Volume 2, Issue 3

McHenry High School | McHenry, Illinois | Volume Two | Issue Three | April 2021

The McHenry Messenger

Classes move into the new wing as the world moves out of the pandemic — and MCHS transitions toward a new schedule.

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IN THIS ISSUE What is a trigger warning and when should they be used? What responsibility does the media have to warn viewers about sensitive content?

PAGE 6 East Campus Principal Dr. Prickett was awarded the honor Illinois High School Principal of the year. Next year, he’ll lead both campuses.

PAGE 9 After its fall season was cancelled, volleyball players have perservered through the ups and downs of the pandemic. Now they get to enjoy the spring season they are owed.

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Table of Contents

The First Look A railing in the fourth floor hallway of the looks down at the third floor of the Center for Science, Technology and Industry at West Campus. The next extension opened March 22 to math classes.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

ON THE COVER “The opportunity of being one of the first students to explore the new wing at West Campus while still being fully remote was incredible. I had free reign over the third and fourth floors and was able to appreciate the modern architecture and design to its full extent. Capturing the amazement and wonder of both students and teachers who were experiencing the addition for the first time is an accomplishment that I am immensely proud of.”

Kennedy Tetour This month’s cover photographer

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In This Issue NEWS

Center for Science, Technology and Industry opens Vaccine companies begin testing vaccines in children OPINIONS

Trigger warnings always help — and never hurt FEATURES

Next in line Hiding behind the mute button Defining greatness SPORTS

Bouncing back Dalton won’t make a difference ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

To make amends

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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

McHenry High School in McHenry, IL

Editorial Staff

Kyla Henige, Managing Editor Emma Snyder, News Editor Ciara Duncan, Features Editor Josie Cable, Opinion Editor Kylie Chisamore, Sports Editor Alanya Trimingham, Copy Editor Kennedy Tetour, Art Director Kiera Loewe, Social Media Director

Staff Writers

Madison Harvey, Joe Hissem, Alayna Majkrzak, Joe Ndu, MJ Smit, Elle Smith, Mackenzie Sroka, and Kaitlyn Wenzel

Contributing Illustrator

Rachel Kaminski

Special Thanks to Advisor

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).

Covering the zigs and zags of a rapidly changing school year

The past two print editions of the 2020-21 school year have been made during hybrid learning.

Leading up to this third edition, many changes have been made such as full in person learning.

MCHS is part of a broader community pushing to break barriers to learning and maintain a sense of normalcy. Returning to school has been a big change for everyone. The COVID vaccine has been a big change as well. With these changes, the newspaper staff has collectively reaffirmed its commitment to updating the community with our articles. This print addition will have articles with big topics such as student vaccinations.

As the local news source, we have been trying to keep the public updated on COVID related stories. After all, we believe its important that you know that teenager have been and will be vaccinated.

This being said, we have worked hard to incorporate more upbeat articles such as Dr. Jeff Prickett winning Principal of the year. And we want you to know whether you should watch “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” or not.

The goal of the McHenry Messenger is to provide information to the public, and ensure that we represent every student body within both East and West campus. We strive to make sure we cover as much as we possibly can, and our stories can be shown through that. These past two print editions have been full of fun, entertaining articles along with straight news, and opinion pieces. Much like those editions, we hope this issue keeps you, the reader, informed, entertained, and current with every change going on around us.

Kyla Henige Managing 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 Graphics Program: Warriors INK www.mchswarriorsink.com

mchenrymessengr

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News

A student looks from the fourth floor to the third floor of the new extension at West Campus on March 22. Called the Center for Science, Technology and Industry, the space accommodates math, science, CTE, and communications classes.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

Center for Science, Technology and Industry opens Emma Snyder News Editor

The new Center for Science, Technology, and Industry at West Campus opened on March 22, allowing students and teachers to begin having math and science classes in the extension.

“I think [the extension is] pretty cool,” said junior Kristina Robinson. “I think itf demonstrates what the school’s capable of. It just adds a lot of new resources and technology.”

Of the three levels in the 70,000 square foot extension, only the 300 and 400 levels are opened to classes with science courses on the 300 level and math courses on the 400 level.

“We have nine math classes [on the 400 level], or the entire [math] division of all levels,” said assistant superintendent of curriculum and in-

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After two years of campaigning, planning, and constructing, West’s new addition is open to math and science classes struction Carl Vallianatos,”and then on the 300 level, the science classes that we moved this year, we had to move because of some of the interior construction.”

