Student Life
University Laboratory High School offers a multitude of experiences for students to engage with diverse interests and build a community within Uni, including athletics, clubs, organizations, dances, leadership opportunities, peer mentoring, and more. We celebrate student voice and exploration as opportunities for growth and as challenges that help build skills such as time management, leadership, resilience, independence and maturity. We envision that through a variety of student life experiences, they are able to enrich their Uni experience and carry forward what they learn.
Athletics
Uni High offers 11 no-cut sports options for our students in grades 9-12, and 3 sports for 8th grade students. Eighth graders can participate in basketball, track and cross country, while high school student options include basketball, track, cross country, soccer, girls swimming, girls volleyball, and boys tennis.
Clubs and Activities
A unique feature of Uni High is that any student can propose a club to the Student Council. Each year, Uni typically has more than 50 student-run clubs and organizations, each supported by a faculty sponsor. Students explore interests from fine arts to world languages to baking to dance to fun takes on academic areas of interests. Clubs meet during lunch or during our specially designated Uni periods available three days per week.
Community Outreach
We take our mission of community and outreach — a mission we share with the University of Illinois — seriously. Both students and faculty lead outreach activities ranging from an annual Habitat for Humanity week-long trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi to the STEAM-Train and DREAAM programs that regularly work with local students to an all-school, one-day outreach program for St. Elmo Brady Day at a local elementary school.
Special events
After more than 100 years as a school, Uni has developed cherished traditions; as a lab school, we also host new special events each year. Agora Week replaces our regular school for a week each year with special classes offered by students, faculty, parents, university employees and community members. Our student council organizes dances, spirit weeks, and assemblies, and specialized groups offer once-a-year events like the Moon Festival. Like most Uni activities, student voices guide our special event calendar.