Ironmen baseball erased a four-run deficit and beat the surging Huntley Red Raiders in dramatic fashion at home May 22. Drew Stevens’ game-tying three-run home run in the seventh set up Andrew Naour’s walk-off double as Community rallied past one of the state’s top teams. With the win in Friday’s...

Community baseball clinched its third consecutive Big 12 Conference championship Monday, dismantling Bloomington 12-0 on the road as junior Kyle Glass delivered a seven-inning, three-hit complete-game shutout to move the Ironmen to 30-2 on the season. The Ironmen—who reached 30 wins for the second...

Tornadoes that swept through Bloomington-Normal on April 17 left Community’s athletic facilities with significant damage—destroying a softball dugout, bending baseball fencing and stripping sponsor signs from two fields, Athletic Director Mr. Nic Kearfott said. The most severe blow came to...

Iron softball routed Champaign Centennial 17-2 in four innings Thursday, giving Community back-to-back wins for the first time since early April and improving the Iron to 6-8 overall, 2-0 in the Big 12 Conference. Centennial struck first with two runs in the top of the opening inning, but Community...

Five sectional champions helped lead Community’s journalism team to a record-setting performance at the IHSA Sectional Journalism Competition April 12.  Community finished third in the sectional team race with 55 points—behind Washington (66) and Oswego East (58), and qualified 14 entries for...

Boys basketball won its sixth straight regional title Feb. 27, escaping United Township 55-54 in front of a home crowd at East Moline. The Ironmen didn’t win with pretty shooting, hitting 31% from the field. “We made a total of 13 shots the whole game,” Ironmen head coach Mr. Dave Witzig...

Fifty-seven years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,” the legacy of Tinker v. Des Moines is colliding with a new round of debates over what student expression looks like in 2026. That...

Valentine’s Day shows up every Feb. 14 with the usual lineup: candy grams, roses, heart-shaped everything and a lot of “so… what are we?” conversations. But the holiday didn’t start as a greeting card company invention. It began as a Christian feast day connected to a martyr named Valentine. The...

When William Shakespeare died, his plays did not arrive at immortality neatly bound and shelved. In Lauren Gunderson’s “The Book of Will,” they teeter on the edge of disappearance—pages scattered, lines misremembered, stories at the mercy of whoever gets to them first. That is the tightrope...

The Ironmen used a decisive third-quarter run to turn a tight game into a comfortable home win, pulling away from the Bloomington High School Raiders 80-61 on Jan. 30. Community improved to 19-4 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference with the win, while Bloomington dropped to 8-16 overall and 2-6...

Unit 5 schools will hold an e-learning day Friday, Jan. 23, as forecasters predict dangerous cold, with wind chill values expected to drop to about minus 33 around 8 a.m., according to an email from Dayna Brown, the district’s Director of Communications and Community Relations. Students should not...

Mr. Brad Bovenkerk’s Chicago Bears connection is small enough to disappear in his palm. It’s a 1950 Bowman Gum football card—76 years old, “near mint” and still crisp—featuring Bovenkerk’s grand-uncle, Richard “Dick” Barwegen. The photo shows Barwegen in a Baltimore Colts uniform,...

Illinois public school districts, including McLean County Unit District No. 5, will be required to offer annual mental health screenings to students in grades 3-12 beginning in the 2027-28 school year under Senate Bill 1560, signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Because Unit 5 already administers...

Officer Jeremy Flood, Community’s school resource officer, will retire from the Normal Police Department on Jan. 9 after more than 20 years with the department and begin a new role at Country Financial later this month. “After 20 years of serving my community,” Flood said, “I had an opportunity...

The Ironmen (7-0) will try to push their win streak to eight when they host Peoria High (5-2), a Lions team that has already gone toe-to-toe with playoff-level opponents and brings multiple double-figure scorers into Community gym. “It’s a great start,” Community head coach Mr. Dave Witzig said....

Community will look to steady its footing tonight when the Ironmen host Peoria High at 6 p.m., after falling 64-28 at Washington on Dec. 15. Head coach Mr. Dave Feeney said the reset is less about reinventing the wheel and more about returning to what worked early against the 10-0 Washington Panthers. The...

