Picture this. You’re in the school supplies aisle at Walmart. Your parent or guardian is pushing the shopping cart down the aisle as you skip alongside rows of packages of colorful pens, pencils, markers, sticky notes, notebooks, backpacks and other supplies. 

Growing up, I loved shopping for school supplies at the start of a new school year. With the school-sanctioned supply list in hand, my mom took me and my siblings to Walmart to shop for new school supplies. Being the youngest child, hand-me-downs were the norm, but there’s something about a new, unopened notebook and a pack of pencils that symbolized new beginnings and a fresh start. 

September is the start of a new school year. It means starting over and starting anew. It means revisiting friendships and making new ones. It means sitting down in a wooden desk and learning a new curriculum.  

I’m not a student anymore, but every August, I’m reminded of the feelings I had when shopping for school supplies. Like clockwork, memories of strolling through the back-to-school aisle and awaiting a new school year come rushing back.  

This month’s feature articles are for those starting a new school year. A new school year can be daunting, especially for first year high school and college students. But it can also be exciting. It can be thrilling, knowing that you are about to embark on an adventure of learning a new curriculum and forming new connections with new and interesting people. 

Erica Bengel dives into time management and how to manage your time effectively. While I love to hurry my to-do list along, I like creating a routine and taking my time to accomplish the things I need (and want) to do. Captain Wonni Williams stresses the importance of creativity and how it expresses emotion and shows not only what we can do but what the Lord can do through us. As you begin this new school year and fill your planner with assignments and goals, allow yourself to be creative. Creativity can challenge us to color outside the lines and go beyond our limits and boundaries. Lastly, Janet Dean encourages college students who are coping with the transition from high school to college. 

My hope for you is that as you read through these feature articles this month, you continue to hold your head high. Keep your chin up, walk with confidence (even when it seems hard to do so), and know that God’s got you.