The science classes currently in the Center for Science, Technology, and Industry are the classes that were previously held in rooms 215, 217, 321, and 323. This will allow for Phase Three of the construction projects to begin, which will focus on the remediation of current spaces within West Campus. These projects will include a new college and career center along with a choir room, art rooms, and quiet room.

“[We’re going to be starting] a brand new, $900,000 College and Career Center that’s going to be right by the library on the 200 level,” said Vallianatios. “The College and Career

Center was something that two years ago we weren’t even thinking about, but we were able, each phase of this project came in under budget to the point now where we could do some really cool things on the interior of the building.”

The 200 level, which will house all the Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, is still under construction and will not be completed for another 5-6 weeks. The classes that will move into the 200 level will be classes like communications, engineering, business, incubator, and computer science.

“The 200 level, which is going to be a wonderfully different level than the other two,” said Vallianatios. “It’s going to have all the CTE careers courses in it [with a] bunch of advanced labs.

“I think [the extension is] great for students, especially the second

4 floor that you haven’t even seen yet,” said Emma Theel, West math teacher.

“I think that’s going to be awesome for students that are in the career and technical path. There’s lots of room and equipment and new stuff that they’re gonna be able to do down there.”

Many teachers are excited by the opportunities, features, and experiences that the Center for Science, Technology, and Industry will provide to students.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Matthew Adam, another West math teacher. “It’s kind of like college, especially the set up of the rooms are kind of similar, so you can always jump in and jump out and you know where everything is and how everything is going to work.”

“I am extremely excited about the opportunities for student learning in the new Center for Science, Technology and Industry,” said West math teacher Stefanie Lukas,. “Teachers were involved in the design process for the new math classrooms and it has been amazing to see everything we discussed come to fruition. The collaborative nature of our classrooms has been elevated with more student space to think, process, and develop their math skills on a daily basis.”

“I think that the new center is super amazing,” said West science teacher Theresa Lichon. “It’s nicer than some college campuses, and specifically for science, it has so much room and new things for students to use that will help like learn more advanced science, like the labs are just amazing.”

Teachers are not the only ones that have been enjoying the new spaces within the Center for Science, Technology, and Industry, students have also enjoyed learning in the new spaces and discovering all the new possibilities that will become available to them.

“It’s cool to have a new environment, to be in new classrooms, and have a new look,” said junior Maylee Martinez.

“I think it’s a lot better and it’s a lot newer,” said freshman Frederick Richter. “I would say that it’s really awesome.”

“Having classes in the wing [has been] very nice,” said senior Michael Nocks. “[The space is] very well acquitted for students and overall just

very open [with] a lot of natural lighting”

The new wing of West Campus is a crucial part of the campus transition that is scheduled to happen in the fall of 2021 when East Campus will become a freshman campus and West Campus will be an upper campus.

“Now that we have seen the new classrooms and common spaces, I am beyond excited to think about the future for our students in McHenry,” said Lukas. “I have always been in support of the campus transition that will begin next year because it will remove barriers for students wanting to take classes that used to only be offered at one campus or are only offered one period per day.”

The extension will provide the space required for this transition to be successful and it will also provide students with more equal access to more advanced classes in the CTE field.

“I think that all of these are good things for us especially because the new wing allows for equal access to classes before some classes were offered only at West or at East and kids wouldn’t take them because they didn’t want to travel,” said Lichon. “So I think it allows more opportunity, and everyone gets to experience those classes with the same high tech, fancy equipment.”

“It’s a very good addition to the school,” said junior Morgan Pappas.

The stairwell from the fourth floor to the third floor of the Center for Science, Technology, and Industry looks out on construction supplies that will be used to complete the next extension before the 2021-22 school year begins.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

“I think it opens people’s eyes for new courses and makes them want to have classes up here.”

Despite the long process that led up to the opening of the Center for Science, Technology, and Industry, the soft opening to the extension has been rewarding for everyone involved.

“It’s been a long two year planning process, and it’s been amazing that we’ve literally had about 16 different groups of teacher user groups, putting in all of their input. It really started as just ideas,” said Vallianatos.

“What’s been different about this project is instead of just building 15 or 20 new classrooms, we have built everything from general classrooms, like on the math floor, to advanced science classes, a new concept for chemistry classes, and then all of the CTE advanced lab. Each and every single one was different.”

