Standing on the deck of a cruise ship, senior Kristina Karami looks out into the vastness of the Alaskan Ocean surrounding her. Encompassed by the people she cares most about, she has no worry about the past academic assignments that were accumulating just weeks prior. Then, abruptly, she wakes up in her third hour art history class to the sounds of lecturing on art pieces from the Byzantine Empire, realizing that it was all just a daydream of prospects of the trips she plans to take in the upcoming summer. Karami has amassed a plethora of trips for her upcoming senior summer to end her ephemeral high school journey, with plans to visit Alaska on a cruise ship, to visit childhood friends in California, to see the band Tame Impala, and potentially go on a trip to New York with the person closest in her life, her older sister.
“These trips are important to me, because I get to spend time with my family, most importantly, my sister; we hang out all the time, and it’s just fun, because we spend good quality time together and we make each other laugh. [Students need a break from academic expectations] because life isn’t that serious; you could take time to chill for yourself. We’re all just little people on a little planet, and it doesn’t matter,” said Karami. “Whenever I’m on vacation, I don’t care about things that usually cloud my head. It just all goes away.”
As the year approaches its end, it becomes quite difficult for students to give their utmost attention to the smallest assignments because the idea of the year coming to an end is at the forefront of most minds. Many try their best to give their all in the final stretch of school in hopes of starting their summer break on a high note. All the schoolwork thrown at students as the year ends can seem daunting, but Karami pushes through to start her summer on a positive note.
“Good grades and finishing strong motivates me during the final stretch of the school year, because you have four weeks left until summer, and summer is awesome, and grades are just numbers, so just push through and do the best you can; the only thing that matters is that you’re trying!” said Karami.
Summer is a time for students to finally focus on their interests without guilt from not finishing more pressing assignments, a time to be irrevocably oneself. It provides a much-needed respite for students, allowing them to figure themselves out, so they can explore their beliefs, values, and interests. Students can finally finish their TV shows, movies, and books that were put on hold to finish never-ending assignments. Senior Xander Bearup, who has traveled to many parts of the world, plans to take a trip to Maine with his family this summer and is looking forward to further pursuing his hobbies.
“I am looking forward to not having to go to school every day. I’m excited to get to experience new things. I’m hoping that maybe we’re gonna go whale watching, and that sounds really cool, because I love animals and I do photography, so I’m hoping I can take some cool pictures while I’m up there,” said Bearup. “It’s cool seeing other cultures.”
During the school year, everyone’s brain is under constant stress, and, once it gets closer to the end of the academic year, motivation plummets due to the repetitive nature of assignments. Instead of starting new things, everything is wrapping up. The burnout, plus the anticipation of what summer holds, puts most students on edge for the last month of school, which is typically made up of finals, AP exams, and end-of-course assessments. Although Bearup knows it isn’t particularly an exciting time of the year, he wants to finish what he invested much time and effort into on a good note.
“The hardest part of the last few weeks of school is just waking up to keep going, because you know there’s not much left. It doesn’t feel like [there’s] much point in going. But, it’s your last few days of school [if you’re a senior]; you’ll never be coming to school again, so you should spend [them] and make the best out of [it]. It’s only hard because you’re already thinking about what summer’s gonna be like,” said Bearup. “There’s no reason not to try. You’re gonna be over soon anyway, so you might as well push through it.”
Having an event or trip in the summer gives something to help get through the draining work; it’s like the light in a dark tunnel. These summer vacations also allow for experiences that you potentially couldn’t get in a scholastic setting, giving students meaningful moments they’ll remember for years to come. Junior Megan Chiu is excited and prepared to push through the final stretch of school while doing her best to make it to her summer trips: Europe and Taiwan.
“I get to go with a couple of my friends [on a trip to Europe] and do a lot of touristy stuff. In Taiwan, I love seeing my family over there, and then doing new things and being able to bond more with my family. I know that [finishing the year on a good note is] like a reward, and if I finish this year well, I can go into my summer in a good mood,” Chiu said. “[Her favorite aspect of summer travel is] probably the bonding, also, being able to experience new things, and places I’ve never been before, or new cultures.”
