Last night, the 450th episode of “The Simpsons” appeared on Fox. Considering most shows don’t make it past the first few episodes these days, you’ve got to admit this is an incredible feat—even if you’re not a big fan of Bart and Co. Chances are, even show creator Matt Groening didn’t imagine that the spiky-haired kid and his bug-eyed family would be the center of what would become America’s longest running prime-time comedy and longest-running prime-time animated series—beating out “The Flintstones” and pretty much everything else.

Despite Groening not being a big fan of school, he did earn his degree in 1977 from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. During his senior year, he was editor of the school newspaper and launched a comic page that poked fun at Evergreen’s faculty and administration. Funny thing was, according to one of Groening’s classmates, the page wound up winning fans among the very people he set out to irk.

Interesting fact about Evergreen State College—the administration does not issue letter grades upon the completion of coursework. Instead, in-depth evaluations from faculty and the students themselves take the place of a traditional grade. Sound crazy? Evergreen State says it’s only natural—after all, you won’t be getting letter grades from your future employers.

Turns out Evergreen State College is not the only school that spurns the traditional grading system. Check out this blog tomorrow to see what other schools have joined the club.

–Barbara Bellesi