With the end of a school year, people all over the country are reflecting on what happened over the past ten months. This is normal, but the 2018-19 school year has been anything but.

It has been a year of triumphs and tragedies, leaving most of the nearly four thousand people who call Perry home hungry for summer break. We narrowed down the top-5 stories of the school year – from bats to state titles, there was a lot to choose from this year.

1. The Bats

The bats were a spooky situation. During March bats came into the C-building during construction. They were flying in the hallways scaring students and staff. At the end of the third quarter, security guards had grabbers and plastic bags and collected the bats and let them go to safley. Nearly a third of the C-building was impacted by the bats, displacing some classes and forcing experts to come help the school rid itself of the infestation.

2. #JacobStrong

You might have seen the blue shirts around campus with the hashtag on it and wonder what are those shirts for. The shirts are for senior Jacob Medina who is fighting leukemia, and the shirts were sold as a fundraiser to help raise money for him and his family during this time.

3.MAGA  

The whole MAGA situation has had some people angry, some staying defensive, with the other people just trying to stay out of it. What began as an innocent spirit day turned into a national story because some students accused administration of restricting their first amendment rights, which administration denies.

4. Athletic Success

This year, five sports programs reached state championship game (or match). Badminton and cheer won state, while football, girls’ soccer and beach volleyball brought home Arizona’s runners-up trophies. In addition, every other sport on campus reached post-season play.

5. Campus Expansion

At the beginning of the year, the district announced that PHS would be expanding. The school will be getting a new academic extension to the C-building, a new locker room near John Wrenn Stadium, new tennis courts and new seating area near the cafeteria. All of the construction will help all the traveling teachers to finally have their own room and potentially reduce class sizes.