluating E-Bikes."

Owls Honored in DAR Contest

3/7/2023

Three eighth-grade Owls received honors in the Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Contest, and Liam Curran took first place in the chapter, district, and state.

Adams Focuses on Manhood Principles

3/6/2023

Hunter Adams ’06 spoke to seventh and eighth graders during the monthly Manhood Breakfast March 3. Honor Council president his senior year, Adams focused on the three tenets of the Community Creed that most resonate with him: Truth and Honor, Respect, and Accountability.

Cummings Named Admissions Director

3/6/2023

Joe Cummings has been named Memphis University School’s new director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, effective August 1.

Johnson Offers Steps to Success

3/3/2023

We are grateful to Pastor Donald L. Johnson of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church for his chapel message today on three steps to success. Johnson encouraged the boys to be self-governing in emotions and conduct; to be discerning about peer influence; and to draw strength from a spiritual, not material source.

Parents of Sophomores: Signatures Needed

3/2/2023

Students have received their 2023-24 Course Request packets in homeroom. The Course Request form requires a parent signature.

CSO Volunteers Needed: March 4

3/1/2023

The Civic Service Organization will host their next Mid-South Food Bank distribution Saturday, March 4, in the Lower School parking lot. Volunteers should arrive at 8:30 a.m., and plan to leave around 11 a.m.

Celebrate Owls With Dedicated Books

2/28/2023

Celebrate your student's birthday, graduation, or other accomplishments by dedicating a book to the Hyde Library! Dedicated books are displayed during the year and include a special book plate honoring your Owl’s birthday or achievement.

Owls Advance in Computational Linguistics

2/28/2023

Thirteen Owls competed in the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition January 25, and seniors Varun Krishnamurthi and Ismael Qureshi and junior Gabe Chen have qualified for the invitational round March 16. In Tennessee only six students advanced, and three are Owls.

Robotics Team Wins Think Award

2/28/2023

The 14-man Upper School robotics team was hard at work throughout this school year preparing for the TN FIRST Tech Challenge State Championship at Middle Tennessee State University February 18. After going 5-0 in qualifier matches and competing in the semifinals, they won the Think Award, given to the team that best reflects their journey through the engineering design process.

Three Owls Win at Mock Trial

2/27/2023

A dental model lost control of her scooter after skidding on sand that had spilled from a “party wagon.” The model suffered numerous injuries including the loss of her two front teeth, and she sued the driver for damages. The MUS Mock Trial team took on the case during the Mock Trial District 14 Competition.

Cum Laude Society Inducts 26 Owls

2/26/2023

The Memphis University School chapter of the Cum Laude Society inducted 26 new members from the classes of 2023 and 2024 during a ceremony February 24. Membership in the Cum Laude Society is the highest academic honor students in a secondary school can receive. The MUS chapter, which was modeled on Phi Beta Kappa, was chartered on December 14, 1967. The society encourages scholarship under the motto, “Excellence, Justice, Honor.”

Lower School Manhood Breakfast: March 3

2/24/2023

Seventh and eighth graders are invited to attend the next Manhood Breakfast Friday, March 3. In this monthly series, faculty and alumni share their transformative MUS experiences, from boyhood to manhood, and use Community Creed principles to help students apply the lessons to their own lives. Complimentary breakfast will be provided, beginning at 7:15 a.m.

Cheer Tryouts/Clinics: March 27, 28, 30

2/16/2023

Cheerleading tryouts will be Thursday, March 30, 4 p.m., with mandatory clinics March 27-28.

DECA District Honors, Orlando Trip

2/16/2023

Twenty-five DECA members qualified for the state competition after finishing in the top 40 in the district competition. The state competition will be held March 9-11 in Chattanooga.

Harris Highlights Black Church Traditions

2/16/2023

Thanks to Upper School Counselor Candy Harris for a heartfelt chapel program highlighting the history and customs of the Black church through her personal experience. And special thanks to the Ridgeway High School Concert and Men’s Choirs for a stirring performance of gospel music.

Toolbox Tuesday Adds Money Sense

2/14/2023

The uber-popular Toolbox Tuesday continues into the new year for eighth graders with an added program for seventh graders. Pam and George Sousoulas Chair of Economics Orlando McKay will teach his “How to Win with Money 101” course to seventh graders in Dunavant Lecture Hall every other Tuesday for the remainder of the semester. The class is usually offered over the summer to Grades 9-12.

Robotics Engineers Top Competition

2/13/2023

The Lower School Robotics Club took home the highest honor, the Middle School Excellence Award, at the West Collierville Middle School VEX Robotics tournament February 11. The top trio of engineers – eighth graders Ike Emmert and Walker Shirley and seventh grader Mustafa Rehan – qualified for the state tournament March 4 at Brentwood Academy. See the guys in action from another recent event (at SBA) HERE.

Chrishton King Music Chapel

2/10/2023

Sophomore Chrishton King used Wednesday’s chapel to highlight how Black music has influenced most popular tunes filling the radio waves.

Lower School Co-Edge with Bees

2/10/2023

The eighth grade Owls and seventh grade Hutchison Bees made the trek across the tree line separating the two campuses to swap places for Co-Edge Day.

