The list of senior Alex Zhai's accomplishments seems to grow daily: newly selected member of the US. Physics Team, two-time Math Olympian, etc. Now you can add "movie star" to that list. Well, sort of. Alex is one of six students featured in a new documentary titled "Hard Problems," which chronicles the 2006 U.S. IMO Team as it prepared for and competed in the 47th International Mathematical Olympiad.

How could we publish a variety of poems and never feature a sonnet from the master himself, William Shakespeare? In fitting with this week's theme, Shakespeare describes the immortalizing nature of poetry and the power of the art form.

So what is it with these millionaire teen stars? Just when you thought you finally found a wholesome one — Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus — she goes and does a photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz. Sindha Agha is shaking her head — and not just because of Miley.

[AUDIO included] The talented Alex Zhai adds the title of U.S. Physics Team member to his already long list of impressive academic accomplishments. Zhai will attend a training camp at the University of Maryland this May with the other 23 members of the team in hopes of becoming one of the five members of the U.S. Traveling Team, which will compete this July in the 39th International Physics Olympiad, to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Three 1953 Uni High alums have recently written about their experiences at Uni and wanted to share their thoughts with current students and faculty. Our first contributor is Jack Wills, who went on to earn his doctorate in Chinese history from Harvard University. He is an emeritus professor of history at the University of Southern California, where he began teaching in 1965. In 2004, Jack received Uni's highest honor for an alumnus or alumna, the Max Beberman Award.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has named juniors Rob Diehl and Brian Wang two of the 14 State Historians of the Year for their published work in Illinois History: A Magazine for Young People. The student historians will be honored at the All Illinois History Exposition, to be held May 8 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.

Although May is deliciously close to the start of summer vacation, it can be a stressful month, especially for juniors trying to finish their standardized testing before next year's college apps. Elaine Gu used to dread the prospect of SATs, but recently she had a change of heart. Read on to find out why.

With prom less than three weeks away, everyone has thought about whom to ask, where to go to dinner, and what to do after the dance is over. But unlike the majority of the male population, girls have another thing on their minds: the dress. Juniors Lizzy Warner, Deborah Ladd, and Lauren Piester debate the pros and cons of one of the many significant parts of the dress: the length.

Ahh, the tormented artist. We're sure everyone has felt the agony of being displeased with one's own work. Anne Bradstreet's poem "The Author to Her Book" is one such example of this discontent and the unwillingness to find satisfaction in one's creative work.

Anna Cangellaris and Michelle Gao bring you a final farewell to the spring play, Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Haven't had your fill of Uni theater yet? Not to worry; Big Show is just around the corner.

The stellar outdoor season of Malcolm Taylor continued on Monday as he led the Illineks to an impressive sixth-place finish at the 16-team St. Joseph-Ogden Boys Spartan Classic. The junior won the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 50.04 seconds and anchored the winning 4x800 relay team. In field events, senior Frankie McFarland broke his own school record in the discus three times on his way to a third-place finish.

The Class of 2011's Allerton field trip took place April 17 and 18 under the direction of health education teacher Andi Phillips and numerous parent and faculty volunteers. The students spent two days of climbing, falling, running, yelling, doing geometry, and building boats out of cardboard at Allerton Park and the adjacent 4-H Memorial Camp. Check out the photos taken by freshman Ian McInerney and Gargoyle staffer Lauren Piester.

Appalled by the weather lately? Anna Gooler feels your pain. In fact, she dashed off this missive in the hopes of changing our fortunes. We're not sure if it will have any effect, but if the Weather Dude has a sense of humor, we suspect he/she will at least appreciate Anna's efforts.

[AUDIO included] We've got the latest for you in "Poetry from the Gargoyle's mouth," with senior Erin Hayes reading a poem that she really likes called "one thirty-six a.m." It's definitely a thought-provoking poem with some cool images, so make sure to look inside for her rendition of it. Also, come back later this week for more poetry about artists and how they feel about their craft.

The best bets this week seem to be in the new CD and video game releases. Laura is looking forward to the latest album by The Roots, "Rising Down," while Gordon gives a thumbs-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV." Carl Zielinski makes a guest appearance as arbiter of the new movie releases, while Kumars checks out the DVD stash. Sindha is back with her look at live music in C-U.