Do you remember those elementary school days when life was simple and backpacks were fun? When students wore colorful images of unicorns, princesses, and cartoon characters on their backs?
These days might seem long in the past, but for some Hackley seniors history has come to repeat itself.
After the 12th Grade Community Council sent an email during the first week of school, a new senior tradition had been born. The 12th graders decided to replace their plain old, boring backpacks with colorful, child-like cartoon backpacks reminiscent of the ones they used to wear during their childhood.
At some point, all Upper School Hackley students will be seniors and will want to enjoy their last year on The Hilltop. Taking part in multiple fun Hackley senior traditions is a great way to enjoy those last moments.
Senior Angela Croce proudly shows off her ‘Senior Backpack,’ featuring Hello Kitty, in the senior lounge. Many seniors like Angela, brought smaller, colorful backpacks that had images of some of their favorite cartoons. Some seniors chose not to go the whole week with these bags because they couldn’t fit all of their belongings.
Senior Meredith Lee said that she’s seen friends from schools across the nation on social media platforms such as an Instagram post about the senior kiddie backpack trend. She said it was “really fun to see everyone’s [backpack].”
Meredith is participating in this tradition by sporting her fun Peppa Pig backpack.
The senior kid backpacks were originally only supposed to be worn during the first week of school, but senior Angela Croce decided to continue wearing hers.
“It’s a huge deal that we’re graduating this year, and I remember watching seniors participate in traditions every year. I’m grateful that our council this year is so enthusiastic about making memories with us this year, that’s why I participated in kid backpacks with my Hello Kitty backpack,” Angela said.
This tradition captures a sense of nostalgia, which gives seniors an opportunity to look at how far they’ve come while getting excited for their final year.
Senior Isabella Barriera also decided to accessorize with a My Little Pony backpack.
“Senior year is a very important year, and you want to make sure that you’re tight with your community, especially before you say goodbye to everyone,” she said, “You want to be able to form those strong bonds before you leave because it’s your last opportunity to do something with people at Hackley.”
This tradition isn’t the only one that’s opened the school year for seniors. This past “First Monday” sparked a fun event organized by the Senior Community Council where seniors got to decorate each other’s cars after a hectic day of college counseling.
According to Meredith, “A lot of people liked having other people sign their names on their cars and writing little messages, like some silly thing.”
Here’s a glimpse of one of the many decorated cars decorated by the seniors. Several cars had the “S” in “seniors” replaced with a “2” and a “5” to celebrate the upcoming graduation in 2025. Many cars featured names of people, uplifting messages, and small drawings such as hearts.
She also said that “senior traditions are all about making the most out of our last year on the hilltop, setting an example for the Hackley community through involvement, engagement, and excitement.”
This activity wasn’t only for those who had cars.
“I participated in car painting even without a car. I think it’s good to spend time with your friends and set aside time to do fun stuff when we’re all so stressed out and we realize we’re not going to see each other again,” senior Angela Croce said.
Similarly, senior Joujou Shair said, “It seems like everybody had a lot of fun; it was cool seeing everybody’s cars with all the decorations!”
With upcoming senior-only events like Senior Sunrise and big Sting celebrations, it’s clear that seniors are eager to make their final year memorable. These traditions will allow them to create lasting memories on the Hilltop while strengthening the friendships they made throughout their Upper School journey.
