#5 House Music

House music pulses loud through a speaker at a party, rattling the walls and vibrating through your body.. The mood changes, heads pick up, and shoulders start to move.

According to the National Public Radio (NPR), house music is a form of electronic dance music (EDM). It was originally popularized in Chicago during the 1980s, as a successor to disco. DJs played it in clubs from New York, Detroit, and across the sea to London during the 1990s, when it was at its peak.

House music also made a resurgence in the 2010s with mainstream artists such as Calvin Harris, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, and David Guetta, mainly being played at clubs and house parties.

“It was definitely popular while I was at UC Santa Cruz during the 2010s,” math teacher Samuel Colburn said. “It was especially popular at parties, I wouldn’t really listen to it on my own though.” 

Junior Heiko Sexton-Boer said he feels like a lot of old music is coming back.

“Stuff from the 2010s is definitely coming back,” Sexton-Boer said.

Boer said that he gets a lot of his music from short-form content like Instagram reels and TikTok.

“I think that’s the reason older music comes back. If a song goes viral for some reason on TikTok or something, it can really influence the music trends for a bit,” Sexton-Boer said. “Especially more upbeat stuff like house music can really thrive in short-form content.”

Colburn said finding new music now is a lot different than when he was in high school.

“There wasn’t short-form content like what’s popular now. It was harder to pick and choose songs to listen to,” Colburn said. 

Junior Henry Call said he has been enjoying house music from the 80s and 90s a lot recently.

“I’ll ask my dDad to see if he has any suggestions, and I’ll still listen to some newer stuff, but recently I’ve been enjoying older music more,” Call said.

Senior Vivian Burke said she first started listening to house music three years ago.

“I’ve really gotten into it. It’s definitely most popular at parties and clubs, but I’ll listen to it before games, while I’m driving, it just puts me in a good mood,” Burke said.

Burke said there is a very wide range of house music she listens to.

“John Summit is very popular right now. FISHER has always been popular. I also think as people listen to more house music, they get into the more intense stuff like dubstep,” Burke said.

Burke said she even started making some house music.

“I like remixing songs. I’m super into a good bass or beat. If I feel like something is missing in a song, I’ll add it in. Sometimes I’ll just experiment, see if something flows good, then I’ll add it in,” Burke said.

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#4 Sweatsets

With AP testing coming to a close and finals week approaching, many students are turning to sweatsets for comfort as they shift their focus to studying. Matching sets of sweatpants and hoodies in fun colors are showing up frequently around campus.

Sophomore Favianna Brown said sweatsets make her feel really put together. 

“If I just throw on a sweatset, it’s comfy, it’s cute, and you look put together because they’re matching, but it’s only two pieces,” Brown said.

Junior Lily Izakson said that sweatsets are perfect for later in the year.

“When it gets to finals week, and I don’t want to wear jeans to school, I love wearing sweatsets,” Izakson said. 

Brown said that they’re trending because they’re cute and there are lots of color options. 

“Everyone’s into fun colors right now, and there’s lots of sets that are bright colors,” Brown said. “I have a red one, a green Brandy [Melville] set, and then a groutfit, a gray outfit.”

Sophomore Hannah Joerger said that sweatsets look better than just wearing sweatpants and a hoodie that don’t match. 

“There’s really cute ones from Alo but they’re really expensive,” Joerger said. “For a cheaper alternative, you can also go to Garage or Hollister. They’re still not very cheap, but cheaper than Alo.”

#3 Longchamp Bags

In the hallways of PHS, Longchamp bags have become as popular as backpacks themselves. What used to be a luxury bag is now an everyday item for many students.

Longchamp bags come in at a price of $155, much more expensive than the average backpack. 

However, many students say it is a small price to pay for the look and convenience of the Longchamp bag.

“They’re cuter than backpacks and can still fit everything,” sophomore Maika Ting said.

Freshman Rosemary Dickinson said the bags’ growth in popularity is solely due to how they look.

“People wear them because they’re cute and they go with outfits,” Dickinson said.

Senior Peyton Watson said many seniors choose the bag because they don’t need a backpack to fit all of their things.

“It’s a lot more stylish than carrying a backpack around,” Watson said.

Watson said the bag’s recent popularity is also due to the fact that people outside of high school use Longchamps just as frequently.

“At least for seniors, I think the reason people are getting Longchamps is because you use them in college too,” Watson said.

Other students said they find Longchamp bags much more comfortable for everyday use.

“It doesn’t hurt your back as much as a backpack,” senior Charlotte Silver said.

Junior Chloe Cheang said that she doesn’t even need a backpack because she doesn’t have much to carry to school.

