The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

The student news site of Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.

The Hawkeye

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Homespun social media accounts aim to create community

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©HAWKEYE image credit: Lucas Barquin

Last school year, many students would see accounts popping up showcasing bizarre photos, confessions and more. While the infamous accounts have returned this year, students have also seen the new addition of TikToks about Terrace’s school community. 

The unofficial school Instagram accounts started off with posts exposing bad parking jobs in the Terrace parking lot (@mthsassparking), into posts about students sleeping in class or around the school (@mths.shlumped), as well as student confessions (@mths.confessions_), catching the attention of many students and bringing together the community.

Controversy arose over these accounts as the 2021-2022 school year continued, sometimes posting photos of students without direct consent in addition to posts that some students found brought negativity. 

As this school year rolled around, many accounts have yet to return, some completely going offline or being deleted. Some accounts were believed to be taken down or had posts deleted due to controversy, while others have been missing in action to the dismay of their avid followers. One of these is @mths.shlumped, posting submitted photos of students sleeping during school, and one of the owners of @mthsassfood’s favorite accounts. 

The accounts that have returned are bringing back a sense of community around the school, but with a lack of posts it’s hard to keep engagement. While some accounts have relied on making frequent posts to maintain attention, @mths.cartoons is less active than others but has still managed to keep an active, loyal following since their first post in March 2022. Taking photos submitted by students and turning them into cartoon-styled art, @mths.cartoons is a favorite among students and the other accounts. 

“[MTHS cartoons is] truly something special,” the admin of @mthsoutofcontext said. “Anyone can be included and get remarkable art of them made.”

@Mthsoutofcontext is an account that posts random photos students submit, as the name states, without context. They made their first post back in December of 2021 hoping to “spread positivity and laughs.” 

“I never want to be the harbinger of negative energy, and I hope the dumb posts I make bring some joy,” the account owner said.

When it comes to choosing the posts they publish from their submissions, the account owner doesn’t have many rules, but still avoids certain things. 

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“[I post] pretty much whatever [is submitted] as long as it’s not a blatant attack, defacing the bathrooms (recent rule) or something that someone clearly doesn’t want to be featured in,” they said. 

The account owner also listens to anyone who directly messages them asking to take down a post if a student didn’t consent to it being posted. Another account making a comeback is @mthsassfood. The account owner started it for fun last year when the other accounts were being created, posting any photos of school lunch that were submitted. 

“[It was] just a funny idea with a friend because others were making accounts,” the admin said. “[Now I] mainly go for things that look weird.”

Both of these accounts have seen a decrease in submissions since the school year began, but for @mths.confessions_, activity has been little to none.

This year, students have noticed unofficial school TikTok accounts popping up on their For You Pages. 

One under the name of “@mountlaketerracehs” has been posting memes of staff and events. They have also been sharing supportive content, such as the football team’s win over Shorecrest H.S. and content of Big 6 Vice President Ryan Daly. Another account that has been grabbing students’ attention is @mths.interveiws, posting interviews asking students about music they’re listening to or to confess “the most embarrassing thing they’ve done.” 

As the school year brings back these old accounts and new ones are created, the sense of community around them is being restored as well.

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About the Contributors
Kaylee Miyamoto, Online Manager
Lucas Barquin, Op/Ed Editor
Lucas Barquin joined HSM because he enjoyed writing and wanted to join a group where he could continue writing with others. Lucas’ goal is to write about important topics, and to make every student feel seen and heard. In his free time Lucas enjoys drawing, listening to music and playing D&D. His post high school plans are to attend an art school for graphic design and illustration.
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