There has been a new rivalry introduced to the Iowa City community. Recently, Liberty high school was built and this year if the first year that it is being occupied by new students and former west students. We interviewed two former west students and asked them how they feel about the change from being a West student to a Liberty student.

First, we interviewed Briana Ervin, a current student at Liberty High and a former Trojan.. We asked her about the staff, the building and the students at Liberty. “The building is always freezing! People bring blankets to school everyday just because it’s so cold.” This is a big change from west high where there is not air conditioning in the majority of the school. Another big change at Liberty is the teachers. “They treat us like we are dumb and they baby us. It’s like freshman year all over again. New teachers, new school and new kids.” Unlike Liberty the west high teachers have very high expectations for their students. “Compared to West, Liberty is less accepting of diversity and it’s very hard to adjust to a new school in an environment like this.”

We also interviewed Madian Elola and asked her about some of the things she likes about Liberty. “It’s really cool to be the first class at Liberty. It’s like we are the seniors.” Madian explains. “But i don’t think there is a lot that is different about liberty other than the class sizes and the teachers.” Many people have different views about the switch some are negative but most are positive and they were excited for a change.

Overall, Liberty high was a big change for most students and all of them have adjusted well. Elola ‘20 and Ervin ‘20 are currently a part of the Liberty volleyball team and although they miss their west friends, they love the new school, and their new classmates.