Senior A.J. Ince qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Boys Cross Country State Finals with an 18th-place 15:18.50 at Saturday’s Normal Sectional at Maxwell Park, advancing as the sixth individual not on a top-seven team. In Class 3A, the top seven teams and the first 10 individuals not on those teams advance...

Several community members spoke in support of a Normal Community teacher at the Oct. 15 McLean County Unit 5 School Board meeting at Normal West, after a photo of him wearing an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt drew criticism online. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the federal immigration...

Volleyball head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek recorded her 400th career victory Oct. 21 as the Ironmen improved to 28-5 on the season with a 2-0 sweep over Danville. The straight-set win (25-18, 25-9) capped an unbeaten Big 12 campaign for Community, earning the program its first conference championship...

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...

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...

Sam Lakamp will be recognized during the Ironmen volleyball team’s home match Oct. 16 against Urbana for surpassing 1,000 career assists, a milestone she reached Oct. 4 in a 2-0 win over Quincy. Head coach Mrs. Christine Konopasek said the achievement places Lakamp among an elite group of setters...

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 will host Thursday’s Intercity Meet looking to translate a season of incremental improvements into one of their strongest team showings yet. Head coach Mrs. Heather Budak said the Iron have seen “little drops all the way through the season,” even when results don’t fully reflect...

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 scaled back the blanket "silent and away" policy at the high school level, allowing students to use phones during non-instructional time and with teacher permission.

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”...

Ironmen volleyball’s 12-match win streak came to an end Sept. 27 at the Intercity tournament, where Community split its four matches to move to 14-3 on the season and 4-0 in Big 12 play.  The Iron opened the annual event with a 25-20, 25-16 win over an injury-hampered Normal West then rolled past...

Community’s girls swimming and diving team faced depth issues at the 11th annual Iron Invite on Sept. 20. Head coach Mrs. Heather Budak said that with only 14 swimmers available for the Iron Invite, she was unable to fill the full lineup across both the varsity and frosh/soph meets. “I need about...

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...

The Ironmen held a 10-0 over Kankakee after three quarters Friday night, but were outscored 21-0 in the game’s final eight minutes, falling to the Kays 28-17. Community led for all but the final 57 seconds of the game before Kankakee cornerback Cedric Terrell III sealed the comeback with a 33-yard...

The Ironmen football team put its undefeated record on the line Friday night, facing a Kankakee Kays team whose 1-2 start masks the caliber of its competition. Community (3-0) will welcome the Kays (1-2) to Dick Tharp Field in a non-conference showdown—a rematch of last season’s 26-12 Kankakee...

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...

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...

The Ironmen boys soccer team opened its 2025 season with a 2-2 draw against the Dunlap Eagles, a top-ranked opponent coming off a 19-2-2 season a year ago. Senior Logan Lelm put Community on the board in the match's opening minutes, converting a penalty kick.  Head coach Mr. Matt Chapman praised...

When the Purple Iron Cats host the 4-7 Dunlap Eagles in the opening round of the IHSA Boys Lacrosse sectional on Wednesday, they’ll aim to advance past the first round for just the second time in program history. The co-op’s only postseason win came May 22, 2023, when Bloomington-Normal defeated...

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...

Joann Fabrics, a longtime destination for fabric, yarn and craft supplies, is closing all of its retail locations—including its Bloomington store—as part of a nationwide shutdown. While the local store, located in the Bloominton Commons near Barnes & Noble, remains open for now, Community...

For the first time this season, Community softball holds a winning record. The Ironmen climbed above .500 with a 9-1 road win over Danville on Thursday, improving to 10-9 overall and 5-0 in Big Twelve play—good for first place in the conference. In the conference race, Champaign Central sits close...

In celebration of Earth Month and in partnership with the Ecology Action Center, Community’s FFA chapter surpassed its fundraising goal this spring, collecting $615—enough to plant 123 trees across Bloomington-Normal. The drive, held March 31 through April 4 at a booth in the atrium, supports...

