Announcements

Any student in 9th-12th grade that is interested in boys swimming this winter should attend the pre-season meeting next Monday, October 9th at 4:00pm in the Career Center with Coach Dustin Rhoads.

There will be a girls basketball meeting on October 23rd at 6:00 in Room 1111, Coach Birdwell’s room.  This is for 10-12 grade athletes.

There will be baseball open field time starting in October, every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5:30 for students in grades 9-12.

If you are out for a fall sport, please don’t worry about attending these.  GO HAWKS!  Coach Balvanz

There will be a Girls Wrestling pre-season meeting on October 9th at 8:00AM in the Career Center.

There will be a parent and student/athlete meeting on Oct. 12th at 6:00pm in the Career Center.  Coach Nick Payton

Ankeny High School, it’s time to show your team spirit! Homecoming week is here, and we have a lineup of exciting events for you. On Monday, we kicked off the festivities with the annual Under the Lights games. The fun continues this Friday, September 15, at 7pm with the football game. Come out to support your team and engage in an unforgettable night of school spirit. Let’s go, Hawks!

As we gear up for the new school year, we would like to remind all families (PK-12) about Student Assurance Services student accident coverage.

The Ankeny Community School District is not responsible for any accidental injuries that occur to students while under the school’s supervision or participating in interscholastic sports. Our school district has partnered with Student Assurance Services to give families the opportunity to purchase accident insurance for their student(s). When enrolled, this coverage provides financial assistance with your out-of-pocket medical expenses should your student sustain an accidental bodily injury.

Reasons to consider coverage for your student:
1. Your primary health insurance has a high deductible – copay – coinsurance.
2. No other insurance on your student.
3. Your student participates in a sport where unexpected injuries commonly occur.

This coverage provides an added layer of protection for students, especially for those with high deductible health insurance or those who are currently uninsured. In the unfortunate event of a student injury occurring under the school’s supervision, this coverage can be a crucial asset for your family.

While we hope that none of our students will face any accidents or injuries, it is vital to be prepared and have the necessary safeguards in place.

If you have any questions regarding this voluntary student accident insurance program, please contact Student Assurance Services at (800) 328-2739. You will speak with a live person who can assist you with your questions.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to a safe and successful academic year ahead.

Voluntary Online Enrollment Form – English

Voluntary Online Enrollment Form – Spanish

If you are interested in girls swimming or diving this fall, please reach out to ankenygirlsswimming@gmail.com to be added to the team’s contact list.

For the first time in school history, the Ankeny High School mock trial team won the 2023 National High School Mock Trial Competition after defeating New Mexico in the Final Round in Little Rock, AZ. In doing so, they became the fifth team from Iowa to secure the national title, giving Iowa the most wins of any state at the National Competition.

Participating students include Chloe Andersen, Nicki Casady, Sareena Casady, Hayden DeWitt, Mallory Jordan, Marissa Larson-Minar, Grant Miner, Hannah Pross, and Noah Yeager. The team is coached by attorneys Marcus Miller and Joe Metzger. Amy Akers serves as the teacher-coach.

This year’s competition case involved a fictional criminal case titled the State of Arkansas vs. Scout Cumberland, which involved the homicide of a school board member by another school board member, with New Mexico’s prosecution team arguing for premeditated murder and Iowa’s defense team claiming self-defense. The trial was presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr., and the jury was made up of a panel of judges and attorneys from around the nation.

Under National High School Mock Trial Association rules, teams consist of six to nine official members assigned to roles representing the prosecution/plaintiff and defense/defendant sides, with six members participating in any given round. In each round, three members serve as attorneys and three serve as witnesses. Time limits are strictly enforced. The trial scenario switches from year to year between criminal and civil trials.

The National High School Mock Trial Competition began in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with five states competing: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.

The Talon, the student publication of Ankeny High, competed with class C schools in the Iowa High School Press Association’s spring contest due to its size. The class C schools are known as phenomenal, impressive, groundbreaking student publications across the state that have been in the scholastic journalism for a very long time.  This did not deter the students of AHS since the publication secured a spot among the best of the best by showcasing quality work in both print and web. Judges were impressed by the phenomenal work of high school journalists across the state, and The Talon held its own alongside them. Their adviser Alissa Hansen cannot wait to see what they do next.

13 awards go to the following Talon journalists for their stellar writing and reporting:

• First Place for Sports Story goes to seniors Gabby Risk & Sophie Rohlfing
• Third Place for Sports Story goes to sophomore Adam Mein
• First Place for School News Story goes to junior Vivian Wu
• Second Place for School News Story goes to senior Sophie Rohlfing
• Honorable Mention for School News Story goes to 2022 AHS graduate Lauren Kemp
• Third Place for News Story goes to senior Gabby Risk for
• Second Place for Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip goes to junior Julien Noble
• Third Place for Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip goes to junior Julien Noble
• Second Place for Reviews goes to senior Lejla Ahmetovic
• Honorable Mention for In-Depth News Story goes to junior Julien Noble
• Honorable Mention for Personality Profile goes to junior Vivian Wu
• Honorable Mention for Personality Profile goes to junior Joanna Guerrero
• Honorable Mention for Feature Story goes to senior Drew Taylor

The Talon is also among the top 15 contenders for the Iowa High School Press Association’s All-Iowa News Team. The winner of the prestigious award will be revealed during the IHSPA fall conference in October. It is indeed a remarkable achievement for The Talon to secure a spot on this list, and it speaks volumes about the newspaper’s dedication to excellence and journalistic integrity. Congratulations to the team behind The Talon!