Memphis University School - Owl Yearbook (Memphis, TN)

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AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. THORN Owl: Mr. Thorn, why do you think that MUS has been successful? Mr. Thorn: MUS is founded upon the lofty ideals of sound scholarship and learning in a Christian atmosphere. I think that these ideals, in the beginning, set the tone for the growth of the school. Close personal relationships within a school are the trademarks of the good independent school, and the mutual concern between faculty and students reflects these strong qualities. Owl: The newest change at MUS is the addition of the McCaughan Science Center. How do you think this new facility will change MUS? Mr. Thorn: The new building will give us a great deal of flexibility, but more importantly, will give the students and faculty the best possible facilities to work with. Owl: Do you think that an MUS education adequately prepares students to cope with the problems of the future? Mr. Thorn. That ' s a very difficult question to answer. I see the school not only as a college preparatory school, but also as a school that makes an effort to prepare students to grow and develop as individuals. A great amount of stress is placed upon character development, and this may be just as important as scholastically preparing the student to enter college. Here at school, the impending problems of the future, most notably the energy crisis, have become evident and have affected life at school; however, I feel that the qualities that a student gains at MUS should help him to face the problems of the future. Here at school, the impending problems of the future, most notably the energy crisis, have become evident and have affected life at school . . . I feel that the qualities that a student gains at MUS should help him to face the problems of the future. Owl: What will be done with the present science facilities? Mr. Thorn: We will renovate the science labs to provide much-needed storage and locker areas for the school. Originally, we planned to move the bookstore to the old physics lab, and to convert the current bookstore to a small luncheon conference room; however, for a variety of reasons, this venture was abandoned. 12 OPENING

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Squandering their free periods, Mel Payne and John Peters converse in the library. Students are always in search of the perfect place to study, but it is thought that the students avoid finding the object of their search. Ever-willing to help an actress in need, Scott Stevens helps a hesitant female to her seat. The dramatics department has been consistently strong under the direction of Mr. Andy Saunders, as MUSTAD productions have always been elaborately acted and staged. Perhaps the result of their serious efforts at academic achievements, MUS students are often willing to do anything for a laugh. Bill Harwell looks off into the distance for the Indians who ambushed him, while a former MUS student uses a Mrs. Lenti lunch to audition for the Ed Sullivan show. PAST AND PRESENT 11

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ONCERNING THE FUTURE OF MUS Owl: To what extent do you believe that MUS will continue to grow in size? Mr. Thorn: The board of trustees is very ;oncerned about how big we want the school o be. Right now, they have set a figure of 600 students, which is our present enrollment. The eal question is whether bigger is really better. Some students already feel that the size of the student body breeds unfamiliarity, but what hey don ' t recognize is that upper school snrollment has remained constant for the past One of the things that confronts secondary schools throughout the country is the ncreasing intervention of the state and ' ederal governments into the educational orocess. three years. One advantage of the current size of the student body is that we are able to offer a broader curriculum. I think that for a school of our size the offerings are quite varied. A smaller student body would make it economically unfeasible to operate as broad a program, and some courses would have to be eliminated. The flexibility of scheduling provided by the new science center might allow MUS to increase its enrollment slightly, but I don ' t see more than 650 students attending MUS in the near future. Owl: Do you see any major obstacles to MUS ' future success? Mr. Thorn: One of the things that confronts secondary schools throughout the nation is the increasing intervention of state and federal governments into the educational process. The number of forms to fill out and the number of regulations to adhere to are very time- consuming. I realize that some controls are necessary, but I think that the independent schools must guard against letting the state and federal governments tell them what to do. Mr. Thorn: I think that every student should learn something about computers because of these machines ' role in the future. Just how technical we get remains to be seen, but I think that the exposure should be there. I would also say that a fairly sophisticated computer would assist in the school operation as well as in teaching. Owl: Do you think that MUS will ever merge with Hutchison? Mr. Thorn: I don ' t see it in the future because each school is rather unique, and each has a long tradition in being the single-sex school. I envision a more concerted effort, on the part of each school, to combine the talents of students and faculty in a wider joint- participation in academic and extracurricular activities. Owl: What do you think will be the next area of expansion for MUS? am very interested in the endowment; with rising overhead, a strong financial base is crucial to the survival of an independent school, and the endowment will help to keep MUS financially and educationally strong. Owl: Do you have any personal goals for the school ' s future? Mr. Thorn: The only personal goals that I have are to make the school a better school and to keep the school moving in a progressive direction as time goes along. I am very interested in the endowment; with rising overhead, a strong financial base is crucial to the survival of an independent school, and the endowment will help to keep MUS financially and educationally strong. MR. THORN 13