West Side Story

05/06/2025

2000s nostalgia is at an all-time high as digital cameras have made their return thanks to Gen Z. West students and teachers are participating in their resurgence.

Point. Pose. Focus. Flash. With the help of a 20-year-old compact digital camera, the perfect Instagram photo dump is crafted. Although cell phones fitted with advanced cameras frequent the pockets of most teens, Generation Z is bringing back 2000s digital cameras. Digital cameras haven’t gone awa...

05/06/2025

From academics to athletics to the arts, West High students voted for the peers who stood out most this year, read below to meet the student of the year, athlete of the year and artist of the year.

As the school year wraps up, West High students voted for peers who stood out in their fields. Whether it’s dominating a debate competition, crossing the finish line first, or pushing artistic boundaries, this year’s honorees exemplify the excellence West High is known for. Trailblazers in the c...

04/06/2025

As the school year comes to an end, six West High staff members will be saying goodbye to West and hello to retirement. Special education teacher Steve Merkle, custodian Donnie Binegar, boys basketball coach Steve Bergman, paraeducator Alice Jones, Theatre West costume designer Becky Dagle and chemistry teacher Carolyn Walling are moving on from West after years of dedication and achievements. Learn about the impact they've left in the link in bio.

04/06/2025

Finals are coming up for the end of the school year. Here are Wednesday and Thursday’s schedule. Let’s finish the year off strong Trojans!

30/05/2025

West’s Jazz Bands performed downtown in the “Friday Night Concert Series” with West Liberty’s jazz band on May 23. Learn more about their performance down below.
https://wsspaper.com/105695/news/west-jazz-bands-perform-at-friday-night-concert-series/

27/05/2025

Check out the story below to learn more about Global Food Project, an Iowa City-based nonprofit uniting the community through food growth.
https://wsspaper.com/105468/feature/seeds-for-change/

26/05/2025

To celebrate the end of the school year, our photo editors selected their top ten favorite photos they’ve taken during their time on West Side Story. Throughout the school year they’ve captured protests, football games, festivals and so much more.

📸: Lea Abou Alaiwa, Gianna Liu and Josie Schwartz

23/05/2025

West High’s student government had its last spirit week of the school year. Check out some of our favorite outfits from students this week!

22/05/2025

West High's math competition team traveled to St. Louis this past weekend and secured first place in Nationals. Read more about their experience below.

The Iowa City West High School Math Club, led by math teacher James Kirpes, competed on Saturday, May 17 at the Mathleague National Math Championship. Sponsored by the Great Plains Math League, the competition was held in St. Louis. A total of 188 students from 80 schools in 20 states earned partici...

22/05/2025

Which teacher do you think has the best hair? What about the coolest classroom. West High faculty voted each other 'who's most likely to' in the first edition of West High Faculty Superlatives. Find the list below.

Starting off the list strong is our dynamic duo. The two Theatre West High directors are often seen together, and earned over 50% of the teacher votes. Your Dynamic Duo is Katy Nahra and Ann Rocarek. The second category is the Future President of the United States. To no one’s surprise, our princi...

22/05/2025

Check out the story below to learn about some of the most influential figures in Formula 1 history.

Juan Manuel Fangio came from humble beginnings in Argentina, growing up with hard-working immigrant parents and five siblings. Fangio started working as a mechanic at 11 years old and stuck with it for nearly four decades. During that time, Fangio also raced self-prepared cars across long distances....

20/05/2025

With the tennis seasons coming to an end, meet the seniors from both the girls and boys teams. The boys team will compete in their state competition for individuals and doubles on May 27 and 28. The girls team will compete in their state competition for individuals and doubles on May 30 and 31.
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