Ready, set, State

Daniella Hall

McAuley sent off the Mighty Mac volleyball team and diver Abby Manos 12 to IHSA State competitions the weekend of November 12 and 13. With impressive accomplishments both on the court and in the pool and the entire school community supporting them, both Abby Manos and the volleyball team earned their spots competing for state titles.

Manos acquired an impressive array of awards that included the following: first place at the Sandburg Invite, first place in conference, the title of Senior Conference Diver of the Year and first place at Sectionals. Manos’s favorite part about State was being able to compete with the best of the best, and she made McAuley proud!

“I am truly grateful for all the support from my fellow Mighty Macs, teammates, coaches and family,” Manos commented. “It was an incredible experience, and it was worth all of the hard work and effort throughout the season!”

The road to rings also continued for the volleyball team as they competed at the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Finals in Normal, Illinois. The team won against Edwardsville High School in two sets in the semifinals. They advanced to the finals Saturday night to face off against Metea Valley High School. It was a tough loss with a battle that ended in three sets, but the Mighty Macs worked hard this season with that game being only one of their few losses.

“My favorite part about going to state was the first time I stepped foot into the arena!” Gigi Navarrete 11 said. “It was huge and felt like a dream.”

Navarrete also commented on their impressive season as a whole.“I loved when we had our sectional and super-sectional game at home,” Navarrete said. “We had a huge supportive crowd and fan section.”

The McAuley community is so proud of Abby and the volleyball team for their achievement-filled seasons and competing in state!

above: The MMc Volleyball team poses with their trophy and medals with Mac Nation fans

above: Abby Manos diving in the IHSA State Diving competition.

photos provided by Ms. Halleran

The Sky is the limit for Chicago

Evelyn Ivers

Oct 17th, 2021: the day more than 10,000 Chicago sports fans joined together to watch sports history change forever. The Chicago Sky, Chicago’s representation in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), won their first ever national championship against the Phoenix Mercury at Wintrust Arena.

The 2021 season brough t many challenges and changes to the Sky, but their drive and determination never faltered. Entering the playoffs as the sixthnumber six seed, with a record of 16 wins and 16 losses, the odds were stacked against them. After their first round victory against the Dallas Wings, the Sky was led by forward Kahleah Cooper who racked up 23 of their 81 points who continued to lead the Sky in points throughout the finals tournament. Cooper was given the championshipgiven championship game Most Valuable Player award.

In addition to their triumph over the Wings, the Sky also beat the Minnesota Lynx, 89-76, before competing in the four game semifinal series against the Connecticut Sun in which they won three of the four games , pushing them forward into the finals.

The final series included four games against the Phoenix Mercury , resulting in three wins for the Sky and one win for the Mercury. After four intense games of basketball, the Sky came out victorious winning the championship game 80-74.

The Sky’s championship run also allowed two players who had grown up in the vicinity of Chicago, Allie Quigley (Joliet) and Candace Parker (Naperville) to showcase their abilities. Parker, a graduate of Naperville Central High School, carried the Sky , leading the team in rebounds throughout the whole WNBA playoff tournament.

The Chicago Sky brought through the championship win in an unforgettable season that that brought a new light to Chicago sports!

Aine McIntyre

“Growing up I lived in the bowling alley,” Tamia Edwards 12 said. “Bowling was a big part of my family life.”

After many weekends spent in the bowling alley since the age of five, Edwards’s appreciation and passion for bowling accompanied her at McAuley.

“The friendships and memories I’ve made during the bowling season have been a key part of my high school experience,” Edwards said.

Edwards’s leadership and long history of bowling have helped her thrive during her three years bowling at McAuley. Edwards’s plans to celebrate the small successes of her team and incorporate positive reinforcement during games and practices this upcoming season.

“On the bus rides to our games last year, I tried to keep spirits high with fun music and words of encouragement,” Edwards said. “I plan to do the same this year.”

Edwards’s personal high score was a 256 out of a possible 300 points, and that was a game she will never forget.

“The adrenaline was so high. It was such an unforgettable accomplishment,” Edwards said. “I hope to relive a similar experience when I go to college.”

Edwards plans on bowling in college but is undecided on where she will play.

“As a senior this year, I’m looking forward to making this the best season with lots of fun and lots of wins,” Edwards said.

photo by Elena Fernandez

Mary Philip

Senior Anna Fagan is ending her high school music career on a high note. Throughout her time at McAuley, Fagan has been actively involved in the Brother Rice-Mother McAuley band, wind ensemble, jazz band and other smaller ensembles. Although she has spent a great deal of the last four years advancing in her craft, her interest in music goes way back. She first joined band when she was in fourth grade. She started playing the clarinet and switched to her current instrument, the alto saxophone, in sixth grade. Because of band, Fagan has been able to explore her individuality in a new way.

