News
Prom: Under the Tuscan Sun
By: Isabella Seechan
6 May 2024
On Friday, May 3rd, 2024, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held its annual prom. The location of this year’s prom was the Merryman Station, located in Exeter. Around 5 PM, students headed to the Porterfield House Gym to check in, meet their friends, take some pre-prom pictures, and get in the queue for the two buses transporting students to the venue. The bus departed the school sometime around 6 PM.
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UPHS Talent Show
By: Alexander Hernandez and Merrick Vargas
8 April 2024
On Friday, April 5th, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held its annual talent show. This is where students can showcase their talents to the whole school. With over half of the students being in musical-oriented classes, it is unsurprising that so many students came out with unique and interesting performances. This event allowed students to leave their comfort zones and receive support from the whole school.
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“Panda Goes” to the Dance!
By: Catherine Weigel
28 February 2024
This last Friday, February 23rd, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held its annual Panda Goes Dance! Our dance took place at the Naz Youth Center, and was beautifully decorated to the theme: Masquerade! UPHS’s leadership team, who chose the prompt, was responsible for the decorations, which brought the student-selected theme to life. Leadership also had masks available for purchase, which many students purchased to complete their masquerade costumes!
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Kindness Around UPHS
By: Alexander Hernandez
28 February 2024
Visalia, Calif– Beginning the week of February 12th, University Preparatory High School started its week of Kindness. This entailed a whole week of fun dress-up days, kind acts, and an overall positive mood. It was kicked off with the dress-up theme: Cuddled Up for Kindness. People were allowed to bring their fuzzy friends to classes, adding to the overall positive mood of the week.
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UPHS Community Service Club: Changing the Community One Step at a Time
By: UPHS Newspaper Team
12 November 2023
On Saturday, November 11th, University Preparatory High School’s (UPHS) Community Service Club (CSC) hosted another successful event! Organized by club president, Sophia Weber, students gave up their Saturday afternoon to interact and engage with the unhoused community of Visalia. The event took place at The Warehouse Church. Although the church is closed on Saturdays, Christy Bergen, the owner of the church, was kind enough to host the event and promote the event throughout Visalia.
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Halloween Rally and Dance
By: Sophia Weber
29 October 2023
Visalia, Calif– On Friday, October 27th, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held its annual Halloween Rally and Dance. The Halloween Rally took place in the Yokut Quad. After opening with the UPHS chant, the rally moved on to fun games. A student favorite was the donut eating competition, where different grade levels had to eat a donut off a table without using their hands. Another student favorite was the Pumpkin Summo game. Here, two people from each class level tried to knock each other out of the game’s boundaries. Towards the end of the rally, many students came forward to perform the iconic Thriller Dance.
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White Lies Dress-Up Day
By: Merrick Vargas
2 October 2023
On Friday, September 29th, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) students had the opportunity to create and write a white lie, a harmless lie, onto a white shirt. Students were able to purchase a plain white shirt from Mrs. Block for two dollars or use one of their own to display the white lie. Some students even wrote on a piece of paper and taped it to their shirts. This dress-up day allowed students to express themselves and share more about themselves in a creative and amusing way.
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Club Rush
By: Merrick Vargas
20 September 2023
Visalia, Calif– On Friday, September 15, 2023, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) students were given the opportunity to join a variety of clubs through their annual Club Rush event. Leaders showcased their clubs in Moro gym. Here, students could visit each booth and sign up for clubs that appealed to them. The event brought together those who share similar interests.
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Kindness All Over UPHS
By: Alexander Hernandez
18 September 2023
In the second week of September, University Preparatory High School saw numerous kind, genuine, and loving acts all over the school! This was thanks to the promotion of Pay it Forward Week, which encourages students to get out of their comfort zone and help those around them. It pushes students to lend a helping hand to others and pay this act of kindness forward.
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9/11 Memorial Dress-Up Day
By: Alexander Hernandez and Merrick Vargas
13 September 2023
On Monday September 11th, University Preparatory students were encouraged to come to school dressed in red, white, or blue. The dress-up day served as a day of remembrance for the tragic event that occurred on September 11, 2001 also known as 9/11. Many people were affected due to the attack on the United States. The attack consisted of planes that were hijacked and targeted New York’s Twin Towers, The Pentagon, and a failed attempt of the white house. As the impact of 9/11 was spread over the world, many different countries showed support and a multitude of people gathered together. It showed that in times of adversity America still stood together, stronger than before. Today, there is a memorial in New York where the Twin Towers once stood to mourn the people who lost their lives due to the attack.
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“BookTok” and Overconsumption
By: Isabella Seechan
6 September 2023
“Booktok,” a subsection of the popular social media app, TikTok, has amassed over 174.9 billion loyal viewers. The content posted under the “BookTok” hashtag ranges from reviews, recommendations, and commentary. “Booktok” is every retail bookstore’s saving grace from declining rates of people’s interest in reading. “Booktok” thrived during the pandemic, forcing people to readjust their lives and pursue new hobbies. People actually had time to read and flew through many novels. After people completed the books they had lying around the house, they bought books online. The problem was people bought more books than they could finish reading.
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Barbie vs. Oppenheimer
By: Alexander Hernandez
6 September 2023
On Friday, September 1, 2023, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) saw a clash between two massive films that have rocked the cinema industry. The Barbie movie and Oppenheimer, which have been highly anticipated films for months, made their way onto the UPHS campus! Students were encouraged to dress up as their favorite of the two movies and show their school spirit! There were many different costumes that showed creativity, talent, and resourcefulness.
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Back to School Night
By: Sophia Weber
30 August 2023
On Thursday, August 10, 2023, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) hosted its first big event of the year, Back to School Night. This event serves as a time where new and returning students can learn more about life at UPHS.
Both parents and students attended this event. Parents got to know the staff and faculty at UPHS. They had opportunities to talk with teachers about their student’s classes and understand what exactly would be taught, the teacher’s teaching style, etc.
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Icebreaker Rally and Dance
By: Isabella Seechan
28 August 2023
On Friday, August 18th, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held its annual Icebreaker Rally and Dance. The Icebreaker Rally took place in Morro Gym during school, while the Icebreaker Dance was hosted at the Visalia Nazarene Church (the Naz) after school, from 7 PM to 10 PM. The rally introduced new students to the traditions and customs of UPHS, while the dance was a way for students to fraternize with their fellow classmates outside of school.
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The Past Returns!
By: Isabella Seechan
23 August 2023
On August 11, 2023, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) Alumni returned to the school to speak to the current UPHS students. Alumni gave current students advice and shared their life and college experiences after graduation. Unlike the past alumni days, alumni rotated to each homeroom, instead of students moving from classroom to classroom to listen to new speakers.
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