Just weeks after decommiting from Central Michigan, Kobe Walker has found a new home for next season, announcing his commitment to Valparaiso University in a social media post April 22. The move to the Missouri Valley Conference’s Beacons gives local fans the chance to watch the All-State center compete...

Seven Inkspot staff members qualified for the IHSA State Journalism Finals, set for April 25 at Heartland Community College. At the April 5 Sectional competition, Bryce Hickman, Carter Hull, Arwen Georgas, Beatrix Alvarez and the team of Bella Green, Leon Castaneda and Audra Wolf earned top-three...

A 1% school facilities sales tax will take effect in McLean County on July 1, after voters approved the April 1 ballot measure 17,415 to 15,427—earning just over 53% support, according to election results. Voter turnout reached 28% across Bloomington and McLean County—an eight-point jump from typical...

Members of the Unit Five Education Association teachers union gathered in the fishbowl atrium on March 19 as part of a nationwide “Walk-In” demonstration to advocate for public education funding. Wearing red and carrying signs, UFEA members joined thousands of educators nationwide in the National...

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Wade Pyle recorded a pair of top-eight finishes at the IHSA Boys Swimming and Diving State Finals on Feb. 28, placing eighth in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races. The junior swam a 21.08 in the 50- free and a 46.18 in the 100-, advancing to Saturday’s finals after breaking two school records...

Community recognized student accomplishments across athletics, academics and the arts during the Spring Walk of Champions on Friday, March 14, a tradition that began during the 2023-24 school year.  

Community opened its season with a 5-0 victory over Metamora on March 18, with four different Ironmen finding the back of the net. Campbell Damery struck first, capitalizing on a pass from Sarah Thompson to put the Ironmen ahead early. The Iron controlled possession throughout the first half, pressuring...

Records are made to be broken. Achievements exist to be surpassed. And for three Ironmen seniors, this season has been all about leaving their mark in the history books. Kenna Malinowski, Kobe Walker and Connor Smith have etched their names into Community’s basketball legacy—shattering records,...

Three members of the boys swim team will compete at this weekend’s IHSA State Swimming and Diving meet at Westmont’s FMC Natatorium after earning four first-place finishes at the Normal Community Sectional on Feb. 22. The Ironmen placed third at their home Sectional, finishing behind champion Washington...

Community looks to extend its postseason run Tuesday night as the Ironmen (27-6) take on the Pekin Dragons (18-13) in the IHSA Class 4A Alton Sectional Semifinals at 7 p.m. at Normal West. The Ironmen enter the matchup fresh off their fourth consecutive regional title, a 64-30 rout over Rock Island....

The road to a fourth straight regional title and sectional championship appearance begins with top-seeded Normal Community facing No. 8 East Moline United Township in the opening round of the IHSA 4A Rock Island Regional. The Ironmen are heavy favorites in their Feb. 17 matchup, tipping off at 6 p.m....

President Donald Trump’s proposed elimination of the Department of Education—echoing Republican efforts that date back to when the department was established in 1979—raises questions about how federal funding would be redistributed, how student protections would be maintained and what responsibilities...

Lily Mavros’ love for music began with an impromptu fourth-grade performance, but her journey didn’t stop there. From local productions to starring roles, the Community senior has worked tirelessly to hone her craft. In this episode, we explore how she balances AP classes, voice lessons and performances—while...

At 6 a.m., before Community’s hallways fill with groggy students, Bode Thompson is already outside, scanning the tree line for movement. Fall migration is in full swing, and warblers—small, colorful birds that dart through the branches—are passing through. Thompson, a senior, spends his mornings...

For the first time in program history, the Ironmen are perfect. The wrestling team closed out the season with a spotless 20-0 dual meet record, securing its place as the most dominant squad the program has ever seen, the first undefeated season in program history. Senior Caden Correll has been...

Powered by a red-hot shooting performance from beyond the arc, the Ironmen overwhelmed the Lincoln-Way West Warriors 67-43 on Saturday afternoon in a game that was effectively over by halftime.  The Iron exploded out of the gate with a dominant 20-2 first-quarter run, fueled by a scorching start...

