Even stars had to start school

NEW YORK — Fresh pencils and the perfect lunchbox, new clothes and the hottest notebooks. In the wind down of summer as we head into fall, a variety of celebrities timetripped back to childhood, sharing favorite moments preparing for the first day of school.

“I went to a military school. Oddly enough, every fall when it came up, the idea of putting on the uniform and going back to school was very exciting,” recalled Joe Morton of ABC’s “Scandal.”

For Katy Mixon, who stars in ABC’s “American Housewife,” it was all about the duds.

“Going clothes shopping. I grew up in a family of seven — six girls and one boy. My mama used to always take us to go get those back-to-school clothes, and I loved it.”

Kelly McCreary of the ABC show “Grey’s Anatomy” was all about the paper products.

“I still love a great new notebook. Super nerd,” she said.

Her fellow cast member, Jason Winston George, had other favorite gear.

“Lunchboxes. It was all about the new lunchboxes and the backpack. Lunchbox and backpack, that was my joint,” he said.

Salma Hayek’s favorite back-to-school activity growing up in Mexico was wrapping her books and adorning her homemade covers.

“They don’t do it anymore,” she said. “Finding the paper to wrap it and the decorations. Now it’s all in the computer. Nobody wraps their books anymore. I remember how exciting it was, to do it all neatly. It was a lovely ritual.”

Her castmate, Samuel L. Jackson, in the film “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” said he remembers hunting down the “perfect notebook that didn’t fall apart after two weeks.”

Co-star Ryan Reynolds had no specific back-toschool rituals growing up, but his oldest daughter is heading to preschool.

“I’m sure I’m the one who needs help, not her,” he said. “She’ll be fine.”