By Veronica Corona 

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Silver Creek seniors say the new merchandise for their class of 2025 is lacking originality and meaning when it was revealed last month through an Instagram post. 

Senior merch is something students buy as a souvenir to look back on. It’s a way to represent your graduating class and also to show some school spirit. Merch was available for pre-order for $30 up until Sept. 30 and the final price is now $40. Students should feel proud to buy their merch, but instead, there has been some negative feedback about this year’s design. 

In a survey given to provide their thoughts on the merch design, it was a general consensus that students agree that the design should be more original and should relate to the school and students instead of a current popular brand. Just because the brand is popular amongst some, doesn’t mean it is everyone’s style and many are disappointed about that. Plenty of students were looking forward to having something to remember their school by since there won’t be a yearbook this year but it looks like merch is out of the picture. 

Different types of merch were suggested in the survey such as water bottles, keychains and sweatpants and out of 13 responders, 11 were not opposed to the idea. Having a variety of items that you can buy and actually use would really motivate students who are on the verge of wanting to buy some merch to finalize their purchase. The different types of merch can also bring in more profit to the school which could go back into funding student activities and dances.

The problem really lies in how students are not a fan of how the merch is a copy of an already existing design — Stüssy. Something suggested by senior Valerie Moreno was, “They should have some sort of survey or a way they can get students’ opinions on how the design should look like so that people actually buy it.” Just like Moreno suggested, providing a survey would be a win-win situation because it will ensure students get a design they resonate with, and the school won’t lose any money buying hoodies that students won’t buy.