“And to be able to see students walk into those rooms for the first time and have their eyes light up, knowing that it was really a two year planning process of multiple meetings between teachers and the architect, making the design reality [has been rewarding],” added Vallianatos.

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News

Drug companies begin testing vaccines in children Josie Cable Opinions Editor

Drug companies Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are in the course of studies that will include testing their Covid vaccines in children.

Experts say that it’s critical to test vaccines in children through studies, it’s not safe to assume that because the vaccines work in adults that they will also be safe and successful in children. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older and Moderna’s vaccine is approved for those 18 and older.

“There’s a huge demand to find out about vaccinating kids and what it does,” said Dr. David Wohl, the medical director of the vaccine clinic at the University of North Carolina.

The studies will look for side effects and measure antibody levels to determine a dosage that will be safe and protective for each age group.

Common vaccine side effects like fatigue, fever, sore arms, and achy joints and muscles can be more intense in children than adults. It’s important to know how children’s bodies are expected to react.

“Clinical outcome data will still be collected, but these trials are primarily concerned with adverse events and immune (or antibody) responses,” said Dr. Michael Chang, a pediatric infectious disease specialist with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston.

Moderna has begun a study testing its vaccine on children under 12 starting as young as six-month-old babies. The study is expected to include 6,750 healthy children from the U.S. So far, only certain adults have been able to access the vaccine, including those who are more at-risk of catching COVID and frontline workers. Soon, though drug companies like Pfizer and Moderna will have a vaccine speciall made for children.

Photo By: Dronepicr

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Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are in the midst of studies that include testing their vaccines in children under 18 and Canada. In a separate study, the company is testing its vaccine for 3000 children ages 12-17 and is expected to have results for that age group by summer.

“We are pleased to begin this Phase 2/3 study of mRNA-1273 in healthy children in the U.S. and Canada,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel explained in a press release. “This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population.”

Pfizer-BioNTech had also begun studying its vaccine in children starting with ages 12 to 15. Recently they are beginning to test the vaccine in young children ages six months to 11. Johnson & Johnson also plans to test its vaccine in adolescents and

even newborns.

“They did not get into a lot of detail about it but did make it clear they will be pursuing pediatric and maternal coronavirus immunization studies,” Dr. Levy said regarding Johnson & Johnson’s trial plans.

Moderna and Pfizer’s trial with children ages 12 to 17 may have results by summer. And Pfizer expects results with infants in the second half of the year. `“If you wipe out the infection in the younger children, they don’t spread it to the adults, and so then, you can get a big handle on disease just by targeting the younger children and getting the infection out of that age group,” says Dr. Robert Frenck, lead investigator of the COVID-19 vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

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Opinions

With the diverse content that can be found on the internet, there comes an increasing need for Trigger warnings to warn viewers of content that may trigger bad reactions.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

Opinion

Trigger warnings don’t hurt — and always help Trigger warnings warn consumers about poentially distressing content, and can make a big difference TW: Mentions of self harm and suicidal thoughts

Scrolling through TikTok at 3 a.m., a student goes from laughing to terror in the span of seconds. Their hands shake, but they are not able to scroll past the video as their mind races through all of the mistakes that they have made. Their breathing picks up speed as they struggle keeping up with their racing thoughts. This is the reality many people face when they meet one of their triggers, and this is why trigger warnings are so important.

Trigger warnings are disclaimers at the beginning of videos, writing, or any piece of media to warn the viewer that the media can be potentially distressing. This is to help prevent someone from being triggered by the material sending them into a panic attack, cause them to relive a traumatic event, or even fall back into an old dangerous or bad habit.

The benefits of trigger warnings definitely outweigh the drawbacks.

All trigger warnings are easy to put on media that are common triggers, including eating disorders or selfharm. If a person were to post a TikTok discussing self harming it can cause someone who has not self-harmed in years to relapse into that very dangerous habit. This is because they saw content revolving around something that triggers them and it puts them back into that dangerous state of mind.

In general trigger warnings are easy to put on things that can trigger people, and if people don’t need the trigger warning, it is very easy to ignore. If someone knows they are going to get triggered by a discussion of suicidal thoughts then seeing a trigger warning that says “TW: suicidal thoughts,” it will be much easier for them to avoid their trigger. But someone who doesn’t need that trigger warning can just ignore it and keep consuming the media. Adding trigger warnings don’t hurt, and always help.

