News Briefs: Week of Feb. 28

Laynee Scheck, Nayonika Banerjee and Victoria Wilson • Mar 4, 2022

Student Council collects 75 units of blood during spring blood drive

In partnership with the American Red Cross, Student Council collected 75 units of blood during the annual spring blood drive on Feb. 25.

Community’s most successful blood drive collected 99 units in 2019. This year’s drive had the potential to collect similar numbers; however, 23 donors were unable to donate, mostly due to low iron levels, according to Student Council sponsor Mrs. Addie Ince.

Iron Choir showcases seniors during A Capella Night

A Capella groups VoiceMale and Key of She performed at the choir program’s A Capella Night on Thursday, Feb. 24.

Accafellaz, Illinois State’s male A Capella group, opened the night, performing in preparation for Feb. 26’s International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella.

Key of She took the auditorium stage second, performing a four-song set ranging from Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” each with a different lead soloist.

VoiceMale, under the direction of Mr. Ben Luginbuhl, sang five songs featured renditions of Avicii’s “Hey Brother” and Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

The night closed with Key of She and VoiceMale collaborating on a Michael Jackson medley with both Key of She and VoiceMale that featured several soloists from both groups.

Interspersed throughout the free concert were “Senior Spotlight” performances that allowed senior choir members to perform solo or small ensemble pieces.

After the night’s performance, Luginbuhl said he was “really, really happy” with the show and “proud of everyone involved.”

Soloists perform National Anthem at Redbird Arena

Three choir members were selected to perform the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the IHSA Girls State Final Tournament at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.

Senior Andrew Short performed Thursday, March 3, with freshman Lily Mavros singing Friday. Junior Leslie Burton will perform before Saturday’s title round.

The audition process, according to Choir director Mr. Ben Luginbuhl, was a difficult one.

The “rigorous” auditions, Luginbuhl said, makes having three students chosen from one school “pretty cool.”

Speech team competes at State

Three Speech team members competed in the IHSA State Competition on Friday, Feb. 18 in Peoria.

Juniors Riya Prasade (Informative Speaking) and Ciara Wallace (Poetry Reading), and senior Lily Kreun (Radio Speaking) did not advance to Saturday’s State Final round.

Advancing three qualifiers marked an improvement over last season, when Community qualified one competitor for State.

Community seniors qualify as National Merit Finalists

Seven Normal Community seniors are eligible for a potential $8,000 scholarship after being named National Merit Finalists.

To qualify for the honor, Saishashank Bhagavatula, Ananth Hariharan, Trent Kobulnicky, Jonah Kramer, Sharon Newton, Yazhinni Rathnakumar and Aubrey Simpson scored in the top 1% on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), had “consistently very high academic performance,” and submitted an application which included an essay and a recommendation letter.

Upcoming Club Meetings

Fishing Club – The Fishing club holds its introductory meeting Thursday, March 3 in room 72 after school.
Cultural Cooking Club – The Cultural Cooking club meets Thursday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. in room 25.
Feminism Club – The Feminism club meets Tuesday, March 8 from 3:40 to 4:30 p.m. in room 32.

Editor’s note: Jonah Kramer is a member of the Inkspot staff.

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About the Contributors

Laynee Scheck, Print Editor

Laynee Scheck is a senior at Normal Community High School and is a co-founder of the NCHS Mental Health Club. This is her third year working with the Inkspot, and she is a Senior Staff Reporter. If I won a million dollars I would use the money to pay for college and then travel the world. What inspires me are people that stand up for what they believe in. On the weekend, I enjoy exploring new places with my friends.

Nayonika Banerjee, Senior Staff Reporter

Nayonika Banerjee is a senior at Normal Community High School and is involved in Speech Team, FBLA, and Lady Iron Soccer. This is their second year of working with the Inkspot. My favorite film is "Booksmart" (2019) directed by Olivia Wilde. A random fact about me is I am deathly afraid of sharks, but they also happen to be my all time favorite animal. A slogan to live by is “YOLO” which may be cringe, but honestly it’s pretty good advice.

Victoria Wilson, Senior Staff Reporter

Victoria Wilson is a senior at Normal Community High School. This is her second year with the Inkspot; she is a staff reporter. In my free time, I like to read and dance. My best advice is to picture every day as a fresh start.