A Category 3 hurricane and an unimaginable, tragic mass shooting. Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year. It has been one to remember—or rather, one to forget.
I walked into school on the first day and expected it to be somewhat of a normal year: midterms, finals and more class options for next year. Sophomore year also heralds CAPT testing in March (add in the sarcastic “yay!”), and I was looking forward to getting my learner’s permit. I thought it was going to be a regular school year. An exciting one, perhaps, but nothing too out of the ordinary.
In October, when I learned that a hurricane was on its way, I didn’t think much of it. We had already experienced Hurricane Irene in August 2011 and we only lost a few days of school. I didn’t think it was going to be too crazy.
But this hurricane was different.
Hurricane Sandy absolutely ravaged the East Coast, leaving almost all Staples students without power for days, if not weeks. Over 100 houses burned down in New York, and we didn’t have school for a full week. The fact that we didn’t have school wouldn’t have been so bad—if I actually had power.
To add to that tragedy, the storm practically cancelled Halloween. I will never forget the little kids walking around the hotel my family temporarily stayed, dressed up in their Halloween costumes. I couldn’t imagine missing a Halloween when I was little, and these kids had to spend it in a hotel because the weather was terrible. I don’t even think they got any candy.
After Hurricane Sandy hit, I thought that was enough craziness for one year—but the tragedy just kept piling on. And this time, it felt like we were in a horror film.
On December 14, 2012, the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School transpired. Not only was Newtown in shock, not only was Connecticut in shock, not only was the nation in shock, but the entire world was taken by surprise. It was definitely an event that will be remembered for years to come. Every time Sandy Hook is mentioned, we’re all likely to feel a twinge of sadness in our hearts.
Yet, this school year’s record for catastrophes has taught us some great things. Although parts of the country are still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, we can all appreciate the power that runs our homes and schools. And even with the everlasting ache that Sandy Hook has left in our souls, we’ve learned to hug our little brothers and sisters, our cousins, and our friends a bit tighter.
Frankly, I hope the rest of the school year is as boring as possible. While an ancient Chinese proverb states, “May you live in interesting times,” for now, I’d rather not.
