Back to School: What Comes Next for Schools?

By the time September arrives, most students are already back in classrooms and settling into the new academic year. That makes this a good time for schools to look beyond first-day logistics and plan for what comes next. Welcome materials, school events, student recognition, spirit activities, ceremonies, and other milestones can all benefit from early organization before the academic calendar gets crowded.

At Tassel Depot, we work with schools, colleges, universities, honor societies, clubs, and other organizations that use tassels, cords, bookmarks, and customized items throughout the academic year. With the school year underway, administrators and organizers can review upcoming events, confirm quantities and designs, and prepare for the milestones ahead while there is still time to plan thoughtfully.

Create Welcome Materials Students Can Actually Use

Orientation packets and back-to-school handouts often contain information students need beyond the first day. A useful item can help keep that information accessible while giving the school another place to reinforce its identity.

Custom bookmarks can include a school logo, message, contact information, important dates, website details, or other customized content on both sides. Schools can use them for orientation, library programs, reading initiatives, student welcome packets, open houses, or other events where a compact printed piece makes sense.

A coordinating tassel can add school colors without taking space away from the information printed on the bookmark. Schools planning a custom order should decide what information needs to appear, confirm the artwork, and calculate the quantity before submitting the design.

Add School Spirit to Everyday Items

School spirit does not have to wait for a pep rally, homecoming game, or graduation ceremony. Small items in school or team colors can give students another way to represent their school during the year.

We offer backpack tassels designed to attach to backpacks or bags with a carabiner. Solid and multicolor options make them useful for displaying school colors, supporting a team, or representing another organization or cause.

Schools can also consider whether different clubs, teams, grade levels, or programs need their own colors or identifiers. Establishing those details early can make later ordering more consistent when the same colors appear on recognition items, event materials, or end-of-year accessories.

Think About Student Recognition Before Awards Season

Academic recognition often happens later in the school year, but the first months of the academic year are a practical time to review how achievements will be acknowledged.

Schools may recognize academic honors, service, leadership, membership in an honor society, participation in a program, or other accomplishments. If honor cords will be part of that recognition, administrators can determine eligibility rules, approved colors, and estimated quantities before awards or graduation season approaches.

The same planning can apply to clubs and organizations. Decide whether each group will use a consistent color from year to year, whether multiple colors need to be combined, and who will be responsible for confirming eligible students.

Planning does not mean every item needs to be ordered early in the school year. It means the school already knows what information it will need when ordering time arrives.

Prepare for Programs, Invitations, and School Events

Schools produce printed materials for many occasions throughout the year, including ceremonies, banquets, fundraisers, recognition events, performances, and other formal gatherings.

Program tassels can be used with programs, invitations, announcements, and other printed pieces. When a school expects to use them for an upcoming event, planning the printed dimensions, binding edge, quantity, and colors together can help the finished materials look coordinated.

This is also a good time to identify recurring events. If the school hosts the same awards ceremony, induction, banquet, or celebration every year, keeping notes about previous quantities, colors, and product specifications can simplify planning the next time around.

Build a School-Year Ordering Calendar

Once the academic year is underway, schools can look at the months ahead instead of treating every event as a separate last-minute project.

Start by identifying events that may require customized or school-specific materials. These could include student orientations, club inductions, academic recognition programs, moving-up ceremonies, commencement, or end-of-year celebrations.

Then work backward from each event date. Determine when quantities will be known, who needs to approve artwork or colors, whether a purchase order is required, and who will place the final order.

Custom items may also require additional preparation because artwork, proofs, personalization, or special color combinations need to be finalized before production. Building those steps into the calendar gives staff more room to review details rather than making decisions close to the event.

Keep School Details Consistent

Schools often use the same visual identity across many different activities. Keeping a reliable record of approved colors, logos, artwork files, and previous specifications can make ordering easier from one event to the next.

Before requesting a customized item, confirm that the artwork is current and that the colors match the school's intended use. A logo created for digital use may not always be the best file for manufacturing or printing, so retaining high-quality versions of official artwork can save time later.

Schools should also keep notes about previous quantities. Enrollment changes, event attendance, club membership, and graduating class size may change from year to year, but prior orders can provide a useful starting point for estimating future needs.

For specialized projects, our in-house Design Department can develop unique items for customers with specific needs.

Plan for the Milestones Ahead

With students back in school, the academic calendar quickly begins filling with activities, recognition programs, ceremonies, and other milestones. Orientation and welcome activities may still be underway, while clubs, academic programs, and event planning are already beginning to take shape.

Schools do not need to make every decision at once. A useful back-to-school plan simply identifies the major events ahead, assigns responsibility, records the details that need to stay consistent, and leaves enough time to handle customized orders properly.

At Tassel Depot, we manufacture tassels and cords in the United States. We supply schools and organizations with bookmarks, program tassels, honor cords, graduation products, and other accessories for events throughout the academic year. Schools can contact us for help with quantities, custom projects, product selection, or official school purchase orders.