Maypril Edition 2026: Pack It Up: The Art of Organized Backpacks

As you settle into class, your teacher asks you to pull out your worksheet from the day before. Your classmates reach into their bags and pull out a pristine sheet of paper as you desperately hunt through layers of miscellaneous assignments, finding every paper but the one you need. Backpacks contain everything you require for your day at school, but backpacks that aren’t neatly organized can actually harm your scholarly experience. For this reason, it’s important that students at Hopkins learn to keep their backpacks organized--a feat many have yet to accomplish.

So, what do Hopkins backpacks look like? The inside of a backpack greatly varies from student to student. 8th grader Eshan Balaji’s backpack includes colored folders for all of his subjects, a pencil pouch organized by pens and pencils, a separate pouch for miscellaneous items like hand sanitizer and his I.D card, and a separate backpack compartment where he keeps his P.E clothes and books. “It’s easy (to find assignments) because I take out the folder for the specific period, and the assignment I worked on last is in front of my face,” he says. Eshan also says he cleans out his folders at the end of each semester. 

7th grader Luisa Klatt says her back pack contains 4 pockets, but that most pockets contain things like pencils she found on the floor and candy wrappers. She also says that she rarely uses her binder, and usually puts papers in her notebooks. “Sometimes papers get crumpled to the bottom of my backpack,” says Luisa, “Pencils and stuff get lost in there.” Luisa’s backpack started out well organized, however she doesn’t keep it this way because of the time it takes. 

Disorganized backpacks can significantly impact a student’s ability to participate in class. When class materials are not easily and quickly accessible, students may take longer to prepare for class activities. Additionally, disorganized binders (or nonexistent ones) mean that students cannot find papers. This could cause them to lose assignments, or not be able to turn work in on time. In backpacks without correctly used binders or folders, it’s very easy for papers to get crumpled or ripped, impacting the overall quality of the work that students turn in. 

To help efficiently store papers and assignments, it’s crucial that a backpack makes papers easy to access. One way to do this is by using paper storing devices such as binders or folders. These work well to store papers, because they allow students to separate papers by class or assignment type. 6th grader Ethan Zhu’s binder uses colored tabs to separate his classes, and sheet protectors to store his assignments in. When papers have a designated place, it makes them easier to find, since students would only have to check that specific place. Additionally, conducting routine backpack cleanings can reduce clutter from unnecessary papers. This also allows students to do a quick reorganizing if their bags have begun to get disorganized again.

Disorganized backpacks can severely damage a student's ability to participate in class. Therefore, it’s important that students recognize the role their backpacks play in shaping their school experience. By organizing backpacks with tools like binders and folders, students will be able to quickly find and sort their classwork and homework. That way the next time their teacher asks for an assignment, they’ll be the first to pull it out from their bag.