It’s the end of August, and the summer has come to a close. The days are overheated; you are scrambling to stock up on all sorts of school supplies to prepare for the new school year.

New Trier students know exactly what school supplies to get, as this is definitely not their first rodeo. Most students have been using the same back-to-school routine for years.

Senior Allie Hartman said, “Five Star notebooks and folders last forever. I buy those every year. I also always get flair pens and mechanical pencils. Lots of mechanical pencils.”

The general consensus is that boys buy basically nothing and are using the same supplies year after year.

“I’ve been using the same binders since eighth grade,” said junior David Lee. “It’s not food. It doesn’t go bad.”

“I always buy notebooks, binders, pencils, index cards, and lots of other stuff year after year,” said junior Lexi English. “You can’t really re-use this stuff year after year.”

This can be seen in action just by simply looking at students’ backpacks. An average girl’s backpack is well organized and filled to the brim with shiny, new folders and notebooks, while a boy’s backpack can look like the academic equivalent of a black hole.

This could be linked to boys buying supplies that are more durable and stark, while girls prioritize style.

However, this trend seems unlikely due to the condition most boys describe their material to be in.

Sophomore Mae Garland said, “I love buying colorful stuff. I always buy the usual stuff plus lots of water bottles.”

Buying whimsical, quirky folders and notebooks is the new trend this year. Famous characters from popular movies, such as “Frozen”, are popping up all over the school.

Senior Tori Nettesheim marvels over the cover of her notebook, pointing at the enlargened face of a storm trouper from the “Star Wars” collection at Office Depot. “It makes things so much more lively, like I’m ready to learn now,” laughs Nettesheim.

“I always buy new notebooks, new binders, and I don’t always shop the sales,” said sophomore Olivia Eisen. “Everything I buy depends on what my teachers want me to buy for each class.”

Usually students don’t go school supply shopping until after their first few days of school. It’s not recommended to go out and buy all new supplies beforehand because there is a risk of having the wrong supplies, or worse, having a lot of unnecessary ones.

“I honestly don’t go school supply shopping at all,” reveals junior Paul Sabo. “I just scrounge around the school and often if I find myself without a pencil I go to a friend and say, ‘Hey man, you can make a quick buck for a pen.’ I haven’t shopped for school supplies since sixth or seventh grade.”