How OHSers Spend Their Breaks: Summer Edition
Summer break is over. The rush of the school year is upon us. Week by week, the coursework starts to pile up and OHSers can’t help but wonder when the next break is. The next “ respectable big” break is in November, for Thanksgiving–a whole week to rest and travel or perhaps finish the book that’s been collecting dust underneath your nightstand. But that’s still quite a while away from where we are now–the desolate 1st of October. We cannot relive our “break” dreams within these 3-day weekends, but perhaps reminiscing upon our summers can get us close to that blissful summer feeling.
So let’s take a look at what four of our OHS students were up to this past summer!
To start us off strong is Coco ‘29, a full-time OHSer from Cupertino, CA. This past summer, Coco mainly “hung out at home doing [her] own thing.” She also got to spend some quality time with her friend who came back from China for about a month. This sounds like a dream, to not have to be trapped in homework,due dates, and tests. That being said, Coco still challenged herself and had the admirable discipline of taking a math course. According to Coco, the best part of her summer was serving as a staff writer for the Eyre Writing Journal for four weeks and publishing 10 articles. (Maybe Coco should consider writing for the Pixel Journal…) On a more worldly note, Coco also spent her time advocating and bringing more exposure to having the Commonwealth of Antarctica recognized as a full member of the United Nations or at least as a legitimate country. To close off her summer, Coco attended her first OHS event, Summer at Stanford (a summer residential program for OHS students where they take mini classes and engage in student life activities at Stanford University) in August, and expressed that “S@S was probably one of the best experiences of my life. It was really fun and I learned a lot.” This enthusiasm for OHS has carried over into the school year because the thing Coco is most looking forward to is the school year itself!
Next up we have Amari ’28. He is an 8th grade single-course student in California. Amari spent his summer traveling to 2 different continents this summer. He traveled to Canada to visit family, then Thailand and Cambodia for vacation. He got to visit 3 countries with the most beautiful landscapes in the world all within the span of 2 months! Amari shares that the best part of his summer was spending time with his relatives in Vancouver. According to Amari, the climates were not so moderate, and were in fact “extremely hot, for [him] at least.” However, these slightly hot temperatures didn’t stop him from having fun. When asked what activities he did, Amari stated, “a lot, way too much to say.” And based on his further explanation–it is understandable. He got the chance to ride ATVs (all-terrain-vehicles, perfect for off-roading!) in Koh Samui Island (in Thailand). He also went to an elephant camp and saw Angkor Wat, an ancient Hindu temple located in the northern province of Cambodia, which was constructed almost a millenia ago! Amari definitely made the most of his summer–immersed in great culture, travel and fun! Despite this incredible summer, he is ready to get back into school, attend OHS meetups, and start soccer season!
To continue these enthralling adventures is James ‘27, a full-time student from Boca Raton, FL. This summer he went to China to play in two International Tennis Federation (ITF) tennis tournaments! He shares that the best part of his summer was getting his first few ITF points in China by winning a match. He states, “soon I’ll be able to take over the world.” James is a beast on the court and in school. He looks forward to meeting new friends from all over the world and gaining new experiences in an online high school.
Last but certainly not least we have Esther ‘24, a full-time OHS student from Missouri. Summer was packed and busy for Esther. She spent a month in Europe; what she calls a crash course for six of the countries she visited. When she visited Edinburgh, Scotland, she got to see King Charles III's coronation parade, which she enthusiastically expressed “was pretty awesome!” Not only did she have one once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, witnessing a coronation live, she also got the undeniably incredible chance to see Harry Styles at a concert! It looks like Europe treated Esther well. The second half of summer she spent working at a local lake, teaching crews and riding jet-skis which Esther describes as “... memorable. I got the worst sunburn!” Another thrilling experience Esther had was cliff-jumping; it was the best part of her summer. “This boat took us out way into the lake, then we had to swim to the cliffs, climb up the side, jump off, and then swim across the channel to an island to wait for the boat to pick us up. The island was full of hostile birds, and the current changed mid-channel so the swim over was REALLY hard. It was an exciting experience though.” This was a lot to take in. From Europe to the Midwest, Esther had a packed and lively summer. Nevertheless, Esther is ready for senior year and is most excited to take Critical Reading and Argumentation. So far, Esther believes it is one of the most interesting courses that she has ever taken.
And that brings us to the end, as most things do. Summer may be over but the school year is in full swing. These OHSers have accomplished a lot during the summer, and there is no doubt they will bring that same energy and enthusiasm into their classes.