Backpacks are one of the only things students continually bring to school with them everyday. Students wear different clothes, different shoes, they may drive a different car or bring a new lunchbox but their backpack remains the same. This consistency makes a backpack a great way to peek into the lives of students.

The conventional purpose of a backpack is to hold your school supplies: books, pencils, markers, folders and more. However, students have begun to make their bags a more personalized accessory.

“I think my backpack is a good representation of me because it’s yellow, the color of happiness, and I think I’m a pretty happy person,” said junior Callissa Steel.

Backpacks have also become home to many unconventional things.

“I have a blue Kazoo in my bag because once I used it for our blue and silver spirit day. Sometimes i’ll pull it out and play a tune for people,” said sophomore Lisa Aitken. 

“I have a few toy dinosaurs,” said junior Molly Carroll, a self proclaimed dinosaur enthusiast.

Junior Brayden White described his unique creation, “the weirdest thing I have in my bag is the mini Buhler,” a wooden toy created in class that replicates engineering teacher Jason Buhler in superhero form.

Students have begun to look past books and paper. Bags are now stocked with a variety of flavored gum, snacks, phone chargers, headphones and electronic devices.

“I always make sure I have my computer in my bag so I can play games on it if we aren’t doing anything in class,” said  White.

“I always have my headphones so I can listen to music,” said Steel.

Backpacks have also become a fashion statement, “I think my bag represents my style because it’s pretty minimalist,” said Aitken.

Bags can also tell you a lot about a student and their interests.

“My bag can tell you a lot about me, it’s made out of baseball leather and looks like a baseball, my favorite sport,” said White, who also plays baseball for Air Academy.

While bags have become more personalized they are still carrying out their original purpose. Next to computers and headphones, bags still hold the everyday essentials of school. Bags have to be big enough to carry textbooks, binders, calculators, pencil bags and more.

“If there is one thing I would recommend a student having in their backpack is a graphing calculator because you need one for almost every math class,” said Carroll.

These bags have become a compact representation of students’ lives. Organized students tend to have cleaner bags, the contents of each pocket are thought out methodically and remain the same for the entire year. Messier students are prone to have more chaotic bags, with paper astray and a “black hole” at the bottom of their bag that always seems to misplace everything.

Buying a new backpack is not something every student does every year, which pushes Kadets to buy more durable bags that they know they’ll like for years to come.

“I don’t get a new bag every year, they’re just too expensive,” said Carroll.

Backpacks have become a more prominent school accessory. They’ve become more practical and personalized to students needs. They have also become a great way to decipher a persons personality traits.

These bags play a huge role in the lives of students, they are one of the only things that remain the same through a school year of ups and downs.

Tell me about your bag in the comments below.