The way I see it, the end of the school year causes plenty of emotions to erupt out of my mind. The sheer relief of not having to deal with the stress of constantly failing to meet expectations, the fleeting tranquility of being able to be outside with nice weather, a nice cold glass of my choice of soft drink and the dazed confusion of wondering what the next thing to do is. 

Having a routine every day is one of the most important parts of anyone’s life. Understanding where to go and what to do is the key to having a simple life free of any difficulty aside from the expected workload. Major interruptions to this, like summer break, proves to be a bump in the road for less busy individuals.  

“It’s really weird having to give up your daily routine after following it for so long,” junior Marissa Rodriguez said. “It leaves you with what feels like all the time in the world, but you just don’t know what to do with it.” 

Making plans to best utilize three months from school is a staple of being on summer break. The ideas of heading down to the beach on the west coast, heading off to Europe to spend a week or simply staying back home and working are all important to consider while planning a way to best use the three months.

“So far I feel like most of my summer is just me working and spending time with friends,” Rodriguez said. “It just seems weird that I don’t have to plan around for class anymore; it’s great, but just feels like it’s a bit much.”

With all the time off from school, most PHS students have elaborate plans for their break. It’s also no surprise that some people don’t feel the need to even go on vacation, and they just spend most of their time in the summer working for themselves, their families or others in need.

“I’m going to be riding my dirtbike most of this summer,” said sophomore Talan Hooper. “And some of it is also going to be making arrangements for my charity, Race 4 Recovery, here at the fairgrounds, so I’m not doing it all for myself.” 

Seniors, of course, won’t be returning to high school after the break ends and instead move on to their post-high school obligations, which vary from well-paying jobs to college, which may or may not lead to a future career. As for everyone else, enjoy your time off. You’ll get back into the swing of things before you know it.