“I had an attack, I was freaking out,” Wright said.

Other students at KHS have been experiencing the same feelings as Wright.

Josh Waite, junior, met his girlfriend, Shelby, at a camp in Oklahoma. She is now a freshman at Oklahoma University. Although it is not the most practical situation, Waite makes the best of it.

“It gives you space.” Waite said. “When you are together it is even better.”

Amanda Trokey, senior, is in a relationship with a freshman, Steven, at Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is six hours and twenty minutes, or 378 miles away from home. The first day they met, he came up to the window of Tropical Moose, where she works, and asked for her number. Their relationship has lasted two years.

“It’s hard now, but wait and it will be easier,” Trokey said. “Don’t make irrational decisions. Decide whether it will work out.”

Both Waite and Trokey agreed that since they do not get to see their partner, it is a good idea to give space but still communicate, and it takes a lot of trust to make the relationship work.

For Wright and Seals, it takes a lot of trust since he is so far away.

Wright and Seals met while she was a sophomore and he a senior through Facebook chatting. One thing led to another, and now they have been together for about a year and a half. Seals volunteered for the Navy after graduation. He is currently stationed in Japan.

“You realize how much you mean to each other…and appreciate the little things,” Wright said.

To keep in touch, Wright and Seals e-mail throughout the day, Skype constantly, and he calls whenever he has time or is on the ship.

“I would not recommend it [long distance relationships],” Wright said. “I wish he was still here, but if they make you happy then I wouldn’t say break-up.”

“I think they are pretty funny,” Ryan Corr, senior, said while sporting his favorite dinosaur-shaped band. “I’m surprised by the amount of people who wear them.”

Sold in packs of 12 for $2.50 or 24 for $5, Silly Bandz come in countless colors and themes. Typically, they are worn like any bracelet, but upon removal, Silly Bandz will twist back into their original shape.

“When I first saw them, I thought they were so cool,” Kate Waldemer, junior, said. “I never wear regular jewelry because it always breaks, but Silly Bandz are so durable, especially while playing sports.”

According to The New York Times, Silly Bandz were originally developed in 2002 by a Japanese design team who wanted to create a more environmentally friendly rubber band. In 2010, instead of lying scattered around a desk in an office space, they are more commonly found tightly wound around the wrists of kids of all ages.

“It was such a cool idea and imagine how much money the inventor made off of something so simple,” Corr said.

Silly Bandz were first sold online in November 2008, according to The New York Times. The popularity of these stretchy silicone bands soon flourished and became widespread across the south by October 2009. “They are popular because people can relate to them,” Waldemer said. “You can always have your favorite shape or animal with you, and almost all of mine have different stories behind them, so it’s a good way to carry those memories.”

Despite the apparent abundance of Silly Bandz, some students, like sophomore Allyson Snyder, refuse to partake in the growing trend.

“It’s the most pointless invention I’ve ever seen,” Snyder said. “If you need a rubber band or a bracelet, why not just go out and buy a normal one? Rubber bands and bracelets can be pretty without being in the shape of animals.”

According to fans, just a regular bracelet or rubber band cannot compare to the eye-catching color and shapes only Silly Bandz deliver.

“They are just something colorful to wear,” Caroline Bequette, senior, said. “Everyone has them, so obviously you don’t want to be the only one left out.”

DECA members will begin a fundraiser selling Kirkwood-style Silly Bandz to help students pay for academic competitions. “It seems like it’s a hip-hop thing going on so we’re trying to take advantage of it,”said Bryce Bunton, teacher and DECA sponsor. Sales will begin early September. Bandz are priced at 3 for one dollar or 50 cents each.