Announcements

The annual Law Day celebration was held on Monday, May 2 and was presented by the Polk County Bar Association. Law Day has been celebrated on or around May 1 since 1958 when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the proclamation declaring it a day to celebrate and strengthen the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law. The Polk County Bar Association partners with ARAG each year to give Polk County area students a chance to get creative with the law as part of our annual Law Day celebration. Students in grades K through 12 are invited to compete in the visual arts, music, essay and poetry categories.

This year’s theme was “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” Numerous Ankeny students from across the district won awards and are mentioned below.

High School Poetry Competition
Emma Smith, Centennial High School
2nd place

High School Essay Competition
Elizabeth Deng, Centennial High School
1st place

Finn Stukerjurgen, Southview Middle School
3rd place

High School Visual Arts Competition
Josie Bishop, Northview Middle School
2nd place

High School Technology Competition
Noah Yeager, Ankeny High School
1st place

Middle School Technology Competition
Aakansha Ganesh, Prairie Ridge Middle School
1st place

Middle School Performing Arts Competition
Lauren Boka, Katelyn Henzi, Camryn Johnson, Abigail Willardson, Cathy Owusu-Awkye, Josefina Willkom, Maia Bredice, Kaley Swanson and Sydney Heithoff, Northview Middle School
1st place

Middle School Poetry Competition
Rosie Howieson, Northview Middle School
1st place

Middle School Essay Competition
Kalyani Bhat, Northview Middle School
1st place

Harrison Jansen, Northview Middle School
2nd place

Martha Willard, Prairie Ridge Middle School
3rd place

Middle School Visual Arts Competition
Hollin Hansen, Southview Middle School
1st place

Eve Russell, Prairie Ridge Middle School
2nd place

Jamie Miara, Lauren Harmon, Ava Barten, Marleigh Munger and Mabelle Way, Northview Middle School
3rd place (tie)

Elementary School Poster Competition
Ainsley Schnurr, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Jillian Tournier, Ashland Ridge Elementary
2nd place

Thomas Dunne, Northeast Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Visual Arts Competition
Brinley Feuerbach, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Jillian Moses and Siena Peddicord, Northeast Elementary
2nd place

Stella Heither and Lia Meyer, Ashland Ridge Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Coloring Competition
Camryn Taxted, Prairie Trail Elementary
1st place

Elle Evans, Prairie Trail Elementary
2nd place

Kyla Leach, Prairie Trail Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Essay Competition
Brynlee Moeller, Southeast Elementary
1st place

Elementary School Poetry Competition
Clayton Gardner, Prairie Trail Elementary
1st place

Elementary School Technology Competition
Chatham Beck, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Madeline Lynch, Northeast Elementary
2nd place

Kaitlyn French, Ashland Ridge Elementary
3rd place

Northview students in Mr. Knight’s Earth Science class participated in a classroom activity in honor of Earth Day 2022. One of the exercises included imagining themselves as a carbon atom moving through the Earth system. By the roll of a dice they were taken on a random ride around the classroom through a model of Earth’s carbon cycle. This included a summarization of being trapped in coal for millions of years and combusting into the atmosphere.

Through this activity students learned how all of Earth’s spheres (hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere) are connected through the carbon cycle by biological, physical, and human-centered processes.

Please join us for the April 21, 2022 PAC meeting. This will be an open discussion about the draft Strategic Plan and Graduate Profile. The partnership between families, parents, students, and the school has always been a priority in Ankeny. This collaboration will grow as parents and families unite in support of student learning experiences such as career exploration and awareness of work-based learning.  Determining a student’s vision for their future and engaging in learning that centers the student’s voice and choice in the process is best done when the educational team and the family work together.

When: Thursday, April 21 • 6-7:30pm

Where: Northview Middle School, 1302 North Ankeny Boulevard

Click here to review documents and provide feedback.

When: Monday, May 9th, 6-8pm

Where: Northview Middle School, 1302 North Ankeny Boulevard

What: Join us for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Family Night! This event will help ESOL families to learn more about the district and available community resources. Please bring your child’s Chromebook. Dinner will be provided.

All year long, our school librarians create activities to help their school and local community celebrate the essential role that strong school library programs play in a student’s educational career. April is School Library Month and we would like you to join us in celebrating the dedication of our library staff throughout the district!

Our students, teachers, and staff are so grateful for your knowledge and support. We encourage you to take a moment today to say a special thank you by visiting our digital Thank You page, add your message, and hit submit to deliver your appreciation to your building’s library staff!

The Ankeny Community School District would like to recognize all that assistant and associate principals that have persevered amid the pandemic and considered what their ever-expanding and evolving role might look like moving forward. Through it all, our AP’s have demonstrated unwavering leadership—becoming a source of strength and inspiration for us all. If ever there was a time to express how much your AP means to you and your school community, this is it. Visit our Thank You page, add your message, and hit submit to deliver to their inbox—it’s that easy!

Ankeny Centennial High School – Adam Busch, JD Hunter

Ankeny High School – Kelsie Goodman, Wade Grinhaug

Northview Middle School (8-9) – Caleb Hales, Cameron Wendt

Southview Middle School (8-9) – Nicole Kuhns, Chris Novak

Prairie Ridge Middle School (6-7) – Andrea Bruns, Kathleen Steffen

Parkview Middle School (6-7) – Ben Huebsch, Emily Rash

Today we would like to say we appreciate our paraprofessionals! This day is celebrated the first Wednesday every April in order to raise awareness about the important work of paraprofessionals in our schools. This includes teaching associates, special education associates, media center associates, and classroom assistants. Thank you to our multi-tasking rockstars for working with our students and making a difference in their lives!

Ankeny Centennial Drama is producing CHICAGO: High School Edition! In roaring twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband, Amos, to take the rap… until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another “Merry Murderess” Velma Kelly vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces in search of the “American Dream”: fame, fortune, and acquittal!

Performance dates are April 22 & 23 at 7:00 p.m. and April 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the ACHS auditorium. Adult are $15 and student tickets (K-12) are $10. Tickets can be purchased in advance at achsdrama.ludus.com or at the door an hour prior to show time.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @achsdramadept for updates and future show promotions!

The Abdelkader Education Project (AEP) is pleased to announce the results from our annual Abdelkader Student Prize competition. This competition is presented by AEP in partnership with Iowa National History Day and is open to middle and high school students across the U.S.

Students were asked to do one of the following:

1. Write an essay discussing how Emir Abd el-Kader’s life and values influenced his actions and how those values apply to modern day challenges.
2. Create a graphic story (comic) based on one vignette from the Abdelkader Stage Project (middle school or high school).

Middle School Winner

Emmarie Becker
Northview Middle School, Ankeny, IA (Grade 8)
Essay

“From the start of Emir Abdelkader’s life, he was preparing how to be a great leader and how to overcome challenges. Learning about Abdelkader can show you how to meet your own challenges as well.”

HS Honorable Mentions

Kayla Clark
Northview Middle School, Ankeny, IA (Grade 9)
Art Book

View a panel from their work

The 2022-2023 competition will open this fall. Entry guidelines are subject to change. Please check back in the fall for updated requirements and prompts.

We want to send a big thank you to everyone who participated in our contest and helped make it a success! Special thanks to the following teachers: Kathy Cooper, Steph Schares, Maria LoBianco, and Alexa Long.

A prescribed (controlled) burn of the District’s prairie grasses will be executed this spring. The DNR recommends a burn every three years to maintain prairie grasses. District staff conducting burns have been trained and certified in prescribed burns.