Volume 2, Issue 1

McHenry High School | McHenry, Illinois | Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

The McHenry Messenger

The Hybrid Issue Learning in a pandemic is stressful, but how much stress can a student take—especially when a majority of their stress comes from their parents?

PAGE 6 During this pandemic, some students have taken on the unlikely role of teacher—and parent—to their younger siblings.

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After months of e-learning, and as society begins to “re-normalize,” students head back to school. Throughout these few months, students and staff have undergone many changes—and await many more.

As schools reopen, athletes begin to prepare for their respective seasons and hope they don’t get pushed back again.

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Table of Contents

The First Look

Teacher Marty Molina dons a mask as he prepares for his Senior Seminar Autos class on November 18. Hands-on classes like Autos are among the few that allowed students to attend in-person during first semester.

Photo By: Melissa Wlasuik

ON THE COVER “Since we are in a pandemic I could only get pictures of one student, so I improvised and took several photos of her walking to combine to make a string of ‘students’ walking. I also wanted to tie in our school’s colors, so I intensified the color of the bricks to make them bright orange.”

Becky Arendarczyk This month’s cover photographer

Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

3 5 7 12 13

In This Issue NEWS

Hybrid’s happening Distribution of COVID-19 vaccine begins OPINIONS

Wearing your mask is the right thing to do Parents just don’t understand FEATURES

Rising to the challenge Sister parents SPORTS

IHSA continues pause until Illinois reaches Phase 4 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

What do you wish for?

Always looking forward to the next big thing

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The McHenry Messenger Mission Statement A student journalist has the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press in school-sponsored media. The McHenry Messenger is a byproduct of those rights. We hope to use this platform to inform and engage the students and staff of McHenry High School as well as its broader community.

As a student-driven publication, it is important to us that we represent every group within both campuses, provide a platform for them to speak their truth, and ensure access to objective, relevant information that they need to know.

As we endeavor to fulfill our journalistic mission, we recognize that learning and growing through our experiences as reporters, writers, and editors is a core aspect of what makes this a student publication.

Finally, despite the difficulties presented by these unprecedented times—which include a global pandemic that requires remote and hybrid learning—our student newspaper intends to meet the same high standard of journalism as any other school year.

Published by Editorial Staff

Staff Writers

Contributing Illustrators and Photographers Special Thanks to Advisor

McHenry High School in McHenry, IL Kyla Henige, Managing Editor Emma Snyder, News Editor Ciara Duncan, Features Editor Josie Cable, Opinion Editor Kylie Chisamore, Sports Editor Kennedy Tetour, Arts and Entertainment Editor Becky Arendarczyk, Art Director Kiera Loewe, Social Media Director Zach Buffo, AJ Gonzalez, Madison Harvey, Martin Hernandez, Alayna Majkrzak, Narcizo Mancilla, Joe Ndu, Alanya Trimingham, MJ Smit, Elle Smith, Mackenzie Sroka, and Kaitlyn Wenzel Kaylee Hoguet, Rachel Kaminski, and Melissa Wlasiuk

Matt Connor, Amy Maciaszek, Gina Nomikoudis, Mitch Stengel, and VIP Dane Erbach

Both the McHenry Messenger’s print and digital editions have been established as designated forums for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues related to their audience. Though the student media advisor is responsible for teaching students sound journalism skills and judgment, this paper does not engage in prior review and, thus, all content published by both editions of the McHenry Messenger reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself (unless attributed accordingly).

Continuing our coverage despite unprecedented times

Leading up to the first print issue of the McHenry Messenger for the 2020-2021 school year has been a wild ride to say the least. McHenry High School’s continued remote learning has made our first print issue seem like the least of our worries. That being said, between the coronavirus pandemic and the current political state of the country, we here at The McHenry Messenger have a lot to say.

While we have been writing a lot of COVID-related stories, we have also tried our best to incorporate stories that are more fun and upbeat.

In this particular issue, we talk a lot about how our school and overall community has been affected by COVID. Staff members have looked deep into new topics such as teachers having to learn a whole new side of their jobs, and one staff member even interviewed students about how they have stepped up to take care of their siblings during remote learning.

