Adrianna Tanaka sports a Peppa Pig backpack. “Her really spunky personality — it really resonates with me because I'm the same way,” Tanaka said.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Topline:
While fears of immigration raids clouded the back to school season, some lighthearted student traditions persist. The seniors at Long Beach Unified’s Lakewood High School sported their “kid backpacks,” as an homage to their younger years.
The scene: Students carried bags featuring a range of colorful characters, including SpongeBob snail Gary, Hello Kitty and Despicable Me’s minions. Adrianna Tanaka ordered a pink Peppa Pig backpack from Amazon. “Her really spunky personality — it really resonates with me because I'm the same way,” Tanaka said. “I just grew up with her. ... It's comforting.”
The backstory: Students told LAist that upperclassmen or social media posts inspired their backpacks. Lakewood Principal Mona Merlo said she’s noticed the childhood backpack trend for the past few years (her son had a Minecraft bag his senior year at an LBUSD school.) “ It's a little bit of a culture within the kids,” Merlo said. “Whatever today's trend is, all the kids are jumping on it.” Students across the country have embraced the nostalgic backpack tradition in the years since returning from the pandemic.
The year ahead: While students shopped for their perfect backpack, Long Beach Unified educators and administrators prepared to reopen campuses amid increased immigration enforcement actions throughout the region. Superintendent Jill Baker said all staff who interact with students and families, including front office and campus safety staff, were trained on how to respond to immigration officials on school grounds. “ICE is not allowed on our campuses,” Baker said. “Our staff are ready to defend the perimeters of our schools to ensure that families see and feel that inclusive and welcoming environment and the safety that they can expect from Long Beach Unified.”
While fears of immigration raids clouded the back to school season, some lighthearted student traditions persist.
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These seniors start high school with the ‘comfort’ of childhood backpacks
Tuesday was the first day of school for about 63,000 students in the Long Beach Unified School District.
Seniors at Lakewood High School sported their “kid backpacks,” as an homage to their younger years.
Adrianna Tanaka ordered a pink Peppa Pig backpack from Amazon. “Her really spunky personality — it really resonates with me 'cause I'm the same way,” Tanaka said. “I just grew up with her. … it's comforting.”
Lakewood seniors told LAist that upperclassmen and social media posts inspired their backpacks.
“ It's a little bit of a culture within the kids,” said Principal Mona Merlo. “Whatever today's trend is, all the kids are jumping on it.”
Merlo’s son had a Minecraft bag his senior year at an LBUSD school.
"You gotta just have fun," Asher Wilder said of why he joined the senior backpack trend. "It's your last year in school."
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Wilder chose a Pokémon backpack, in part because he shares a similar name to the series' longtime protagonist.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Tamarah Weston's Hello Kitty backpack came with matching headphones. Her favorite Sanrio characters are Pompompurin and Cinnamon Roll. Weston hopes to become a veterinarian after graduation.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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LAist forgot to ask if this backpack came with a banana.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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Melanie Mendoza said the senior backpack trend brings back "that little kid feeling in you."
Seniors walked through an inflatable tunnel to their first classes with the bittersweet feeling of excitement mixed with sadness.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
)
SpongeBob SquarePants, but also his loyal snail Gary, featured on the back of Lakewood senior Victor Rodriguez.
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Mariana Dale
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LAist
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“ I'm not gonna be able to see my friends like [as] often,” predicted senior Victor Rodriguez. ”It's life. So just stay in touch as much as you can.”
But if he learned anything from SpongeBob, the inspiration for his Gary the snail backpack, it’s “don’t take life too seriously.”
Amid first day excitement, preparing to keep students safe
While students shopped for their perfect backpack, Long Beach Unified educators and administrators prepared to reopen campuses amid increased immigration enforcement actions throughout the region.
There have been no reported interactions with immigration officials at Long Beach schools. However, several Southern California school-age children have been detained and deported since the start of the raids this summer, including a 9-year-old Torrance boy. Last spring, staff at two Los Angeles Unified elementary schools turned away Homeland Security agents who sought access to five students to conduct “wellness checks.”
Lakewood High School Principal Mona Marlo greets students on the first day of the 2025-2026 school year in the Long Beach Unified School District. “ I am everyone's cheerleader,” Marlo said.
(
Mariana Dale
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LAist
)
Superintendent Jill Baker said all staff who interact with students and families, including front office and campus safety staff, were trained how to respond to immigration officials on school grounds in the spring and 1,000 employees received additional preparation in the two weeks before the first day.
“ICE is not allowed on our campuses,” Baker said. “Our staff are ready to defend the perimeters of our schools to ensure that families see and feel that inclusive and welcoming environment and the safety that they can expect from Long Beach Unified.”
