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Back to School Craze

By: KC Nañola

Hello! I’m excited! I’m going back to school soon. Not only have I got a new brand name back pack of my favourite colour, I’ve also got lots of new cool clothes and yes, a new pair of lovely shoes! Now that’s hot!  Nah, not really, that’s not all.  Back to school means I will soon semi-retire from being a computer geek. I would like to have better grades than last year as I promised my mom I’ll concentrate more on my studies this year. No kidding!

I am in a gifted class program and so heading back to school for me means new challenges, new friends, new lessons and for sure, new teachers. I pray that he or she is as cool as my previous ones both from the home school and gifted class. I’m having school opening jitters and it could be totally stressful right from shopping to organizing my school stuff.  Mom, taught me to be frugal in terms of shopping but really, I still do not understand why I can’t get that cool, fancy pair of earrings to match my outfit. Frugal?  Yeah, the word sounds so 60s and something that adults are so concerned about.  Well, I’m trying  to do my part in being  ‘frugal.’  So, for me to have the money to buy that fancy stuff,  I agreed to do my mom’s pedicure for $5 and my own laundry for a couple  more dollars.  She said, I must know the importance of earning for a living.

Back at school, I am a trend setter. They call me ‘fashionista’ even though I am really reserved. I am a beauty queen in my own right. I have a very good sense of mixing and matching my outfits and don’t necessarily need to have new ones. Only reason I have to buy new clothes this year is because I am growing taller and I already have outgrown my old clothes. Also, my school bag is now totally worn out after so many field trips last year. I tried washing it but in vain. It really has to be changed now.

Now what’s hot is that ‘back to school craze’ is everywhere. Kids all wanting to fit in and be cool in a fashionable way. However, for me it doesn’t mean having new stuff at all times. Just be smart and creative. I have my old pair of jeans that has now become shorter. It’s one of my favourites and because I wasn’t willing to say good bye to it, I thought I’d recycle it by just folding it up to knee-high and voila, I now have a great pair of  knicker-buckers to match a hand-me-down top from my very thrifty sister.

So kids, don’t panic and don’t let your parents be stressed by asking them too much stuff and clothes.  Of course, it is always nice to have something new but there’s more into just being cool and being a fashionista.  Be creative and just like me, you probably still do not understand the concept of being frugal. But hey, do not be influenced by your peers and  what you see on TV commercials. Although they say that ‘clothes make the man’ I still believe that it is how you carry yourself in your clothes that really matters. Just be yourself and gain respect for who you are and not what you wear.  Trust me, this attitude could lead you to being a candidate for valedictorian!

So, bring on your royal wave, smile to the new bus driver and say hello to your old and new friends. That way, you keep your cool and yes, be safe!

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About the writer: KC Nanola is a  grade 7 student of St. Lawrence School and is also in a gifted class program at St. Catherine School. She was our featured “Young Achiever” for August edition.