Varsity Basketball Coach Thomas Jones wins Pat Summitt Coach of the Year award
The Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee named Thomas Jones the Pat Summitt Coach of the Year for Division 2.
The award comes after Coach Jones guided the varsity basketball team to the best season in Hutchison’s history during the 2020-2021 year, with the team finishing 22-2 and capturing its first state championship. The Sting beat Knoxville Catholic in the Division 2-AA final in March.
BCAT aims to represent all basketball coaches as one unified voice throughout the state. The organization also strives to promote professionalism and networking.
"It's a big honor. Not only for myself but for my school, for my girls," Coach Jones said.
"I am kind of a firm coach, kind of a tough coach sometimes, but I try to have a good player relationship. If your players buy in, if your community buys in, the rest is easy," Coach Jones said.
He said the Hutchison community truly showed its support around the championship season, streaming the semifinal game on screens around the school and throwing a parade upon the team's return from its big win. He hopes to see people back in the stands when the upcoming season begins.
The varsity basketball team will start preparing for the season soon. Many of the top players last season graduated, but Coach Jones said this is not a year when the team has to rebuild.
“We are at that level. We still want to compete. Ultimately we want to get back to the same goal, want to accomplish the same things, but we do know it will be a little more challenging this year," Coach Jones said.
Fifteen-year student Emmy Walton ’23 has put her heart into becoming a rocket scientist one day. After developing her interests in science and math through various STEM opportunities at Hutchison, she will follow her dreams at one of the nation’s top schools for engineering, Purdue University.
The National Merit Finalist was challenged by Hutchison’s various academic and extracurricular activities. From the tennis court to the courtroom to the classroom, Sarah is a well-rounded, hardworking Hutchison student who lives up to the school’s mission of inspiring girls to go anywhere they can imagine.
Eve-Elyse Hall ’23 has been known for setting up her teammates on the volleyball court throughout an excellent high school career. Now she’s setting herself up for a bright future after choosing to sign to play volleyball at Asbury University in Kentucky.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2023 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish and Chinese, Hutchison had a total of 21 students win awards at the fair.
Note to the State of Tennessee: If you want to get legislation passed, put Hutchison girls in charge! Seventeen juniors wrote and presented six bills at the YMCA Youth in Government conference in Nashville. All of the bills made it onto the Senate and House dockets, and one was signed into law.
JK girls aren’t scared of these bones! They were fearless and loved being scientists as they took a closer look at the animal bone collection of Lauren Pharr Parks ’02, alumna and mom to Patty Mae ’36.
Seven upper school students will participate in high-intensity summer programs in subjects including computational physics, international studies, and visual arts at universities across the state.
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Dabney Roberts Ring ’90 joined Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s staff in January 2016. She is currently a Senior Policy Officer and the Federal Relations Lead on Mayor Strickland’s intergovernmental team. She helped build an immersive internship for Hutchison senior Katie Frazer ’23.
Each year, Hutchison seniors on the Philanthropic Literacy Board research community needs and decide how to allocate grant money to local nonprofits that focus on those issues.
As eighth graders study the Holocaust, they got a unique opportunity to hear from a Hutchison staff member and her father about her grandparents' story of survival.
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Natalie Alexander ’25 is the first recipient of the award. She was chosen because she exhibits characteristicsthe award’s namesake, Dot Jones Hammons ’76, has demonstrated throughout her life: intellectual curiosity, steadfastness, loyalty, kindness, and compassion.