FRESHMEN YEAR
Coming into freshman year, Wildkits were introduced to the world of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” a TV show based on Jenny Han’s bestselling series of novels. Students entered the drama-filled, sunshine-y world of Conrad and Belly and immediately wished school were not starting in a couple of weeks. Once school started, however, the hallways became the backdrop for TikToks, many featuring the song “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy, in which students stood still in the middle of the hallway while peers walked to class around them. The purpose of the trend was ambiguous, but the hype it generated was inescapable. The first football games of the year proved to be great spots for BeReals. The front-and-back-camera photo-sharing app gained popularity over the summer and carried strong into second semester. Freshman year also saw the release of Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, “Midnights.” The synth-y beats and somewhat melancholy lyrics played in the headphones of many, as they made the unfamiliar trudge from the Gym Wing to the Arts Wing.
SOPHOMORE YEAR
Sophomore year proved that Taylor Swift was here to stay. Over the summer of 2023, her Eras Tour was attended by more than 4 million people, and many of them were Wildkits. Similarly, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” tour filled stadiums and sold nearly 3 million tickets worldwide. The summer of 2023 also proved that going to the movies was back! Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” simultaneous July 21 release date caused the now-classic portmanteau of “Barbenheimer” and a divide between film fanatics. In the fall, Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album “GUTS” got students through their sophomore slumps. The rocking ballads and deep purple color scheme showed maturity and growth in Rodrigo, and in ETHS’s sophomores, who were seventh graders when “SOUR” released. In December, a food trend emerged that was decadent enough to make one’s sweet tooth rot. “Dubai chocolate,” or a chocolate bar filled with green, flaky pistachio paste, soon took over social media, as users filmed themselves eating the exotic treat, and viewers wondered what it tasted like. But while Dubai chocolate permeated as a trend for years to come, it never quite made it into the ETHS cafeterias.
JUNIOR YEAR
The summer before junior year was another great year for the movies, with Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” releasing in the spring. The movie, starring Zendaya in a tension-filled film about a tennis love triangle, made nearly 100 million dollars worldwide, with many viewers packing the theatre due to the snappy and enticing trailer. While it was a good summer for the movies, it may not have been so for fans of rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake. In a heated rap beef that got darker as the back-and-forth songs progressed, Kendrick Lamar released one of his most popular songs as of now, “Not Like Us,” and Drake was widely condemned and embarrassed. He seems to have bounced back now, but for a time, “Not Like Us”‘s scathing lyrics seemed career-ending for the Canadian artist. Of course, we can’t forget about BRAT summer either. Across social media, Charli XCX had emerged from hibernation, releasing an album filled with “Club classics” and catchy beats, even claiming neon green as the “Brattiest” color of the summer. Later that year, we all reeled from the seemingly inevitable TikTok ban, which sent many of us to post some regrettable drafts, only for the app’s cancellation to be called off quickly after.
SENIOR YEAR
The summer of 2025 was jam-packed with exciting releases, from the famous (or infamous…depending on who you ask) “K-pop Demon Hunters,” and the rise of Benson Boone with his hit single “Mystical Magical,” which was later used to promote the famous Moonbeam Ice Cream Crumbl cookie, which was an exciting mix of chocolate, mint and citrus flavors. Of course, the end of the summer came with heartbreak for many TV fans, as the hit series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” came to an end, only to bring watchers right back in with a movie announcement soon after the release of the final episode. There were also even more exciting music announcements, with Sabrina Carpenter’s album “Man’s Best Friend,” whose album cover generated much speculation across social media. Later, we received the shocking Zara Larsson rebrand, as she debuted a tropical, fun and undeniably summer aesthetic following a meme that had proliferated across Instagram, X and TikTok.
