Fresh faces with seasoned tenures join HS faculty

Join us in welcoming to the High School Math and Science Teacher Alex Wankowicz, Math Teacher Sarah Helms, Ceramics Teacher Natalie Thedford, Science Teacher Eric Royer, French Teacher Morgan Miense, History Teacher Ayesha Nawaz, English Teacher Phillip Bandy, and Head of High School Chai Reddy.
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Alex Wankowicz joins USN to teach Physics I and Algebra II. He holds a B.A. and M.Ed. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A fourth-generation teacher, he grew up in Massachusetts and worked for five years in a public school outside of Boston. In 2018, he moved to San Francisco and transitioned into the world of independent schools while his wife earned her Ph.D. in Biophysics and Structural Biology. They moved to Nashville so she could serve on the faculty at Vanderbilt University. When not teaching, you can find Mr. Wankowicz in the mountains. He is an avid rock climber, hiker, trail runner, and biker.

High School Math Teacher Sarah Helms will teach Geometry. She earned a B.S. in Math and Secondary Education with a minor in Communication from the College of Charleston, where she was an equestrian. She has taught algebra, geometry, and statistics in private and public schools all over the country. She describes herself as a collaborative teacher who truly wants to get to know her students. Mrs. Helms is a girl mom to a 6-year-old and 2-year-old and has been with her husband since age 16.

High School Ceramics Teacher Natalie Thedford earned a  Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D Art with a concentration in ceramics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and this past spring completed her Master of Fine Arts in Art Practices with a concentration in ceramics at the University of Colorado Boulder. Ms. Thedford is an artist and educator from Chattanooga and taught general art and ceramics and coached soccer for 2.5 years at a high school and middle school in Chattanooga. After that, she moved to Northern California where she worked at a ceramic arts center, maintained her studio practice, and exhibited her work in galleries between Sacramento and the Bay Area. Ms. Thedford then moved to Boulder, Colorado for graduate school and taught Foundations of Art, Ceramic Handbuilding, and Ceramic Wheel Throwing as a graduate instructor. When not in the ceramics studio, you can usually find her riding her bike, trail running, or playing a pick-up game of soccer.

High School Science Teacher Eric Royer will teach Biology and AP Environmental Science. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Geology and an M.A. in Teaching Secondary Science Education from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. He is a proud native North Carolinian and has taught in public and independent schools in North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, most recently middle school science at The Ensworth School Mr. Royer is an avid runner who is passionate about coaching cross country and track. In his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants in Nashville, hiking, and traveling with his wife Kasey and their two dogs, Aspen and Echo.

High School French Teacher Morgan Miense earned a B.A. in French from Portland State University and a master’s degree in Teaching French as a Foreign and Second Language from Université Lumière Lyon II. Madame Miense is entering her 15th year of teaching and has taught in Arizona, New Mexico, New York, France, Tanzania, and most recently, Madagascar, where she served as the Head of the French Native and Non-Native programs. Her global experiences have shaped her teaching methodologies and fostered a deep appreciation for diversity and cultural awareness. Madame Miense was a softball pitcher in college and also was a member of two dance companies in France and in Madagascar.

High School History Teacher Ayesha Nawaz will teach American History and AP American History. She holds a B.A. in International Political Economics from Colorado College and an M.A. in Middle East History from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. Born in a small town in the Himalayan foothills of Pakistan, Mrs. Nawaz has lived in many different places but most of her childhood was spent in Colorado. For the last two years, she has been in Nashville with her husband, two daughters ages 16 and 13, a bunny, and birds. Before moving to Tennessee, her family kept chickens and bees too. She loves hiking, picnicking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with dear family and friends.

High School English Teacher Phillip Bandy will teach English 10 and English 9: Matters, Making, Meaning. He holds a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and earned a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was born and raised in Chattanooga, where he attended McCallie School. Mr. Bandy said he was inspired by his wonderful professors in Knoxville to pursue a career in higher education and moved north to attend the University of Wisconsin where he taught numerous courses across a variety of historical and literary topics. He has an Australian Shepherd named Murphy after the Beckett novel, and in another life said he would have been a sportswriter.

Announced in the spring, Chai Reddy is Head of High School. He is a product of the independent school Holland Hall in Oklahoma, earned a Doctor of Education in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies from Creighton University, a Master of Arts in Humanities from John Carroll University, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Lake Forest College. Dr. Reddy comes to USN from Beaver Country Day School in Massachusetts, where he has worked as Director of the Upper School since 2021. He began his career as a math and science teaching intern at the Haverford School in Pennsylvania before moving to Hawken School in Ohio where he taught history and humanities, coached, and served on a number of student and faculty committees. Dr. Reddy moved to Punahou School in Hawaii where for 14 years he taught social studies, coached football and basketball, and oversaw the start and growth of a number of global education programs as director of the Wo International Center. He has served on the faculty during the National Association of Independent School’s annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference — which USN student leaders attend each fall — and was the founder and principal consultant for the Shanti Alliance, designed to support educators and students as they enact social change within their school communities. He moved to Nashville this summer with four dependents: a 6-year-old son, a 2-year-old daughter, an 8-year-old chocolate labrador, and a 7-year-old terrier, pitbull, and “maybe some other stuff-mix.”



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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.