February News briefs

As the second trimester comes to a close, read on to leaern more about what West students have been up to.

Lilly Graham, Print Managing Editor • March 1, 2024

Look back at some of the defining moments of 2024 so far.

City-West Double Headers

After a West home court sweep Dec. 22, the Trojan basketball teams traveled across town to City High Jan. 26 for another double-header match-up. Following a 63-57 victory Dec. 22 with a 33-point performance from sophomore stand-out Grace Fincham, the girls team lost to City 46-63 Jan. 26. Coming in with a six-game winning streak and a nearly perfect record (10-1), the boys team dominated City with a 70-44 win. As of print time, the girls team ended their regular season ranked No. 15, and the boys are ranked No. 2 for Class 4A.

Jacob Koch ’24 looks for an opening at the City-West game Jan. 26. (Ceci De Young)

Winter Weather

Chilling temperatures, icy conditions and heavy snowfall were behind school cancellations throughout January. The ICCSD builds ~6.5 additional school days into the calendar each year. After six missed school days this school year, only 2.5 extra hours remain as of print time. If more than 2.5 hours are missed, the ICCSD will employ make-up measures, such as converting April 19 from a no-school day to a school day or holding classes virtually. Additionally, West student government scheduled a Northern Lights themed SnoCo Jan. 20 but administration canceled it due to winter weather and low ticket sales.

View the ICCSD’s inclement weather policies here.

Coralville covered in snow Jan. 19. (Ginger McCartney)

Dance Team Nationals

The West High Dance Team qualified for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Dance Team Championship held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla Feb. 2-4. The dance team qualified for nationals after placing 3rd for Pom and 5th for Jazz at the UDA Chicagoland regional competition Jan. 7. On Feb. 3, they advanced to the finals of nationals for the first time since 2019, in the Small Varsity Jazz category, ultimately placing 18th.

Sophomores Mariah Bruening, Kesly Wilkinson, Kayla Cariens and Lily Schmid at Disney World Feb. 3. Photo courtesy of the West High Dance Team

Girls State Wrestling

In girls wrestling’s second year as a sanctioned sport, three West wrestlers, Helen Orszula ’24, Peyton Van Dyke ’27 and Trinity Myers ’25, punched their ticket to the state tournament Jan. 27 at the Region 4 qualifier at Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. They competed at the state tournament in a sold-out Xtreme Arena Feb. 1. Orszula’s season ended after a first-round consolation loss, with Van Dyke and Myers falling in their second-round consolation matches.

Speech & Debate Districts

Following their fourth consecutive year as Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) State champions, the West Speech & Debate team hosted the East Iowa District Tournament Feb. 9-10, in hopes of qualifying for the 2024 National Speech & Debate Tournament. 10 West members qualified across five events and will be traveling to nationals in Des Moines June 16-21 to compete among 6,700 students for 42 champion awards.

List of Qualifiers-

Public Forum: Waad Dafalla ’26 and Diana Tivanskaya ’25, Bashir Eltyeb ’25 and Benjamin Kleiman ’24
Lincoln Douglas: Jerry Li ’26 and Gwen Smith ’26
International Extemporaneous: Evelyn Asay ’25
US Extemporaneous: Andrew Dong ’24 and Faizaan Ahmad ’27
Congress: Lincoln Beihl ’25 and Endrit Ramku ’27

The West Speech & Debate Team pose after the East Iowa District Tournament Feb. 10. Photo courtesy of the West Speech & Debate Team.

Show Choir Competition Season

West’s varsity show choir, Good Time Company, kicked off its competition season with a fourth-place finish at the Prairie Premiere Jan. 27. For their second competition, Good Time Company placed first-runner up Feb. 3 at the Norwalk Nexus. A week later, Good Time Company took home the “Best Stage Presence” and “Best Soloist” awards at the Cedar Rapids Washington MoShow.

Rana Saba ’25 performs with Good Time Company in Cedar Rapids Feb. 3. (Wesal Haroun)

Boys Swimming State

The Trojan Bolts competed at the IHSAA State Swimming Championships Feb. 9-10 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, hoping to improve on their 8th place finish in 2023. Notably, Hayden Hakes ’25, Holden Carter ’24, Winston Fan ’26 and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis University commit Max Gerke ’24 broke a state record set by the Trojan Bolts in 2022 for the 200-Yard Medley Relay, finishing with a time of 1:30.31. Overall, the Trojan Bolts placed 5th with 168 points.

Winston Fan ’26 finishes his last stretch of the Butterfly in the 200-yard Medley Individual Feb. 9. (Gianna Liu)

Boys Wrestling State

Eight West wrestlers traveled to Des Moines Feb. 14-17 to compete in the Class 3A State Wrestling Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Alexander Pierce ’26, the 2023 state champion in the 106-pound class, finished as the runner-up this year in the 113-pound class. Two other West wrestlers made it to the podium: Justin Avila ’25 placed 5th in the 150-pound class, while Loras College commit Kyler Scranton ’24 placed 4th in the 175-pound class.

Alexander Pierce ’26 competes in the Class 3A State Wrestling Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena Feb. 16. Photo courtesy of Randi Yeager.

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About the Contributors

Lilly Graham, Print Managing Editor

(she/her) Lilly Graham is a senior at West, and this is her third year on staff. Lilly is the Managing Editor for the print edition. Outside of school, Lilly enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her friends and pets.

Wesal Haroun, Yearbook Co-Editor-in-Chief

(she/her) Wesal Haroun is a senior at West High and this is her third year on staff. She is the Trojan Epic Yearbook Co-Editor-in-Chief. In addition to photography and design, she likes to hang out with friends and binge-watch TV shows.

Ginger McCartney, Artist, Designer

(she/her) Ginger McCartney is currently a senior at West, this is her third year on staff. She is the art editor for the West Side Story paper. Outside of school, she spends her time graphic designing (for fun this time) and baking.

Ceci De Young, Yearbook Photo & Video Editor

(she/her) Ceci De Young is a senior at West and this is her third year on the Trojan Epic staff. She is the photo and video editor this year and loves everything sports.

Gianna Liu, Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

Gianna Liu is a senior at West High. This is her third year on staff and she is the Print Co-Editor-in-Chief. When Gianna isn't busy taking photos or writing the next big story, you can find her bouncing a volleyball on the 10-foot line, watching the newest kdrama, walking 10,000 steps and volunteering.

Marie Stier, Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

Marie Stier is a senior at West, and this is her third year on staff. She is the Co-Editor-in-Chief for WSS Print. Outside of journalism, Marie spends her time playing tennis, reading (add her on goodreads!) and eating ice.