As any student knows, the end of the school year is quickly approaching, with a lot of SHHS students anxiously awaiting its arrival. This is a perfect time to start planning summer break with a parent or guardian. There are tons of interesting things to do over summer vacation, whether it’s camping, going to the beach, going on a cruise, going to summer camp, or just simply sitting at home relaxing, everyone in the SHHS community has at least a few things planned for the summer.

 Alani Alvarez is a freshman student at Smoky Hill. “I have a lot of things planned for the summer. I’m traveling to North Carolina, I have a birthday this summer, and, I’m trying to discover what summertime is like in Colorado, especially since I recently moved here from Orange County, California,” said Alvarez. 

SHHS Students have a lot of interesting plans for the summer. Devin Johnson is a sophomore at Smoky Hill ad has an idea on what he’d like to do during the summer. “I think of summer as a season of warm weather and free time to spend with my friends,” said Johnson. “During the summer, I like to spend time at the local pool with my friends. This year, I’m going to visit some family in California. But, what I’m most excited about is that it’s going to stop snowing.” 

Some students see summer break as a time to get out of the house and hang out with their friends. One of those students is Colette Manzanares, a junior at SHHS. “It’s going to be so relieving to know that school is done and I don’t have to worry about grades or classwork,” said Manzanares. 

The seniors, or the SHHS Class of 2021, as busy as they might be, have some pretty exciting things planned for the summer as well. Marcus Clark is one of those Smoky Hill seniors. “I like summer because there’s generally more sunshine and less snow. During the summer, I like to go swimming at the pool when I can,” said Clark. The summer is a great and fun time to dip your toes in the water, as well as hangout with friends. “I have an exciting summer planned ahead of me. I plan to go to the Aurora Reservoir at least once, and I am also planning on going to Elitch’s Amusement Park with a group of my friends,” said Clark.

Even the teachers in the SHHS community have plans ahead of them. Usually, the teachers don’t get noticed as much. But they are doing just as much as the students are doing over the break. Mccall Pace is an SHHS English Teacher. “I am so pumped for the summer, not just because I’m from Oklahoma and summers there are very humid, but also because I absolutely love being outside in nature. This summer, I’m going backpacking with some friends, as well as horseback riding in the mountains. I’m also celebrating my Grandma’s 90th Birthday in Oklahoma,” said Pace. “I’m also planning on going camping at least a few times. Another reason I like summer so much is that there isn’t much snow in the summer. Summers in Colorado are much cooler compared to Oklahoma, where temperatures are humid and regularly rise above 85 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Pace.

So, as students might see, there is a plentiful amount of interesting things going on in the lives of the SHHS community, with lots of fun ideas for how to spend the summer. The summer is approaching quickly, so don’t hesitate to try out some of these ideas, or come up with others. whatever students are doing this summer, try to have fun and enjoy the time off from school.