The MUS Lower School Blog

Back by popular demand, Healthy eats for Exam success

Download HealthyExamPrep. Click on the link here, read, cut and paste the links provided, take stock of provisions, and head out to the store. Your boys will enjoy a breakfast specifically engineered for domination on the day's exam. Coach Tyler's annual exam-specific culinary advice is updated for the realities of 2009 first semester exams. Enjoy!

Exams run from 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and boys should bring materials each day to study for the next day's exam.

Listen up

Desire some great music? I just streamed Diana Krall's "White Christmas" recording from her Christmas Songs album. Now, I have the Eddie Higgins Trio's version of "Deck The Halls with Boughs of Holly" from their Christmas Songs album. Sounds like some sort of jazz holiday music theme. If I get a wild hair, I can select to swing the mood into either The Ramones or Schubert... without changing a CD.

If you're reading this, and you have a good connection to some quality speakers, you could be in for a real treat if you desire listening to a wide array of music choices. There are a number of online music sources from which you can play music as you select a continuing and expanding playlist, more or less, in nuanced versions, and one of these options is Pandora One. There is a free Pandora version, and there is a "for-pay" version, Pandora One, at $36 a year.

I've listened to free Pandora for years now, and the recent addition of Pandora One is a significant improvement over the previous offerings, an affordable way to have a little better quality of life while maintaining the daily grind. 

Bookstore open for business today!

After breakfast, drop by the Schaeffer Bookstore opening at 10:00 a.m. to secure some last minute shopping. All kinds of MUS loot awaits, from Christmas ornimments to gift cards in $10 incriments, State Championship t-shirts, and a bunch of things any MUS alumnus or fan will enjoy. The kind folks there working off their Saturday Schools will be happy to gift wrap everything for you. 

The bookstore is open today from 10-12 noon, located in the Campus Center Dining Hall. Call 'em at 901.260.1369 or email them, bookstore@musowls.org.

Good luck with Social Studies today, eighth graders! Incomplete Art projects should be completed by the end of the day as the studio is open until 3:15 p.m. with Mr. Buchman waiting to greet you :)

Few among people

August Klinke ('15) knows when it's time to follow the crowd, and he's cautious to know when to stay to complete an exam. With his classmates having completed their Old Testament exams and being summarily dismissed to exit by way of the library so as not to disturb fellow students, Klinke waved off the opportunity and chose to remain and review his work right up until the 10:45 a.m. bell. I bet his extra attention to detail pays off.  

This year, we wanted to avoid our usual experience of the early dismissal (10:00 a.m.) disrupting those who choose to stay in the examination rooms for up until the total time allowed, 10:45. Seeing that the strong majority of this particular Old Testament class was clearly completed with their exam taking and exam reviewing, and knowing that seventh graders have no exams tomorrow, I allowed those who had turned in exams to go to the library just for today. With a few more exams to go this week, each accounting for 25% of the semester grade, we think it best for the boys to err on the side of caution and stay for the entire period instead of responding to their inner misinformed anxiety to flee at the early bell. My money is on a material grade increase for these exams when compared to the same time last year. I'll report later.

Grapplers practice times announced

For all Lower School wrestlers, the wrestling room will be open from 11-12:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday for an informal optional practice with Coach Hendricks.  For those guys wrestling this Saturday, please meet Coach Knaff at 11:15 a.m. in the back gym at Germantown High School; wrestling will probably begin at 12:00 noon.

Swimming to victory

The Middle School Germantown Invitational team scores were –

MUS – 108

MHEA – 107.5

St. Georges – 76.5

St. Francis – 48.5

Houston – 37.5

Homelife – 14

Birarcrest – 11

St. Agnes/St. Dominic – 2

White Station – 2

Download Mus lower school results 

Thornton Brooksbank won the 50-yard freestyle, Sherman Tabor came in a very close 2^nd in the 50-yard butterfly, and Austin Dobbs came in 2^nd in the 50-yard breaststroke.  The 100-yard Medley Relay team of Thornton, Austin, Sherman, and Pierce Rose was narrowly out-touched and placed 2^nd. 

Fencers look sharp, get to the point

Friday's demonstration by the school Fencing Team highlighted some impressive talent assembled by Coach Brad Kroeker (middle rear). Recently competing as a fledgling club organization within the school, the Fencing program has quickly evolved and matured into a an impressive school team now participating in state and regional competitions. With one opening remaining available on the team, this is somebody's big chance, but you don't have to be a big guy. Looking at the fencers here, stature can vary. As Coach Kroeker said, fencing requires as much mental preperation as it does physical ability. 

Friday's exciting display was sure to awaken a few of our boys to the challenging opportunity of considering a try-out. If interested, potential fencers should inquire in the office. 

Exam reviews set

When exams begin Monday, students should bring study materials for the next day into the classrooms and be prepared to remain in the classrooms for the entire exam period. Once an exam is completed to the best of the student's ability, then he should read through the entire exam thoroughly, proofreading until he's satisfied that he's "left it all in the classroom." After exams are turned into the proctors, students are to return to their desks and begin studying for the next day's exam.

