Helping Haiti
Jessica Doyle, Reporter
May 29, 2017
Filed under Feature, Showcase
Science teacher Jenifer Secrist describes herself as service-minded, but up until recently, she hadn’t taken an interest in mission work. In the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a Haitian student of Secrist, whose family still resided in Haiti, sought out her support. The student’s grandmother ...
West’s twitter savages share advice
Asha Irani, Videographer
May 24, 2017
Filed under Feature, Profiles, Showcase
West Side Story: When did you make your Twitter account? Maddee Whitehead '17: I made my account in 7th grade. I thought I had a lot of funny tweets but looking back, they were super cringe worthy. Ethan Seylar '18: I first made my Twitter account way back in 2012, but I didn't really start getting...
Donnie Binegar: the embodiment of West
Ethan Goers, Videographer and Sports Correspondent
May 23, 2017
Filed under Feature, Profiles, Showcase
As years go by, West high has continued to change. The ninth grade wing was added, the music wing was added, principals have come and gone and left impacts on those around us. Many of the people walking the hallways today weren’t around for all of these events, but custodian, Donnie Binegar, remembers all o...
Hired
Cameron Cook and Katie Fuhrmeister
May 18, 2017
Filed under Feature, Profiles, Showcase
Most seniors leave high school just to go back to learning for another four years. But not every graduate takes their talent to a University immediately–or ever. West Side Story interviewed four students with three different reasons for taking the road less traveled: working after high school. The Mu...
Effectiveness of sexual assault education for high school students questioned
Fenna Semken, Online Editor-In-Chief
May 3, 2017
Filed under Feature, Showcase
Effectiveness of sexual assault education for high school students questionedFenna SemkenAttempts to educate students about sexual assault in a high school setting sometimes lack effectiveness, revealed by interviews with teachers, administrators and high school students from 18 Iowa school districts, in...
The Changing Climate
Nick Pryor
April 23, 2017
Filed under Feature, Showcase, Video, Video
With climate change being one of the most talked about issues of our time, what really is it? And how do young people today get involved in the fight against climate change?
Leah makes it up
Sadie Rhomberg, Reporter
April 17, 2017
Filed under Profiles, Showcase
Video by Kristina Rosebrook For many people, doing their makeup is a somewhat meaningless part of their everyday routine, but for junior Leah Brownsberger, it means much more. Brownsberger was always relatively artistic, but she didn’t know she could use her face as a canvas to express her creati...
Coming full circle
Nina Elkadi
April 16, 2017
Filed under Profiles, Showcase
Although Jeff Conner failed Mrs. Wikner’s chemistry class, that didn’t deter him from coming back years later to teach that same subject just down the hall. For Conner, teaching just seemed right. He would get the opportunity to do science every day, but also support students who may need it mos...
The Age of Adderall
Nina Elkadi
April 14, 2017
Filed under Feature, Showcase
All sources in this story have been given aliases, as they chose to remain anonymous. “Who got Addy?” These are the words Roger, a West High athlete, heard minutes before he went out to compete. He recalls how one of his teammates just “popped it open and distributed it to everyone.” ...
1.1 percent
Cameron Cook
April 7, 2017
Filed under Feature, Showcase
Earlier this year, the Iowa state legislature voted to allow funding for schools to grow by 1.1 percent for the 2017-2018 school year. But the word “growth” is misleading; just because it’s growth doesn’t mean it’s enough. The amount of allowable growth is supposed to keep schools afloat in case ...
The implications of school vouchers on K-12 education
Lauren Katz, Copy Editor
March 29, 2017
Filed under Feature, News, Politics, Uncategorized
Every year public education becomes increasingly expensive. According to Ballotpedia, from 2010 to 2013, the yearly cost of education per student in Iowa increased from $9,763 to $10,313. With proposed education budget cuts, many in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) are worried about the i...
An interview with Hep Cat
March 29, 2017
Filed under Profiles, Showcase, Video
Over the past year Nick Burgess '18, Keegan Moore and West High grad Nick Deerberg have worked to form their new band, Hep Cat.
Designer
Wingel is a junior and has been a designer for the West Side Story for two years. ...