Fall: when leaves turn orange, the air becomes crisp and pumpkin-themed items make a return to store shelves. However, this year the season has looked a bit different as the leaves are still green and on trees, the weather is still warm and the bees are still buzzing. For this reason, students are left to compensate for the lack of fall characteristics in the environment.

The official start of fall was on Sept. 22. This means that it has been over a month since the season started and temperatures remained in the 70s whereas they’re usually in the 50s and 60s during this time of year.

“It kind of sucks. It’s too hot and I don’t like hot weather this late in the year,” freshman Bryce Angela said.

As the weather gets colder, people will usually pull out their jeans and flannels to embrace “fall fashion.” But, dressing for fall has been a challenge this year as it has been cold in the morning and hot in the afternoon.

“When I wake up it’s freezing outside so I put on a tank top with a t-shirt and hoodie over it. Then I put on shorts with either jeans or sweatpants over it. In my fourth period, though, I’ll take off everything except for the tank top and the shorts,” junior Kiki Gazit said.

Regardless of the hot weather, students are still finding ways to bring in the season. Starbucks recently released their popular fall-themed drinks which give buyers a taste of autumn.

“I love the pumpkin cream cold brew from Starbucks! This year, I’ve mostly gotten cold drinks since it’s still so hot outside,” senior Sophie Bagheri said.

Halloween is also something plenty of students associate with fall. Some like to go to local places, such as Field of Screams or Markoff’s Haunted Forest, where they can embrace the spookiness of the season.

“I like to watch scary movies to get in the Halloween spirit. My favorite is ‘Halloween’,” Gazit said.

Others appreciate the more simple aspects of fall. A handful of students, including Bagheri, enjoy the comfort the season brings with its different scents, colors and spices.

“I like just playing my guitar with the window open and drawing,” Angela said.

Fall has a wide variety of signature flavors such as pumpkin, apple and caramel since there are two food-filled holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) that take place during the season. For this reason, a lot of students enjoy baking during fall.

“I love to bake pumpkin bread and eat it fresh out of the oven when it’s warm. I use the same recipe every year and it tastes so good,” Bagheri said.

So, when should we start viewing it as being fall? Although the official start date was in September some students think it should be later.

“Right now it still feels like summer so I would probably consider it to be fall in late October,” Angela said.