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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

Emerson Gasmann participates in MCHS's signing event to celebrate her commitment to playing a sport at a collegian level on May 9.

Catalog of the committed

Mackenzie Sroka, Sports Editor May 18, 2023

As MCHS students move on from high school and into the next chapter of their life, some students are continuing the sport they have played for years. These students are committed to the college of their...

Apps like ChatGPT and other AI services let technology do their thinking for them. If the purpose of school is to learn new skills, are apps like ChatGPT obstructing that goal?

Opinion: AI is harmful to education

Freedom Tomasello, Opinions Editor May 16, 2023

Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic throughout the 2023 school year, with students gaining access to apps and websites such as ChatGPT which can provide them with pre-written essays only one click...

Students at MCHS have lots of inexpensive lunch options, but some students are still unable to afford lunch each day, causing students to be more focused on their hunger than their studies.

Opinion: Students still deserve free lunch

Emily Ostrander, Contributing Writer December 7, 2022

A student leaves math class and is heading to lunch. The student begins to think, I wish I could afford lunch. I'm really hungry. The student finds a table at lunch, sits down and goes on their phone the...

Students make progress on their homework during Paul Wilm's lunch study in room 331 at the Freshman Campus on Nov. 3.

Go big or go to Lunch Study

Janelle Hernandez, Contributing Writer November 18, 2022

Freshmen students are enjoying their lunch, preparing to study for their next test. Just as they are about to take another bite, one of the lunch supervisors yells out, “Lunch Study kids, time to go!”...

Athletes are under pressure to perform both on and off the field. Though the IHSA has eligibility requirements that students must be passing 5 classes to compete, many athletes want to do well, especially in their honors or AP classes, but practice and training can cut into homework time.

Balancing both

Mackenzie Sroka, Sports Editor November 11, 2022

It’s a hot, sweaty, bumpy bus ride home after the game. The bus is silent, everyone reflecting on how the game ended. Another defeat after best efforts, but the pressure collapsed the team once again....

Paglini is a senior at MCHS who has found a way to become a better student by committing to his work.

Humans of McHenry: Armand Paglini

Savannah Drost, Staff Writer October 21, 2022

"I had pretty bad grades the last 3 years, [but] this year has been like a turner for me. I've had pretty good grades so far — Bs and As — so it's been good. [I] stopped procrastinating, I just set...

Editorial Cartoon: College and sports

Editorial Cartoon: College and sports

Claire Guzman, Staff Writer August 31, 2022

As MCHS returned for the semester to new classes and schedules, many discovered that some classes were stuffed too full. Studies show that students don't learn as well in overloaded classes.

Opinion: Keep class sizes small

Nikki Sisson, Marketing Director January 27, 2022

A boy walks into his second period math class and sits down at an empty table. There's only 12 kids in this class, why would he need to sit at a full table? The teacher wanders around the room talking...

Though it makes logistical sense to separate freshmen from upperclassmen in different buildings, the social impact on freshmen has made the transition to high school more difficult.

Opinion: Separate campuses split up student communities

Grace Hunt, Contributing Writer December 8, 2021

A freshman student is failing their classes, uninvolved in school activities, and disrespecting teachers. Without mentors and a constant supporting environment, students can’t discover who they are without...

Students in the PLTW Biomedical Sciences Pathway dissect cow eyeballs on November 17 in Laura Dziubinski's Honors Human Body Systems class in room 370 at the Upper Campus.

Gallery: Human Body Systems dissection

Alayna Majkrzak, Features Editor November 18, 2021

Honors Human Body Systems dissected cow eyeballs this on Nov. 17 at the Upper Campus. The students, who are part of the Project Lead the Way Biomedidcal Science Pathway, did this to investigate not only...

Nicole Pedretti helps a student catch up on her work during Learning Forward on  October 27 in the Upper Campus library.

Learning forward provides extra student support

Kyla Henige, News Editor November 8, 2021

On Oct. 19, both MCHS Upper and Freshman Campuses launched an after school tutoring program called Learning Forward for kids who are struggling and need additional academic support.  The program takes...

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