Preparing for homecoming is supposed to be exciting—not stressful.  The tradition is an undeniable aspect of the high school experience—but it comes with a price tag. A set of acrylics—$70. Hair? Call it a wildcard—hair type, the style, DIY or salon—all variables that set the price. Spray...

Twenty-five points weren’t enough. Iron volleyball needed extras in both sets to beat Lincoln-Way West on Oct. 30, 28-26, 26-24, and claim a second consecutive regional championship. Community controlled most of the first set, building a six-point cushion before the Warriors rallied to 24-22. Senior...

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 advanced to the IHSA Class 3A Normal Community Sectional after placing fifth at the IHSA Class 3A Belleville West Regional on Oct. 25. The Ironmen will host the sectional at Maxwell Park at 11 a.m. on Nov. 1. Senior Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville commit A.J. Ince finished third...

Community’s girls cross-country team advanced to the IHSA Class 3A Normal Community Sectional at Maxwell Park on Nov. 1 after finishing fourth at the Class 3A Belleville West Regional on Oct. 25. Freshman Erin Schierer led Community with a 17th-place finish in 18:58.70. Community’s pack tightened...

Community beat the top-seeded Minooka Indians 2-1 on Oct. 28, avenging a 7-0 regular-season loss and earning a spot in Saturday’s IHSA sectional final at Peoria Notre Dame. “We knew coming into the game it was going to be a strong mental battle,” senior forward Logan Lelm said. “Conditions weren’t...

Halloween’s done, but that doesn’t mean the scares have to be. Two Inkspot staffers sort your November horror queue—pairing 2025’s buzziest releases with a couple of modern staples and explaining what to watch and why it works. This year has swung big: originals have broken out, franchises...

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...

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. 

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...