Upcoming events
  • Walk it out- Saturday in Auditorium
  • Girls soccer vs. Wash- Tuesday @home
  • Drake Relays this weekend- Drake Stadium
  • Class president elections later this week
  • Choir trip to Chicago- Thursday-Saturday
The student news source of Iowa City West High

West Side Story

The student news source of Iowa City West High

West Side Story

The student news source of Iowa City West High

West Side Story

With their cases reveal, West Highs Mock Trial will officially start their season.

West High Mock Trial: start of the season recap

Reem Kirja, Print Profiles Editor January 29, 2024

With the official mock trial season starting, The Iowa High School Mock Trial Association has released the 2024 case for this year’s contest — State of Iowa V. Cary Roberts. The case follows Mixed...

Math teacher James Kirpes shares his journey to West and how his experiences have shaped his 32 years of teaching.

Kirpes with a mathematical purpose

Zaira Ahmad and Anna Song January 26, 2024

When walking into James Kirpes’ room, one may encounter “party,” “shindig,” “homefun” and “cal-COOL-us” filling class discussions. These are just a few of the phrases from Kirpology,...

Melae Lacy 24, Aria Warren 26 and Ashley Niemiec 25 showcase their talents and confidence by participating in pageantry in high school.

Pageant personas

Kamakshee Kuchhal and Maddy Cook January 24, 2024

This past November, Miss Universe 2023 made history as Sheynnis Palacios became the first Nicaraguan to win the prestigious title. While Miss Universe was initially created to empower women, the pageant...

A Soul from Seoul

A Soul from Seoul

Reem Kirja and Henry Timmer-Hackert January 23, 2024

The city of Seoul is bustling, and rows of cars line the streets as rambling vendors call out their prices. Billboards with K-Pop idols are in every corner, and students are giggling as they eat tteokbokki...

Grace Walker 26 is a young ballerina with a bright future.

Born to dance: Grace Walker

Anna Gibson and Maya Mueller January 22, 2024

Grace Walker ’26 is taking the dance world by storm. As a sophomore, she is soaring above the rest with her dedication and love for the sport. From small roles in “The Nutcracker'' to playing one of...

Living with SAD

Jane Lam and Lilly Graham January 22, 2024

For some, the onset of winter conjures feelings of excitement and festivity — holiday dinners with family, sledding over winter break, sleeping in on the occasional snow day. Yet, for others, the...

Paraeducators are the beating heart of West High.

Unsung heroes: exploring the challenges faced by paraeducators in the West community

Zoe Smith and Yaya Orszula January 17, 2024

Nine-hour work days, emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted, juggling multiple students with vastly different needs. These are just some of the many things that describe a paraeducator's day-to-day...

Logos of timeless apps on the left and on the right, logos of trendy apps.

Timeless vs. trendy

Minna Abdalla and Neema Ash January 17, 2024

While a wide variety of social media apps have risen in fame ever since the start of the internet, only a few of them have strived since, and others, although they have made an impact on users, just don't...

A collage of some members of the Coralville Public Librarys Teen Advisory Board.

Beyond books: The Coralville Public Library

Evelyn Kraber and Anna Greenlee January 11, 2024

Every month a group of teens gathers after hours at the Coralville Public Library. Known as the Teen Advisory Board, they volunteer and plan events like the summer reading program. The TAB opens...

Holiday gifting: The spending, the waste and the little tricks to find a better gift.

Holiday gifting: welcome or wasteful?

Defne Bayman and Airi Thompson December 22, 2023

The moment winter begins, people all over the U.S. run to start decorating and preparing for Christmas and its most famous aspect: gift-giving.    Starting right after Thanksgiving, Black Friday...

Tina Hart is a librarian secretary who fills the library with her warm and welcoming personality.

Full circle: from student to librarian secretary at West High’s haven of books

Tessa Gibson and Vera Tanas December 21, 2023

Working in the West High library is somewhat of a full-circle experience for Tina, as she used to be a student here, coming to the library while Ms. Hofmockel worked there. “I love working in libraries,...

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