Stories from the Ridge, The McCallie Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Championship Week: A Conversation With Lee Burns and Ralph Potter Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

As the McCallie community prepares for the Blue Tornado football team’s game Thursday, December 2, for the state championship, Head of School Lee Burns ’87 sits down with Coach Ralph Potter ’81 to discuss the upcoming game, the legacy of football at McCallie, and the prospects for the game against Montgomery Bell Academy. Coach Potter shares his coaching philosophy, and the two stress the importance of the McCallie community cheering the team on as they play for the championship in Chattanooga’s Finley stadium.

Bible Department: A Discussion With Dr. David Eastman Nov 26, 2021

Show notes

A new book (his fourth) by Dr. David Eastman, the Sherril Chair of Bible and head of the Bible Department, is the topic of the latest in a series of podcasts examining the various academic departments of McCallie. In this episode, Dr. Eastman is joined by Dr. Sal Musumeci, one of McCallie’s history teachers, as well as Sumner McCallie, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, in a discussion of the book, North African Christianity, Turning Points in the Development of the Church. They also talk about the Bible Department, how McCallie teaches Biblical subjects to students of many different faiths, and why teaching about religion, faith, and ethics is an important part of McCallie’s pedagogical philosophy.

This is the fourth in a series of podcasts examining the academic departments at McCallie. Other podcasts in this series will be posted throughout the remainder of 2021.

Languages: More than Immersion Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

McCallie’s goal is for students to not simply “learn” a second or third language, but to “acquire” it, and by doing so to understand the cultures and personal perspectives of people in other parts of the world. That’s one of the themes touched on in a podcast discussion among four language teachers at McCallie. The discussion is part of McCallie’s Stories from the Ridge podcast series on academic departments.

The latest podcast features Dean of Faculty and Curriculum Sumner McCallie talking with the language teachers about their teaching methods and the importance of language proficiency in today’s global world. Joining Mr. McCallie are Frank Watkins, Spanish teacher and chair of the department, Paul Cudd, German teacher, Jason Jones, Latin teacher, and Carson Murphy, Chinese teacher.

English Department: Grammar and Literature Reexamined Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

The way in which McCallie students learn to write and to appreciate and understand literature has changed over the years, but the objectives remain the same. That’s the message of three of McCallie’s English teachers in this wide-ranging discussion of many themes related to how English is taught.

The discussion is hosted by Sumner McCallie, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, and features Sam Currin ’03, Chair of the Department who is in his 11th year at McCallie, Erin Tocknell, in her 14th year and who teaches sophomore-level courses, and legendary teacher Bill Jamieson, in his 40th year teaching eighth graders.

An earlier a podcast featuring the science Department can be found here. Over the next two months, all other academic departments will be featured in this series.

A New Way of Teaching Science Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Collaboration, moving around, not expecting teachers to know all the answers, even learning to appreciate failure ... those are some of the characteristics of new methods of teaching science that members of McCallie’s Science Department are using to educate a new generation of scientists and citizens. And they are topics that are discussed in this edition of McCallie’s Stories From the Ridge podcast series.

The Science Department podcast is hosted by Sumner McCallie, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, and features Michael Lowry, in his 28th year on the Ridge, and who serves as department chair, Dr. Karah Nazor, in her 10th year, and Matt Allen, in his third year. It includes lively discussions of how and why science is taught in both the Upper and Middle Schools and conveys the passion that the teachers bring to their profession.

This is the first of several podcasts featuring the academic departments at McCallie. Other podcasts will be released throughout the fall of 2021.

Squash: What It Is, How It is Played, and Its Role in McCallie’s Varsity Athletic Offerings Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Squash, McCallie’s newest varsity sport, is the topic of this edition of Stories from the Ridge. Head of School Lee Burns ’87 introduces the new head varsity squash coach, Dan Sharplin, who discusses his reasons for coming to Chattanooga to lead this growing part of the school’s athletic offerings. Mr. Sharplin, who comes to the Ridge via his native New Zealand and Boston, shares his vision for McCallie’s squash program and how he sees it as a way to introduce squash to other high schools in the Southeast. He and Mr. Burns also share their vision for a squash facility on McCallie’s campus (the squash currently uses a club squash facility in Downtown Chattanooga).

For the many McCallie alumni and friends who are unfamiliar with squash, Mr. Sharplin gives a brief explanation on how it is played.

The Ed Johnson Project Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast, leaders of The Ed Johnson Project, along with a McCallie history teacher, discuss the story of Ed Johnson, who was lynched on Chattanooga’s Walnut Street Bridge more than a century ago, and the five-year effort by community volunteers that has resulted in a memorial being placed near the bridge to commemorate Mr. Johnson and the attorneys who defended him.