Friday, December 11

Torrey/English 7:15 a.m., English classroom

Askew/8^th grade English review 3:30 p.m., TBD

Monday, December 14

Murphy/Acc. Algebra I (7 and 8) 11-12:30, Room LS 102

Tyler/Math 7-8 am, Dunavant Lecture Hall

Beck/Science 11-12, Science classroom

Suddarth/Latin 11-12, Coach Sudd’s Office

Dent/Old Testament 11:30-12:30, Room 110 – come only if you have questions to ask

Tuesday, December 15 

Tyler/Math 7-8 am, Dunavant Lecture Hall 

Beck/Science 11-12, Science classroom

Rutledge/Social Studies 11-12:30, Room 108 

Tenent/Social Studies 12-2 pm, Room 108

Miller/Science 2-4 pm, Physical Science, Dining Hall

Wednesday, December 16 (Art make-up day, 8:30-3:15)

Buchman/Art, Studio all day

Lawrence/Life Science 12-2 pm, Dunavant Lecture Hall

Miller/Science 12-2 pm,  Physical Science, Dining Hall

Thursday, December 17

Tyler/Math 7-8 am, Dunavant Lecture Hall

Sullivan/Math 7:30-8:15 am, Room 104

Friday, December 18

Tyler/Math 7-8 am, Dunavant Lecture Hall

Sullivan/Math 7:30-8:15 am, Room 104

Student-athletes perform at the highest level

From yesterday's New York Times:  "Always sit up front in class. That has been Colt McCoy’s rule for himself in every class he has taken at the University of Texas." 

McCoy was recognized recently among 16 NCAA seniors who discovered successfully how to balance football and academics, all finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given by the National Football Foundation to the top scholar-athlete in the United States. 

Every student and parent can read through the article and grasp the spirit of the issue at hand: students can do both school and sports, and they can excel at both. The specific anecdotes here exposing the close correlation between academic and athletic preparation boil it down. Work ethic and priority matter.

Talent matters as well, yes. Some guys are bigger, faster, and stronger than others. Some guys also have a higher I.Q., and they may (or may not) have a better working environment and associated study habits conducive for academic success than their peers. Teachers here have seen it all. In the wide middle where a lot of our guys at MUS fall, most every student has a good formula containing of "all of the above." The difference among those who experience broad success and those who don't often comes down to will power and maturity. Around here, people do what they choose to do, and those who choose to organize their assignments, execute those assignments on time, prioritize their various academic and athletic preparations... those guys do well, and they have fun, even if their I.Q. is a little more modest and their feet not as fleet as their peers. Chutzpah, audacity, guts... various takes on a certain temperament come to mind. I find that the young men in this article "play to win." No one said that their success came easily, and all portray an honest assessment of their challenges along the way.

Exam info hot off the press

Want the exam logistical information distilled into one page? Here's the best I can do: Download Sem1Exams.

Fund drive announced

The Lower School is conducting a Christmas fund drive. Donations will augment gifts for the MUS Maintenance staff. Funds raised in excess of the gift goal will benefit the Fair Day for elementary students coming in January. 

The Christmas Drive will officially run from Tuesday, Dec. 8 through Friday, Dec. 11, 2009.

Donations will be collected in each homeroom. The homeroom collecting the most money each day will receive a pizza party on Friday.

No one may contribute more than $50 on any given day.

Model UN results

Mr. Tenent writes: On December 5, thirty eight Lower Schoolers attended the 7^th Annual YMCA Middle School Model United Nations at the Memphis City Council Chambers. During the program, students represented different United Nations countries presenting resolutions to committees in the morning, and in the afternoon the entire group assembled to hear selected resolutions in the General Assembly. These resolutions range from education reform in Honduras to efforts towards eradication of child exploitation in Uganda.

MUS had three different resolutions presented to the general assembly. Spencer Richey and Nick Dimento represented Somalia and presented their resolution on Aiding Somali’s in their Fight against Islamic Rebels. Nick and Spencer’s resolution passed in the General Assembly. Shivam Bhakta and Tejvir Vaghela represented Burkina Faso and presented their resolution on Fighting Malnutrition in Burkina Faso. Shivam and Tejvir’s resolution also passed in General Assembly. Finally, Aditya Shah, Chris Galvin, and Jackson Roberts represented the Republic of Nigeria. In their resolution the boys presented on the subject of having a fixed percentage of Nigerian oil revenues from foreign oil corporations allocated to provide beneficial funds for national needs. Their resolution passed in general assembly as well.

Overall the boys did very well in the conference. Aditya Shah, Jeremy Boshwit, and Andrew Elsakr were all acknowledged as Outstanding Delegates. Congratulations to all who participated!

Model UN boys throwing the U! 

Spelling Bee champion

During Lower School assembly on Monday, December 7, in the Dunavant Lecture Hall, the 2009-2010 Lower School Spell-off selected seventh-grader Andrew ELSAKR as MUS's spelling champion and representative to the Memphis-Shelby County Spelling Bee on February 6 at the Al Chymia Shrine Temple.

Seventh grader, Andrew Elsakr, receives congratulations from King Bee Mr. Terry Shelton (L) and Bee Keeper Mr. Spencer Reese following today's championship round in the Dunavant Lecture Hall. Andrew survives to compete in the 2010 Shelby County Championships in February. 

Six Lower School boys qualified for the spell-off by placing among the top three finishers in two preliminary spelling bees in October and November. Today's finalists assemble following their heated joustings: Pictured from left to right are Zack Spisak, Marshall Sullivan, Mr. Shelton, Alex Carter, Baty Daniel, Mr. Reese, Michael Carter, and Andrew Elsakr.

In the spell-off the six contestants gradually fined down to ELSAKR and DANIEL, with the lead switching several times as they paced through such words as anticoagulant, conundrum, and palatable, until  DANIEL slipped on analogize, which ELSAKR spelled correctly.  Then, tension high, the champ accurately spelled infatuation to clinch his win.

 English teachers Sally ASKEW, Spencer REESE, Terry SHELTON, and Dax TORREY conducted the three bees.