By Chris Acampora

Senior Staff Writer

Hanover High is a special place, and there are definitely a lot of things our seniors will miss about it. Each person has something really unique that they’ll be sad to leave after graduation. Here’s what a few HHS seniors said they will miss most:

• Ryan K: Band and lunch with the lads
• Katie D: Señora Aborn and cinco honores
• Bridget F: Sleeping in the library
• Alex M: The kids (my friends) and some teachers
• Ronan R: The friends I have made and the teachers that have been there for me all the time
• Donovan D: Mr. Depatto and the boys!
• Brendan M: My teachers
• Krisna V: hanging with Sara in the library
• Alex M: my friends
• Nick C: all the people, not just my friends
• Tom M: The TLC People
• Joe R: Sports events
• Meghan R: The friendships
• Emily S: Socializing
• Caroline Z: Seeing my friends every day
• Matt McL: Wrestling
• Gia D: Being young because after this it’s the real world
• Wyatt C: The people
• Jack D: Popcorn chicken bowls with gravy on everything… Oh!

A lot has happened in the last four years at Hanover High, and there’s definitely been a lot of memorable moments that people will never forget. Here are what some HHS seniors said was their favorite memory from their high school experience:

By Chris Acampora

Senior Staff Writer

• Kayla M: Attending MASC with student council for the first time
• Swaliha K: The first day of school senior year! The beginning of the end—very bittersweet
• Donovan D: Meeting the boys
• Cooper D: Playing on the field at Gillette Stadium during UMass Band Day
• Chris A: That time my friend Alex and I saved all my art from the dumpster behind the school
• Abby B: Becoming closer with my friends “The Majors”
• Josh C: Being able to travel around the country to learn skills with student council
• Mikayla C: Visiting Quebec City
• Sam H: When they added hot pretzels in the cafeteria
• James S: Participating in all of the concerts and shows
• Harry O.: Trip to Europe with Mr. Perry in 2018
• Megan R: Going to all the football and hockey games with my friends
• Jordan Lindsay: cheerleading
• Mia B: English class junior year, when seniors parade on the last day
• Ben F: Playing hockey at the TD Garden
• Janey D: The year our sports teams won multiple championships
• Nick C: When I broke my collarbone freshman year during lacrosse practice
• Tom M: Walking through the front door
• Brendan M: “Giving birth” during a coping skills breathing exercise in Mr. Sprague’s classroom

By Chris Acampora

Whether you liked 2018 or not, you have to agree that there was a lot to laugh about. Videos, pictures and memes that went viral captured our attention and provided much of the humor. Here’s a look at the funniest things on the Internet and social media in 2018:

Selfie Kid

People always find something to make fun of about the Super Bowl halftime show, and 2018 was no different. Way back in February, a Scituate native was dubbed “Selfie Kid” for his pic with halftime performer Justin Timberlake — and the shot of him looking at his phone immediately after. It was extremely awkward to watch, and inspired countless memes trying to answer the question: what was he looking at on his phone?

Tide Pod Challenge

Everyone knows the joke, but where did it even come from? The exact origin is hard to find, but the whole Tide Pod Challenge controversy started after memes surfaced referring to the colorful detergent pods as “forbidden fruit” and making jokes about eating the toxic product. The joke took off mostly because of its absurd nature, eventually turning into the mock “Tide Pod Challenge.” Adults were up in arms, thinking it was a real trend that put young children in danger. No, nobody ever intended for anyone to actually eat Tide Pods. Making it even worse, many people made food items with the pattern of a Pod. The joke did point out, however, that packing hazardous laundry detergent to look like candy can be very dangerous.

Walmart Yodeling Kid

 This video of a kid yodeling in the middle of an Illinois Walmart raised more questions than answers. Why is a kid singing (“yodeling”) in the middle of a Walmart? Why are people gathering to watch? Why is someone filming? What song is he singing? The video eventually spurred a remix (that was surprisingly good) which kept “yodeling kid” on people’s minds for quite a while. The boy was Illinois native mason Ramsey, and the song, Hank Williams’ Lovesick Blues,  saw a rise in popularity on streaming services. People liked the boy so much that Walmart even invited him back to perform, and he even got a record deal– releasing his own song a few months later.

