McHenry High School District 156

Dear Warrior Family,

It's hard to believe that the 2025-2026 school year has come to an end. We were excited to honor the Class of 2026 at their commencement ceremony and throughout our end-of-the-year senior events. There is no doubt that our seniors are leaving us well prepared to face any challenges or adversity, embodying the heart and spirit of a WARRIOR. We wish the Class of 2026 the very best in all their future endeavors.

This summer, we have many exciting construction projects underway, starting with the renovation and reconfiguration of the Freshman Campus Parking Lot. The new lot will enhance overall safety and improve traffic flow by separating bus traffic from parent drop-off and pick-up locations. Additionally, we will create a large courtyard at the center of the lot that extends to the entrance, allowing students and visitors to access the school and board our buses safely in a dedicated staging area without crossing a primary driveway.

We are currently completing the roof replacement project at the Upper Campus to prepare for the installation of a full array of solar panels scheduled for competition in late October. The roof replacement at the Freshman Campus was completed last school year, and it will also receive a full array of solar panels before the start of the new school year. We successfully accessed and utilized federal and state incentive programs and grants to subsidize both projects before the incentive programs ended in January. This not only made the project affordable but will also provide a substantial return on investment in energy savings over the next 25 years. We will provide comprehensive updates as our construction projects progress throughout the summer and school year.

Although the regular school year has ended, we are now fully engaged in the third semester of our District 156 Summer School program, which opened on Tuesday. This summer, we will serve more than 750 students through our summer school exposure and get-ahead programs. I am proud to say that we are one of the most comprehensive and competitive school districts in the area and the state. While there is always room for growth and improvement, the future of District 156 remains bright.

I hope you have a wonderful summer break with family and friends. Thank you to our outstanding students, parents, and staff members who make McHenry District 156 such a rich and vibrant school community.

Sincerely

Dr. Ryan McTague

Superintendent of Schools

McHenry Community High School District 156

McTagueRyan@dist156.org

On a beautiful May 16 at McCracken Field, MCHS teachers, staff and school board members celebrated the graduation of 535 members of the Class of 2026.

The ceremony included speeches from graduating seniors and Principal Greg Eiserman along with recognition of special honors.

The Class of 2026 has 52 Illinois State Scholars and 200 Distinguished Warriors. Also, 21 students earned the Seal of Biliteracy and two students earned commendations toward biliteracy.

Medals were awarded to graduates for outstanding academic success. Thirty-nine students earned honors medals while 52 got high honors. Twenty-five seniors earned highest honors.

The Class of 2026 earned more than $9 million in scholarships.

We are very proud!

Watch Warrior Weekly's recorded livestream on YouTube.

The first session of our popular Summer School program started Tuesday, June 2. It was great to see students again, and meet some of our new 9th graders.

We have 776 students taking advantage of our Summer School program, either first session, second session, or both!

Summer School offers a chance for students to get ahead in earning credit for graduation, or to remediate any failing grades in required courses.

Students who get ahead using Summer School can free up time in their schedules for exploring our many elective classes, particularly in career paths of interest.

The second session of Summer School begins July 6. For more information, visit the Summer School page on the district's website.

Workers are busy at both campuses cleaning, renovating and improving. The renovation work of the Freshman Campus parking lot is progressing well as is final roofing improvements at Upper Campus.

When roofing improvements are complete, solar panel energy systems will be installed atop both buildings.

Read more on the district's website.

English Instructor and McHenry Messenger advisor Dane Erbach was named High School Teacher of the Year by the McHenry County Regional Office of Education.

Erbach has been teaching at MCHS for 18 years and helped launch the student-produced McHenry Messenger several years ago.

Read more on the district's website.

Math teacher Jeremy Dunne was named Teacher of the Month for May by Star 105.5 and Studio D Jewelers in Woodstock.

Instruction Assistant Christina Hernandez said in her nomination that he makes math fun for students. He'll get a $50 give card for the award.

Read more on the district's website.

Yearly enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year is ongoing for all families to make sure we have the most updated information for students and families. Visit the enrollment page on the district's website for helpful guides for all grade levels.

As a reminder, there is a direct link for family access to PowerSchool in the upper right of the district website.

June 15: Board of Education meeting 7 p.m. in Warrior Room, Upper Campus

June 18: No Summer School

June 19: Juneteenth holiday. No Summer School. Offices closed.

June 24: Last day of Summer School Session 1

July 4: Happy Fourth of July

July 6: Summer School Session 2 begins

July 20: Board of Education meeting 7 p.m. Warrior Room, Upper Campus

July 24: Last day of Summer School Session 2

Aug. 10-11: Teacher Institute Days -- No School

Aug. 12: First Day of School

To see a full calendar of school district events, visit the district's website. Also, here is a link to the full 2026-2027 printable calendar. To see athletic events, visit McHenry Warrior Athletics website.