Georgia Hoseman, Grade 11, Staff Writer
School instagram accounts are taking over. Whether they’re related to gossip, clubs, or memes, the online community at the High School of American Studies is bustling. These accounts are student run, and range from informative club and school updates to memes, jokes, and even an account advertising the “HSAS pool.” Common Sense reports on the variety of instagram accounts generated by our students.
The @hsassleepyheads account is dedicated to pictures of sleeping classmates. A recent favorite has been @hsas.whipitupwednesday, a group of students who cook in the microwaves.
The most popular accounts have been the ones that are the most engaging and funny. Oftentimes, these are the ones where that students can submit things to.
This usually means pictures but anonymous confessions and comments had a popular period last year with over 130 submissions. Students enjoyed getting involved and all being able to bond and laugh over the same things. However, the accounts do their best to stay respectful.
Accounts have been embraced by the student body and many have favorites they keep up with. Sally Roth (‘25) says in her unbiased opinion as a member, that @hsasgirlsrunning is the best account. She adds “Everyone is so funny. My least favorite account is @memesofhsas because they post controversial things. I also wish @hsas.confessions would come back.”
Sports Instagram accounts are taking on a more active role this year. One of the account runners of @hsasgirlstennis, Jolie Futterman (‘24), sees the Instagram account as a way to encourage school spirit and harvest community. “Running the account has been one of my favorite parts of being captain. I’m able to get the school community excited about HSAS sports and feel connected to our team.”
A recent new creation, @hsasrejections, was started in the hopes of destigmatizing the college process. They only post the “rejection” updates of seniors who submit with their permission. They have surprisingly gotten many submissions, and the account has succeeded in making these seemingly depression rejections seem a little less so.
The creator, Sabrina Silbert(‘24), claims she started the account as a joke, but is happy that everyone loves it. “We really just started the account as a joke between friends, but I’m happy that the school community has used it as a tool to take the college process a little bit less seriously.”
Students also love seeing themselves or their friends featured on accounts. Frances Grodsky (‘25) shared that her favorite is @hsasmoneyspreads, “I love all of the accounts, they really help amp up school spirit while also, for the most part, being very funny.”
This statement seems to ring true to the majority of the students, who comment, like, or post on these accounts. The accounts appear to bring a sense of community and a welcomed lighthearted distraction from the more stressful parts of school.
Screenshot of Some of the Most Popular HSAS Accounts