With only a couple weeks left of school, Park students are getting ready for summer. Students are craving warm weather, longer days and time to enjoy all sorts of activities. It is a great opportunity to unwind, relax and rid yourself of the worries of school. Students are ready to soak up the sun and embrace all the joys of summer. Days at the beach, time with friends, ice cream runs, walks around the lakes and basking in the sun are right around the corner.
Sophomore Isabel Schmidt said she is looking forward to being outside and spending time with friends. She said she enjoys paddleboarding, grabbing food with friends, strolling around the lakes and swimming.
“In the summer I like to get ice cream at Sebastian Joe’s with my friends and walk around the lakes,” Schmidt said. “I love paddleboarding, swimming and going to my friend’s pool.”
Junior Magnus Smith said summer break is essential to him because it is time he can spend relaxing. He said it is important to have a break in order to prepare for the upcoming school year.
“Summer break is important because it gives me time to unwind and to really come to my senses (after) the school year. It gives me time to relax and recenter myself before I dive back into another year of education,” Smith said.
Sophomore Audrey Martin said her favorite part of summer is spending time with her friends and getting to sleep in. She said she is excited to travel to Japan with her history class.
“My favorite part of summer is hanging out with my friends and sleeping in,” Martin said. “I am most looking forward to going to Japan with the sophomore history classes.”
Junior Sophia Mavis said she is excited to not have any school work. She said break is important to her because it allows her to prepare for the next school year and have time to reset.
“I am looking forward to not having to do any school work,” she said. “It’s good to have (summer break) to reset and prepare yourself for the next (school) year.”
Calculus teacher Erik Ahlquist said he is excited to go sailing on Lake Minnetonka, spend time outside playing pickleball and working in his garden, camping and traveling.
“My favorite part of summer is spending time outside in my yard gardening, being out on the boat, playing pickleball and camping,” Ahlquist said. “I am looking forward to spending time on Lake Minnetonka, sailing, going to the boundary waters and spending time with my family.”
Schmidt said she has plans to look at some schools throughout the midwest and she is excited for the girls’ highschool swim season to start in August because it is her favorite part of the summer.
“I’m planning on visiting colleges in the Midwest,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the high school (swim) season starting in August”
Smith said he is looking forward to all the free time summer brings and getting to do what he wants. He said a perfect summer day for him consists of a fully cleared schedule.
“My favorite part of summer break is all the free time. I like having my own time to be able to accomplish what I want,” Smith said. “A perfect summer day is completely free — there is nothing for me to do and I chose what I want to do.”
Mavis said her plans for the summer include some volunteer work she will do through her church and possibly getting a job working in childcare.
“I am pretty excited to volunteer with my church for the vacation Bible school,” Mavis said. “I might also get a job working at a childcare center.”
Martin said summer break is important to her because she is able to escape the stress of school and assignments.
“Summer break is important because it gives me a break from school, assignments and stress,” Martin said.
Ahlquist said break is important because it is time he can look over how the past year went; which he said is crucial for teachers. He said he has plans to attend different calculus workshops and plans to give thought to what he would like to continue to incorporate into his teaching and what he would like to change.
“(Summer) break is important because it gives me a chance to reflect on what went well this year. And what I might change for next year,” said Ahlquist. “I’ll spend several weeks leading workshops for calculus and precalculus. I (have) traveled to Colorado, Kentucky and Augsburg University for workshops before. I’m also going to an AP Advanced Java workshop this summer at the end of July where I’ll learn more for that curriculum. I spend a lot of time revamping what I do in school.”
Smith said his summer will be filled with swimming, college visits and spending time with his friends. He said he has plans to travel for swimming and for the different school visits he has planned.
“I am looking forward mostly to swimming and also hanging out with my girlfriend,” Smith said. “The biggest trips this summer will be (centered) around college visits. Any other trips will be around swimming. I am going to Aberdeen, South Dakota in June for (swimming).”
Mavis said her perfect summer day would consist of spending time at the beach with her sister, going swimming, grabbing lunch and doing some paddleboarding. She said she appreciates the warm glow of the sun and the feeling of being sun kissed.
“On a perfect summer day I would go to the beach with my sister and swim; sometimes we go off the high dive. Then we would do some paddleboarding and eat lunch. The sun is in your face and you’re sunkissed; it’s amazing, it’s just perfect.”
