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THE
LITTLE HAWK Vol. 111
Iowa City, IA
Issue 4
June 2025
thelittlehawk.com
GRADE 2025-2026 STUDENT SEN- INFLATION ATE PRESIDENTS ELECTED
A
By Ramy Makawi
fter a tight race between three tickets—Toe Collins and Alma Bhandary-Narayanan, Claire Locher and Amal Eltayib, and Jesse Varner and Mercy Ngugi—City High has elected its next Student Senate Co-Presidents for the 2025–2026 school year: Collins and Bhandary-Narayanan. “I’m just really excited to be able to represent this school,” Bhandary-Narayanan said. “[It’s really cool] that we had so much support.” Polls were open from fourth period on Tuesday, May 20 through noon on Wednesday, May 21. Though results were originally scheduled to be announced during the fifth period, they were delayed until after school due to fraudulent votes from ineligible students. Despite the unexpected twist, Collins and Bhandary-Narayanan came out on top. Their campaign focused on connection, affordability, and tradition. They plan to revive senior events that have lost traction or were disrupted by the pandemic, including a School of the Wild-style experience for the Class of 2026. “COVID kind of screwed us out of a lot of really fun traditions,” Collins said. “We want to bring some of that back.” They’ve also set their sights on lowering the price of prom and Senior Assassin—two events they say should be more accessible for all students. “That’s something we’ll need to fundraise for throughout the year,” Collins said. “But we want to start early.” On top of affordability, the co-presidents-elect are pushing for stronger student voice and involvement. They plan to open up the last five minutes of each Student Senate meeting for any student to drop in and share concerns or ideas. “We want people to be able to contribute
without needing to join Student Senate,” Bhandary-Narayanan said. Their campaign style was as much about tone as it was about policy. Both Collins and Bhandary-Narayanan said their humor, approachability, and authenticity helped them connect with voters. “We didn’t take ourselves too seriously, but we took the role seriously,” Collins said. As the school year wraps up, the pair plans to use summer to brainstorm, build timelines, and prepare for a high-energy start in the fall. With events like Homecoming, Senior Sunrise, and the senior paint fight on their radar, they hope to kick off the year with momentum—and keep it going. “If people feel like they had a fun and memorable senior year, that’s how we’ll measure our success,” Bhandary-Narayanan said. They wanted to leave one last message to the incoming senior class. “We want to hear from you,” Collins and Bhandary-Narayanan said. “And we want to have the most fun senior year possible.”
Grade inflation is on the rise By Martha Willard
Years ago, a City High teacher felt pressured by students, parents and administrators to curve subjective tests–these are tests that couldn’t be auto-graded–more harshly. In response, their grading policy changed to reflect the increasing demands of students. . . CONTINUED ON PG 7
STAFF EDITORIAL
ABOVE: As part of their campaign, Bhandary-Narayanan and Collins took photos in North Market Square Park. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALMA BHANDARYNARAYANAN AND TOE COLLINS
BIKES ARE THE FUTURE By Nicolas Vergara-Vanegas Transportation contributes to 28% of all Greenhouse Gas emissions. That means that one of the most impactful things you can do to help the planet is to switch from a conventional car to an electric car. At least, that’s what companies like Tesla and Ford will tell you. While compared to conventional cars, electrical cars are better, it’s bicycles that are really the future. When considering switching from a conventional car to an EV, it’s important to understand how an electric car works. . . CONTINUED ON PG 10
In addition to Student Senate, Bhandary-Narayanan and Collins also take part in Math Club, Mock Trial, Cross Country, and Debate. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALMA BHANDARY-NARAYANAN AND TOE COLLINS
STUDENT BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS Crocheting with Amari Castro
Baking with Hawa Omari By Claire Hartwig
By Martha Willard
Q: What inspired you to start your own baking business while still in high school? A: Growing up, I’ve always just loved baking. I’ve always baked cakes for my family for birthdays and other events. Something that inspired me to start a business was my mom. My mom always wanted to start a business, and I thought, why don’t I just try it out and see how it goes?
Q: How did you first start crocheting? A: My grandma taught me how to crochet in 2021, and it took me about a year or so to start to enjoy it once I’d learned all the basics Q: What inspired you to start selling your stuffed animals? A: I’d been considering selling my artwork for a while since both my parents sold their artwork and told me it was a good idea.
CONTINUED ON PG 5 @instalittlehawk
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