A WARRIOR STUDENT MEDIA Publication
McHenry Community High School | Volume 5, Issue 9 | January 29, 2024
Kids in my sock drawer? What? See side two for the full story
NEWS
Photo by: Mackenzie Sroka
Students dance the night away at Winter Formal
On Jan. 20, student council threw MCHS’s first Winter Formal in many years at the Freshman Campus Olivia Smith Social Media Manager Freshmen walk into their familiar campus, and the upperclassmen are given a nostalgic blast from the past as they walk into this year’s Winter Formal. The music is blaring, the lasers are on and there is a wave of excitement in the air. On Saturday, Jan. 20, the MCHS Winter Formal took place at the Freshman Campus. There were mocktails for everyone from 6:30 -7 p.m. The dance lasted until 10 and featured a hired DJ and other amenities. The Student Council devoted lots of their time into planning the dance. “Student Council and participating volunteers from NHS and Key Club helped pull the event together and decorate the space perfectly,” said Grace Hunt, Student Council Secretary. “Our advisors worked hard to make the mocktail hour a successful time with awesome drinks and food, plus were great bartenders.” However, some issues were not accounted for. The lights in the Freshman Campus gym are motion sensored, so many felt this made it awkward. Because of this, the staff worked hard to turn them off per request of the students. “Obviously the lights situation was a little iffy,” said John Aubert, student
council advisor. “But that was kind of out of our control, so we eventually fixed that…I think the aesthetic was great. I know a lot of kids had a lot of fun with that.” The decorations for the dance were themed around winter wonderland. There was also a stand located towards the back of the gym called a “glam-bot” where students could get fun videos together. “I think the music was good, the people who went liked it,” said Kyra Hannamen, a sophomore who attended winter formal. “Food and drinks were good, and overall it was a good time. However, the turn out was not too many people.” The dance was held at the Freshman Campus in an effort to include freshmen. All of the other school dances have taken place at the Upper Campus. The Winter Formal was meant to include all students and provide an outlet for fun and connection. “We were initially a little scared of how it was going to look like and be at the Freshman Campus,” said Jia Shah, student council board member. “Despite the issue with the lighting I would say it was a success. Everything we had planned worked out exactly the way we wanted it to work. The things that we were in control of, executed the way we did, and I am happy with that.” The Winter Formal, while there were not many students that attended, was executed according to plan and went over well with the students that came.
OPINION
MCHS’s Winter Formal took place on Jan. 20, where there was a glam-bit to capture the memories, along with many other activities within the event | Photo by: Aika Villa
The parking lot needs to be maintained better in winter
The parking lots at MCHS require modifications to be safe in winter Lydia Lawrence Opinions Editor Students, parents, and teachers begin to drive into MCHS the morning after an e-learning day, tired, with hands gripping a slowly defrosting steering wheel. Pulling in cautiously next to the oncoming traffic, the slight locking of the back wheels is enough to jolt anyone wide awake. After turning into the parking lot, they make their way down their usual “muscle memory” path, only to realize that they can hardly see their parking spot. The drivers that are parked on either side of them appear to have the same issue, both cars being slightly crooked. During the inclement weather, MCHS students and staff have a hard time getting through the parking lot and to their spaces. These parking lots need to constantly stay maintained because of the limited road space and continual snow coverage. Before the inclement weather days, dustings previously had added to the now mounds of snow that build on the grassy sections, or where drivers do not pass in the parking lots. If these specific snowy areas could be taken care of, it would give more visibility back to the
driver and would prevent snow overflowing back onto the roads after persistent plowing. With blindsides and parking spots faded by snow, this adds to the stress for students and staff upon arrival. As for the actual roads that are in the parking lot, they appear to be extremely thin. Although presumably compromised for more parking space, thinner roads add for more uncomfortable passing between cars and curbs, as well as areas that are difficult to maneuver in when traffic is present. When the weather is too cold and salt will not melt the ice that can be present, drivers have considerably less space to redirect their cars in case of a slight skid. This can be dangerous for many reasons, one being the other students that are walking to their cars. Because of such severe weather, it could have been a danger for workers to perform their job efficiently in a timely manner. Extra stress is added to the issue when the space to put all of the snow is so limited. The Building and Grounds department has been continuously plowing the snow since it began to spike, and have the materials and training to do their jobs as effectively and safely as possible. It is undeniable the fact that the team cannot completely clear the parking lot of snow unless at the expense of other
The winter days have taken a toll on the student and staff parking lots due to the snow and ice, and leaving the question of is the parking lot maintained to its best during the winter? | Photo by: Eli Frommes
areas of the property. This in part could possibly contribute to a larger conversation; should MCHS work to reconstruct the student parking lot? Snow has always been an issue for MCHS parking lots, even before the new wing expansion and the extra parking for staff.
Steps can be taken to ensure a safer area for the student body and staff, but this does not call for surface level solutions. Had the building design taken strongly into account the amount of snow that might lay on McHenry? Is there a way to implement changes that all individuals at MCHS will benefit from?