Skyline Teachers Reminisce: Eight Monumental Things from 2008
Most of the class of 2026 was born in 2008, but what else happened that year?
The Great Recession: The world entered a massive global financial crisis due to the collapse of the US housing bubble. Skyline English teacher Carina Seitz says, “The market crash and the recession was a terrifying moment for those of us who had houses and paid taxes and bills.”
Obama Elected: Barack Obama was the first black man to be elected as the president of the United States. Obama worked on creating jobs to help rebuild the economy after the 2008 economic crash mentioned above. “My heart swells looking at the Obama family,” says Seitz. “I wish we could go back to that. That made me really happy.” According to Journalism teacher Annie Blais, it was “Quite a moment.”
Low (feat. T-Pain) by Flo Rida: The song “Low” (Feat. T-Pain) by Flo Rida was released. Statistics teacher and resident Skyline DJ Nick Bertsos said, “I used to live in South Korea, and then I would go to the club…[and it was] absolutely insane, ridiculous, like hundreds of people on a dance floor with just Low.… I played this at every wedding…I played at every homecoming and every prom that I ever went to. It is what it is. But I, at the time, was not a big Flo Rida guy, but I’m also not a suburban white lady that listens to him.”
Michael Phelps Wins Eight Gold Medals: At the 2008 Olympics, Michael Phelps won a record-breaking 8 gold medals in one go, surpassing the previous record of 7. Blais recalls him specifically because “he ended up being a spokesperson for mental health in really important ways. This is a generation that knows how to advocate for themselves, how to speak their feelings, how to stand up for mental health, and how to support each other. I think this generation has a better group on advocating for mental health than prior generations, and I love that about this group of kids.”
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight: Heath Ledger stars as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, its release is often characterized by Health Ledgers passing just 5 months before the release. Bertsos says, “I remember going to see this at midnight because I was very excited, and after leaving, being like, wow, that guy’s a good actor.” Similarly, Seitz says, “Heath Ledger was phenomenal as the Joker, but that also makes me sad because he, you know, sadly passed away not long before that.”
Iron Man kicks off the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Have you ever watched a Marvel Movie? The entire Marvel world started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. Skyline teacher fans like Iron Man because he isn’t a traditional superhero; he is just smart.
Taylor Swift releases hit album Fearless: Taylor Swift began her grammy winning pop career with her 13-song album, transitioning her from a rising country star to a global super popstar. She achieved her first Grammy with the album Best Album. Although Bertsos says he does not usually listen to her on his own, as a DJ, he plays “Taylor Swift songs at every single wedding.”
Twilight franchise begins: The movie Twilight, a fantasy vampire romance, was released in 2008. “Twilight makes me want to vomit on myself because it’s a faux Gothic movie,” Seitz exclaimed. Bertsos agrees: “Oh, it looks terrible. I understand the politics of Edward and Jacob. That’s about it. But yeah, I had nothing to do with that.”
