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

Graphic by Ting Gao.

Course of advancement: comparing West’s college-level courses

Ting Gao, Reporter February 13, 2019

As non-seniors prepare for the upcoming year, some more academically motivated students will seek classes providing them with a college experience and offering more challenges than the normal curriculum....

Several different inks are on display at Indigo Body Art Gallery in Coralville.

Stick and poke tattoos

Natalie Dunlap, Online Editor-in-Chief February 7, 2019

You’re over at your friends house when her sister brings out a kit she purchased online. She shaves your ankle, cleans it with rubbing alcohol and puts on gloves. Then she takes out a needle and starts...

Shirley Wang poses for a photo at Java House. The 22-year-old was the creator of a viral podcast that detailed her fathers friendship with former NBA superstar Charles Barkley.

Keeping her father alive: how a ‘suburban dad’ and Charles Barkley impacted a nation

Anjali Huynh, Print Managing Editor, Co-Copy Editor February 5, 2019

The wild journey began with a cat litter scientist from Iowa, a former NBA superstar and a strange coincidence that would impact their lives for the better. Residing thousands of miles apart, Lin Wang...

Turning houses into homes

Turning houses into homes

Alex Carlon, Online Editor-in-Chief January 21, 2019

A shag rug with a deep coffee stain. A leather couch with holes worn into the fabric. A once fuzzy blanket with a fraying hem. These everyday furnishings aren’t remarkable, but they’re what make our...

Jennifer Craig and Dante the dog pose for a photo on Sunday, Jan 13. at their new house, bought on Saturday, Jan 12.

Starting the New Year with nothing

Bess Frerichs, Online Managing and Feature Editor January 20, 2019

Jennifer Craig ‘06 drove down the street with her three-year-old daughter and her sister, Aislin Craig ‘21. They were happily on their way back to her new apartment with the last load of boxes. Then,...

Handling life

Natalie Dunlap and Cosi Barry January 14, 2019

Hundreds of dogs yelp and run around the concrete building. Every single bark echoes throughout the whole of the room. Along with animals, a few spectators and owners crowd around the performance area...

Maria Martin, Dean of Students, poses with an American flag.

Sealing the deal

Marta Leira, Print Editor-in-Chief January 11, 2019

Unlike most tests that Lilian Montilla ‘21 has taken, this exam is something she’s been preparing for her whole life. In two years, she will get the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, which...

Design by Lydia Guo.

Meet the Buddies

Jessica Moonjely, Marta Leira, and Alex Carlon January 10, 2019

West’s Best Buddies chapter helps foster one-on-one friendships, provide job opportunities and teach leadership development skills to individuals with intellectual or developmental disorders. This collection...

Members of Students Against School Shootings (SASS), hold up a March for our lives banner as they make their way to the Pentacrest on March 24. Nick Pryor 18, one of the leaders of SASS, was impressed by how many people came out in the snow. It was a nightmare driving downtown, and yet nearly a thousand people came out to support the movement,” Pryor said.

When it happens.

Marta Leira, Print Editor-in-Chief December 30, 2018

She woke up excited; it was Valentine’s Day, after all. Gordon picked out a nice outfit and went to school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The day started off full of joy, as students milled about...

Karia Forrest ‘20 works on homework during her second hour iJAG class on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

A focus on the future

Jenna Wang, Editorial Editor December 29, 2018

There exists a class that is practically unheard of among West students even though it has been around for four years. The class is called Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG), a program whose...

Unlike Christmas, which is celebrated on a specific day, Hanukkah takes place over the course of eight days. The start and end dates vary each year, but typically fall in the month of December.

Celebrating Hanukkah in a Christmas-crazed school

Bess Frerichs, Online Managing and Feature Editor December 27, 2018

West High is home to many diverse groups of students. Despite this, the celebration of Christmas is overwhelmingly apparent in the school. From students talking about the holiday, singing and listening...

Sydney Johnston ’19 and Noah Breitbach ’19 hold their six-month-old daughter Stella Mae Breitbach while sitting in the living room in Sydney’s house.

An unexpected addition

Jessica Moonjely, Print Profiles Editor and Managing Editor December 27, 2018

They knew something was wrong when she couldn’t eat her burger. On Oct. 21, 2017, their one year anniversary, Noah and Sydney sat down like any other teenage couple to eat at Chili’s. However, after...

Load More Stories
Donate to West Side Story
$1385
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All West Side Story Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest
Activate Search
The student news source of Iowa City West High
Feature