With warm weather and finals approaching, summer is almost here. After 36 weeks of sitting in class and hundreds of hours spent doing homework at the kitchen table, the school year will finally end on June 7.

Even though the summer is usually considered a period of relaxation and rejuvenation, most Campo students will not spend their 2 months out of school idle. Whether they’ll be completing summer internships, volunteering for local charities, building construction projects in foreign countries, practicing their instruments, joining the work force, vacationing in tropical locations, working on summer homework, or training for sports, everyone will continue to be busy past the ring of the final school bell.

Some students plan to continue pursuing academics during the summer so as to learn more about prospective college majors and apply knowledge gathered during the year in a more practical setting.

Junior Zach Scherer is attending the Educational Program for Gifted Youth at Stanford for 3 weeks in order to pursue his interest in anthropology. At the camp, he will listen to professors lecture, work with graduate students, and, at the end of his 3-week stay, write a paper consisting of the research he gathers. Scherer believes that spending time at the camp will provide him with better knowledge of potential majors. “I’m hoping to find out whether it would be something I would be interested in pursuing in college,” he said. He also feels that spending time on the campus will allow him insight on life at a college or univesity. “It helps you get acclimated to the college environment beforehand,” Scherer said.

Junior Charlotte Chen will be spending part of her summer at a local college, but unlike Scherer, she will be shadowing a specific professor at Cal. As Professor Ramamoorthy Ramesh’s intern, Chen will work with both him and his graduate students in researching and applying scientific principles to practical and useful pursuits. After spending a year studying, Chen is enthusiastic about having the opportunity to apply her knowledge in the field of material sciences. “In science class, it’s more of memorization and learning about existing research, so I’m excited to be able to focus on application,” she said.

While some students are continuing to broaden their educations, others will be getting jobs in order to get experience in the work world, make money, and prevent boredom from setting in during 3 months out of school.

Junior Alyssa Muray  has been working at Tangelo since mid-April and will continue during the summer. She works 3 days a week, cashiering, cleaning tables, refilling toppings, and keeping the store clean. Muray applied for the position because she wanted to keep busy and earn a little money. “I think that it’ll be really fun because it’s a great way to meet new people and stay productive during the summer,” she said.

Many upperclassmen take jobs coaching little kids in their respective sport, including junior soccer Lauren Petite. Petite will coach a U-12 girls soccer team for her club Lamorinda throughout the summer and into the early fall. She is excited because “they are very cute and passionate about soccer.”

Junior Marley Thuma will also spend her summer working, but in a unique way. Thuma plans on posting her artwork on the website for “Society 6,” a company that manufactures designs made by budding artists, such as herself, onto phone cases, pillows, and other mediums. Interested customers will be able to order the prints she uploads onto the site, allowing her a slice of the profit the company makes. Thuma, who discovered the website by accident, is very excited to have found a job that facilitates her creative potential and creates revenue at the same time. “I’m already painting and making artwork, so it would be nice to get my name out there, as well as receive compensation for my hard work,” she said.

Although the heat and burning sun of June, July, and August does not facilitate long practices, runs, weight lifting, and conditioning sessions, most teams train during the summer, including Campolindo’s cross country squad, which holds daily summer runs.  Their calendar of events can be found at www.campotrack.com.

After the end of spring sports’ seasons in June, football and cross-country begin their preseasons and attend training camps. The football team takes their annual trip to Reno for a couple of weeks in order to condition, train, and bond. Cross-country spends a week at Humboldt a summer running camp. Junior cross-country and track runner Haley Shipway enjoys Humboldt because the location is home to many beautiful places to run. “It’s a nice opportunity for Campo runners to take a break from running on Moraga trails,” she said. In addition to a change in scenery, the camp teaches runners about the importance of taking care of their bodies and individual initiative. “We learn a lot about injury prevention and leadership,” she said.  

Both returning and new runners are encouraged to attend the camp.  Complete registration details can be found at www.campotrack.com.

Students playing club sports usually begin to train for tournaments, leagues in later seasons, or both. Summer training is essential to certain sports, such as soccer. Most club soccer tournaments are held during the summer due to the difficulty of scheduling during the school year, according to junior soccer player Emily Orwig.

Orwig and her team will train 4 days a week for 2 hours during the summer months in order to prepare for upcoming competitions and showcases, as well league games in the fall. Her team will attend several tournaments throughout the course of the summer, including 4 in California and 1 in Colorado. Orwig believes that summer is a good time for team building and improving individual skill. “Training during the summer is really important for team growth and development. We spend a lot of time together, both on and off the field, which is essential for a good team dynamic,” she said.

Although many Campo students will face summers full of extracurriculars, some will spend time to pursue their passions on a more relaxed level or take a vacation. Senior Nathaniel Miller plans to learn more about “Counterpoint,” a form of music theory, in order to get a jumpstart on college curriculum for his major. “I find it really interesting and it improves my music writing,” Miller said.

Junior Jonathan Rowland will also spend a portion of his summer pursuing his passion and a potential college major. He will spend a week at a film camp at NYU, as he won a half-off tuition prize at the Lamorinda Acalanes Union Film Festival (LAUFF) in the spring. Rowland, and other campers, will make a film using the school’s equipment. “I’m excited to make a film in an actual college environment with peers from around the country,” he said. Rowland is very excited about the camp, as he will be learning more about his interest in film and having a good time in New York. “It’s a productive way to spend my summer,” he said. 

Junior Zach Taylor is vacationing for 2 weeks in Belize during the summer. While on this tropical getaway, he and his family plan to sight-see in a tropical and forested area in San Ignacio and then travel to the coast for some beach time. Taylor believes that the vacation will be a perfect mix of cultural experience, adventure, and relaxation. “I’ve always had a passion for traveling internationally, and I’m especially excited for my family’s trip to Belize. I’m eager to experience the jungle environment and see rainforest wildlife. From what I’ve read, it seems like I’m in for an unforgettable experience,” he said.