The McDonnell-Follin Scholars Program at The Webb School has named Sophia Bain and Kat Mosier as the 2024-2025 recipients. Bain, a junior from Arrington, Tennessee, and Mosier, a junior from Shelbyville, Tennessee, will each pursue an independent study this spring as part of the program.

Now in its sixth year, the McDonnell-Follin Scholars Program provides Webb juniors the opportunity to conduct independent research on a topic of their choice during the spring semester, culminating in a presentation during upper school chapel. Scholars are guided by a faculty mentor and earn course credit for their work.

Bain’s focus will be on Holocaust survivors in Tennessee with an intent to explore how their experiences have shaped their lives and the communities around them. Motivated by a rise in Holocaust-related insensitivity among peers, Bain aims to preserve survivor stories and educate others on the dangers of hatred and discrimination.

Mosier’s study will examine the growing mental health crisis among both students and educators. Inspired by personal experiences and recent events, the project will explore contributing factors such as social media use and lifestyle habits through anonymous surveys, personal experimentation, and interviews with mental health professionals.

As part of the program, Bain and Mosier will present their research findings to the Webb community on Monday, May 5, during upper school chapel.

The McDonnell-Follin Scholars Program was created to honor the late Jim McDonnell Jr. '43. At its inception, McDonnell explained that while he was at Webb in the 1940s, it was Webb Follin Sr. (class of 1908) who taught him so much and made an indelible mark on his career — the best educator he ever experienced. That bond made the difference, and McDonnell suggested creating a program to encourage academic collaboration among teachers and students today.

McDonnell was elected to the Webb Board of Trustees in 1957 and served as chair from 1967-1988, a tenure longer than any other chair to date. He was named chairman emeritus and a member of the Distinguished Alumni Society in 1993.

Previous McDonnell-Follin Scholars include:

• 2018-2019: Amy Chen and Ella Harris
• 2019-2020: Mollie Kate Creech and Feynman Liu
• 2020-2021: No recipients due to the COVID pandemic
• 2021-2022: Abby Hagan and Alisyn Parfait
• 2022-2023: Cy Nash
• 2023-2024: Julia Callaway