With the new year always comes reflection and evaluation on the year that has passed. Several artists dropped new albums that quickly became fan favorites. The Olympics brought new athletes to the public eye, a gymnastics controversy, and records being broken. The election brought an assassination attempt and a candidate change only a few months before voting. True crime became more popular than ever, with Gypsy Rose Blanchard being released, the Menendez brothers getting more coverage, and the internet obsessing over Luigi Mangione. While these topics may be over for the year, their everlasting importance will carry on through popular culture and historical events.  

Brat Summer 

British pop icon Charli XCX made her way back onto the Billboard charts with her newest album Brat, which debuted in June of 2024. The album with its bright lime green trademark quickly caught the attention of the media, soon becoming the face of Tiktok and marketing campaigns, even being incorporated into Kamala Harris’ Presidential campaign.

“Brat summer” became the newest trend, leading younger generations to embrace care-free and messy characteristics. The album breaks away from recent social media trends of being “picture perfect” and aesthetic during all times of day, as the album encapsulates enjoying the moment, being the life of the party, and being authentically yourself.

Popular songs off the album included “360” and “Apple”, with “Apple” being arguably the most popular dance across the social media platforms. While the album stayed majorly popular during the summer, it can be important for teens to understand that while the competitive culture during high school breeds successful students, having fun can also be a crucial component of one’s development. 

Isabella Blewitt (‘27) “Brat summer led to a vibrant summer soundtrack, and allowed me to embrace being carefree and hang out with my friends.”

Diddy Arrested

One of the largest controversies that came to light during 2024 was without a doubt rapper P. Diddy’s indictment for sex trafficking. Throughout the years, it has been known that P. Diddy had thrown the biggest parties in Hollywood, with stars like Jay-Z, Ellen Degeneres, and Justin Bieber in attendance. However, it has now been revealed the cruelty and darkness that occurred at these parties behind closed doors. P. Diddy was arrested on September 16, 2024 for sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy.

The overall idea is that P. Diddy held these parties to drug women and children, sexually assault them, and transport them for prostitution. With a multitude of accusers both named and anonymous, P. Diddy is pleading not guilty and is presiding in a New York federal prison. Not only did this indictment bring light to P. Diddy’s true colors, but has brought questions to other celebrities in association with him. New controversies about Jay-Z and Beyoncé have spread across the media, questioning their actions and authenticity.

However, what the public can learn from this case besides its sickening content is the importance of holding celebrities accountable for their actions instead of putting them on a pedestal. 

Clara Napoles (‘26) says, “With all the charges that have been brought against him, I hope P. Diddy gets the proper sentencing, and that he isn’t given grace because he is a celebrity. I hope the other celebrities that are associated with his crimes are fairly charged and get their punishment as well.” 

Trump gets Reelected 

The 2024 election will be a remarkable election to learn about in future elections. The election campaigns began in early 2024, with Former President Trump running against current President Biden, the same lineup as the 2020 election. However, after the Presidential debate in June of 2024, the public began to question Biden’s competence at leading for four more years, due to his older age. July of 2024 was probably the most eventful of the months leading up to the election, as former President Trump was shot at one of his rallies.

Though he survived and suffered minimal injuries, the presence of an assassination attempt has not been seen since President Reagan in the ‘80s. In addition to the shooting, President Joe Biden dropped out of the election due to his physical state, and Vice President Kamala Harris acclaimed his spot.

Though Harris campaigned hard during the months leading up to the election, Trump won in a landslide vote, with Trump having 312 electoral votes compared to Harris’ 226 electoral votes. Now, Trump will come back into office on January 20 to be the 47th President, and the second in history to have two terms in office that are not consecutive.

Luigi Mangione Kills United Healthcare C.E.O. 

United Healthcare C.E.O. Brian Thompson, was murdered on December 4, 2024. His death was a mystery and fascination to many, as it occurred early in the morning, and the killer went missing for five days before being arrested. However, it was later revealed that the University of Pennsylvania graduate, Luigi Mangione, is the accused man behind the killing of Thompson. With mixed reactions, the internet has not been able to stop obsessing over the assassination in general. Some people are in fear of their own lives if they’re involved with business, understanding that this killing was done in an act of defiance due to United Healthcare denying many individual’s claims. Others seem to be sympathizing with Mangione, as they defend his action due to the underlying issues with capitalism and health insurance. Nevertheless, the crime has led to much controversy regarding Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty, and is facing federal charges at the time. Though there are mixed opinions regarding the crime, it is clear that there has been much violence spreading across the nation, with assassinations at an all time high. 

Ainsley Kurrack (‘26) “Luigi Mangione has been all over my feed, partly because of his objectively good looks and partly because of his interesting back story.” 

Former President Jimmy Carter Passes Away 

The 39th President of the United States passed away on December 29, 2024. Jimmy Carter was 100 years old, who lived his last days after his goal of voting for Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. Carter was the longest living President in the nation’s history, who served from 1977 to 1981. Though he only served for one term, his everlasting impact on the United States is evident in his efforts in social justice and protecting the human rights of Americans.

His work in public service was only notable, as he worked with Habitat for Humanity for over 30 years. In addition to his humanitarian work, he also served as diplomat for US interactions with several countries, including Ethiopia and North Korea. Carter spent much of his later years writing, publishing a plethora of books and winning a Grammy Award for his recording of “Our Endangered Values”.

Because of his wide range of charity and educational work, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. However, even with all of his accomplishments, he stated that he would want to be best known for his roles in being a husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. 

 

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2024 was indeed a year full of important events regarding crime and politics for the nation as a whole. Pertaining to the Tampa and AHN community, 2024 was also a year of success, devastation, and growth. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton led to severe damage across Tampa, and also fostered a supportive and uplifting community for people to help build their lives up back to normal.

The inaugural girls flag football team at Academy won their league’s Championship, in addition to AHN’s swimming and diving team winning State Champions for the third consecutive year. Academy students also went through some changes this year, with a new phone policy, and delved deep into the events listed below. Many Academy girls took to a liking of the Brat album, and participated in a mock election to get a taste of voting.

It is with a doubt that there were a wide range of emotions amongst Academy students and faculty, and there were many opportunities that led to personal development and reflection.

With these events, it is seen that a lot of solemn and scary events occurred in 2024. There were times of division, violence, and hate. But there were also times of celebration, love, and laughter that is seen in memorable popular culture moments. Though these events are the ones that are most remembered from the year, people still did accomplish a lot, and there are positive remnants through the memories families and friends had.