Every year on International Women’s Day, the MCHS gyms or auditoriums fill with teachers, administrators, and students, who want to celebrate and rejoice with women, for their rights and how far they’ve come in society’s eyes.

This year, COVID restrictions has made meeting impossible, but MCHS has still found ways to honor the contributions that women have made to the world.

According to the International Women’s Day website, participants are encouraged to raise their hands high to “show your commitment to call out inequality.” Every year, the organization uses themes to encourage participation and spread awareness through both men and women.

At MCHS, every year students follow the theme from the International Women’s day website, or they wear purple to show their support for women’s rights. During a pandemic, this has been especially hard. With no morning rally and very little acknowledgment of the day, it has been made apparent that Covid has gotten the best of it.

Teachers such as Margaret Carhart, who teaches English at West, celebrate yearly event at MCHS her campus. She is devastated that the pandemic has yet again ruined another big event, but is glad that the school has been able to improvise.

“I think IWD gives us the opportunity to hear from voices that have too long been silenced by patriarchal systems,” she says. “Huge strides have been made for women in the last century, starting with suffrage, but we have a long way to go.  IWD, and the month of March as a whole, begin to make women’s voices and achievements universal knowledge.”

English teacher Stacy Rockweiler helps organize the event each year. This year, she sent out an email that encourage staff and students to celebrate the day with “organized images to celebrate the achievements of women” alongside the McHenry Activism Club. These images are set up to be shared on social media.

Although with a pandemic and no wiggle room for any type of rally, IWD is still an important day for all to know about.

“Knowing and celebrating how women have shaped history is a crucial part of our growth toward equality, not just in the US, but world-wide. So, the more people know, the more accepted women’s contributions will become.”

Update: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Carhart helped organize the event each year. This story was updated to reflect that Rockweiler helps to organize the event alongside McHenry Activism Club.