The News

Mid-Prairie

Mid-Prairie Student Art Show

Mid-Prairie students showed off their artistic skills and talents April 7-10 at the Wellman YMCA banquet hall during the 4th annual district-wide Student Art Show. Hundreds of works across a wide …

Students learned the art of pork-centric cuisine during the culinary lab.

Mid-Prairie students go whole hog on Farm-to-Fork Adventure

Oink-tastic! That’s just one word to describe the incredible Farm-to-Fork Adventure recently experienced by Mid-Prairie FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and FFA students. …

Mid-Prairie drops tax rate 7 cents, approves 4-5% compensation increases

WELLMAN Mid-Prairie district residents feeling crushed by the weight of property taxes got a little good news Monday night: thanks to state approval of SSA at 2%, Mid-Prairie’s overall filed tax …

Madeline O’Donnell as astronomer Henrietta Leavitt in “Silent Sky” at the Ballentyne Auditorium.

M-P grad shines in lead role in ‘Silent Sky’

CEDAR RAPIDS Mid-Prairie Virtual Academy graduate Madeline O’Donnell brought to life the character of Henrietta Leavitt on March 28-30 at the Ballentyne Auditorium in Cedar Rapids during …

Highland

Highland’s tax levy rate to drop 2 cents in proposed FY26 budget

RIVERSIDE The property tax levy for residents of Highland Community Schools in Fiscal Year 2026 will be 12.93299, or about $12.93 for each $1,000 of assessed property. The question is, will …

GreenState VP Aaron Friederich appointed to Highland School Board

RIVERSIDE Aaron Friederich, a Vice President in commercial lending at GreenState Credit Union and a volunteer assistant football coach at Highland High School, has been appointed to the Highland …

Highland’s bond referendum appeal headed to District Court

RIVERSIDE A planned expansion and improvement project at Highland’s schools is on hold again. An appeal has been filed with a district court in Washington to challenge a vote in …

Lone Tree

Lone Tree School recognized for excellence

Lone Tree Community School is proud to announce that it has been honored with the prestigious Better Together 2030 “Inspire” Award. This award recognizes educational institutions that go above …

Holiday spirit: Lone Tree forgives school lunch debts

LONE TREE It can be hard to catch up once you’ve fallen behind, and the Lone Tree school district knows this. In an act of holiday spirit, the district is making sure families don’t have to …

The victorious Lone Tree dance team, coached by Kelsi Kruse. Back row, L-R: Rylie Viers, Haiden Gauley, Jazmine Nino, Delaney Volk, Addison Eagle. Front row (seniors): Hayden Yoder, Maddi Floyd, Bailee Gottschalk.

ALL THAT JAZZ

DES MOINES When dancers from Lone Tree and Mid-Prairie high schools arrived in Des Moines on Dec. 4, their hearts raced with excitement and nerves. They had been preparing for this weekend since …

Lone Tree CSD -- First Day of School

Lone Tree Community Schools had their first day of school on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024.

Hillcrest Academy

Hillcrest Academy’s double feature

Hillcrest Academy’s middle school students performed “Ants & the Grasshoppers”; cast included Myka Widdel, Livia Lundberg, Amelia Vigneron, Vincent Yoder, Reghan Good, Payton Gray, Eliza …

The Chili Supper: a Hillcrest Academy tradition since 1960

The Flintstones premiers on TV. A gallon of gas is 25 cents. In a campaign that features the first televised debate, John F. Kennedy wins the U.S. Presidential Election after defeating Richard Nixon. …

At the start of each school day, students at Hillcrest Academy check-in their phones; they won’t see them again until they leave at the end of the day.

The phone-free school: a mid-year report

KALONA In August, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Hillcrest Academy announced it would go phone-free, all day every day, as part of a new mental health initiative. “The goal of …

Hillcrest Academy -- First Day of School

For the first time, Hillcrest Academy welcomed grades 6-12 on the first day of school, Aug. 23, 2024.

Photo Galleries

Mid-Prairie Elementary Trunk or Treat

The Highland Huskies' Homecoming King and Queen: Brody Miller and Adeline Krotz.

Highland Huskies Homecoming 2024

Band Night

The Mid-Prairie band took the field for a terrific halftime performance on Senior Night, October 11.

The marching band and color guard led off the homecoming parade on Wednesday, Sept. 11

Mid-Prairie Homecoming 2024

Photo gallery: Lone Tree graduation 2024

LONE TREE The Lone Tree Community School District hosted it's graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 26. Here, Valedictorian Ethan Bockelman, and X, the student who had the second best …