Student Senate elections were held on May 18, 2010 to elect officials for the 2010-2011 school year. To run for office, students had to gain approval from their class sponsors and teachers via a rating system between 1-5 (bad to excellent) that judged their attendance, respect, academic achievements, etc. to make sure they were qualified.

“Being in Senate is fun but hectic for students” Student Senate Advisor Yvonne Alvarez-Cortes said. “Senators must have organizational skills, leadership qualities, and should be willing to make Senate a priority when it comes to extra-curriculars.”

Election results were announced on May 27, 2010. Elected officers for next year’s Student Senate are:

Student Senate:

President: McKenzie Kirby
Co-Vice President: Maya Patterson
Co-Vice President: Lexi Johnson

Seniors:

Class President: Mandy Facer
Class Vice President: Will Elect NEXT Year
Representative: Amanda Jacobs
Representative: Kori McGraw
Representative: Chris Harrington
Did Not Attend Urbana School: Danielle Fontaine
Thomas Paine: Shelby Armstrong
Leal: Tiffany Walker
Yankee Ridge: Korrine Spears
Wiley: Chris Harrington

Juniors:

Class President: Jessa Johnson
Class Vice President: Tess Allen
Class Press Secretary: Meredith Headtke
Representative: Melinda Mendoza
Thomas Paine: Lexi Johnson
Prairie: Meredith Headtke
Yankee Ridge: Tess Allen
Wiley: Anwen Parrot
Didn’t Attend Urbana School: Piper Harvey

Sophomores:

Class President: Cate Hummel
Class Vice President: Mary Donahue
Class Press Secretary: Will Elect NEXT Year
Representative: Myles Kelley
Representative: Shaniqua Durgan
Representative: Kayla Estes
Thomas Paine: Jordan Patterson
Yankee Ridge: Ellen Beverly
Wiley: Sophia Ruiz-Gehrt
Didn’t Attend Urbana School: Sylvia Haas

Next year’s Student Senate ventures include summer car washes, the annual Thanksgiving Dinner, the Beef-House Rolls fundraiser, Tail-Great, Harmony Week, the Student Vs. Staff Basketball Game, and annual Talent Show.

Mr. Greg Johnson, who is our Associate Principal, is leaving to take the new principal
position at Centennial High School. Johnson has been working at Urbana High School since 1997.

Johnson was an English teacher for nine years at Urbana and also coached the girls and boys cross-country team during that time, excluding the first year he taught. He quit coaching after he got the assistant principal job.

Johnson is going to replace Justin Moore, who was Centennial’s former principal and resigned in December. He will start his job as principal on July 1. “It‘s a huge challenge to go over there and take a new job, but I look foreword tackling the challenge,” said Greg Johnson

Ms. Danielle Cook will move into Johnson’s old office. Mr. Travis Courson is going to take over as assistant principal. Ms. Angelica Franklin is going to be that new dean of students with last names of A through G.

Johnson is a University of Illinois alum. Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in educational administration. Currently Mr. Johnson is working on his Ph.D. in educational administration from the U of I.

“I am going to miss the people of course, I have had made some really great friends, and the kids I am going to miss seeing their faces in the halls,” said Johnson.

Christine Cox may not have always wanted to be a teacher, but that has no influence over the number of students she has educated in the 32 years she has worked at Urbana High School. Cox will retire this year, making the class of 2013 the last to have the speech and English teacher.

Cox studied to become a nurse before becoming a teacher. “I thought I’d like to be a nurse,” she says. “I started nursing school and I just  didn’t have the stomach for it.”
So career-wise, it was back to the drawing board for Cox. She considered what she might like to do and a speech teacher she had in high school came to mind. “I thought ‘I would love to do that.’”

She began her work by student teaching ninth grade at Jefferson Middle School. Cox then was a substitute teacher at UHS, where she was offered a job.
Thirty-two years after that job offer, Cox continues to teach speech and composition 9 at Urbana. “I love teaching AP prep freshman and I love teaching speech,” she says.
Speech is the subject Cox originally thought about when she decided to become a teacher and is still one she enjoys. “Speech brings together a large group of students from different backgrounds to discuss issue and listen to each other,” says Cox.