This school year has certainly been difficult thus far, but The Messenger’s staff has been working hard to bring the most important news to our school community. We have had a lot of amazing stories within the past few months that have done an amazing job at highlighting important figures in our community and this issue is no different. Many of our staff members have grown tremendously as journalists and they show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The goal of The McHenry Messenger is to make sure that voices in our community are heard and that our readers have access to the most important news regarding our school community. We look forward to presenting MCHS with our first print issue of the school year and we hope that these stories will benefit our readers greatly.

Kennedy Tetour A&E Editor

If you would like to get in contact with the McHenry Messenger, please email the advisor at erbachdane@dist156.org or call (815) 385-7077 and leave a message on his voicemail.

Visit TheMcHenryMessenger.com for more news, features, and opinions

Our issues are printed by the McHenry High School Print Shop

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News

Students return to East and West Campus starting January 20, the start of second semester, to begin hybrid learning. As many things return to “normal,” students will need to adhere to new rules involving mask-wearing and social distancing.

Photo By: Becky Arendarczyk

Hybrid’s happening Kiera Loewe Social Media Director

Starting second semester, students have the option to remain remote or begin hybrid learning. Regardless of what option a family chooses, students will need to adjust to new schedules, new guidelines, and new feelings.

With District 156 starting hybrid learning on January 20, students should expect a much different school setting due to the safety precautions that have been put into place.

Students who have chosen hybrid learning should expect to see changes such as: wearing masks, social distanced desks, four minute passing periods, limited locker use, and more. The MCHS Second Semester 2021 Hybrid Learning plan is designed so that, on “face-to-face days,” students can connect with teachers and classmates in a COVID-friendly way.

“Schools have been shown to be not major spreaders of the virus and we will continue to practice all the best safety guidelines,” reports AssisVolume Two | Issue One | January 2021

At the start of second semester, MCHS’s hybrid schedule begins along with new changes tant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Carl Vallianatos.

Students will still be expected to complete work asynchronously on their “off days,” be they “orange” or “black.”

The decision to go back has been pushed by many students, staff, and parents, many of which are having difficulties with remote learning and are eager to go back.

“I am excited to go back to school partially in person because so much of what makes school tolerable is the social aspect of it,” sophomore Taylor Wickenkamp explained. “I hope this will be a step towards ‘normal’ and helps any students that have been struggling over online school get back on track.”

“We look forward to students having face-to-face contact with teachers twice a week,” added Vallianatos, “so that they can build connections again in person and participate in

hands-on activities, labs, and other experiences difficult to replicate remotely

Those who have signed the waiver will continue remote learning until after spring break, at which point they will then have the option to switch to hybrid if they can.

“I’ve decided to continue to do remote learning because I believe it’s what’s best for my family,” tells sophomore Mara Torres. “I know that the school is going to do everything in their power to keep everyone safe and healthy, but taking into consideration the amount of households present, I don’t think that would be the most educated option for me personally.”

The students that choose remote will log on at 7:35 a.m. and go to all 8 classes on their designated day, so they are on the same schedule as hybrid students.

Students should familiarize themselves with the plan to prepare for the upcoming transition.

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Distribution of COVID-19 vaccines begins With two promising coronavirus vaccines, the CDC outlines phases in which people will receive the vaccination

Ever since the pandemic quarantined America, we have been waiting for something that would get us back to some semblance of normal. That hope is slowly becoming a reality as the COVID-19 vaccine had begun to be distributed across the country.

A vaccine must go through various stages of testing and research before it can be approved for use by the public, the first of which is the exploratory stage. This stage is the start of lab research and usually

lasts 2 to 4 years. However, during the race to find a cure for COVID-19, scientists produced safe and effective vaccines in record time.

The FDA gave authorization to Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine on December 11, 2020. A week later, the same authorization was given to the Moderna vaccine. Both vaccines have shown over 90% efficacy, or the ability to produce intended results.

They require two doses which are to be administered several weeks apart.

Both vaccines have currently

Joe Ndu Staff Reporter been authorized by the CDC in the United States to treat COVID-19 and have begun to be distributed across the country to people the CDC designated under Phase 1.

The CDC recommends that under Phase 1A of vaccine distribution, healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities should receive the vaccine first. This will help to prevent further spread of the virus, decrease death rates due to COVID-19, and reduce the already heavy burden on the healthcare system.

