Brown paper bags were a staple when I went to school. We would use grocery size bags to cover our textbooks. The little monster drawn on the cover is one of two things I used to draw routinely. Sometimes still do. The other is a snail. Of course there was the prerequisite lunch bag. Advertising pencils were popular, such as the Wonder Bread pencil in the photo. They were free and we could save our money for other things.
The Pee-Chee portfolio is a 1960s version and came from a lovely family in Texas. The folder belonged to and was used by the husband of the lady that sent it to me. Pee-Chee folders had one feature over other school folders. The inside pockets were vertical. Other portfolios were horizontal. This was so that papers did not fall out. Pee-Chee folders were first made in 1943 and used by students until early 2000s. The art was done by Francis Golden. In the past decades other artists have contributed, replacing the more innocent art for current events. Pee-Chee artwork can now be found on t-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, and even canvas paintings.
I can't tell you how many yo-yos are in the desk drawers of my teachers. Quite a few. This is a Duncan wooden yo-yo, circa 1960s.
I graduated La Sierra High School in 1969. Our mascot was a Longhorn. The "I Love Longhorns" rally badge is a gift from a lifelong friend since high school, Debbie. She lived down the street from me in high school and we have remained friends.