People who have triggers for

Alayna Majkrzak Staff Writer their anxiety, they are told by people to “avoid things that will trigger it.” But people cannot avoid what will trigger them if they are not told what certain media will contain. This makes avoiding triggers lots harder than it needs to be.

Many people will say things like, “but there aren’t trigger warnings in real life.” They are correct to a certain extent. A conversation may not have a trigger warning but things like media that contain common trigger subjects can have trigger warnings put before them. This is just an excuse made by some people so they don’t have to put trigger warnings on difficult topics.

There are trigger warnings put on media that have flashing lights for people with epilepsy, or different conditions that can be triggered by flashing lights.

This same energy can be used to help people with different triggers. Mental illnesses are just as hard to deal with as physical illnesses, and should be treated with the same care.

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Features

Though the vaccine hasn’t received official approval for people under the age of 18, several teenagers, including MCHS students, have received vaccines as essential workers or because they are at-risk.

Photo By: Kennedy Tetour

Next in line Kyla Henige Managing Editor

With the vaccination of essential workers and seniors in the works, states have moved on to vaccinating children and adolescents.

Many students all over the country have been vaccinated, in hopes that things can go back to normal, and that is especially true for McHenry.

Being in the middle of a pandemic, some parents and students have struggled with the idea of vaccinations. While balancing their own morals and social pressure, many students such as junior Emily Rosinski, has made the decision to get vaccinated.

“What made me want to get it [the vaccine], is knowing that I will be safe, and I’m helping others that can’t get the vaccine,” explains Rosinski. “I did feel pressured in a sense to get it because there’s two sides to everything -someone will be made that you decided not to get it, and others will also be mad that you got it.”

Many other students have Volume Two | Issue Three | April 2021

Many students at MCHS recieve COVID vaccine, while others prefer to wait for their vaccination received, or are going to receive the vaccine. On the flip side though, many students such as junior Jake Webster, getting the vaccine isn’t a priority.

“I don’t want the vaccine because it is not officially FDA approved, and has only been around for a couple of months,” explains Webster. “The fact that the government is pushing the vaccine is quite scary, why do we need the vaccine if numbers are going down?”

Case numbers, however, are going up in many parts of the United States and, on April 9, the State of Illinois approved the Pfizer vaccine for ages 16 and up. The vaccines does have FDA emergency authorization.

To get or not to get the vaccine has been a huge debate this past year, and the decision has been hard for many people. With more than 56 million people being vaccinated, many more are to be distributed, and a lot of those amongst the

school populations. The Pfizer vaccine used on teenagers has been found to be extremely effective.

This week Pfizer and BioNTech partnered up in giving out vaccines to teenagers 16 and older. According to their data, the vaccine has been proven 100 percent effective on pre-teens and teens ages 12-15. But, more studies need to be done before everyone gets the vaccine.

Scientists and doctors fear that there will be a boom in the amount of teenagers and kids getting COVID. But with many taking the vaccine, it is hoped that numbers will maintain a steady decrease in the number of cases, especially in schools.

“In the end my hopes are that things start to become normal again, or our so called, “new normal,” says Rosinski.

This story was updated to reflect changes in COVID cases and Pfizer’s emergency authorization for ages 16 and over.

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Features Popularized on the TV show “Parks and Recreation,” Galentine’s Day honors friendships between women more than romantic relationships and become an affirming alternative to Valentine’s Day. Illustration By: Rachel Kaminski

Behind the mute button One might assume that students with social anxiety might learn better through Zoom, but remote learning told a different story entirely

It is March of 2020. A student sits in class, writing down some notes, when it’s announced that classes will be cancelled for two weeks. The student is so relieved, but then they find out it’s not going to be as easy as they thought. All the change is making them anxious.

Flash forward a year and, after all this time they’re going back to school — another change involving lots of people.

All of this builds up and the student has a panic attack worse than ever. This is the hard reality of a student with social anxiety.

Some may not know what social anxiety is or how bad it can be. Social anxiety is a mental health disorder that is triggered by many different social situations, and a big part of that includes the fear of being judged. When put in situations like answering a question at school or just being in public, social anxiety can cause many different things, such as tics or panic/ anxiety attacks. In some cases, being more exposed to these situations can help, but in

others, it can only make it worse.

