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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

Editorial Cartoon: One bad grade

Editorial Cartoon: One bad grade

Beth Brackmann, Staff Writer February 6, 2024

All grade levels have to study for second semester finals, while seniors that have met the requirements have not had to take their finals.

Opinion: All grade levels should have the option for final exemptions

Hunter Blake, Staff Writer May 24, 2023

A student who performed well in a class all semester and has the grade they wanted right before finals. Then they took the final and didn’t perform well, so their grade dropped to the next lowest grade....

MCHS celebrates students every single day, but for the same sorts of things — good grades and amazing athletic performance. Other talented students work hard in other ways and deserve recognition as well.

Opinion: Some students don’t get the recognition they deserve

Freedom Tomasello, Opinions Editor May 12, 2023

MCHS Administration claims to want the best for all students, but they fail to treat everyone equally. Students with lower GPAs than others are consistently forgotten about, along with athletes overshadowing...

When parents have access to grades, they can help students stay on track. But constant conversations about grades can also add pressure to students who are doing their best and struggling to keep their grades up.

Full access

Eli Frommes, Staff Writer December 19, 2022

A student falls behind on their homework and they say, “I'll do it later.” Then they start to say that on every assignment or they tell their parents that they finished it. When the parent checks in...

When the highest grade students can receive is a 95%, it discourages those students who are pushing their skills — the opposite effect of what most teachers want from their students.

Opinion: Full effort deserves full credit

Kennedy Tetour, Managing Editor December 7, 2022

A student sits refreshing the grades tab on her Schoology page. She awaits the input of her latest assignment, hoping to receive a good score. She refreshes a final time and sees that her grade was input...

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!”...

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...

People may have all kinds of reasons for sharing their traumas on social media. For example, it might help them process the trauma or find support. Still, the habit can be unhealthy and lead to unexpected consequences.

Opinion: Stop making trauma trendy

Lydia Lawrence, Staff Writer May 10, 2022

A student makes a post on TikTok laughing about their failing grades, while another student views the video wondering why it has so many likes and people joking in the comments. Is this just a coping mechanism...

Seniors complain about senioritis all year long, but it gets particularly bad the closer students get to graduation. Senioritis, however, is just an excuse students use when they are suffering from another ailment: laziness.

Opinion: Senioritis is stupid

Alayna Majkrzak, Opinions Editor April 29, 2022

Assignment after assignment piles up for seniors. Math, science, English, history, and they just keep coming. Though this is no different than any other year. But this year, as a senior they have a new...

The Scraps: Warrior Games, calorie counting and the slap heard 'round the world

The Scraps: Warrior Games, calorie counting and the slap heard ’round the world

Bee Myers and Lydia Lawrence April 28, 2022

The McHenry Messenger · The Scraps: Warrior Games, calorie counting and the slap heard 'round the world (Episode Three)   Part news, part commentary, The Scraps is a podcast that spotlights...

The rise in freshman failures concerns many staff and parents. Given the new campus structure, what will happen when freshmen heading to the Upper Campus fail?

Failing‌ ‌freshmen‌

Grace Hunt, Freshman Correspondant February 25, 2022

A freshman student opens Schoology to countless alerts of missing work. They’ve been trying to raise the failing grade that's been fluctuating all semester, trying to improve it. Balancing all their...

There are many reasons why it is good for parents to have access to their student's grades and progress. But watching too closely doesn't provide students with opportunities to learn from their mistakes before consequences are handed down.

Opinion: Daily grade reminders to parents cause unnecessary stress

Nikki Sisson, Marketing Manager November 23, 2021

A student comes home from a long day of school, consisting of several quizzes. She feels she did poorly on one quiz, but knows she can fix it with corrections the next day. She decides to wait to tell...

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