Insulated coveralls, also called a bib. My brother lent me one last winter. Wore them along with new leather boots and have never had such a comfortable time in winter. I also second all the merino wool suggestions.

SA is not a topic I’m qualified to have much opinion on. I haven’t experienced it and am unlikely to deal with it first hand in my life.

I think u/ApatheticAbsurdist has solid advice here. Consider the story you’re trying to tell first. I don’t think controversial topics should be avoided out of hand just because they might make someone uncomfortable. If you focus on the story you want to tell and the feelings you want to evoke you’ll create better images, and have a much easier time defending your art. They had more specific suggestions too that you should try out.

This is pretty cool advice from a learning photography standpoint. Those aren’t themes I use in photography but I find your advice helpful, thanks.

If OP is in the USA I’d also consider that with the social climate of violence in schools, creating images themed around violence as a student might attract more attention than you intend from your school administration. If OP has trouble getting past an initial shock value layer and creating more of a story to defend their artistic vision it could lead to some amount of trouble. All it’ll take is one student, parent, or teacher becoming uncomfortable.