Each year on December 21, senior Farah Schneider arises from her dormant state and feels a tingle run up her spine. The official start of winter has come and Schneider bursts out of her bed, not to check outside for snow, but to store her apples, trail mix, and kettle corn — her arsenal of autumnal snacks– away for the winter. Schneider then begins to equip her backpack with cookies, chocolates, and pretzels to survive the cold weather.

        McLean High School has become the recent victim of the seasonal snack trend with students changing their selection of snacks with the changing seasons. Although it has only just hit McLean, students have been reaping unbelievable benefits from seasonal snacks.

        “I can feel seasons going by as I go onto my next snack season so I don’t even need to spend money on buying calendars anymore,” Schneider said.

        Per season, the list of snacks that these “seasonal snackers” devour upon is quite large. However, the general consensus on winter snacks has been cookies, chocolates as well as pretzels.

“I like to eat apples and chocolate covered pretzels in the fall and in the winter I like to drink hot chocolate and eat cookies,” Schneider said.

        Of course, with every new change, there will be those who do not believe in the idea of seasonal snacks. These snackers carry around the same snacks every day, perhaps mixing it up every few weeks to keep their taste buds on their toes. Senior Michael Grady is one such staunch supporter of stopping segregation between snacks.

        “I do not believe in seasonal snacks, I am against it, I will not support it and I never will,” Grady said.

        Despite Grady spearheading the opposition, even he had to admit that the seasonal snack trend is real and not one to be trifled with. Experts, gurus, and historians around McLean are predicting a war to break out between the two sides.

        “It gets me mad, it gets me angry and I’m ready to go to war against this blasphemy,” Grady said.

        There is one thing, however, that has kept pandemonium at bay: respect for the snacks. This profound respect has brought snackers together in these dark times and is the one reason why snackers from both sides have sought to end this dispute peacefully.

        “Snacks have saved my life, they help me focus in class because without them I’d just be hungry all through class.” Grady said.

        “Snacks are important to me because they help get me through my day and keep me energized” Schneider said.

        The previous ruling of “separate but equal” from Plessy v. Ferguson back in 1896 has been thrown back into question, but with a whole new meaning. The world of snacks as we know it may never be the same again. Seasonal snacks have pitted friends against friends, coworkers against coworkers, mothers against their children.

        “You are what you eat,” Grady said.