Students and teachers alike who arrived at Uni Wednesday morning were pleasantly surprised by the classy chalk drawings out front and the hundreds of balloons overflowing in the lounge. Senior Dana Al-Qadi narrates the events of late Tuesday night and the reactions of the Uni community.

A group of 20 local high school students, including more than half a dozen from Uni, will dramatize the effects of the war in Iraq with a "die-in" this Saturday at noon in front of the Alma Mater statue at Green and Wright streets. Everyone is invited to attend. [UPDATED with names of Uni students who plan to participate.]

Just like last year, the Uni junior has won the Akamai Foundation scholarship given to the second-highest scorer in the USA Math Olympiad. Zhai was in Washington, D.C., this week to pick up the award and to take the final test that will determine whether he will be a member of this year's U.S. team in the International Math Olympiad.