“I enjoy being able to do an after school activity that is different from a sport because I can learn to do things on my own that does not need to be a group effort,” Fagan 12 said.

The amount of extra time and energy, beyond the school day, that Fagan has put into music has made her multitalented. Besides her specialty instrument, she has also been able to play the piano, the tuba and the trumpet. Music has been a huge part of Fagan’s life, and she will continue to explore this interest beyond her time at McAuley.

“In college I plan on pursuing at least a minor in music or a major in music education,” Fagan 12 said. “If I decide to go a different route, I hope to still be able to play in groups at events or play my saxophone in some way.”

above: Anna Fagan plays the saxaphone at the State of the Art Competiton with the BRMM band

Ella Martin

The season’s most remarkable tradition is coming back to the city of Chicago this year. Opening day for the Christkindlmarkt starts Friday, November 19 and wraps up on Thursday, December 23 for the holiday season. They are established in several locations such as Milwaukee, Wrigleyville and, most famously, downtown Chicago. The event offers guests a chance to see bands, ballet performances and partake in scenic ice skating. The Christkindlmarkt makes it their sole purpose to make traditions and memories for families during the holiday season.

The Christkindlmarkt that Chicagoans know was originally inspired by the traditions of the first Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany in 1434. There, the market offered lavish holiday gifts and delightful food options. Today, the Christkindlmarkt provides the same experience with vendors selling holiday necessities. Shops are stocked with colorful ornaments, as well as numerous food vendors selling the market’s fan-favorite hot chocolate, also known as Kakao, and roasted pecans. The market values its traditions and cultural background, and the market works hard to incorporate them into its seasonal activities. Around the market, you can see many cultural representations of Germany, such as the vendor’s carts designed with vivid colors and big tents resembling the ones used in German Christmas celebrations. They also display their culture in food through the warm German pretzels or a Brezel that are sold.

The Christkindlmarkt is widely well known for its diverse number of vendors selling holiday cuisine and gifts. The market’s most memorable and awe-inspiring tradition is their variety of holiday mugs being sold. Since the very first downtown Chicago Christkindlmarket in December of 1996, mugs have been used by visitors walking around the market for refills on warm beverages such as hot chocolate and coffee to keep you warm on these chilly, winter nights. Every year the Christkindelmarkt designs a new mug for visitors to save and reuse each holiday, making new traditions for many families all over Chicago.

The Christmas holiday is only here for so long, so don’t forget to visit the Christkindlmarkt with your friends and family this year. Make sure to pick up your Christmas 2021 souvenir mug on the way out.

above: Daley Plaza during Christmastime photo by Tom Gill

Britney breaks free

Ciara Hosty

After years of the #FreeBritney movement, the Los Angeles Superior Court judge completely released Britney Spears from her 13-year-long conservatorship on Nov. 11, more than a month after the father James Spears was suspended as the conservator.

Before uncovering what rights Spears has gained back, one must understand exactly what rights she lost when becoming a conservatee. By the California Courts’ definition, a conservatorship is “a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the ‘conservator’) to care for another adult (called the ‘conservatee’) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.” The conservatorship exists until one of two things occurs: the conservatee dies or the court terminates the conservatorship.

Per her father’s request, Spears was placed under a conservatorship in 2008 due to concerns about her mental health, with Spears’s father taking control of an estimated $60 million dollar estate as the conservator. However, Spears’s career did not halt there. She went on to release four albums and signed for a residency in Las Vegas, regularly performing from 2014-2017. The fortune she made during this time, however, was well beyond her reach. According to her court statement in September, she didn’t want to do the tour in the first place. “I couldn’t even get my own attorney, so out of fear, I went ahead and did the tour,” Spears said.

Any sign of resistance to her management was met with immediate treatment. In fact, Spears’s therapist prescribed her lithium at one point in her career, which she claims was a drastic change from the medication she previously had been taking.

“You can go mentally impaired if you take too much [or] if you stay on it longer than five months, but he put me on that and I felt drunk,” Spears said. “I really couldn’t even stand up for myself.”

The courts met Spears’s demand to remove her father as conservator in the September hearing. However, it wasn’t until Nov. 11 that she was finally freed from the conservatorship once and for all. Soon after the announcement, Britney tweeted out to her fans, along with a video of a rally that took place that day.

“I think I’m gonna cry the rest of the day!” Spears tweeted. “Best day ever… ”