It’s a few weeks behind us now, and most of us will probably agree that 2016 might be the worst year ever. Clouded by huge loss and disappointment, 2016 will be a year that most of us hope to forget.
They say that celebrity deaths come in threes, but 2016 proved that to be a myth. Last year saw the end of some of our favorite musicians, actors, and entertainers. Music icons such as David Bowie and Prince, actors including Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, and Carrie Fisher, and sports legends like Buddy Ryan and Muhammed Ali passed away last year. These men and women could make us laugh, cry, and jump for joy, all in a minute. Perhaps the most memorable death of this year was Harambe, the 17-year-old silverback gorilla from the Cincinnati zoo that was shot on May 28 when a young child entered his enclosure.
2016 has also seen many problems and divisiveness in our country. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where residents couldn’t get clean water from their faucets, and then many shootings involving police officers this year led to citizens losing trust in the government’s ability to ensure their safety.
We also saw Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the two most unpopular candidates in history, running against each other in this the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s victory has sparked riots and senseless violence throughout the country. The 2016 election is one more thing that we all just want to forget about and move on from, and hopefully, in 2017 people will come together and stop spreading messages of hate.
2016 was also a bad year right here at WS. After years of rumors and wondering whether it would happen at all, our school is finally being renovated, but most students aren’t happy about it.
The lack of a senior parking lot has crowded buses, and now most people who drive to school have to parking on side roads and in neighborhoods. Only 65 spots for a senior class of over 500 meant that many of us have to take the bus or park elsewhere and walk to school. The renovations also gave birth to Sparta, or as most of us call it, the trailer park.
2016 was unpleasant. We can all think of a couple things from this year that saddened or angered us, and most of us can list more. Look on the bright side though, 2016 is over and 2017 can’t be much worse.