Folks, another year is upon us. Another school year, that is.

Bryan County Schools has officially rung in the 2026-27 academic year this Wednesday, following a pre-game lineup of open houses hosted at the best schools property taxes can buy. Following the construction of the new Richmond Hill High School campus, I certainly hope the new Bryan County High School, set to be completed in 2029, is just as impressive and worthy to be a setting for a hit teen drama on CW as its South Bryan counterpart.

Since I am rapidly aging out of young adulthood, the back-to-school season doesn’t scare me as much as it used to. But I suppose that’ll change if/ when I have kids, and I suddenly transform into a tiger mom obsessed with getting my kids the best calculators, laptops, and backpacks for carrying their Latin and geometry textbooks to class as part of my master plan to get them into UGA. Nah, I’m just kidding–I’ll settle for Harvard.

But as the managing editor of Bryan County’s flagship newspaper (i.e. we have no competition), I feel like it’s my pastoral duty to give some sage advice to young elementary, middle, and high school students in Richmond Hill and Pembroke for this new school year. I’m not sure if any of them know this paper exists, but here goes. Hey, maybe the Bryan County News can finally start a Tiktok account after I’ve kept putting it off for so long. And after we gain a following there, we’ll move to Spotify and Substack where all the cool kids are. I’m like the Gen Z Ted Turner, but with newspapers.

Anyways, to all of the youngsters starting school again, here is some advice courtesy of the managing editor (me) and associated staff at the Bryan County News (Jada; sales executive, Lucy; reporter). They say it takes a village to raise a child, but the equivalent for a newspaper would be three young professionals, a retired old hack (Jeff Whitten; his words, not mine!) plus a non-retired old non-hack with a cool-sounding title (Mark, Chief of Digital Operations). If the Bryan County News were a school class, we’d be AP English Literature; made up of the smart kids who dress well and are bad at math (Maybe that last part just applies to me in particular.…)

Back-to-School Tips from the Bryan County News: “No one’s going to remember your first day of school outfit except your mom who takes photos.”

(This is doubly true if your school mandates a uniform; literally no one cares, please stop worrying).

“Write down any important dates or deadlines ahead of time so you aren’t rushing on a final paper last minute.” (A good habit for anything in life, really).

“What matters today, won’t matter a year from now.” (Barring the extreme, of course…don’t sue us for misinformation.)

“To be early is to be on time.” (This one is from me; it helps you avoid parking illegally because you’re running late for first period Chemistry).

“The more involved you get in clubs, sports, and activities, the better.

Helps a lot with college admissions.” (Can confirm; all of the major universities nowadays want “well-rounded” students, which is code for Student Council busybodies applying for pre-med or pre- law).

“Do not bring ANY variety of fish for lunch.”

(Yes, this means no tuna sandwiches in the locker room. Especially ones that people “forget” to take home and they spoil in someone’s missing lunchbox over the weekend).

“No jaywalking; look both ways when crossing the street while going to school. Don’t let the music from your earbuds distract you from an incoming school bus or cyclist (This one is also from me; I live near a school and have already seen so many ridiculous near-accidents.

Additionally, I definitely needed this reminder while walking to and from classes in college.)

“Take it easy!” ( Easier said than done, I know.

But school is a lot more than studying and drinking chocolate milk with cold pizza at lunch. Try your best, make good friends, listen to your teachers, and always remember to have fun!).

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Andrea Gutierrez is the (somehow still) managing editor of the Bryan County News. Fun fact: Gutierrez was known in school for making puns in class, much to the consternation of her teachers who just wanted to get on with their lessons. Do share the Bryan County News with your friends and colleagues. If you like us, love us, can’t get enough of us, please let us know. Drop a note at editor@ bryancountynews.com. Standard messaging rates apply.