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Archive - Mar 2009

On a scale of one to 10 (10 being awesome), how funny do you find the Gagoyle? [This was a one-day April Fools poll]

Yes :)
56% (25 votes)
No :(
31% (14 votes)
Maybe... :|
13% (6 votes)
Total votes: 45

When you're a Jet: A profile of Zack Goldberg as Riff

With opening night of this year's spring musical, "West Side Story," drawing closer, junior Zack Goldberg talks about playing Riff, leader of the Jets in the Broadway classic about two rival street gangs who battle to keep Tony the love-struck Jet and Maria, his Shark darling, as far apart as possible.

Reading between the lines: In search of news literacy with librarian Frances Harris

How can teachers help students make sense of the deluge of information that they're subjected to in the Digital Age? To find out, Uni librarian Frances Harris recently attended a national conference on news literacy, held at Stony Brook University in New York. Read on to learn more about what Harris took away from it.

Boys basketball: Lilly named to News-Gazette's all-area second team

Dan Lilly capped his record-breaking junior year by being named to the News-Gazette's all-area second team on Thursday. Lilly was fifth in the area in scoring, at 20.1 points per game, and broke Uni single-season records for scoring and three -pointers made. The 16-8 Illineks shared a conference title, their fourth in five years.

Chess: Ruan places third in prestigious tournament, chess team heads to SuperNationals

On March 21 and 22, senior Gordon Ruan played in the Illinois Chess Association's Denker Qualifier, from which one player would be selected to represent Illinois in the Denker Tournament of High School Champions the first week of August in Indianapolis. Check inside to see how Ruan fared.

Gargoyle guide to the week in entertainment, March 30- April 5

The week after spring break has plenty to offer. At the top of the list is Uni's spring musical, "West Side Story," starring seniors Daniel Borup and Sheri Grill as Tony and Maria. Other highlights include the DVD release of "Slumdog Millionaire," new music by Flo Rida, and quirky films "Adventureland" and "Sunshine Cleaning."

Finally reality

For the last week or so, college admissions decisions have been pouring into my e-mail and mailbox. I won't go into any gory details, but suffice it to say that I neither got rejected from every school nor accepted to every school I applied to. I'm very happy with my acceptances, content but slightly disappointed at my wait-listings, and not overly crushed by my rejections.

It's time to feel pretty in America tonight: Uni's production of "West Side Story" premieres Thursday

Weeks of dancing, singing, painting, sweating, and graffiti-ing will draw to a rousing finish this week as the North Attic Playhouse comes alive with the sounds of "West Side Story," Uni's latest theatrical endeavor. Starring seniors Daniel Borup and Sheri Grill as Tony and Maria, this is one production you won't want to miss!

Refurbishing continues as trophies get a new home

For a school of just 300 students, Uni sure wins a lot of awards. So many, in fact, that new cabinets had to be constructed to accommodate all the trophies. The cabinets, built by University of Illinois workers, greeted students and faculty today as they returned from spring break. Learn more inside about the reasons for the new look.

Candidate bios due Tuesday for 2009-10 Student Council executive officer election

Next year's Student Council executive officers will be chosen April 6. The positions that are up for election are executive president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer. For those who are interested in running, candidate bios must be turned in by Tuesday before midnight. Students can begin campaigning as soon as they turn in their bios.

How did you spend your spring break?

Vacationing to beautiful places significantly more interesting than Chambana
23% (9 votes)
Sleeping, eating, and not doing fitness!
40% (16 votes)
Getting a head start on homework for fourth quarter! It's never too early to succeed!
3% (1 vote)
Enjoying friends, warm weather, and other teenage shenanigans
28% (11 votes)
Attempting to figure out college (oh it is so close)
8% (3 votes)
Total votes: 40

Uni musicians soar at Mahomet-Seymour solo and ensemble contest

Each year a number of Uni students travel to Mahomet-Seymour High School to participate in a musical contest for both solo and ensemble performances. Out of 35 Uni entries in this year's contest, 32 earned the highest rating. Seven students also received Outstanding Musicianship Awards. Read on for more details.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas: Getting ready for Prom '09

After last year's Royal Masquerade, how about "A Night in Vegas"? Invites for this year's prom are set to go out to junior and senior e-mail accounts Monday. The Vegas-themed event will be held May 9 at Champaign Country Club, followed by a post prom at the Activities and Recreation Center on campus.

Indoor track: Taylor, 4x400 team win state titles at Prep Top Times Classic

Led by senior Malcolm Taylor, the Uni boys won Class A state titles in two events Friday night at the 18th Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic: the 400-meter dash and the 4x400 relay. The biggest surprise came in the 4x400, thanks to a stellar performance by Taylor in the anchor position. [April 2 update: Taylor was named The News-Gazette's male Athlete of the Week for his performance.]

Girls soccer: Balanced attack lifts Uni to winning record as team gears up for return from spring break

After Uni's 7-0 win over Judah Christian on March 20, the Illineks are 2-1 and poised to take on yet another Champaign foe when they come back from spring break next week. Uni will host Centennial at DCR Complex 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Illineks upset the Chargers 2-1 last year.