Little Hawk Article Trends #1 On Gazette

“Switching the Wrestling Mat for the Spotlight” acquired instant fame.

Tommy+Brands+19+in+To+Kill+a+Mockingbird.

Jacob Strathearn

Tommy Brands ’19 in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Mira Bohannan Kumar, Reporter

The Little Hawk reporters Olivia DeNeice ‘19 and Ellie Evans ‘19 didn’t expect their article on friend Tommy Brands to be a hit on the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s website.

“We…wrote this as a safety article,” Evans said. “We were like, ‘we don’t know what to write about,’ so then we were like, ‘Tommy!’”

But a hit it was. Their piece, entitled “Switching the Wrestling Mat for the Spotlight,” highlighted their friend Tommy Brands ’19 and his interest in theater. It was first popular on The Little Hawk’s website, then when it was submitted to The Gazette, it exploded, becoming the #1 read story on their site.

“It feels really weird but also really exciting that people wanted to read our story,” DeNeice said, “especially because it’s about one of our friends.”

The friend in question, DeNeice said, is “not really one of those people who likes to be the center of attention.”

Brands, apparently true to character, has been unassuming about the article.

“He’s pretty laid-back about it,” the writers said, “but…he’s happy – satisfied with it.”

Each of City High’s students has a story and despite Brands’ modest attitude to the phenomenon, his is one people seem to love.