Series by Gargoyle staff
Posted Sunday, March 4, 2007, The OG, features & in depth

THE WORD “UNIQUE” is often tossed around when discussing Uni High — probably too often. But Agora Days is one of those traditions that truly lives up to the description. The four-day hiatus from Uni's regular round of classes consists of more than 100 mini-courses prepared and taught by students, faculty, alumni, parents, and friends of the school. The latest edition of Agora Days took place from Tuesday, Feb. 20, to Friday, Feb. 23. Instead of documenting the annual event solely through photos, as the Gargoyle usually does, our staff embarked on a more ambitious project this year: a series of mini-narratives taking the reader into a variety of Agora classes. Over the course of this four-part series, we hope readers will come away with a sense of the breadth and diversity — not to mention the sheer fun — of Agora Days 2007.

A GOOD WAY TO START THE MORNING

By Avanti Chajed, Gargoyle staff reporter

Course: Beginning Ballet, first hour

BEGINNING BALLET IS a small class. Out of the nine girls in the class, three are teachers. The main teacher, Karolina Kalbarczyk, says she believes other people would enjoy ballet as much as she does if they tried to learn it.

“My goals were to expose people to ballet moves and to have fun while dancing,” she says later, when the class is finished.

We slowly come into the North Attic in small groups. Only two of us study ballet on a regular basis, freshmen Sophie Shenk and Tuli Bera, but most of us took the class last year.

Everyone is rather quiet since they haven't woken up yet, but we go to the empty space eagerly when the bell rings, ready to start. Even though sophomores Natsuki Nakamura and Vaishnavi Giridarin are technically teachers, Karolina does all of the instructing.

The first thing Karolina has us do is stretch. We rotate our feet in one direction and then switch. Karolina counts for us — “One and two and three and…” — all the way to 16.

Sophie and Tuli are the only ones who talk, their voices sounding incoherent since I'm on the other side of the circle. The rest of us still haven't woken up yet. Once in a while you can hear someone's ankles crack.

We run through several different stretches alone and then get together with a partner. We lie on our backs and lift our legs in the air. Our partner then bends one of our legs as much as it can go. Watching Sophie and Tuli bend their legs to their chests makes me feel slightly self-conscious of my own leg standing straight up.

When we're done stretching, Karolina stands up.

“OK you guys, we're going to do Little Red Riding Hood,” says, referring to the routine we learned on the first day. But now all of us can do this one pretty well, but we insist that Karolina do it with us.

We go in groups of four, with Caroline Brown, Natsuki, Vaishnavi, and me in one group and Sophie, Tuli, freshman Amy Ding and subfreshman Serena Schatz in the other. The other four watch us from the corner while they wait for their turn.

When we're done they clap and get ready to go themselves. When both groups have gone, Karolina says, “That was good, guys.” Natsuki and Vaishnavi laugh while the rest of smile. We know we must have looked ridiculous.

“So do you guys want to do the Spanish one now?” Karolina asks, even though she already knows the answer. We nod our heads, but Vaishnavi and Natsuki are the most enthusiastic.

“Yeah,” they shout and move forward into the open space. Caroline and I follow. We glance at Karolina to make sure we have the starting position right. The music is a catchy Spanish tune and the moves Karolina has put together for it are simple but fun.

Once we're done the other group moves forward, but we follow along with them anyway.

“That's such a fun song,” Vaishnavi squeals when they're done.

Karolina then asks us if we want to try it without her. At first we're apprehensive but we give in. Karolina starts the music and runs to the front to watch. She gives us pointers to help us.

“Now sashay and spin,” she says.

At the end she isn't the only one who's exhilarated at our success. Maybe I've learned something during Agora Days after all.

Andrew Lovdahl made this image of a desk

lamp in 3D modeling class. (Gargoyle image)

(click to enlarge)

WINGING IT

By Andrew Lovdahl, Gargoyle staff reporter

Course: The Art of 3D Modeling, sixth hour

IT'S THE BEGINNING of sixth hour, and the Windows lab is rapidly filling with students.

A few people in the back of the room are still engrossed in “Warcraft,” which was the subject of a fifth-hour class, but the first three rows are completely occupied and every computer screen is displaying the Wings 3D interface. It's a plain gray workspace with three color-coded geometrical axes and a few innocuous tabs and buttons.

In this class, students are learning how to use this seemingly simple program to create three-dimensional models of whatever pops into their heads.

The lights are turned off, but the glow from 20 or so monitors and the partially covered windows provides sufficient illumination. A dull hum is prevalent from the droning PCs and air conditioners, but conversation still occurs easily, some of it concerning 3D modeling, and some not.

