Dear Class of 2017,

Congratulations to my fellow seniors on the upcoming completion of our time here at Manhasset Secondary School! With our graduation taking place within the month, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on how different the world is from when we entered this esteemed high school to now.

In 2013…

1. Barack Obama was sworn in as President for his second term
2. Nelson Mandela died at age 95.
3. On October 1, the government temporarily shut down
4. Gay marriage was legalized in various different states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Hawaii and Illinois)
5. The Cleveland kidnapper (of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight) was caught
6. On April 15, the horrific Boston Marathon bombings occurred
7. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina, is elected as the new Pope
8. Edward Snowden leaks details of the NSA surveillance program
9. The 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Milestones occurred
10. The NASA revealed that it was possible that Mars could have supported life in the past

In 2013…

1. “What Does the Fox Say?” was a “cool” song
2. Grand Theft Auto V was released
3. Miley Cyrus released her unforgettable song: “Wrecking Ball”
4. Doge was the most popular Internet meme
5. Vine became popular (#RIPVine)
6. Selfie was added to the Oxford Dictionary
7. Twerking became popular
8. The goat parody of Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood song was released (and is still amazing)
9. Bingewatching became an “official” thing
10. #Hashtags started to become used outside of Twitter

It’s been a fascinating and fun four years with you all, and I wish you all the best for your futures!

Congratulations again to the Class of 2017!