The Talon

23/05/2024

Music does seem to hype us up and help us relax. What does music do for you?

Music is always around us. It is in the air when the birds chirp and the wind blows. It is in the water when it falls, streams, and trickles, everflowing. It is in the fire when it crackles and burns the wood. Music is natural and spiritual. Anybody can feel music’s influence, whether it’s a...

22/05/2024

Are you a fan of fast fashion items from places like Temu and Shein?

It is human nature to try to fit in with a group. Teenagers are often pressured to enjoy the same things as their friends or other people their age, which can come with a cost. This is where fast fashion comes into play. Fast fashion has developed in the fashion industry in the past few...

22/05/2024

What a great way to end a high school journalism career and being a whole new adventure!

You can check out 2024 AHS graduate and former Talon editor, Vivian Wu’s, story on race, equity, and inclusion in the Ankeny district at AHSTalonNews.com.

21/05/2024

AHS shares memories of 💜Evie McLeish 💜

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21/05/2024

Are you a pickleball fan? It certainly has taken the world by storm and Ankeny High is no different with the start of the Ankeny Pickleball League.

What started as a casual game of pickleball with friends at a birthday party grew into what is now known as APL (the Ankeny Pickleball League). Everything started when a group of friends got together for AHS sophomore Owen Fischer’s birthday party and decided to play pickleball. Many of them had n...

17/05/2024

Ankeny is one of the fastest growing cities in the metro, and with growth, comes diversity.

Talon reporter and editor, Vivian Wu, reports on the district's growing diversity and the plans to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in Ankeny Schools.

Ankeny Schools is a thriving community residing within the beautiful sprawling suburbs of Ankeny, Iowa. The district houses over 12,750 students, 78.8 percent of which are white. Though Ankeny has found an increasing amount of diversity over the past five years, it can be reportedly difficult for Bl...

16/05/2024

Yes, it is about this time when the senioritis really strikes...
What do you or did you do to combat it?

Merriam-Webster defines senioritis as “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” This supposed increase in laziness and loss of motivation is foretold to hit high school seniors during the last few months of the academic year, wh...

15/05/2024

What do you think of the potential TikTok ban?

Within six months, every American could lose access to the overwhelmingly popular app, TikTok. On March 13, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill, now going on to the Senate, stating that if TikTok’s Chinese-based owner ByteDance does not sell the app to a company the U.S. governme...

14/05/2024

Are you a fan of Kendrick Lamar?

In the midst of a rap beef between the industry’s biggest artists, Kendrick Lamar released a diss track targeted towards Drake that is as good as other iconic disses like “Hit Em Up” by Tupac and “Ether” by Nas. To start, the instrumental is a simple piano piece with four notes. It is omin...

10/05/2024

Dua Lipa's latest album just dropped this month and its theme has a hopeful outlook. Are you a fan?

On Friday, May 3, the three-time Grammy and seven-time Brit award-winning pop sensation, Dua Lipa, released her third studio album titled “Radical Optimism.” The album dives into joy and happiness as decisions that once seemed impossible are now clear. As the title suggests, optimism is a theme ...

10/05/2024

Thoughts on Taylor Swift's newest album?

It was on the stage during the 66th annual Grammy Awards, where global pop juggernaut Taylor Swift, was accepting her 13th award for Best Pop Vocal Album when the “1989” TV (Taylor’s Version) era was officially closed. As Swift thanked her fans and passed the credit onto them, she repaid the g...

06/05/2024

Congratulations to sophomore Talon reporter Lydia Gerety for her third Best of School Newspapers Online award for her coverage of the Special Olympics hosted at AHS on April 24. 👏🗞️💕

02/05/2024

What are your early MLB predictions?

With baseball season still in its early stages, we have seen some hot starts from top players and breakout stars alike as they push for the postseason this coming October. As of the morning of Thursday, May 2, here are my predictions for players who may snag some personal hardware at the end of the....

02/05/2024

Meet Ankeny High's National Merit Scholar finalist, senior Hannah Howard

As students and workers, we are often told to play to our strengths. The National Merit Scholarship focuses on students whose strengths lie in academic achievement and proficient scores on standardized tests, accompanied by community leadership and acts of service. “The National Merit Scholarship ...

