School News
Mid-Prairie

Preliminary test scores show improvement at Mid-Prairie; principal pay raises questioned

WELLMAN From March 10 to May 9, Iowa students were tested in math, reading, writing, and science when they took the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). Those scores impact …

Safety Day at the HSEC

On Wednesday, April 30, the Mid-Prairie Home School Assistance Program hosted its annual Safety Day at the HSEC. This event provided families with valuable, hands-on learning experiences focused on …

Four area students recognized by Gov. Reynolds for academic excellence

Ainsley Roling, a student at Highland High School, Mason Bender, a student at Hillcrest Academy, Catelynn Sexton, a student at Lone Tree High School, and Logan McClellen, a student at Mid-Prairie …

Mid-Prairie approves budget; coaching concerns dominate work session

WELLMAN No one turned out for public hearings Monday night to amend the FY24-25 budget and approve the FY25-26 certified budget for the Mid-Prairie School District; hearing no comments, the board …
Highland

Highland Schools approve 2025-26 calendar, and 4-day school week

RIVERSIDE A second year of four-day school weeks was approved by the Highland School Board at its regularly scheduled meeting April 14. The 2025-26 Highland Community Schools calendar …

Lone Tree School qualifies for Carrie Chapman Catt Award for sixth straight year

Established in 2019, the Carrie Chapman Catt Award was created by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to encourage voter registration in Iowa high schools. Lone Tree High School is among only four …

New online resource provides look at school data

KALONA On April 14, the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation, in partnership with the School Boards for Academic Excellence, launched a new online resource that provides Iowans access to data on …

Highland Prom Night

Lone Tree

Sec. Pate awards Lone Tree School with 6th Carrie Chapman Catt Award

LONE TREE Every year since Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate launched the Carrie Chapman Catt Award in 2019, Lone Tree High School has earned the trophy for registering 90% or more of its eligible …

Lone Tree Prom Night

Lone Tree’s Cash Cows win first place at JA Stock Market Challenge

The Cash Cows of Lone Tree High School topped the leaderboard with sharp strategy and teamwork on April 24 at the JA Stock Market Challenge, held at Olympic South Side Theater in Cedar Rapids. The …

Lone Tree School recognized for excellence

Lone Tree Community School is proud to announce that it has been honored with the prestigious Better Together 2030 “Inspire” Award. This award recognizes educational institutions that go above …
Hillcrest Academy

Hillcrest Academy Junior/Senior Banquet

Hillcrest Academy’s double feature

Hillcrest Academy’s middle school students performed “Ants & the Grasshoppers”; cast included Myka Widdel, Livia Lundberg, Amelia Vigneron, Vincent Yoder, Reghan Good, Payton Gray, Eliza …

The Chili Supper: a Hillcrest Academy tradition since 1960

The Flintstones premiers on TV. A gallon of gas is 25 cents. In a campaign that features the first televised debate, John F. Kennedy wins the U.S. Presidential Election after defeating Richard Nixon. …

The phone-free school: a mid-year report

KALONA In August, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Hillcrest Academy announced it would go phone-free, all day every day, as part of a new mental health initiative. “The goal of …
Photo Galleries
Band Night
The Mid-Prairie band took the field for a terrific halftime performance on Senior Night, October 11.
Photo gallery: Lone Tree graduation 2024
LONE TREE The Lone Tree Community School District hosted it's graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 26.  Here, Valedictorian Ethan Bockelman, and X, the student who had the second best …