Ruby Hawbecker | Writer
October 31, 2021
Editor’s Note: The Triton Times staff does not condone sexual assault of any kind and we do not wish to make light-hearted any form of unwanted sexual contact. If you, or anyone you know, is a victim of sexual assault, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline immediately at 1-800-656-4673. If you, or anyone you know, is offended by a post on the banana munchers Instagram page, we will help you contact them to take it down.
Since 2014, people have munched. Whether it be in the classroom, at lunch, or on zoom calls, San Clemente High School students and teachers alike have been photographed and been posted eating bananas for 7 years.
At SCHS, the students have many longstanding traditions, but the banana munchers account is by far the most famous. The Banana Munchers Instagram has roughly 1,500 followers, and is a running joke between students and teachers.
Over the past years, many photos have been collected of students consuming bananas in all shapes and sizes. People who are aware of the account take photos of their friends eating bananas, and send them in, hoping to have them posted on @schs_banana_munchers.
Most of the time, people are unaware of their photo being taken, and only find out after they are posted to the account, which makes for hilarious and candid shots. In a polite manner, the Banana Munchers page has stated that if a “munch” is offensive to anyone, it can be taken down. Knowing that there is this guideline and that all photos are consensual, the munchers page is able to stay harmless and fun without the fear of being reported by an offended student.
“It is very interesting to see how the account has gained popularity,” junior Shea Gallagher said. “Considering that nobody knows who has access to the account password and who is posting the photos, it is cool to see that we are all in on one big inside joke. I feel honored that they decided to follow me back.”
Shea recently sent in a photo of her friend and water polo teammate, Savannah Batchelor, munching a banana on the pool deck on October 7.
With school up and running this year, it is easier to find photos of people munching on bananas, but during online school due to COVID-19, it was difficult to keep the tradition going. Previous student and now college freshman at UW, Sydney Belden, says, “While it was rather difficult to keep it up in quarantine, it was a blast to be a part of this tradition.”
“It was super cool being a part of a legacy of munchers and knowing I was one of the icons of SCHS, and it was always fun seeing people respond to seeing themselves on the account, not knowing it was me who ran it,” Belden continued. Sydney ran the banana munchers account in 2019 and 2020, and passed it on to another anonymous student when she graduated.
Another student whose photo was posted twice on the account in the span of just two weeks is junior Edgar Olmos. “I feel extremely honored and excited to be a part of something kind of dumb but important at the same time,” Olmos said. “I think this page will continue on through future generations of San Clemente kids, and it is cool to know that I am a part of it.”
From freshmen to seniors, students are posted munching on the account, adding extra fun to the Triton community. Hopefully, banana munchers can continue to be passed down from alumni to current students so that the tradition stays alive.
Students: remember to always munch, but watch out because you might get caught!
Leave a Reply