Soaring High: The Talon’s Journey to Success

Former magazine publisher turned English teacher revives Ankeny High’s journalism program.

A few years ago, Ankeny’s journalism program, The Talon, was nonexistent. With only a handful of students in class, the future of the program looked bleak. Now, The Talon is in contention for the 2025 All-Iowa News Team and won 61 awards in this year’s Iowa High School Press Association (IHSPA) Spring Contest.

It is hard to say what the clear-cut reason is for The Talon’s rapid expansion and talent level from an outside perspective. However, reporters and editors on staff can all give one name that explains their success: Journalism adviser Alissa Hansen.

“I’ve never been the type to connect with teachers, I go to class, I pay attention, I leave, but with Hansen it’s different. Her passion radiates off of her, and to share the same passion has been amazing.” Editor-in-Chief Lydia Gerety states, “Hansen’s always encouraging people to go out there and write what they want while still being available to go to for help. She’s made the Talon be able to be as successful as it is.”

Hansen was not originally planning to be a journalism teacher. Before her teaching career, she was a reporter for the Daily Iowan and The Press Citizen, before serving as the managing editor and publisher of the Little Village magazine for two years. Although journalism had always been a passion of hers, Hansen decided it would be best to sell the magazine and change career paths.

“It was just time. I realized I wanted more. I loved training PhD students, telling stories, and creating things, but I also discovered that I loved teaching, mentoring, and collaborating even more. Education felt like the perfect fit.” Journalism Adviser Alissa Hansen states, “With guidance from professors like Bonnie Sunstein and Linda Bolton, I combined my passion for journalism with my love of English, and that’s how I ended up where I am today.”

After selling Little Village and getting her degree, Hansen got a job with Davenport West High, where she taught Journalism and English. After seven years teaching and advising a successful journalism program, Hansen made the switch to Ankeny High School. When she got there, there were stark differences she faced with Ankeny’s journalism program.

“One of the biggest challenges was that I was starting from scratch. At my previous school, I inherited a strong, award-winning journalism program and was able to breathe new life into it. But in Ankeny, there was no such foundation; the journalism program had gone dormant.” Hansen states, “Rebuilding it meant generating student interest, creating a vision, and developing both structure and culture entirely from the ground up.”

The Talon was almost cut from the school’s curriculum due to a lack of student interest, but Hansen was determined to keep the newfound journalism program afloat and started reaching out to recruit new student journalists.

“I focused on recruiting students who were curious, creative, and passionate about storytelling. As we started publishing meaningful work, word spread.” Hansen states. “Students saw their peers writing about real issues, and that kind of relevance is contagious. We also expanded our digital presence and got more involved in the community, which helped validate the importance of what we were doing.”

One of the first students that Hansen recruited was former Website Editor Nolan McNulty. McNulty decided to try out journalism in his junior year and gradually fell in love with writing and podcasts.

“Mrs. Hansen and the other people in my class helped me really get into journalism. I have so many good memories from my first semester of journalism that made me want to keep doing it for so long.” McNulty states.

McNulty’s work did not go unnoticed either; he won a plethora of awards both domestically and internationally. In his senior year, McNulty earned two Best of School Newspapers Online Awards (Best of SNO), three IHSPA awards, was inducted into the international Quill and Scroll Honor Society, won two Quill and Scroll awards for opinion writing and podcasting, and won the Daily Iowan Scholarship.

McNulty was just one of the many key contributors for The Talon, as there was success and awards earned from almost every single person on staff.

“The revival of the program isn’t just the result of vision and effort; it’s also a direct reflection of the incredibly talented students who have joined the newsroom.” Hansen states, “These students are passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless, holding space for underrepresented stories, and making meaningful contributions to their school and community. Their drive, creativity, and courage have been instrumental in building what The Talon is today.”

With The Talon garnering a lot of success and on the rise, Hansen and the rest of The Talon have their eyes set on bigger and better things.

“I want The Talon to be a powerhouse of student journalism in the Midwest—known for its investigative work, multimedia content, and fearless storytelling. I hope we’re covering meaningful community issues, experimenting with podcasts and video, and giving students the skills and confidence to pursue journalism in college and beyond.” Hansen states, “Most of all, I want it to remain a space where students feel heard, challenged, and proud of what they create.”