Letter from the Editor: True Victory Lies in Character and Community
October 18, 2026
Dear Readers,
It’s easy to judge a sports season by scoreboard numbers or final records, but this past week gave us something much better to measure. Across the board, our students showed us what real sportsmanship, effort, and community look like.
At the conference cross country meet, Issac Giesmann proved that character comes before competition. When a runner from another school struggled near the finish line, Issac didn't just run past him—he stopped and helped him cross. Over on the gridiron, as the Highland-Lone Tree football team wrapped up its season against Midland, our players spent the night pulling Midland guys back up after hard tackles. That kind of class was matched by our student section and fans, who kept the energy high and positive from the first whistle to the last.
Friday night was also Senior Night, and watching our senior athletes walk onto the field with their parents was a special moment for everyone in the stands. To top it off, the Marching Band, Dance Squad, and Cheer Squad brought unbelievable energy to the field and sidelines, closing out the football season with a bang.
Behind every play, performance, and race, there’s a quiet balancing act happening off the field. Our teens are constantly juggling practice schedules, part-time jobs, tests, stacks of homework, and their social lives. If you’ve ever wondered how students navigate all of that while balancing sleep, phone use, gaming, and social media, take a look at some of our new (and classic) articles in this issue covering those exact topics.
To our athletes, performers, parents, and fans: thanks for giving us so much to celebrate this week. We hope you enjoy the latest news!
Go Huskies!
The Editorial Board
The Red, White and News
Know Your Rights: What High School Journalists Can (and Can't) Publish in Iowa
By The Highlander Staff
September 20, 2026
If you read our paper, you know we don't shy away from reporting on heavy topics like mental health, bullying, or student stress. But every now and then, when a story gets a little controversial, someone in the hallway or a classroom asks: "Are you guys actually allowed to do a survey on that and print that? Won't the administration get mad and shut you down?"
But here’s the truth: as high school journalists in an Iowa public school, we actually have huge First Amendment protections. We aren't just writing a school promotional newsletter—we are running a real newspaper.
Understanding our rights (and our limits) is super important for every student to know.
Our Rights Started Right Here in Iowa (Tinker v. Des Moines)
A lot of people don't know this, but the biggest Supreme Court case about student speech in American history actually started right here in Iowa back in 1969.
In Tinker v. Des Moines, a group of students got suspended for wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students and said one of the most famous quotes in school history: students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."
Under the Tinker standard, student speech -- and publications -- can't be censored just because it's uncomfortable, makes the school look bad, or causes a little debate. To stop us from speaking or writing, they have to prove it would cause a "material and substantial disruption" to the school day (like causing a riot or making classes impossible to run).
Why Iowa Is Different: The Iowa Student Free Expression Law
In 1988, the Supreme Court passed another case called Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which gave school principals in most states the power to censor school newspapers if they didn't like the topic.
But Iowa said no to that.
In 1989, our state legislature passed the Iowa Student Free Expression Law (Iowa Code § 280.22). This law basically protected Iowa students from the Hazelwood rule. In Iowa, student editors—not principals or teachers—are the ones who decide what goes into the school paper. Principals cannot practice "prior restraint," which means they can't review our articles ahead of time just to block stories they don't like or that criticize administrative decisions.
On top of that, the law protects our newspaper adviser. The school district can't fire or punish our journalism teacher just because we published a story that made someone uncomfortable.
The Rules: What We Can't Do
Even though we have a ton of freedom, being a journalist comes with serious responsibility. We aren't allowed to just print whatever we want without consequences. Under Iowa law, student journalists are NOT protected if we publish:
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Libel or Slander: Printing false statements that ruin someone’s reputation or character.
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Obscenity: Extremely graphic, vulgar, or inappropriate material that breaks legal standards.
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Encouraging Illegal Acts: Writing things that urge students to break laws or break valid school rules.
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Substantial Disruption: Publishing something explicitly meant to start a riot, cause violence, or stop classes from functioning.