Nostalgia is a term considering the memories and emotional impact it carries. Listening to old songs or rewatching childhood films can inspire individuals to relive past times, where some of the biggest worries were finishing multiplication times tables under a minute, or the four square competition during recess.

For many SCHS students, nostalgia is a source of hope, optimism and happiness, reminding them where they came from and who they were.

This generation’s childhood revolved around television-entertainment media. Today, many students reminisce over programs they watched as kids. These shows and movies shaped students’ interests and personalities, making them who they are today.

Freshman Catalina Lopez enjoyed the classic shows on PBS and Cartoon Network.

“I feel like they were all trying to teach a life lesson, but at the same time, they all had humor in them. Somehow one of the characters does something bad, but then again, there’s also humor for the kids,” Lopez said.

Lopez also enjoys the concept of Disney shows and how they helped teach lessons in a humorous way. She said they filled her childhood with pleasurable memories while also offering her life lessons and real world problem solving.

For some, certain characters became their favorites due to them being an inspiration and role model as they grew up over the years. Whereas others just like them for their personas and entertaining character. Senior Carlos Rojina’s favorite character was Michaelangelo from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“His humor and jokes always had me die of laughter,” Rojina said.

These shows were not only means of entertainment but also shaped young audiences in their personality and interests. Rojina was a football player for the Fall 2021 season, and he also enjoys making his friends laugh. Similar to Michelangelo, he is athletic and comedic. Rojina’s favorite character growing up continued to impact him even now that he is graduating high school and ready to go to college. Although many things of nostalgia are of the past, their influence carries on.

“Just thinking of the titles and seeing that these shows now are considered kind of old, it 100 percent brings back memories that I’ll hold for life,” Rojina said.

Senior Dyvea Valdemoro named her favorite childhood film as “Barbie” and the “Diamond Castle” and her favorite character as Liana, the main protagonist.

“She was fearless and driven, especially when it came to helping a friend. When things got hard, she didn’t plan on giving up because she wanted to keep her promise even if the situation got even more dangerous,” Valdemoro said.

The characters also shaped this generation by teaching them life lessons. Young watchers, like Valdemoro, learned vital morals and life lessons through television. They were exposed to important traits to have and ethics to uphold, without realizing it.

Similarly, junior Amelia Seifert learned valuable lessons from shows she watched as a kid. Her favorite in particular was “My Little Pony.”

“I liked how there were different characters to represent different personalities, so I felt like each person could relate to a specific character,” Seifert said. “I also really liked the message of friendship and how the characters worked together.”

Like other students, Seifert grew fondly of characters that reflected traits that she saw in herself.

“My favorite character was either Twilight or Rarity. I thought both characters were very smart and creative, so they were my favorites,” Seifert said.

As time passes, young children grow up to be teenagers and then adults, but they can always find the bits of nostalgic gold within themselves and the life around them.

“As life goes on, it’s nice to have some (memories) of your childhood,” Rojina said.

For some individuals, nostalgic films have been the influential stimuli that has shaped students’ interests and nature today. But for others, some shows and movies are just fun-loving memories of things they enjoyed watching in the past.

Memories of Lopez’s childhood were filled with moments of watching television after school. She remembers watching them as a kid and feeling joyful.

“I just look back on those joyous moments when I would come home from kindergarten and I would turn on the shows,” Lopez said.

These films brought comfort and created a safe space for students to appreciate their favorite classics. For Lopez, nostalgic shows from her childhood bring fond memories from when she was young.

“I would just come home and watch the shows, and it would make me laugh. It would make me feel safe, so I definitely think they were all comfort shows to me,” Lopez said.

Similarly, according to Valdemoro, different shows and films were attention grabbing while simultaneously teaching her important lessons.

“I’m reminded of how stress free I was, and it brings me comfort,” Valdemoro said. “I can picture my little self in the living room with my brother enjoying the show in front of me.”

As students grow up and grow out of watching certain shows and films, they reminisce of the time they spent watching them.

“I would say thank you for making a show with a positive message with so many characters of different personalities so that so many people could find a comforting character that they relate to in some way,” Seifert said.