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”...

Following the departure of Agriculture department chair and FFA advisor, Mrs. Liz Harris, Dr. Jennifer Earing joined the Community faculty as her replacement.  Harris left Community after over a decade in the Ag. department to join the teaching staff at Pontiac High School. Earing brings years...

Community’s student news program, the Inkspot, has been awarded two grants totaling $6,500 to expand multimedia journalism opportunities for students. The Illinois Press Foundation, underwritten by the Illinois Farm Bureau, presented the Inkspot with $1,500 to purchase a telephoto camera lens on...

Community underwent critical infrastructure repairs and updates this summer as Unit 5 completed more than 140 maintenance and construction projects across the district—funded in part by a newly implemented school facility sales tax. The school received critical heating and cooling system upgrades...

Unit 5 may soon expand its athletic offerings to include girls flag football and boys volleyball. The Unit 5 Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its Sept. 17 meeting. If approved, both sports could launch as early as the 2026–27 school year, according to Community Athletic...

Principal Dr. Adam Zbrozek returned to campus Aug. 25 after missing the first week of school to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild. Zbrozek traveled to Texas the first week of school to support his son and daughter-in-law, whose daughter, Oaklynn Ray, was born after a planned induction. “We...

Community will install new digital scoreboards in the East Gym this summer, replacing outdated equipment first installed when the building opened in 2004. The upgrade comes in response to the Illinois High School Association’s mandate requiring shot clocks in boys and girls varsity basketball games...

Community’s bass fishing team captured the inaugural Big 12 Conference championship on May 8 at Banner Marsh, sweeping both team and individual titles.  Johnny Thomas, Nick Rosenlund and Will Newbold led the Big 12 performance, reeling in five fish totaling over 18 pounds. Their haul included a...

A dangerous TikTok trend encouraging students to vandalize school-issued Chromebooks has prompted a districtwide warning from Unit 5’s IT Department. Known online as the “Chromebook Challenge,” the trend instructs students to insert pencil lead, staples, paper clips or other conductive materials...

Ten music students gathered in the choir room before school on April 24 for an interactive presentation introducing music therapy, a growing field that blends music and healthcare. Led by Madison Larson, a graduate student in Illinois State University’s music therapy program, the session featured...

Buckets of ice water are back this spring—but this time, they’re promoting mental health awareness. Students at the University of South Carolina launched the #SpeakYourMIND campaign on March 31, reviving the format of the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to spark conversations about mental illness. The...

America’s national parks and forests, long viewed as a national treasure, are far more than havens for bird watching, hiking, mountain climbing and sightseeing—they are critical to climate regulation and biodiversity. The U.S. national park system now spans more than 273 million acres, including 433...

Senior Bryce Hickman made history at the IHSA State Journalism Finals on April 25, becoming just the second Ironman to win a Journalism state championship. Hickman earned first place in Review Writing at the event, held at Heartland Community College, following in the footsteps of 2018 graduate Katie...