Not everything that goes into a play takes place in front of an audience. Even after all of the lines are learned, cast members must do their hair and put on their makeup and costumes to transform themselves into their characters. Uni thespians are no different, as Stephanie Overmier found out last week when she went backstage before a performance of Uni's 2009 fall play, Molière's "The Miser."

The Illineks will be among 20 teams competing in the Class 1A girls sectional meet Saturday in Decatur. At stake is a trip to the Nov. 7 state finals in Peoria. But to qualify for sectionals, the Uni girls had to place in the top five of last weekend's regional meet at Kickapoo State Park. As this photo essay by Will Fernandez shows, the weather wasn't ideal, but the Illineks pushed forward and grabbed fourth place, good enough to advance to the penultimate stage of the postseason.

The 2009 Illineks are a step closer to returning to the IHSA Class 1A state finals thanks to their weekend victory at the St. Joseph regional meet. The boys' next challenge will come Saturday, when they take on 19 other teams at the Decatur St. Teresa sectional. The meet will be held at the Hickory Point Golf Course.

Thinking about joining Uni's new Habitat for Humanity Club? Interested in going on the annual Habitat trip to Mississippi during Agora Days? If so, be sure to check out Anna Gooler's account of this summer's trip to the Delta involving almost 20 Uni students.

As indie-pop duo Matt and Kim took the stage at Parkland College a few weeks ago, they were sporting the widest smiles Sindha Agha had ever seen. They had just discovered they had won the MTV award for breakthrough video. They were ready to party with C-U, Matt said, and they would play until they were forced to stop.

Nancy Tang is back from her year abroad in Shanghai, China, and eager to talk about her time in one of the world's largest cities. "In every sense, Shanghai is a city at the crossroads," she writes. "The cultural capital of China is where old meets new and East meets West, all blending into a bustling, cosmopolitan city."

After enjoying a Vegas-themed prom at the Champaign Country Club, many students attended the PFO-sponsored post prom at Campus Recreation Center-East. More than 80 students showed up in the early-morning hours of May 10 for card games, swimming, basketball, dodgeball, movies, video games, and plenty of good food.

Uni High's student-written and -directed comedy showcase took to the North Attic stage May 15 and 16. The two performances helped X-Week raise a final total of $3,460 for this year's charity, the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club. Lor Sligar takes a quick look back at the show, along with this series of photos by Katy Metcalf.

For their prank last year, seniors stacked plastic cups into towers and weaved strings through the entire first-floor hallway. Wanting to leave something more long-lasting behind, the Class of '09 combined a bunch of ideas into one big chaos — or Sue Kovacs' nightmare.

Take another trip back to May 9, when more than 100 Uni juniors and seniors and their prom dates spent the evening at the Champaign Country Club enjoying "A Night in Vegas." Promgoers had plenty of fun on the dance floor, but they also took advantage of the Vegas theme to try their luck at the poker table.

Amid a frenzied week of class projects and AP exams, Uni students had the chance to relax last Thursday evening with a full hour of music performed by their peers. Eleven student musicians took the stage for Music Club's year-end recital as their classmates, parents, and teachers listened in the South Attic. Jason He was there and brought back these pictures.

Prom '09, with the theme of A Night in Vegas, was held Saturday at the Champaign Country Club. More than 100 students attended the event dressed in their formal attire, making for many exciting pictures. Check inside for the first installment of our photo coverage.

The annual rite of passage known as the Twin Cities Twosome was a great success Saturday morning, as hundreds of Uni students met the challenge of completing the 5K course at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. Check inside for a photo recap.

After a highly successful X-Week, the school had raised almost $2,000 for this year's charity, the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club. That figure doesn't even include Big Show, which will take place on May 15 and 16. Check out the photo essay inside for another look at the senior auction, which closed out the week.

Two weeks ago, members of Student Council visited the Illinois Math and Science Academy as part of an exchange program. The Uni visitors spent two days and one night observing the school's activities, classes, and environment. So how does IMSA compare to Uni? Maritza Mestre shares her thoughts.