LS Owls Top Shelby League

2/9/2023

The seventh and eighth grade Owls won the Shelby League Tournament Finals of their respective basketball leagues February 8.

Nine Owls Compete in AIME

2/9/2023

Nine Owls competed in the prestigious American Invitational Math Exam Tuesday, February 7. The students scored well enough on their American Math Competition exams to qualify for the three-hour, 15 question AIME.

Varsity Swimmers Win County

2/9/2023

The Upper School swim team won the Shelby County Championship for the 11th time Saturday, January 28.

Coach John Jarnagin Honored

2/8/2023

The Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association honored Head Baseball Coach John Jarnagin for his 784 career victories.

JV, Varsity Golf Tryouts: July 19-20

2/8/2023

Tryouts for the 2023-24 JV and varsity golf teams will be held July 19-20 at Windyke West Country Club at noon.

Robotics Owls Compete at SBA

2/7/2023

Three Owl robotics squads competed in the VEX Robotics Competition at St. Benedict at Auburndale Saturday, January 28.

Students Advance in Shakespeare Competition

2/7/2023

Freshman Miles McCarroll won the schoolwide English-Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition January 27 by performing an excerpt from Henry IV, Part 2, Act 5, Scene 5. Sophomore Amrik Chakravarty placed second with a performance as Nick Bottom from Act 4, Scene 1 of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ramsay Explores Own History

2/6/2023

Senior Kyan Ramsay’s chapel presentation started with a video, put together by fellow senior Cristian Arocho, in which they asked students and teachers to choose between a favorite interest and Black History Month. When Madame Rebecca Keel was asked “French or Black History Month?” she responded, “French Black History Month!”

The video was a humorous way to highlight the question Kyan asked himself about Black History Month: Why? Why is it important? Why do we celebrate it?

Aitken ’23 Commits to Memphis

2/3/2023

Senior Stryker Aitken committed to continue his football career at the University of Memphis. He put pen to paper in front of friends and family in the lobby of the Sue H. Hyde Sports and Physical Education Center.

Business “Generalist” Speaks to DECA

2/3/2023

Executive Director at USRowing Rich Cacioppo spoke to the DECA club on “The Case for Being an All-Around Athlete” or becoming a well-rounded businessman.

School Resumes Friday, Feb. 3

2/2/2023

School will be in session Friday, February 3, opening at the regular time. Dress code is Friday attire: coat and tie. The Massey gate will be closed, so please use the Park or Ridgeway gates.

Owls Earn All-West Band Honors

1/30/2023

Congratulations to the Owl musicians who auditioned for the All-West Tennessee Bands. They performed difficult musical excerpts and scales, and they were required to sight-read in front of a judge who is a professional musician and/or teacher.

Swimmers Win County

1/30/2023

The Lower School swimming team won the Shelby County Middle School Championship in a meet at St. George’s in December.

Zhou: Stats of the Last Shot

1/19/2023

Senior Lou Zhou reported in chapel on his independent study in sports analytics with Math Instructor Darin Clifft. Using random forest decision making and statistical computing, he quantified NBA players’ ability to make the last shot in a game, calling it DAWG, for Daggers Adequately Winning Games. “Through a combination of a metric which measures the importance or pressure of each shot as well as a metric which defines the difficulty of the shot, we can describe using math a player’s ability to hit that last shot.” Among his Top-10 were DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, and Steph Curry, players “known pretty well for their clutch shooting ability.”

Taylor ’11, About Finding His Lane

1/17/2023

Mr. Scooter Taylor ’11, co-founder of West Peek Productions, spoke to students in chapel Friday about discovering their own paths in life.

Five Owls Win Art Awards

1/12/2023

Five Owls earned honors in the Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards for work they produced during the first semester. See their work HERE.

Andrew Xu ’23 entered an illustration titled “Poli Sci,” which earned a Gold Key. Xu’s art will be on display at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and it will be sent to New York for national judging.

Celebrating Our Memphis Home

1/9/2023

Memphis Day 2023 – dubbed Memphis Day Mayhem – showcased the best of the city with a little wrestling on the side!

The morning kicked off in Hyde Chapel with Studio Band playing Memphis tunes and Headmaster Pete Sanders framing the school’s vital connection to the city. He cited the 572 alumni who hold seats on nonprofit boards, the 486 Owls who are high-ranking corporate officers, and the alumni behind 20 of the top private companies in Memphis.

Applying for Financial Aid

1/6/2023

We encourage every family to apply for need-based financial aid, even if they think they might not qualify. Some colleges are surprisingly generous with their financial aid awards, so it is worth applying to receive full consideration.

Also, to be eligible for aid consideration all four years, some colleges require families to apply for financial aid the first year.

Mr. Willie Gregory Offers Words of Wisdom

1/6/2023

Often described as the man who personifies the slogan, “Just do it,” Mr. Willie Gregory, a Nike executive, has worked with top pro athletes, helped bring the Grizzlies to Memphis, spearheaded the largest sports athletic contract for the University of Memphis, worked to quell community unrest, and joined forces with organizations from the Greater Memphis Chamber to the 100 Black Men of America to the National Civil Rights Museum.

Illustrating his talk with examples from his life, he advised the boys to remember three words: relationships, opportunity, and appreciation.