As you start to feel a slight cold breeze, rich green colored leaves from the trees start to fade into light yellow, orange, and brown colors; it signifies summer’s exit and the transition to a new season: fall.
Even though the change in seasons brings excitement for pumpkin patches and warm lattes, autumn can also represent a new set of challenges for Webb students.
For many Webb students, the colder weather and earlier sunsets deeply affect their motivation and stress levels. However, the hectic everyday lifestyle of high school students cannot just stop because of a change in season — so how can Webb students find their motivation?
Step 1: Romanticizing the cold weather
“Drinking cozy things like hot chocolate and tea makes me feel warm and happy inside,” Maddie said.
Taking advantage of Webb’s hot beverages may seem simple—yet, taking the time to enjoy the foggy morning with a hot mug in hand can be an accessible fix to the fall funk. The hot cocoa machine works overtime between the first block and chapel.
“Another thing that really helps me get motivated is music,” Maddie said. “So, during the fall, I like to play YouTube videos of, like, Autumn coffee shop jazz.”
Play some smooth jazz or a song that reminds you of fall—romanticize the small moments to break from the fall funk.
Step 2: Change up your wardrobe
One of the best experiences in every season is to dress up and follow seasonal trends; and fall is no exception. Many Webb students love fashion, so here are some fall fashion tips from Webb students!
“For me, when it’s fall, I like wearing long sleeves, specifically Henleys,” Quinton Chang (‘27) said.
Spending a little more time on fashion is like self-care bringing motivation and happiness on the cool, vibrant fall mornings.
“To me, dressing up feels like a destressing method rather than a hassle,” Cindy Ren (‘27) said.
The fall colors, the browns, yellows, oranges, and reds are a hit with Webb students especially in this season; however, one student proposes a different fashion approach.
“I think bright colors are for any time of the year, and I think they really bring life to school,” Cindy said. “I have this pink jacket that I really like. I just think that it stands out among all the people wearing gray and brown.”
As the temperature drops with the arrival of fall, more students like to dress in thicker and warmer clothes.
“My favorite fall fashion outfit is a nice sweater, dark colored jeans and some loafers or boots,” Hiken Qin (‘27) said.
As people gradually start to put always their summer tank tops and jorts, many people are excited to welcome the sweater weather.
Step 3: Embracing cultural traditions
Whenever anyone thinks about fall holidays celebrated at Webb, they automatically think about Halloween and Thanksgiving. However, these are not the only holidays celebrated in the fall on Webb’s campus. Many Webb students hail from different Asian countries. For example, many Korean students will notice fall approaching them when they start preparations for Chuseok, a Korean holiday celebrated on the15th day of the 8th month of the lunisolar calendar.
“I know when it’s fall when we start to do Chuseok preparations. In Korea, there’s this really big festival. It’s a tradition where we celebrate our ancestors,” Allison Koo (‘28) said. “There’s a lot of preparation that goes into that because we have like a bunch of food that’s laid out for ancestors to eat and the spirits to eat.”
Along with Chuseok, many Chinese students at Webb will start to be reminded of fall by a famous holiday. The Mid Autum Festival celebrates the full moon, and it always fall on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
Another massive part of fall holidays is the food. It’simportant to acknowledge how different types of food symbolize and shape the holidays.
“In Chuseok, there is this Korean rice cake dish called Songpyeon [which] comes in different colors,” Allison said. “My family makes dumplings to signify the new year to wrap up and transition to the new year.”
“I know it is fall when my family sends me [a text that says] ‘it’s almost [Mid Autum Festival], do you want any mooncakes?’” Emily Shao (‘26) said.
During this festival, mooncakes are a huge part of the celebration because they symbolize family reunion, wholeness, and unity. Mooncakes are made to be round because they reflect the image of a full moon.
Celebrating different heritages’ fall holidays can Autumn-atically remind people of unity and family. Fall fosters these celebrations.
Step 4: The spooky aesthetic
As the cobwebs develop and the leaves start creeping in—quit running from the ghosts and embrace the spooky ghouls.
Getting cozy with your laptop while watching a spooky movie or listening to a podcast is a spook-tacular way to get excited for Halloween festivities and the entire autumn season.
“I know a few decent horror podcasts. The one that I know best is called the Magnus archives—it’s really, really good,” Gwen Keithley (‘27) said. “It’s really fun, because it starts out just as like someone telling a ton of stories that are like horror stories.”
Of course, getting into the spirit doesn’t have to mean jump scares galore. There is plenty of soft-spooky fun out there.
“I also really like Nightmare Before Christmas,” William Rodriguez (‘28) said. “I used to be terrified of that movie, but nowadays I love that movie, banger songs, banger animation.”
The horror genre offers more than thrills—ghosts and witches can double as an artist’s muse.
“I’m really big on creative writing and just telling narratives through different art forms—whether it be art pieces or books or movies,” Gwen said. “And learning that horror is also one of these things is such a broad thing that can show these different narratives.”
Step 5: The dorm culture spirit
The dorms have their own ways of spicing up the fall season, from bright pops of color to festive decorations that turn ordinary hallways into cozy autumn hideaways.
“Dorm decorations is one thing that kind of signifies that it’s almost fall,” Anna Park (‘26) said. “You can see [decorations] in front of Dr. Greco’s house—she decorates it with neon [colors], skeletons, and [she] has Dia del los Muertos drawings. In Appleby, we also try to decorate the inside of our dorms and Ella Berg has these stickers for decoration,” Anna said.
Aside from the pumpkin spice inspired decor, the dorm council has started scaring away the spooky college spirits with senior stress less week.
“Senior stress less week makes sure that the [seniors] really reset their mental health and that there’s enough support around,” Jeremy Efuetngu (‘26) said.
Rather they get a free pass on dorm chores, or a late-night run to In-N-Out with a dorm head, the boarder community is committed to squashing the stress.
Despite the weather turning colder, and the workload feeling heavier, fall can be a time for adventure and playfulness. Whether you are embracing cultural traditions or simply spending some extra time curating an outfit—there are small ways to bring up the fall spirit.
Instead of letting this autumn fall into a pattern of gloom, welcome the vibrant red leaves, shining yellow sunsets, and orange pumpkins as you transition into the cold season.