02/05/2024

The Talon receives 28 awards for writing, reporting, design, photography, and social media reporting and promotion from the Iowa High School Press Association's spring 2024 journalism contest.

Check out the full contest results for this year’s Spring Contests below!   Class Category Name Award Organization Entry Title Credits Class A,Class B,Class C Videographer of the Year First Place Marion HS Hannah Neuville-VOY Hannah Neuville Class A,Class B,Class C Videographer of the Year Second...

01/05/2024

AHS hosts the Special Olympics...

On April 24, 712 athletes came to Ankeny High School (AHS) to participate in the Special Olympics, along with more than 300 staff members and 90 Special Olympics volunteers. Special Olympics has a mission to provide year-round athletic competition for students and adults with intellectual disabiliti...

26/04/2024

Congratulations to Talon reporter and 2024-2025 editor Ava Gifford for earning a TOP TEN spot (in the state of Iowa) as an Iowa High School Press Association's... Emerging Journalist. Ava consistently seeks the truth, is passionate about telling stories that matter, and is committed to telling stories with visual impact.👏

25/04/2024

"Weeks after releasing “WE DON’T TRUST YOU,” Future and Metro Boomin are back to take over the hip-hop game again." Check out the review here.

Weeks after releasing “WE DON’T TRUST YOU,” Future and Metro Boomin are back to take over the hip-hop game again. Their first of two albums took the internet by storm and caused a lot of stir in the online community of rap fans. I really liked “WE DON’T TRUST YOU” and I am happy to say t...

25/04/2024

A tall tale of Ankeny High's 7-foot tall sophomore, Max Allison.

At Ankeny High School (AHS), some of the tallest heads in the hallway stop around 6-foot-5. That is, until you see 7-foot tall sophomore Max Allison, ducking under the doorframes to get around the building. Allison has always been taller than others his whole life. However, in 2021, he grew six inch...

25/04/2024

Congratulations to Talon editors and seniors Joanna Guerrero and Vivian Wu for officially becoming members of the Quill and Scroll, International Honor Society for high school journalists. 👏 You two deserve this honor as you consistently place truth above all else in your writing and reporting.

08/04/2024

Planning to see the new Monsterverse Godzilla x Kong movie?

“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” was released on March 29, 2024. This comes three years after the previous installment in the Monsterverse franchise, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which came out on March 31, 2021. I personally really liked 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and with this new installm...

04/04/2024

Who are your top NFL draft picks?

With the 2024 NFL Draft coming up later this month, scouts and coaches have some tough choices to make about who they want on their team next season. After watching film and the results from the draft combine, here are my top ten prospects coming into this year’s draft. Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide R...

01/04/2024

Shout out to Ankeny Pride for supporting student journalism!

29/03/2024

The Gray Room Podcast episode 8 discusses Tame Impala's album "The Slow Rush." Are you a fan?

29/03/2024

What is your take on the Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce relationship?

With half of the world’s attention focused on the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl 58 victory, the other half is focused on the relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Kelce, the tight end on the Chiefs and known for being one of the best tight ends in National Football League (NFL) hi...

29/03/2024

You can find The Talon on the Student News Source app now!
Get notifications when there is breaking news or when a new story is posted and follow your favorite Talon journalist in just one click!

27/03/2024

Are you a fan of Future and Metro Boomin? Check out Talon reporter's review of their latest work here.

Future and Metro Boomin return to the music industry with their new collaboration album “WE DON’T TRUST YOU.” This is Future’s first album since 2022’s “I NEVER LIKED YOU,” and the next album in the line of Metro Boomin’s reign of hip hop production, with the last being 2023’s soun...

21/03/2024

Need some March Madness inspiration? Check out Talon reporter, junior Ryan Tomlinson's, March Madness picks here!

March Madness is the biggest college basketball tournament that takes place in the third week of March and highlights the best 68 teams in the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). There are six rounds including the Round of 64, the Round of 32, the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final 4, an...

19/03/2024

Come on out to Main Street in Ankeny from 5-8 tonight to show your support of student journalism. A portion of the profits go directly to The Talon, just make sure to show this flyer.

Thank you for your support of student voice!

07/03/2024

Congrats to Talon reporter and senior Grace Risk for winning a Best of School Newspapers Online award for her story on AHS's P.E.O.P.E.L. P.E. Give it a read on AHSTalonNews.com.