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

Junior Ella Vakiner has been involved in the arts her entire life.

Behind the Mic

Grace Bartlett and Maddy Cook March 6, 2024

For Ella Vakiner ’25, a typical seven-period school day is not the norm. Acting and costume design replace classes like math and government, and rehearsing choreography substitutes memorizing the periodic...

Recently, students have organized learn-ins and walkouts for Palestine, Perry High and other causes. Photos used with permission of Zoe Smith and WSS Photographers.

A guide to student activism at West

Anna Greenlee, Graphics Editor March 5, 2024

The First Amendment guarantees students the right to free speech, and despite some limitations, this has allowed for a huge amount of activism and change from today’s youth. In 1969, Tinker vs Des Moines...

A design of Taylor Swift is surrounded by some of her most famous albums.

Listening to every Taylor Swift album for the first time … ready for it?

Samuel Rosenthal, Podcaster and Reporter March 5, 2024

Declared “2023 Time’s Person of the Year,” winner of the Grammy’s “Best Album of the Year 2023,” becoming the first person to ever win “Best Album” four times in Grammy history, a hundred-million-grossing...

Tate high school has a unique way of educating their students.

Empowering education

Zoe Smith, Editor-in-Chief March 5, 2024

The Iowa Department of Education defines alternative education as “a perspective, not a procedure.” While students at the ICCSD’s traditional high schools may overlook Tate, it remains a vital part...

The future styles of parenting.

Parenting in the digital age

Minna Abdalla and Abby Guo March 4, 2024

Parents are some of the most important figures in a child’s life. They shape the future generation through their ideas and values. Throughout the centuries, parenting has evolved and changed along with...

In an age of cancel culture and wokeness, who gets to decide whats funny and whats not? Is offensive comedy actually offensive, or just unfunny?

Tough crowd

Nicole Lee, Opinion Editor March 4, 2024

In the age of “cancel culture” and sensitivity training, it is easy to feel as though people “can’t take a joke” or are “too woke” to have any fun. With people readily prepared to spread...

Advisory is a pointless addition to West Highs schedule that needs major changes.

Advising Advisory

Henry Timmer-Hackert, Print Assistant Opinion Editor March 1, 2024

When West’s new Advisory class started this year, few could predict the backlash from students. An anonymous Instagram account, @students_against_advisory, created a petition to remove it, which has...

True crime podcast listeners enjoy the art of piecing together a mystery from the comfort of their own home.

Dying to know

Nicole Lee, Ashlyn Brady, and Haneen Eltyeb March 1, 2024

The turn from 2023 to 2024 marked ten years since the hit podcast “Serial” released its first episode, detailing a high school senior’s strange disappearance and her boyfriend, Adnan Syed, as the...

For Women’s History Month, WSS highlights influential women from the Iowa City community.

Women of West

March is dedicated to recognizing women’s impacts by celebrating those who have shaped society for the better.  In 1908, women workers in the Needle Trade marched in New York to demand women’s...

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

February News briefs

Lilly Graham, Print Managing Editor March 1, 2024

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...

As a Java regular for the past five years, Lily Polgreen 27 comes here whenever she can. Whether it be studying, hanging out with friends or just picking up a sweet treat, The Java House is definitely a favorite for Polgreen.

Java House jolt: a sip into West High culture

Colin Wehrle, Lea Abou Alaiwa, and Ella Ciliberto February 29, 2024

A local West favorite, The Java House is a Trojan go-to amongst West’s students and faculty. A place to study, hang out or get coffee after school, it's very convenient as it is only five minutes away...

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...

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