Welcoming the Class of ’25

Prospective+students+take+their+writing+exam+in+the+cafeteria.

Christopher Layson

Prospective students take their writing exam in the cafeteria.

Pending any final changes, the GLKUAIS class of 2025 has accepted their spots in our program. Out of 203 students who completed the testing process, 110 were initially invited to enter next year’s freshman class. A remarkably high 106 of them accepted their seats, and 4 students have already been pulled from the waitlist for an incoming class of 110 students.

 

The distribution of incoming student by their current school. (Hughes, Alex)

 

Recruiting practices were modified this year to accommodate the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Usually, program coordinator Mr. Layson visits each junior high school, accompanied by GLKUAIS students who attended it, to speak about the value of the program. Instead, in early January, a showcase was held for the district’s Secondary Specialty Programs, which included a five-minute video about our program.

 

Students interested in UAIS specifically then joined 30 minute long small group sessions with Mr. Layson for a more detailed presentation and to ask their questions about the student experience. This provided additional flexibility in scheduling than the school visits of prior years, allowing prospective students to hear more when it worked best for them.

 

I appreciate that these students are taking a leap of faith because they couldn’t shadow our program. They remind me of the inaugural class of 2008 because it’s an unseen entity for them, but these new students can see what the class of 2008 and our students since then have built. I hope they all have a wonderful experience here.

— Mr. Layson

 

Testing procedures, on the other hand, remained relatively the same besides the implementation of social distancing procedures. The writing and Socratic circle portions were taken at the building in early March. So was the math portion for those who declared UAIS as their first choice school, which was formatted as a section of the PSAT 8/9.

 

Current students are excited to welcome their new classmates. According to junior Arianne Dacayo, they should feel empowered to take risks and ask questions in pursuit of their education. Seniors Emily Hoyumpa and Adam Khanfar, reminiscing about their trip to New York City, encourage the incoming students to take advantage of travel opportunities and make the most of time with their friends.