When COVID-19 hit and students went to online school, the change had an especially large impact on the ones with social anxiety. Though some might think that remote learning might help people with social anxiety, many found it more difficult than in-person learning. A poll of 29 MCHS students with social anxiety was taken, and 93% said that the pandemic made their anxiety worse.

One student that’s anxiety was affected negatively by online school is sophomore Odessa Garcia. She explained, “I didn’t want to talk to people over Zoom in breakout rooms and teachers would continue to put us in them even if we didn’t do any work together.”

Having to talk when you need to physically unmute, and the fact that others in their group wouldn’t talk was a common stressor. Zoom also created a difficulty because of students having to unmute because they can’t control background

Kiera Loewe Social Media Director noise, which could be parents fighting or something embarrassing a student can’t control. The fear of judgement about that was another common trigger.

This wasn’t the case for all students though. It was less common for students to feel better during the pandemic, but some did. “Having distance from school gave myself time to grow and learn”, explained a student who preferred to remain anonymous. “I started going to therapy and learned helpful exercises for when I get anxious. Now that I’ve been through that I feel I can do better in school socially and academically.”

For the students that are returning to school and feel more anxious than ever, many are learning that they are not alone.

Social anxiety is more common than people realize. The shift to in-person learning might trigger more anxiety, but may also provide more opportunities to talk about it and keep working through the difficult times together.

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Features

Dr. Jeff Prickett has been the principal of East Campus since 2017, and changed the culture of the building in many ways. Pricket will continue to put relationships at the forefront as he becomes the principal of both the upper and lower campuses starting during the 2021-22 school year.

Photo By: Mackenzie Sroka

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Defining greatness Principal Dr. Jeff Prickett is known for building strong relationships at East Campus, which has earned him the title of Illinois Principal of the Year

What makes a principal great?

Is it their school spirit, their commitment to educating the future generations, or the way they demonstrate leadership to their colleagues? Only Dr. Jeff Prickett, principal of East Campus, would know.

Prickett was awarded the “Best Principal in Illinois Award” in March, given by the Illinois Principals Association to select teachers from across the state that demonstrate their skill as a leader in education.

According to Prickett, it was his step-daughters and wife that first inspired him to go into teaching. “I had long hair a long time ago, and as I would sit there at night and let [my daughters] braid my hair, my fiance — now wife — would say to me, ‘You know, you’re really good with kids.’

I took those words to heart. It was a calling, and I knew I was meant to go into education.”

But, Prickett did not immediately just become an award-winning principal. Like everyone else, he had to start somewhere. “I spent a few years teaching 8th grade and then 6th grade.”

Still, Prickett was not satisfied.

He knew he could do more to provoke change in the community around him.

“After a few years of teaching, I began to start thinking about bigger ideas, bigger issues, and wonder how I could have an impact on a larger number of kids. A few of my teaching colleagues and I found a program through Aurora University, and enrolled to get our Master’s degrees. Two years later, I landed my first administration job right here in McHenry as the Dean of Students at Parkland Middle School.”

Although he believed his journey to holding one of the highest positions in educating was destiny, it hasn’t always been easy. “Some things are out of my control and I accept that, but I always make sure to give 110% when I am here at school.”

As much as Prickett enjoys his job, the stress that comes with being a top administrator can be intense. Still, he has found a variety of ways to cope, and get through the school days. “I deal with the stress by running in the early mornings, eating healthy, and by connecting with people. All of these things give me hope and energy!”

Kaitlyn Wenzel Staff Writer Ciara Duncan Features Editor

While there are hardships to the job, he still absolutely loves being able to interact with students every day. “I was worried when I left the classroom as a teacher that I wouldn’t be able to develop relationships with kids anymore. This turned out not to be true. I found myself putting a high value on my time in the hallways, cafeteria, and classrooms talking with students and teachers and embedding myself into the daily fabric of the school.”

Prickett has indeed engraved himself into the walls of the school, and he is overjoyed that he has been able to weave MCHS into the fabric of Illinois as well. “I can’t even put into words how I am feeling about winning the Illinois High School Principal of the Year Award. The fact that I have the opportunity to represent all high school principals in the State, when I never even saw myself as a high school principal prior to four years ago, is as surreal as it is humbling. I feel a huge responsibility to do good work for the State, and an even larger responsibility to make the students, staff and families here in McHenry proud.”

