The first thing I expect you to notice about this issue(February 2026 Issue #4) is how bleak and different than usual the center spread is. It doesn’t take advantage of the color spread nearly as much as something like the Multicultural Assembly or Winter Formal could, and that’s on purpose– at least partially.
I was faced with a difficult choice this issue of the Hawkeye of what to put in the center spread, which I normally strive to fill with the “highlights” of the school and community. This time, It’s not meant to be uplifting, but rather to inform of the horrible acts that ICE has been committing, and will continue to commit, across the nation and our community. With endorsement from the federal government, ICE is killing innocent people. We’re only just starting to see the extremity of this in our own community, but when looking at our neighboring states, it’s clear that this won’t just stop by itself. We need to be prepared for things to change for the worse, and we need to be prepared to protect ourselves and each other by knowing and defending our rights.
The Multicultural Assembly is my favorite event of the year, it lets us see and celebrate the great heritage and traditions of our amazing community at MTHS, and yet I’ve had to choose to sideline it this issue so that we can instead use the center spread to show that our community truly is in danger.
This shouldn’t be my opinion, this shouldn’t be a matter for political debate, it’s as simple as the fact that we now live in a society where our government is allowed to kill people for no reason and cover it up. And it’s clear that we won’t stand for it. As you can see from the Center Spread photos, we’ve made it clear that we don’t want ICE in our community. I’m sure we’ve all started to notice that it’s now nearly impossible not to see people protesting ICE any time we leave the house, and that gives me pride in our community. I believe that as a source of news, even as a school paper, it’s our job to tell you what’s happening – even if it’s scary. Because it is, and will be, but that’s not why we’re reporting on it. We’re reporting on it so that you, our reader, can understand why change needs to happen and how you can help.
Whether you choose to help by protecting yourself and those around you, going to a protest, participating in a walkout, voting for policies that protect everyone’s rights, or informing others of what’s going on, you’re still actively helping make our community and country a better place for everybody.
(The aforementioned center spread): P 06-07 Hawkeye 2-2026