Phase 1B states that people older than 75 and essential frontline workers, including first responders, education professionals, food and agriculture plan employees, manufacturing employees, corrections officers, US postal service workers, grocery store workers, and public transit workers, should receive the vaccine. Phase 1C includes people 65 or older, those with underlying medical conditions with increased risk of serious, life-threatening complications under COVID-19, and all other essential workers.

Phase 2, which is the most recent of these phases, proposes a massive vaccination campaign for all people aged 16 or older.

Doctor Anthony Fauci states that 70 to 80 percent of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity.

“Once you get rolling and get some momentum, I think we can achieve 1 million a day or even more,” Fauci said.

Patient receives COVID-19 vaccine shot in Anchorage, AL. Frontline health workers were the first scheduled to receive the two COVID injections, which need to spaced several weeks apart.

Photo By: Steven Cornfield / Unsplash

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Opinions For some reason, there is debate about mask wearing in the United States, but the science is clear (even if it hasn’t always been consistent): wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Illustration By: Rachel Kaminski

Opinion

Wearing your mask is the right thing to do Kaitlyn Wenzel Staff Writer

Despite the debate, science agrees that mask wearing is crucial to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19

COVID-19 has been a very large obstacle in people’s lives worldwide and has caused division due to beliefs in the virus itself — especially the ways to prevent the virus. Though it is also encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, the most encouraged and common method to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to wear a mask when leaving home,.

The correct use of masks to correctly prevent the spread of COVID is to cover both the nose and mouth — it is not as effective to keep the nose out of the mask. However, though masks are highly encouraged from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many Americans either refuse to put the mask over their nose, or not even wear masks at all despite the fact that masks have proven to be highly effective.

Masks act as a small barrier that, according to the CDC, “.help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

the person wearing the masks coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice.”

The CDC also states that this is called source control.

Masks can allow people to be social, to a certain degree, while remaining safe. Then the main issue regarding masks, is just the fact that some people don’t wear them which clearly presents them as selfish. Even if one doesn’t believe masks work, or that the virus is total bogus — both of which is incorrect — they don’t take into consideration the fact that people around them might believe the opposite.

The people that aren’t wearing masks are putting others around them at risk. They don’t know if the total strangers around them, such as a grocery store, could be highly at risk even if they don’t look like it. Even if they are wearing the masks, it is still best for you yourself to wear a mask to try to eliminate the risk even more in case you are carrying the virus and aren’t quite aware of it.

Many people that don’t wear masks commonly believe that masks don’t help. People have posted videos of using spray bottles to mask and showing how “it is still leaking through” when in reality, people don’t sneeze like a full powered spray bottle. Too many people have tried to debunk the fact whether masks work or not to the point where it seems as though they would rather wear nothing to protect themselves at all.

Not only that, but they assume that masks are considered to be a cure and prevent the virus 100%. In reality, even with masks it can be spread, but it’s still 10 times more safer to wear them anyways.

Overall, masks have helped with preventing the spread of COVID-19, and if citizens around the world would listen to CDC recommendations, stay inside, and wear masks correctly when leaving the house, the world as a whole can get through these rough times faster, and safer.

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Parents just don’t understand During the pandemic, students have struggled with school, mental health, and their number one stressor: satisfying parents

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 with younger siblings, and going to work right after school.

The student arrives home from a late night shift only to get lectured by his parents about how his grades are “unacceptable” and he “doesn’t try hard enough,” leaving him more stressed, and putting more pressure on him, leading him to overwork himself.

In the words of Will Smith, a famous singer, songwriter and actor, “Parents just don’t understand.” Many people have parents who are on top of them for their grades, work, effort, and activeness. But, in the midst of a pandemic, parents seem to be harder on their children not realizing the circumstances they are working under.

According to an article published by the Society for Research in Child Development, overbearing parents are doing their children more harm than good. “Parents, educators, and clinicians should be aware of how parents’ attempts to control teens may actually stunt their progress,” says

Emily Loeb, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Virginia, who was the lead author on the study. “This style of parenting likely creates more than a temporary setback for adolescent development because it interferes with the key task of developing autonomy at a critical period.”

The article later goes on to explain that this behavior by parents is “unhealthy” and “manipulative”. Further, it’s stated that, “Children whose parents use this tactic tend to have problems such as lower grades and lower self-esteem, likely because the children are discouraged from asserting themselves and gaining independence.”

It’s very clear that the enormous amount of stress and pressure put onto children slows them down, by degrading them and making them believe that they aren’t good enough.

