Ah, 2020, a year that many people would say is God-forsaken, cursed, or even sent from the underworld. Although a lot has happened in the past year, it’s always worth noting what happened in this crazy time of history. From the good to the bad, and the raw to the processed here’s 2020: A Year in Review.

The Australian bushfires threatened the continent’s southern coast and ultimately endangered its wildlife. Then there was the Iranian general who was killed by a US drone. Which caused Iran to bomb a US military base in Iran, killing and wounding many American soldiers. This led to a massive wave of memes about a potential WW3. Yes, they were indeed funny, but the missile launches were a severe issue for our national security; a possible WW3 would’ve sprung us into absolute chaos. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markel stepped down from their royal duties. You may have heard this as “Megxit” on local news and within popular media. But this, by far, was a massive deal for the British royal family. The duke and duchess of Sussex wanted to split their time between America and England following their son, Archie. It has been said that the pair wanted their son to have roots within the royalty he was born into, but they also wanted their son to know about the family and heritage that he shares with his mother back in America.

Then there’s the event that truly brought this year to a drag: COVID-19. Popularly known as the “coronavirus,” COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March and has caused a nationwide shutdown. Schools like ours shut down for months at a time, small businesses were heavily affected, and many people lost their jobs and went on unemployment. The virus first started in Wuhan, China, and made its way to Washington state by someone who had visited China and came back to America. That was an entire episode in itself, and so far, it’s been running for a little too long. Not to mention the toilet paper outage. We all remember the memes. We’ve all probably seen memes about it here and there. If you haven’t seen them yet, here, you go.

Oh yeah, remember the impeachment trials? For those who haven’t heard, President Trump tried to get the Ukrainian President to lead an investigation on Joe Biden’s son, who’s a war veteran. Trump was tried on two articles of impeachment, obstruction of congress, and abuse of power. But alas, President Trump was saved from impeachment, and he was so, so close to being impeached too. It would’ve been the first impeachment in US history as well.

We lost legends this year, the most known being Kobe and Gigi Bryant. They both died in a helicopter crash in Florida in January. Kobe Bryant played for the Lakers, and his death was mourned throughout the country and his daughters. Other notable people who died this year include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chadwick Bosman, Alex Trebek, and John Lewis. Of course, there are many more. They will be dearly missed.

The fight for racial justice and equity in this country is a war going on for decades. The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor over the past summer has sparked international protests. The Black Lives Matter movement was the one thing during the summer that genuinely got people to work together on both sides of the movement. You have the people who truly are fighting for the racial justice and equity that has been missing for decades, and then you have the people who want things to stay the way they are. Regardless of where people stand, it truly brought about change, from police reform to how people view the world around them. Indeed, this movement has made people aware of the injustices that lurk around the world.

As schools went back in session this year, we saw significant changes in how the system will work. Just a week before school was to be in session, the LHS review was hard at work getting answers for worried students. The schools were busy trying to make schedules that we didn’t get until two days after school was back in session, and we all were somehow missing a fourth-period class. Regardless, however, many of us stayed home. We weren’t expecting this at all. In fact, many schools are hard-at-work (including LHS) trying to get back into some kind of in person setting. Be it tents outside, spaced out desks, constant mask-wearing, or fans ventilating every single room in the buildings, we will find a way to make sure that everyone will have the opportunity to go back to school in person.

On a bright sunny day, we got word of the election results. You could go onto google and find that blue was greater than red. Joe Biden had officially won the Presidential election, and you could find videos of people celebrating in all corners of the country. Some people say that Trump officially got the COVID-19 treatment: He’s going to lose his job, he got the virus, and now he’s going to be kicked out of his current place of residence soon. Yup, full package, and who knows what’s going to happen next. But hey, we’ve got a new president. The most that we can do is look to the future.

So yeah, this year has been filled with what seems like a decade’s worth of events. Nevertheless, we should look to the future with bright, sound, and hopeful intentions. Regardless of what may happen, it is safe to say that this year will be over in just a few short weeks. Who knows what the future holds? We can make that decision, so let’s make sure that 2021 will be the best year of our lives.