Illinois Press Foundation executive director Jeff Rogers presents the Journalism 2 students with a $5000 check to purchase a new telephoto camera lens.

Inkspot awarded $6,500 to expand journalism opportunities

Recent grants add to more than $35,000 in funding since 2018, supporting the Inkspot’s growth into a multimedia newsroom

Inkspot Staff • Sep 17, 2025

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's tennis courts were resurfaced and repainted as part of the district's summer maitenance work.

Photo Courtesy of: Community Athletic Department

Community undergoes heating, cooling, facility repairs in Unit 5 summer overhaul

Beatrix Alvarez and Audra Wolf • Sep 16, 2025

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...

Week 3: Coach Drengwitz previews the Ironmen’s matchup vs. Urbana [video]

Drengwitz recaps Community's Week 2 win Normal West, talks the upcoming Urbana Tigers contest

Andrew Naour and Brady Phelps • Sep 9, 2025

Mr. Jason Drengwitz sat down with the Inkspot's Andrew Naour and Brady Phelps, recapping the Ironmen's Week 2 contest against the West Wildcats and previewing the team's Week 3 matchup against Urbana.

The Unit 5 Board of Education will vote on the proposal to add two IHSA sports at the high school level on Sept. 17.[Photo Illustration]

District to vote on adding girls flag football, boys volleyball

Inkspot Staff • Sep 8, 2025

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...

A member of the Ironmen coaching staff speaks to his players during Community’s 40-6 week one win over Richwoods. In moments like these, Drengwitz says, breath work and emotional control matter just as much as execution.
“I can look at a player and see calmness and control,” he said. “And they can look at me and see the same.”
Photo Courtesy of: Jeff Christopherson

Breathing room: mindfulness, not just muscle, fuels Ironmen football

Mr. Brad Bovenkerk, Advisor • Sep 5, 2025

Last season, Ironmen football left fans breathless. Undefeated in Big 12 Conference play. A 10-2 record. A 7A IHSA State Quarterfinals appearance. Nearly toppling Mount Carmel—a program that’s long stood as a titan of Illinois high school football. The wins? Impressive. The roster? Stacked—with...

A mockup of the video scoreboards being installed in the East Gym over the summer.

Image Courtesy of: Community Athletics department // Used with Permission

New digital scoreboards to be installed in East Gym

Inkspot Staff and Bailey Kozlen • May 19, 2025

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...

Community’s bass fishing team poses after winning the inaugural Big 12 championship. Coach Derrick Schonauer said the sport is rapidly growing, adding a conference and regional tournament this season.

Photo Courtesy of: Mr. Derrick Schonauer // Used with Permission

Community wins Big 12 bass fishing title, falls short at regional

Carter Hull, Staff Reporter • May 19, 2025

Community’s bass fishing team captured the inaugural Big 12 Conference championship on May 8 at Banner Marsh, sweeping both team and individual titles. Johnny Thomas, Nick Rosenlund and Will Newbold led the Big 12 performance, reeling in five fish totaling over 18 pounds. Their haul included a...

Photo Illustration // Mr. Brad Bovenkerk

TikTok trend promotes Chromebook vandalism, raises fire safety concerns

Lyra Townsend, Associate Editor • May 16, 2025

A dangerous TikTok trend encouraging students to vandalize school-issued Chromebooks has prompted a districtwide warning from Unit 5’s IT Department. Known online as the “Chromebook Challenge,” the trend instructs students to insert pencil lead, staples, paper clips or other conductive materials...

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The Ironmen opened their season at the Crimson Classic Tournament Aug. 29-30 in Aurora, going 4-1 on the weekend.

Photo Courtesy of: @nchsironmenvb // Instagram

Iron volleyball opens season with renewed focus on mental skills

Vidushi Shukla, Senior Staff Reporter • Sep 4, 2025

After meeting with last year’s senior class, Iron volleyball head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek entered the 2025 season focused on more than just hitting, blocking and passing. She set a new priority: mental health and performance psychology. “Confidence came up again and again,” Konopasek...

