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The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

“Wicked” opened as a Broadway musical just over twenty years ago, and the much anticipated movie adaptation was released this past week. Many musical theater fans collected Playbill programs and are beyond excited for the new film.

Photo Credit to Emily Roeder

From Broadway to the big screen: Fans look forward to the release of the new “Wicked” movie

Clare Tinsman, Student Life Editor November 25, 2024

The Broadway musical “Wicked” debuted in 2003, and numerous productions have performed ever since. Now, the long-awaited movie adaptation got to take center stage this past weekend as it premiered...

Pleasant Valley’s participation at the 2024 ITF festival at UNI.

Photo Credit to Will Emerle

Pleasant Valley celebrates student achievements at the Iowa Thespian Festival

Ashley Eddingfield, Copy Editor November 25, 2024

The Iowa Thespian festival took place last weekend at the University of Northern Iowa on Nov. 15 and 16. The festival was open to all theater students and teachers in the state of Iowa. Students are...

The Gladiator II movie released Nov. 22

Gladiator II promises to entarian crowds this fall

Vee Donart, PV Only Editor November 25, 2024

With the release of Gladiator II, action movie fans are on the edge of their seats. The sequel to the 2000s historical epic film stars Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.  The original...

Many students use Minecraft and other games as enjoyable pastimes. Scenes like this may soon be replaced with AI-generated, customizable gaming experiences.

New AI-generated Minecraft highlights the impact of AI on the gaming industry

Shaha Bhugra, News Editor November 12, 2024

On Oct. 31, the artificial intelligence company Decart released its AI-generated version of Minecraft to the public. This marked a significant milestone in the development of AI for gaming purposes.  The...

The All-State honors and Musician awards plaque outside of the PVHS theater ticket booth.

PVHS students call for auditorium renovation amid school upgrades

Bennett Teitle, Photo Manager November 11, 2024

Over the past two years, PVHS has seen several upgrades - from a renovated track to a new scoreboard to the construction of a new wing. Yet, these recent developments have left students wondering when...

Some accepted Pleasant Valley chorus students are pictured after seeing the results and getting their All-State acceptance folders. 

Photo Credit: Alex Nash

OPINION: Spontaneous changes at Iowa All-State auditions provoke unfair inconsistencies within the judging

Clare Tinsman and Sydney Smith November 5, 2024

A high caliber of musicianship is required to be accepted into any of the three All-State ensembles, and the selection processes on audition day have a crucial impact on the results. Unfortunately, the...

New this fall, FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez show builds the foundation of who Aaron Hernandez was and provides insight on what may have led to his spiral.

New FX Aaron Hernandez show sheds light on the severity of CTE

Mackenzie Fah, Copy Editor October 14, 2024

Professional football player Aaron Hernandez played for the New England Patriots from 2010 until 2012 when he was infamously convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd.  Hernandez was drafted in the fourth...

With  the release of her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” Chappell Roan has inspired and supported all aspects of the LGBTQ+ community.

Singer-songwriter Chappell Roan fosters LGBTQ+ acceptance through music

Vee Donart, PV Only Editor October 9, 2024

Rising pop star Chappell Roan’s recent dominance of the music industry is transforming pop music into a safe and inspirational space for queer listeners.  Born in Willard, Mo, Chappell Roan never...

The cover of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” on Netflix. Viewers show discontent towards the misinterpreted portrayal of the case.

Netflix’s “Monsters” faces backlash for misleading portrayal of the Menendez brothers

Hannah Horsfield, Social Media Manager October 9, 2024

Netflix's new documentary “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” exaggerates the murder of the Menendez parents for a more entertaining watch. The documentary portrays the brothers as cold-hearted...

The homepage of the Talk Tuah podcast on YouTube. With only three episodes released, it has already amassed over 120,000 subscribers.

Talk Tuah podcast demonstrates power of viral fame in the the digital era

Bennett Teitle, Photo Manager October 8, 2024

On August 15, internet celebrity and influencer Hailey Welch debuted her new podcast “Talk Tuah” through the Betr media company. The podcast, which climbed to Spotify’s top three last week, was named...

Sean “Diddy” Combs infamous parties amassed a large list of guests, some of which were taken advantage of in his mansions. Social media and sites theorize who else may be involved in Diddy’s crimes.

Public obsession with court case conspiracies distorts reality of the Diddy case

Grace Schmidt, Business Manager October 8, 2024

Obsession with celebrity court cases is not a new phenomenon. The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, Anna Delvey’s trial and the Jamie Spears vs. Britney Spears' trials are just a few examples. Unlike...

Graphic depicting a traditional housewife role

OPINION: Trad wife content reinforces religious gender roles

Grace Ludwig, A&E Editor September 30, 2024

Trad wife content has been a recurring social media sensation for many years. But the amount of backlash the trend receives at a given moment varies.  A trad wife (short for traditional wife) is a...

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