As the school bell rings, students walk to their first period classes and seniors are walking the halls of the school they will soon move on from. No one pays any mind to the backpacks people have, but some seniors are continuing one tradition that has been going on for years. As the new graduating class prepares for their last year of high school, they go back to the past and get bags from shows or games they would watch or play as a kid. This brings a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia for teens finishing up being a part of a place they’ve belonged to their whole life.
The tradition definitely is not about fashion, it is about memory. After years of tests, quizzes, and more recently, college applications, seniors are reminiscing back to simpler times for comfort and nostalgia.
“We started school with our little kid backpacks and now that it is our last year I think it is amazing to bring back our childhood,” said senior Adrianna Cinque.
As close as the 17 and 18 year olds are to being adults, it seems that they are clinging on to things like kindergarten backpacks to realize how much they’ve grown up. The backpacks are a great way to bring more joy and wholesomeness to senior year.
“The backpacks feel like one last way for us to show that we really are still kids,” said senior Madeline Ligonde. “When we do things like walk around the elementary schools in our gowns at the end of the year, it reminds us that we are growing up, but the bags are letting us hold on to our memories before we leave.”
This trend proves how growing up doesn’t mean completely letting go. These backpacks aren’t just carrying lunch and computers, they are carrying memories and years prior.
“Senior backpacks are a really good way for students to have fun and enjoy their last year of high school,” said senior Kaylin Garcia. “It lets us be childish in a memorable and symbolic way.”
As the year goes on and the countdown to the class of 2026 graduation starts, seniors will continue to walk the halls while holding onto the friends and time they have left, carrying their little kid backpacks. Each one tells a different story and connects to who they are and how far they have come.
“It is the end of our k-12 school careers and I just want to feel connected to my younger self,” said senior Samantha Ward. “ They are a good way to separate us from the other students and give us a fun way to end our careers.”
In a couple months, those backpacks will be traded in for maroon and white caps and gowns, but those memories of their younger selves will never be forgotten. The backpacks are a reminder that as our seniors go onto the next chapter of their lives, pieces of childhood and the joy that started it all will always be there.
