Eight juniors were named to the 2025 Prom Court, nominated by their peers ahead of Saturday’s dance at the Marriott in Uptown Normal. This year’s event—set to a Great Gatsby theme—will culminate with the crowning of Prom Royalty, a term NCHS adopted in 2021 to replace traditional gendered...

Just weeks after decommiting from Central Michigan, Kobe Walker has found a new home for next season, announcing his commitment to Valparaiso University in a social media post April 22. The move to the Missouri Valley Conference’s Beacons gives local fans the chance to watch the All-State center compete...

Millions of people rallied across all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than a dozen cities worldwide, on April 5 as part of the “Hands Off” movement—a coordinated pushback against what organizers describe as a growing threat to democracy, fueled by the influence of President Donald Trump and...

When Illinois high school juniors sit for their required state assessment this year, the test will look different. Beginning with the 2024–25 school year, Illinois will replace the SAT with the ACT as the state-mandated assessment for high school juniors. The shift follows the expiration of the state’s...

Millions of people rallied across all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than a dozen cities worldwide, on April 5 as part of the “Hands Off” movement—a coordinated pushback against what organizers describe as a growing threat to democracy, fueled by the influence of President Donald Trump and...

When Illinois high school juniors sit for their required state assessment this year, the test will look different. Beginning with the 2024–25 school year, Illinois will replace the SAT with the ACT as the state-mandated assessment for high school juniors. The shift follows the expiration of the state’s...

Five students from Community were selected to participate in Illinois Wesleyan University’s second annual Honor Jazz Band, joining approximately 30 of the state’s top high school musicians for a two-day clinic and concert event hosted by IWU’s School of Music. Sophomores Jake Piotrowski, Joe...

It’s rare for three Division I-caliber baseball players to transfer from the same program in the same year—rarer still for all of them to land at the same school. But for juniors Max Heineman (committed to UIC), Gavin Michaels (Cincinnati) and Gavin Swartz (Indiana), leaving U-High for Community...

Wade Pyle recorded a pair of top-eight finishes at the IHSA Boys Swimming and Diving State Finals on Feb. 28, placing eighth in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races. The junior swam a 21.08 in the 50- free and a 46.18 in the 100-, advancing to Saturday’s finals after breaking two school records...

The State Farm Center hummed with anticipation–under the bright lights of the IHSA 3A State Wrestling Semifinals, history waited to be written. A senior, unbeaten in 47 matches. A two-time state medalist. One final shot at a championship.  Across from him, a freshman phenom.  David versus...

They move through Yellowstone, the wind ruffling their thick fur as they stalk through the underbrush. Their paws make no sound against the damp earth. Ears pricked, eyes scanning for movement, nose twitching at the faintest scent of mule deer. They are the alpha. They are the hunter. They are…...

The surgeon’s steady hand marks the incision. The scalpel glides across the skin, parting flesh to reveal the damaged ligament beneath. A tendon—healthy, unscarred—harvested from the wrist, severed from its home. The drill whirs to life, its bit biting deep into the ulna, then the humerus,...

What does it feel like to die? If you knew you’d be reborn, would that make the process any less terrifying? Less painful? Less traumatic? These are just some of the existential questions at the heart of Bong Joon-Ho’s “Mickey 17.” Six years after winning Best Picture for “Parasite,”...

Just as Andy had to leave Buzz and Woody behind, maybe someday we’ll have to say goodbye to our favorite animated movies, too. But today is not that day—because it’s March Madness, and instead of filling out brackets with basketball teams we barely know, we’re diving headfirst into a tournament...

First they came for the Center for Disease Control, and I did not speak out—because I was healthy. Then they came for the migrants and refugees, and I did not speak out—because I was a legal citizen. Then they came for paper straws, and I did not speak out—because I was not a turtle. Then...

3:30, and Community’s doors burst open—students spilling out. Backpacks slung over shoulders, hands shoved deep into pockets, they rushed toward buses idling at the curb, they wove through the parking lot chaos—horns blaring, engines revving—a steady current, all moving with one purpose: getting...

Are Movie Theaters Dying, or Are We Just Forgetting Why They Matter? In the dark ages—before mobile devices and flat-screen TVs—early man had no choice but to journey to vast structures for entertainment. These coliseums of storytelling, with their dim lobbies and the scent of butter-soaked popcorn...