[AUDIO included] The calculator programming class taught by Ethan Berl, Chris Nixon, and A.J. Martinez during sixth hour was a hit this year. Students were taught basic aspects of programming while learning how to program games in the two final days of the week.

By the end of the first day of Race and Racism in America, students were already uncomfortable — and that was a good thing, according to Rachel Harmon. At the center of the class was a documentary titled "The Color of Fear" and a charismatic teacher from the U of I named Mikhail Lyubansky. Rachel discusses both inside.

Anna Gooler wasn't sure she would enjoy learning how to salsa dance, but she decided the class was worth a try. Now, she knows she made the right decision to sign up! From the basic step to the more complicated turns, the salsa dancing class was super fun!

"I really like the Muppets," writes Laura Dripps. "Something about the unrealistic-looking little furry people just makes me inexplicably happy." Not surprisingly, Laura decided to take the Muppets Show 2 class during Agora Days — and, noisy subfreshmen aside, it was a wise decision.

During Agora Days, Lauren Piester taught an improv class with fellow junior Sarah Lake-Rayburn. "It was a crazy week filled with lots of laughter, dancing, singing, and a little bit of yelling," she writes. "Turns out that Sarah and I are not extremely good at dealing with out-of-control shouts of 'Can I go next?' and 'Is it my turn yet?' or 'Can I please have another brownie?'"

[AUDIO included] Each year since 1997, close to 20 Uni students choose to spend their Agora Week sweating and working in one of the most impoverished areas in America, the Mississippi Delta. They do so as part of history teacher Bill Sutton's annual Habitat for Humanity trip. Find out how this year's students fared during their stay in Clarksdale, Miss., and listen to Sutton and seniors Shivani Khanna and Anna Cangellaris talk about their experiences.

Euchre is sophomore Maritza Mestre's all-time favorite card game, but until she arrived at Uni, she thought virtually no one outside of her own family still played it. So when as a subfreshman she saw Euchre offered as an Agora class, she was amazed. Now she's a Euchre regular, battling it out with others who share the secret language of Bauers, bumps, and loners. Come inside for a tour of the game that once ruled America's card tables.

Jack Snyder took Polyominoes and Soma Cubes when he was a subfreshman. He took it again this year as a sophomore, and he found it just as challenging. "After arranging and rearranging my pieces for what seemed to be the thousandth time, I gave up and took a break," he writes. "Another student, senior Julian Hartman, finally solved his puzzle. His feat was the first time that anyone at my table had solved it. What I’m trying to say here is, polyominoes were not a piece of cake."

Belegarth is medieval combat with foam swords. But don't try to tell those in the class that the weapons are made of foam. Chris Yoder tried taking this class for the first time, and he realized that success in the class takes more than physical skill: It takes a completely different mentality.

"Very few people enjoy watching videos of themselves, and I think watching a video of yourself swimming just takes that cruelty to another level," writes Deborah Ladd. "You realize that no matter how wonderful or fast you think you are, you almost always do something wrong." Yet not only did Deborah and her classmates survive the experience of seeing their flaws onscreen, they came out of Competitive Swimming class better swimmers than before.

Ever since sophomore Katherine Allen heard cooking classes were offered during Agora Days, she's wanted to be in one. Why? They're fun, they're easy, you can socialize and make good food, and most of all, they're hard to get into. "When I looked at my Agora schedule," Katherine writes, "I was thrilled to see that I had received what seemed almost impossible for an underclassman: a spot in a fun-sounding cooking class." So what was it like? Check inside for Katherine's account.

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.

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.