Going into a new school year, seniors must decide on a new backpack. It is a special moment for many. Senior backpacks are children’s backpacks with fun designs that have a character printed on them. Seniors adopt the character on their backpack for their final year of high school. This tradition lets seniors reflect back on their childhood and relive memories of watching their favorite show or movies alongside their education journey from kindergarten to their senior year.
The backpack is a full-circle memento for the graduating class. Senior backpacks are a tradition that should be kept alive because it connects seniors to their inner child. Senior year can be very stressful with the taxing college applications and the general day-to-day inconveniences, which is exactly why they should attempt to connect with their inner child before they go out into the world as adults.
An individual can learn a lot about someone based on their choice of backpack. These backpacks demonstrate self-expression. Typically, seniors choose a favorite show or movie, but others could just be bright, colorful designs that could represent that person’s fun personality.
Sydnie Brown (12, YPAS) is helping to keep this fun tradition alive. Brown’s bag is a black and pink Hello Kitty design. Brown chose this because, not only did she like the color combination, but she also loved watching “Hello Kitty” when she was younger. Brown had planned on getting a Doc McStuffins bag, because that was her kindergarten backpack, but unfortunately couldn’t find one. She would have been coming back to her roots to be able to use the same backpack as when she was little, and it would have meant a lot to her because it would represent how far she has come.
“I think it shows that seniors still have the ‘childlike fun’ in them, and I also think you can learn from someone that they might really like that character and/or they aren’t afraid to do cringe or embarrassing things,” Brown said. It is important for people to be who they are and not hide behind the thought that something is cringe.
Brown also believes that these backpacks are an important tradition that should be continued because it is sentimental and shows how far seniors have come.
Tristan Meredith (12, YPAS) is another senior with a Hello Kitty backpack. While both backpacks are of the same character, Meredith went all out. Meredith’s shows a bright pastel rainbow with a big Hello Kitty printed on it. Meredith chose the backpack for many reasons, one of them being that it would be silly. Another was because Meredith watched “Hello Kitty” with his little sister when she was younger. The innocence of childhood is clouded over with the daily stress that comes with being a high schooler, but they can relax themselves with this opportunity to choose their own backpack.
“I think it lets people show the kid part of them that has kind of gotten pushed aside with the craziness of high school. You can definitely learn stuff about someone based on their backpack, because there are people like me who are here to have fun, then you have the people that seem to connect it with something like a favorite childhood show,” Meredith said.
Cole Seraphine (12, HSU) sports a “Bluey” themed backpack with the characters Bluey and Bingo on it. Seraphine is another example of a student that chose a backpack based on a childhood show. Seraphine also considered a couple SpongeBob options but felt more drawn to the Bluey backpack. He believes that this tradition is a good way for seniors to express their inner child in a small but fun way.
“I used to watch the show when I was a little younger just for fun, and a little more during Covid. Surprisingly, with it being a kids show, it has some pretty valuable lessons,” Seraphine said.
While the tradition of senior backpacks may be viewed as silly or not worth the effort, the personal reflection and constant flow of memories makes the endeavor worthwhile. Incoming seniors should not be afraid to be “childish,” and should participate to keep this fun tradition alive. It is important for seniors to be themselves and it helps a senior to reflect on their childhood as their time in high school comes to an end. This period in their lives can be very difficult with the constant worries of college applications, and the fears of leaving home, but when seniors connect with their inner child it frees some of that stress.
