McAuley’s sweet 16th

On Nov. 12, 2022, the Mighty Macs varsity volleyball team finished their “unfinished business.” After a second place finish in the IHSA Class 4A State Tournament in 2021, the Macs were even more determined to finish on top, which is exactly what they did. The Mother McAuley volleyball program is the most decorated program in the state having won sixteen volleyball state championships–the most of any school in the state.

Following wins over Marist High School in the sectional championship and Joliet West High School in the super-sectional championship, the team headed down to Illinois State University to face-off against Saint Charles North High School with a chance to play for the state championship on the line. The winner would play the winner of Barrington High School and Benet Academy.

The first set against St. Charles North was the closest set of the whole state tournament. The Macs ended up losing the first set 25-27, but showed their dominance in the final two sets winning 25-17 and 25-20. The following day, over three full sections of McAuley students filled the stands to cheer on the Macs as they played the Benet Academy Redwings for the title. This was the first time the Macs and Redwings had faced each other.

The state championship game was a rough start for the Macs, as Benet was able to block star outside hitter Ellie White for the first three points. Eventually, the Macs found their groove through other powerful hitters Jill Moonan 12, Maeve Moonan 12 and Sydney Buchanan 10. They won the first set 25-22. Tess Hayes 12 and Olivia Klapp 12 added multiple assists.

Benet answered back to win the second set 25-17, forcing a third set for the title. Both sets, however, had been extremely close with each team matching the other in points for most of the sets.

The game was not only a showcase of powerful hitters, but also showed the defensive abilities of Northwestern-bound libero Gigi Navarette as well as defensive specialists Sam Falk 11 and Mary Hannon 12.

The Redwings jumped out to an early lead during the third and final set, but they were just no match for the Mighty Macs. With the power of White, Ellery Rees 11 and Mary Kate Sheehan 12, the Macs bounced back to stop the Redwings and win the third set with a score of 25-14. The Mighty Macs are the new IHSA Class 4A State Champions! “After we won, I had no words. Winning state was the best ending to this awesome season!” said Navarette.

above. McAuley players cheer as they lead the third set. photo by Ms. Halleran

Women Cricket players fight for equal pay

Olivia Murray

The influence to fight for equal rights for women in sports began in 1970. One of the most famous tennis players, Billie Jean King, stood up to the significant difference in pay between men and women in sports, mainly targeting tennis. During the Italian Open, King said, “Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs. I want women to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on top, too.” During the US Open in 1973, King threatened authorities that she would sit out if the prize money was unequal between genders. Because of her determination, authorities backed down and made sure the prize money was equal.

King’s influence still lingers on to the present day for all women’s sports. There was a monumental event in history for women cricket players in India. 52 years after King took a stand, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India, or the BCCI, announced on Thursday that women cricket players in India will receive the same match fee as men cricket players. This was made under the board’s new pay equity policy. This announcement will positively impact society by bringing women to this sport. Having equal pay will influence players to stay in this sport and to make it far in their career as an athlete.

We are now seeing the effect of the board’s new policy as India will be hosting the Women’s Indian Premier League 15 years after the men’s league was created.

Mithali Raj, a former captain of India’s team, said that the BCCI’s action for equal pay was historical. She said, “We’re ushering into a new era.” Players, fans and people have been longing for equality within women’s sports. BCCI’s announcement is a massive step forward in our world as we know it.

Keira Jarrett

Senior Megan Murphy has been playing softball for over 11 years. She went from playing in local recreational leagues, to intense travel teams, to now being committed to play softball at the Division III level at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. Murphy has also been playing for McAuley softball all throughout her four years in highschool. She made the junior varsity team her freshman and sophomore year, and halfway through her sophomore year, she was pulled up to compete with the varsity team.

When asked which team/season has been her favorite out of all, she expressed her love for McAuley softball. “We always have so much fun! It’s like a huge family.” Players on McAuley’s team have expressed their love for Megan, as well as her work ethic. When asked what they admire most about Murphy, Lillia Benoit 12 stated, “I love her grit and determination to win. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to win a game, and Megan brings it everytime.” Megan has truly left her mark on the program. When asked what she believed was her most memorable moment, she responded, “I actually got stepped on last year while stealing second base. I had to get 10 stitches.” To dedicate another four years of her life to softball shows how committed Megan really is. When asked how she fell in love with the sport, Murphy replied, “ I realized softball was what I wanted to do while watching my older sister, Claire.” She continued, “Being able to watch her play in college made me realize that I wanted to as well.” Her love and dedication has truly carried her through all of the ups and downs of her athletic career. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family–my mom especially. They’re my biggest supporters.” Playing softball at the collegiate level will be much more intense and difficult. Keeping that in mind, Megan commented, “I’m excited to see what the future has in store for me.” When asked if she wanted to add anything else into her interview, Murphy responded, “Roll Rangers!”

We all know Ursula as the old, purple lady with octopus tentacles who wanted to steal Ariel’s voice in “The Little Mermaid.” But at McAuley, we know her as Alexandria Johnson.

Alex Johnson is very active within the theater and music industry and has been for years. To get to where she is today, Alex has been working hard since she was a little girl.

“I was introduced to the art of music at the ripe age of 4. I started to play the piano at that age, and I then started singing. My love of music,art and playing the piano sparked my interest in my grammar school theater,” Alex Johnson 11 said.

