Uni High Gargoyle Staff Blog

The thing about Agora Days is that it’s a lot of fun crammed into four days. Four extremely short days. In the end, it might even be more exhausting because you’re having as much fun as you possibly can.

And even though the classes this year weren’t that great, I still had a lot of fun.

Well, it’s back to “real” school, and while I miss Agora Days, a large part of me is really relieved that everything is back to normal. I get to see people I barely glimpsed last week, and I now I realize that I missed them a lot and didn’t know it. OK, well, I knew it, but I didn’t know that I missed them THAT much. I was too busy … er … doing stuff. ^_^

So now I’ve got actual homework to do. Papers to write. Math and English homework every night. History readings to read. Resisting the urge to get on AIM.

Now would be a really good time to say something along the lines of, “But I missed all of this deep down in my heart, and I will live out the rest of the year grateful for what I have.”

Too bad. Homework sucks. Whatever, though, right? This is life. Back to working my butt off.

Michelle Gao

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I’ve wanted to go to Italy since … well, since I can remember. And my parents have always told me I could go sometime.

A few months ago, my parents got invited to a meeting in Rome. Usually, they say no to that sort of international trip because of school and everything, and my mom was leaning toward saying no this time too. My dad saved me, though, so I’m finally going to get to go.

Except for one thing … I’m going to be gone for a week and a half, and I have absolutely no clue what I’m going to be doing. My dad wants to surprise me, so all I know is that I’m going to be getting on a plane at 5:30 in Chicago tomorrow, and I’m going to land in Rome. After that … no clue. It’s a mystery.

I’m excited. Really excited. I’ll let you guys know what I’m up to if I can find an Internet cafe. Hopefully I’ll come back alive and in one piece. Either way, miss me! See you guys in 10 days.

Devika Bagchi

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What’s more fun than going home and taking a shower after your track meet?

Belly dancing of course!

The fun began when Ruthie and I left the track meet last night for better things around 9. We found ourselves at the Union where the Arab Student Association was sponsoring a Belly Dancing Bananza. Despite the fact that our muscles were already immersed in lactic acid we decided to dance through the pain and enjoy the experience.

We began with basic hip movements, and as we learned how to detach our hips from the rest of our body we slowly realized that belly dancing was much harder than it appeared. While it may just look like grinding, this actually involved more complicated coordination and skill. And, it bloody hurt!

What added to this experience was the fact that no guys were allowed. So we left self-conciousness at the door and allowed ourselves to dance the night away for our own pleasure.

When we finally decided that we had had enough and our legs could no longer handle the pain, we decided to call it a night. As we walked out the door we smiled with satisfaction at having spent such a great time immersing ourselves in another culture through their dance.

Shivani Khanna

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now that Uni has fallen in regionals we can begin to assess the legacy of the seniors. Our current group of seniors have won more games in the past three years than any other class in Uni history.

Ben Sims, Austin Berger, and Uni’s all time scoring leader Al Renner have led Uni’s core group of starters throughout those three years. The three of them, along with sophomore Mike Renner, were the last out of the locker room last night. Both the tears in their eyes and the tears of the fans were indicative of the how much this team meant to the players and to our entire community.

When the game drew to closer to its end, instead of showing any lack of confidence all the seniors played with an incredible sense of urgency and intensity. As time expired Al Renner hit a three point shot to cap off his Uni basketball career. Al’s exit assures us that he will be back — but not yet.

Look for him to add onto his Uni home-run record this spring during Uni baseball.

David Boyle

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year for Agora Days, I was really looking forward to the class “Halo Basics.”

I enter the room, ready to learn and hone my Halo skills past the stage of being able to look around and get stuck in corners. It takes a while for the teachers to come and even more time to set up controllers, but finally we are ready to begin. There are one or two students that already have extensive Halo experience, but not too many, so it shouldn’t be too bad. But suddenly, a whole horde of upperclassmen come into the North Attic with their own controllers and game systems.

That’s all right, I think. I have no idea that they were going to be connecting all of the games together and have one giant melee.

