As 2018 comes to a close and we look forward to 2019, it is important to reflect on all that has happened this past year. 2018 has been a monumental year worldwide. From celebrities to politics, many big things have happened that will be remembered for a long time to come.

At the beginning of the year, starting February 9, South Korea hosted the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. These Olympics displayed a moment of peace, as North Korea and South Korea walked into the opening ceremony as a joint team, symbolizing the unity between the two countries. Many records were broken, one by Chloe Kim, a seventeen year old American snowboarder who became the youngest female to ever medal in winter snowboarding when she got the gold in the women’s snowboard halfpipe.

Another big sports event that took place in 2018 was the World Cup. This was the first World Cup that America did not qualify for since 1986. The event took place in Russia this year. France played Croatia in the final round, with the final score being 4-2, making France the 2018 World Cup Champion.

Over in Britain, an event took place on May 19 that took over the media: the Royal Wedding. Meghan Markle, a former actress, married England’s Prince Harry and the two became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan is currently pregnant with the two’s first child. In other royal news, Duchess Kate Middleton and Prince William welcomed their third child named Louis on April 23.

One major story in the news this year was the Thailand soccer team that was trapped in the Tham Luang Cave. The team and their coach were miraculously saved after two weeks of being trapped.

Another big story was the repeal of net neutrality. This sparked a lot of panic in many people as they feared that they would have to pay for simple internet usages such as sending Snapchats. However, people saw almost no change to their daily lives when this passed in Congress.

March for Our Lives also took place, during which students protested for stronger gun violence prevention.

Sadly, 2018 did bring the loss of many great people. The music world lost many talented artists such as Avicii, Mac Miller, and Aretha Franklin. Stephen Hawking, an incredible physicist, finally lost his battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 76. Senator John McCain and former president George H. W. Bush also passed away this year.

In more local news, Lenape had a good year. In the spring, the school graduated the Class of 2018 and in the fall welcomed the Class of 2022. Lenape presented the spring musical Aida this year and also the fall play, Cinderella. Both shows turned out very well and were huge successes. The school also continued many of its yearly traditions, such as the Mr. Lenape pageant, the talent show, the Thanksgiving football game, and more.

2018 has been eventful, bringing both good and bad things to America and the rest of the world. Happy New Year and have a great year in 2019!