2010 brought us Instagram, killing our sense of reality. In 2011, Occupy Wall Street changed the way we talked about economics. The first African American man held the presidency until 2016. But, these aren’t necessarily the things we remember about the 2010s. How do those of us barely born after the turn of the century remember the last ten years? After all, a decade is over half of a high-schooler’s lifetime. 

   West High students of varying ages held different opinions. When asked about the things that characterized the events of the last decade, Lauren McCarthy (12) stated, “Literally Obama. Wizards of Waverly Place. Mobile Ordering. Amazon same-day shipping!” Ostensibly, the 2010s brought change in technology, society, and the economy. But, what really happened over the last decade? Have we made progress? 

   The youngest generation of West High students thinks so. Analyzing the progress we have made as a nation and as a society of young people, Shamus McIntyre (9) explained that “this decade, we were able to recognize the problems that we’ve created and make an effort to correct them, such as climate change. The world is so bad, but it’s the optimistic view that allows us to make a difference.”

   In juxtaposition with his opinion, older students think much differently about how to characterize this past decade. Lily Newhart (12) commented, “I’m gonna remember the 2010s like I remember my depression: I lost hope in the American people when Trump was elected, and since then, I don’t have much faith in our voting citizens. I look forward to seeing more people involved in government in the future.” Newhart’s quote perfectly exemplifies the attitude we must have entering the next ten years. While the majority of us took all of society’s accomplishments this decade for granted, it’s time for us to mature enough to realize that the responsibility of changing the times over the next decade is now ours. With this in mind, Happy New Year, West High, and good luck next semester.