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Sports

The varsity volleyball team meets mid-court to strategize during a game against Johnsburg on March 24 in the East Campus main gym.

Photo By: Madison Harvey

Volume Two | Issue Three | April 2021

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Bouncing back Mackenzie Sroka Staff Writer

MCHS’s volleyball teams have worked very hard to produce a successful season. The players are so excited to be back and to even have their season after waiting since the IHSA paused athletics in the fall, but the changes to the season left a hole that they can truly feel.

According to the MCHS’s website, the freshman team is undefeated, and the varsity team is very close with only having lost two games. Regardless of record, each team has been dedicated to their season.

This season is very different from all previous seasons, due to COVID guidelines. For example, every player and person in the crowd has to wear a mask at all times. Luckily all the girls are so happy to have a season many don’t seem to mind it.

“They never complain about their masks, or how tired they are,” said Kaley Freund, the girls volleyball sophomore coach. “They show up, work hard and us coaches are so grateful to have such a solid group of athletes.”.

While it still isn’t the same as before, they are all putting in the work and in some cases working more than ever before. “We want to prove that we can still compete even though times are different,” said Kendall Krumsee, a sophomore volleyball player. “This season has been very different from other seasons, but even in spite of everything that this year has brought us, the team will always find ways to pursue greatness,” said Ava Perrone, another sophomore volleyball player.

For most players keeping that positive attitude has been no easy feat.

After their season was “paused,” MCHS’s volleyball teams hitting the court with a renewed desire to win At the games, normally the players have fans to help spread the cheer during a tough game, but this year they haven’t been able to have many fans in the stands.

“The atmosphere of the games has been quite quiet as we are not allowed to have many spectators, only two per player, so we do our best to cheer loud so that everyone is excited to play,” explained Molly Hobson, a freshman player on the varsity team.

Since there are very few people allowed to come to the games, the players have to cheer for their team louder than ever.

Players and coaches are working harder than ever to create a positive atmosphere during these difficult games. According to Alexis Wilde, a freshman on the freshman B team, the atmosphere has been very positive, and they all support each other and even the older tiers have been supportive.

“The atmosphere at games is positive,” described Cooper Ten Bruin, a sophomore volleyball player, “but it will never be the same without a student section. Even at our games for the freshman team, students went and the atmosphere was so hype and it brought up the team. Even for varsity being able to stand in the student section and scream for them was the best thing ever.”

All of the players have felt the positive atmosphere at the games, but are in agreement that is and won’t be the same without a student fan section.

The student fan section adds excitement to the games and keeps the players positive during difficult games.

Without the section that role has fallen on players and few fans to make sure that morale is high.

Another huge change with this season has been the level of social interaction throughout the games and practices.

“Starting with interactions with other teams, we don’t have any.

COVID teams would shake hands before and after every match and there would be captains meetings before the game to decide who had to serve or receive. Now automatically, the away team gets served, you stay on your side of the court at all times, and you do a simple wave to say good game to the other team” explained Ten Bruin.

With not having a lot of social interaction between teams it can leave the players feeling like a peice of the game is gone, which in return can slowly bring down morale of some players.

The morale of some players have not been the same as previous seasons, due to all of the differences. According to Ten Bruin, student athletes in all sports, not just volleyball, are tired. With school and sports it can be draining but especially this year with trying to cram as many games as we can into a smaller season it can take a big toll on student-athletes. Even though there are so many positives from this season, some of the players have still felt the negative effects of the changes in the season.

While pushing and working through this difficult season, every team has reached success in some shape or form. Although the season has changed a lot overall the players of all teams are glad to be back.

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Sports

Dalton won’t make a difference

Opinion

Madison Harvey Staff Writer

In recent years, the quarterback situation for the Chicago Bears has been anything but ideal. From Jay Cutler to Mitchell Trubisky to Nick Foles, a number of players have filled that role for the Bears. Many fans were happy to see former quarterback Trubisky go, but they shouldn’t get too excited about the arrival of Andy Dalton.

Bears fans had hopes of pursuing Russell Wilson, but when he chose to remain in Seattle, they had to settle for a less enticing option. Dalton signed with Chicago in mid-March in a contract allowing him to earn up to $13 million in just a single year. He is set to be the starting quarterback, backed up by Nick Foles.

