2014 was a great year for movies. We saw the third installment of the Hunger Games series entitled Mockingjay Part I, Shailene Woodley star in both the post-apocalyptic action movie Divergent and the tear-jerker The Fault in Our Stars, and Chris Pratt star in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, no movie seemed to stir up as much controversy as Seth Rogen and James Franco’s The Interview, a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. After receiving several threats and a cyber-attack in November, Sony decided to pull The Interview from theaters altogether. However, shortly thereafter, Sony decided to let theaters play the movie and let movie-goers watch at their own risk, while simultaneously releasing the movie on several online platforms.

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The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge swept the nation during the summer of 2014. Perhaps the most charitable internet craze, this phenomenon raised over $100 million as of August, according to Forbes Magazine. The Ice Bucket Challenge began in Boston in July 2014, with Boston College baseball player Pete Frates along with Pat Quinn. These men were both diagnosed with ALS and wanted to raise awareness for the disease.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has a few steps. The person who is nominated has 24 hours to dump a bucket of ice water over his or her head, film it, post it online, nominate 3 people, and donate at least $10 to any ALS charity. However, if said person fails to complete the challenge in 24 hours, they must donate $100 to an ALS charity. The viral sensation had many celebrities participating, including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and even Bill Gates.

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Along with 2014 came the Winter Olympic Games, hosted in Sochi, Russia in February. Some Americans who struck gold at these games include Kaitlyn Farrington in the women’s snowboard half pipe, Mikaela Shiffrin in the women’s slalom, and Sage Kotsenburg at the men’s snowboard slope style.

In the fall of 2014, NDA welcomed the first students of the Cuvilly Division, also known as the 7^th graders. Although they are much younger than the majority of the students, these new middle schoolers fit perfectly in the NDA community. On the last day before winter break, the Cuvilly Division impressed the whole school with their musical concert. Welcome Cuvilly students!

On October 28^th, 2014, NDA’s baseball fans were in for a treat: the 2013 Red Sox World Series trophy made its way to NDA. Several students got the chance to see the trophy up close in all its glory, and even got their picture taken with it.