Inkspot

The Unit 5 District Office was closed Monday, August 31 for a deep cleaning before reopening on Tuesday.

Unit 5 Executive Cabinet member tests positive for COVID-19; District officials quarantined

September 1, 2020

A member of the Unit 5 Superintendent's Executive Cabinet tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, August 29, according to Director of Communications and Community Relations Dayna Brown. In response to the positive test, multiple Unit 5 Cabinet members -- including Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle -- are quarantining; the next School Board meeting...

Four-year Lady Iron soccer player Courtney Dage ('20) plays during the 2018-2019 campaign.

IHSA cancels spring tournaments

April 21, 2020

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors announced its decision Tuesday, April 21 to “cancel all IHSA spring state tournaments” in a statement released at noon. Though the IHSA has made efforts to keep the slim possibility of a spring season alive, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s decision to suspend in-person schooling forced...

IHSA remains hopeful for return of spring sports seasons

April 6, 2020

In response to Governor JB Pritzker extending the ‘shelter in place’ order until April 30, the IHSA has announced that they are hopeful a shortened spring sports season will remain possible. “We continue to support the possibility of our member schools completing both regular and postseason spring sport seasons,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson sa...

The limited selection of fresh meat products available at Walmart served as an inconvenience for many customers.

Coronavirus impacts grocers shelves [photo gallery]

March 20, 2020

On Thursday, March 19, McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight reported the county's first case of COVID-19. The man, in his 70s, is in good condition and being treated in isolation at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. Before this report, the impact of Coronavirus could be seen at the local level. As Americans grow...

Bob Borchears of Thrivent Financial and Althea Shonn, a nurse at Saint Joe's and mother of Normal Community student Alexandra Shonn ('19), volunteer at the Hyvee pick-up station. The crew also featured Raquel Simmons, a Unit 5 stay-at-home mom (not pictured).

Local businesses partner to distribute free lunches amidst closures

March 16, 2020

A number of local businesses have partnered to create “FeedBlonoKids”, distributing free lunches in an effort to feed local students that are out of school after COVID-19 cancellations. Gill Street Eatz, Healthy In A Hurry and Central Image Car Wraps make up the three primary sponsors, along with a number of other businesses, large and small ali...

Tom Schniedwind, head coach of the boys varsity and junior varsity lacrosse teams poses with future BNL players.

Lacrosse meeting reveals new details for the first co-op season

December 11, 2019

Local high school students interested in joining the Bloomington-Normal Lacrosse co-op attended the newly formed organization’s first informational meeting on Thursday, December 5 at NCHS. The addition to the athletic program will be comprised of students from all three public high schools: Normal Community, Normal West, and Bloomington. The ...

Peace and Justice club’s 2019-2020 focus [video]

December 11, 2019

Shae Simmons sat down with the Peace and Justice club to preview the organization's goals for the 2019-20 school year.

Students victorious in competition at State Farm

May 29, 2019

Five NCHS students’ app prototype was chosen by a panel of judges as one of two winners in a State Farm sponsored programming competition the week of April 16. The group was one of three from NCHS competing against other local schools. Students from AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles were tasked with designing an app that ...

The March for Our Lives movement continues in Central Illinois as Bloomington-Normal students continue to address the issue of gun violence.

Students organize second March for Our Lives rally

April 1, 2019

Bloomington-Normal students are continuing to take action against gun violence on a localized scale in a second March for Our Lives rally, a year after the first. 17 students were killed in a school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. This mass shooting sparked March for Our Lives, a student movement...

Video: Students, educators and community members share their thoughts on the rise in teen depression

March 3, 2019

Semi collides with West freshman basketball team bus; 2 adult fatalities

Evie Snoeyink, Editor in Chief

December 6, 2018

The Normal Community West High School freshman girls basketball team bus was hit head-on by a semi-truck traveling the wrong direction on I-74 resulting in two adult fatalities. The crash occurred at 8:32 p.m. when a semi-truck traveling east on a westbound highway collided with the bus returning from a game in Champaign. The team bus carried eight players, Coach Steve Price, Mr. Charlie Crabtree, and the bus driver. Charlie Crabtree, 72, a volunteer with the girls basketball team, passed away from injuries sustained in the accident. Crabtree was a retired bus driv...

Uptown Normal officializes $29.2 million dollar redevelopment-plan; Uptown mural wall to be removed

December 4, 2018

The Town of Normal has officially announced plans to demolish buildings in the Uptown Normal Circle at 104 E. Beaufort and 108 E. Beaufort as part of the continued Uptown Normal revitalization. 108 E. Beaufort is being torn down to provide “mid-block access” from Beaufort St. to the parking lot between Beaufort and College, according to the files from the Tow...

Senator Dick Durbin “dreams” of change

May 22, 2018

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin visited NCHS on May 1 to answer student’s hard-pressing questions on cultural issues. Durbin was quick to recognize the polarization occurring in the government and the United States as a whole, speaking of a “cultural divide which we are trying to reconcile.” Durbin has worked to create equality in the country, esp...

Farmers market open for season

May 22, 2018

Downtown Bloomington’s farmers market is officially open for the summer. Saturday, May 5 marked the beginning of the outdoor season. The farmers market, located on Jefferson, Main, and Center Streets, offers an array of locally sourced goods such as produce, plants, and art. The market is considered a “producer-only market,” meaning that vendors a...

A forest of learning

January 20, 2018

A student picks a raspberry from the bush and takes a bite. The fruit is sweet and the flavor of it washes over the student’s mouth. As the sensation ends, the student continues his walk through the Refugee Food Forest that he first learned about from his school’s Lunch and Learn program. A program where expert speakers talk about various topics - rob...