When did we earn our Tiger stripes? Exploring USN branding
Ever wonder how USN got its colors and branding? Celeste Green ’27 and Abigail Manoukian ’27 visited the school Archive to find out. This article originally appeared in The Peabody Press, the High School student-run newspaper.
By Celeste Green ’27 and Abigail Manoukian ’27
Every University School of Nashville student recognizes Columbia blue, garnet, and Tigers as the colors and mascot symbols of our school, but was it always this way? And where did this branding come from?
These questions are surprisingly difficult to answer due to the fact that, unlike some of our peer schools, USN does not have a formal uniform besides sports jerseys. Thankfully, USN vintage sports uniforms and yearbooks can reveal some information.
In 1888, long before USN even existed, there was a school called the Winthrop Model School. This school was run by George Peabody College, which may not have had athletic jerseys, merchandise, or color photos to leave for posterity.
However, it did have a yearbook. USN’s official archivist, Kat Trammell ‘99, traced our current school colors from a 1908 yearbook titled: “The Garnet & Blue.” This yearbook is the first documented mention of USN’s iconic colors in history, meaning they have been part of our history for 116 years.
The boys and girls cross country teams have earned Distinguished Team Academic Awards from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association for their high GPAs.
USN debaters claimed another championship at their first in-person tournament of the year at the Peach State Classic in Carrollton, Georgia. Congratulations to third-place speaker Madeline Shinohara ‘28, sixth-place speaker Eesha Nachnani ’28, and solo Varsity debater Charles Cook '27.
USN Mission: 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.