With the end of the school year just around the corner, many students are worrying about upcoming finals and exams. Something that keeps them going, however, is the thought that right after all of the studying and testing, summer will finally be here. No more stressing, just relaxation and rejuvenation for the next three months. The real question, however, is how the students are planning on spending their few months of freedom.

Unsurprisingly, many of the students have made some sort of plans for summer this year, an overruling 87%. However, there are still a few students who either are to busy or have better things to focus on, since 6.5% of students have yet to think about plans and 6.5% are not planning on anything. Perhaps they simply want to relax and go with the flow this summer.

Some students like to spend their summer winding down from the school year and just taking time to lounge around. However, some students look at the vacation as an opportunity to go on adventures and travel to unexpected places.

“I am going on an EF tour to Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland with Mrs. Serna and a bunch of others for about a week and a half in June (in which my mum says she’ll be a mess). Afterward, I plan to swim, spend time with loved ones, learn how to drive, and have some much needed relaxation time (and hopefully enjoy having no homework for a while),” sophomore Emily Teismann shared.

Unfortunately, for some students, spending the entirety of summer doing as they please is not an option.

“I’m taking an expensive driving class that I don’t want to do, babysitting my nephew for a month which I am only excited about because I’m getting paid, and band camp,” freshman Dominique Burgette said.

Looking forward to a stress free vacation filled with fun and calmness is always great, but it can also be fun to look back on previous summer vacations. Remembering summers of the past can not only bring a sense of wistfulness, but it can also bring about inspiration on what to do for the present vacation.

“I worked a lot so it wasn’t the summer I wanted, but I did meet the love of my life that summer,” junior Lauren Bishop remembers fondly.

Even if a summer is a little more dull one year, it is always nice to look back on them. That feeling of a a completely carefree nature is always nice to recall.

“I worked and went to florida for 1 week and it rained the whole time, but I watched the World Cup. It was fun to watch,” sophomore Jackson Mathison said.

In a way, summer vacation is a symbol of childhood. Once you graduate from high school and get a job, there is no more vacations or breaks from the daily routine. It plays a very big part in the process of growing up. So as these are some of the last summer vacations of the lives of the students, it is best that they use them to their full advantage and enjoy themselves.