At any given moment, of the five co-teachers (sophomores Jacob Druker, Deren Kudeki, Carl Pearson, Paul Miller, and me), one or two are generally seated at the front of the room, building a model that is displayed on the projector screen, while the rest navigate the rows of computers to answer questions and offer advice — “You know, you're in orthogonal perspective. Try clicking that.”

“How do you make a light?”

“It's actually one of the primitives. So, just right-click, light, and see, there are descriptions of each type in the bar here.”

The class is in its second year, but there are a number of notable differences this time around. In 2006, Druker and Kudeki were the sole teachers (although Pearson used his free period to help out, and I was a student in the class). The average age of the students has decreased as well; in 2006 I was the sole freshman in attendance, but this time more than half the class is represented by this year's freshmen.

Additionally, this year there is an increase in unstructured free modeling time. The teachers give a brief lecture at the beginning of class (for example, on the applications of 3D modeling) and then turn the students loose.

After a good deal of confusion and choruses of “Slow down!” and “Wait!” on the first day of class, students have become quite familiar with the fundamentals of making models in Wings.

Druker issued a challenge to model a pair of headphones during Wednesday's class, and instead of the blank stares one might have expected, several people rose to the challenge.

By Thursday, models of chainsaws, castles, computer monitors, coffee mugs, eyeglasses, and assorted “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” vehicles were popping up around the room.

On Friday, to help out students with modeler's block, Miller brought a crate of objects, such as a stuffed parrot and a gyroscope, that lent themselves nicely to 3D modeling. This was met with enthusiasm, and at the end of Friday's session, students had the chance to present some of their creations to the rest of the class.

Unfortunately, the projector computer chose that precise moment to begin crashing repeatedly.

“That really put a dent in things,” Druker said later.

“I liked the way the class went,” he continued. “I thought it went substantially better than last year, partially because of more teachers, partially because I knew what I was doing more.”

However, he said there is still room for improvement: “While I was pleased with how quickly people picked stuff up, I wish they had been more willing to talk about what techniques they used.”

Druker has every intention to bring this class back next year, and he hopes that the staff of co-teachers will return as well. He is also considering the possibility of a 3D modeling club, if there is enough interest.

If you can't wait until next February to do some modeling of your own, you can download the software for free at wings3d.com.

THE MOST ADORABLE CLASS OF AGORA DAYS

By Michelle Gao, Gargoyle assistant editor

Course: Companion Animal Miscellany, seventh hour

GASPS AND CRIES of “Really?” fill the air as biology teacher David Stone looks amused at the reaction that his words have caused.

It is Thursday, and students in the Companion Animal Miscellany class taught by Stone and college counselor Lisa Micele have just learned they will spend about half the class period playing with Stone's dogs.

Naho Maeda gets to know one of the guest

stars of Animal Miscellany. (Gargoyle photo)

(click to enlarge)

Stone walks to the side of the room behind the counter, and ecstatic barking fills the air. The students, sitting on the tables, exchange excited looks as he walks back around to the main part of the room, followed by a black-and-white dog.

“Come on, Blast!” Stone urges him.

It is obvious that all of the students (except for perhaps Stone's son, Ethan) are dying to lunge off their respective tables and swarm the dog, and they are just barely restraining themselves. I myself am tapping my fingers agitatedly against my leg.

Because Blast is ridiculously cute. It is one thing to sit in a classroom and listen to people talk about why you should pursue a career as a vet (which is what had happened Tuesday and Wednesday). It is quite another to actually put a dog in a classroom with a group of teens who are all crazy about animals.

Stone plays with Blast for a while and then puts him back into his carrier. He then takes Ringer (an older dog) out. Ringer is obviously better trained and more mature but is just as playful.

In the end, we got to see Ringer and Upstart, another dog, do some flyball in the third-floor hallway. Flyball involved the two dogs running down a long rubber track, jumping over hurdles, grabbing tennis balls, and running back. It was impressive, to say the least.

Cut to Friday: The entire class rivets its attention on the small form at the front of the classroom. As Sian Best pets the brown pit-bull puppy, everyone else in the class seethes with jealousy, waiting for a turn.

Two black lab puppies are also introduced to the class awhile later, and we are taught how to test their personalities. After the period is over, nearly the entire class stays behind to coo over the three puppies.

“How cuuuuute!” and “Adorable” and “Ohmygod” can be heard throughout the classroom.

An excellent way to end an excellent class.

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?

