Another year has sped by, and some of the most memorable events of the year deserve mentioning.

Pop Culture:

• “Black Panther” was rated as one of the year’s best movies, and made history by being the first superhero movie with an all African American cast and by grossing over $1 billion.
• Netflix released many fan favorites such as the movies “To All The Boys I Loved Before” and “The Bird Box,” along with shows such as “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”
• Fortnite, played by more than 40 million people across the States and resulting in viral dances, earned “the video game of the year” designation.
• According to Billboard, “I Like It” by Cardi B topped the charts as the number one track of 2018, and according to Youtube, the global pop stars BTS and Blackpink set “records in views and charts across multiple weeks.”
• Ariana Grande also made a major comeback by releasing her song “No Tears Left to Cry,” followed by her hit album and the song “thank u, next.”

Sports:

• In February, the biggest sports event of the of the year, the 23rd Winter Olympics, was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The youngest female snowboarder made history by winning a gold medal for the United States.
• Super Bowl LII, also in February, saw the Philadelphia Eagles win their very first Super Bowl.
• Lebron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Los Angeles Lakers
• The 21st FIFA World Cup was held in Russia, which the French national football team won for their second time.

Major Events

• The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people and wounded 14, igniting a nationwide gun control movement led by students.
• The California wildfires in the fall ranked among the most destructive on record, burning over 1.8 million acres of land and damaging thousands of homes.
• During a historic summit, President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un signed an agreement promising to work together to negotiate peace.
• Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the mid-term elections with the most diverse caucus ever.

Walsh Jesuit

• Over the summer, the kitchen was remodeled and changes to the menu were introduced.
• New faculty members joined WJ, as well as our new football coach, Coach Alexander.
• Now only freshmen have to report to assigned study halls.

Overall, 2018 presented some groundbreaking moments, both ups and downs. Looking forward, 2019 will undoubtedly be another significant year.