Back To School

Events OLIVE OIL CLASS : Learn why cooks use extra-virgin olive oil, how Italian brands compare with oils from other parts of the world and how to cook, drizzle and flavor with olive oil from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday at Williams-Sonoma in Cross Keys, 70 Village Square. Free. Call 410-435-6020 or visit williams-sonoma.com. BACK TO SCHOOL : Whole Foods Market offers a sampling of back-to-school products featuring breakfast options, lunchbox favorites, after-school snacks and easy dinners.

When Jade Wells spotted her middle school guidance counselor in the parking lot of her apartment complex, her eyes widened and a surprised smile spread across her face. The rising ninth-grader at Annapolis High School won't have Neasah Jones this year and missed seeing her welcoming face. "Are you excited about school starting?" Jones asked, wrapping Jade in a hug. "No," Jade said. "What do you mean?" said Jones, a counselor at Annapolis Middle School. Jade laughed. "Yeah, I'm excited," she said sheepishly.

CHICAGO - The sharp paring of consumer spending is about to cut into its next victim: back-to-school sales. Consumers beaten down by prices at grocery stores and gas stations are taking their newfound money-saving ways to the shopping centers and school-supplies stores in what promises to be one of the most challenging back-to-school seasons in many years. "This year's back-to-school season, without question, is continued belt-tightening as the consumer tries to stretch the dollar as far as possible," said Thom Blischok, president of IRI Consulting and Innovating.

For some workers looking to bolster their careers amid a slumping job market, going back to school can seem like a good choice. "When people are trying to decide whether to go back to school or not, they ask the question, 'How would this advance me in my job?'" says Susan D. Strayer, a former Johns Hopkins University career adviser and author of The Right Job Right Now. "Simultaneously, when the economy isn't doing well, you see fewer raises, advancements and promotions so you say, 'this is a good time to go back because I'm not going to miss out on anything.

There was a time when kids could lounge at the pool until Labor Day, when going back to school coincided with the first chills of autumn air. But most of the hundreds of thousands of students returning to classes this week don't remember that far back. They know standardized tests and August beginnings, as those dreaded March assessments drive schools to squeeze in more teaching earlier. In Maryland, the only children left at the beach are those from Worcester County, where traditions die hard and the first school bells won't ring until Sept.

INSIDE TODAY WHAT THEY'TRE SAYING Viva Viagra When you see the latest Viagra commercial - featuring a takeoff on Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" - you start to wonder: Who knew ED could be so much fun? Today baltimoresun.com/cowherd other voices Rashod D. Ollison on ScreamfestToday Michael Dresser on bridge dreadsmaryland Edward Gunts on Hopkins' museumToday Sidebar hijinksThe Sidebar Tavern, 218 E. Lexington St., throws a carnival featuring thumb wrestling, Natty Boh can tossing, face painting, balloon breaking and more.

With excitement or mere resignation, Carroll County students - and their parents - have been gearing up for the 2007-2008 school year, which starts tomorrow. During this past week, and in weeks to come, the school system's elementary, middle and high schools opened their doors and welcomed the familiar sounds of footsteps, shouts and ceaseless chatter into their halls. Students bought school-themed clothing, picked up schedules and planners and learned their new routines for the next several months.

City children will be given backpacks filled with school supplies at the mayor's annual back-to-school rally scheduled for today at school system headquarters on North Avenue. The backpacks will be handed out during a rally from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., during which parents will receive information about the school year that starts Monday. Students also will be able to get free haircuts. "I believe that this effort will help give our children the right tools to start the school year off right," Mayor Sheila Dixon said in a statement.

Every year, Linda Redwine Bell hears the same questions from Fort Meade parents: Where do we register? What academic programs do you offer? What shots do my kids need? With the approaching summer - a busy time for military relocations - Bell, Fort Meade's school liaison, decided that parents needed a clearinghouse of information that would introduce them to everything from mental health services to uniforms to parent-teacher-student associations. Parents will be able to get information on Anne Arundel County schools, particularly those on post, at Fort Meade's first Back-to-School Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at McGill Training Center on the Army post in western Anne Arundel County.