By Jason He, Gargoyle staff reporter

Course: InvenTeam 2007 Pt. I, seventh hour, & InvenTeam 2007 Pt. II, eighth hour

INVENTEAMS, SPONSORED BY the Lemelson-MIT Program, provides grants to high school students to make their ideas for inventions a reality. Teams of students submit their proposals for review, and teams whose proposals are selected receive grants of up to $10,000 to create their invention.

Isaac Chambers and his InvenTeam partners came up

with an idea for a high-security voting machine.

(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

In addition to inspiring students in the fields of science and mathematics, InvenTeams also aims to “encourage a sustainable culture of invention in schools and communities,” according to the program's Web site.

A two-part class during Agora Days did just that. Students who enrolled in senior Victoria Wang's class spent their days experimenting with kits of K'NEX pieces and electronic snap boards, among other things. Chemistry teacher David Bergandine, the faculty sponsor of the class, said that these kits were intended to help students in coming up with ideas for inventions.

The class was small, and the students found themselves always thinking and experimenting with the kits to try out different things. In one experiment, students were even able to output music from an iPod to play on a small speaker provided in the electronic snap kit — and that setup wasn't in the manual at all!

The excitement of hearing music play at an audible volume was well worth the great deal of time trying to get everything set up and working. Sadly, when the setup was taken apart, students encountered difficulties putting it back together. But at least they knew that it was doable.

Given the productivity level in the class, it seemed as if everyone enjoyed it.

“It was a lot of fun to experiment with the stuff Mr. Bergandine provided,” sophomore Isaac Chambers said.

“I think we have a fairly clear vision of what we want [and] what it could be used for,” Chambers said of the invention proposal that his team will eventually submit. “As simple as the robotic Legos and snap kits may have appeared, they do require interest.”

The team's ideas include a high-security voting machine, an efficient water-filtration system, and a computer mouse controlled by finger movement. Chambers said the voting machine idea was the most developed, and he was confident that it would allow for an excellent proposal for submission.

UNDER THE COVERS

By Carl Zielinski, Gargoyle staff reporter

Course: Cover Songs, an Inquiry, eighth hour

AS EIGHTH PERIOD rolled around, I walked into English teacher Elizabeth Majerus' Cover Songs class.

In the past few days we had talked about various covers, including Kate Bush's “Hounds of Love,” done by The Futureheads, and another of her songs, “This Woman's Work,” done by Maxell.

Teacher Elizabeth Majerus leads her Cover Songs class.

(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)

On a more offbeat note, there was also a cover of Dolly Parton's “Jolene” by The White Stripes, which lent itself to some interesting discussion. While these were all entertaining, they weren't what I normally spend my time listening to.

When I had initially signed up for the class, I wasn't exactly sure of what I would hear, but I hadn't been expecting mid-'80s female singer-songwriters.

While our listening to The Beatles' album “Rubber Soul” in preparation for our listening to a cover album piqued my interest, I hoped for some songs that would capture my attention.

Fortunately, on Thursday I got a few covers I thoroughly enjoyed.

First, Majerus played the Bob Dylan classic “Highway 61 Revisited,” followed by a cover by female artist PJ Harvey. Some discussion followed, although most of the class remained silent, except on the point that Dylan's voice wasn't very melodic. I quickly countered by pointing out, “That's pretty much the point of his singing.”

However, the song we were to hear next would completely make up for any previous songs I hadn't liked. The reaction of the class to “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” by hip-hop legends Public Enemy was much more immediate than that received by “Highway 61.” The tale of escape from prison seemed to grab the attention of my peers more than some lines of purposefully obtuse poetry sung by a hero of our parents.

The discussion after hearing British rapper Tricky's shortened version of “Black Steel” was much more intense than any other discussion that day. Kumars Salehi quickly summed up the difference between the first and second versions.

“Rap seems to lend itself better to longer narratives,” Salehi said in reference to Tricky's use of only the first stanza of the lyrics to “Black Steel.”

With class time running low, Majerus had us play covers that we had brought in that we thought were interesting. Among those played were Kelly Clarkson's “Since U Been Gone” and a local cover as well as a version of Slayer's “Raining Blood,” which Ammar Rizwan stated “was crunk.”

So while I wasn't entirely in tune with all of the music I heard over the course of Agora Days, I went home with more understanding of what makes a cover song good — as well as some more appreciation for Public Enemy.

RELATED

— Gargoyle story: Back to Agora Days, Pt. 1

— Gargoyle story: Back to Agora Days, Pt. 2

— Gargoyle story: Back to Agora Days, Pt. 3

— Photos: Agora Days 2007

— Photos: More Agora Days 2007