Hayley George, Features Editor
As the sun is beginning to shine and the green leaves return to the trees, talk of summer plans buzz through the school halls. During the summer, students have a plethora of diverse
opportunities to explore deeply. One way students can branch out and spend their endless free time is by getting a summer job.
Junior Sophie Martinez is returning to her summer job as a camp counselor at the YMCA camp in Kiwanis Park. “I love working with kids, so this is the perfect job for me. I like the summer camp atmosphere too, since it’s outdoors and the kids spend time in the lake, play sports and do arts and crafts,” she said.
Last summer, Sophie spent six weeks as a counselor for six-year-old girls. As a returning counselor, Sophie is excited to reconnect with campers from last year and make close connections with new ones. “I am most looking forward to seeing my campers from last year and hearing what happened to them this school year,” she said.
In being a counselor for young children, Sophie often has big expectations to live up to. “Besides the main job, which is keeping the kids safe, I teach them how to swim everyday and help them with each of their activities, like making different art projects,” Sophie said. “I always want to make sure they are having fun.”
In addition to spending the day with the kids, Sophie has also learned many valuable life skills. “I’ve definitely learned patience, since I worked with little kids for a majority of the day. I think I’ve also learned to be innovative, since as a counselor you need to think of different ways to entertain your campers,” she said.
Freshman Danielle O’Malley is following her passion of soccer by working as a referee for ages six to nine this summer. “I wanted to be involved more in my soccer club, but also wanted to make money,” she said. “I like to be independent and spend my own money. I feel that it gives me more independence.”
Danielle has been a referee for two and a half years for her soccer club. “One day my goalie coach asked me to referee a game and I was all in. He continued to ask me after that and I have done it ever since,” she said.
Like Sophie, Danielle has also learnt a lot from refereeing. “I have learned a lot of management skills. Some parents get kind of crazy and I have to make sure they keep themselves under control while also making sure the game is running smoothly,” she said.
In addition to new skills, Danielle also has a lot more respect for referees when playing. “I also learned how hard it can be for refs in general. While playing soccer, I get irritated with calls and have even yelled at the referees a handful of times if I think they made a mistake,” she said. “Through my experience as a referee, I respect other referees more now because without a line judge (another ref) it can sometimes be hard to tell whether or not to make a call. I have a lot more respect for referees now,” she added.
Whether you choose to spend your summer working or not, a job is a great way to gain independence and money throughout the entirety of the year.
