Dr. Langdon asked the Royal Reporter staff writers to interview one another about random objects they brought with them on the first day of school. Here’s what they had to say.

Riley Hawkins ‘20 is a Lightning Mcqueen fanatic: “Lightning Mcqueen is my idol,” she stated. “I have a pillow of him in my room that I sleep with every night. I can not go to sleep unless Lightning Mcqueen is by my side.”

Riley also worships her beloved Lightning Mcqueen mural that she has plastered across the biggest wall in her room. “I lie before my shrine to Lightning every night,” she shared. “If my house was burning down, my Lightning Mcqueen collection would be the only thing I’d grab.”

Riley also confessed, “I have a cherub candle that I light every night for lightning <3, and all the cherubs’ faces are replaced with lightning because lightning trumps all.”

Grace Battaglia ‘20 is crazy about turtles. She ecstatically conveyed, “I love my turtle socks so much. They add the spice that my uniform has been seriously lacking. Sometimes I even imagine what my life would be like if I, myself, were in fact a majestic creature of the deep.”

“When I’m wearing my turtle socks,” Grace continued, “everything goes my way; my day is perfect.” And without  her coveted socks? “Everything is terrible,” Grace said. “I don’t have anything else to say, even talking about the possibility floods me with too much disgust. Me <3 turtles.”

Isabella Tejeda ‘20 also “prefers turtles,” but she has strong feelings about another sea creature: “I hate stingrays and that’s on Steve Irwin.”

But Isabella loves her car. “My car is always warm,” she said. “I always have a blanket in there in case I want to sleep. My car is my means of transportation, and it’s the best. His name is Steve Irwin after the late Steve Irwin. Rip Steve.”

Allison Perea ‘20 also said she “loves” her item: her brand new see-through backpack. From the moment she saw its sparkly pink sequins in the kids’ section at TJ Maxx, it was “love at first sight,” and, although it is already falling apart, she “can’t wait to [attempt to] go through all of senior year showing off [her] new backpack.” 

Allison isn’t the only one to fall in love with her school supplies. Not one but two Royal reporters have a thing for pencil pouches.

Alicia Ventura ‘21 has decorated her pencil pouch with pins purchased at Hot Topic, and three of those pins are themed for her favorite show: The Office. Alicia’s favorite pin sports the logo for “Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.” Alicia has seen all nine seasons of The Office a total of seven times, and often watches with her brother, whom she will forever thank for introducing her to the show.

Hayley Johnson ’20 uses hers to help her write her script for the Tri-School shows. She said, “If I didn’t have my pencil pouch, then my pencils would be all over, and I wouldn’t be able to find one before rehearsal starts at 3:30.” The pouch also has sentimental value: Hailey’s friend bought the pouch for her on a trip to Korea.

Junior Isabel Alderete‘s keepsake also signifies a friendship. During a school trip to Ireland, she purchased a ring that would become a reminder of the friends that accompanied her. Isabel states, “It’s actually a marriage ring in Ireland if you wear it a certain way, but if you wear it another way, it means friendship. So we all got matching rings.” To this day Isabel never takes it off (except for when she has to workout). She remembers the memories she and her friends made on their trip, and thinks about the memories they will make in the future.

Senior Maryann Compton‘s dragon-themed phone case isn’t about friends, but family. “It reminds me of my grandma and my culture,” Maryann said. Maryann has now had her phone case for about a year, but she isn’t stopping there. “Lately, I have become more obsessed with dragons,” Compton said. “I own four different dragon shirts, a dragon bandana, dragon sweatpants, a dragon necklace, a potential dragon tattoo, and in the future I hope to own customized AF1’s with a dragon.” 

Readers beware: When they’re not clutching these valuable treasures, the Royal Reporter news crew also likes dancing to this avocado video.