Ensights Magazine

Ensworth kitchen ladies

Faculty & Staff News

Tiffany Townsend
What has the Ensworth faculty and staff been up to this fall? Read below to find out!
Bryan Van Vleet is the Tennessee State Director for the National High School Strength and Conditioning Association (NHSSCA). Van Vleet hosted a free strength and conditioning clinic called Family Day in October and is planning a larger state clinic at Ensworth in March. Family Day included four speakers that spoke about topics from off-season training to sports nutrition and concluded with a round-table discussion. 
 
The Kindergarten team, Sukey Johnson, Camy Sachez, Megan Florentine, and LeAnn Jackoboice, attended the National Association for the Education of Young Children conference in November. 
 
At the annual Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Conference for Professional Development, Tish Picklesimer and Stephanie Kaplan presented on “How to Introduce Yoga and Mindfulness into your Physical Education Program.” Kaplan also serves as the Tennessee Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance Elementary Physical Education Board Representative; she is the only private school K-12 representative on the board for the state.
 
Laura Koerner Stewart, Director of College Counseling at Ensworth, was inducted into the five-member 2019 Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Friday, August 30. As a soccer player, Laura tops the Vanderbilt record books for career goals (57), single-season goals (19), career points (140), and single-season points (46). Throughout her college career, she earned spots on the All-SEC first team, the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) all-region team, and the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
 
High School baseball coach, Jason Maxwell, was a clinic speaker at the National Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) annual convention in Nashville in early January. 
As a speaker, Coach Maxwell joined College Baseball World Series champion coach Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt, three-time American League Manager of the Year Buck Showalter, and former major leaguer Brett Butler. Jason's session was on the topic of "Infield Play: Trust Your Abilities and Play to Your Strengths."
 
Ensworth’s high school kitchen staff of Angela Pursley, Debbie Corbin, Monica Armstrong, Lisa Aldridge, Carol Bredesen, Katrina Rouse, Tinker Van Why, and Stephanie Watson were recognized in October at the “Cheers to Life” Awards benefitting the Starfish Infertility Foundation. The Gittens family nominated the group for their giving hearts, noting, “Growing up in an environment foreign to your socio-economic reality can place a lot of stress on developing youth. Naturally, our instincts have a tendency to seek out comfort, and that is what we found in Ensworth's High School lunch ladies. These women from varying backgrounds shared with us a common perspective of love.”
 
Justin Tatman, athletic trainer at the high school through STAR Physical Therapy, spoke at the 29th Tennessee Athletic Trainers' Society (TATS) Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium on Sunday, January 19, 2020. Justin presented on the topic of "An Update of Evidence in Sports-Related Concussion for the Athletic Trainer," stemming from his previous role as program coordinator for a multidisciplinary concussion program in Minneapolis.
 
This past summer, high school athletic trainer Jill Keeler completed the Titlest Performance Institute (TPI) training and is now a TPI Certified Expert. TPI is a tool that analyzes a golfer’s swing and body, including how they compare to those of professionals and amateurs. At the beginning of the fall golf season, the TPI screen was used to evaluate each high school golfer. Based on the TPI screen results, Jill designed golf-specific corrective exercise programs for individual golfers. In conjunction with the Director of Strength and Conditioning, Bryan Van Vleet, the athletes were also given golf-specific fitness programs that addressed the team’s global deficiencies. Implementation of the program has been successful in that by the end of the season the golfers reported they felt an improvement in their swing and performance. Ensworth’s golf program is the only high school program in the state of Tennessee to have a TPI Certified Expert on staff. Results from the TPI screen offer valuable information for Ensworth’s golf coach, Virgil Herring, as another tool to help develop each athlete to their fullest potential.
 
Grounds and Sports Turf Wins National Award: The Ensworth Grounds and Sports Turf crew won a Pioneer Athletics Fields of Excellence® Award for their work on the football field at Daily Stadium on the High School Campus. In their announcement, Pioneer Athletics commented, “Pioneer understands that excellence in athletic field maintenance goes unrecognized and often, unappreciated. The Fields of Excellence Award Program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them.”
 
Laura Riley recently retired after 19 years with Ensworth. During her tenure, Laura served in a variety of roles within the Business Office, including Assistant Business Manager, Director of Human Resources, and Director of Employee Benefits. Laura is a member of the Ensworth class of 1966, and her three children, Robert '95, Ellen '98, and Carolyn '02 all attended Ensworth, as well.

Faculty Births

Jennifer Ames Zuercher (Glenn)
Sophia Lily Zuercher
August 31, 2019
 
Brad Wilkerson (Blaire) 
Logan Hudson Wilkerson
July 21, 2019
 
Hans Holzen (Lily) 
Anja Allegra Holzen
July 31, 2019
 
Stephanie Kaplan (Zachary) 
Weston Brooks Kaplan
December 26, 2019
 
Paul Downey (Liza)
Henry Joseph "Hank" Downey
January 16, 2020

Faculty Weddings

Kristin Ware to William Paine
December 28, 2019

Faculty Retirements

Laura Riley  2000-2019
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Red Gables Campus (K–8)

Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus (9–12)

Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 301-5400
Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.