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Whatever you are interested in, we've got it covered.

Inkspot

Whatever you are interested in, we've got it covered.

Inkspot

Next year, the Michaels' will be on their own for the first time ever. Lauren (left) will be attending Illinois State University, Maggie will playing volleyball at University of Northern Iowa, Reese will be going to Missouri and Gavin playing baseball for Cincinnati. 
Photo Courtesy of: The Michaels Family

4 of a kind: Michaels quadruplets finish senior year together

Four siblings. Four sports. One PlayStation nobody wants to share
Yusuf Abbed, Staff Writer
May 20, 2026

The question was a simple one. Too simple. Who’s the best at ping pong? All four Michaels siblings answered at once, each building a case, citing specific matches and disputed outcomes that seemed to stretch back for years. They talked over each other, around each other, through each other—until...

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Ms. Beth Topping reflects on 31 shows, a career and one last curtain call

Ms. Beth Topping reflects on 31 shows, a career and one last curtain call

The longtime director wraps her final Community musical—power outage and all
Coelton Harris, Staff Writer
Apr 27, 2026

Ms. Beth Topping’s 31st and final show at Community did not go quietly. Severe weather knocked out power between acts of the April 17 performance of “Something Rotten!,” forcing the cast and crew to postpone act two until 2 p.m. the following afternoon. By the time the final curtain fell...

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From Inkspot to the ice

From Inkspot to the ice

A Q&A with Community alum Abby Kimball, Iowa Wild photographer
Rex Rowley, Staff Writer
Apr 27, 2026

When the Blackhawks missed the NHL playoffs again this spring, most Illinois hockey fans called it a season. But for Abby Kimball, a Community graduate and videographer for the Iowa Wild—the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, whose playoff run is underway—kept right on working. In this...

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Dr. Tony Sanders, Illinois State Superintendent of Education, presents Ms. Nutter with her Special Recognition awared at the ISBE's Those Who Excel banquet on April 18.

Quiet work, big recognition for Ms. Chrissy Nutter

Community ESL and math co-teacher Ms. Chrissy Nutter earns ISBE Those Who Excel honor
Grace Powell, Staff Writer
Apr 22, 2026

Miss Honey from “Matilda.” Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus.” Mr. Keating from “Dead Poets Society.” Will Schuester from “Glee.” Pop culture’s most famous teachers are often bold, loud and magnetic. Ms. Chrissy Nutter is not. Introverted by her own description, Nutter was named...

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Photo Courtesy of: Leconte Nix

Q&A: Leconte Nix on a lifelong love of the Illini

Nix talks season tickets, coaching lessons and a Final Four two decades in the making
Brayden Charles Wallace, Staff Writer
Apr 2, 2026

For the first time since Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head led Illinois to the 2005 national championship game—finishing that season 37-2—the Fighting Illini are back in the Final Four. No. 3 Illinois punched its ticket March 28 with a 71-59 win over Iowa in Houston and will face No....

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Formula One returns: New season of rivalries, rookies regulation changes

Formula One returns: New season of rivalries, rookies regulation changes

Arwen Georgas, Senior Staff Reporter
Mar 9, 2026

McLaren’s Lando Norris claimed his first Drivers’ World Championship last season with 423 points, edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just two points—Verstappen finished with 421—in one of the closest title fights in recent memory. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri was never far behind either,...

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Chapman was one of approximately 10 freshmen court singers in this year's madrigals concert, a testament to the school's talented freshman class.
Photo Courtesy of: Mrs. Margherita Divita

Freshman earns rare All-State honors chorus spot

Leah Chapman 1 of 11 named ILMEA All-State
Coelton Harris, Staff Writer
Mar 3, 2026

By the time Leah Chapman heads downstairs, the rest of the house is quiet. A music stand waits in the basement, pages already marked. Chapman, a freshman in the choir program, runs each selection twice—enough to build confidence, not enough to spiral into overthinking. “If you run it too much,...

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The Inkspot caught up with Community alum Eleni Lockett, now a senior at Illinois State University, to talk about her experiences as a member of Gamma Phi Circus. 
[Photo Illustration]

A final bow on the wire

A senior captain reflects on her last year with Gamma Phi Circus
Olivia Lively, Staff Writer
Feb 27, 2026

After a lifetime of watching Gamma Phi Circus shows, Community alum Eleni Lockett, an Illinois State University senior, is finishing her final season not just as a performer, but as a high wire captain—the one who runs the acts, teaches the tricks and builds the routines. In this Q&A, Lockett...

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St. Valentine, lost to legend: The murky origins of Feb. 14

St. Valentine, lost to legend: The murky origins of Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day didn’t start with roses—it started with mystery
Inkspot Staff
Feb 14, 2026

Valentine’s Day shows up every Feb. 14 with the usual lineup: candy grams, roses, heart-shaped everything and a lot of “so… what are we?” conversations. But the holiday didn’t start as a greeting card company invention. It began as a Christian feast day connected to a martyr named Valentine. The...

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Image Courtesy of: Community Theatre Department

Theatre stages “The Book of Will,” a race to save Shakespeare

Inkspot Staff
Feb 13, 2026

When William Shakespeare died, his plays did not arrive at immortality neatly bound and shelved. In Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will,” they teeter on the edge of disappearance—pages scattered, lines misremembered, stories at the mercy of whoever gets to them first. That is the tightrope...

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Community's first-ever All-State lead Miguel Patiño-Diaz pumps his fist during the show's final number.  

Photo Courtesy of: Ms. Cassie Adelman

Extra! Extra!

Miguel Patiño-Diaz: Inside the transformation into 'Newsies' lead
Andrew Naour, Sports Editor
Feb 11, 2026

When Miguel Patiño-Diaz walked onstage as Jack Kelly, he left himself behind. Before each performance, Patiño-Diaz reminded himself of one thing: “You’re not Miguel anymore.” “You’re a 17-year-old kid in the slums of New York who doesn’t know if he’s going to make it tomorrow,”...

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Black history: Beyond the textbook

Black history: Beyond the textbook

The hidden figures of history
Elijah Conda and Andrew Naour
Feb 6, 2026

This February, in honor of Black History Month, The Inkspot is spotlighting the contributions of lesser-known African Americans, history's hidden figures, whose ideas, inventions and courage helped shape our world. From breakthroughs that made everyday life easier to leadership that pushed communities...

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Mason Caraway is one of three active Ironmen wrestlers to eclipse 100 career wins.

Century Mark

A Q&A with senior wrestler Mason Caraway: 100 wins, heavyweight strategy & humility
Parker Maurer and Yusuf Abbed
Jan 31, 2026

Senior wrestler Mason Caraway earned his 100th career win Jan. 3 at the Huntley Mega Duals in Aurora, becoming one of three active Ironmen wrestlers to reach the milestone. That accomplishment comes after Caraway moved up a weight class this season. Caraway’s achievement adds him to a small group...

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Keep it rolling

Keep it rolling

A Q&A with Landyn Corbin on bowling, mindset and postseason
Anna Chang, Staff Writer
Jan 22, 2026

Senior Landyn Corbin placed third at the IHSA Boys Bowling Regional in Danville on Jan. 16, rolling a 1,231 series over six games with a high game of 289 to advance to next weekend’s sectional in Morris. The Inkspot caught up with the local legend of the lane to break down his approach to bowling,...

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