Though Trubisky wasn’t known for his success with the Bears, this move doesn’t seem to help anybody. It’s a well-known fact that the quarterback is the leader on the field, and constantly changing the leader can cause a divide in team chemistry, and ultimately a less successful campaign.

During the offseason, Chicago’s main priority was to find a quarterback, and in the process, they didn’t make any other big signings. This means that most of the lineup will remain the same as the 2020 team with an even record of eight wins and eight losses. Though there are some really talented players, such as Khalil Mack and Allen Robinson, there are many gaps and lacking areas that can’t be fixed by a new quarterback.

By now, it’s pretty clear that this season for the Bears won’t be much different than the last, but could it be worse? Trubisky’s statistics in the past few seasons were mediocre at best, but Dalton’s were even less impressive.

Notable stats include a losing record in

Volume Two | Issue Three | April 2021

After years of missteps, Bears fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about recent quarterback signings each of the last five seasons, 29th overall quarterback ranking last season, and a 64% completion percentage.

Some fans still have hope for the upcoming season, claiming that Dalton will be a fresh start for the team, after all, he hasn’t played with any of his new teammates in the past. The group could instantly click, and have a more successful season than anybody could predict-except all of this is highly unlikely.

With the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaching, Chicago could also draft a quarterback, but the biggest names are set to be taken early in the first round, and the Bears’ first pick lands in the twentieth spot in the first round. At this point in the draft, there are typically

still quarterbacks up for grabs, but the best options are already gone. A mock draft created by CBS sets them up with Virginia Tech’s cornerback Caleb Farley.

Though he is a smart choice, he isn’t exactly a quarterback, which is ultimately what they need.

The 102nd season of the NFL begins in early September, leaving the Bears with just the draft and the summer to sort out a starting lineup. For now, the best and most obvious option seems to be to start Andy Dalton with Nick Foles backing him up, and hope for a higher pick in the 2022 draft. It may not be a Super Bowl-winning lineup, but the 2021 Chicago Bears could still have a mediocre season.

The Chicago Bears have history of picking the wrong quarterback for their roster. This year’s pick Andy Dalton may continue that tradition.

Photo By: Photobra / Pixabay

14

Arts and Entertainment

Tension between Bucky Banres and Sam Wilson builds after Steve Rodgers retired as Captain America. In “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” explored that tension and how the two grow closer as friends and colleagues.

Photo By: Disney+

Review

To make amends Kennedy Tetour Art Director

The Marvel fan base has been in a flurry recently due to the finale of the hit show “Wandavision,” the first update from the MCU since 2019 when “Spiderman: Far From Home” was released. With the popularity of “Wandavision” and the draught of Marvel related content up until recently, fans have been looking forward tremendously to “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier”.

Episode one of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” dropped on Disney+ March 19. The show surrounds Sam Wilson, James “Bucky” Barnes, and the death of the beloved Steve Rodgers (more commonly known as Captain America).

We also get to meet Sam’s family for the first time and learn that his family owns a fishing business that his sister is struggling to keep afloat. About half way through the episode, we see Bucky lying to his therapist about his nightmares and his

Hyped up for weeks, “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” feels confusing, slow and, at times, infuriating attempts to make amends with the people he’s hurt over the past 90 or so years as The Winter Soldier.

In episode two, the show dives deeper into the relationship between Sam and Bucky and shows how they envy each other and their similar roles in Steve Rogers’ life. There’s a new Captain America in town who already doesn’t appear to hold the same values as the original Cap. He shows an almost sinister craving for action, which was something that Rodgers rarely expressed in the same way.

Episodes two and three seem to introduce the main conflict for the series. A band of supersoldiers has been found causing trouble with a group called “The Flag Smashers”.

“The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” has started off as a typical violent, crime fighting, bad guy hunting superhero show.

As someone who went into this show

expecting the same kind of atmosphere as “Wandavision,” I was thoroughly disappointed with the first few episodes. While this show may end up connecting to the overall MCU in small ways, it just feels like filler to keep fans entertained until more important shows and movies are released.

I am by no means saying that the show is bad, but after looking forward to it for so long just to have it come off as a shallow action show, it makes me a little bit sad.

This show has hope, but there are only three more episodes waiting to be released so I feel as though there isn’t much hope for redemption. That being said, Marvel has gotten really good at shocking people when they least expect it, so I could be entirely wrong about the series.

You can watch the first three episodes of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” on Disney+ now.

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