Our seniors began their journey at Xavier College Preparatory in 2016, but that’s definitely not the only big event from their freshman year. Here is a look at all the major events that have occurred over their time at Xavier (2016-2020)!

2016: 

• Olympics – The summer Olympic Games took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! This was swimmer Michael Phelps’s last Olympics and the standout moment for gymnast Simone Biles. 
• Election – President Trump was officially elected in November 2016. 
• Water bottle flipping – For some odd reason, the world became obsessed with attempting to flip a water bottle and get it to land standing up. 
• Pokemon go – the Pokemon Go app was added to the app store, and got people all over the world up and moving to search for new Pokemons.

2017: 

• Hurricane Harvey – Hurricane Harvey took the world by storm (literally), causing mass destruction. The nation came together to come to the aid of those affected.
• Total solar eclipse – the nation experiences a total solar eclipse. That day, thousands stood outside with special glasses to take a look!
• Fidget spinners became a thing – little toys intended to help those with focus issues became the next big thing. They began to come in every size, shape, color, and brand imaginable.
• Oscar mixup with La La Land and Moonlight – at the 2017 Oscars, for the award of best picture, the wrong name was read.

2018: 

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married – American Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, after dating publicly for two years, finally tied the knot in England. 
• People ate tide pods – For some odd reason, teens across America thought it would be fun to eat Tide Pods (laundry detergent pods). Needless to say, it was very dangerous and a terrible idea.
• Parkland shooting – In February, 17 students were killed at a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool in Parkland, Florida. This tragic event heavily influenced the movement for gun control.
• Wildfires in california -Thousands of wildfires caused destruction all throughout California, causing many people to have to evacuate their homes.

2019: 

• President Trump was impeached – Though he was acquitted and not removed from office, the President was charged with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
• College admissions cheating scandal – Many public figures were publicly charged with participating in a scheme nicknamed “Operation Varsity Blues,” where they bribed college admissions officials and coaches to let their children into elite colleges as “sports recruits” (they did not actually play these sports). This scheme was also used to inflate standardized test scores. 
• U.S. women won 4th FIFA world cup – In France, the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team won their 4th FIFA World Cup against the Netherlands. 
• Tiktok became massive – The app Tiktok, previously known as Music.ly, took off and began to be used by teens across the world. 

2020: 

• Kobe and Gianna Bryant death – Kobe Bryant, a basketball icon, and his daughter sadly passed away in a helicopter crash in January.
• World War III – Although it never occurred, tensions between the U.S. and Iran caused many to fear the beginning of World War III.
• Coronavirus – Known formally as COVID-19, the virus has taken over the country and the rest of the world, causing schools, sports, and all major events to close down.
• Some Good News – Actor and director John Krasinski started a news show, Some Good News, to bring some light and positivity into the world right now!