Finally becoming a senior in high school is such an exciting time. You’ve waited years to be at the top of the food chain, and it’s only fair for there to be perks that come along with it. Your schedule is often lighter than it ever has been before, and you might even get a “free period” or two during the day. Figuring out what to do after high school might be a constant source of stress, but for the most part, being a senior is smooth sailing. When you’re so close to the end, it’s time to have fun!

That’s why senior traditions like these fun photos can be so important to students. They have been working hard for years, and they deserve to get a little special treatment. Now if you’re a senior in high school out there reading this right now, I am not advising you go and catch senioritis, especially during the first semester. But you should feel proud of yourself for all you have accomplished, and you can definitely start getting excited about the next phase of your life.  

In a previous article for Bored Panda, Principal Joe Greene of North Farmington High School told my colleague Jonas that this tradition began in 2014, with the Class of 2015. “They wanted to have a fun way to bring their class together, build school spirit, express themselves, and have fun,” Principal Greene told Bored Panda. And I think they certainly accomplished that goal.

Ever since then, these photos have gone viral every year, from their hashtags gaining traction on Twitter, #NFID23, to coverage about the photos through various news sources, such as CBS. Who would have ever expected a small high school in the state of Michigan to create ID photos heard ‘round the world? But we’re loving them, and we can’t get enough!

One of the best things about this tradition is that it is different every year. A new batch of students comes in with fresh new ideas, and depending on what is trending that year, there could be costumes of completely new characters that didn’t exist last year. For example, Marisol from Disney’s Encanto or a costume of Max from Season 4 of Stranger Things. Even certain memes that are hot at the time are sometimes recreated by students. Their creativity is quite impressive. But the classic characters are much appreciated as well, such as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz or Veronica from Heathers. Say what you will about Gen Z, but these photos make it clear every year that they are in touch with culture and they know how to commit to dressing up.  

North Farmington High seems to have done a great job uniting their senior classes through this tradition, and I’m sure every student looks forward to this ID picture for years as soon as they enter high school. And while each high school has their own unique traditions, it’s only important that they have something that bonds their community and keeps students motivated. We all know how easy it can be to slip into senioritis when you’re soooo close to the end of school that it feels like nothing matters anymore, but it’s important to keep doing your best until you make it to graduation. Especially for students that intend on going to college, it’s a dangerous habit to get into if they start losing momentum. 

So whatever it takes to keep students motivated, I’m all for it. When I was in high school, we had a senior “field day” where we all got to choose teams, create a name and theme for our teams, then spend a day competing in relays, races and games rather than sitting in class. It was a great experience, especially considering that the alternative would have been sitting in desks all day. We also had a “senior movie day” where we were brought to a nearby movie theater and got to pick a film to watch, again, instead of writing essays and discussing our future plans in class. Traditions like this don’t have to be anything huge, but they are special memories that seniors get to hold onto for years to come. And they are ways to acknowledge all of the hard work those students have put in their entire academic careers.

One of the biggest senior traditions that has been depicted countless times on TV shows and in films is senior prom. And while it often gets a bad rap, as people sometimes put too much pressure on the whole event or feel like they need to spend exorbitant amounts of money just to have a good time, it really should not be viewed that way. It’s just one last hoorah to high school, and seniors should see it as a fun night to look their best and dance for hours with their closest friends, before they move onto the next phase of their lives. They might be moving to a different state for university, taking a gap year to travel in Europe or starting trade school, but one thing is for sure: they’ll never be in high school again. 

Another great thing about the tradition of these clever ID photos is that they serve as a souvenir from high school as well. While Gen Zers are likely to have thousands of photos on their cell phones already, these IDs can be kept for years to come and even shown to their own children one day. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a photo of their parent at age 17 or 18, with a then very vintage looking ID card and some insight into what their parent’s personality was like at the time. Did they choose a funny character to depict? Or a character from a dramatic film? I’m sure these students, and their families, will cherish these ID photos for many years. 

I’m not sure about you pandas, but I definitely would have loved to have a tradition like this when I was in high school. Sure, we were allowed to have a fun “senior photo”, but the best idea I could come up with was bringing giant pieces of ginger because that’s what all my friends called me. (I have red hair, so my nickname became Ginger/Ginge/Lil Ginge.) If I could go back in time 8 years, I would definitely pull out a full-on costume. Not that I needed a reminder that high schoolers are much cooler than I am (I've been on TikTok, I know where I stand), but these North Farmington kids are way cooler than my peers and I were, even back in the day.

We hope you're enjoying this list of brilliant costumes pulled off by some of the smartest and most creative seniors in high school. Keep upvoting all of your favorite pics, and then let us know in the comments what you would have dressed up as if given the opportunity. Whether or not you pandas had any awesome traditions like this when you were in high school, we hope you have some great memories like these students will certainly have too. And if you still haven't seen North Farmington's ID pics from last year, you can check out Bored Panda's article featuring them right here.