Latest News

The High Arrow

Indiana Area Senior High School

New Club Takes On Spirit Week

By JENNY TODD

Student Advisory Council is a new club at IHS this year. They have been observing and watching how things run at IHS and wanted to make a difference.

For it being their first year and getting a late start the SAC has already started and accomplished such great things. They had a goal and worked so hard to make sure it happened. As a new club it is hard to be respected or get the word out compared to some of IHS older clubs. 

Since starting this club students have been working hard on a spirit week. MarCha’ Ellis is one of the clubs main organizers and said, “ As the committee was being formed, we wondered what we could do to make the end of the school year a little fun. The committee came up with having a spirit week for prom (since we never had one for prom) and activity during lunches just for people to have some fun (even though we couldn’t have them that week, we plan to have sometime in the future).” MarCha’ has a positive attitude and looks on the bright side of what this week might look like for her and the club. She said that “We made sure to get it out beforehand and encouraged people to participate in it.” 

IHS Student Madeline Shirley poses with her baby carriage for anything but a backpack day [Photo Courtesy of Jenny Todd]

The activities that took place April 25th-29th (prom week) were in order;  Loungewear day, Come as your not day, Decades day, Bring anything but a book-bag day, and lastly Hawaiian tacky tourist day. Students planned to have events like lunchtime yoga, kickball, and other activities to get you moving. Due to the weather, these events were not able to take place. The club hopes to have them happen later this month. 

Tamiera Willamson was another student who helped work on making sure this was a successful event. She says,  “SAC came up with the activities to help students get their mind off of school for a little bit and focus on their mental health. We picked activities that we thought the students would enjoy! For spirit week we thought long and hard about what theme days we wanted to do. The other SAC members and I combined all of their ideas together and ended up having an amazing spirit week layout.” It is great to have a club that is so willing to put the students’ needs in perspective. When asked about her motivation she said, “My motivation was seeing the school come together to participate in the activities and the spirit days. Seeing the outcome and the happiness from everyone kept me even more motivated and looking forward to the next day.” It is extremely important that our school is doing things to put a smile on the students’ faces. The most popular day this week was definitely “anything but a backpack.”

As time goes on there is so much more hope for what this club will accomplish and it would be great to see new members willing to get involved. What these students did as a small group is definitely a foreshadowing for what is to come. 

You May Also Like...

MiniTHON 2026 is almost here

By Anna Carnovale With Mini-THON quickly approaching on March 19, leadership students have a variety of activities planned for the six-hour fundraising event. The event planning committee has worked to create an action-packed night designed to keep participants engaged throughout the evening. Overall Mini-THON chair Anna Kauffman said several minor changes have been made this year, including the theme and color scheme. This year’s theme is “Love Guides the Story,” with blue, pink, purple and yellow as the featured colors. Kauffman added that one major change is an increased focus on dancing. Madelyn Bauer, a member of the event planning committee, said one of the new dance activities this year will be a dance-off, including the Cotton-Eyed Joe. “I’m excited for it all to come together,” Bauer said. “We’ve all worked so hard.” Kauffman also emphasized the more serious aspects of the event. “A lot of people just think Mini-THON

Read More »
March 19, 2026

The Death of Literature

By Zoey Motto Put down your phone and open a book. Many young people today do not read nearly as much as they should. Phones, television and other electronics distract them from sitting long enough not only to read, but even to let ideas sink in. Over the past decade, there has been a significant decline in how much young people read. New technology and digital entertainment have contributed to shorter attention spans. When asked what makes young people less interested in reading, Mrs. Lyons, an IHS English and theater teacher, said, “Reading is not part of our culture anymore. We go straight for a phone nowadays. It once was that everyone carried a book instead, and that was entertainment before technology.” New generations often turn to screens instead of pages. As a result, concerns about literacy and reading comprehension have increased over the past decade. Reading does not have

Read More »
March 18, 2026

IHS Drama Department brings Oliver! to life

By Kaylee Higgins The Indiana Area Senior High School Drama Department is proud to announce the 2026 musical Oliver! Based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Oliver! follows an orphaned boy who escapes a workhouse in Victorian-era England and joins a group of pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger and Fagin. As Oliver searches for a place where he truly belongs, the story explores themes of kindness, survival and the power of hope, even in difficult circumstances. With memorable songs, energetic dance numbers and a full cast of characters, the musical captures both the excitement and challenges of life in the city. Freshman Emily Matty is a member of the props crew, and mentioned she joined the IHS musical this year because she loves theater and has been participating in shows since the sixth grade. Students have spent months preparing the production, working both on stage and behind

Read More »
March 5, 2026

IHS Girls’ Swimming & Diving snatches WPIAL AA title, boys take runner-up

By Gabi Isenberg IHS Swimming & Diving had an incredible performance at the AA WPIAL Swimming & Diving Championships. The girls team took the championship title for the second year in a row – their second WPIAL win in program history. With a meet full of personal bests, the boys team was runner-up.  Notable finishes on the girls’ side included senior Sydney Anderson taking fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard freestyle. Also in the 100-yard freestyle, freshman Jordyn Grove finished seventh. Breaking the school record in the 50-yard freestyle, sophomore Gracie Reed snatched fifth. In the 100-yard butterfly, G. Reed also took fifth, with senior Morgan Grove and junior Veronica Major close behind in places seventh and eighth, respectively. Senior Maddy Bauer delivered an impressive eighth place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. Indiana’s only female WPIAL diver, sophomore Morgan Blystone, took tenth place at the diving

Read More »
March 2, 2026

IHS Green Bandana attends youth mental health conference

By High Arrow Staff On Friday, February 6, 2026, members of the IHS Green Bandana Project attended the NAMI Youth Mental Health Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. This conference is one of the only conferences in the country specializing in children, adolescents, and transition-age youth. Prior to the conference, students had an opportunity to submit an essay to the Youth Mental Health Leadership Award Essay Contest. This award recognizes the passion and courage of young leaders who are committed to fighting the stigma of mental health conditions, providing a safe community for peers to share their own mental health experiences, and empowering peers through education.  We are pleased to announce that IHS senior Anna Carnovale was the 2026 Youth Mental Health Leadership Award recipient. Anna was presented with her award, alongside a $1,000 prize, during the luncheon portion of the conference.  The IHS Green Bandana Project would like to thank the

Read More »
February 18, 2026

Bad Case of Senioritis

By Zoey Motto With graduation just a stone’s throw away, it is no surprise that seniors all over are starting to come down with a bad case of senioritis. So, what is senioritis and how are seniors working to manage it and prevent it from undermining their motivation and success? Senioritis, which has been going on since the beginning of schooling, is the time in which a senior is so close to the end, that they are blinded by it. The excitement of graduation and what comes after distracts them from the now. When asked what she thinks causes senioritis, IHS Senior Isabella Grim stated, “I think seniors are just excited about graduation and finishing high school so they don’t want to do any school work.” The overwhelming feelings of procrastination and stress that comes with senioritis makes seniors just want to not do anything. IHS Senior Sweetsage Barrera commented

Read More »
February 18, 2026