Volume 5, Issue 12

Creating a Legacy

“Mexican

White Boy” author Matt de la Peña visited MCHS during this year's Writers Week

Lily Adams Features Editor

Everyone is seated and quiet as author Matt de la Peña walks onto the auditorium stage The bright lights hit his eyes as he greets everyone He's excited to be at MCHS telling his story He's done many school visits before and this one is no different or is it?

Growing up in National City, California Matt lived a different childhood then many of the students at MCHS National City is a border city with Mexico

Living in America as a mixed child made life different for Matt he would often go to Mexico to see his grandparents, and then drive back home for school the next day

“Living next to a border is a unique experience because you're viewed differently depending on what side of this arbitrary wall you're on,” Peña says

Growing up, he struggled a lot with his identity of who he was as a mixed kid

There wasn't much talk about this dilemma when Peña was growing up, so he used his books to fix that

“When I was growing up, when you're a mixed kid, nobody talks about it and I just kind of wanted to explore it for myself it's like me trying to understand my

experience because I didn't see anything like that in books” Peña says

While Peña has won many awards and enjoys writing, being an author wasn't always the plan Growing up he loved to play basketball and got fairly good at it

He received a scholarship to go to college because of basketball Peña says he owes his life to basketball because it got him to college But basketball wasn't going to last forever

“There always has to be life after your sport, for me it just so happened that I love stories and I wanted to be a part of that,” Peña said

So Matt began to write He developed a love for writing as it turned into his career He published his first book “Ball don't lie” in 2005 and his writing career took off from there

“Your first book gets your foot in the door and you're just so thankful to have a book and the second one [book] can establish you as somebody” Peña says

And that's exactly what happened In 2008, Matt released “Mexican White Boy ” This book was important because not only did it launch his career further, this book was based on his life “Ball don't lie” in 2005 and his writing career took off from there

This book gave mixed kids like Peña

Feeling SAD?

somewhere to look when struggling with their Identity Peña says that not only does this book give mixed kids a voice, but writing this book helped him understand himself better

MCHS even entered this book into the freshman literature program

“I visit a lot of schools across the country and you never know where you're going to end up but I've come to the Chicago area many times and I've always had good experiences here I feel like this high school fits the demographic that I write about so it's a good match,” Peña stated

But while some schools enjoyed the book, others did not

A local high school in Arizona fought to get the book banned from their Mexican

American studies program While Peña was upset to see his book get banned, it sparked an activism of students at the school who fought for the book to stay

“That experience just showed me the power of literature because these students were fighting to get the book back into their curriculum They created an age of activism all these kids were fighting and going to city hall to try to get their program back,” Peña said

Peña has spent his whole life creating legacies Whether it was being the first member of his family to go to college, or writing stories that no one else would Peña created legacies thorough-out his whole life to help not only himself, but to give kids like him somewhere to look

Is it just that time of year, or is it something more? Seasonal depression affects roughly 38.7 million Americans.

High schoolers everywhere dread the winter For some, it’s because of the long school days and lack of holidays But for others, it can actually be reduced down to a chemical imbalance This is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it brings symptoms like fatigue, sadness, lack of energy, and even irritability (Upson)

Those who feel perfectly happy during the summertime, yet depressed and lonely in the winter months, may be experiencing seasonal depression Data from NIH reports that 1 7% and 5 5% of 9-19-year-old children may have SAD “I haven't experienced it, however,

I've, known multiple people who have had seasonal depression ” says Haily Marker a sophomore at MCHS, "It was very hard, especially because I was going through it with them ”

While there is no direct link to SAD, there are some potential causes A lack of vitamin D, a chemical commonly found in sunshine, can result in similar symptoms (Dr Estevez) Sunshine also releases happy chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, so without the proper amount of sunshine, it can leave people feeling depressed “I have one of those happy lights,” says Kayleigh Jensen, a substitute

teacher at MCHS who has struggled with seasonal depression “I do that for like 30 minutes, especially during the winter when there's no sun And that does help kind of mimic what sunlight is I also do talk therapy ”

Students with SAD may experience a lack of interest in their academic studies This can cause a plummet in grades, specifically in months where seasonal depression is most common McHenry High School does have some plans in place to help those with mental health issues One example of this is the 7-day late policy If students fall behind on work, they have one week to turn it

in past the due date

“I feel like the school does a decent amount for people with seasonal depression ” Says MCHS student, Kyleigh Witt, “I mean, the bright lights could help ”

Luckily, seasonal depression can be managed Symptoms can potentially be lessened by managing by making some changes like stress levels, doing therapy, exercising regularly, and using sun lamps

Through educating the community on mental illnesses such as these, we can provide a more welcoming community to those who struggle

Olivia Smith

Social Media Manager

During the winter, when the sun sets earlier, the winter “blahs” can make students less motivated and less interested in learning For some of these students, Seasonal Affective Disorder might be making a tough time of year even worse |