Over the years fashions, politics and music may have changed, but Cox says that her students are similar to the way they were in past years. “They’re still teenagers,” she says. “I think everybody wants to pin all of the world’s troubles on them, but that’s not the truth.”

For many high school students out there, there are numerous ways to spend the summer months. While the obvious choice would be to go on a splendid vacation, taking summer school will probably be a wiser choice in terms of your future. Summer typically marks the beginning of a welcome break from high school. Instead of using that break to work on your video game skills and get a killer tan, why not use the summertime to beef up your school grades in time for college?

“The purpose of summer school is basically to either give students a head start, or an opportunity to catch up – whichever applies,” says Assistant Principal Danielle Cook.

Summer school is definitely a productive way to spend your summer. Regardless of whether you want to catch up, stay on track or get ahead, your summer break is a prime time to dedicate toward setting yourself apart from the rest of the college applicant pool. Summer school is not only for people who need to catch up on credits, it provides students the opportunity to take prep courses or prerequisite courses that prepare them for the next school year.

“First, it keeps students in the educational frame of mind,  it also gives incoming freshmen a taste of what the high school is like,” says Cook.  “It allows students who are behind on credits the opportunity to earn back one.”

One of the functions of summer school is to earn a second chance to improve a grade in a class that may not be their desired grade.

“I think the purpose of summer school is to get you ahead in credits so that you have space for other classes during the school year,” says Sophomore Samantha Mwenda. “It also helps the people who need to catch up on credits.” Unfortunately, not all courses are available on the summer school programs.

However, sometimes summer school creates second thoughts to different high school students. Why in the world would anyone take summer classes when they could be relaxing at home, spending time with friends, or earning some cash? Here are some of the reasons why going to summer school is worth the use of your time.

Not only will students expand their knowledge and exhibit initiative, but they also get to work on their academic learning and get ahead if they want to. This provides reassurance to a college admissions office that a student is serious about focusing on their school goals. And, of course, summer school provides an opportunity to retake an important class (like math or English) to fix a poor grade. An improved grade could increase a student’s GPA and give them that extra edge to get noticed by college admissions.

Graduating early is one of the benefits of summer school also. If a student dedicates a month or two of their summer break to classes, the course loads will be easier compared to a school year’s work loads.

“You have something to do in the summer that would help you in the school year. Summer School work is also less stressful than if you were to take the class in the school year,” says Mwenda.

More room in a student’s schedule would also be open to take other electives. A student could even graduate ahead of time if they take enough classes during summer break to put them ahead of schedule.

Zero responsibilities during the summer; how lovely. But the first week back is always rough. Getting back in the swing of things, including waking up early, turning in things on time, and cramming for exams are a few of the downsides. If a student doesn’t ever let themselves slip out of the habits required to succeed in school, they won’t have to go through the pain of readjusting.

Summer school enhances knowledge. Let’s admit it, high school students forget things when you aren’t studying them for an entire summer. Taking a class over the summer will keep them in the practice and help them remember things they have already learned.

“You get quick help from the teacher if needed because there aren’t that many students in the class,” says Mwenda. “The classes aren’t like regular noisy classrooms, so its easier to get work done.”

With summer school, multiple courses can be taken. Students can truly apply themselves , dive into a subject, and maybe even discover an interest they never knew they had. Hop right into action this summer, and reap the benefits of summer school!

For anyone who is interested on taking summer school this year, please visit the UHS website: http://www.usd116.org/uhs/.

AP Art students will have their work showcased it the Link Gallery at Krannert Art Museum from May 28 to June 1. A reception for the show will be held on May 28 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Sixteen Urbana students artwork will be shown. They are all enrolled in Susan Gleason’s AP Art Class.

“The show would be a worthwhile experience to see artwork that fellow students have created,” says Sophomore Zelda Galewsky, who has artwork in the show.