But grades and school aren’t the only things that parents are pushy about.

Many parents expect their children to help with chores or even babysitting during or after school. Now, chores are understandable, but in the middle of school or after when you have loads of homework can be a little over the top — especially in the middle of a

Kyla Henige Managing Editor pandemic where everything is online and it’s already hard to pay attention, let alone have to get up and leave the class to do chores and babysit. Yes, a majority of parents work from home in today’s society due to the fact that there’s a pandemic, so it’s good to help once in a while, but all the time is a bit excessive.

Lastly, parents expect their kids to do more than they can handle. An informal Instagram polls suggested that 89% of students have jobs to attend after school, and of that 89%, 62% said that on top of work, they are pressured and expected to stay up late after work doing school, cleaning, and anything else to satisfy their parents. This behavior is extremely unhealthy, especially for young adolescents, because their brains are still developing, so there is a lot of stress, anxiety and other factors that can play in, such as depression. Students shouldn’t be overworked, especially in the midst of a pandemic, where they already struggle with so many things such as school.

When parents take extra steps to punish their kids for struggling with these changes, it can deteriorate relationships between the children and parents. Parents are an essential part of shaping their children’s life, but not by force, rather by being there for them and supporting them. When a child-parent relationship is falling apart, it can be hard to build up, leaving the child to potentially rebel or not succeed as much.

Many students grow up trying to be independent because of this, and it can hurt them in the long run.

Parents want what’s best for their kids, but there is a fine line between wanting what’s best, and being overbearing. Society is changing, and it’s hard for everyone to adapt, but students shouldn’t feel overwhelmed and as if they aren’t good enough because of their parents. Rather, they should feel supported and loved by their parents, and parents should be giving off that love and support that is essential to kids at such a young age, as they develop.

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.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

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Features

Though teachers are ready for hybrid learning, they have also switched roles several times since last spring — transitioning from in-person teaching to mostly asynchronous last year, then by teaching daily on Zoom, and now to a mix of in-person and remote during hybrid learning.

Illustration By: Kaylee Hoguet

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Rising to the challenge Josie Cable Opinions Editor

Walking down that unusually empty hallway during passing periods, teachers wave to students and grin behind their masks, happy to see students back in the building. Knowing that they have a unique responsibility to fill, teachers break up groups of accumulating students and give firm reminders for students to replace their masks over their noses and mouths.

Semester two has started and this time the school has finally begun hybrid learning. This means that teachers will be playing different roles to fulfill the safety standards of this new learning plan.

“I think it is going to be both a negative and positive change for a while,” explains physical education teacher Carrie Recard. “Just like e-learning, there will always be pros and cons. As teachers always do, they will focus on the positives to create the best learning environment for all.”

Most teachers believe that hybrid learning will be helpful for their students. Online learning has made

With hybrid learning starting second semester, teachers’ jobs are changing teaching more difficult for most so returning back into the school will make learning easier — and create some normalcy that has been missing during these past months.

“Especially for science, I think hybrid learning will be a positive change,” says science instructor Beth Czubik. “You don’t learn science; you do science. It will be so beneficial to have students in the classroom actually doing biology. It’s so much more enjoyable that way!”

Teachers roles have changed a lot during the first semester, and if hybrid learning is implemented they will evolve even more. Safety precautions will need to be enforced by teachers in order to keep everyone in the school safe.

“I believe it is extremely important that we all follow the safety protocols and I would not tolerate any deviation from the rules,” says English instructor Constantina Koulis. “It is my responsibility to create a safe classroom environment so that all students

feel comfortable. We all have to cooperate in order for this to work out, and since we all want to be in school together it should be an easy choice for everyone to follow the rules.”

Making sure students follow the rules is going to be a big change for MCHS teachers, and they will have support from building administrators, including assistant principals and deans.

Being strict is how most are going to make it happen. As long as students cooperate there shouldn’t be a problem.

“It’s pretty simple: wear your mask, be socially distant as much as possible, and wash your hands often,” social science instructor Rob Niemic says. “We’ve done these things outside of school for 10 months now ... I sure hope we don’t have to remind high schoolers to follow the basic norms.”

No matter how teachers’ jobs change during the rest of the school year, adapting to situations and assuring that students are learning in a safe environment will be most important.

