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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

Teachers often don't choose the education path as their first option, many of them have an interesting first carrer.

Blast from the past

Aika Villa and Eli Frommes October 24, 2024

Heidie Dunn was looking back at old photos showing her students what she did before she started teaching. Some of her students asked why she left and became a teacher, after they asked she just smiled...

A lot of people assume that, if an artist's music is on Spotify, then they must be a rockstar making a million dollars. The truth is that many artists, especially those in independent and underground music, probably aren't making much money off of their music at all.

Opinion: Indie musicians deserve to be paid better

Preston Boysen, Staff Writer March 22, 2023

Musicians are some of the most impactful people in the world, with music being the only universal language. Music is a massive part of how people express themselves in their day to day lives. However,...

Michalina Sotka is a freshman at MCHS who who turned her passion for riding horses into after school job.

Humans of McHenry: Michalina Sotka

Savannah Drost, Staff Writer October 11, 2022

"I horseback ride and I [also] work at a barn, which has resulted in multiple injuries, [but] I'm the only one who can get stuff done on some of the days that I'm there. Balancing work, school and personal...

Being a teenager is already stressful enough, and the pressure added by the pandemic has made it so much worse. When parents add to this stress by being too pushy, research shows that it can have a particularly negative effect for a teenager.

Opinion: Parents just don’t understand

Kyla Henige, Managing Editor January 26, 2021

A student wakes up to his alarm at 8:30 a.m., waking him up for his first class of the day starting at 9. While going through the school day, the student stresses about all his homework, helping his parents...

Elle is MCHS’s advice columnist. Email her at mchs.ask.elle@gmail.com.

Ask Elle: Uncertain about the future

Elle Smith, Staff Writer January 5, 2021

Dear Elle: I really feel like my life is falling apart. I'm so scared for college and I'm not ready to be on my own. My grades are crap. I have almost no money saved, yet I've had a job for 2 years. My...

Though most people are practicing social distancing by working at home, others considered "essential" still have to head to work every single day, including students at MCHS. But many teenagers don't feel safe working at the frontlines of a global pandemic.

Essential

Stacy Correra, Copy Editor April 15, 2020

An MCHS student lets out a shaky breath as she pulls her ponytail through the opening in the back of her uniform hat. As she pulls a blue latex glove over her freshly-washed, frail fingers, she closes...

Whether at restaurants like Starbucks or McDonald's or retailers like Meiger and JCPenney, students sometimes have to put up with abuse from customers — often following an already overwhelming school day

Customer servants

Stacy Correra, Copy Editor February 7, 2020

A teenager clocks into her job, dreading the next six hours of her life. She puts her uniform over her head, and tops it off with the mandatory hat that always makes her hair look unwashed after she wears...

Bulanda, a junior at West Campus, trains five dogs individually for around an hour per dog in order to help them become K-9 police dogs.

Bark and bite

Jared Bysiek, Features Editor November 7, 2019

After school ends, junior Kristen Bulanda enters a room full of German Shepherd puppies. She has already taught them basic obedience, but today begins the special part of her training. Wearing a protective...

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