Wilsonville High School has many traditions, some of which even become routine. One of these traditions is “Senior backpacks.” Rather than wearing sophisticated, mature backpacks, seniors wear small, shimmering, children’s backpacks. This tradition has become so mainstream that students don’t think twice about seeing an 18-year-old wearing a SpongeBob backpack.
Many parents and teachers question this tradition. The answer is simple: Nostalgia.
Nostalgia is the longing for the past that grows stronger as we grow older. We think back to the “good old days” when our biggest challenge in life was forcing down the vegetables on our dinner plates. The backpacks aren’t about the characters or sparkles, it’s about holding onto the times when life was easy and simple, before adulthood closes in on us.
That longing to be young again looks different for every senior. Vivian Ward revealed that she misses “staying home sick from school and watching princess movies.” As a senior in high school, such a luxury is rare. You either must go to school or stay home doing homework, struggling not to get behind.
Vivian Williams mentions she misses “scootering around my old neighborhood with my old group of friends.” With those playful memories, we miss the endless supply of energy, being able to run, jump, and skip until you were forced to stop, and taking a nap was more of a punishment than a pleasure.
We also miss the simplicity in the connections we made. Friendships were genuine and innocent. However, we even grow out of those. The memories of the bonds we formed as kids stay strong, even after they’re pulled apart by time and drama. But in the end, we all find ourselves connected once again as we creep up on graduation.
Once we walk across the stage, shake hands, and grab our diplomas, we’ve traded in our safety nets for the freedom and autonomy we’ve always dreamed of. The world will feel bigger than ever, and as more doors open to us, the responsibility of which door to walk through is ours alone.
Many are prepared or even excited for this responsibility, however, many dread this drastic shift, dreaming we could go back to our youth and clinging to anything to remind us that they’re not adults quite yet. We end up clinging onto our silly traditions. We might not be able to get away with much anymore, but we can get away with carrying around children’s backpacks.
For most of us, we still feel like the little kid scootering around the neighborhood, struggling to grasp the reality of graduating. And as adulthood gets closer, it doesn’t become less scary; we just become prepared. So seniors will continue to carry their last pieces of childhood through the halls before we step into our future, and high school becomes just another distant memory.