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

Movie theaters remain empty as companies make plans to safely reopen for the fall movie season.

Movie theaters adapt in preparation for fall releases

Akash Pradeep, Feature Editor October 7, 2020

With blockbusters such as “Black Widow” and “Wonder Woman: 1984” coming to the big screens this fall and winter, movie-goers will be looking to make their way into movie theaters. However, due...

Seniors Nathan Lokenvitz, Srikanth Ganesh, Kyle Sehlin, Sam McGrath, Sam Noel, Will Pendrak, and Micahel Musal pose in Epcot, Florida in March 2018.

Band trip cancelled despite efforts to postpone

Ani Pradeep, News Editor October 6, 2020

The band trip to Florida has been a staple band tradition for numerous years. Butat the latest board meeting, it was announced the trip would be canceled.. Many students, especially seniors, were looking...

Improv Night is a much beloved biannual event at Pleasant Valley where the Improv teams compete against each other in a series of fun games with audience interaction.

2020 brings big changes to the PV improv program

Taze Wilson, Lead Editor September 30, 2020

Pleasant Valley’s Improv Program is getting some big changes for 2020, including an entirely new freshman roster. These new changes are expanding the program while creating an extensive training program....

The 2019 All-State band before their performance in the Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State Campus. Most members have been preparing for this moment for more than six months. However, with this year’s auditions being online many are concerned that audio quality and technology of recording devices may be the deciding factor to get to this moment.

Exploiting the health and safety precautions of All-State auditions

Sam McGrath, Business Manager September 29, 2020

Exploiting the pandemic precautions to cheat past all-state band auditions has become a serious concern for the Pleasant Valley band and the Iowa High School Band Association (IHSBA). Both students and...

Senior Ani Pradeep practicing his solo for the Iowa All State Honor Band

All-state with COVID-19

Akash Pradeep, Feature Editor September 21, 2020

Every year, music students look forward to All-State auditions. As more than 1,000 students from across the state of Iowa drive to audition at multiple schools. Most students had been preparing for these...

Movies move from showing at theaters to showing at homes

The effects of COVID-19 on the film industry

Jonathan Chiles, Arts and Entertainment Editor September 21, 2020

Theaters all around the world were forced to close as COVID-19 took the world by storm. As they began to reopen, they faced a substantial problem: new films are not being released.   When quarantine...

Preparations have begun for “The Theory of Relativity,” PV’s first ever double casted show.

One musical, two casts

Elizabeth Pischke, Copy Editor September 21, 2020

The beginning of the school year at Pleasant Valley is always filled with a variety of activities. This unprecedented year is no different; however, it has brought an interesting new change to the drama...

Marching during a “Bandemic”-  Junior Gavin Pangan plays his clarinet during a socially-distanced rehearsal.

Conquering the “Bandemic”

Ani Pradeep, News Editor September 14, 2020

The Pleasant Valley Spartan Marching Band is one of the biggest highlights of the band program, especially for incoming freshmen. From playing at high energy football games to just having a good time with...

Boseman at the Deauville Film Festival in 2014.

“Wakanda Forever”: Chadwick Boseman’s legacy lives on

Kelly Brewer, Social Media Manager September 14, 2020

Chadwick Boseman was loved by many communities. He was an actor, writer, director and had a beautiful family.  Boseman, best known for his role as King T’Challa in Marvel’s “Black Panther,”...

The shows promotional poster, featuring Bette Midler, Judith Light, and Ben Platt in the center.

REVIEW: Maturation and missed opportunities in Season 2 of “The Politician”

Alyce Brown, Staff Contributor June 26, 2020

After releasing its first season just this past fall, Ryan Murphy’s fantastical political satire “The Politician” is already back for its second season on Netflix. Progressing past the high school...

Senior Amulya Pillutla ships for toilet paper amidst a global pandemic, showcasing her quirky activities.

The illusion of an A24 adolescence

Margaret Huang, Feature Editor May 24, 2020

Lady Bird, Hot Summer Nights, The Spectacular Now, Eighth Grade — what do these all have in common? They are A24 produced coming-of-age movies depicting the most precarious stage of life: adolescence.  Coming-of-age...

Senior Prakruti Pancholi uses Amazon Prime to stream her favorite TV shows.

Battle of the streaming services

Margaret Huang, Feature Editor May 24, 2020

In the darkest of times, people can always turn to one thing: mindless entertainment. As people all over the country are confined to their own households, streaming services are a given — but there’s...

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