Fine Arts News
Baylor Players Present Epic Proportions
The Baylor Players’ fall play was Epic Proportions, presented Oct. 22-26 in Roddy Theater. Set in the 1930s, it tells the story of two brothers, Benny and Phil, who head to the Arizona desert to be extras in a huge Biblical epic called Exeunt Omnes. Along the way there are gladiator battles, the Ten Plagues, and a cast of thousands portrayed by an ensemble cast. The production was directed by Beth Gumnick, with set design by Garrett Walsh and costumes by Laura Smith.
Baylor Dance News
Upper School dancers participated in the Tennessee Youth Dance Festival Sept. 20-21, taking a variety of master classes and performing in a student choreography showcase. Pictured on the left (left to right) are eighth grader Willa Warren, juniors Hollyn Blair and Julia Hoff, senior Riley Mauldin, and junior Eliot Long. Middle School and Upper School students also performed in Chattanooga Dances! on Sept. 19.
Student Leadership and Awards
National Merit Recognizes 11 Seniors
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced that Baylor seniors Rigdon King-Anderson, Richard Lu, Anna Stoddard, and Michelle Yu have been named semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program and now have the opportunity to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships be offered this spring. In addition, Gavin Boggs, Wesley Chi, William Hubbard, Pippa Hill, Amelie Johnson, Carter Kaylor, and Elizabeth Silva were recognized for their exceptional academic promise as NMSC Commended Students. Picture (front row, left to right) are Yu, Stoddard, Silva, Johnson, and King-Anderson, (back row) Kaylor, Hubbard, Chi, Boggs, Lu, and Hill.
Students Selected to 84th Round Table
Sixteen members of Baylor’s Class of 2026 have been selected for the 84th Round Table, continuing a literary discussion that dates back to 1942. Since its founding, membership has been one of Baylor’s highest honors for Upper School students. The 2025-26 Round Table members pictured with Head of School Chris Angel ’89 are (front row, left to right) Virginia Foster, Clara Pegues, Hunter Shaw, Anna Stoddard (vice president), and Eloise Adams; (second row) Michelle Yu, Rigdon King-Anderson, Elizabeth Silva (secretary), Amelie Johnson, Gavin Boggs, English instructor and faculty advisor Tim Laramore ’99, (back row) faculty member Ben Swakopf, James McCorkle (president), William Hubbard, Wyatt McDaniel, Lake Montgomery, Olivia Newton, and George Stowe.
Honor Council Elected
Honor Council members elected by the student body for the 2025-26 school year are (front row, left to right) seniors Carter Parrott, Sarah Elizabeth Watson, Heath Techasiriwan, William Hubbard, Hank Etzler, and Hartley Workman, (back row) freshman George Brock, sophomore Charlotte Hoss, freshman Lauren Reisman, juniors Jackson Reisman, Jaxson Simpkins, and Demir Bozbey; and sophomores Logan Smith and Patrick Rice.
Students Selected for Exchange Program
Baylor’s exchange program allows students the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one cultural or language exchange with a student from one of nine partner schools located in Germany, France, Spain, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. They attend classes and live with host families abroad the summer between their sophomore and junior years. The exchange coordinator is history instructor Natalie Rodriguez-Nelson. Pictured above (front row, left to right) are Kate Price, Sunny Gligorov, and Edie Gover, (middle row) Haelee Harris, Lilly Holland, Layla McAnally, and Brecken McKenna, (back row) Walker Rose, Caroline Young, and Levi Sixto.
Nine Students Will Travel to Bahamas for Marine Science Research
Nine students will be traveling to Exuma, Bahamas in March for a marine science research trip in collaboration with Blue Carbon International. The students will be working with scientists collecting and analyzing data on the sea grass beds and carbon sequestration. Pictured above (front, left to right) are junior Mandy Yu, sophomores Caroline Young, and Sunny Gligorov; (middle) senior Richard Lu, junior Sophia Salimbas, and sophomore Haelee Harris, (back) sophomore Brittan Hyde, and seniors James McCorkle, and Wyatt McDaniel. Not pictured are science instructors Jesse Young and Erin Woodrow who are accompanying the students, along with Liz Young, senior associate director of College Counseling, and current Baylor parent David Harris.
Ohm Raiders to Compete in State Championship
Baylor School’s Ohm Raiders robotics team will compete in the Tennessee State Championship on Feb. 21 in Murfreesboro, where roughly 25 to 30 teams are expected to vie for a chance to advance to the national level. The event serves as the state’s only major competition in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge circuit. Pictured above (front row, left to right) are freshman Jack Sikes, junior Avery Levin; sophomores Samantha George, Alli McCroskey, and Addie Boehm; and senior and team captain Brandon Oakes, (back row) seniors Richard Lu, J.D. Martin, Alex Bailey, and Henry Rolleston; and junior Owen McKenna.
Community Service and Outreach
Community Service Hosts Trunk or Treat
Each fall, Baylor’s Community Service students organize the annual Trunk or Treat event to honor scholars from each tutoring site who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their homework. The event rewards their hard work with fun costumes, a hayride, and plenty of hugs and candy. Parents, faculty and staff, school departments, and Upper School students showcased their creativity with cleverly decorated trunks that added to the cheerful atmosphere.
Annual Holiday Party Honors Scholars
More than 60 children from Baylor’s after-school tutoring program filled Guerry Dining Hall with holiday spirit during the annual Community Service Holiday Party and coat drive on Dec. 10. A decades-old tradition, the celebration honors students from partner sites who have shown strong commitment to homework, enrichment activities, and personal growth. Baylor advisory groups, departments, and individual faculty and staff contributed funds to provide gifts.
Middle School Community Service Day
Baylor Middle School students spread out across Chattanooga on Nov. 13, for a community service day, working with more than a dozen community partners to address local needs. Sixth graders volunteered at Hardy and Orchard Knob elementary schools, reading with students, offering classroom support, and helping with gratitude projects. Seventh graders assisted families at the Ronald McDonald House, prepared meals with the YMCA’s Food and Fun program, sorted donations at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, spent time with residents at Life Care Center of Red Bank, supported programming at the Chambliss Center, and helped clear trails with Lookout Mountain Conservancy. Eighth graders joined conservation efforts at Reflection Riding, worked alongside National Park staff at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, and partnered with the City of Chattanooga’s Parks and Outdoors team to paint handrails along the Riverwalk.
Annual Turkey Train
On Nov. 20, the Middle School Advisory Council organized the annual Turkey Train benefitting the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Pictured (left to right) are sixth graders Cooke Pendergrass and Jonah Booker; eighth grader Paris Fletcher; seventh grader Canon Armstrong; sixth grader Ella Gardner, eighth grader Olivia Brewer, and seventh grader Stella Reyes.
