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These are the classes that will not be offered next year to Ankeny High students. Associate Principal Wade Grinhaug works with teachers and heads of departments to design class schedules and will inform them if classes are at risk of not running. He says building a schedule is very complex. There are around 1,400 students at AHS and the scheduling requests average around 6.5 per semester. Grinhaug estimates that there are over 30,000 requests total. To help Grinhaug sort through all of this information he uses Scheduling Wizard on Infinite Campus to build the schedules. It is a computer algorithm that analyzes all of the requests and recommends the times to offer each class to reduce conflicts. Infographic made by Lilyan McCracken using Google Drawings

Class changes coming to AHS

Lilyan McCracken, Staff Reporter March 7, 2024

AHS has had flexible scheduling in the past for classes because of student choice, but there are some classes that will not be offered for the 2024-2025 school year. Ankeny High School (AHS) has had changes...

The student financial aid process can be an intimidating experience for students and parents alike. Knowing where to start and having steps and/or a plan for tackling the process can make it much easier. Infographic made by Josie Babcock using Canva

FAFSA frenzy

Josie Babcock, Staff Reporter March 7, 2024

As graduation rapidly approaches, students find themselves frantically searching for their next steps. Most plans for students require some sort of financial aid, where a majority of students will turn...

On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) mentors led sophomore Hawk Times through an introductory presentation. Participants created collectively a list of norms they will revisit each month with a new MVP lesson.

Mentors in Violence Prevention launches at Ankeny High

Vivian Wu, Web/Print/Multimedia Editor; Videographer February 29, 2024

Starting Tuesday, January 30, 2024, Ankeny High School (AHS) officially launched its Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program.  “It is a preventative program,” co-coordinator of MVP and AHS counselor...

AHS junior Ryan Tomlinson scrolls through Instagram.
Since the 1990s, mental health disorders have risen as a leading cause of health loss, reports National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

In the United States and globally, more people than ever before are suffering from mental and emotional disorders, and are dying to suicide. The cause of these trends has been linked to many different factors, including the lack of access to mental health aid, increased substance abuse, and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, according to numerous studies conducted across the globe, the use of social media has been a major leading cause of societys decline in mental health, reports the Center for Disease Control.

The social dilemma

Nolan McNulty and Julius Wiegand February 28, 2024

In the United States, 50 thousand people a year die by suicide, making it the highest rate of suicide the country has ever seen, NBC News reports. Depression rates have also experienced a near 50 percent...

House File 2082 will remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act and list gender dysphoria as a disability. A hearing will be held at noon today, Jan. 31, at the Iowa Capitol about the bill.

A proposed bill will remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act

Vivian Wu, Web/Print/Multimedia Editor; Videographer January 31, 2024

UPDATE: On Jan. 31, members of the Iowa House rejected House File 2082. (02/01/2024) On Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, Iowa legislators will hold a meeting over the proposed House File 2082, a bill that...

January has been tough when it comes to weather. Iowa has seen record numbers of snow and below zero temperatures causing people to crave warmer temperatures and the sun more than ever. The lack of sun and less than ideal weather conditions force people to stay indoors more, which in turn turns into what can only be referred to as, the winter slump. 

Here stands the Ankeny water tower covered by snow on a frigid January day.

The winter slump: It’s more than being lazy

Hunter Boswell, Staff Reporter January 24, 2024

It is 6:30 in the morning with an alarm buzzing in your ear, and only the light from the street greets your eyes. As the drive to school continues, the sun begins to slowly wake up and rise, only fully...

In the wake of the Perry school shooting on Jan. 4, safety is at the forefront of many students, teachers, parents, and community members minds when it comes to schools. Ankeny High School’s biggest current safety concern, the fine arts parking lot doors.

Safety in the Hawk Nest

Nolan McNulty, Staff Reporter January 9, 2024

During the 2021-2022 school year, there were 327 school shootings, according to reports by the National Center for Education Statistics. As a result, 2023 and 2024 have seen more schools cracking down...

English teacher Justin Schlicher covered his classroom library to keep students from accessing books at the start of the fall 2023 semester. 

Update to SF 496
Starting Jan. 1, the Department of Education can inquire into school districts and staff members in violation of the law. However, Judge Stephen Locher of the the U.S. District Court Southern District of Iowa put a temporary hold on the enforcement of the law while lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Lamda Legal are underway. The Iowa State Education Association and publisher Penguin Random House are also involved in a lawsuit regarding the book restrictions in SF 496. 

“We want young people to have access to literature, so I am very pleased that the federal judge is taking a look at SF 496, AHS teacher librarian Jenny Wirtz said. I hope that the courts will rule in our favor that its unconstitutional to remove good quality literature from our libraries.

Senate File 496

Lilyan McCracken, Staff Reporter January 8, 2024

Update- Jan. 23, 2024 Ankeny High School bookshelves will continue to have the same titles as before the SF 496 book ban bill (which put restrictions on what books could be accessed at schools)...

The Seal of Biliteracy is available for all students at Ankeny High School who are learning a second language. The deadline for registration is Jan. 11 and testing begins Feb. 19.

STAMP, ELPA21, and Bilingual Education… Oh My!

Scott Kruse, Business Editor December 15, 2023

On Jan. 11, high school students across Iowa will submit their applications to earn the Seal of Biliteracy on their high school diplomas. But these tests for the seal will not just be taking place in...

Whatever path students choose, the Ankeny Community School District (ACSD) hopes to prepare student for their next steps by enacting a five-year Strategic Plan: the Graduate Profile.

ACSD’s Strategic Plan– Graduate Profile

Amelie Kerrigan, Staff Reporter December 14, 2023

Ankeny Community Schools work to implement a five-year Graduate Profile to help parents, teachers, staff, and students get on the same page about their learning, preparation for post-secondary plans, and...

The childrens section at Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library features a wide variety of picture books. A few of the books featured are Flower for Sarajevo by John McCutcheon, Late Nate in a Race by Emily Arnold McCully, and more.

‘The narrative is everything is great in Ankeny, but that may not be the case for every facility and for every kid’

Lydia Gerety, Staff Reporter December 6, 2023

Ankeny students remember their love for reading starting in elementary school, but they might not have realized some of their peers were struggling in the very thing they enjoyed. At some Ankeny elementary...

Since the inception of Ankeny High’s dual enrollment program with DMACC in the early 2000s, AHS students have had access to a number of college-level courses right in the building. English teacher Karin Cowger, who has been teaching at AHS since the beginning of the program said she’s enjoyed watching students take advantage of the opportunity and the challenge that comes with it. “We have more kids in the program…I think [the growth of the program] has been not necessarily what we’re doing, but how many kids have been affected by it.”

Ankeny students making the most of opportunities with college credit

Hannah Howard, Staff Reporter December 5, 2023

As the year flies by, students are starting to look towards their futures. With many students looking at college as their next step, the dual enrollment program has become a key factor in many students’...

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