Community recognized longtime coach and teacher Mr. Bryan Thomas in a pregame ceremony before the Oct. 3 football game against Bloomington High School. Thomas will retire at the end of the school year after nearly three decades in Unit 5. Thomas began coaching at Community in 1997 while student-teaching...

Sam LaKamp will be recognized during the Ironmen volleyball team’s home match Oct. 16 against Urbana for surpassing 1,000 career assists, a milestone she reached Oct. 4 in a 2-0 win over Quincy. Head coach Mrs. Christine Konopasek said the achievement places LaKamp among an elite group of setters...

Unit 5 brought staff from every school to Normal West on Sept. 26 for the district’s first all-level institute day, the “Excellence in Education Summit.” The day featured 38 sessions presented by Unit 5 teachers, administrators and students across two periods, 8:45–9:45 a.m. and 10:15–11:15...

Community will host Thursday’s Intercity Meet looking to translate a season of incremental improvements into one of their strongest team showings yet. Head coach Mrs. Heather Budak said the Iron have seen “little drops all the way through the season,” even when results don’t fully reflect...

Starting with Friday’s football game against Bloomington, Students must show a current-year, physical school ID to enter Community athletic events. Photos, screenshots and Infinite Campus images will not be accepted, administrators said. Principal Dr. Adam Zbrozek said the change follows a recent...

Unit 5 will continue enforcing its “silent and away during the day” phone policy this school year after evaluating and rejecting the use of Yondr pouches, Superintendent Dr. Kristin Weikle said. The policy, first enacted last year, limits student phone and device use during the school day. Entering...

A student-led initiative aimed at restoring local ecosystems took root last spring as part of Community’s sociology curriculum. The idea for the environmental effort came from seniors Berit Rice and Liberty Lett, who developed the plan during Mr. Stefen Robinson’s sociology class's “Impact Project”...

Ironmen volleyball’s 12-match win streak came to an end Sept. 27 at the Intercity tournament, where Community split its four matches to move to 14-3 on the season and 4-0 in Big 12 play.  The Iron opened the annual event with a 25-20, 25-16 win over an injury-hampered Normal West then rolled past...

Community’s girls swimming and diving team faced depth issues at the 11th annual Iron Invite on Sept. 20. Head coach Mrs. Heather Budak said that with only 14 swimmers available for the Iron Invite, she was unable to fill the full lineup across both the varsity and frosh/soph meets. “I need about...

Senior Michael Mavec set two new track and field school records last spring in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. At the 2024 IHSA Sectional meet on May 21, Mavec ran the 110-meter hurdles in 14.59 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 14.6 set by Ryne Tharp in 1980. Mavec also set a new...

As the September slips away, summer fades—along with sunburns, sandals and the scent of sunscreen. In its place: hoodie weather, falling leaves and the unmistakable aroma of bonfires and pumpkin spice. With fall comes a shift in more than just the weather. Our watchlists change too—ditching summer...

Vampires used to skulk in crumbling castles, draped in capes and centuries-old rot. Now they wear pressed suits, flash charming smiles—and drain entire cultures dry. With “Sinners,” director Ryan Coogler trades jump scares for generational trauma. His fifth feature, following “Creed” and...

Trigger Words is a perspective series examining the language we throw around without thinking—and the impact it can leave behind. In a culture where “jokes” blur with insults and memes replace meaning, this series unpacks the words we’ve normalized and asks: Who’s listening? And what are they...

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...