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Seasons change
Starting this winter, McHenry’s beloved Happy Jack’s is switching to seasonal hours, only opening in the Summer
Lily Adams Editor-in-Chief
Gary Blumm drives down the road He sees the Happy Jack’s sign up ahead and decides to stop for a treat He pulls into the parking lot, the closed sign from the window shining back at him
Remembering they became seasonal, he pulls the car around disappointed
Local diner Happy Jack’s has made
the switch into a seasonal business
Owners Jack Moos and his brother opened the doors almost 50 years ago
The building has remained a time capsule with artifacts and old merchandise decorating every inch of a blank wall Moos now owns the business with his wife Sherry
This winter season, they have decided to go seasonal
“We decided to try it this year as we search for a new owner and it gives us
Opinion | No place to hide
The Upper Campus prides itself on its Center for Science, Technology and Industry, it may not have been designed with a school shooting scenario in mind
Maggie Demski Copy Editor
Throughout the country active threats in schools have become a growing fear in all students, including MCHS and the greater community Specifically, students who have classes in the Center for Science, Technology and Industry at the Upper Campus feel that our school would be unsafe in the event of an active threat
School violence is not a new issue, but it has become a more commonly discussed issue with the rise of technology and our access to news almost the second it happens Because of its increased discussion and general awareness, there is a greater fear around schools due to the realization that gun violence can happen anywhere MCHS’ safety protocol, created by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation makes an effort to prepare in the event of an active threat, but will the protocol be enough when the classrooms themselves aren’t safe?
In the Center for Science, Technology and Industry, many classroom walls are made of windows designed for people to be able to look inside Though there are sliding white boards for classrooms with hallway facing windows, some of those white boards do not close to fully or
easily prevent the view from the hallway
For rooms like the Warrior Room or math drop-in center there is no specific protection for the people in those rooms
There aren't any window covers and the doors are glass In the event of an active threat students and teachers in these rooms wouldn’t be safe Though teachers teaching in that room have decided on a plan in the event of a threat, a room like that should have a safety plan already made and communicated by the school, teachers shouldn’t have to do that
With the multitude of flex areas there has been little to no communication about what to do during the event of an active threat During the recent admin talks during AIM when discussing flexing they advised students to run, but even that might not be effective because of the flexing areas being spread widely throughout the school and the different levels With those areas being generally out in the open there is not much to do, a matter of timing would potentially decide a student’s life or death
the switch into a seasonal business
Owners Jack Moos and his brother opened the doors almost 50 years ago
The building has remained a time capsule with artifacts and old merchandise decorating every inch of a blank wall Moos now owns the business with his wife Sherry
This winter season, they have decided to go seasonal
“We decided to try it this year as we search for a new owner and it gives us time to go through that process We would like to retire after 47 years,” Moos says Most people in the community understand the change they have made and continue to support them
“Shutting down for the season protects the owners from having to lose money during the slow months,” employee
Linda Eaton says, “It also gives them the ability to have some time off to be able to enjoy life and take care of things at the restaurant that need to be taken care of while closed ” Eaton has worked at Happy Jack’s for 47 years and has loved every minute of it
This vintage building has been a memoring making spot for many people in the community Whether it was family dinners or after game wins, the chairs were always packed with smiling faces, so the community has taken a hard hit to this company becoming seasonal Blumm, a long-time customer, says that he will miss being able to stop in and get a snack
“I'm upset that they are becoming seasonal,” senior Jamison Shea says “It's a place I've been going to for the
past 14 years and going there whether to get a sandwich or get some ice cream, it's always been a comfort for me I'm going to miss it being open 24/7 ”
Employees at Happy Jack’s also believe that the community will be affected by the new business approach
“I definitely think it's going to affect the community because we have so many regulars that always come in and they love the food,” says employee Taylor Palke
The community are not the only people affected by the business change, employees at Happy Jacks will also have to adjust to the new changes While employees will be out of a winter job, they respect and understand the decision made by the Moos family
