The last class bell on the last day of the school is a sound that resonates in most students’ minds. It is a sound that has achieved almost mythic proportions. It is a sound that, much like that fabled watched pot never boiling, seems farther away the more one thinks about it.
And as that Mount Olympus of dates looms on the calendar, students from local high schools outlined for The Reporter what their plans are for the summer.
Judging from the responses, some see the time off as a chance to do some meaningful things.
Here are the students’ responses:
“I am going to Ecuador. My family is from Ecuador and we will be going for two months.” – Memorial High School senior Andrea Ponce, 18
“My family and I are going to Florida and Cuba. I have relatives in Cuba that I have never met. I have never met my grandfather. I’ll be meeting him for the first time.” – Memorial junior Evelyn Lara, 18
“I will be volunteering at Palisades General Hospital as a translator. When patients need to speak to their doctor, they’ll call me to translate.” – Memorial junior Paula Monroy, 17
“Hopefully, I’ll be playing for the Union City softball and for the Jersey City Recreation basketball league. Also, in August, I am going to Virginia to help with my nephew. My brother is in Iraq right now.” – Union Hill sophomore Jessica Garcia, 16
“I was offered a $1,400 summer scholarship for the Papermill Playhouse. It’s musical theater, writing and dancing. It runs June 30 to August 3, so it’ll take up pretty much my whole summer.” – Union Hill senior Nicole Gonzalez, 18
“I have been accepted to the NYU/Tisch School for International Summer High School Programs in Dublin, Ireland. It’s worth six college credits. I’ll also be working on a few things with the Grace Theater Workshop.” – Union Hill sophomore Amanda Gonzalez, 15