1. Music player – Whether during a study hall, in the hallways, or on the bus, some type of MP3 player is always useful when trying to tune out the world of high school (or any annoying people you are avoiding).

2. Extra Pencils – The first quarter is the worst possible time to find a pencil.  Teachers are strict about loaning them, students are cautious about lending them to people, and almost everyone loses a pencil at least once during the year.  So keep extras and show no mercy to the students who need one! (P.S. Don’t forget the lead!!!)

3.  Notebook– No matter what class you are in, you have a 99% chance that you will use a piece of paper and there is a 30% chance that the paper will be provided for you.  So it’s always helpful to have a notebook or loose leaf paper with you.  That way, you don’t have to annoy the person next to you for paper, because after a while, they will stop hearing you ask because of the MP3 player in their ears.

4. Sweatshirt– Any senior or junior will agree that the temperature in the school varies depending on what room you are in.  But when you have the unfortunate fate of having a class in that one room that is always cold, such as the downstairs C-Hall…be sure to layer.  The one thing consistent about the temperature in the school is; if you are in a classroom that is cold, it will always be cold…

5. Germ x– One day, when it is really quiet in your classroom and you hear nothing but silence; listen a little closer.  Most likely you will hear about 5-10 people constantly sniffing their nose because of the cold that their best friend’s, brother’s, girlfriend’s mom gave them…  We don’t need another “Swine Flu” scare do we??  So keep your hands clean!

6. Map of the High School– Even some seniors will admit to forgetting where the F- Hall is, or if the 200 numbers are upstairs or downstairs, so to be safe, always have a map of the school with you during those first few weeks (especially if you are a sophomore!)

7. Extra copy of schedule – The first few days are confusing to figure out where to go, especially when we skip those first few periods on the first day.  An extra schedule is always a must!  (Definitely if you have one class on an A day and a completely different class on a B day.  That gets kind of confusing…)

8. Locker combination– Even though you may have the same locker that you did last year, the combination changes every year.  So when you are rushing to your next class and you can’t remember your new combination; guess what… you’re going to be late for class.

9. Snacks– No matter what time you have lunch, A, B, or C; it is always smart to keep snacks in your backpack to eat when you get hungry.  Especially since you most likely  skipped breakfast after waking up freakishly early to get to school on time.

10. Extra cash– In case you didn’t bring snacks for your sudden bursts of hunger, be sure to keep a few extra dollars with you at all times.  No matter where you look, you can almost always find someone on the yearbook staff to sell you chocolate-covered pretzels.