We begin the game and I have little trouble making a profile. R for firing, A for jumping, X to pick up a weapon and reload, and Y to switch weapons. Easy enough right? Wrong. I can hardly get myself to move in the direction I want as I attempt to coordinate my view stick and my running stick.

Eventually, I’m able to travel in a semi-straight line and I find myself running through the terrain. Bam! “You were killed by _.” I’m sent back to the spawn point and brought back to life. Run run run. Bam! “You were assassinated by __.” Run run stuck hide run. Bam! “You were beat down by __.”

What?! How in the world am I supposed to learn how to do anything if I’m getting killed every 15 seconds by these really experienced players who aren’t in the class in the first place? I don’t have that much against them for doing so, but it is getting a little annoying.

By the end of the first class, I can move around more easily than I could before, but I still can’t aim, shoot, or do anything remotely interesting to help my team with. I’m still getting killed almost immediately after I come back to life.

I have enough of mindless slaughter for one week and had died enough to last me a couple days. Halo just wasn’t for me, at least, until I can rack up my experience points some more. I’m back to playing my Gamecube’s Harvest Moon when I get home.

No more Halo Basics for me. I’m sticking with something I’m good at this third period: Cooking.

Linda Song

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I love Agora Days. I love them I love them I love them. A lot. The classes are lovely, and free periods … are just wonderful.

Every day during third period, a group of (awesome) Asian people have been cooking in the kitchen. For the previous two days, we’ve made wontons. And no, it’s not a class. We just thought it would be something fun to do, and we coordinated our free periods to make it happen.

Cooking in the kitchen during third hour is great on a number of different levels. For one thing, we’re making our own lunch. Second, it’s a lot of fun. Watching Charlie Wan use a wonton skin to try and make a dumpling is hilarious, as is the fact that he’s squeamish about raw egg.

And then, there’s the sense of accomplishment after the first batch comes out, and you eat (after burning your mouth) with a sense of pride. “YESSSSS! I totally made some of these!” And it’s really amazing for me personally, because I can’t cook. I’m generally limited to sticking things in the microwave. Maybe being with my friends has triggered the long dormant “Michelle can actually cook” gene.

So today we’re going to try something new during third period: a Chinese hot pot. Ohhhh boy. This should be interesting. Me + boiling water = disastrous. We’ll just see how this goes …

Oh, and by the way? This definitely is NOT limited to Asians. Anyone can stop by if they want to help, like Sharajonnie Adams did yesterday. It’s a lot of fun, I promise! Linda even dropped Halo 2 Basics for it! (All right, well maybe she dropped it for other reasons, too. Look at her blog entry for more details) ^_^

Michelle Gao

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK. Well, just to start things off, Susan Mynatt’s leaving. After March 3, to be exact. For forever. Meaning we’ll never see her again and she could be kidnapped by aliens and we would never know and —

All right, I’m shutting up now.

The point is, Susan’s leaving us. She’s going to some random building on some random part of campus to do some random job. WithOUT us.

I didn’t know Susan at all during subbie year. I talked to her maybe twice freshman year. I’ve talked to her a LOT this year. She’s really funny (absolutely wicked sense of humor) and puts up with all the weirdness that I can come up with. She deserves some recognition, people! Susan does a lot for us (helping with pizza sales is one obvious example), and some of us have never really gotten to know her.

Now, it’s upsetting that she’s going to leave. Contrary to what I said before, Susan is NOT going to disappear from our lives forever. Doug’s definitely still staying (PIE), and we’ll be able to see her at x-country and track meets, and basketball games. Umm. Yes. I generally tend to not go to those. Guess I’ll have to start, then.

I think the point of this entry is to make people aware that Uni’s losing a valuable staff member, and everyone should take a little bit of time to tell Susan how much she was appreciated. Oh, right … she likes all kinds of chocolate. Especially Reese’s Pieces. :)

Read between the lines, guys. Chocolate on March 3. Capiche?

Michelle Gao

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday morning, I woke up ready for the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics regional contest. By the time my carpool arrived at Parkland College, my nerves were racing and I had completely forgotten how to find the surface area of a sphere.

