Hannah Gardner is going to enjoy the moment today when she walks across the stage to accept her diploma as well as recognition for being a valedictorian. It’s her reward for 13 years of hard…

Audrey Coltrane’s 4.0 was born of high personal goals, along with encouragement from parents Jennifer and Aron. As she explained, “it was never something my parents required me to do,” but they taught her to…

Between schoolwork, practice and holding a job, Dillon Slaven often found himself squeezing everything he could from each day. Burning the candle at both ends? Slaven blasted his with a blowtorch. “I may not miss…

Many people inspired Jessica Tidd. First, her family. Her mother, Julie, was a band director. She passed away when Jessica was 9, but left a lasting legacy by instilling in her children a love of…

Iola middle and high school orchestra students performed a concert Wednesday evening at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. The beginning orchestra kicked off the night, followed by small group performances and solos. The middle school…

Sidney Shelby has a term for the effort necessary to get good grades in high school: thinking at a high level. “I’ve always been pushed to get good grades, or take hard classes,” she explained.…

Levi Meiwes has been counting on his chickens, and they’ve helped him hatch a plan to graduate from college nearly debt- free. Meiwes, a senior at Iola High School and a valedictorian candidate, capitalized on…

“I don’t even know what free time is.” Still, Lorie Carpenter was driven to obtain a 4.0 GPA by parental encouragement, as well as a need for scholarship money. “I think I did it for…

Jenna Curry and Chloe Sell may be teenagers, but they already have a lifelong nemesis: dandelions. “Dumb dandelions. Those are awful,” Chloe lamented. “We mowed at the Bank of Gas Friday night, then we drove…

The Iola Middle/High School Choir performed a spring concert Wednesday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.