“My backpack was hurting both of my shoulders and [the Longchamp] is much more convenient,” Cheang said. 

Although the bags have spiked in popularity lately, many students think the trend of the bags will remain.

“I think Longchamps will be just as popular next year because they’re just trending right now,” Cheang said.

Watson said Longchamps will remain popular because rising juniors and seniors are adopting the style.

“The juniors now wear a lot of shoulder bags, so they’ll wear even more next year,” Watson said.

The increase in Longchamp bags around campus show students priorities of fashion, convenience and trending items. Whether the popularity lasts or changes, the bags have become an unignorable part of everyday life at PHS.

#2 Hackey Sack

Across campus, circles of students with hacky sacks have become hard to miss, whether it’s in the back of class or at lunch in the quad. 

Sophomore Noah Hildebrand said he enjoys participating in hacky sack circles with his friends. 

“It really helps us get off our phones,” Hildebrand said. “It brings people together.”

According to World Footbag, casual hacky sack games involve standing in a circle and trying to keep a hacky sack (also called a footbag) in the air, mainly by kicking it. Players are not allowed to use their arms or hands. 

Hacky sack was invented in 1972 by Mike Marshall and John Stalberger as a physical therapy game to help Stalberger’s injured knee and was patented in 1979, according to World Footbag. 

Sophomore Ethan Block said that hacky sacks are sold out in a lot of places right now because they’re trending nationwide.

“My friends bought some off me for $15 each when I bought them for $7 each a while ago,” Block said. “People are super desperate just to have one because it’s so trendy right now.”

In response to the recent increasing popularity of hacky sack, administration has asked students to not play hacky sack during class According to the PHS Parent Newsletter #37, students are encouraged to play hacky sack during lunch, brunch, passing period, or before and after school, but not during class time.

“We are very excited to see students connecting off of their devices and playing Hacky Sack!” The newsletter said. “However, this should not happen during class time. Groups of students out of class are distracting to classes that are in session.”

Modern World History teacher Melanie McCauley said that hacky sack has come back as a trend at Piedmont every two years throughout her time teaching.

“I love it,” McCauley said. “It gets [students] off their phones.”

Block said that there are different beads in the hacky sacks, which affects the quality.

“Metal beads are the best, plastic is also pretty good,” Block said. “Sand is not it.”

Sophomore Ethan Hammond said that a big part of the trend this time around is the hacky sack Instagram accounts for different schools. 

“We have matches with different schools based on who can get better clips on Instagram,” Hammond said. “People vote for the winner on Instagram.”

Piedmont was ranked fourth in the Bay Area in a post by @bayareasack on Instagram.

According to a different post by @bayareasack, every team plays each other once and the top eight teams qualify for playoffs.  

Hildebrand said that hacky sack is a lifestyle instead of a game. 

“Once you sack, you never go back,” Hildebrand said.

#1 Flip Flops

Flip flops have not-so-quietly taken over Piedmont High School, becoming a fashion staple for many students around campus. All year long, the slap of the flip flops has echoed throughout the hallways.

Sophomore Cassidy Carter said that shoes grew in popularity because of their practicality to wear to school.

“The main point is that they’re just really comfortable,” Carter said.

Junior Ruben Cohen said that as the weather gets warmer, people just want an easy shoe they can get in and out of.

“I wear them for convenience, I just slip them on,” Cohen said.

Some students also believe that flip flops gained popularity because of their look and style.

“Flip flops match better with certain outfits,” sophomore Kyla Williams said.

Carter said he also wears flip flops because they prevent him from getting tan lines from socks.

“When it’s hot out, it’s way better than wearing [closed-toed] shoes,” Carter said. 

Other students linked the footwear choice to local culture and Piedmont’s location.

“People want to show off their Californianess,” sophomore Dalia Sar-Garza said.

Weather is another factor when it comes to what footwear students choose. 

“I would only wear them if it’s over 70, I think it’s crazy that people wear them when it’s raining,” Carter said.

Junior Toby Gallagher said he wears flip flops in all weather except for when it is raining.

“I don’t wear them when it’s raining, it seems uncomfortable,” Gallagher said.

Although the overall style of flip flops has taken over, specific brands are more popular than others. The flip flops most commonly worn by PHS students are Rainbow flip flops.

Junior Kate Tong said the trend of Rainbow flip flops is similar to Stanley cups and how people buy them for the brand.

“Rainbow flip flops also make it really easy to play hackysack,” Tong said.

Whether they are worn for California culture or comfortability, flip flops are constantly slapping all around Piedmont High School.