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BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPECIAL EDITION
Backpacks take place of lockers
Walking down the hallway, seniors Brandon Li and Caden Maupin are greeted with laughs and stares. To round out high school, they chose to use decorated children's backpacks that depict characters from a recently popular video game, Among Us, which has been a hot topic in internet meme culture for the past few months. "I was inspired by my friend Christian who had an Among Us beanie that you could put over your head, and I had the idea, since we were all getting kids backpacks, to all get Among Us ones," Li said. "It started offas a joke, but then it turned into a big thing with a lot of people." Seniors Austin Groves, Carter Wiegand, Ryan Howard, Blake Walter, and Charlie Schmidt joined Li and Maupin. All seniors plan to keep them for the entire year. "Seniors wearing small backpacks is a fun trend, and when everyone gets one it makes them feel more involved with the joke," Li said. Along with the humorous designs, each backpack comes in a smaller size, adding to the overall joke. "I think it's interesting how small the backpacks are," senior Sophia Moore said. "It really shows how some people prefer fashion to function." On the wider scale, these seniors are not alone. Seniors around Howell, and even around the globe are participating in this yearly trend. TikTok users post clips of people with the backpacks in support of the trend, and stores like Target and Walmart find it hard to keep children's bags in stock, with their shelves being empty for weeks on end with limited supply for younger students. "The backpacks were very scarce," senior Hudson Troyer said. "I had to look in Lake St. Louis and on Highway K before I could find a boys' one." Even with the high demand, seniors still find a way to find and sport the tiny backpacks throughout the school. "Sometimes the backpacks are super annoying because they're super immature, but sometimes they catch me offguard, and I laugh pretty hard," senior Lily Redfield said. To be a part of the trend, senior Kyra Blondin chose to bring a small purple sparkly backpack, depicting pop singer Jojo Siwa. "The backpacks make school a little more fun, and it's a good conversation starter," senior Kyra Blondin said. "I think it's a fun way to express your inner child," Troyer said. "It brings back memories from elementary school." Troyer chose to use a small backpack with a minion on it. The backpacks allow for seniors to be reminded of their times in elementary school, and they pose as a fun way to wrap up their final moments before graduation.
Freshman expectations vs. senior realities on high school
Anna Rausch, photo editor
SPOTLIGHT
Aug. 11-12, upperclassmen walked into school and got their schedules along with their parking pass. The pass is now a sticker. "Dr. Thompson decided to use stickers since there were complaints of the pass being in the way and impairing young drivers," Assistant Principal Jon Schultz said. "It's meant to make people happier, and there's so much static between the sticker and the car it takes a while for the sticker to have less usage." The sticker is designed to stay and create fewer problems. "You can't take it offwithout it being as sticky next time you put it on the car," junior Nate Wibbenmeyer said. "I'm fine with people knowing I go to Howell, but it's not the same as being able to take it offmy rear view mirror at the end of the school day." The sticker makes it harder to move from car to car. "Last year I took my dad's car to school for the week, and it would be difficult if I had to use a sticker instead of just carrying my pass with me," junior Gabby Lowry said. "I genuinely hate it and I hope that we get different passes mid- year. It would be more convenient." This has created hesitation among students towards getting a pass "I don't like this year's parking passes whatsoever. I have yet to get mine, which is a huge problem." Senior Sammi Rogers said.
Francis Howell High School 7001 S. Highway 94, St.Charles, MO 63304 fhhstoday.com Vol. 51, Issue 1 Sept. 2021
New parking pass sticker causes upset among drivers
Showcasing ther backpacks, seniors Carter Wiegand, Caden Maupin, and Brandon Li stand in a line in the back parking lot. Sporting Among Us backpacks, they joined in the worldwide trend of wearing funny backpacks. Photo by: Anna Rausch
Late August start sees most return to on-campus learning
Grace Sutton & Libby De La O, write Mariah Schaffer, writer
TOPIC
GENERAL TEACHERS SPORTS TRANSPORTATION WORKLOAD SCHOOL LAYOUT
SENIOR REALITIES
"The freshman are kind of short this year." -Jake Woods, 12 "I've respected teachers more and seeing them for their value as individuals & educators." -Megan Coleman, 12 "As a senior, football games are much more fun because you're more comfortable since you know just about everyone." -Hudson Troyer, 12th grade "Driving to school is better than riding the bus, but it definitely has its issues as well, such as traffic." -Conner Dillon, 12 "My workload between classes has changed a lot over time, but I think my junior year was worst overall." -Raquel Warren, 12 "All the departments are in one big row in an H, so as long as I know what class I'm going to, I can always get to where I need to be." -Remi Davis, 12
FRESHMAN EXPECTATIONS
"Everyone is a lot taller than I expected." -Laura Clark, 9 "I expected teachers to be a lot stricter about general classroom activities and getting work in."-Jack Doran, 10 "I expected the football games to be kind of boring, but the student section was actually very energetic and that made the games fun." -Kenny Johnson, 12 "I can't wait until I can start driving to school." -Isabel Jones, 9 "I expected a lot more work from what the middle school teachers have told me, but the first couple of weeks are always relaxed." -Evelyn Simmons, 9 "I figured that it would be tougher to navigate the school due to the buildings size" -Conner Flynn, 9
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