Shopping for back-to-school season in Atlanta has officially commenced. With school for many kids across the region starting this week, worries are already beginning to eclipse the joy of the summer. Stores such as Walmart and Old Navy are already introducing school-affiliated sales in preparation for the autumn mayhem. Yet while wandering through the halls of Office Depot or Target, it is important not to neglect items that may seem non-essential to the educational or stylish aspect of school, as they can be the key to a comfortable school year.

School is stressful, especially high school. Students are already pressured with expectations at such a young age, and what is supposed to be an educational environment can quickly turn dramatic. Teenagers are stuffed in small, sometimes windowless rooms crowded with 20 to 30 of their peers and assumed to learn for eight hours a day, five days a week.

School is exhausting and uncomfortable, yet the presence of certain non-essentials can make the experience a bit more bearable. 

1. Deodorant 

School Stink is real. Must and dust crowds buildings with understaffed janitorial teams sometimes struggle to meet the cleanliness students desire, seriously borders on disgusting at some points. Student Correy has first-hand experience with the filth that builds up in school environments, saying, “Step outside for three seconds, you come back in and you are extremely musty.”

To avoid contributing to school stench and help fight back against the must Correy describes, one useful item should be a must: deodorant. Deodorants are designed to mask body odor and can be used in addition to antiperspirants, which stop or resist sweat. Often antiperspirants are confused for the same, as both often contain aluminum or zinc salts, but there are clear differences in their purposes. There are antiperspirant deodorants that tackle both issues and come highly recommended by students, experts, and reviewers. Deodorant can be found in the aisles of drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens.

Keatin, a 16-year-old Campbell High School student, speaks on the importance of deodorant, contending that it “is important for hygiene and other people around you. I really don’t care what you bring, as long as you bring something.” Not only is deodorant necessary for maintaining proper hygiene, but it is a major confidence booster, as pleasing smells are known to improve moods and self-esteem. With hormones and puberty convoluting smells and emotions for teens growing up in school, deodorant is a need for facing the day. 

2. Pouches

Picture this: it’s a Thursday deep into midterm season, your mind is running with algebraic equations and literary analyses; you are overloaded with work, an essay, and a test in each class, and you are deep into hour three of a chaotic in-school study stretch and as your lips begin to chap. You check once, twice, a third time, and you can’t find your chapstick. The carefully structured and meticulously planned study period begins to crumble, your mind slips, and the attention and energy you need to push for the last 30 minutes of chemistry is depleted by each second as thought is diverted to this new annoyance. Now this solution could be easily remedied with a small addition to your backpack: a small pouch. A small pouch can hold all the necessities in an easily visible and accessible spot.

Rebecca, a student at Tucker High School, comments: “It’s helpful because you don’t realize how much you need that stuff, how much it can come in handy. We like to keep hand sanitizer, tissues, wet wipes, and stuff like that because it is so much easier than going out of the classroom. If you need something it’s right there. We also keep nail clippers and chapstick.” 

These pouches come in all different sizes and colors, perfect for every need or aesthetic. As well as curing chapped lip struggles, pouches can be useful for carrying feminine products such as tampons or pads. Period stigma: Many teens feel ashamed of period stains or even period products, and having access to a quick fix or shelter for period items can help soothe nerves for teens who are mostly new to periods. While it is no fix for the long-standing deeply misogynistic shame centered around periods, pouches help provide more comfort in a sometimes discriminating environment. Pouches are functional and provide comfort and needs for teens navigating a stressful area. Jada, a student at Brookwood High School states, “I love my little pouch.”  

3. Gum 

Stink can be more than just bad BO, it can exude from all sorts of places. Bad breath is scary. It’s the stink of nightmares and rough first dates. But this total catastrophe can be avoided with a small reflective package of sweet-smelling, non-digestible chewing gum. Gum is essential in school because not only does it help prevent nightmarish breath it is an excellent relaxer and stress reliever. Rebecca says: “Gum is nice, especially if you get hungry and keep your mouth moving. It helps a lot of kids stay focused, but it can get depleted and lose flavor really easily.” Gum goes so far beyond its original intent, it is actually found to ease anxiety, something that is never short of in school, by slowing brain functions in times of stress when it is easy to over panic. 

While gum has its downsides like any other aspect of the high school experience, such as the depleting flavor or the certain teachers who disapprove, gum is a quick fix to a myriad of problems. Craving something sweet, just chew. Gum comes in all sorts of flavors beyond traditional bubble gum or mint. Whether anxious, desperate for a fresh breath, or a new friend, gum is there to offer support and a spot in the backpack. 

4. Phone Charger or Charge Pack 

Teachers will cringe reading about the importance of a phone in an evolving school environment, and while this is in no way an endorsement for nonstop screentime in the classroom, cell phones have become an integral part of the modern world, and denying them will not make a difference. While students should not be spending their entire school history attached to a small screen, having the comfort of being in close contact with friends, family, and others when in a hectic or uncomfortable environment is invaluable. 

Phones, like any other electronic device, rely on battery and the flow of electrons from cord to cord to ensure that the bright lights still flash and the colorful games still run. Making sure your phone can run during school is key to reducing one more stressor, and having a phone charging pack on hand can ensure that a dead phone is never a reality. However addicting they may be, cell phones still prove an easy strand of communication with anyone anywhere, and protecting their life by always having an easy and portable savior on hand is a must for any student bracing school. 

5. Extra Sweatshirt 

Atlanta is hot, with sweltering temperatures this summer, so it is no surprise that layers are coming off and pool days were frequent. Yet with the return to red-bricked buildings in the August heat, temperatures become an enigma. School never can seem to stick to just one temperature; in some rooms it might be below freezing and the thermometer’s fan is permanently stuck on “cool,” while just next door a classroom feels boiling with a humid atmosphere. It never hurts to be overly prepared. In a similar nature to the charging pack, a sweatshirt is a comforting item that should always have a place in your bag. Being able to take it on and off is an easy and transferable way to moderate your own temperature. A sweatshirt is not only a cute addition to your wardrobe and the key to reducing any wind chills from the north, but it can also act as a blanket or pillow. Needless, a sweatshirt is more of a friend than an article of clothing and deserves a rightful place in your school backpack.