Getting a job, hanging out with friends and family, staying physically active and preparing for college, students find different ways to spend and enjoy their time during the summer.
Students spend their summers in a variety of ways, including both outdoor and indoor activities.
Sophomore Vienna Fulginiti finds that a large portion of what she does during the summer is a combination of the two.
“[I do] a lot of hiking, swimming and reading,” Fulginiti said.
Junior Jason Dallas Nyce also prefers to spend their time as a mix of both as long as it’s with friends.
“I tend to spend [summer] with friends, since it’s much harder to see them without school,” Nyce said.
Senior Emi Llewellyn spends most of her summer doing indoor activities.
“During summer I’m usually doing summer homework and playing video games,” Llewellyn said. “I also catch up on [television] shows I missed or didn’t watch during the year.”
Some students also acquire summer jobs to fill their free time and save up money.
Senior Lilian Dow advises students to have a balance when holding a summer job.
“I do recommend to work at least a little bit during the summer if possible, but not too much to the point where you can’t hang out with friends or family,” Dow said.
Senior Gabe Smola had positive feelings regarding his own summer job.
“Last year was my first time having a summer job, and I think I will again this year. It made me feel super productive and very good about myself along with actually making money from it,” Smola said.
According to Smola, having a summer job can keep people out of “slumps.”
“I heavily recommend people take summer jobs because of this, so that they don’t get into a slump over the summer and have something to spend their time on.”
Fulginiti maintains a job all year, including during the summer, and encourages other students to do so in the summer.
“I currently have a job at Energy Station and plan to work there during the summer,” Fulginiti said, “and I would totally recommend that [students] do. It provides you with more freedom and it makes hard work pay off well.”
During the summer, others prepare for college in many ways, including saving up money. “I’m saving for college with the money I make in the extra hours I work,” Fulginiti said.
According to Llewellyn, she is focusing more on planning for college.
“I’m going to put together what I’m bringing to my dorm, work out organizational methods for my classwork ahead of time and try to preview the content that will be in my classes,” Llewellyn said.
Dow is preparing in similar ways to Llewellyn. “I’m working on cleaning out my room and making a list of what I want to take with me,” Dow said. “I’m always working to try and get scholarships, [too].”
Smola is working on different parts of his college transition over summer.
“I’m going to continue my roommate selections and class arrangements over the summer, and my orientation is coming up next month, which is exciting,” Smola said.
For some students, their free time may be spent in different ways during the school year versus during the summer.
“During the school year, I do a lot of professional singing, from choir to rock band or the school musical, whereas in the summer, my time is spent on some more of my other hobbies,” Fulginiti said.
Nyce enjoys the difference in his ability to make plans during the summer.
“School doesn’t allow me to have plans that go later into the night during the weekdays and generally doesn’t let me even have enough energy to go to events,” Nyce said. “Summer is considerably more freeing with how much more time I can spend outside of doing work.”
Dow spends more time during the summer with her family. “During the summer, I have more free time, so I’m able to go over to my grandparents’ house and help them out with yard work and anything else they need,” Dow said.