A majority of our time is spent at school – sitting in classrooms and roaming around in the halls. It’s safe to say that school is our second home; maybe even our primary home, since some students spend 9 hours or more at school due to sports or club responsibilities.
Especially at Alisal, our school is our home as we place such a massive emphasis on being a “family”. Essentially, Alisal can be seen as a home away from home. It’s expected of students to bring the daily supplies that they need for class. Many of these items include Chromebooks, notebooks, pencils, highlighters, and books. If these aren’t brought, you’re more than likely to suffer academically for the day. You might need to borrow a loaner Chromebook from your teacher or ask 3 to 5 people around you for a pencil until you finally find someone willing to lend you one. These types of items are what allow you to succeed in the classroom, but what are the items that help you survive in the classroom?
The items that allow us to feel confident and comfortable at school are just as important as the graphing calculator that helps us in math.
Among the 170 students that responded to an informal survey, 81.8% said they carry a form of headphones or earbuds with them. “I’ve forgotten my headphones and it ruins my day because I love listening to music, it helps [me] get through the day,” junior Brandon Reyes said. Many other students felt the same. “To cope with the lack of my headphones I had to hum to myself all day or recite songs that I knew over and over in my head,” senior Saul Luna-Reyes said.
In addition to the necessity of headphones, another basic that many of the students stated they carried with them were water bottles. According to 83.5% of students, hydration was incredibly important for them. Some of the popular water bottle brands that can be seen around campus are Stanley, Owala, and Hydroflask. “I use my Stanley the most since I am always thirsty,” junior Yeraldin Hernandez-Raya said. Among the most important items, others are phone chargers and mirrors.
According to our motto: responsibility, respect, and safety are prioritized at our school. A big part of respect is coming to school with professional, appropriate, and presentable attire/appearance. This is not the place to be unprofessional, as represented by the 74.7% of students who stated they carry deodorant to school. “It is an inconvenience if I forget one of my items, especially hygienic products, because sometimes it’s a hot day and I am sweating, I need to make sure that I don’t smell bad,” senior Heidy Carillo said. In addition to other types of hygiene products, gum and perfume are in high demand among the students. (Ironically, as I write this article, I see four students chewing gum in my proximity.)
As for appearance, many students like carrying makeup and/or hair tools. The most popular makeup products are lip products such as lipstick, lip gloss, chapstick, and lipliners. Some other students stated that they occasionally bring lash products as well such as mascara. In the hair department, half the students reported that they always carry some type of hair tie with them, and almost half said they carry hair brushes with them. And shockingly, 4 said that they carry curling irons with them to school. “I sometimes wish I could bring my makeup vanity to school because school air is real. Almost every day something goes wrong with my makeup or hair leaving my hair looking messy, makeup either oily or patchy,” junior Daniella Bobadilla said. “Having my vanity will definitely take up a significant amount of space, but I would be able to touch up any mishaps that occur throughout the day.”
Among the honorable mentions, some items that students carry are an extra change of clothes and shoes, sunscreen, straighteners, hairspray, texture powder, mouse, pomade, wipes, and women’s sanitary products. “Often when I run out [of wipes] I find that my hands become sticky throughout the day and I don’t like it,” senior Elizabeth Lazaro said.
However, while what students bring to school is important: what they wish they could bring to school is just as important. The thing most in common was pets, “I wish I could bring my dog just because I’m very attached to her,” senior Joanna Barrios said.
However, some students truly thought outside the box. “A mini fridge that could fit in my locker filled with drinks and snacks,” junior Anahi Jacobo said.
Additionally, many students had strong opinions about being able to bring blue and red hoodies to school, or any type of clothes without a dress code violation. “Something that I wish I could bring to school would be pajamas,” senior Uriel Montelongo said. Unfortunately, for now, we aren’t able to bring any of that clothing to school. The funniest of all, many students wished they could bring some type of gaming console to school. “[A Nintendo Switch] technically I can, but I hardly bring it since I’m worried it could get damaged or stolen,” junior Damian Ramos said. The best part is that some students have! Countless students bring controllers and play Fortnite on their Chromebooks during class. At this rate, our school should have a professional gaming team.
Digging into the world of what students enjoy bringing to school is insightful. Although we are all different, we can all agree that it’s important to come to school prepared–which is more than bringing our Chromebooks and pencils. While those items allow us to be successful and get things done. Sometimes, being prepared means taking the steps necessary to be comfortable wherever you are. This may be through hydration, makeup, hair care, or hygiene, but despite our differences, it’s nice to see that some things, such as music, are necessary to get through school as a collective. Most of all it makes the school–our community– less stressful and more accommodating for the students all around.