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Features

Sister parents

Essay

Being an older sibling is a unique experience on its own. During the pandemic, though, being an older sibling has come with a whole new set of roles, challenges, experiences, and joys.

Emma Snyder News Editor

Remote learning has been tough for everyone — including teachers and parents — but it has been most difficult for students both younger and older. When older siblings step up to help younger siblings with their school work, life has not only become more complicated, but also more rewarding.

Photo By: Emma Snyder

Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

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Part One: Pandemic problems

There have been many challenging aspects over the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the lives of people across the globe. Everyone has faced their share of disappointments, struggles, and grief but, we have also been graced with new experiences and outlooks on life. If any one thing could be held responsible for pulling us to the other side of the pandemic, it would be that notion that we are all in this together and we will get through it.

This sentiment has been at the forefront of my mind through the entirety of the pandemic, especially when navigating being quarantined with my family, the less than the ideal reality of digital learning, and helping my younger sister through it all as well.

In many aspects, being an older sibling during the pandemic has meant stepping up and taking more responsibility. Older siblings everywhere have had to navigate varying degrees of staying on top of their own schoolwork while simultaneously caring for their younger brothers and sisters. From babysitting them all day to helping them with computer issues, older siblings have had to step into the role of parent, teacher, and caregiver on many different fronts.

All of my younger sisters are older and therefore generally self-sufficient, but I have still had to take up responsibilities to help them get through

As an older sibling myself, I their days successfully. From helping have faced these same situations. I with internet or computer issues to have three younger sisters, the oldest making lunch, adjusting to yet another is a sophomore at West Campus and new routine was not as challenging as the other two are both in middle school I first thought it would be. at Montini.

One of the most different

In March of 2020, when we parts of my day, is constantly making first went into lock-down, I was fortusure I am available to help one of my nate enough to my parents working younger sisters when they need it. from home with my sisters and I. We Sometimes they need help with an quickly settled into a new routine and assignment while I am working through my only real role was to finish my my own assignments and other times junior year. they need a snack or drink while I have

With the beginning of a new a break between classes. school year, my two youngest sisters,

But despite this sometimes fourth and sixth grade, went back to benign a challenge, I have learned a school with masks and social distanclot form the experience. I have learned ing. My mom, a speech and language to more fully appreciate the work that pathologist at District 15, stayed home teacher put into helping us succeed with my other sister and I as we fulfilled in our lessons and the opportunity to our school responsibilities digitally. At be able to go to school. The saying, this point, I did not have to play a very “you don’t know what you have until it’s different role as an older sibling. gone” has never been more relatable.

Things really changed when

More importantly though, I my youngest two sisters had to be at have learned the importance of workhome and learning 100 percent remote ing together. Although I have taken on in late fall when there was a surge a bigger role in helping my younger in COVID-19 cases. With my mom sisters during digital learning, they working from home and all four of us still help me. We all help each other learning from home, we all had to setget through the day through words tle into a new routine and learning how of encouragement, small gestures of to work together in a way that would be kindness, and the ability to enjoy afterbeneficial to all of us. noons together that we normally would

Part Two: Big sister, little sisters

Continued on page 11

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Features

Helping keep younger sibling occupied and entertained has been yet another crucial role that older siblings have had to play during the pandemic.

With most activities and social gathering being canceled, siblings have become a constant source of entertainment for each other.

Logan Freid, West Campus senior and older brother, has also had to navigate the ups and downs of digital learning. Freid has played a role in getting his fifth-grade brother through math assignments and boredom.

“Sometimes he struggles with math assignments. Right away he goes to Mom, and she says to go to me since I’m better in the subject,” said Freid. “[I’ve also been] trying to keep him motivated to stay fit with normal and fun fitness. He is a soccer player.”

Part Four: Home heroes Being a sibling is hard enough, but many older siblings have found themselves stepping up to help their younger siblings during remote learning.

Photo By: Madison Harvey

Continued from page 10 not have had.

Through all of this, I have had the opportunity to spend a lot more time with my younger sisters and that is something that I am very thankful for. I have grown closer to all three of them and created memories with them that I never would have if we did not have all this time home together. As much as I have helped them through the pandemic, whether it is school work or entertainment, my sisters have also helped me through the pandemic.

Part Three: How we help

I am not the only one who has had to play a bigger role for my siblings during the pandemic nor has my situation been the most challenging.

