Our world’s first turned upside down on July 15, 2016, with the premiere of Stranger Things. Now, nearly a decade later, the mystery that began with the vanishing of Will Byers is reaching its peak. On November 26, 2025, the long-awaited first part of Season 5—the final season—officially dropped. As one of Netflix’s most-watched series of all time, with season four alone accumulating over 1.35 billion hours of streaming in its first month, the show’s impact is undeniable. Since the recent release, the title “Stranger Things” has been buzzing through the halls of Cal High.
For many students, the holiday break provided the perfect window to dive back into Hawkins. “I watched the first three episodes as soon as they came out, then left for an hour to get food… I watched the fourth episode immediately when I got home,” shared Patricia Castillo. Many students even found themselves balancing Thanksgiving dinner with the new episodes, driven by a desperate need to know what happens next.
For the Cal High community, this premiere wasn’t just a night of binge-watching; it was the beginning of the end for a story many have grown up alongside. Freshman Elena Santos reflected on this journey, noting, “It’s crazy to see how much the characters have grown, and I grow with them. It’s bittersweet and a nostalgic feeling.” Much like our own transition from freshman year to graduation, we have watched the Hawkins crew evolve from children playing Dungeons & Dragons to young adults facing the literal end of the world. “Seeing all of these transitions from adolescence to young adulthood has made all of this crazy process of finishing high school seem a lot less scary than what I make it seem in my head,” added Camilla Sanchez.
Walking through the small quad or sitting in the cafeteria, the “buzz” is constant. From theories about Holly Wheeler to heated debates over who will survive the series finale, “If Steve Harrington dies, the Christmas lights won’t be the only thing hanging,” Ayari TorresPinto joked. The show has fostered a community atmosphere similar to the energy of a Friday night football game. “I’ve heard people say they think Henry is El’s biological dad, but I don’t necessarily believe it,” Santos added. It is exactly this kind of shared experience that brings different social groups together, proving that even a show about monsters and parallel dimensions can create real-world bonds right here on campus.
For the students at Cal High, the release of Season 5, Part 1, wasn’t just another Netflix notification; it was a cultural event that blurred the lines between 1980s Hawkins and 2025 California. “So many people, especially on social media, have been like dying for the new season and like I myself am trying to put my friends on it” wrote Belen Ibarra. This shared anticipation has turned chemistry labs and hallways into forums for fan theories, proving that while the show’s setting is decades in the past, its grip on our student body is very much in the present.
At the heart of the series is a “found family”—bonds that mirror the tight-knit communities we see in our own school programs. “I genuinely feel like I have found people that truly understand me in the VAPA Program, and with the new season, I’ve had lots of conversations about it with my castmates during rehearsals,” Patricia Castillo noted. We’ve watched these characters grow from vulnerable children into leaders, a transition that many seniors at Cal High find deeply relatable as they prepare for their own “final season” of high school. It is this sense of loyalty to one another that makes the stakes of the final season feel so personal.
As the Upside Down begins to bleed into the “real” Hawkins, the show leans into a visceral sense of finality. The imagery of the final season is dark and heavy, forcing the characters to face challenges they’ve tried to ignore for years. Camilla Sanchez was particularly struck by the emotional weight of the character arcs this season, remarking, “Robin and Vickie’s love for each other—and that whole being in love with someone that the world isn’t ready to accept—resonates deeply with me.”
Beyond the streaming numbers and the billion-hour milestones, Stranger Things has created a legacy that will outlast the finale. It revived an era of fashion (bringing new trends like Hellfire shirts and customized Stranger Things Vans to campus), music, and storytelling that has defined our generation’s aesthetic. But more importantly, it taught us that being “strange” is a strength, not a weakness. Reflecting on the show’s impact, Camilla shared, “Stranger Things is a vital part of my childhood all the way up until now. I’ll miss the fun 80s vibe the show has.” Much like the long-standing traditions we value at Cal High, the story of Hawkins has become a permanent part of our collective memory.
As we wait for the final chapters to unfold in Part 2, the “buzz” at Cal High shows no signs of fading. We are all, in a sense, residents of Hawkins now—waiting for the clock to strike and waiting to see how this “never-ending story” finally ends. Our worlds may have been turned upside down back in 2016, but as we stand on the edge of the series finale, one thing is clear: we are ready to see the light return to Hawkins one last time.