The Circle Game

It seemed everyone wanted to trick you into looking at their fingers in a circle on their leg; if you did, they’d get to punch you on the shoulder. The trick was apparently a thing in the 1980s, and had come back. Now with the Internet and computers, though, people were able to sneak the symbol into more places than on their leg. Photos circulated with hidden circles in the sneakiest of places, turning them into puzzles. We’re definitely sure this trend caused a lot of sore shoulders around the world and at HHS.

Presidential Alerts

Back in October, the government sent out the first test of its nationwide emergency alert system. It was a strange occurrence to have almost all smartphones across the country go off at the same time. Despite being called a “Presidential Alert,”  the messages don’t come from President Trump. This, however, didn’t stop people from turning it into a meme, humorously creating what they thought would be alerts  important enough to send to the entire country. 

Yanny or Laurel?

A reincarnation of “the dress” that people couldn’t tell was white and gold (the correct answer) or black and blue, this audio clip  rocked the Internet. When someone heard it on a vocabulary website, they shared it and started one of the most divisive arguments of 2018. Hysteria ensued as people picked sides and tried to figure out how the audio clip could appear to be playing different words for different people. Many people questioned what was wrong with their hearing or what was going on with the world. In the end it was determined that some people’s brains would just process the clip one way or the other. Listening to the word with an altered pitch allowed everyone to hear both sides of the word, which was originally meant to be laurel. Phew, world crisis averted!

***

Of course there were plenty of other funny things that happened in 2018, but it would take an encyclopedia to record them all. Hopefully someday there will be historians dedicated to these viral videos, trends and memes so we don’t have to explain them to our kids. The year had a lot of funny moments, and we’re hopeful that will be true for 2019 as well. Remember to try to not take yourself so seriously this year; there will be plenty to laugh about.

Featured picture from optinmonster.com

People Mourn the Loss of the  Headphone Jack: After Apple removed the headphone jack from its latest iPhone in early 2017, people argued whether it was a beloved, crucial feature or a relic of the past. Many felt that removing it and forcing the use of an adapter was unnecessary, while others were ready to embrace the future of wireless headphones. Overall, it seems the public has adjusted and the headphone jack is on its way out.

Digital Assistants Make Themselves at Home: In 2015, Amazon created the smart speaker with its digital assistant Alexa, and since then, the idea has taken off. The adoption rate of these devices – which stream music, search the Internet, and control other in-home devices with simple voice commands – doubled in 2017 and is increasing steadily into 2018.  Alexa remains the most popular, but other companies are trying to catch up. Google released a miniature version of its Home in October and Apple is going to release its HomePod at some point soon. Overall, it shows how technology is leaving our pockets and making itself at home in our living rooms.

Net Neutrality is No More: Mid-December marked the end for Net Neutrality,  the law that prohibited Internet providers from varying  speeds for different websites. Republicans argued the law limited the  competition which could lead to cheaper Internet plans. Democrats insisted that, without the law,  Internet providers have too much power and could slow down or impose fees on websites.  It’ll be interesting to see how the Internet changes in 2018.

Trump Embraces Twitter: Throughout President Trump’s first year in office, he’s made consistent – and controversial – use of Twitter. Trump prefers to communicate directly with the people instead of relying on what he calls “fake news.”  It is a huge change for an American president to rely so heavily on social media. Trump supporters love his straight talk, but critics say his unfiltered tweets are a danger, At one point, people even claimed Trump should be banned from Twitter for breaking its terms of service by “bullying.” Twitter responded that banning world leaders would be wrong, since Twitter is a way for them to reach so many people.

Equifax Hack Leaves Millions at Risk: September was not a good month for credit check company Equifax and its customers. Hackers accessed the personal information of 143 million Americans, including names, addresses, and social security numbers. This reminded us that no technology is truly secure –although the head of security at a company safeguarding millions of American’s information probably should have more than a music degree.

 Apple Stumbles Through Battery-Gate: Sneaking into the news in the last week of 2017, it was discovered that Apple was slowing down iPhones that have older batteries. This came after years of talk about Apple and “planned obsolescence.” The company released a statement saying they only slowed down phones with older batteries to prevent the phones from unexpectedly shutting down. They insisted the problem could be fixed by replacing the phone’s battery, and offered to do it at a discount.  If Apple had only been honest from the start, the company would have avoided tons of bad publicity.

