Twelve Hutchison sophomores took the places of real government officials at the Youth in Government Tristar Conference in Nashville.
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Hutchison Sophomores Get Hands-On Experience in Politics Through Youth in Government
Note to the State of Tennessee: if you want to get legislation passed, put Hutchison girls in charge! Twelve sophomores wrote and presented five bills at the 69th annual 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.
Twelve Hutchison sophomores rose to the challenge of running the State Capitol at the Youth in Government Tristar Conference in Nashville. Part of the Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government Program, the annual Tristar Conference is designed to offer high school and middle school students a hands-on experience with state government. Students roleplay and take the places of real government officials.
As state senators and House representatives at the conference, Hutchison participants wrote and presented five bills, which all made it through committee and onto the Senate and House dockets. A bill written by Hira Janjua ’24 and Shifa Qureshi ’24 bill was signed into law after passing in both the Senate and the House. The legislation made CPR training mandatory for schoolteachers. A bill by Adela Calzada ’24 and Olivia Lester ’24 that proposed mental health seminars in schools passed in the Senate. Noorain Gill ’24 and Maddie Lee ’24 wrote a bill protecting children in foster care, and it passed in the House and Senate.
In addition to these successes, Adela Calzada ’24 and Sarah-Catherine Jackson ’24 received Outstanding Statesperson awards, and Noorain Gill ’24 and Maddie Lee ’24 received an Outstanding Bill award. Congratulations!
From left to right: Adela Calzada ’24, Sarah-Catherine Jackson ’24, Noorain Gill ’24 and Maddie Lee ’24 photographed with their awards.
The following students participated in the Youth in Government Tristar Conference:
Adela Calzada ’24
Zelia Cedeño-Avila ’24
Lauren Coleman ’24
Izzy Ellis ’24
Noorain Gill ’24
Sarah-Catherine Jackson ’24
Hira Janjua ’24
Caroline Kim ’24
Maddie Lee ’24
Olivia Lester ’24
Shifa Qureshi ’24
Sakshi Singh ’24
We are proud of our girls' hard work and civic engagement during this wonderful learning opportunity. Hutchison educates young women for success and lives of integrity and responsible citizenship. We teach our girls to think critically and engage in civil discourse.
Hutchison Now highlights recent graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Catherine Owen ’17, who works at a sustainable oyster farm owned by Aubrey Sanders ’04 on Edisto Island, South Carolina.
Starting down a new path can be hard for anyone, especially for a high school student moving in the middle of junior year. Wylly Willmott '22 said Hutchison's welcoming atmosphere and the supportive staff both in the classroom and out made her feel at home from the start.
National Merit Finalist Annabelle Bridgforth ’22 is a disciplined, hardworking student who has excelled in the classroom while building relationships through sports and songwriting.
Hutchison Now highlights recent graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Katie Hussey ’16, chief of staff for Goldman Sachs’ two global leaders of Consumer and Wealth Management.
Hutchison Now highlights recent graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Kate Christenbury ’07, supervisor of a multi-state telecommunications team for ConocoPhillips.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2022 Virtual 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 38 students win awards at the fair, the most out of all independent schools that competed.
Meet Renee Grinder, who has been a kindergarten teacher at Hutchison for four years. Before she had her own classroom, she served as an assistant in pre-kindergarten for two years and a substitute teacher for two years. Her experiences as a parent inspired her to come back to the classroom at Hutchison.
Morgan Schrier ’22 is a dedicated student of the Chinese language who chose to continue to learn after completing AP Chinese. This year, she has been assisting Hutchison Chinese teacher Lynn Tian in the classroom with her fifth-grade students. Outside of helping girls learn Chinese, Morgan serves as a member of Peer Council and Morgan mentors 8th- and 9th-grade students adjusting to upper school. She also is heavily involved in her Jewish youth organization.
Note to the State of Tennessee: if you want to get legislation passed, put Hutchison girls in charge! Twelve sophomores wrote and presented five bills at the 69th annual 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.
Ella was among the 23 high school girls honored as a Girl Who Means Business by the Memphis Business Journal for exemplary academic and extracurricular achievements and community involvement.
Five Hutchison scholars will participate in high-intensity summer programs in subjects including computational physics, international studies, and theatre at universities across the state.
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Ava Dickson ’22 is from Jonesboro, Arkansas, which is an hour and 15 minutes away. Hutchison wasn't the most convenient choice for Ava, but it turned out to be the best choice.
Meet Maggie Blake. Ms. Blake researched baboons in South Africa and worked as a park ranger at several national parks. Now, she is imparting her love of science to students as an 8th-grade physical science teacher in her first year at Hutchison.
Zoe Zerwig Ford '23 is one of two students in Tennessee and one of 40 students nationwide to receive the award from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).
Meet Kim Knauss, Hutchison's middle school learning specialist. In her role, she is poised to help each girl maximize her learning through intentional and personalized support.