Backpacking Together

In the backpacks aisle at Target, a variety of kids backpacks are put on display. Though they are normally meant for younger children, seniors have made it popular to wear them in their last year of high school. Photo by Matteo Winandy

“I’ve actually had this backpack for a long time, and I love ‘South Park,’ so that’s why I decided to wear this,” senior Ava White said.

SENIORS SHOW OFF BACKPACKS

“I used to watch ‘Sesame Street’ when I was younger, and I didn’t think anyone else would have it,” senior Skylar Carter said. “I saw one of these backpacks in Office Depot, and thought it was funny, so I just did it,” senior Hudson Miller said. “A bunch of my friends did it that were older, but I just thought it was cool,” senior Emma Moise said. “This backpack was cheap, and everyone does it, so why not,” senior Aiden Cox said.

BACKPACKING

Students continue senior tradition of wearing “kiddie” backpacks to school together Story by Katherine Harrell

Some are bright pink and fluffy, others are rainbow colored, and there are even ones with pop-outs.

Others sport the faces of childhood cartoon characters from Paw Patrol, Beauty and the Beast and Pokémon.

It has become a senior trend to sport a kid-themed backpack. Typically, the themes are from shows and movies seniors watched in their childhood.

The trend has been happening for years and, most seniors catch wind of it through word of mouth.

“I had a bunch of friends in the grades above who had carried funny backpacks, and I always found it fun how they did that,” senior Shelby Pettit said. “My whole friend group [now] carries the funny backpacks. They love it, and we all went to go pick them out together.”

Senior Celia Leonard also heard about the trend from friends who were participating at other schools, like Bishop Lynch High School.

“We [thought] ‘let’s do that too,’” Leonard said. “[Then], we all went to Target and on Amazon and got all of these crazy Disney backpacks.”

There are a variety of backpacks to choose from, and seniors pick theirs based off a multitude of standards.

Leonard, who bought her “Sofia the First” backpack off of Amazon, picked hers based on size to accommodate her classroom needs. She ended up selecting one of the few bigger options they sold.

“They had that and ‘Moana,’ and I was just always more of a ‘Sofia the First’ girl,” she said. “This one is 16 inches, and it used to have her face on it, but she fell off. Now, it’s got holes in it, and it can’t hold my stuff.”

Pettit picked her Mad Pax backpack because of its sentimental value.

“My backpack this year was my brother’s from kindergarten,” Pettit said. “I picked it because it was funny, but also it was my brother’s old backpack. He’s a freshman this year, and I thought it would be funny for him to see it everyday.”

Other seniors, like Hudson Miller, picked theirs based on the character theme of the backpack.

“I got a Lightning McQueen backpack from the movie ‘Cars,’” Miller said. “I found it at Office Depot, and I picked this one because I liked the movie.”

The trend is not only fun for seniors, but also for underclassmen who find it entertaining to spot the backpacks in the halls.

“I think they’re funny and creative,” sophomore Tia Taubenfeld said. “I think it can be fun wearing a backpack from a show you watched whenever you were a child, and people can relate to that.”

Freshman Elizabeth Cribbins shares the same view as Taubenfeld.

“I think it’s kind of funny seeing these almost grown students walking around with Peppa Pig backpacks,” she said.

Senior Will Carlisle likes the tradition because of how it can entertain the entire school, not just the seniors.

“I love the idea because it gives seniors an opportunity to make others laugh,” Carlisle said. “It’s a good way to represent the senior class, so that all the underclassmen know who owns them.”

Miller said he also enjoys the trend because it’s an amusing way to separate the senior class from the rest of the grades.

“It’s special that not everyone has one, just the senior class,” he said.

Pettit also appreciates the significance of the backpacks for the senior class.

“I think that carrying these funny bags represents the graduating class in a fun way with all of us finishing off school,” Pettit said.

Leonard enjoyed participating in the trend with her classmates and said the backpack throwback tradition has made her senior year all the more memorable.

“Obviously, I haven’t had a backpack like this since kindergarten,” she said. “It’s just like saying goodbye to your childhood with graduating and all. I just think it’s fun.”