Upcoming events
  • Seniors vote on faculty speaker later this week
  • Boys soccer tournament- March 29th-30th @West
  • Women of Troy relays- March 26th home@4:30
  • Chamber ensemble concert- March 28th- Band room@7:00
  • Senior poets: send poems to Mr. Robins
  • College fair Wednesday in Cafeteria
  • Girls soccer vs. North Scott- Tuesday JV@5:30 V@7:00
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

Helen Orszula 24, Sila Duran 23, Josie Schwartz 25 and Erinn Varga 24 pose in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Exploration beyond the known

Jake Beneke, Jack Sun, and Maddux Neukirch February 29, 2024

On average, only 20% of American high school students will study a foreign language, according to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In comparison, 92% of students study a foreign language in...

An overview of the teams facility at the Kirkwood Regional Center.

FRC Children of the Corn takes on Crescendo

Haneen Eltyeb, Videographer February 28, 2024

What is FRC?  FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) falls under the robotics organization FIRST and is considered the most advanced and complex of their three programs. FRC membership is limited to high school...

Margaret Winkler (left) and Nancy Pacha (right) attend a Rotary Club of Iowa City A.M. meeting Feb. 27. Photo courtesy of Nancy Pacha.

A 40+ year friendship defined by service

Lilly Graham, Print Managing Editor February 27, 2024

46 years ago, former West foreign language teachers Nancy Pacha and Margaret Winkler first met at Northwest Junior High, where they shared an office space. Since then, they have been inseparable, with...

Members of the West Speech & Debate team pose for a photo after winning sweepstakes at Districts.

West Speech & Debate members qualify for Nationals

Kamakshee Kuchhal, Lead Print Copy Editor February 14, 2024

West co-hosted the East Iowa District Tournament with Bettendorf High School on Jan. 27 for Congress and Feb. 9-10 for Speech and other forms of Debate. After days of crafting speeches, passionately delivering...

Sara Siepker, new to West as a librarian secretary.

Sara Siepker: journey to West

Vera Tanas and Tessa Gibson February 13, 2024

Sara Siepker, one of the valued members of the library staff has had quite the journey. She didn’t originally plan to work in a library, and in fact, she went to school for English and creative writing...

A drawing of Abudagga and Saba standing in front of the flag of Palestine.

Far from the river and across the sea: the Palestinian-American experience

Josephine Schwartz, Photo Editor February 5, 2024

On average, it takes 30 minutes to travel 26.9 miles from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids by car. From junior Rana Saba’s house in East Jerusalem, Palestine, to her extended family's house in the West Bank,...

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...

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