Older siblings everywhere are being forced to step up and discover more intimately about what being a parent entails.

Chris Agaton, senior at West Campus, has three younger siblings, a brother in eighth grade, a sister in pre-school, and a baby sister who is

Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

barely two years old. Agaton, who had been used to helping take care of his siblings before the pandemic, has stepped into a similar role of caring for them despite having his own set of responsibilities.

“One of the more challenging things would be just helping my siblings with their homework when I already have my homework to work on,” said Agaton. “I also go to work so sometimes after working eight hours, I come home and help my sister with her homework. Or I play with my sisters and brother to just pass the time for them.”

In addition to having to help with homework, older siblings have had to play a role as teachers making sure that their siblings get logged onto their next classes at the right time and stay on top of their work.

East Campus freshman Jakub Pietkiewicz has stepped into that role for his younger brother who is in second grade.

“I have had to keep more track of time by watching for my brother’s next class and sometimes helping him within classwork,” said Pietkiewicz.

“My biggest challenge is to focus on my school and his at the same time.”

There are older siblings everywhere that are home all day independently caring for their siblings while their parents are at work. In some cases, this unexpected situation has led to older siblings creating deeper bonds, better relationships, and closer connections with their younger siblings. In other cases, taking care of younger siblings has been nothing but a chore that comes with ample amounts of stress, anxiety, and frustration. And still, in other cases, it is a bit of both.

No matter what the situation is, older siblings have become heroes under the spotlight of the pandemic.

Their adversary and determination to take care of their younger siblings is admirable.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has been difficult for everyone.

We have all watched as our houses became not only homes but also schools, churches, workplaces, gyms, and restaurants. We have watched people take up different responsibilities and build different relationships.

Everyone had their own experiences throughout the pandemic.

There have been times of distress, loss, grief, and uncertainty. But also times of clarity, gratitude, and celebration. Through it all, the one reliable notion we have clung to was that together, we will get through this.

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Sports

Varsity wrestling coach Jake Guardalabene addresses his team during a match against Hampshire on December 21, 2019. This year, the varsity wrestling team and other winter sports have not been allowed to practice.

Photo By: VIP

IHSA continues pause until Illinois reaches Phase 4 Madison Harvey Staff Writer

For the many high school athletes sitting at home, the shutdown of high school athletics by the Illinois High School Association is a taxing decision. MCHS and other Illinois high schools wait in anticipation of updates, but until then, the future remains questionable.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 last March, all spring sports seasons were canceled. Many had hope going into the winter season, seeing as a number of fall sports carried on with an altered but successful season. However, during the transition from fall to winter sports, the IHSA announced that participation in these activities was to be postponed until further notice.

Currently, high school teams are not allowed to hold organized practices, games, or any sort of event.

Student athletes try to remain active while COVID keeps their seasons on pause On December 2, 2020, the IHSA board stated that once low risk winter sports are deemed safe to return, they will do so quickly. These events await the removal of the Tier 3 mitigations in the state of Illinois.

In an attempt to return to some normalcy, limited numbers of athletes are allowed to engage in Strength and Conditioning programs at the school.

Guidelines for training include wearing a mask the entire time, pre-workout symptom checks, zero contact with other athletes, heavy sanitation, and limited time slots.

John Beerbower, the Director of Strength and Conditioning says, “The training is beneficial but the social and emotional benefits of the training are the most important right now. You can’t understate that.”

Beerbower adds that he is

more than proud of his athletes for following the guidelines and is very thankful for the opportunity to train with them.

The IHSA’s Executive Director, Craig Anderson, met with the Illinois Department of Health on Wednesday, January 6, but the decision was made to leave high school athletics on pause.

This announcement comes as a disappointment to many athletes, including sophomore Cooper Ten Bruin, who states, “Sports for me are a way to get away, and that was taken away which really sucked.”

The IHSA board of directors is set to meet again January 13. Athletes hope for positive announcements as the pause on high school athletics has had a negative impact on many of them.

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Arts and Entertainment “Wonder Woman 1984,” directed by Patty Jenkins, was released on December 25, 2020. This movie is based on the original Wonder Woman film, with actress Gal Gadot playing the lead.

Photo Courtesy Of: Warner Bros. Pictures

What do you wish for?