As people began trickling in, I noted all the different schools that were taking place in the competition. Centenial, Central, St. Thomas More, and even some school from Lexington (they even had matching shirts made to wear at the contest). By then, I had calmed a bit and was hanging with a few of my friends who had arrived as well. There was nothing I really needed to worry about, and I was determined to have a good time.

In the individual testing, I could feel my insides flopping around again as I remembered that I hadn’t used my geometry skills for practically a whole year and couldn’t remember the difference between a complementary angle and a supplementary one. It was too late for me to worry about that so I just worked determinedly, trying to make the best out of it all. For 50 minutes, all I could hear in the classroom filled with dozens of students was the scratching of pencils. Other than that, it was dead silent.

After that ordeal, the freshman-sophomore eight-person team competition was about to begin. After spending five harrowing minutes attempting to get all of my group together, we were all ready to go. Each team was given 20 questions. Uni High shared the room with Urbana High School. As soon as the directions were explained, we started. The questions were quickly divvied up, and we all set about answering them. The freshmen were given the first 10, which were supposed to be easier, and the sophomores took the last 10. There were questions involving algebra and geometry, and the tests were all printed on obnoxiously colored papers. But 20 minutes later, it was over.

I didn’t stay for the awards ceremony; I didn’t come for the want of winning anything. I came for fun, and I got it — all at a rather interesting math contest.

Linda Song

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you weren’t at the Music Club recital on Thursday night, you really missed out. Sure, the South Attic isn’t exactly Carnegie Hall. And sure, you could be sitting at home watching a rerun of “Friends.” But the truth is, it’s not often that you get the opportunity to see the wide variety of talent that our student body possesses.

There was literally a little bit of everything, from pianists to whistlers (Go, Rose Kory!). And some of the performers were not even regular Music Club attendees. It just goes to show how dedicated these musicians are: Not only are they willing to practice regularly, but they give up an hour or two of their free time on a Thursday night to help bring the Uni music community together. Music Club recitals provide both an opportunity for experienced players to showcase their skill, and a friendly atmosphere for those who simply want to give performing a try. The recital on Thursday brought family, friends, and faculty together to appreciate some great music.

So to those closet virtuosos out there: Give Music Club a try!

Daisy Hassani

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 2:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’d just like to say thanks to everyone who turned in their permission slips for the IFMU movie night. It means a lot to all of us, and tomorrow’s going to be an excellent night because of your support! As previously stated, we’ll have free popcorn and some prizes for those who can come (just to show how much we care). Also, if you didn’t get a permission slip turned in to Sue, Devin and I will be taking them at the door (which we’re fairly sure will not be a problem), so even if you couldn’t get yours in on time, you should still be able to come and have a grand ol’ time.

And good news! I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!

Jono/Jonathon (Baron)

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It has come to the attention of rising juniors and seniors that we will not find out who will be teaching our English classes next year until after signups. This raises several issues. First of all, the teacher has a huge impact on the quality of the class. Thus, it is imperative, especially to certain students, that they be able to base their choices on the teacher rather than the content. Any teacher can ruin a brilliant class.

Also, it is unnecessary to hide the teaching roster from us, as interest will still exist across the board. If anything, telling students who the teachers will be will improve the balance between classes. Less popular topics, but with more popular teachers, will end up getting just as many requests as a more popular topic. Thus, scheduling will become easier, and the school will get fewer complaints from dissatisfied students.

All in all, the English department is handling this very irresponsibly, and they will take a hit when students are clamoring to switch classes at the beginning of next year. Then, when they don’t let us switch classes, they will see a drop in student participation, resulting in a very unsuccessful year in English for students and teachers.

Sarah Pfander

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was first approached with the opportunity to help out on the alternative volunteer trip south to East Biloxi, Miss., a few weeks ago; the trip was in need of drivers. I was to be the only senior going with several ambitious and motivated underclassmen, and I was immediately impressed with the heart of the students involved.