“I think it's a good step,” employee Sarah Zawedde’Kigozi says, “a lot of people don't want to go in during the winter months so it's more reasonable,” “I feel sad that they're closing,” Palke says, “because now I'm going to be out of a job for winter break ” Palke goes on to say that she will continue to work at Happy Jack’s due to the amazing clientele and her coworkers McHenrys food culture will have to adapt to the changes this diner is going to make Many community members can't wait until those doors open again and the aroma of nostalgia arrives once more
“The plan is to help train and teach the new owners the business so they can do many many more years and make people happy because that’s what we love to do,” Moos says
While the Center for Science, Technology and Industry is amazing in a practical sense its advances in the science department are nothing to scoff at to complete its sleek modern look it sacrifices student safety, but student
safety should be the most important thing on the school's mind It looks impressive and hosts amazing classes, but many students feel unsafe and that feeling won’t go away until something is done
It’s impractical to suggest the Center for Science, Technology and Industry be remodeled or changed in large now, but MCHS could at the very least ease the tension by increasing communication and investing in adequate safety procedures The truth is, it could always happen here
The Upper Campus's Center for Science, Technology and Industry was designed to be a beautifiul learning place with walls of windows But with new issues arising many people have questions on if these walls can keep student safe | Photo by Afton Ingraffia
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Recently restaurant Happy Jack s announced it would close for the winter and re-open in the spring Happy Jack’s is a local staple beloved by many in the McHenry area | Photo by Grace Bellavia
The heart of the team
This year’s cross country teams connected with each other to form a family of joyful runners
From the outside of the gates of McCracken Field, people are walking by and hearing murmurs and laughter The laughter comes from a group of MCHS students laughing and goofing around Shortly after their coaches rally them up and start talking to them The students seem happy and joyful to be where they are even after running 5 miles
Cross country is a team sport of long distance running where all runners race the same distance, typically 3 miles in Illinois At the end of the races the places of the top five runners from each team are added up, and the team with the lowest total score wins
boys and girls are always working and training together This has caused a much stronger bond between the boys and girls than other schools usually see,” Roehrborn said
There are many factors that contribute to the strong bond the team shares Each of these factors play a crucial role in creating a cohesive team that can work together effectively and support one another in achieving their goals
This season was similar for the MCHS Cross Country team Some notable cross country wins this year were at the Fox Valley Conference Championships and at the IHSA Regionals At the Fox Valley Conference Championships 3 people ended up earning medals, Jaxon Berry who came in 13th place, Myles Wagner who came in 10th place, and Nate Martin who came in 5th place At the IHSA Regionals the MCHS Cross Country team was able to send two individual sectional qualifiers, Nate Martin and Delaina
Although this season was similar in the running aspects, things changed this year The team seemed to be closer The MCHS Cross Country team is different from other schools' cross country teams One notable difference is the bond that the boys team and the girls team have “Our team is different from other teams because our boys team and girls team are essentially one in the same,”
Said Dean Roehrborn, Assistant Cross Country Coach and Social Science teacher at MCHS “Most other schools in the state will have two seperate teams with different sets of coaches for boys and girls Our school, on the other hand, does not follow this trend Instead, our
“The team has a very close bond There are many factors that contribute to this,” McHenry Middle School teacher and Cross Country Coach Kevin Horst said “I think the biggest thing is that you have athletes from all grades, boys and girls, varsity and JV, working together with a common training program The athletes also organize a lot of social gatherings outside of practice,” Horst said Cross country is not only about running but also pushing themselves to their fullest potential In cross country
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these students can create goals for themselves and hope to reach them Not only are they creating goals for themselves, they are aiming to reach them with not only their teammates but their friends
“I believe cross country is about challenging yourself and reaching new heights,” Roehrborn said “Since we don’t cut or bench athletes, everyone gets the chance to compete in nearly every race throughout the season This provides multiple opportunities for individuals to race not just against other schools, but against themselves You don’t need to be the fastest on the team to experience personal growth and success,” Roehrborn said
Back outside the gates of McCracken Field, coaches talk to them about the upcoming race and how they are doing, they huddle together like one big family Little do the outsiders know that they really are
Dominic Burnett Puzzlemaster
Berenice Santiago Social Media Designer
The varsity girls cross country team comes together to cheer each other on before a meet at McHenry Township Park on Aug 31 |
Photo by VIP
Beth Brackmann Arts and Entertainment Editor
Floden