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...

With four Ironmen placing in the top 15, the boys cross country team took second at the Randy Sharer Intercity Meet, trailing U-High 24-55. Senior AJ Ince led Community, finishing second in 15:51.02—28.84 seconds behind the winner from U-High. The senior has led the Iron’s efforts this season,...

The 4-1 Ironmen will look to hand Bloomington its first loss of the season Friday in a showdown with Big 12 Conference title implications. The two rivals are the last unbeaten teams in conference play. Community’s only loss came in Week 4, a non-conference setback against Class 6A No. 4 Kankakee....

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”...

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...

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...

Class of 2025 graduate Marco Reynolds won the IHSA Class 3A State Championship in shot put last May, claiming the title with a finals throw of 42 feet, 9.5 inches. Reynolds advanced to the state meet in shot put for the third consecutive year after earning back-to-back indoor titles at the Illinois...

Ironmen baseball closed its 2025 campaign with a third-place finish at the IHSA Class 4A State Tournament and a program-best 37-5 record. Community’s historic run included a second straight Big 12 Conference title, a third consecutive regional championship and the program’s first sectional crown...

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...