Just steps from Sterling High School and Challand Middle School, Whiteside Area Career Center students are earning certifications, college credits and real-world experience through hands-on training in a variety of fields, such as healthcare, construction and culinary arts.

The school board also accepted a slate of coaches for the 2025-26 school year.

Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact program has received a $25,000 gift from Dixon Rotary, which will help provide Dixon High School students with access to the Impact program.

Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes walked into Monday’s City Council meeting wearing a city of Rockford hat after challenging Rockford's mayor to a bet based on the winning team of the 2025 Stateline Quiz Bowl.

Keegan Shirley owns Gleam Team, a commercial and residential window-washing business he runs with several of his friends and fellow Dixon High School athletes.

The Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.

Since its beginnings in 2000 – with just 315 runners – the Reagan Run has grown into a community cornerstone, peaking at over 1,600 participants in 2016. Today, the event reliably draws 1,000 to 1,200 runners and walkers.

Dixon High School's Class of 2025 received diplomas Sunday, May 25, 2025.

Dixon's seniors finish off their high school career with their commencement ceremony Sunday, May, 25, 2025.

Moms of Dixon High School’s graduating seniors donned inflatable costumes to celebrate their students one last time on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

Moms dressed up Wednesday, May 21, 2025, to send off their Dixon seniors one last time before graduation.

Dixon High School's choir and life skills classes joined forces early in the 2025 spring semester to create a new singing ensemble, Voices United, that includes students with disabilities who want to sing and perform.

Project by project, a Dixon High School science teacher set fire Tuesday, April 22, 2025, to his class members’ homework.

Students in Ryan Deets' forensics science class at Dixon High School set fire to model homes Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in order to learn about arson patterns.

Resignations accepted April 16, 2025, include a Dixon High School principal's secretary and a high school choir teacher.

The city of Dixon announced the start of its $12 million pedestrian bridge project Tuesday morning at the band shell in Page Park. Project Rock will construct a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River, add 2.8 miles of multi-use pathway and resurface about a mile of Page Drive.

Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 are available to Dixon residents who attend Dixon High School, Newman High School, Faith Christian School or who are homeschooled.

The show brought in 55 high school students submitting 88 pieces of work with mediums ranging from charcoal to ceramic and paint to pen.

The Next Picture Show in Dixon held its first student art show with an awards ceremony Friday, March 28, 2025, at the downtown gallery. Fifty-five high school students submitted works for the show.

The Whiteside Area Career Center has named its students of the month for February.

Ronin Quick and Nathan Stauter again led the team in toss-up questions correctly answered, with Stauter getting 20 total tossups and Quick getting 19 tossups correct across the three matches.

The Dixon High School theater department will be performing the classic musical "Grease" at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14; 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at the James A. Wiltz Auditorium on the campus of DHS.

The Dixon High School theater department will be performing the classic musical "Grease" at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14; 7 p.m. Saturday, March 15; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at the James A. Wiltz Auditorium on the campus of DHS. The show is based around a summer love that unexpectedly follows the two back to a 1950s high school.

Mangler: Are you ready for St. Patrick’s Day weekend? How about starting it with us on Friday night, March 14? Classical Blast in Kilts is coming to us on tour.

Two Dixon High School Scholastic Bowl team members were selected out of 30 regional teams for the Illinois High School Association All-Sectional team.

The parade starts at 3 p.m. at Dixon High School, 300 Lincoln Statue Drive. Organizer Patty Oliver said the parade will feature live music, a bagpiper, at least one float and “lots of Irish people dressed in their crazy green outfits marching and throwing out candy and beads."

The Dixon School Board on Wednesday approved new hires, resignations and changes in status.

Dixon Stage Left will present “Nunsense” from March 28-30 at James A. Wiltz Auditorium at Dixon High School.

Stupor Bowl, the Dixon Public Schools' annual fundraiser, was held Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at Reagan Middle School in Dixon.

The teams will compete Feb. 8 at DHS in the United States Drone Soccer District VI Qualifier.

Drone soccer teams from Dixon High School and Reagan Middle School scrimmage Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, to hone their drones in a qualifying match for a chance to go to nationals.

The winner receives an all-expense paid trip to National Harbor, Maryland, to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May.

Paschal: For this year’s football player of the year, I did want to dip back a bit to a bygone era, if you will, and just add a little extra style to the image.

Dixon High School will again host the United States Drone Soccer District VI Qualifier as the school hopes to make it to the sport's 2025 national competition in Virginia. The qualifier is free to attend at 1 p.m. Feb. 8.

Reporter Payton Felix chooses her top five stories affecting Dixon's schools for 2024.

Lee-Ogle-Whiteside elementary and middle school student finalists in grades 5 through 8 will compete for the regional championship.

The free concert will be held in the Wiltz Auditorium at Dixon High School.

Dixon Public Schools are inviting residents to join them for a night of merriment with music from the Dixon High School choirs and madrigals at the Dixon Elks Lodge.

The Dixon School Board approved 15 personnel actions at its Wednesday, Nov. 20, school board meeting.

“Beauty and the Beast Jr.” opens Friday at the Jerry Mathis Theater at Sauk Valley Community College.

Donnie Ladas' late fumble recovery was followed by a fourth-and-inches conversion by Landin Benson to give Coal City a 20-13 win and send the Coalers to the 4A state semifinals.

According to the Illinois Report Card, 42.2% of students were chronically absent during the 2023-24 school year.

FFA students from several local high schools work Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, to make easy meals for the underserved.

Dixon High School will perform "Thirteen Past Midnight" from Nov. 1-3 at Dixon High School's James A. Wiltz Auditorium.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Benjamin Davis, a Dixon native, is an electrician's mate currently stationed at the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit at Keesler Air Force Base. Davis graduated from Dixon High School and joined the Navy seven years ago.

School Resource Officer Chris Cox will be retiring after serving 16 years at the Dixon Police Department. His last day at the high school will be Oct. 4. Taking over the position is Officer Matt Coffey, who will begin Monday, Sept. 30.

Several Dixon Police Department marked squad vehicles and officers will be at Madison Elementary, Reagan Middle School and Dixon High School in response to potentially threatening Snapchat messages that surfaced last week, according to a police department Facebook post.

Both districts’ growing attention to ag offerings has been spurred by two things, teachers say: the hands-on nature of ag programs and the lessons students can directly apply to their own lives.

Jacqueline Fazekas, a 2016 DHS grad, is believed to be the first woman to make such a discovery.

Looking to build community within the schools and welcome back students and parents, the Dixon PTO hosted their second annual Party in the Playground on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, at Wooden Wonderland.