By Emma Wulfhorst
The start of September is a time to put away tank tops and shorts, sharpen the brand new pencils and break out the new notebooks for the first day of school. Back to school season is bittersweet – it marks the end of summer, but also the beginning of another school year with a multitude of new possibilities and opportunities. It is also a time to look back on summer memories.
Some comments from students in the Two River area who shared their thoughts on what they will miss from summer included going to the beach, fishing and crabbing, and hanging out with friends. Some were not ready to say goodbye to sleeping in, “watching Netflix 24/7” and “not having a lot of stress on my shoulders.”
Almost all agreed, having no homework was a part of summer they would greatly miss.
And some students said they were ready to embrace the new school year.
Elementary and middle schoolers’ supply lists are fairly consistent, with students requiring blue and black pens, college-ruled paper, and binders. Seventh grader John Gray needs White-out correction fluid and a calculator, and fifth grader Hannah Ahmed can’t go to school without notebooks and her Pendaflex.
For high schoolers, back to school necessities this year are much different than when they were in elementary school. The most common essentials among teenagers include their phone, phone charger, and earbuds. For others, like junior Sean Molicki, technological advances in the classroom have made laptops a common must-have. “For back to school I need my laptop – I use it to take notes and do a lot of my work.”
The laptop, among other item such as Sperry’s boat shoes, coffee, and gum, was a popular essential for many older students.
Sophomore Caecilia Altenburg’s school must-haves are “loads of pens and pencils and spare money in case I ever forget lunch.”
Though many material items are needed for school, it’s important to be emotionally and mentally prepared, as well. The back to school essentials two students listed were “a positive attitude and an open mind.”
