Advertise on podcast: Stories from the Ridge, The McCallie Podcast

Brad Cobb ’86, McCallie’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus, joins T.W. Francescon ’95 for a conversation about his years on the Ridge and the lasting impact McCallie had on his life. Brad reflects on arriving at McCallie as a young student, the challenges and friendships that shaped him, and how the School prepared him for college and the life that followed. Along the way, he shares memories of his classmates, lessons learned, and the experiences that helped shape him into one of Chattanooga’s most prominent business and civic leaders.

How does McCallie encourage boys to read fiction in a timein which boys nationally are reading less and less? Dean of Faculty and Curriculum Sumner McCallie hosts this lively discussion with three stalwarts of the English Department – Department Head Sam Currin ’03, longtime literature teacher Bill Jamieson, and teacher and dorm Head Stuart King ’10. They discuss how McCallie boys are taught and encouraged to make reading a lifelong pursuit. And follow this to the end where the teachers all give their recommendations for summer reading.

In a wonderfully uplifting conversation with Head of School Lee Burns, Craig Ingvalson ’77, displays the dignity and pride that defined his 25-year career as a leader of McCallie’s Advancement Team. This conversation was recorded on April 30, 2026, Mr. Ingvalson’s final day of work prior to heading to awell-deserved retirement. (He also makes a final appeal for donors to support McCallie, so be sure to listen all the way to the end.)

This episode of Stories from the Ridge provides an in-depth examination of one of McCallie's newest programs in which alumni are paired with upper school students to help them navigate through their last years on the Ridge and on to college and careers. Head of School Lee Burns is joined by administrators, alumni mentors and student mentees as they share perspectives of the mentorship program. McCallie currently is accepting applications from alumni who wish to participate in the program beginning in Januaary 2026.,

In this edition of Stories from the Ridge, Allen Morris, Class of 1970, recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Alumnus Award, discusses his time on the Ridge and how it shaped his life and career as one of the South’s leading real estate developers, inspirational author, and motivational speaker. His highly acclaimed book, All In: How to Risk Everything for Everything That Matters, is available from most retail and online bookstores.

While many in academia are shying from AI, fearful of its dark side, McCallie is embracing the positive features of it. In this episode of Stories from the Ridge, Head of School Lee Burns, Upper School Principal Hank Hopping, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum Sumner McCallie, Dean of Student Academics Chris Carpenter, discuss the positive, promising aspects of AI and how McCallie, as Mr. Burns says, is trying to “leverage it to enhance teaching and learning,” while at the same time adjusting teaching styles to address the darker side of AI.

In this episode of Stories from the Ridge, Head of School Lee Burns '87, Middle School Principal Scotty Jones, and Upper School Principal Hank Hopping visited the Podcast Studio on Sept. 9 to discuss the opening of the school year and the many behind-the-scenes details that make it like all McCallie School years -- highly successful.

In this episode of Stories from the Ridge, Sumner McCallie, Dean of Faculty and Curriculum, Chris Carpenter, Dean of Student Academics, and Tammy Barber, Middle School Assistant Principal for Academics, talk about McCallieSchool’s renewed emphasis on understanding how individual boys learn – and how teachers can apply new teaching strategies by understanding more deeply the intricacies of these learning styles. And they discuss a new self-assessmenttool called Mindprint that in its initial rollout has proven highly successful in helping students and teachers explore and understand their learning styles more deeply.

“We’ve been given so much more than we’ve given” is the way Kathaleen Hughes describes the 57 combined years that she and her husband, David, have spent at McCallie. To mark their retirement, the Hughes sat down in the podcast studio with Head of School Lee Burns and shared memories and fun stories of their time on the Ridge.

Steve Hearn '74 jokes that he has been associated with McCallie School in some capacity for more than seven decades. In this edition of Stories from the Ridge, Mr. Hearn, Senior Vice President for Advancement and longtime Director of Admissions, talks with Head of School Lee Burns about his time at McCallie, shares fun and touching stories, and discusses his plans for retirement in Sweetwater, Tennessee, with his wife Denise. (For listeners who may not be familiar with all the names mentioned in this podcast, a list can be found on McCallie's website at www.mccallie.org/podcast

This edition of Stories from the Ridge features a livelyroundtable discussion hosted by Executive Athletic Director Kenny Sholl. He is joined by Senior Associate Athletic Director Jeff Romero and Communications Writer Mark Wiedmer ’76 as they chatt about the latest TSSAA transfer rules, the success and challenges in the spring sports lineup, and the upcoming Spring Fling, the state athletic championships. This discussion was recorded May 19, 2025.

McCallie School’s international travel opportunities have expanded significantly over the past few years, with the goal of making at least one travel venture a part of every student’s McCallie experience. In this episode of Stories from the Ridge, students Alex Hyde ’25 and Asa Hedrick ’27, discuss withteachers and tour leaders Frank Watkins and Will Honeycutt recent trips they took and how those trips opened their eyes and their minds to how they see and relate to people from other countries and cultures. Sumner McCallie, Dean ofFaculty and Curriculum, hosts the discussion.

Over the past year, as McCallie School begins to examine itsneed for new academic space on campus, a group of teachers visited schools throughout the nation to see how they design and use academic and common spaces. In this edition of Stories from the Ridge, Drew Read, Chief Development Officer, Dean of Faculty of Curriculum Sumner McCallie, Dean of Student Academics Chris Carpenter, Mathematics Department Chair Andrea Odle, and English Department Chair Sam Currin share what they learned from those visitsas well as their perspectives on McCallie’s space needs now and for many years tocome.

A program that is “transformational for McCallie boys andthe broader McCallie community,” is slowly being rolled out to students and alumni on the high plains of Montana. In this episode of Stories from the Ridge, Carter Newbold, Director of Board Relations and Strategy, talks with teachers Duke Richey and Bart Wallin, as well as students William McDowell andElijah Cooper, about their experiences in McCallie’s newest offering – McCallie in Montana.

In this first “subset” edition of Stories from the Ridge,Executive Athletic Director Kenny Sholl discusses all things athletic at McCallie School. He is joined by Mark Wiedmer ’76 of the Communications and Marketing Department for a lively give-and-take discussion of issues within the TSSAA (Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association) as well as a review of the recent Dr. Pepper Classic and thoughts about the upcoming spring sports season.