As the whirlwind of 2015 comes to a close, many South students are reflecting on everything that occurred to them this year ranging from the latest music dropping by their favorite artists to what events happened to them personally. These best things we experience during the year set the mood of how our school year goes and how we take on new tasks and challenges so of course it was evident that the southerner cover everyone’s favorite things and see how it impacted their school year. Including some of my favorite things of course!

Multiple South students and teachers were interviewed to talk about some of their favorite things of 2015 and how they relate to South. One of the best things students were asked to describe were the best South events and activities. 

South student groups plan a whole bunch of events throughout the entire year for students to go to. From dance performances to spirit week, there’s usually something students find memorable and worth their time. Many students favorite school events are put on by other students and committees, but opinions differ about which one’s the best.

“I love the Winter Ball!” Senior Daisy Montoya says, talking about her favorite South High event. “It’s always really pretty there, and the food is great.” Winter Ball, formerly known as Sweethearts, is usually held at McNamara Alumni Center at the U of M, and is one of the most attended dances at South. Often there are chocolate covered strawberries, oranges, and other fruits as well as, other desserts. The food, the venue, and the attire make it one of the best events South puts on.

“I really like Homecoming day,” junior Amarti Bekele shares when talking about South events. “Everyone gets pumped and wears their tiger pride apparel. It really shows the school spirit.” Homecoming day is the last day of Spirit Week, and you can always depend on students to go all out. From tiger onesies to orange tutus, the whole school shows their tiger stripes. Students are able to attend a pep fest during 7th hour on Homecoming day, and go straight from there to the homecoming game.

Bekele also shares a favorite event that a lot of students don’t participate in but still does tie into what goes on at South. Citywide student council.

“I’m a part of student council and for it we get to go to citywide meetings, us talking to other Minneapolis public high schools, and share what’s been going on with South to other schools and people across the district,” Bekele explains.

We, South students, don’t usually realize that there are many more events that take place during the year that we don’t know about, like citywide student council, and that our students have the opportunities to do great things.

Another essential part of the year of 2015 is music. At South, anyone can notice the amount of people with earbuds in their ears in and out of class, during lunch, or when walking/taking the train to and from school.Or you’ll walk by students proudly blaring their music from speakers. Music plays a big part in shaping the South community though we don’t usually notice.

The lyrics of our favorite songs can relate to how we’re feeling/what we want when we get older or, the beat can help inspire us to power through or finish our calculus homework. At South, music can be a celebration of culture, which some student groups, like UMOJA and UNIDOS, display during auditoriums throughout the school year.

Many South students shared what their favorite album/songs where that came out during 2015 and why they liked them.

“I like Confident by Demi Lovato,” sophomore Derartu Ansha expresses. “It just talks about how you have to be confident with yourself and your body. I think the music is open to anyone who’s willing to listen to it.”

Gabby Ayana, a junior at South, expresses that she likes the album Trapsoul by Bryson Tiller because it does a good job of exposing vulnerability in the artist and others who listen to the music. “It really connects to me”.

Annie, a senior at South, also goes into explaining her favorite album “WorldWide “ by Korean Hip-Hop artist Jay Park, “I like different types of music from hip-hop to Korean music and I think that’s pretty cool.”

Finally, books also play a factor into the best of 2015. They help education teachers, specifically English teachers, plan their next curriculum outline if they believe the book can really connect to their agenda.

Books also impact many students because they create stories that students can relate to and make connections with the work that they do in class. Personally, reading “The House on Mango Street” in Open English teacher Mary Manors class has incorporated many references into some of the essays  I write in English or social studies because the ideas they discuss relate to lots of broad topics.

Tanya Hodge, a Humanities teacher at South, said that her favorite book that she read this year was “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler because she wasn’t able to put it down. It was that good!

2015 ends in less than a month but we’ve already experienced all our best moments. Focusing on the best things that happened to us this year, or maybe even last year, it starts us off the next year with a more confident and happy aura which helps students get through the final months of school.