Freshman Taylor Drake on a vacation with her family in the mountains of Tennessee. Photo by: Tiara Drake
By Taylor Drake
With the summer fast approaching, students are beginning to make their plans for how they will be spending it. Summertime can be used to relax, get a job, have fun with friends, or to just do whatever one might want.
For summer plans, freshman Mackenzie Winrotte said, “I like to sit in the pool and get tan, and play golf. I love to ride horses and participate in camps in Michigan.” Other students have decided on a similar path for their summer. Junior Amber Gonzalez said, “I like all the free time I have on hand to swim, fish, read and write.” Even though school is out, it is still a big part of student’s summers. Sophomore Jennifer Sayer said, “I’m in marching band and even though it isn’t the whole summer, it starts at the end of summer.” Gonzalez said, “I will be taking summer school to get Econ out of the way.” Also coming to the school in the summer, freshman John Mills said he will be going to “weights for football and [playing] baseball.”
Another common plan for students is to have a summer job. Sophomore Christopher Milton said, “I am sometimes involved in
Senior Janessa Salazar and her sister Mariah sit under an apple tree in their back yard. Photo Contributed by: Janessa Salazar
detasseling. I like to do this every so often so that I can have some money to spend.” He also added, “A job is in my plans for the summer this is because I want to have some money for the Blueberry festival when that comes around. Also so that I can get a gift for my friend. I would then use the rest of the money to buy something that I wanted.” Sayer said, ”I already have a job [for the summer], but I am going to try and work a ton to start saving for a car and college.” Senior Skyler Derick said, “I plan on spending most of my time in an animation studio.”
With summer coming quickly, students begin to think about their favorite things to do and their favorite memories. Milton said, “My favorite thing about summer is that it allows me to focus on having fun and spending time with my friends.” Similarly Sayer said, “[My favorite thing is] the weather and the feeling of being free and having no tests or grades to stress about. It’s a time to relax and have fun.” Along with just relaxing, Winrotte said, “[I like to] golf, swim, horseback ride, and get tan!” Another thing that students might do in the summer is a family tradition. Gonzalez said, “[I have a] massive water balloon fight with my sister.” Both Sayer and Winrotte go on vacation for their traditions. Sayer said, “My family has gone either to Branson or on a random road trip every year for the past 10 years.” Winrotte said, “[My family is] going to Michigan Silver Lake Sand Dunes camping for a couple weeks.”
However one chooses to spend their summer, relaxation and being with friends is a common practice for students at PHS.