The podcast also discusses the role the Rev. T.H. McCallie, one of the founders of McCallie, played in trying to prevent the lynching and how he offered shelter on the school’s campus to one of the attorney’s families. And it discusses how McCallie history teachers use the Ed Johnson story to inspire McCallie students to be responsible citizens in their communities.

Participating in the podcast are:
Donivan Brown, president of the Ed Johnson Project;
Eleanor McCallie Cooper, great-granddaughter of the Rev. T.H. McCallie, and a member of the Ed Johnson Project;
Mel Cooper, former McCallie Vice President of Development, and a member of the Ed Johnson Project;
Bart Wallin ’99, who, with David Levitt ’94, teaches the Ed Johnson story as part of their 8th-grade history classes.

Links mentioned in the podcast:
The to documentary video on Ed Johnson by Linda Duvoisin: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1730677540326112
PDF of anti-lynching sermon delivered in 1883 by the Rev. Dr. T.H. McCallie (courtesy of Eleanor McCallie Cooper): https://www.mccallie.org/fs/resource-manager/view/05341ae6-0c51-44d0-86e4-52b7c148c9de
The Ed Johnson Project website, with a schedule of events for the weekend of the memorial dedication: https://www.edjohnsonproject.com/
The book, Contempt of Court: The Turn-of-the-Century Lynching that Launched 100 Years of Federalism by Mark Curriden and Leroy Phillips Jr., published 1999 by Faber and Faber, Inc., New York, available through most booksellers.

Recollections of 9/11: Students Discuss their AP U.S. History Project and Perspectives of the Attacks that Shook the World Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

For the past eight years, students in Dr. Duke Richey’s Advanced Placement U.S. History classes have been collecting stories from family members, friends, and acquaintances about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. To mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the students have launched a website that will be updated weekly throughout the year. That website can be found here: https://www.mccallie.org/911project

Four of those students sat down with Dr. Richey to discuss the project and share their perspectives of the tragic attacks on America. The students are Vihaal Vellanki '22, a boarder from Minnetonka, Minn., Luke Gilbert '22, a boarder from Charlotte, N.C., and Nathan Smartt '22, a boarder from Austin, Texas. In addition, Nelson Eiselstein, a 2016 graduate of McCallie who participated in the project when he was a student, joined the discussion. Mr. Eiselstein now teaches math at McCallie.

It’s spring on the Ridge, and a young McCallie man’s fancy turns to thoughts of ... Quack, Quack. Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

That’s the sound being heard more across campus often as student anticipation grows for the annual Duck Day, in which students are dismissed from classes to enjoy the campus, the formal opening of the Lake, organized games, and just generally enjoying the springtime.

Duck Day, along with another McCallie springtime tradition, the senior prank, are the topics of this edition of Stories from the Ridge. In early April 2021, Assistant Head of School Kenny Sholl sat in the Quadrangle with Upper School Principal Hank Hopping, Vice President of Advancement Steve Hearn ’74, and Dean of Admission Jim Daughdrill ’05 to share stories and laughs about Duck Day and senior pranks over the years.

If you have a Duck Day or senior prank story you would like to share, please let us know. We’ll even try to record as many as possible (provided they are fit for a general audience) for a follow-up podcast. All you need to do is give us a call at 423-493-5019, and when prompted, simply record your message, being sure to give your name, class year, and a phone number where we can reach you. Or, if you prefer, simply send us a note at info@mccallie.org and we’ll contact you to arrange a time to record your story.

We’ll save all the stories in our archives and possibly will gather some for a follow-up podcast.

But remember: our attorneys tell us that the statute of limitations does not apply to senior pranks, so you might be required to return to campus to face the Disciplinary Committee. 😉

The Resiliency of Boys Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

How have boys – specifically McCallie boys – fared during the COVID pandemic and all the social and educational changes that have occurred over the past year? Five McCallie teachers and administrators sat down recently to talk about that question, and the discussion was surprisingly upbeat – and it led to a broader discussion of how McCallie boys have changed over the past couple of decades. Boys, they concluded, are resilient, adaptive, and appreciative. They’ve learned to grow in adversity, and have become nicer . . . and taller. Joining Head of School Lee Burns ’87 and Assistant Head of School Kenny Sholl in this enlightening conversation are English teacher, coach and former dorm head Chet LeSourd ’72, Learning Center Director and science teacher Suzie Howick, and Upper School chaplain, counselor, and coach the Rev. Josh Deitrick.

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