Every year since 1978, the Washington Post has curated a list of “stuff” that is considered “in” and “out” for the new year. This annual piece was called “The List”. Because I know you must be interested in the trends of the 1970s, I will give you a peek but because I choose to not pay each month to access the Post’s articles that is about all I can do for you. In 1978, our favorite school novel, The Great Gatsby was considered “out” while pirates became a popular “in”. Just last year Pete Davidson was both “in” and “out”? Although I had not heard of the trend until just recently, it is nice to see it has decades worth of depth.
It is time to latch onto this trend and balance our scales. It is 2024 and we all must decide what ideas, objects, and lessons we want to leave behind and what is “in” for the new year. A clean slate is always a good starting point in making this year all about growth and putting your best foot forward. Common “outs” for the season include negativity, unhealthy eating, or poor driving. Even though these goals might only last for a couple of months, the effort is always worth it in the long run. You deserve at minimum a month of peace for yourself. Recognizing where you might have fallen short in the last year and where you need to grow and improve on is just the first step towards a better year.
A Change of Routine in the Magnet Halls
After sending out an email to the entire study body questioning what their “ins” and “outs” are, I accumulated a few answers. A lot of the answers were centered around the Academic Magnet lifestyle. Maryn Tombs took a very literal approach to the question: Econ is “in” for 2024 while AP Gov, a first semester class, is “out”. Chloe Carlsten decided that in the new year she should continue her habit of always making it late to school. Her “out” on the other hand was going places with friends only to take pictures; she insisted that she would only want to attend a dinner for “good food, good people, and good conversation” instead of good photos. Checks out. Abby Trolley would agree, living in the moment and appreciating the time you have is a definite “in”. Marina Barnes also believed that arriving late to school was in as long as you are “fashionably late.” Ava Smoak concluded that for 2024, Calculus was out. I do not know how she is going to make this work as Calculus is a year long class. However, I have faith in her and she will eventually get used to it. Madalynn Howe had the opposite conscious claiming the quadratic formula was in for 2024! I would have to agree that it makes many things easier in the world of math, but it truly is a process. Hating on math is considered out for the new year according to an anonymous person. Looks like your opinion is “out,” Ava Smoak. Sameen Basunia thinks that both studying and having good sleep patterns should be normalized. Similarly, Ella Foss believes procrastination should be considered “out” for the new year. I agree with this wholeheartedly, getting work out of the way earlier truly leads to better peace of mind… and sometimes better work. Ava Trolley can attest that “doom-scrolling” is a bad habit to get into and I could not agree more. Now this one is a good one. Suzanna Carlsten believes that cell service at school should be “in” in 2024; this honestly may be a very controversial perspective for Magnet students but I stand by it. Nonetheless, others, like Isabella Latture, believe that having less screen time is “in”. A common theme I have picked up from these responses is that living in the moment should be appreciated this year. 2023 had gone by so fast I think it is time to redirect our focus onto what is happening right now.
New Rules, New Stuff, and New Trends
My favorite “out” for the new year is “Fomo” (Piper Hudgins). Fomo is just another way to get into your head when you really don’t know what’s happening on the other side of things. Also learning and appreciating being alone with yourself is one of my favorite things to do. Get into some hobbies. I saw an article recently about “Jomo”, the joy of missing out. Some other favorite’s include Harry Ding’s “in,”fine arts pottery; Cliffie’s Manuel’s “out,” baggage claim; and Wilson Swenson’s “in,” writing google reviews for restaurants you go to. Eating crayons is claimed to be “in” for both Garrison Gray and Wyatt Mahoney. I don’t know what that means. Nonetheless I do think u-turns should be “out” forever. Many agreed to keep a lot of trends in 2023, some controversial: uggs (Madalynn Howe), alternative music (Lizzie Matthews), Taylor Swift (Isabella Latture), Vlone Jackets (Zuriel Nyamutsaka), flare leggings (Wilson Swenson), and Instagram filters (Marina Barnes). I agree with most of these except I will never get tired of Taylor Swift. I personally think for the new year that the Apple conglomerate should be out of the picture. I feel like my Apple computer has broke too many times to count and there is no possible way this could be solely my fault. A broken screen one time is normal, but three times is a bit suspicious. Cooking creative recipes should also be “in.” A sandwich everyday for lunch is substantial and always good, but I believe there are better ways to spice up a lunch meal. Cooking for friends instead of going out should also always be normalized; the money you save is tremendous.
If you can not relate to any of these opinions, I urge you to think of your own goals for the new year. No matter how simple they may be, it is a great place to start off a good year. Plus, change is always good.