Being a part of the theater is no easy task. Alex has played a variety of roles in her life, each with different personalities, values and backgrounds. In order to become the character she’s portraying, Alex has a special warm up.

“I embody my character by listening to the Broadway soundtrack of ‘The Little Mermaid.’ I have always found listening to my character’s songs motivating and beneficial. It relaxes and takes this unwanted tension off my shoulders, giving me the confidence to not only play the role, but BE the role,” Johnson said.

Music and theater has become a huge part of who Alex is. It has taught her life lessons that she will never forget and has introduced her to people who will help guide her through life and her musical journey.

“Music has changed how I carry myself and how I live my life. Without my love and passion for music and art, I would not be in the space, nor would I have met all of the wonderful people I have met today,” said Johnson.

above. Alex Johnson takes center stage performing, “Poor Unfortuante Souls” from The Little Mermaid photo by Ella Martin

There is a fine line between a fascination with true crime, and the romanticism of these crimes and their conductors. As humans, our curiosity sometimes overrides our sense of morality. The reason why we obsess over these violent crimes is solely due to our deep rooted instincts to avoid these predators. From the article “Why We Are Fascinated by Serial Killers,” author Coltan Scrivner stated, “We are voracious consumers of thrillers, horror, and true crime precisely because these genres provide a safe way to learn about threats.” While this explains the allure true crime provides people with, what is left unanswered is why people romanticize serial killings.

With the recent release of the Netflix original, “Dahmer,” the surge of obsession with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has caused massive controversy on social media and in everyday life. There are many issues with this recent documentary, such as viewers downplaying such horrific events and insensitivity shown towards the victims and their families. In the article, “The Controversies Surrounding Netflix’s ‘Dahmer’ Show So Far,” author Shira Li Bartov explained to readers, “In one disturbing TikTok trend, viewers described how ‘unbothered’ and ‘unfazed’ they were by Dahmer.” Bartov continues, “Critics of true crime argue that as the genre has grown, so has the comfort of audiences with scenes of horrific violence that killed real people, whose families are still alive.” This article was released October 5, and less than 25 days later, thousands of people, including teenagers and grown adults, were shown dressed up as the killer celebrating Halloween.

Jeffery Dahmer was not the only serial killer recent generations have obsessed over. Much like Dahmer, Ted Bundy was brought back into the public eye with the Netflix addition of the 2019 movie, “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.” The movie depicts Bundy’s 4 years of horrific killings all while Zac Efron stars as the killer. While Efron did boost the popularity of the movie, it was social media that restarted the obsession over Bundy that was once popular when he was first incarcerated. Starting in 2019, trends surged on Tiktok. Varying from role-playing as one of the killer’s “fans,” one of his victims and even as Ted Bundy himself. One popular user Christina Alekseeva gave her take on this controversy by saying, “I don’t think that it’s right to make videos like this for clout.” She continued, “People pretending to be victims because its ‘aesthetic’ is not OK.”

While there is no clear answer as to why serial killers such as Dahmer and Bundy are more recently being glamorized, horrific events such as the murders should be remembered as tragic events–not to satisfy a viewer’s obsession with true crime. Cases such as Dahmer and Bundy happened not even 40 years ago. The respect for these people, as well as the victims, should be prioritized before the romanticization of these events. MTV News staff sums it up the best in their recent Ted Bundy article by explaining, “Trends rise and fall out of popularity all the time; some last for a few days or a few weeks… but such memories and traumas aren’t as easily erased for victims or their loved ones; for them, stories like this are the furthest thing from entertainment.”

The fall of Ye

Lily O’Connor

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, got himself and his business into some trouble after making anti-Semitic remarks. What many interpret as Ye’s downfall is primarily due to him saying that he is going to go “death con 3 on Jewish people” (which is a misspelling of defcon 3) because he believes that Jewishowned record labels are participating in “modern day slavery.” Inside sources who used to be close to Ye have also stated that he has an “obsession” with Adolf Hitler, even wanting to name an album after him. West is typically a hot topic in the media due to his behavior on social media, which has included generally hateful speech in the past.

“Although some have tried, there is no rationale, no explaining away Kanye West’s rants on social media for anything else than what they are: vicious antisemitic statements that pose a clear and present danger to every Jewish person,” said American Jewish Commitee CEO Ted Deutch.

After Ye’s anti-Semitic rampage in early October, Adidas terminated their contract with him. This caused him to fall from the Forbes Billionaires List. Along with Adidas, he was also dropped by his talent agency and Balenciaga. However, many people are wondering why this was the breaking point for these companies as West has a history of racism. The most popular conclusion is that it’s harder to punish a Black person for being racist than it is to punish a non-Jewish person for being anti-Semitic.

“When a Black person says things about Black people, it’s like, ‘Okay, what do we do? What do we do with that?’” said author and “Washington Post” magazine writer Damon Young in an interview with CNN. “It’s an easier conversation and easier path to consequences when you start talking about people that you’re not a part of.”

While West is not the first person to be antiSemitic or racist, his large platform makes his case more dangerous. He has influence over the ideas of his fans, so he can broaden the ideas of anti-Blackness and anti-Semitism. Many brands cutting ties with Ye helps take steps towards the shut down of hate speech in pop culture.