Summer is in the air, as both upperclassmen and underclassmen wrap up testing and get ready for summer break! As the sun appears, and temperatures warm up, many have exciting plans and things they’re going to do this break. Many students enjoy traveling outside of Washington for their summer break. “I am probably going to Texas and I’m also going to Flowing Lake for a bunch of days because that’s what we do every summer,” Sage Norman said. “We’re also going to swim. We have a bunch of floaties, and then we’ll eat lunch there and then we’ll probably go camping there once or twice, in a tent with 5 people in it. Not very comfortable.”

“We’re going to California to visit family down there and we’re also going to go to Universal for a couple of days and to the beach and stuff since we haven’t been to Universal in a long time, and when we went, we didn’t get to do a whole lot so we’re going to just experience it,” Emily Bauman said. “They also have Mario Land now, so we also want to go to that. We’re also going to relax on the beach and then we’re going to just hang out with family since we’re going down there to see our grandparents for a couple days because they all live down there.”

While many are planning on going hiking or perhaps camping and visiting family, some students are also focused on sports and getting ready for upcoming exams. Even though summer is a fun time to spend with friends, relax at home, and travel, for many students summer is a crucial time for either college prep or studying for future high school classes. “I need to study a lot for my high school exams, but I have a lot of things planned already,” Sara Liberati said. “Besides hanging out with my friends, I’m going to Milan for a week at the end of July for my sister’s graduation from college. Then I’m going to spend two weeks in Piemonte, northern Italy, to stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.”

Some students find they’ve struck a good balance between their future sports endeavors and the other activities they want to do over summer. “This summer I am going to be going to practice every morning for XC training, and at one point my family and I are going on a family trip which will probably be in Lake Chelan. I plan on going on lots of hikes and going to running camp, or doing some mud runs and even driving to some fun brackets.”

Many are taking the time over summer to work on volunteering for graduation, or in general tackling high school endeavors early. “I’m taking Geometry over the summer to be advanced, and I’m also working an internship. It’s a church leadership role, I conduct events for little kids. I’m not paid, but I do get volunteer hours,” Amanda Kruel said.