![Sophomore Lily Bell posing as a player in the senior assassin game. Seniors participating in the game eliminate others by squirting them with a water gun, and can wear goggles for immunity against others. “People did have to go out and buy [water] guns, but most people have the googles at home, but you don’t even have to use a gun, you can use water of any sort,” senior Gwyn Christensen said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-1-1-900x1200.jpg)
![The shadows against a captivating blue are a nod to the “Catch Me If You Can” musical poster, both for this performance and the blue from the Broadway show. The detectives in this scene are at shooting practice, in preparation for when they finally encounter Frank Abagnale Jr. “We always say our motto is ‘theater is a team sport,’ and really just emphasizing to our students that everyone is welcome in the drama department. There's always a role for you, whether or not, on stage or behind the scenes, in the costume shop, in the scene shop. [There are] all sorts of different things that go into bringing a show to life. So we love our drama hawks and welcome everyone to drama,” Drama Director Mollie Jo Blahunka said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/cmiyc-1200x800.jpg)
![Henry, Emily (2021). People we meet on vacation [Book cover]. Berkley Books. Image used under fair use for purposes of commentary and review. Haley, Brett (2026). People we meet on vacation [Movie poster]. Movie poster courtesy of 3000 Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment. Made by Adilyn Hoop using Canva.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/vacay1.png)
![Lockhart, E. (2025). We fell apart [Book cover]. Delacorte Press. Image used under fair use for purposes of commentary and review. The newest book in the “We were liars” collection was released Nov. 4.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/wefell1.png)
![A Group of PEOPEL PE students and helpers set up an obstacle course during class. The “Amazing Race” unit had started in PEOPEL PE where the students and helpers got to compete in a variety of different activities and games. “We try our best to make [inclusion] a school-wide event, but it's just so much more different when you actually engage with the students hands-on and actually get to know them as people.” Sophomore Bree Christensen said. Photo Taken by Ada McNulty.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-12-1200x900.jpg)
Parking lot problems, protest of dissent?
Seniors Morgan Gholson and Grace Gibbons pick up trash at the Student Political Engagement Club (SPEC) parking lot pickup event on Oct. 14, 2021.
October 28, 2021
Throughout the past year, there has been an increase in the amount of trash from students in the parking lots of Ankeny High School (AHS). From food wrappers to chewed-up gum, the pathway into the high school is regularly covered in litter.
An establishment’s appearance can reflect on the students who are a part of the school. Students and teachers are intrigued by the sudden rise in the amount of litter in and around the school. Math teacher Deborah Cote-Glander, is invested in the trash situation around AHS and wants to know the cause of such a rapid change. She believes that it might be linked to student opinions.
“I see a lot of masks and we know that our community is divided over should we wear them or not, and I know people are angry about it,” Cote-Glander said. “I know students are divided and I wonder if that is part of it.”
While it is hard to tell the concrete cause of the littering, it is apparent that the rise of trash coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic.
AHS faculty are not the only ones concerned with this problem. Additionally, a student-run organization, Student Political Engagement Club (SPEC) has taken matters into its own hands by hosting a parking lot pickup day.
Senior and SPEC member, Morgan Gholson, attended the trash pickup day. She believes that the litter creates a poor view of AHS and gives off a negative student experience.
“I feel like it’s just laziness,” Gholson said.
Gholson believes that laziness is a pandemic that needs to be addressed. Even as laziness is a possible cause, students also may not have proper access to resources to be able to throw away their trash.
Numerous faculty members have also noticed a change in the environment of AHS and have proposed a variety of ways to improve the trash situation. The most prominent idea is the addition of more trash cans throughout the school and parking lot, with hopes and the likely possibility to gain additional access to them in the future.
“I think we need to figure out a way of how do we work together in our school building so that the few taking part in the TikTok challenges aren’t taking away from other things we view as necessary to keep our school clean,” Counselor Mici Vos said.
The administration believes that students need to work together to solve the issue and hold each other accountable.
Associate Principal Kelsie Goodman says that making trash cans readily available is a great idea. This is just one of the possible solutions to solving the littering problem. Through trial and error, AHS can become clean again.
As students and faculty have noticed an increase in the amount of trash in and around the school, it has become a passion for those who want to help restore the school to what it once was.
“Maybe as a student body we cannot change the whole world, but we can change our school,” Cote-Glander said. “I believe that.”
![Sophomore Lily Bell posing as a player in the senior assassin game. Seniors participating in the game eliminate others by squirting them with a water gun, and can wear goggles for immunity against others. “People did have to go out and buy [water] guns, but most people have the googles at home, but you don’t even have to use a gun, you can use water of any sort,” senior Gwyn Christensen said.](https://ahstalonnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-1-1-225x300.jpg)