Above: Apple CEO Tim Cook Announcing Apple’s Latest Products

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus – No, there’s no 7S

As the successors to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and a cheaper alternative to the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus bring a new design. Made with a glass back like previous iPhones, the new iPhone no longer has an aluminum body. The new glass back finally allows the iPhone to support wireless charging — but it can still be charged via the usual lightning cable if you don’t want to shell out the cash for the wireless charging pad (sold separately). Hopefully, though, this glass-backed phone fares better than the shatter-prone iPhone 4 and 4S of the past. This new design makes the new iPhones both thicker and heavier, although not by much.

Also new with the iPhone 8 is the A11 “Bionic” chip (Your best guess as to what “Bionic” means is just as good as mine). For the average user, just know this is 25 percent faster than the iPhone 7 and will remain fast for the next few iOS updates. The camera on the iPhone 8 also gets an upgrade, now taking better pictures in low light, with an improved flash that no longer leaves the background dark.

The iPhone 8 also bumps up the base storage size from 32gb to 64gb, which is good considering Apple raised the price of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus $50 and $30 respectively. It comes in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold (No more Rose Gold, Jet Black, Matte Black, or Red). Overall this new iPhone feels more like an iPhone 7S than an iPhone 8, but it’s still a worthwhile upgrade if you’re in the need of a new phone. This also highlights the problem for Apple: iPhones have gotten so good, you rarely need a new one. Apple seems to have a solution to this problem and it ends in “X.”

iPhone X – Yup, seven ate nine

Yes, it’s pronounced “ten” not “x,” and yes, it’s $999. When the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus weren’t matching the rumors, Apple released the last trick it had up its sleeves. Marking 10 years of the iPhone, Apple says the iPhone X is the future, now. This iPhone, which was years in the making, is probably the biggest change to the iPhone since the iPhone 6 in 2014. Featuring an edge to edge screen which eliminates the iconic home button, it’s a bold move for Apple. Users now swipe up from the bottom of the screen to mimic the function of the home button. Also gone with the button is Touch ID. Formerly Apple’s default method of device unlocking, Touch ID is being replaced by the similarly named Face ID facial recognition system. Face ID is supposed to be 20 times more secure than Touch ID– and much easier to use. Now the user only has to look at the iPhone to unlock it. Apple says it should work even at night or if you put glasses on; just don’t have a twin. It can, however, tell the difference between you and a picture of you with depth sensors, so rest assured, nobody will use a family photo to get into your iPhone. Face ID seems to be a much easier way of unlocking your phone, but we’ll have to see how reliable it is when the phone is released in early November.

The biggest change with the iPhone X is that its screen is now OLED. This means blacks are deeper, colors are more vibrant, and battery is better (The pixels of an OLED screen are actually off when showing the color black). Since the screen is almost edge to edge, it puts a plus-sized iPhone screen in the body of a regular sized one. The body of the iPhone X is also glass-backed like the iPhone 8, but to differentiate between the two, the iPhone X has polished stainless steel around the edges. It can also be differentiated from the iPhone 8 by its vertical dual cameras, which Apple claims are its best yet (the second camera being for 2x zoom). Unfortunately though, the iPhone X only comes in two colors, Silver and Space Gray, which seems boring considering Apple has been releasing new colors for the iPhone almost every year. It’s also both thicker and heavier, but most people will probably enjoy the greater battery life (2 hours more than the iPhone 8).

While this iPhone finally brings a huge change to the lineup, the X has one drawback. The$999 price tag is much more than Apple customers are used to paying, and its at the top of the phone price range. It’s a big risk, since people will either see the value in the new technology, or Apple will learn it just outpriced its average customer.

Everything Else – But wait, there’s more

Apple also released a Series 3 Apple Watch, and a new Apple TV that plays 4K content. The latest watch now can be used with or without your iPhone nearby, since it features its own cellular connection (identified by its red Digital Crown button). Apple also announced the arrival of iOS 11, which was released last Tuesday with changes to the iPad and redesigns to Control Center, Notification Center, and core apps like the App Store, News and Siri.