adventures of a typical high school student

Welcome back everyone!

Today I’m going to share some things you should always have with you in your backpack as a high school student. This can apply to middle school as well, but in my middle school we were not allowed to carry around backpacks. I put a ton of “essentials” in my bag at the beginning of the school year, but I only ended up actively using a few of them. That being said, here are those items that I actually used!

• Chapstick – This is a basic essential if you usually have chapped lips like I do. My choice chapstick is Carmex, but whichever one you use, make sure you have an extra in your bag- especially for the fall and winter months!
• Hairties and mini hairbrush – You’ll definitely need these if you play a sport at school; my hair never looked good by the end of a windy or rainy day, but I could easily use these in a pinch to put my hair up or make it more presentable. It’s also good to have extra in case you need to put your hair up for a science lab or for practice and other people forgot to bring their own.
• Small bills/change for the vending machines – I’m not sure if all schools have vending machines, but I think most do! If you’re craving a certain drink or forgot to pack a snack, it’s always good to have money and get something at the vending machine. Just bring money in general for food/snacks, whether on campus or off.
• Reusable water bottle – Most schools have water fountains around campus or even better, specific stations for water bottle refilling. Bring a reusable water bottle (my favorites are Hydro Flasks) and limit your use of plastic; it’s more convenient in the long run and it will keep your water colder too.
• Stapler (mini) – This will be a lifesaver for you and all your classmates when you have those strict teachers that require your paper be stapled and ready to go as soon as you walk into class. It’s just helpful in general because you’ll be stapling lots of packets/projects/papers throughout the year, and you can’t always rely on your teacher letting you use the stapler in class.
• Phone charger or portable charger – Even if your school has a stricter phone policy, I still found myself using my phone way more on breaks and such during the school day than I did in middle school. At one point or another your phone (or someone else’s!) will need a charge, and some teachers may even let you plug your phones in during class (my bio teacher had a special place for charging phones to hang).
• Paper reinforcers – I’m not sure what the official name for these is, but they’re the little stickers you can place around the holes on lined paper if they get torn. This way, you can still place them in a binder. I just had a few sheets in my bag and you never know when you’ll need them.
• Band-Aids – This may not be an essential for everyone, but I’m pretty accident-prone! Similar to other items on this list, other people may need one at some point too; it’s always a great thing to be the overprepared mom friend who has everything in their bag. If you fall down the stairs, get a scrape while playing sports, etc., you don’t need to rely on the school’s limited first-aid kits.
• Your School ID – I know this may seem obvious, but you wouldn’t believe how many people quickly lose their IDs or leave them at home on a daily basis. Don’t do that!! Your ID can get you free admission to sports games, discounted rates on certain items like the yearbook (usually), and you’ll most likely need it whenever you’re buying school lunch or checking out books in the library. Plus, if you ever get in trouble, admin will expect you to have and present your ID. Just make sure you have it on you at school, even if it’s just wedged in your phone case.
• Snacks and food!! – This is also an obvious one, but it’s SOOOO important. Lots of people forget to bring food and then don’t end up eating, which makes for a lot of cranky teenagers at school. I would suggest bringing more snack-type foods than full-on meals because they’re easier to eat whenever you feel like it (in class, standing up, walking during passing periods, etc.). Bring a mix of healthy/junk food snacks and salty/sweet snacks to cover your bases, and bring enough to share if possible! My whole friend group pretty much swaps our snacks based on our moods and what we feel like eating.

I hope this list helped you guys out and gave you an idea of just how much random stuff you need to be carrying around with you in your bag. You’ll figure out what you personally use once the school year starts, but it’s always best to be as prepared as possible starting out. Let me know if you guys have any school related requests or any requests at all! I’ll be back with more exciting content (including my cheer camp coverage!) very soon.

-Brooke