The MUS Lower School Blog

Baseball scrimmage canceled

The Lower School baseball scrimmage scheduled for Sunday, March 1 is officially canceled.

Science Olympiad is finally here!

From Mrs. Sowell: Science Olympiad is TOMORROW!  (Saturday, February 28^th).  All team members should meet at Christian Brothers University (notice the clear skies) by 7:45 a.m.  All morning events will be completed by 12:30 p.m., so unless you parents want to come back for the awards ceremony around 2:00 p.m., you are welcome to take your son home.  Everyone should meet in the Central Avenue parking lot by 7:45 a.m., and in case of rain, everyone will meet under the opening to the Cooper-Wilson Science Center.  Here is a link to the campus map. Current Science Olympiad Team members have a sheet, given to them today, which lists the student’s event, time, and location.

Spring sports blogs information

Please make use of the athletics blogs for all Spring sports practice and game information. For example, the Varsity Baseball blog is your source for all things Lower School Baseball.

Math-a-palooza

Every MUS Lower School math student participates in two National contests, the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) and the Math League Press . Last Friday, Maria Burke, our fearless leader, acknowledged all these fellas (below) in assembly.

Our boys took the AMC 8 Nov 18, 2008. Nathan Vogt recorded the top score in the school, and as a result, his name is engraved on a special plaque where past MUS math scholars reside in posterity.

Seventh-grader Garrett Sullivan achieved second place in a tie with eighth-grader Andrew Renshaw.

First place finishers in his individual math class section are as follows:

Andrew Plunckett

Chip Womack

Josh Patterson

Noah Thomas

Michael Turley

Michael Fitzsimmons

Zach Olsen

Garrett Sullivan

Nathan Vogt

Stephen Pacheco

Shaan Jiles

Nicholas Beals

Chris Galvin

Davis Howe

David Blankenship

Renn Eason

Cameron McDonald

Michael Birnbaum

The last math test taken for these competitions was the Math League Press, taken February 17. Our team score is based upon the top five guys in each grade:

Seventh-grade:

1)       Garrett Sullivan  (36)

2)       Matthew Gayoso (35)

3)       Aditya Shah (32)

4)       Samuel Ostrow (32)

5)       Salman Haque (30)

6)       Alex Carter (30)

Eighth-grade:

1)       Walker Bussey-Spencer (34)

2)       Farhan Kathawala (34)

3)       Nathan Vogt (32)

4)       William Hoehn (31)

5)       Andrew Renshaw (31)

6)       Srujan Jampana (31)

First-Place from his individual math class:

Connor Goodwin

Elliott Slovis

Cameron McDonald

John Valentine

Zach Spisak

Alex Carter

Garrett Sullivan

Walker Bussey-Spencer

Farhan Katawala

Bennett Mercer

Michael Jalfon

Noah Thomas

Eric Mabry

Pete Abston

Ford Howell

Kris Lucas

These are some strong performances, and we all should be quite proud of the students and faculty who work so hard to make these these results.

Tennis

Tennis Blog is available for all practice times and match schedules regarding Lower School tennis. Please make a note of the link on the athletics link from the MUS homepage. 

Marshall Sharp wins Regionals, places in Nationals

We will publish individual kudos awarded to our students for their out-of-school activities where appropriate, and in the case of eighth-grader Marshall Sharp, the awards in tennis are quite impressive.

A couple of weeks ago in Jackson, Mississippi, Marshall placed first in the Southern Regionals, fourteen-year-olds. In the Nationals just this past week in Dothan, Alabama, he finished the same age category third in doubles, fourth in singles.

That's an impressive showing, to say the least. Marshall is a consistent Honor Roll student who is living proof that a student-athlete can compete on a high level. Congratulations, Marshall!

Soccer jerseys need to be returned

If your son played Lower School Indoor Soccer over the past few months and weeks, we need his jersey to be returned. Please do so by having it washed and folded before returning it to the Lower School office as soon as possible.

Thank you for you prompt attention. We need the jerseys for the upcoming soccer outdoor season.

Libraries and reading: times-a-changin'

Another New York Times article for us to consider is the changing nature of libraries in the life of students. MUS is fortunate to have a library staff which has both anticipated and initiated the appropriate operational changes which allow our boys access to an organized approach for gathering data and information. Bonnie Barnes is the MUS library director, and she can answer your questions concerning any of our library services.

What we learned from Shane

Maybe you read about Shane Battier in Sunday's New York Times. For those of us familiar with Battier's days at Duke as well as with the Grizzlies, we saw a familiar story, what author Michael Lewis refers to as "a basketball mystery." Since Battier was one of precious few standout names for the Grizzlies to trade in order to attempt their present youth rebuilding project, we understand the business of his trade. However, we can sense his loss to our local franchise along the lines of Lewis's description; something heavy, something weighty, something those chaps need is missing.    

What is missing is the powerful, tangible effect of Battier's citizenship among his peers and his ability to approach properly, as well as to deliver, in games. 

I think we want our sons to live their lives a lot more like Shane Battier than some of the more culturally-touted examples out there. Maybe you agree?

Ethics and kids

A "troubling picture" is brewing for our children with regard to ethics, according to an article sent in by one of our parents. I appreciate the gesture, and it's quite timely. Today in Hyde Chapel, Ben Ferguson spoke to the boys, and he spent a lot of his time concentrating on the value of individuals telling the truth and the ensuing practical benefit for their lives as a result. I encourage you to read the linked article here, and discuss its ramifications with your son.