The 16 artists that will be showcased are:

Rachel Beck

Luke Bial

Gretchen Booth

Zelda Galewsky

Davon Goodlove

Angela Headley

Patricia Liu

Magdalena Nilges

Esraa Odeh

Alanna Pomes

Kristin Rose

Fumi Takezawa

Rachel Warren

Allegra Wentworth

Charlotte Westcott

Dana Williams

The Link Gallery is located at 500 E. Peabody Drive in Champaign, IL.

If you talk to any senior right now they will probably mention graduation, which makes sense. The high schools commencement ceremony is quickly approaching. The seniors graduate May 30 at 3 p.m. at the University of Illinois Assembly Hall.

“It’s going to be sad graduating, I’ve had a lot of great memories here with my friends and I am really going to miss them” said Senior Crystal Howard. “But I am ready to be out on my own and go to college.”

The Seniors honor night is Monday, May 17.  Honors night recognizes seniors for there academic accomplishments. Honors night is also a time where scholarships are given out. “It’s one of my favorite nights because the kids don’t really know if they are getting an award and it’s cool to see there reaction when they win” said Dr. Laura Taylor.

Before they can graduate the senior have their final exams just like everyone else, only a few weeks earlier. The senior finals are May 24 and the 25, and the seniors’ last day in the 25. So for about two weeks the school will be home to only freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

The Graduation ceremony is already lined up from the guest speaker to the entertainment. Nancy Thies-Marshall a graduate of Urbana High School will be this years commencement speaker. Thies-Marshall at the age of 15 was the youngest gymnast to represent the Women US team in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Senior Class President Kendall Johnson will also be speaking at the ceremony. The UHS choir will be performing “We Are the World” and the UHS orchestra and band will perform the processional. A lot goes on to plan graduation. “I could truly not do this with out Justin Lopez,” said Taylor.

This senior class is really special to Dr. Taylor because it her first class that she has had since they were freshmen. “I truly love when I get to stand in line after the kids get their diplomas and when a kids hugs me or thanks me. It makes me feel appreciative of what Urbana High School has done for them,” said Taylor.

This has been a wild year, especially for Freshman (like me!) still getting used to high school. From Homecoming, to the several times we had to evacuate the building, to all the sporting events that happen after school, it’s been a blast.

I’ll admit that before the year started, I was a little worried about getting around in only 4 minutes, and being told that the high school was huge, it was a little scary at first. Now, that’s laughable. I get around really easily. Most of the time, I get to my class with over a minute to spare. Sometimes I get to my class with 2-3 minutes to spare, and I have never gotten a tardy detention–yet. Hopefully never!

Another fear of mine were the hard classes, but that wasn’t nearly as big as my ‘getting to class in time and seeing my way around the school’ fear. The classes now seem really easier than I anticipated, but also let me know what classes I would like to move up to AP Prep next year as a sophomore.

Here are some experiences from other students:

“I was pretty scared of Final Exams,” Freshman Christa Lee said. “I was just thinking that Final Exams determined if you passed the class of not. If you got a bad grade, you don’t pass. Now, I think they are very helpful (if you do well on the test) to boost your grade up to pass,” she said.

I guess now that I think of it, I was pretty scared of final exams. The fact is, that’s basically what the WHOLE semester is for. To get you ready for the final exam for that class. If you listen, do the homework, and study, you should do well on the test.

When I first came to UHS, I had a little trouble getting around, but once I figured out that the first number of the room number indicated what floor I was on, it was much easier, and I pretty much memorized in my head the locations of my classes, it really wasn’t that hard after a couple weeks.

Let’s see other kid’s strategies for getting around.

“All I did was memorize the floor layout of the school because the layouts are very similar,” Prather said. “I actually laid the maps (that we got at the beginning of the school year of the school) over each other and they looked exactly the same,” he said.

“I really didn’t have a strategy,” Lee said. “I just tried to remember the room numbers and I remember what places they are by. Like Ms. Leighton’s room (2175) is by Ms. Hammond’s office,” she said.

My favorite event that happened this year would probably be the obvious choice: Homecoming, but I also liked the Winter music festival assembly. That was fun hearing the choir sing and the joyful mood around the assembly.

Let’s here from some Freshman about their experiences in High School.

