The end of a long, 10-month school year is the start of different pathways for students. Freshman enjoy their first summer break as high schoolers and sophomores get the most out of summer as they transition into the most challenging year of high school. Juniors are relieved with finishing the tough year and excited to go into their last year of high school, yet start to worry about college. Seniors go to college and encounter new beginnings, leaving behind their family, friends and childhood.
Juniors have a mixed summer: They just finished a challenging sophomore year and are now starting to work on building up their resume by reaching their full potential. “My transition from summer to school was pretty rocky at first. Waking up at 11 to 6 overnight and having a ton of homework was a challenge. Once I got back into my daily routine, however, I started getting the hang of it. So far having an organized schedule and prioritizing homework has been crucial for getting used to school again,” junior Miguel Uriarte Giron said.
Rising seniors are now faced with the college application process. Over the summer, students toured colleges in state and out of state, Seniors did volunteer work and built up their resumes to position themselves as the perfect student for their desired university. “I started volunteering at a cancer research center because I wanted to help out the nonprofit and it is always good to have volunteer work on your common app,” senior Anthony Johnson said.
Part-time jobs are a way students use their time during the summer. Internships and jobs allowed students to earn money for themselves or their college fund. They also gained valuable experience and it looks good for the common app. “My summer accomplishment was getting a job at Cinnabon. I now make good money while having fun with coworkers. As soon as August hit, the realization that school was starting just blew me away. Every day I would get the most out of it cause we weren’t gonna get those days back,” senior Atharva Kshirsagar said
With the start of a new school year students are ready to come back to their original routine with the same old waking up early and getting ready for a grueling six-and-a-half-hour day. As much of a tiring day it is, these are the times students will look back on and miss
![English teacher Michelle Hanson reads through six essays to determine which are written by AI. The use of AI in schools is leading to negative impacts on student learning. "If [students] don’t have to think deeply about what they are doing, they don’t learn and absorb as much as if they had to do it on their own," Hanson said.](https://woottoncommonsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_9465-900x1200.jpg)
