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
The Class of 2023 throws their caps at the end of the graduation ceremony at McCracken Field on May 20 — the first combined graduation held on the newly-renovated football field.

Defining the Class of 2023

Gabe Santos, Arts and Entertainment Editor • May 23, 2023

The class of 2023 has been described as the “torch bearers.” The class that carried every group, every club, and every sport through the pandemic. This final year has been their only normal, uninhibited...

On May 16 and 17, students from MCHS's choirs performed at the annual Pops Concert at the Upper Campus auditorium.

Gallery: Spring Pops Concert

Gabe Santos, Arts and Entertainment Editor • May 22, 2023

On May 16 and 17, MCHS's choirs performed their annual Pops Concert at the Upper Campus auditorium. The cadet and concert choirs, along with Surround Sound and guitar classes, performed interpretations...

For years, MCHS has asked students to pay fees in order to enjoy privileged like prom and graduation. But withholding prom denies students a chance to enjoy of the biggest highlights of the school year over something that might not be their fault.

Opinion: Paying fees should not be a prom requirement

Ruth Luqueno, Contributing Writer • May 18, 2023

Seniors regularly have to juggle their student life and after-school jobs daily, not to mention everything else they have going on in their personal lives. With everything going on in a student's life,...

A person's high school experience is defined in some ways by the music they listen to. Here's a playlist of the songs that defined the experience of the Class of 2023

Playlist: Class Of 2023 Playlist

Gabe Santos, Arts and Entertainment Editor • May 15, 2023

With graduation approaching, The McHenry Messenger sent out a survey to the senior class, asking for the music that acted as a soundtrack to their high school career. We compiled them on this Spotify...

Gallery: Senior Honors Night

Nikki Sisson, Managing Director • May 15, 2023

Wednesday in the Upper Campus gym, select seniors were invited to the Upper Campus main gym for Senior Honors Night, an event where they were presented with medals, certificates, and scholarships for...

Leveling up

Leveling up

Messenger Staff • May 12, 2023

Four years ago, the McHenry Messenger was a student publication that needed help. For decades, MCHS did not have a student newspaper and, during its first semester, the publication struggled to launch.  Four...

Some seniors may seem older and wiser, but they started in the same place that every freshman did — uncertain, confused and overwhelmed. By surviving four years of high school, the Class of 2023 has earned the privilege to give out some of their wisdom.

Advice to the next generation

Alayna Majkrzak, Features Editor • May 12, 2023

Students at the Freshman Campus are getting ready for the next step. Going from middle school to high school was hard, but being a new kid in a second new high school is just as nerve wracking. A year...

Not all seniors can go on to play on Division I teams or earn scholarships to college. Some athletes who may have played sports their whole childhood have had to make decisions about what to focus on after graduation — and whether sports will still be a part of their lives.

It all comes to an end

Mackenzie Sroka, Sports Editor • May 11, 2023

The final play. The final day. The final game.  Four years in high school. Eight years before high school. One sport that has always been there. The passion, the drive, have always been there, for...

Captured during their second to last week of school, students from the Class of 2023 show what it looks like to be a senior mere weeks before graduation as they wander and hang out in the Upper Campus’s halls and classrooms.

Real Warriors: Seniors

Preston Boysen, Staff Writer • May 10, 2023

The school year is coming to an end for the senior Class of 2023. This senior class stands out because, visibly, every kid is different. Anyone would agree that there are cliques and posses, however...

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