As we welcome in 2017, it’s time to say goodbye to 2016, and reflect on what occurred, both the good and the bad.

For sports teams, 2016 brought plenty of joyous wins. At Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in a score of 24-10. It was also the last game of Peyton Manning’s career. Records were broken in both basketball and baseball. The city of Cleveland had two appearances in sports finals, with one win and one loss. In the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors faced each other in a seven game series. Cleveland won the championship, ending the city’s 52 year NBA Championship drought. A few months later, the Cleveland Indians went against the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Cleveland won three of the first four games of the series before Chicago rallied with three straight victories to take the title. This was the first appearance in the World Series for each team in over fifty years.

In politics, 2016 marked a historic presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for President in a major political party (Democratic Party). Donald Trump became the Republican nominee, and was later elected to become the 45th President of the United States. During the presidential campaign, both candidates found themselves in hot water due to Clinton’s email scandal and Trump’s explicit conversation with former entertainment reporter Billy Bush, among many other instances of impropriety.

2016 was a year of tragedy in the entertainment industry. On January 10th, the death of  singer David Bowie began the series of celebrity deaths that occurred throughout the year. Just four days after Bowie’s death, actor Alan Rickman, best known for his role of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movie series, passed away. Three months later, music legend Prince died from a drug overdose in late April. Other famous music icons, movie stars, and even an American Hero, John Glenn, also passed away this year. More tragic deaths occurred on and after Christmas. Singer George Michael died Christmas day, and two days later actress Carrie Fisher, known for her role as Princess Leia, died after suffering from cardiac arrest a few days before Christmas. Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher’s mother, died the following day after suffering a stroke.

In our school district, a new Assistant Superintendent, Eveny de Mendez, came after former Assistant Superintendent Dr. Rando left the district. School sports were successful this year with both girls and boys soccer teams making it to the playoffs, with the boys advancing to the Group 4 Sectional Championship. The Girls Volleyball Team won the Super Essex Conference (SEC) Colonial Championship, marking their first championship win in school history. The girls tennis team advanced far in their season as well, and the football team was able to make it into the playoffs.

To quote Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” After a year like that, this quote is more applicable than ever. Hopefully 2017 will bring only the best of times.