McHenry Community High School District 156

Several local veterans, whose service spanned from WWII to Vietnam to Desert Storm and beyond, talk about their experiences in military service during a Veterans Day panel discussion on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, at Upper Campus of McHenry High School. “It is always a special day when we welcome our veterans to our buildings to talk about their experiences,” said Sean Sterner, chair of McHenry High School’s social science division which organized the event.

Richard Phannenstill worked for decades to raise funds for a memorial honoring his classmates who died in Vietnam. A portion of those funds, raised 10 years ago, went to Veterans Path to Hope this year.

Whooping cough cases continue to be on the rise in McHenry County, with the number of cases through October exceeding all of 2023 by more than double.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been reported in two McHenry schools, and the countywide cases year to date are already double the number from all of last year.

Search our table to see what designation your McHenry County school received on the 2024 school report card.

This week, the Illinois State Board of Education released school- and district-level data showing what percentage of McHenry County students were considered proficient in math and reading last year. Check out this chart to see if that's an improvement over the prior year.

McHenry High School celebrated its 100th year Sunday, with a parade through town and a rally at Miller Point Park.

McHenry High School kicked off homecoming week Sunday with a parade and rally to mark 100 years since school opened in what's now Freshman Campus. The homecoming game against Crystal Lake South kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at McCracken Field.

The McHenry Rotary Club recently made a $20,000 donation to McHenry High School District 156 to pay student's dual credit course fees, ensuring all students can receive college credit for their work while still in high school

Woodstock School District 200 has different rules about cellphones for different age levels. The school board recently reviewed its policies as districts nationwide grapple with how to regulate phones.

Sideline Squad – which aims to provide supervision and entertainment for children during siblings' sports events – will host its first kids club during the McHenry High School homecoming Friday.

McHenry High School seniors signed up to vote Tuesday, ahead of their slightly younger peers who won't make the cutoff to participate in the high-stakes election.

Honor Flight attendees were welcomed home with a surprise ceremony Sunday at McHenry High School.

Some McHenry County high schools already had policies about keeping cellphones off and out of sight – but now they're enforcing them more strictly as evidence mounts about potential harms, especially from social media.

Woodstock District 200 will be joining several other McHenry County school systems that are offering school bus-tracking apps.

A new school year has arrived in McHenry County with optimism, nerves, cautions.

Girls flag football officially becomes an IHSA-sanctioned sport this fall. Local players got tips from the Chicago Bears at a camp at McHenry High School Wednesday.

Girls flag football becomes an official high school sport in Illinois this fall. Many players are new to the sport but are getting tips from the Chicago Bears.

A confessed serial killer who murdered two young women in McHenry County in 1970 is scheduled to appear before a state parole board in July.

The McHenry/Wonder Lake Lions Club has awarded three $500 scholarships to graduating McHenry Community High School seniors who will attend MCC.

McHenry Community High School District 156 invites families of home-school and private school students to meet with district officials to discuss special education services on April 25.

Kelsey Podgorski, assistant director of multilingual education at McHenry High School, started work to create a school multicultural fair when she took on her new role in July with hopes of continuing to build the event each year at the school.

McHenry Community High School is showcasing cultures from around the world at the school’s first-ever Multicultural Fair.

Cary resident Evan Cochrane will be competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May after winning the McHenry County Regional Spelling Bee Wednesday.

Nominations are due by March 1; those who graduated from McHenry High School at least 15 years ago will be considered.

McHenry High School seniors got their first shot at catering a larger event, making lunch for a Leadership Greater McHenry County get-together.

McHenry High School District 156′s physical education department earned its second Blue Ribbon Award from the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Take a look back at Northwest Herald photojournalist Gregory Shaver's 15 favorite photos from 2023, and why he chose them. The images were selected from more than 4,000 photographs that were published in the Northwest Herald in 2023.

A pen pal project for English learners at McHenry High School has students exchanging letters with school staff members, helping students better connect to language.

The McHenry Elementary Education Foundation will host a craft and vendor fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Parkland School, 1802 N. Ringwood Road in McHenry.

Disparities in absenteeism appear in most McHenry County school districts when the data are broken down by race and in comparing students with disabilities.

Mexican American tradition of remembering relatives central to holiday

This free Day of the Dead celebration includes a movie, a photo booth, face painting, games and dancing, and tacos for sale.

How did McHenry County schools do on their Illinois School Report Cards this year?

The Warrior Shack is set next to the track during McHenry High School football games and debuted during homecoming.

Across the Bridge, set to open Oct. 6 in the McHenry Plaza Shopping Center, will help clients learn independence and job skills, said instructors with McHenry High School District 156 BRIDGES program

McHenry Community High School’s Upper Campus will again host a welcome celebration this Sunday for veterans returning from the McHenry County Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C.

McHenry County school district administrators – both those with and without air conditioning in all of their buildings – are keeping an eye on the weather report for later this week. Crystal Lake District 47 already cancelled classes on Wednesday and Thursday at two schools.

McHenry Community High School District 156 launched a community-wide survey, which will be available until Sept. 22. The link for the online survey is available on the strategic planning page on the district’s website, dist156.org.

School buses are transporting kids smoothly for the most part in McHenry County, officials said.

Wednesday marked the first day of school for many McHenry County children, including in Crystal Lake, Woodstock and McHenry.

Two districts are fully staffed and the rest of the 18 districts in McHenry county need between five to 20 drivers, McHenry County Regional Superintendent of Schools Diana Hartmann said.

McHenry High School District 156 has announced the 2022-23 recipients of the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy and Commendation for the Seal of Biliteracy.

The McHenry Lions Club awarded $500 scholarships to three McHenry High School seniors who will attend McHenry County College in the fall.

McHenry Community High School held its commencement ceremony for the class of 2023 on Saturday, May 29, 2023, at McCracken Athletic Field in McHenry.

McHenry Community High School started its celebration of the Class of 2023 with a Senior Decision Day event on May 2 to acknowledge the postsecondary plans of the soon-to-be graduates.

Leah Pelletier and English teacher Stacy Rockweiler were recently recognized as distinguished advisors by the Illinois Directors of Student Activities.

McHenry High School District 156 will hold a meeting next week about plans for providing special education services to home-schooled or private school students.

First-ever Latin X-Perience career and cultural event for students at McHenry High School brings students, professionals and culture together.

The search for Huntley School District 158′s new top official is set to begin after current Superintendent Scott Rowe announced Thursday he is leaving the district.