I had earlier observed conversations in which Shara Esbenshade had been in conflict with authority in the school over missing Agora Days for this trip. I found the idea absurd that students shouldn’t be allowed to go on a charitable volunteer trip instead of Agora Days, which is somewhat educational but mostly just relaxing and fun. Ms. Patton seemed to be in support of the trip, however, and even considered chaperoning when our original chaperones dropped out.

Except for Ms. Patton, the opposition to this trip only shows how little respect faculty and administrators have for students here at Uni. Just because they didn’t come up with it and don’t have the opportunity to impose formal regulations and processes on it doesn’t mean it’s not just as valid. While the Habitat for Humanity trip is an excellent idea and should continue for as long as Agora Days is around, I believe the small group of students pulling this alternative trip together embody the true spirit of volunteer work.

This reminded me of a time when my oldest sister was in high school and was completely unimpressed with the quality of her student newspaper, which was actually just a piece of paper released each week with sports scores. In response, she and some of her friends created an alternative newspaper to effectively cover the events and happenings of the school that the current newsletter didn’t. But the teacher of the school’s print media class correctly recognized this as criticism of her class work, and made sure that this new, better paper wasn’t distributed in school.

Why should Uni, with its so-called open atmosphere, oppose an alternative to the established trip that clearly excludes a number of students who want to help? If anything, the school should be applauding the number of young students who put in the extra effort to help people in need.

Unfortunately, age restrictions kept much of the large group from being able to go. The people left are a core group of still ambitious students who want nothing more than to help out in a hurricane-ravaged area of the country, and are still in need of a chaperone. I hope that those opposed to this trip will see that it’s important to allow ambitious students to do positive things, even if it means they don’t have as much power to be involved. With any luck, I’ll be able to report back to you on the positive effects of this trip after we come back.

Matthew Freeman

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several of the Gargoyle editors read Ms. Patton's Feb. 14 blog entry and respect her opinion, but at the same time take issue with her points.

Ms. Patton specified that she and the Uni High faculty members have the right to oppose grinding going on at dances. Just as the faculty and parents have the right to their opinion on the issue, the students have the right to their opinion and the right to express their opinion through civil disobedience.

Of course such a thing causes friction between the two generations, but the way we dance is part of our culture. This is the hip-hop generation, and the youth culture today is often just as shocking as it was when our parents were growing up. Attempts at restricting activity at school dances are a misguided attempt by our parents and teachers to fight back against this culture.

Gargoyle editors

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When I read The News-Gazette's area prep basketball rankings on Monday I just wrote it off as another case of the local paper's ignorance of Uni athletics.

The top 10 included GCMS in the fourth spot -- a team that Uni ravaged by a margin of over 15 points. Uni was nowhere to be found on this top 10 list.

I noticed the fifth-ranked team was Unity, the very same team that Uni defeated by nine points in overtime last night.

And why did our wonderful local newspaper ignore Uni in its rankings?

Quite simply, they don't watch this team play. Anybody who follows Uni basketball knows that Uni clearly demonstrated its superiority over GCMS in that victory. That game was no fluke; based on its performance Uni would win that game nine times out of 10.

I understand that maybe The News-Gazette is hesitant to jump on any sort of Uni bandwagon due to the fact that Uni plays in the fledgling East Central Illinois Conference. Also, some of our teams in the past couple years have fallen below their potential. Boys soccer this year and last year fell victim to surprising upsets.

The Uni basketball team is different. Now that Uni has won its 14th straight victory -- its most recent against the supposed fifth-ranked team in the area -- it would be nothing more than a bad joke if this team did not receive the top 10 recognition it deserves.

David Boyle

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 1:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As some of you may know, IFMU club is having a movie night this coming Saturday at 7. We were planning on showing "Blazing Saddles," but apparently it's rated R, so without permission slips, we wouldn't be allowed to show it. To be blunt, I find this absolutely ridiculous. Students over 17 should be allowed to view the film without their parents' consent because of the nature of the rating system.

I really don't see why everything's against us. The student council lost all of the paperwork Devin Johnson handed in to okay the movie night for starters, and now we've got the administration on our backs. Since we're trying to do something for the school by hosting a free movie night, it just feels wrong how we're being treated. Student council hasn't exactly gone out of its way to sponsor movie nights, and although our class officers have tried to do a few movie nights, the films they chose weren't exceedingly popular.

