News Brief: Spring/Summer 2021-22

Spring Cum Laude Inductees

Ten seniors were inducted into the spring Cum Laude Society: Kylie Burger, Clara Engman, Christian Ford, Greta Hinke, Hannah Hoch, Lilian Jochman, Caroline Kornreich, Anna Staples, Amara Thohan, and Caleb Webb.

Check Mate

USM’s chess team won its fifth consecutive city chess championship, competing against more than 100 area students. The team consisted of Aradh Kaur ’26, Jind Kaur ’28, Aditya Pillai ’23, Hersh Singh ’24, and Krish Vasudev ’24.

New Leadership Team Member

Amy Hand is USM’s first assistant head of school for teaching and learning. She brings extensive experience from other independent schools including Packer Collegiate Institute, Trinity School, and The Spence School.

The IT Crowd

Congratulations to (from left) Mackenzie Petersen ’23, Divya Pandey ’22, Libby Cox ’23, and Nina Daruwala ’22, who earned the 2022 Aspirations in Computing award sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

Harvard Model Congress

Fifteen Upper School students participated in the 37th Harvard Model Congress. Lilian Jochmann ’22 and Joseph Zimmerman ’22 (pictured) won the best delegate gavel, and alumna Anna Fitzsimmons ’21, a sophomore at Harvard, chaired a committee.

Community Education Speakers

USM hosted four speakers this spring, including Dr. Marc Brackett, Dr. Lisa Damour (pictured), Dr. Michelle Borba, and Dr. Dana Suskind. The events were held in partnership with REDgen, a local organization that fosters healthy, balanced lifestyles.

The Power to Stand

Chris Norton, a former college football player, suffered a catastrophic injury in 2010 and lost all feeling and movement from his neck down. As the inspirational 2022 Cindy Zautcke Memorial Speaker in April, he discussed his road to recovery.

Spreading Kindness

USM celebrated Kindness Week in April, spreading positivity at school and beyond. Students collected items for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, participated in cross-divisional events, and learned how kindness can impact our community.

Tower Project 2022

More than 80 students in 4th, 8th, and 12th grades participated in Tower Project capstones, in which they develop, research, and create projects for an entire year, gaining skills in research and writing, public speaking, risk-taking, and more.

Hole in One

USM’s golf team has a new, multi-use indoor training facility for practice regardless of the weather. The system includes a driving range and several 18-hole course simulations, plus skills challenges for specific distances and shots to improve aim and accuracy.

Students Compete at ISEF

Aditya Pillai '23, Jordan Thomas '23, Jonathan Crawford '23, Aidan Wang '24, David Watkins '23, and Max Watchmaker '23 competed at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Crawford '23 earned a first grand award.

Honoring Our Veterans

Eighth-grade students hosted the 11th annual March to the Memorials event, in which students march 8,000 collective laps around the Middle School car circle (the equivalent distance to Washington, D.C.) to raise money for veteran organizations.

NHD Goes to Nationals

USM students Delia Narrai ’26 and Liesel Kocourek ’26 took 3rd place at the National History Day national competition, while Nina Goldberg ’26 was in the top 10. Carson Tauscher’s ’26 and Veer Gokhale’s ’26 project was displayed at a Smithsonian museum.

Getting Down to Business

Kindergarten students completed their economics unit by creating class-wide businesses, including a restaurant, a waffle shop, a theatre production, and a dance performance. The businesses take weeks to develop, and students create ads, products to “sell,” and more.