The Ironmen (18-6, 5-2) rebounded with a 53-42 road victory over the Champaign Central Maroons (7-11, 3-5) in a conference matchup on Jan. 24. The win provided a much-needed turnaround for Community, who entered the game having lost four of their previous five contests. While...

Community is without one of its two full-time nurses after Mrs. Tamara Ahrens transferred to Oakdale Elementary School on Monday, Jan. 13. Mrs. Jessica Murphy, Community’s other full-time nurse, will work with a Unit 5 float nurse or substitutes filling in until a replacement is found. The staffing...

The Ironmen celebrated Senior Night in style with a commanding 59-11 victory over the Champaign Centennial Chargers in Big 12 Conference play on Jan. 14.  The win snapped Community’s two-game skid and improved the Ironmen’s record to 17-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Chargers dropped...

Mr. Jason Salrin was named Assistant Principal for the 2025-26 school year during the Jan. 15 Unit 5 School Board meeting. Salrin will replace Mr. Jeffrey Barnard, who announced his resignation in an email to staff on Nov. 7. Salrin, an 2017 Illinois State University graduate, is in his seventh year...

Joey Yaros closed out his Ironmen cross country career at the 2024 IHSA Class 3A State XC Championships at Peoria’s Detweiller Park on Nov. 9, posting his best performance of the season with a 14:59.40 finish, taking 64th in the 236 competitor field. This performance marked a season highlight for...

In celebration of the 50th IHSA Girls Volleyball State Series, the organization has recognized the state’s top 50 programs, naming one school each day as they countdown toward Nov. 16’s milestone state championship tournament. Community was named the state’s 20th-best program in late October,...

The Ironmen advanced to the 2024 IHSA 7A quarterfinals is a 52-49 shootout victory over the Prospect Knights of Mt. Prospect. Take a look at Community's offensive leaders from 11/8.

The annual Intercity basketball tournament is being reimagined for the 2024-25 basketball season thanks to title sponsor State Farm. November’s inaugural State Farm Bloomington-Normal Intercity Basketball Tournament will mark the first time that both boys and girls Intercity basketball teams will...

Community's Joey Yaros and A.J. Ince punched their tickets to the IHSA Class 3A State Cross Country Meet at Peoria's Detweiller Park after finishing 20th and 21st, at the Normal Sectional on Nov. 2. The senior-junior pair clocked times of 15:21.18 and 15:21.52, advancing to State as individuals. While...

The Ironmen secured their spot in the IHSA 3A Soccer Sectional Final for the first time since 2018, defeating the Moline Maroons in a penalty shootout on Oct. 29. Community heads to Alton Nov. 1 to take on the Edwardsville Tigers thanks to outsourcing the Maroons 5-4 in penalty kicks. For the second...

The Iron posted a powerful performance at the Big 12 Conference meet on Oct. 25, capturing first in eight of the 11 varsity events. Despite those podiums, Community finished second with 229 points, trailing Champaign Central, who claimed the team title with 270 points. Central boasted a 21-point advantage...

The Ironmen clinched their second consecutive 3A Regional Championship with a 1-0 victory over the East Moline United Township Panthers on Oct. 26. With under two minutes to play in the first half of Saturday's match, junior Joyce Lubika delivered a decisive assist to Believe Avida, who netted the...

Two of Community’s girls tennis doubles teams competed in the 2A IHSA State tennis tournament on Oct. 24 following the team's first-place sectionals finish. Community was crowned Moline Sectional champions, narrowly edging out the tournament's host 22-21, on Oct. 18, in the sectional meet, the...

When Mr. Joel Swanson steps into the broadcast booth, it’s as if he’s entering his own laboratory—a place where the unpredictable elements of live sports mix and react. Over the airwaves, the veteran science teacher’s voice becomes the nucleus around which the game orbits, holding together...

Community's inaugural "Compassion in Action" event, a week-long philanthropic competition between the four classes, began Oct. 20. The initiative, which combines school spirit with charitable giving and is spearheaded by Junior Class Board sponsor Mrs. Karrin Hawkins, runs Oct. 20-25, with each grade...