Photo by: Rose Wenckebach

Author Matt de la Pena addresses students at the Upper Campus on Feb 8 in the auditorium during MCHS's Writer's Week hosted by the English Department | Photo by: Grace Bellavia

MCHS has had an issue with sports inequality for years, making it harder for them to gain awareness throughout the school

Ethan Rasmussen Staff Writer

Many students at MCHS can agree about specific sport biases that have been a common theme for years Whether it is Tennis, Volleyball, or Bowling, oftentimes certain MCHS sports are underappreciated and undervalued

Last year varsity wrestler and State champion Chris Moore got a police escort and a parade for his efforts at IHSA state While it was well deserved, other sports have not gotten the same treatment in the past Recently the MCHS Varsity boys bowling team went to state, and did not receive a parade, but merely had an announcement on the PA speakers during AIM Though they declined the parade, MCHS often appears like it is appreciating certain sports more than others

Throughout the years MCHS sports have gotten differing values of appreciation Whether it is a fundraiser or just overall coverage of a sport,

not all programs are treated the same Some sports have a healthy pool to select from, while others are fighting to simply fill a roster “I think it’s just a lack of awareness for the sport,'' said Varsity Lacrosse player Eli Guardyak The lack of advertisement leads to a lack of funding for the sports program

The smaller the roster means the smaller number of people working on sports fundraisers to make money Simply put, the less people equals a lesser amount of money With the new issue of a lack of funding, these programs can not afford the proper equipment to help them compete at a higher level This can lead to further issues within the program, leading to past players not wanting to join the team again

“They all [Teams that make it to state] have the option [to have a parade],”

Chris Madson Athletic Director of MCHS said “I would say 99% of teams do so and enjoy to ” Even though sports have the same opportunity for parades, there

Madson and Mitch Stengel, Activities Director, have both been thrown into their first year of directing With these new responsibilities it is understandable that they are trying their best and have not been able to do everything in order to make all MCHS sports equal However, there are still things that can be quickly changed, in order to make all sporting

programs feel more included at MCHS

Overall, MCHS sports have been treated unfairly for years Even though this has been an ongoing trend for a long time, Stengel and Madson are both hoping to eventually spread awareness and in turn create a better feeling of equality throughout all MCHS sports and clubs

The IHSA hopes to increase opportunities for students to compete against other teams from different school districts across Illinois

Hunter Blake Sports Editor

The IHSA announced on February 5 that starting next school year, they are officially adding girls flag Ffotball as a new sport The sport will include a state series and MCHS is trying to form a team starting next season

The season is planned to take place during the fall, in line with the soccer and football seasons with games being held at McCracken Field Interest has recently grown in the sport at MCHS due to the annual Homecoming power puff game, which juniors and seniors enjoyed this year Athletic Director at MCHS Chris Madson is excited about the opportunity of Flag Football becoming a sport at MCHS, and provided some of the details he knows so far

“[Flag Football] got cleared for the fall season, and they (IHSA) are debating about the amount of games that will be played,” Madson said “Some schools last year played anywhere from 18 to 25, because it’s not the physical part of football it falls under a lacrosse type schedule ”

Madson feels like the sport has the opportunity to take off at MCHS, and that the more interest the sport receives the better it will be perceived by other students

“We initially had 70 plus girls complete the survey that was sent out,” Madson said “So then from there, we’re gonna have an informal in-person meeting in about two weeks, and that’s when we’ll

say this is a serious sport It’s gonna be a regimented full season, a legit type thing and we’ll see where the commitment level goes from there ”

Madson isn’t the only director at MCHS that feels like the new sport is a good opportunity for our school, Activities Director Mitchell Stengel realizes the overall impact that activities at MCHS hosts has on interests in sports, particularly power puff

“Activities potentially have a huge impact on our school in the fact that we have a number of athletes that have experience in flag football because of our power puff game at homecoming,” Stengel says “We’ve all seen it, we have some incredible athletes at our school and I think this bubble has been close to bursting for a long time; this allows for an awesome opportunity in the fall for students to participate in a high-energy sport that many girls have already had experience in ”

Overall, the interest and Flag Football itself has been growing across Illinois and specifically in and around Chicago school districts The IHSA noticed this and felt it would be a good opportunity to get more students involved with their schools by participating in the sport

According to the IHSA, “the addition of Girls Flag Football furthers the IHSA mission of creating participation opportunities for high school students in Illinois,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson “The sport has experienced significant growth in a short amount of time, and our member schools are excited to see it become an IHSA sport ”

The 2022 varsity boys baseball team earned a police escort through town and a special celebration after playing in the championship game, but not all winning teams at MCHS have been celebrated the same way | Photo by: Rose Wenckenbach

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