Community captured a third-consecutive IHSA Class 3A Boys Soccer regional title with a 4-3 win over Peoria Notre Dame on Oct. 24, advancing to Tuesday’s sectionals. The Iron (17-3-4), after suffering a 2-2 tie to PND earlier in the season, stayed alive in the post-season—also gaining what Iron...

Community hosts Rock Island (10-18) in the IHSA Class 4A Regional Semifinal Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the teams’ first meeting this season. 9-seed Rock Island snapped a four-match skid, eliminating the 8- seed Richwoods Knights in two sets Oct. 27.  The top-seeded Ironmen enter regional-play with...

After a year of bright, hopeful superhero flicks, Marvel flips the script with “Marvel Zombies,” a four-part miniseries that takes a dark, gritty, refreshing swing and dares to ask, “Who will save our heroes?” Set outside the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Marvel Zombies” is a direct...

With the Ironmen wrapping up the regular season, the Inkspot is looking back at some of photographer Lyra Townsend’s standout shots—capturing Community’s home-field energy. No play-by-play, no recap—just the Ironmen unde r the lights, one frame at a time.

Community’s annual Homecoming Week will take place from Sunday, Oct. 12 through Saturday, Oct. 18, featuring a full slate of student events, spirit days, competitions and a formal dance. Sunday kickoff: Powderpuff football Homecoming Week kicks-off Sunday, Oct. 12 with the annual Powderpuff...

Community recognized longtime coach and teacher Mr. Bryan Thomas in a pregame ceremony before the Oct. 3 football game against Bloomington High School. Thomas will retire at the end of the school year after nearly three decades in Unit 5. Thomas began coaching at Community in 1997 while student-teaching...

Unit 5 brought staff from every school to Normal West on Sept. 26 for the district’s first all-level institute day, the “Excellence in Education Summit.” The day featured 38 sessions presented by Unit 5 teachers, administrators and students across two periods, 8:45–9:45 a.m. and 10:15–11:15...

Community opened the 2025 postseason with a 9-0 win over No. 7 seed Decatur MacArthur/Eisenhower Coop on Oct. 20, with the win the No. 2-seeded Ironmen advance to Friday’s IHSA Class 3A regional final against Peoria Notre Dame. Community needed only a half of action to advance to the Oct. 24 regional...

When Community swept Normal West on Oct. 7, the win was a crucial step toward the Ironmen’s first Big 12 title since 2021 and the team’s first undefeated conference run since 2019.  That two-set victory doubled as payback for last year’s season-ender against West, when the Wildcats handed the...

After Community’s 2–0 victory over Danville on Oct. 21, the Ironmen celebrated a milestone sixteen seasons in the making—head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek’s 400th career win. The Inkspot's Yusuf Abbed caught up with three varsity players ahead of them game, asking them to reflect on what...

The cast of “The Diary of Anne Frank” reflect on why the story still matters, pointing to the play’s urgency amid current events, the importance of free expression and the harm that follows when prejudice goes unchecked. 

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...