Many important events happened in the Grosse Pointe community and throughout South in 2018. Laughs and memories were shared that will stick with people for a lifetime. There were definitely  some changes for the good and bad for students– and with 2019 coming around the corner, there is a lot to reflect back on in 2018.

Throughout the duration of this year, many notable things affected the Grosse Pointe and South community, one being the massive calling students had to the DTE (Detroit Edison) Energy concerts. Several artists such as G-Eazy, Tee Grizzley, Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa  came to perform.

“I prefer to go to DTE concerts because they’re outdoors, so you don’t feel so claustrophobic with everyone around you,” Hanna Ottaway ’20 said. “Also, you can see friends from all over and just walk up to anyone.”

Ottaway said more students go to DTE concerts because the lawn tickets are cheaper compared to seat tickets in the Palace of Auburn Hills or Little Caesars Arena. Students get to walk around freely to purchase the artists’ merch, buy food from local food trucks or converse with fellow students in surrounding schools.

According to Official DTE website, DTE draws in its 15,274 person audience by bringing in the best of the best artists that all teens are attracted to. According to Ottaway, DTE concerts are a fun and social way to spend time with friends and listen to your favorite simultaneously. She said one of the most popular concerts that her friends attended was G-Eazy and his surprise guest Tee Grizzley who came to perform.

On March 26, 2018, three houses burned down on Washington St., according to WXYZ. Flames initially broke out at a house being renovated and the two homes on the opposite sides caught fire, and unfortunately all three homes were a loss. According to 7 Action News, after the burning the community and the street created the social media trend #washingtonstrong. Grosse Pointe came together in an effort to re-establish the homes lost. Because of this trending hashtag, one of the three are being rebuilt and re-established.

Homecoming this year was filled with many memories. From the pep assembly, homecoming parade to the dance, everything was planned out precisely. The pep assembly was filled with many fun games and laughter by each grade. Fairytale Freshmen, Superhero Sophomores, Jolly Roger Juniors and Psychedelic Seniors were  the themes this year that each grade got to participate in. Many people came together this year to make everything happen, from volunteers to student association. According to the new advisor of Student Association science teacher Claire Sobolak everything came together perfectly. The homecoming parade and floats were done superbly by students, and the floats this year really captured the themes of each grade. The seniors won this year with the best float, which their theme this year was psychedelic seniors.

“I loved the seniors float and the 70s theme,” Emma Riley ’21 said. “I also feel that it was one the best because they have the experience of four years.”

Lastly, the dance, came a long way from last year from the help of constructive criticism from students. The music was up to date and card games to keep students busy. Overall, homecoming was a very fun time with students that will keep these memories forever.

This year, many students were upset with the new five minute passing time. This was a huge adjustment to many students compared to the seven minutes from past years.

According to student Emery Matthews ’19,  there are more cons than pros in this situation. She said she misses relaxing before classes with the extra minutes, and that teachers expect you to not pack up everything until the bell rings, which then takes time out of your passing time.

The reason for this change was to add extra minutes to each class per day. This has caused problems with student’s passing time, whether it’s using the locker or simply just being able to talk to a teacher after class.

Many students were being locked out of the breeze way as well because student, staff and faculty wanted to minimize the chances of a school attack. All these new changes made it harder for students to get from class to class. Matthews said the  students felt more rushed since they couldn’t even go to their locker to drop off some heavy books.

Since the beginning of the year though, students have made new adjustments to their day-to-day schedules. Now, many students have to bring multiple books to classes and use the restroom during class time, according to Matthews. Many students were angered by this new change to their day but have learned to get use to it. Nothing new at first is liked, but once someone gets use to it, things are adjusted to.

The game of the year that everyone looks forward to happened on Oct. 12, 2018. The theme this year for South students was “white out”. The game was a victory for South by a long shot. Player Grant Hart ’19  said his favorite moment of the game was returning a kickoff and taking it back to about the five yard line just right after half time. Hart said returning the kick to South’s student section while everyone was cheering him on was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. South ended up beating North 56-0. It was a huge victory that South took in this game. Many students left this game feeling proud to be a Blue Devil at South High School. The atmosphere at the game was very uplifting, and students really brought the enthusiasm. South students sometimes lack school spirit, but at this game the student section was very full with excitement and passion, Matthews said. With the loss to North last year left many upset, South’s football team really brought it up a notch this year.

2018 was great season for fall sports in general, but especially for varsity volleyball. Throughout the past few years they have consecutively won Districts against numerous teams, thanks to head coach Krysta Kreyger. The first match that varsity played, like every year, was against South’s school rival, North. Initially, varsity played North in the beginning of the season and had a successful win, so it was no surprise when South conquered our rivals once again in the semifinals. After that rewarding win, South really had to batten down the hatches and turn their attention to their next opponent, Warren Woods. South was now arriving at the District finals, which they have been mentally preparing and training for, according to Hall.

“We had many tough practices and pasta parties leading up to the game,” Lilly Hall ’20 said. “Mainly, we knew what we had to do to win and kept reminding ourselves how good we knew we could play.”

Now was the time to show and prove that their hard training hasn’t been for nothing. From this hard training and team mindset South walked out of the gym as District champions with a trophy in hand. Seniors on the team Charlotte Brecht ’19, Gretchen Brockway ’19 and Cindy Hogan ’19 got to leave and play their last South volleyball match as victorious winners in the district. Now we will only wait to see what next years varsity volleyball team has in stock.

Many people look forward to the Thanksgiving Parade every year. According to metroparent.com, the theme this year for the parade was “Christmas Around the World”. Both South and North students had the chance to participate in this event. The marching band from each school came and marched throughout Grosse Pointe. Down Kercheval, families came out and gathered on the sidewalks to watch all the floats go by. It’s a very exciting time and it’s exciting for all ages. The schools clubs and organizations got involved as well, and even local businesses participated in these floats. The whole community came together and to make this whole event work. Candy canes and little candies were thrown out to the families for little to treats for them to enjoy. It’s not just for families, but pets too– dogs can be involved in the dog walk. This parade had participants of many, and everyone got a chance to have the ability to participate. Overall the parade is an experience everyone in Grosse Pointe should come out and watch one year.

Fall of 2018 was a exciting and nerve-wracking time for the Grosse Pointe School system with the new proposal for the bond. According to The Grosse Pointe Public School System’s website, the bond proposal covers all four major categories with the overall goal of keeping the students safe, warm, dry and connected. This bond will help with school improvements and renovations that some claim are much needed. This million dollar bond has been talked about for awhile now, and the it’s opportunity to be put into action finally came. Nov. 6 was when the proposal was placed on the ballet and the citizens of Grosse Pointe were able to vote for or against it. Some of the reasons to vote against it is that the money could be taken from somewhere else, such asr closing down a school in the district and relocating the students. This issue no longer needs to be decided because the bond was passed soon after the election. Because this passed, this means that taxpayers have to pay more money regarding the changes being made. On average, the normal Grosse Pointe homeowner has to pay anywhere from $13 dollars to $25 dollars extra from their original taxes, according to the official Say Yes! To the Bond.. Although the taxpayers have to adjust, many argue that the small added fee is well worth the trouble.

In conclusion, the year of 2018 had many changes to it, and new experiences for everyone. Going into the new year many people will have memories from this year to look back at for a lifetime. There is many more to come in 2019 not just for the community but for South as well. Hopefully, 2019 will bring more memories and life lessons to everyone.