If you were looking for a tranquil place to end each Agora Day, you definitely wanted to steer clear of Room 308, where Guitar Hero class was holding court. For four days, budding rock stars tested their skills and showed off their chops — and Danny Ge was right there with them.

Eighty Points is one of junior Gordon Ruan's favorite card games. He joined Alan Liang, Charlie Wan, and Ranny Ma's class to compete and play with others and the teachers themselves. Throughout the class, Gordon discovered new strategies and tricks that increased his playing skill.

If the Uni hallways seemed a little less crowded this afternoon, that was because most of the seniors had departed for their three-day class trip to the Wisconsin Dells. They left Uni shortly after lunch today and will return on Monday. The trip was organized by senior parents and students, with parents serving as chaperones.

U of I students will be celebrating "Unofficial" St. Patrick's Day on Friday, and Uni students are being urged to stay close to school for their own safety. Elaine Gu appreciates the warning, but she thinks the real danger lies not on foot but behind the wheel.

More than 60 students eagerly made their way up to the North Attic on Wednesday for Uni High's annual Black History Luncheon. Students were treated to a dazzling dance performance by freshman Kahlilah Cooke and inspiring poetry readings by special guests Cynthia Biggers and Aaron Ammons. Check inside for photos and to hear Ammons recite two of his poems.

[UPDATED and audio included] On Monday, history teacher and lounge sponsor Chris Butler made the decision to close the student lounge. On Tuesday, Assistant Principal Sue Kovacs closed down the Counseling Resource Center, better known as the CRC. Although the rooms have since been reopened, what exactly was the problem, and why were typical student hangouts closed? Should we expect even more rooms to be closing?

As one of Uni High's top long-distance runners, junior Elaine Gu knows something about working out. But even she was exposed to something different in Ethan Stone and Jamie Weiser's Yoga & Pilates class. Who knew that paying attention to inhaling and exhaling could be a workout in itself?

[AUDIO included] As anyone who watched the Uni girls varsity team play this season, 6-foot junior Rachel Skoza loves basketball. So when she had the opportunity to play hoops first thing in the morning as part of Agora Days, you know she was there. Follow inside as she recounts some of the highlights of the class — and the bittersweet ending.

[AUDIO included] This year's subfreshmen are working on an oral history project about the women's movement. They recently got some advice from a pro when National Public Radio correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty spoke to them about the responsibilities and privileges of journalism.

[AUDIO included] Alex Zhai has represented the United States twice at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Now he is a step closer to doing the same for the U.S. in physics. Zhai, a senior, was one of only 415 students from around the country — and one of only 30 from Illinois high schools — to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Physics Team selection process. The students are competing for a chance to represent the United States at the 39th International Physics Olympiad this summer in Vietnam.

Keep March 7 free on your calendar. That's when UFU will take over the Independent Media Center for a hip-hop benefit concert featuring local recording artists Krukid, Cornbread, and Text. The show is open to all ages, and tickets cost $6. All proceeds will go toward Come Let's Dance, a grassroots organization in northern Uganda helping former child soldiers and their local communities. The event kicks off "UFU Month." Check inside for more.

Sophomore Elizabeth Russell is proof you can learn a lot in four days. Last week she learned how to sew — she even made a stuffed animal — and how to swing dance. It was Agora Days, of course, and Elizabeth came away with a renewed appreciation of what was already one of her favorite weeks of the school year.

[AUDIO included] Senior Jie Han signed up for Isaure Hostetter and Sian Best's World Food class because she wanted to learn new recipes and explore different kinds of food. From delicious fruit scones to mouth-watering garden pasta, Jie found plenty of new ways to satisfy her appetite for worldly dishes.

Junior Lizzy Warner wasn't sure what to expect when she took the Bring on the Sneak Gardens! class taught by sophomore Hadley Hauser and U of I lecturer Andrew Weiss. What she discovered was a whole new approach both to gardening and to beautifying the community. Check inside for Lizzy's story, the first in a series of articles about this year's Agora Days classes.

The Oscars are over, and Gargoyle senior editor/film critic Kumars Salehi went seven for eight predicting the winners in the top categories. But he was working with what the Academy gave him. What would his choices have been if he could have chosen from the entire field of 2007 movies? Without any Academy-imposed restrictions, Kumars looks back at the past year in cinema and offers his picks for the top 10 of 2007.