Above: An iconic interior stairwell at USN was painted more than 30 years ago by a USN alumnus on the school's original plaster walls. All photos by Mael Pack.
Vince Durnan wasn't exaggerating. "We use this place really hard," said the director of University School of Nashville last Tuesday, in introducing several dozen business officers and other independent school operational leaders to the historic K-12 independent school in downtown Nashville. With just under 1,100 students sharing 230,000 square feet of space under a single roof, that's "210 square feet per kid," Durnan added. To the visitors, the tour of USN modeled how a landlocked urban school can use space efficiently, creatively and in ways that inspire learning at every level.
The visit to USN was one of five school tours offered to attendees of NBOA's 2018 Annual Meeting. The other schools were Ensworth School, Father Ryan High School, The Harpeth Hall School and Montgomery Bell Academy.
Prior to beginning their tours, the NBOA visitors saw a brief video history of USN, created by a member of the school's technology staff.
"The building is humble, but the students are grand," said Teresa Standard, USN's chief financial officer.
