Orinda Summer: A Teen's Guide
Throughout the school year, all students look forward to summer. The common reason is more freedom, but it’s much deeper than that.
Students have eight weeks to do whatever they want. This usually involves exploring summer camps, training for a sport, getting ahead on cool subjects, and maybe even snagging an internship.
These eight weeks include multi-day sleepovers with friends, trying new restaurants in the Bay Area, and making memories kids won’t forget.
Every summer, I try to balance of fun and productivity, and that’s the key to enjoying it.
Like many high school seniors at Miramonte, I am going on a trip with my friends to celebrate our graduation and have a last hurrah before we go off to different schools.
My friends and I are going to London, and we’re SO excited to explore the city.
My balance between fun and productivity comes into focus when I get back from my trip. I am enrolled in a Farsi class and will be taking my placement exams to determine what classes I will take in the fall.
Getting a head start on coursework for the upcoming school year is an excellent way for students to stay engaged and continue learning. For example, by the time I get to my university, I’ll have a very basic understanding of Farsi that will make the first semester easier.
This applies to students still in high school, too, who are thinking of taking a hard AP or language class.
In the years that I wasn’t learning over the summer, I’d come back to school and would feel like my peers knew so much more than I did. That was because they were putting in the time over the summer that I wasn’t.
This doesn’t mean students should have to spend every day at their desk for hours on end working. Only 15 minutes a day on a particular subject can build retention quickly.
Outside of digging into academics in the summer, students should find work experience. Besides a job looking great on students’ college applications, making money in high school creates more freedom.
I tutor, and having more money has helped me pay for gas, eating out with my friends and saving for college. Other common jobs for high schoolers are lifeguarding and babysitting.
The last but most productive thing that every student needs is to try new things.
Last summer, I learned how to play pickleball, I started rock climbing and I went all over the Bay Area trying new matcha locations – and all of those experiences really made my summer. Not to mention that these experiences were shared with people I didn’t know before.
Every summer, my best friend and I make an active effort to make new friends from people either at Miramonte or through adventures.
We are more outgoing in the summer to maximize our experiences. Whether it be through a YouTube video on how to learn Farsi or a new friend teaching you pickleball, maximize your experience by trying something new.
