The Best (and Worst) of 2009

What a year we have had! Here's a wrap-up of what has transpired this year that mattered to J-DHS and the world.

School:

-The J-DHS Varsity Boys Basketball team became back-to-back reigning New York State Class A Champions on Mar. 22, 2009. Starting point guard Brandon Triche and guard Alshwan Hymes are now at the next level. Will this year's team make it a third in 2010, or start a re-building process?

-Wrestling is back! Here at the high school level for the first time in two decades. Will it be able to compete with the powerhouse schools in the area, or will it dwindle as it did 20 years ago?

-New club added! The Ping Pong Club headed by advisor Leo Brown is all new this school year! The club just had a tournament and it is widely popular among all grade levels.

-Sophomores and juniors in biology together, the order from chemistry to biology has been switched, half are taking biology this year

World:

-President Barack Obama, our country's first African-American President, is nearing his first complete year in office. He has received the Nobel Peace Prize before even completing 10 months as president. He has also announced that he is pulling troops out of Afghanistan in 2011. But not before adding 30,000 more.

-The scare from the H1N1 virus. Hundreds have stayed home sick this year with flu-like symptoms, leaving everyone scared enough to wear masks in public.

-The sudden death of pop culture icon Michael Jackson at 50-years-old. His death left everyone grieving on June 25

-Aliens have invaded! (Not really) The Balloon Boy Hoax on Oct. 15, 2009 attracted a worldwide audience. A 6-year-old Colorado boy named Falcon Heene was rumored to be traveling at altitudes of 7,000 feet or more in a homemade helium balloon created by his father. But really it was all a hoax for publicity.

-The recession, from which may of us are still recovering, instilled fear in American consumers and shook up economies worldwide.

What else do you think belongs on this list?