People evolve a lot over the course of high school. When we look back from our senior year to our freshman year, we think of how much we have changed. We also think about how cringeworthy we were when we were younger. Reflecting on how these changes might seem embarrassing, but it just shows how much the senior class has grown.
Freshman year was a time to be alive. Queen Elizabeth died, Elon Musk bought Twitter, and people began to ease out of the COVID-mindset in 2022. 2023 was dominated by the Oceangate disaster, Taylor Swift’s Era Tour, and the rise of Gen AI in the public consciousness. All in all, it was an eventful time.
Freshman year: 2022-2023
At home, freshman year was dominated by BeReal, Uggs, and the rise of TikTok challenges, just to name a few trends. We were just starting to figure out how we were, and as such, we went through more trends than anyone cares to remember.
One trend that left an impression was BeReal. It is a French photo sharing social media app that gained popularity in 2022, and calls itself the “place where you get to see what your friends are actually doing.” The popularity of BeReal freshman year was insane. People would whip their phones out in the middle of class to post unfiltered snapshots of what they were doing. I think that BeReal was a learning experience for a lot of students. It allowed people to be fun and silly, but also taught them the importance of “censoring” what they post. It acted as a stepping stone for students to shift to TikTok, as well.
I do not think that I need to explain what TikTok is, given how popular it is. Completing challenges consumed people. Senior Luke Olsen remembers people doing “TikTok classes during classes.” The most popular challenges involved dancing, usually to K-pop or pop songs. A particularly popular dance was the Wednesday dance from the hit Netflix show Wednesday.
Everyone wore their Uggs freshman year, me included. They were the shoes to wear, and I’m sure that most people have a pair in their closet. Uggs have faded in and out of popularity since then. Other shoe trends existed as well, like Crocs and Doc Martens. We were all just starting to come out of isolation. Emma Lutz says that is the reason “so many of the ‘weird kid’ trends, like FNAF,” were so big.
Freshman year was a time of incredible awkwardness and growth, an important time in our lives. When asked, Mr. Sherman thought the major theme of that year was “reconnection, as we were post-COVID.” We met some of our best friends, made amazing memories, and grew as people.
Senior year has not been any less exciting than freshman year. President Trump has his second term as president, we started a war with Iran, ICE got an insane power boost, and people freaked out on social media about a potential second pandemic following a disease outbreak on a cruise ship. 2025 and 2026 have been years of quick change and rising political tensions, both at home and abroad.
Senior year: 2025-2026
Senior year has been ruled by the Labubus, kiddie backpacks, and the ever-present senioritis. People have already figured out their own personal styles and who they are, so there are fewer trends to speak of.
A very early and big trend was the frenzy of the Labubu’s. Labubu’s are collectible “art toys,” fuzzy, monster-like creatures with long ears and wide toothy grins. They are obtained via blind boxes and exploded in popularity when K-pop star Lisa from BLACKPINK, was spotted with one. Labubu’s can be put on purses, backpacks, and keychains, allowing everyone to show off their ugly cuties.
The senior class this year has decided to embrace the final step into adulthood by calling back to the past. In the words of senior Evy N., that means “we wear kiddie backpacks.” In the last year of school, we wear backpacks similar to the ones we first put on when we first started school. Seniors embrace the last vestiges of childhood before stepping into the real world.
Senior year is amazing. It is the time that people have the most freedom and the most fun events. It is also the time people care the least about grades, especially at the end of the year when everyone has gotten accepted into college already. Seniors often arrive late to school, with their choice of Dunkin or Starbucks in hand.
Senior year is the final chapter of our childhood. It is a time of great triumph and anxiety. Mr. Sherman said that the major theme of the year is, “Maybe health and wellness, I think there is a lot of focus on that now.” We have had amazing moments, and now it is time to move forward into the next chapter of our lives.