Head coach Mr. Jason Drengwitz addresses the Ironmen after a dominant team effort, highlighted by touchdown catches from three different receivers and a pick-six in the lopsided win.

Ironmen open season with balanced offense, stifling defense in win over Richwoods [photo gallery]

Lyra Townsend, Associate Editor • Sep 3, 2025

Community opened the 2025 season with a 40-6 win over Richwoods on Aug. 29 at Dick Tharp Field, scoring touchdowns through the air, on the ground and on defense. The Ironmen held the Knights to just 33 passing yards and forced five turnovers in the Big 12 victory.

Ironmen boys soccer draws Dunlap 2-2 in season opener

White’s penalty saves, early goals secure tie as Community eyes growth

Inkspot Staff • Aug 29, 2025

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...

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Arts & Entertainment

From Ryan Coogler comes “Sinners,” a haunting tale about what it means to fight for your identity—before it’s drained away.
Michael B. Jordan stars in a dual role as twin brothers whose juke joint dreams turn into a battleground for the soul of a community. With vampires standing in for colonizers and appropriation as the real curse, “Sinners” might be the best film of the year.
Image Courtesy of: Warner Bros. Pictures

‘Sinners’ sinks its teeth into cultural appropriation with sharp, stylish bite

Bryce Hickman, Senior Staff Reporter • May 7, 2025

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...

Almost Famous: 3 artists on the brink of a breakout

With bold new releases, JISOO, Jenna Raine, Maddox Batson aren’t household names yet—but you’ll want to say you heard them first

Bryce Hickman, Senior Staff Reporter • Apr 7, 2025

"Mickey 17" is a dark comedy directed by Bong Joon Ho, released in March 2025.
Image Courtesy of: Warner Bros. Pictures

‘Mickey 17’ blends Sci-Fi satire, dark humor and existential horror in a capitalist critique

Bryce Hickman, Senior Staff Reporter • Mar 31, 2025

What does it feel like to die? If you knew you’d be reborn, would that make the process any less terrifying? Less painful? Less traumatic? These are just some of the existential questions at the heart of Bong Joon-Ho’s “Mickey 17.” Six years after winning Best Picture for “Parasite,”...

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Perspectives

Signed. Sealed. Dismantled.

When executive orders replace laws, democracy becomes disorder

Malachi McCool, Staff Reporter • Apr 7, 2025

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...

A work glove, located on a reflective post in the median of the intersection of Airport and Raab, is decorated for St. Patrick's Day.

The glove that won’t go away (and why it’s kind of awesome)

Leon Castañeda, Staff Writer • Mar 19, 2025

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...

Bryce Hickman doen't believe that the movie theater is a thing of the past; we are just forgetting the magic.
Photo Illustration: Mr. Brad Bovenkerk

Cinema’s not dead—we just need to remember why it matters

Bryce Hickman, Senior Staff Reporter • Feb 28, 2025

Are Movie Theaters Dying, or Are We Just Forgetting Why They Matter? In the dark ages—before mobile devices and flat-screen TVs—early man had no choice but to journey to vast structures for entertainment. These coliseums of storytelling, with their dim lobbies and the scent of butter-soaked popcorn...

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Peppermint Cookie Frosting

Abby Kimball and Kim Halm

Dec 10, 2018

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If you value the Inkspot’s commitment to student journalism—giving Normal Community’s reporters real-world experience—please consider donating to support our staff’s trip to the National High School Journalism Convention.
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About the Contributors

Abby Kimball, Staff Reporter

Abby Kimball is a senior at Normal Community High School and is a member of the Theatre program and the Thespians Society. She is a Staff Reporter for Inkspot. My all-time dream is to become a staff writer for Saturday Night Live. One random fact about me is that I can play five different instruments fluently. I like to travel, perform, and make people laugh.

Kim Halm, Staff Reporter

Kimberly Halm is a senior at Normal Community High School who participates in theatre and engineering. This is her first year as a staff reporter at the Inkspot. My favorite film is Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. If I won a million dollars I would pay my college tuition.