Summer provides opportunities for teens

BY Spencer Massicot

When the school year finally comes to an end, teens are left with much more free time than during the school year. With this free time, teens can take advantage of opportunities that they might not get during the regular school year, like spend more time with friends or even get a summer job.

At school you see your friends basically every day, so it is difficult to spend more time with friends over the summer. However, the time that is spent with a group of friends during the school year is often associated with stressful times and a dread for what the world of high school will bring next. Because of that, summer is the perfect time to get together with friends and enjoy the time you have together before you have to face the reality of high school again.

We live in Southern California, a perfect place for summer fun. We live right in the middle of several amazing beaches, amusement parks and cities which can all be fun to experience with some of your friends. Taking a trip to the beach or a waterpark one day is an awesome thing that can bring a group much closer. Those summer experiences together will create memories that will last.

At the end of this past school year, students at Elsinore High School were given vouchers for Raging Waters in Los Angeles because of our successful participation in a blood drive. These tickets went out to all students giving us a great opportunity to go with a whole group of people without needing to worry about paying for admission.

Besides waterparks and amusement parks, a free alternative for summer fun is a trip to the beach. Although it may not be completely free overall, a day at one of Southern California’s beautiful beaches does not require a ticket for admission.

Last summer, a group of our cross country team carpooled and went to Huntington Beach for the day. The ride there and the day spent together was a great opportunity for some of us to get closer to other team members we may not have known as well. After the day of beach fun we relaxed around a fire at one of the beach’ fire pits. That was a great ending to an enjoyable day with friends. After thinking about how much fun that trip was, we hope to go again later this summer.

Another thing a student can do with their summer free time is get a job. Getting a job while still being a high school student is great because you are taught discipline and you are able to gain work experience for a future job application.

From what I have seen, a problem that a lot of teenagers face today is that they don’t have money to do things they want to do or buy things they want to buy. This problem causes teens to resort to asking their parents for the money they need, and not all parents comply. Teenagers are sometimes not able to do things with their friends because they do not have a source of money, which is why the summer is the time to start earning an income and spending time with friends.

I recently turned sixteen, which allowed me to apply for a job at Storm Stadium. I did my interview and I was given the job. They had me placed in the Fun Zone which is an area where kids play on a giant inflatable slide, obstacle course and bouncy house, as well as run around and play on the playground or grass areas. Parents can drop their restless kids off and let them run free while they can stay in the stands and enjoy the game.

Working at the Fun Zone is a lot of fun because you can talk to the kids and watch them have fun on the rides while earning pay. The only part about the job that takes some getting used to is setting up the inflatables and taking them down every time, which can be kind of confusing the first couple of times. Working in the Fun Zone is a fairly easy way to earn summer money and it is a great job for teenagers like me.

Being employed as a teen is a big responsibility, but is an awesome opportunity for a growth of discipline and leadership skills. While working, I have also been able to meet new people who make it a more enjoyable experience and less like a responsibility. With a lot of time still left in the summer, I am anticipating what fun is to come and I’m excited to see what good I can do with my summer free time.