Back to School Necessities- High School- Accessories

Since teachers assign textbooks that weigh some ridiculous percentage of kids' bodyweight, rocking a comfortable, sturdy, durable backpack is not only convenient, but can save kids from back and shoulder problems. You can invest in a roller-backpack if you want, but you save your back at the sacrifice of style. Rolling backpacks are also hard to maneuver in crowded hallways, so I would suggest a traditional backpack. L.L. Bean bags are my personal favorite, and definitely one of the most popular brands of backpacks. Since the straps are wide and padded, you never have to worry about the bag digging into your shoulders, and since the straps are easily adjustable, the backpack can sit low or high on your back.

L.L. Bean backpacks come in a wide variety of colors and designs (I've included solid color and patterned bags above) and they can also be personalized with your initials- helpful since L.L. Bean is so common. The backpacks have one large main pocket, a smaller secondary pocket, and then 3 pockets on the front. I found these divisions helpful for organization, as I could keep my books in the main pocket, my lunch in the second big pocket, and then my pencils, pens, phone, etc, in the front pockets.

In high school, lunch is THE most important time of the day for socializing and relaxing. If you'd like to go green and buy a reusable lunch box rather than bringing paper bags every day, a retro style is definitely the way to go. The monkey one above is cute, and here's a fun gallery of vintage boxes: http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/geeky-vintage-lunchboxes.

Bento, the Japanese style of packing compact, colorful, healthy lunches in compartmentalized boxes, is also catching on in popularity. Bento lunches are beautifully arranged, and can appeal to even the pickiest eater. They are also meant to be visually appealing and quick to pack. In comparison to the greasy pizza and cold hamburgers that school cafeterias often serve, the bento option seems better for both the mind and the body. The bento box above has organized compartments of different sizes, and two layers, and the following website has FAQ's about bento and recipe ideas: http://lunchinabox.net/faq/#FAQ1.

For those who don't want to bring their own lunch, it's important to have a wallet of some kind so that you don't have to worry about losing your money. Target has a good selection of cheap wallets- just make sure you pick something durable, with fabric that won't tear right away. Leather or fake leather is best, but can be a bit more expensive than cloth. Also, for high school students that don't have to worry about carrying around a lot of credit cards and receipts, it's probably most convenient to get a small wallet.

These days, as more and more kids get their own mp3 players and iPods, a lot of people like to listen to music during lunch. The white iPod earbuds are probably the cheapest, but they make a huge variety of colors. I like how the ones above have a thin rubber coating, so they're more comfortable than the ones that are just plastic.

If you're lucky enough to have a laptop as a high schooler, make sure you're responsible enough to protect it! The skins above will protect your laptop from scratches, especially if you're carrying it around in your backpack where the corners of textbooks, or pencil tips, could leave marks. On white mac books, those marks really start to show. Plus, since most computers look largely the same, and you want to make sure someone doesn't accidentally (or "accidentally") pick yours up, personalization will help prevent that.

Who doesn't have a cell phone these days? Of course, kids can use the excuse that carrying around a cell phone soothes worried parents, but that's hardly the reason people want one. Many phones, especially blackberries and iPhones, have a huge variety of protective cases available. If you're carrying a thin piece of technology with a large screen, like an iPhone or iPod, around in your backpack all day the screen is bound to get some cracks. Once the cracks build up, the screen gets stains of weird color and doesn't function as well. But since many of the cases are so cute, getting one shouldn't be a chore at all! You can then further decorate with cell phone charms that clip on to the phone.

Lanyards are also incredibly useful, especially once you start to drive. Lots of guys get ones with sports logos, or you many schools sell them as fundraisers.