“I think Homecoming week was exciting,” said Freshman Hansen Cao. “I liked all the different dress up days and the assembly in the gym to show our pride,” Cao said. Cao also said the biggest differences in his mind between high school and middle school were that there are more of a variety of classes and the high school is larger than the middle school.

“I think I liked the Silent day, where a lot of people were quiet for the day,” Prather said on one of his favorite events.

High school also has provided athletic opportunities to Freshman to represent their school. Let’s get perspective from an athlete. “My favorite memory was scoring in a Varsity (football) game. It was nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time,” said Cameron Mammen on playing a Varsity football game this past Fall. Mammen also said starting a Varsity football game as a Freshman is another great memory of this year.

This year has been awesome, and I don’t know about you, but it has gone by so fast. Every year of high school is going to be more fun than the last, and also faster too. Also, good luck in-coming Freshman!

The Scholastic Bowl banquet on Thursday, April 29 rounded out the group’s first year as a club.

The banquet was held at the school cafeteria where parents brought potluck dishes for the taco bar and set up tables with tablecloths and flowers.

Among the night’s activities was a table versus table sample match where students and parents could let their trivia knowledge face off. The match got pretty heated, at one point there was even a dispute where a parent disagreed with the question being asked. But the competition was all in good fun, parents and their children alike appeared to enjoy it.

Another important part of the evening was the awards ceremony. All team members got awards for being a part of the club, but some special awards were given out as well. Senior Gaby Chavez and Sophomore Taskin Sehitoglu each got awards for being the varsity and JV team’s representatives, respectively.

Sophomore Umberto Ravioli got a certificate for being the JV player with the most correct toss up questions. Senior Jordan Harrier was awarded the same honor for the varsity team. Freshman Emily Durkin, who was one of only two freshmen on the team, was rewarded for being the most improved player.

Adviser Matthew Buckles also gave an overview of the successes for the first year of the club and introduced Matt Goerss, who will be the adviser of next year’s scholastic bowl team.

The night ended with students and parents giving their acknowledgments to Buckles and Goerss.

“The banquet was a nice end to the year,” said Sophomore Zelda Galewsky, who was a member of the JV team. “We will miss having Mr. Buckles as our adviser.”

Advanced Placement tests are ever near and as the count down to testing begins students are beginning the cram sessions in an attempt to test out of thousands of dollars worth of college credit hours, but as I sit simultaneously trying to fill my brain with the correct use of subjunctive in French, the context of the Abomination Tariff and pretty much everything that’s happened in chemistry this year, it strikes me. Is this all too much?

True, the idea of AP classes is wonderful, and I’m a huge advocate of taking advantage of every learning opportunity you’re given in high school, but there comes a point where it might be too much. It’s too easy to get swept up in multiple AP level courses and to divide your attention half-heartedly between them rather than pursuing one with the dedication it probably deserves.

But where’s the middle ground? Colleges want you in AP classes challenging yourself, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to take the tests but still, taking three or four reading and study intensive courses and balancing it with all the extracurricular activities high school students are a part of, a job, and trying to get those eight hours of sleep a night can be a challenge.

What it comes down to is that many an ambitious student may be over-saturating themselves in weighted grades.

There must be a balance to keeping sane and still maintaining that 5.0, but there doesn’t seem to be a solution that can appease all students. A cap on how many AP classes you can take a year seems inappropriate. Who would determine what the right number is?

Perhaps making some of the AP classes available to underclassmen would be beneficial. Students could stagger their tests throughout their four years in high school, rather than cramming them into the upperclassman years, but that would require a reworking of the entire curriculum. I personally think we should just add an extra six hours into the day. I could use an extra three to sleep and another three to get work done, but I suppose NASA and major world leaders would have to back me up on that one, and you’d have to reroute the solar system and all… I’ll write a letter.

As any complex issue in the teenage world, there’s no simple solution. Perhaps we’ll all make it into college and look back on our workload and think how silly we were all being. Perhaps it isn’t that bad, but until I hit that self reflective and admonishing moment I’m sticking to it. There is too much to do and not enough time to do it. So instead I’ll start a petition for the 30 hour world day, and then I’ll get back to that French grammar review.