Movie Review

Kennedy Tetour A&E Editor

“Wonder Woman 1984” may not be what viewers expected, but is still a wonder filled film for comic book lovers to laugh at

Over the holidays, the newest film in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) hit theaters and HBOMax for all to enjoy. I got to watch all 2 hours and 34 minutes of “Wonder Woman 1984” with my dad and my brother, so there were certainly a lot more comments from the peanut gallery than I’m used to, but those comments turned out to be the best part of the whole experience.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding this film for me. I have been looking forward to it since the first Wonder Woman movie came out in 2017, especially because I’ve loved superhero films since I was little and seeing a strong woman on screen has always been exciting. All that being said, I was disappointed by “Wonder Woman 1984” for a lot of reasons.

The way that the characters and plot are introduced is kind of cringe-worthy, and most of the events that deeply impact the characters are really small. For example, most of Barbara Minerva’s character surrounds a

Volume Two | Issue One | January 2021

pair of shoes that Dianna Prince wears for all of 2 minutes. Not to mention the fact that the wishing stone is barely explained, and the things about it that are explained end up contradicting themselves a million times. Along with those problems, there’s also a bit of historical wish wash that makes no sense, like how Steve Trevor, a pilot from 1918, knew how to fly a 1984 fighter jet.

The wishing stone is one of the worst parts of this movie. It’s never explained exactly how it works, and viewers only get a small idea of its rules more than halfway through the movie, which makes it incredibly hard to follow. Even after watching this movie twice, I’m still totally confused about the rules of the stone, not to mention the fact that the laws of the stone break themselves more than once.

Another thing that made no sense (head’s up: spoilers ahead) is how Max Lord becomes the stone.

As he is acting as the stone, the more wishes he gets the more powerful he gets, but at the same time every new

wish makes him fall apart even more.

On top of that debacle, Lord has an intense relationship with his son that I wish was explained more. His son lives with his mom most of the time, and we hear about how his mom doesn’t seem very responsible, but I wanted to see more of that relationship.

On the opposite side of the spectrum there were some things that were explained too much. Barbara’s constant need to be cool seemed a little overplayed, and Diana seemed to sulk a little bit too much about Steve not being around. Steve died in 1918, meaning that it has been 66 years since his passing and Diana couldn’t manage to get over him.

All in all, I still recommend that you watch “Wonder Woman 1984.” It has a lot of issues, but it can still be an enjoyable movie. And if you can’t enjoy the story or the characters, you can at least watch it and laugh at how bad it turned out to be.

“Wonder Woman 1984” is streaming on HBOMax until January 24.

14 Movie Preview

Always looking forward to the next thing Billie Eilish’s releases a documentary about her music career in February. Here’s what to look forward to.

In December of 2020 acclaimed singer, Billie Eilish, announced that she would be releasing a documentary to Apple TV+ along with a new era for her music. Eilish has been taking the world by storm since she was 15 years old and her song “Ocean Eyes’’ gained the attention of millions.

Eilish, who is currently 19, became popular in 2016 when “Ocean Eyes” went big on Soundcloud and YouTube. Other popular songs are “Bad Guy” and “Lovely,” which features Khalid. Her brother Finneas O’Connell works with her on her music, They had both started playing with instruments and writing

MJ Smit Staff Reporter music for fun and never imagined getting big on the radio and loved by millions of fans. She has recently won 5 Grammys, which was a surprise to both of the siblings.

Billie has made her own documentary. It’s called “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.” She calls it the ‘true coming-of-age story’ about her. Its planned on being released February 26, 2021, on Apple Tv+.

This is a film by R.J. Cutler.

In the official trailer she could be heard saying from one of her shows, “I just want us all to be in the moment for this song, because I feel like, in life we intend to do things, and we’re always looking forward to the next thing. We’re never thinking about what’s happening right now, and this is happening right now, we are never going to be in this moment again, so why don’t we be in the moment now?”

This film is something many people are looking forward to — including people who may not be so fond of her. This documentary will help people get to know her more even if they haven’t met her or don’t like her. Billie plans to release a lot of news about upcoming plans and her new hair. She had told her fans that she was going to dye her hair something completely different as a ‘new era’. This is all to be shared after the documentary is released.

Billie Eilish performs in 2019 at the Pukkelpop Music Festival in Kiewit, Hasselt, Belgium. A documentary about the pop starwill be available streaming on Apple TV+ next month.

Photo By: Lars Crommelinck

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