In addition to that, it's not as if we're trying to gain anything from hosting a movie night. In fact, it's quite the opposite. We're giving out free popcorn and prizes, and we've decided to sacrifice some of our own free time in order to move chairs and set up equipment in the attic just so that more people can come. And what do we get in return? Resistance for no particular reason!

This is especially ironic considering the student council's actions, because it's supposed to represent us as students and members of a student club, and support us, but instead, it's just adding restrictions. I realize that nobody wants serious complaints from parents (including us, which is why we've complied with the powers that be), but if Uni really is a special environment that promotes self-expression and freedom for students, then the administration should reflect that in its regulations.

Jono Baron

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s the last round of the IHSA state chess tournament, and I see my teammates gathering around a table in the distance. I head over with my notation book and pen in hand and sit down at Board 5. The guy across the table curses and mutters, “Why do I always get the girls?”

I smirk and he explains that he just played a girl. “Who won?” I ask.

“I did,” he says in a “duh-isn’t-it-obvious” tone. “She sucked.”

I frown. The guy was nice, but he had just unconsciously struck a nerve. Too many times, walking through hallways during tournament, I’ve heard, “Did you see that game I played against that girl? She sucked. Dropped a queen!” It’s not necessarily sexism, but it piques at my pride all the same. Yeah, we’re girls. That doesn’t mean we can’t own.

Thus, I proceeded to beat the guy in 13 moves. No hard feelings, dude.

People ask me sometimes, “What’s it like being one of the only girls in chess?”

I’m never quite sure how to answer. I’m not sure it even registers with me, most of the time. I don’t go out there thinking of myself as a minority — and yet at every tournament I go out of the way to find all the girls and meet them, and at every comment about girls during these tourneys my ears perk up, and I’m ready to take down any guy who might even dare imply girls can’t play chess.

It’s true that there aren’t many girls playing chess (at this last tournament of over 1,000 people, I saw a total of maybe 10 girls — and three of them were the girlfriends of guys we played), and it’s also true that most of the girls are on JV. A lot of girls drop out because it’s a “guy’s thing” or there aren’t any other girls on their teams.

But just look at the perks!

You get a room to yourself, for one. At state the guys had to go four guys to a room. (At least one of them ended up sleeping on the floor. Hah.) And me? I got a room to myself, meaning I didn’t have to get up early to fight with three other people for use of the bathroom.

It’s also nice because you have an extra edge over the guy you’re playing. They’re under intense pressure — imagine if they lost to a girl! Some guys also just can’t play against girls. I played this one guy during the season and beat him pretty easily, just to find out later that he was actually a lot better than me (he beat one of our higher boards later). His teammates told me he’d never won against a girl. (Hah!)

And then you can get medals for being the “top female,” which sounds really awesome. I mean, top female? Doesn’t sound bad at all! … There’s just the minor detail that there’s only five girls or so in the running for it anyway. Freshman year I got a nice trophy for being the girl with the most points in the league — it was almost as big as Shang’s (he won the first-place overall trophy). They got rid of the award the next year. :(

Next year, I’m going to organize an all-girls team and proceed to win state. Now THAT would be hot.

Annie Liang

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, during fourth hour, I found out from fellow Gargoyle staff members that there have been new limitations set on dancing to curb inappropriate behavior at school-sponsored dances. From what I've heard, there will be no more "sandwich dancing," and Assistant Director Sue Kovacs will be using her judgment to pull apart and discipline extreme cases of inappropriate dancing.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't really understand why some people are separated and not others. At winter formal, for example, some of my friends were dancing in a somewhat inappropriate fashion, and no one seemed bothered by it, least of all Kovacs. In fact, she actually walked right by us and didn't say a word. I myself have never seen her pulling people apart and therefore don't really know what she classifies as "raunchy."

Maybe I'm just immune to "dirty dancing." If you have ever gone to public school, especially on the East Coast, the dancing is on a whole new level. I've seen fifth-graders dancing the way Uni kids do.

