The face of a monkey. Lightning McQueen? Spider-Man… no, Spider-Mans? There’s five of them! Are we in Disney World? Well, “the happiest place on Earth” is the most magical place to be, but the hallways of Great Neck South are a close second with the prevalence of senior backpacks. 

In a sea of JanSport and Herschel bags, senior “kid” backpacks rewind the clock and offer seniors an opportunity to indulge in their childhood or wear a funny backpack with their friends. Hello Kitty, Minions, and Spider-Man are some of the many designs that can be spotted on Great Neck South seniors this year. While there is no definite beginning of the backpack trend, it was popularized by the rise of social media and skyrocketed after the COVID pandemic. Senior backpacks have become a cute way for seniors to hold onto the last bits of their childhood before graduation.

Senior year: the final stage of youth before pulling up the anchor, unfurling the sails, and embarking on the journey of life. From the “last-first-day” of school to graduation, senior year is filled with celebrations that commemorate the time we spend in high school. These celebrations allow us not only to cherish our accomplishments, but also to remember the people who made these years special. 

For senior Alex Lau, senior backpacks serve as a reminder of the friends who will always have his back. Last June, Lau and his friends set their sights on Minions, the popular creatures from the Despicable Me franchise. Flashing bright yellow and cerulean, Lau’s backpack is a beacon of light in a sea of dark-colored backpacks.

“[The senior backpack] kind of symbolizes friendship to me and the connection that I have with Gloria [Lee] and Jinah [Kwak],” Lau said. 

From elementary to high school, students see their friends every day. They attend the same classes week after week, and nothing seems to change. But when we look back on the days we spent, everything is different. As we grow up, we learn to understand what nostalgia feels like: a sense of sadness while rummaging through the toys you used to play with or the TV shows you used to watch. You know you loved them, and you remember the feeling of loving it, but these things don’t bring you the same kind of happiness that it did when you were little. Senior backpacks serve as a capsule to hold onto that everlasting happiness.

“Senior backpacks are such a great tradition because it’s very nostalgic for all of us who are growing up and about to graduate from high school,” senior Katie Yang said. “We can recall the childhood stuff we watched that played a big role in our lives.”

For Yang, her Lightning McQueen backpack represents a large piece of her childhood. With small wheels for pockets, Yang’s backpack forms the shape of the flashy scarlet racer. “I remember I loved watching the movie Cars, because I thought, ‘how can cars talk?’” Yang said. “And I thought Lightning McQueen was really cool.”

While some seniors are sporting backpacks to commemorate friendship or their childhood favorites, others are simply hopping on the trend to wear a cool backpack with their friends. Senior Aaron Bakst is one of the many friendly neighborhood Spider-Mans in the Great Neck South spiderverse. 

“[My friend and I] thought it was cool, and it was a little more dignified than, like, a SpongeBob backpack,” Bakst said. 

Senior backpacks, while adorable, come with their downsides. Most backpacks only come in the traditional two-strap format, which eliminates options for those who wear side bags or tote bags. They aren’t practical for high school students, either; they’re made for little kids, so there’s really only space for a notebook and morning snack. 

“It’s really tight and really small,” Yang said. “So I might have to switch backpacks in the middle of the year.” 

While many students choose to wear a senior backpack, the majority of Great Neck South seniors stick to their traditional backpack. Senior Ivan Chu, opts for his tried-and-true messenger bag. 

“They’re having fun. I also like fun, but I like my bag the way it is,” Chu said. “I have a very unconventional bag. They don’t make senior backpacks like that.” 

In the future, perhaps the hallways of Great Neck South will be a sea of Cocomelon and Paw Patrol. Or maybe the senior backpack trend will have faded away by then. But one thing is for certain: senior year is the gateway to our future, and the rest of our lives are waiting for us.

“I’m gonna miss my friends and teachers, but I’m kind of happy,” Lau said. “I’m ready for a new start.”