Summer

The weeks seem to go by swiftly and we are approaching Spring already! By now Summer plans are usually underway for those of us islanders. Plane tickets and reservations are required to have the experience abroad but the Pandemic has taken its toll on plans and we decided to ask a student for ideas to make summer an enriching season. Here is the answer from one of our Ashton Students Reporters, Ms. Sarah Tremblay:

 

Oh Summer!

 

I figure that I might not be the only one that feels that this year has flown by. The seasons pass, school comes and goes, people change and at the end we grow. Every year is different, every day is real but since our lives have changed drastically in a matter of days many of us have hesitated to ask ourselves, “Am I the same person that I used to be”? Indeed, everyone changed these past few months just like the seasons did. We lost relatives and for many people their lives became harder. Truly from the bottom of my heart, I am happy to exhort the mutual feeling of growth that we have created as a community. The sense of expanding our knowledge and making things work no matter what we are facing is one that makes a stronger community.

 

Then, the hardest part comes. Just around the corner there is a lurking change. One that won’t happen until a few months but when it does, chaos will occur. Chaos you say, well, maybe I might be exaggerating the situation just a tad bit but I don’t think I am wrong.

 

Summer, the season that I associate with wonder. The time of year when school is done and parents have no clue what to do anymore. Some might consider sending their kids to summer camp, while others might want to let them stay home. Still, I as a fellow kid myself feel this past year my life changed so fast I haven’t kept up with it. I might be wrong to say this, but I miss those days when I sat in school reading while my teacher made us stay quiet so that our classmates would read too. In the end, I never truly read or understood the story, but I miss the feeling that I had. That feeling that I had when I felt a bond with my friends that was stronger than my tied shoelaces. 

 

The thing is that those habits that we learn from school stay with us forever. For example, I felt this past year I hadn’t read as much as I used to when I was in school. So, to take my eyes off the screen that I spent hours on I asked my mother for some books.While, books aren’t the coolest or most original solution, books have truly helped me. Those habits I began to make in my daily life made me feel worth sharing with everyone, so below I will place some tips for an enriching summer.

 

• A child’s best friend, the iPad. I can’t lie to you at this point, but the iPad has become my best friend too. The countless hours I have spent with this device are precious. The stress that I have transmitted while turning in my work or the books I have devoured through this slab of technology have been placed in the top 5 moments of the year. As school is done I feel I need a rest from my dear friend. It’s now when I have to let my screen time lower so I can work on myself. Solving puzzles for at least 30 minutes makes you work harder than looking at a screen for hours. Let your creativity flow and draw whatever you want. It’s your time to enjoy those weeks of liberty you have.
• “See what the future holds”, is one of the worst but at the same time one of the truest quotes. In summer many of us let our guards down and don’t really see the opportunities we are missing out on. Nowadays there are tons of webinars and courses that help you better yourself for the future. These can make you learn new things that can help you apply to college or even show you how to plan your life. If you don’t work in the present, you will never see what your future holds.
• A sense of true calling is something you have to find. You might or might not know your passion and summer is a great time to explore it. Take your passion and learn it from head to toe. Read books about it and investigate so that your true calling is what makes you happy every day. If you have not found it, revisit an old one or even begin a new one because, who really knows besides yourself what you truly desire?.
• Explore the wild. Not really the wilderness if you don’t like it,  but use some great ideas for summer such as taking the kids to a nearby park so that they can enjoy nature. Being stuck at home has made us lose some of our connection  with mother nature. So when you get outside and connect with it, kids will truly enjoy it. This activity is very cheap to do which is why it’s very effective. I might even suggest taking a book to read at the park or your favorite pair of skates to rollerblade like crazy!
• Last but not least in this next exercise you will need to fill in the gaps. No, not like the test but maybe since school turned into virtual format many of us have been lacking in some subjects. This might be a great time to hit the books because practice makes perfect. Go over those math exercises you never understood or analyze that sentence that Shakespeare once said.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I think my time has arrived to finish up with my tips. I hope that some of you follow my sincere knowledge and that you take it into consideration. Remember that the days are getting hotter, and that summer is just around the corner. Stay safe.

 

Sarah Tremblay 10B