Kovacs has pointed out that other local high schools have rules about the extent to which dancing can go, but I'd like to point out that at those schools the primary rule is probably, "Don't have sex on the dance floor." I think we're pretty safe without those rules at Uni.

Maybe it's just me. Or maybe I'm thick-headed and didn't get the point. It seems that the administration is trying to curb something that isn't a problem in the first place.

While I acknowledge that some people really don't like how we dance, with all due respect, maybe they shouldn't watch. It's just dancing.

Devika Bagchi

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Has anyone else noticed how terrible Feb. 14 is? When I was younger and in maybe second grade, it was all, "YAY! WE GET CANDY AND WE CAN BRING CARDS FOR OTHER PEOPLE! WOHOOO!"

Except not really.

Now, I have found a number of things wrong with this so-called "holiday."

For one thing, what about all the single people out there, hmm? Why isn't there a Single-And-Loving-It Day? Is this a conspiracy to get all the people out there without a valentine into a spiral of deathly depression? OK! So I don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend! Shut up!

For another thing, Valentine's Day has turned into one big scam. A dozen roses for around $50, when at any other time it's around $15? Does anyone else see a big difference in those numbers? And then roses aren't enough, because they're obviously going to die, so you've got to get a stuffed animal, too. Preferably a really cute bear. And then a gushy card. And then chocolate to top that all off.

Wow. There goes a whole hell of a lot of money. Hallmark and flower shops around the country must be so happy.

(Just to be fair, if you're on the receiving end of all that, I guess you don't have much to complain about.)

Everyone this year seems to be breaking up right about now, too. Right before Valentine's Day. That kind of sucks, doesn't it? Right before the day when all the happy couples out there are supposed to be celebrating -- BAM. Not anymore.

Feb. 14 is cursed, I tell you. CURSED!

Another thing that gets me is, why wait until this one day to do everything at once? Is there some kind of rule that says, "Thou shalt not show affection until Valentine's Day"? Why not get flowers through the year? A teddy bear just because you want to prove that you love someone? Why cram it all into one day and then stare sadly at your empty wallet?

There is no reason, by the way, for all my fellow slow people out there.

So! Quiz time!

1) Valentine's Day is:
a. Overly expensive
b. Fabulous for the people getting stuff
c. Cursed
d. All of the above (CHOOSE THIS ONE)

2) We should:
a. Kill Hallmark
b. Be sweet to our bf/gf throughout the year
c. Kill Hallmark
d. Kill Hallmark

Answers are "d" and, well, "b," I suppose. :)

Michelle Gao

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yes, the time you have all been waiting for has come. The Gargoyle is finally going online!

Be sure to check out:

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES: Presently more than 20 stories that have never been seen anywhere else are on The OG! A dozen will be found in the "Exclusive to The OG" column second from the left; the rest will be found within individual sections ("news," "features," etc.). We'll add exclusive items practically daily.

PHOTO GALLERIES: Multiple photo galleries can be found under "Online Extras" in the right column documenting Uni events. Have any pictures you would like to submit? Make sure to check out the "Submit Content" link found in the left column!

ART GALLERIES: These are open for all Uni students who would like to submit art! Featured are samples of the possibilities. This section welcomes creative photography, traditional art, computer-generated art, and any other visual art! Everyone is encouraged to submit through the "Submit Content" link in the left column please include your name, the name of the piece, and any additional comments, such as what inspired you, what media you used, etc.

CREATIVE WRITING: Similar to Unique, but updated as frequently as you will submit, this section is devoted to the creative writing talents of students at Uni. Submit anything and everything! Just be prepared for any constructive criticism that might be coming your way.

SHAG ADVICE: A blog to answer all of your questions about sexual health! Each post will be devoted to a new question. Feel free to comment, add helpful tips of your own, or ask follow up questions!

GARGOYLE STAFF BLOG: Ever want to know what's on the mind of the Gargoyle staff? Now you can! Found under "Blogs" is the frequently updated Gargoyle staff blog of all the odd thoughts going through our minds day-to-day.

