With 2018 in the rearview mirror and 2019 being our next stop, here are some of the most interesting things that happened in 2018.

World News

The Royal Wedding

On May 19, Prince Harry, the seventh in line for the British throne, and Meghan Markle, an American actress, tied the knot at the medieval Windsor Castle with their 600 close family and friends in attendance. Although it has happened before, it was a big deal for a member of the royal family to marry a “commoner,” let alone an American actress.

The rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team in Thailand

The Wild Boars soccer team disappeared in the Tham Luang cave in the northern province of Chiang Rai on June 23. They were discovered on Monday, July 2, having spent nine days without fresh water or food. The Wild Boars soccer team, made up of boys from several schools in the Chiang Rai province of northern Thailand, and their assistant coach were pulled out of a flooded cave in Thailand, bringing an end to a near three-week ordeal that prompted an international rescue effort and captivated audiences around the world. The boys and their assistant coach went spelunking in the cave and players became trapped when rising waters flooded the cave’s passageways. Luckily, all the boys were pulled out safely along with the assistant  coach, on July 10, 2018, and were dispatched from the hospital a day early. Sadly, one retired Thai Navy Seal, Saman Kunan, who assisted with the rescue, died during the rescue. The boys are healthy and have returned home.

U.S. News

U.S. Pulled out of the Iran Nuclear deal

On May 8, President Donald J. Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal.  The Iran Nuclear Deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, offered Tehran, the capital of Iran, billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for agreeing to curb its nuclear program. In a joint statement responding to the U.S. withdrawal, the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom stated that United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal remained the “binding international legal framework for the resolution of the dispute.”

Trump Kim Summit

The 2018 North Korea–United States summit was a June 12, 2018, summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, held at the Capella Hotel, Sentosa, Singapore. This was the first-ever meeting between leaders of the United States and North Korea. They signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers’ remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials.

“Black Panther”

“Black Panther” was the first Marvel film with a predominantly black cast. Released on February 16, “Black Panther” did well in the Box Office, raising over $631 million dollars in North America. The sales surpassed 2012’s “ Avengers”, previously the highest-earning superhero movie, which earned $623 million.

The iPhone XR

The iPhone XR was released on September 12, 2018. The iPhone XR (stylized as iPhone Xr, Roman numeral “X” pronounced “ten”) is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Apple, Inc. It is the twelfth generation of the iPhone. The iPhone XR is Apple’s best-selling iPhone. In an interview with Reuters Wednesday Morning Briefing, Greg Joswiak, Apple’s VP of product marketing said that the iPhone XR is currently Apple’s “most mainstream product and our most popular iPhone.”

School News

Principal’s 100 Reward Party

On Thursday, January 18, 2018, over 70 student role models who received a bulldog bonus on the Principal’s 100 board for showing positive attitude, accountable behavior and wise and respectful choices streamed into the auditorium for an afternoon full of food fun and prizes. Those students represented the best of Freedom Area Middle School, and exemplify the qualities of kindness, honesty, and responsibility. After a congratulations from Mr. Smith, the students each received a bag of buttery popcorn, two slices of Fox’s pizza, and a bottle of water, then settled into their seats for the viewing of  “Finding Dory”.

Middle school participates in first active intruder drill with students

On Nov. 28, 2018, Freedom Area Elementary, Middle, and High Schools had their first active intruder drill with their students. Mr. Ryan Smith, middle school principal and school safety coordinator, said he thinks the drill went well and had a positive effect on students and staff. When asked if this will be a monthly thing he said that at this time no, but it’s expected that we will have another drill before the end of the school year.