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A Look Back at 2025
Here’s a recap of some of the biggest news stories of the past year.
C-H-A-M-P!
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Each year, top spellers compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The 2025 champion was 13-year-old Faizan Zaki of Allen, Texas. On May 29, after 21 rounds, Faizan beat out about 240 other contestants. His success was years in the making. Faizan first entered the Bee in 2019, finishing 370th. But he never gave up, and his determination finally paid off.
Four More Years
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On January 20, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. He is the first president to serve two nonconsecutive terms since the 1890s.
Farewell to a Legend
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This year, the world said goodbye to Jane Goodall, who died on October 1. She was 91. The legendary conservationist helped change our understanding of animals’ behavior. In 1960, Goodall began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania, a country in Africa. There, she saw a chimp using a stick to catch termites. Before then, scientists had thought only humans made and used tools.
Over the next 65 years, Goodall worked to protect chimps and to help make the planet better for all living things. In 2021, Goodall spoke with Scholastic News about her work.
Scholastic News: How did you become interested in studying chimps?
Jane Goodall: I was born loving animals. I owe so much to my mother, who supported this. And to my childhood dog, Rusty!
SN: What did you learn from all your years living with the chimps?
JG: All the chimps are different. They each have their own personality. So much of their behavior is like ours.
SN: What impact did your work have?
JG: [It taught us] that we are not the only beings with personality, mind, and emotion. That helped us look at animals in different ways.
SN: Can kids help the environment?
JG: Yes. Every day you live on the planet, you make an impact, and you can choose what kind. There’s hope. But it depends on us taking action.
Note: The interview has been edited and condensed.
Hollywood Hits
Did someone say “chicken jockey”? Fans in theaters went wild when the baby zombie that rides a chicken appeared on-screen in A Minecraft Movie. The film was released in April. As of mid-November, it was the biggest movie of the year, earning about $424 million in the U.S.
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Repeat Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays on November 1 to win their second straight World Series. In the playoff game that sent L.A. to the Series, Shohei Ohtani (below) had one of the greatest games ever in any sport. He hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters.
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Gonna Be Golden
This year, KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s most watched movie ever. By late October, it had been watched more than 325 million times. And the film’s fictional South Korean pop group, HUNTR/X, became stars. Their song “Golden” spent eight weeks at the top of the U.S. pop chart.
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A New Pope
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On May 8, Robert Francis Prevost became the 266th pope. He made history as the first pope from the United States. The pope is the leader of the Catholic Church, which has more than 1 billion members worldwide. Prevost, who grew up near Chicago, Illinois, is now known as Pope Leo XIV.
Disaster Areas
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1. Facing the Flames
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire on January 8.
On January 7, two wildfires ignited in and around Los Angeles, California. The Palisades and Eaton Fires were among the most destructive in the state’s history.
2. Fierce Floods
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A rescue team searches the Guadalupe River in Comfort, Texas, on July 4.
Early in the morning of July 4, heavy rains fell in central Texas. The deluge caused part of the Guadalupe River outside San Antonio to rise about 26 feet in only 45 minutes. The flash floods swept away vehicles and destroyed homes. More than 135 people died.
3. Wild Winds
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Neighbors gather on a destroyed street in Black River, Jamaica, on October 29.
“Everybody’s roof is gone.”
—Marvin Edwards of Montego Bay, Jamaica, to reporters after Hurricane Melissa struck on October 28. The powerful storm slammed into the island nation with winds of up to 185 miles per hour. Melissa also flooded nearby islands.
1. What are two words you would use to describe Jane Goodall? Explain.
2. What does the article mean when it says that Faizan Zaki’s determination “finally paid off”?
3. Find an example of a cause and a related effect in “A Look Back at 2025.” Describe them and note the section in which you found them.