PRINCIPAL'S BLOG: Yes, we even got Director/Principal Kassie Patton to join in on the
revolution! As the "Breakfast with the Principal" meetings are for her to hear what's on our minds, her blog is for us to figure out what's on hers.

Have any comments? Anything not working? Feel free to send us word.

We hope you'll enjoy the site and check frequently. Happy reading!

The Gargoyle Staff

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The girls played an excellent game Monday night against Judah Christian in the St. Thomas More regional, but a specific incident that occurred in the crowd continues to bother me.

During the second half, several Uni boys including myself wrote the letters "GO UNI!" on our chests and stood in the stands with our chests and stomachs exposed. After a few minutes, Uni Athletic Director Sally Walker was told this had to stop, and the behavior was supposedly not "Christian." Sally had to comply and informed us we had to cover up.

To Sally's credit, she told us after the game that she supported the enthusiasm but we had to comply with St. Thomas More's rules because it is their gym.

I find the notion that our behavior was un-Christian to be hypocritical. When Uni plays St. Thomas More, their fans are much more obnoxious than the Uni fans at Monday's game. In fact, I have heard racially targeted jokes shouted from their student section in the past. Is this Christian behavior?

The fact that their fans will shout and play their cell phone ringtones during free throws isn't a big deal, but shouting things like "Thank you, come again" and "Go eat some rice" at our students of Indian and East Asian heritage, respectively, is not Christian behavior.

They have much bigger problems to worry about at St. Thomas More than a few Uni kids with their chests painted. Enthusiasm should not be punished; this was a clear case of hypocrisy.

David L. Boyle

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past Friday, the juniors decided to try their hand at a little class bonding. We got together in Room 109 for a viewing of the eternal classic "Cool Runnings." But what's a movie night without any squishy furniture, right? So we moved some couches from the lounge to 109.

As Jackie Hedeman and I were moving a particularly large and fluffy blue couch down the hall, I suddenly heard Lisa Micele (our class sponsor) scream. I jumped back as I saw a tiny mouse run from underneath the couch we were moving toward the lockers in the senior alcove. I hate to give into gender stereotypes, but most of the girls present were more than a little nervous about this little critter. We followed the mouse, trying to figure out how to get it out of the building, but alas, it slid under the Mac lab door. (By the way, fellow Gargoyle staff members, BEWARE!)

The mouse event came to a close, and the movie night went off without a hitch. But during the movie, I couldn't help but feel a little jittery, wondering exactly what was under those couches we were sitting on. Whatever happened to the lounge committee, anyway?

Daisy Hassani

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Thursday night the Uni High girls basketball team played Decatur Lutheran in its Senior Night game of the 2005-06 season.

So there went another Senior Night, and with that another class of ballers (Al Johnson, Julie Chen, Nuole Chen, Alejandra Collopy, Colette DeJong, Katie Carmody) with all their hopes and dreams that they may or may not have suceeded in reaching over the past four years. It's like Senior Night is the final test — it's your last chance to win or drop 20 or dunk or whatever else you've been working and sweating and dying for 24/7 ever since you stepped into the gym for your first day of Hell Week freshman year.

But yeah, so there went this year's Senior Night, and despite all the tears that I know UHGB's Class of '06 shed last night when they laid down on their beds and realized that they just played their last game on Kenney's floor, they definitely went out strong, despite the 50-35 loss.

I mean, it's easy to not give up and keep trying when you know there'll be consequences: like if you play as all-out as you possibly can then in time you'll get more playing time and it'll help the rest of your season and career.

Or knowing that if you go for it and take the chance you might come out with the win and it was a risk worth taking. But what's not easy is knowing that it's your last year and your last nonregional game as a high school baller (and probably the last basketball game of your life) and that where you stand right now is probably where you'll stand when you leave this team and that the time for any big miracles to happen to your game or to the team is running out.

When you know all that and you still don't give up and play your heart out until the last 13.8 seconds of the game (when you go out, because you're a senior and now it's your turn to get the standing ovation you watched Molly Smith get last year), that's dedication.

So yeah, I'm proud of them.

Bianca Zaharescu

Posted by Gargoyle Staff at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)