The Ironmen football team will aim to make history Friday night as they head to Champaign to take on the Centennial Chargers. A victory would mark the 700th win in program history, making Community only the 10th Illinois high school football team to reach such a milestone. For head coach Mr. Jason...

This year's fall production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” marks the first show under newly appointed director Ms. Cassie Adelman. Ahead of Friday's 7 p.m. final performance, Adelman reflected on the personal and professional journey that led her here. Adelman steps into the role previously...

The team's incentive board revolves around a theme each season. This year it's "Be Driven," laying out the season's opponents as a road map. With each victory, the team pulls the cooresponding car with the opportunity to win a reward.

Think you know what Coach Jason Drengwitz will say ahead of tonight's contest against the Danville Vikings in this week’s pregame interview? Give Ironmen Pregame Interview Bingo a go as you watch the Inkspot's exclusive video interview with Community's head coach.

Midway through the 2024 girls swim season, the team has shown consistent improvement as they head into Intercity, the Big 12 Conference meet and the post-season. Last year’s IHSA State qualifiers--Kenna Malinowski, Lyndsey Hackman and Piper Lowder--have picked up where they left off, posting standout...

After the first five meets of the 2024 boys cross country season, junior A.J. Ince and senior Joey Yaros are proving to be some of each other’s best competition. The pair have consistently paced Community, pushing the Ironmen to three first-place finishes to open the season and a second-place finish...

When the Ironmen bathed head football coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz in Gatorade after Sept. 14’s shutout victory over the Urbana Tigers, he had no idea why.  “I had no clue that it was my 50th win,” Drengwitz said after the game. “I don’t keep track of that.” But someone on Community’s...

Kyle Beaty dropped back to pass just five times against the Urbana Tigers Friday night at Dick Tharpe Field. The senior quarterback made those pass count, throwing for three touchdowns and 121 yards on four completions in Community’s dominant 56-0 Homecoming win. Calen Taylor took just one handoff...

Community finished second in the 2024 Intercity soccer tournament, falling to the U-High Pioneers for the second consecutive season. The Ironmen finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, losing to U-High 4-2. U-High went undefeated in the annual tournament, outscoring opponents 13-4. The Iron...

The Inkspot, Community's student news publication, has been recognized as one of 10 schools nationwide to receive the George H. Gallup Award from the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists. The award, part of the 2024 Quill and Scroll News Media Evaluations, was announced...

The Inkspot, Community’s journalism program, was awarded a $1,490 grant on Sept. 9 through the Illinois Press Foundation’s High School Journalism Grants Program. Sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau, the program awarded over $22,000 in total grants to 16 high schools across the state. The grant...

The Ironmen's balanced offensive attack and stout defensive play led to a 48-7 win over the West Wildcats in Friday night's home opener. With the win, Community improved 2-0 on the season and in Big 12 action, while West fell to 1-1. Iron quarterback Kyle Beaty's four-score performance was instrumental...

The Ironmen look to spoil U-High’s Intercity title chances when they host the Pioneers’ today at 4:30 p.m. U-High, the reigning Intercity champions, enter the match 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in tournament play. Community is 2-0-1 and undefeated in Intercity action. The Pioneers return 18 players...

The Ironmen’s explosive offensive effort secured a 55-12 road victory over Peoria’s Richwoods Knights in Aug. 30’s season opener. The victory, head coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz said, stemmed from a good week of practice. “I felt like our approach was really locked in, really focused,” Drengwitz...

Community’s 2024 Homecoming festivities will feature several notable changes to boost school spirit and student involvement. Those changes include adding a parade, reformatting the annual assembly and organizing new activities during Sept. 9’s week-long celebration. The modifications result...

Former Ironmen football standout Marcellus Johnson did not survive the NFL's 53-man roster cut deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 27. Despite being waived by the New York Giants as the team trimmed its active roster to 53 players, the 24-year-old's hopes of helping the  Giants return to a Super Bowl remain...