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It's just a matter of days until area schools open for the academic year.
That can be a stressful time, and that's why area school districts, churches, nonprofits and businesses work to find ways to improve the overall experience for everyone involved.
A big help is the back-to-school rally. They've now become a rite of late summer, with just about all districts in the region holding one. The formula is simple -- each event is filed with activities for students and their families, ranging from food trucks and other vendors to face-painting and the chance to dunk a teacher or administrator, to free haircuts and performances by school bands and cheerleaders.
At the heart of each event, though, is the opportunity for students to receive some basic school supplies -- paper, pencils, pens, crayons, scissors and other items -- and a book bag, essentials for the start of the school year.
Getting students ready to return to the classroom can be a time-consuming and expensive project. Studies about those costs vary. For example, Deloitte estimated that families would spend $586 per child this year. That's down $11 from 2023, according to the back-to-school survey conducted by the company that provides audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to businesses. And that's not all -- the survey showed that there will be another $582 spent on extracurricular activities, including fees and equipment.
According to estimates by the National Retail Federation, meanwhile, families with children will spend $874.68 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics this summer, down about $15 from 2023, which was a record-setting year.
Plus, it is estimated that teachers, on average, will spend about $675 out of their own pockets for school supplies for their classrooms.
Those numbers can put a dent in the budgets of most families -- and, sadly, might be out of reach for a significant number of others throughout the region.
All of it makes the rallies important components in the run-up to the new school year. That's why organizations like the Urban Mission hold rallies each year. Organizers estimate that they will distribute as many as 850 bags at this year's event, which was scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Seventh Street Plaza in downtown Steubenville.
On Friday, meanwhile, 7 Ranges Entertainment and the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County are collaborating on a back-to-school event. Scheduled to run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the 7 Ranges complex at the Fort Steuben Mall, the afternoon will include numerous activities, as well as school supplies.
The Brooke-Hancock Family Resource Network, meanwhile, will host its annual Backpack Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 24, at Weirton Elementary School, with school supplies, car seat safety installations, food, entertainment and information on local organizations.
Back-to-school rallies have become important events on the August calendar -- they offer a chance for students and their families to spend time together and relax, bring communities together and, most important, help ensure students have some of the basic items they need to get their school years off to a good start.