For years, students seemed to get out of school later and go back earlier. For the first time, SPHS students got to go back after Labor Day. Finally, the attack on summer was over, counties couldn’t change the dates that students went back to school and a date would be set. But how did the extended summer affect students?
Of course, with longer summers comes more time to complete the wretched summer assignments. However, given that the typical attitude with summer assignments is to procrastinate, it didn’t seem like that was the case, “I still procrastinated my summer assignments just as much as normal,” said senior Kaitlynn Lilly. The procrastination wasn’t just an early case of senioritis however as the trend continued in lowerclassmen as well, “I liked the longer summer… but it didn’t affect when I did my summer assignments,” said junior Maddi Viteri.
After the stressful end of the year where students are burdened with AP tests and final exams, a long summer is a much-needed break from the pressure of school. The longer summer was also good for giving students much needed time to unwind, “The longer summer was definitely better for my overall well-being,” said senior Emma Askren.
Even with the extended summer, some students still wanted more. “I wish summer could have been longer,” said sophomore Will Swartz. And for some, the extended summer wasn’t welcome at all, “The extended summer definitely didn’t help with any assignments. In fact, I’ve had to work 40 hours of overtime since all the lifeguards at my pool went back to school in August,” said junior Danny Fernandez.
While there is, and may always be quarrels over whether the extended summer is welcome or not, one things for certain, it’s here to stay. And while there may be shortened breaks and less time off during the school year, all students can agree that more time off would always be better.