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McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

McHenry High School's student-written and -edited newspaper

The McHenry Messenger

Starbucks recently updated their cafe rules for the new year.

Starbucks implements new drink policies

McKenzie Woods, Copy Editor February 20, 2025

As a student walked through the bitter cold up to the Starbucks door they saw a new sign on the door. There are new rules now for Starbucks and one of them really affects the student. The student discovered...

Because many have criticized  Illinois’s state flag as a “seal on a bedsheet,” state officials are letting people in Illinois vote for an new flag based on several citizen-designed options.

Illinois holds a flag redesign contest

Grace Crockett, News Editor February 13, 2025

Illinois opens up a vote for citizens to decide on a potential state flag redesign until Feb. 14. A contest to redesign the Illinois state flag received nearly 5000 entries from participants all over...

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025.

President Trump reshapes government during first two weeks

Eliot Raymond, Staff Writer February 6, 2025

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump began his second term in office after securing a dramatic win in the 2024 presidential election. His first week in office, President Trump reinstated many...

Student prepares for the upcoming ACT in the College and Career Center.

MCHS prepares students for the ACT

Michalina Sotka, Print Managing Editor February 5, 2025

MCHS hosts an early ACT on Feb. 8 to better prepare students for the ACT coming up in April. As MCHS has made the switch from the SAT to the ACT for standardized testing this year, MCHS is hosting many...

The week before MCHS snowball students  celebrated by dressing up for the week.

Getting in the spirit

Maggie Demski, Copy Editor February 3, 2025

This past week, our school hosted a spirit week for the upcoming Snowball dance. Which leads to the question, what goes into planning a spirit week, and why does MCHS seem to repeat similar days so often? Most...

Counselor Kate Schak meets with a student about his schedule in her office at the College and Career Center at the Upper Campus during the first week back after winter break.

Course selection starting this week

Michalina Sotka, Print Managing Editor January 31, 2025

Course selection is taking place this week at MCHS. Students will log in to PowerSchool and choose the elective courses that they wish to take, as their required courses have already been chosen by their...

U.S. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23, 2025.

Trump freeze, then unfreezes federal grants and loans

Eli Frommes, Digital Editor January 30, 2025

President Donald Trump issued a freeze on federal spending on Monday, which would block the funding of all loans and grants organizations while the administration investigated how those organizations spent...

TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. is in talks with U.S. regulators to address potential security concerns over data sharing as the company looks to avoid a repeat of the political firestorm last summer when it became a target of former President Donald Trump.

TikTok banned, but not for long

Sydney Boswell, Staff Writer January 28, 2025

Popular short-form video app TikTok was banned to millions of users in the United States on Jan 18 before being brought back not even 24 hours later the following day. TikTok was planned to be banned...

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025.

Trump signs executive order renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

Dominic Burnett, Puzzle Master January 27, 2025

Earlier this month at his Mar-A-Lago resort, President Donald Trump announced that he is going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," adding say that “it has a nice ring to...

MCHS to take its first ever polar plunge

MCHS to take its first ever polar plunge

Eli Frommes, Digital Editor January 22, 2025

MCHS will be hosting the polar plunge this year on Feb 1 at 9 a.m. at the baseball fields. The polar plunge has a goal to raise $10,000 for the Special Olympics. The week of Jan. 19 they will start...

A car's thermometer reads 0 degrees Farenheit an hour after MCHS announced its cancelling school Tuesday due to dangerously low temperatures. Students will make up the school day in May.

District 156 cancels school Tuesday due to dangerous temperatures

Rose Wenckebach, Artistic Director January 21, 2025

On Monday around 6:30 p.m., District 156 called a “snow day” for Tuesday due to freezing temperatures. Instead of implementing our Emergency E-Learning plan, MCHS canceled classes at both campuses...

The National Honor Society hosted MCHS's annual Cocoa Cram study session in the Upper Campus cafeteria on Monday from 6-8 p.m.

NHS hosts Cocoa Cram before finals

David Popescu, Contributing Writer December 20, 2024

The National Honor Society hosted the Cocoa Cram study session in the Upper Campus cafeteria on Monday from 6-8 p.m. NHS member Jamison Shea said ,“It was actually my idea to help bring it back …...

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