A Summer to Remember: How Walls Students Spent Their Break
As the previous school year came to an end, students were greeted with the shining rays of a warm sun, a breeze of relaxation and a calendar filled with summer plans. Walls students spent their summer in a vast amount of different ways– some taking the opportunity to get ahead on schoolwork while others took the moment to sightsee and travel the world.
Many students spent their summer garnering community service hours, such as Christian Osei (‘29). “This summer, I didn’t go anywhere. Because I didn’t go anywhere, I decided to focus on community service. I volunteered at DC Central Kitchen, Marion International Garden, and Thrive Marion. Thrive Marion and Marion International Garden focus on reducing waste and helping the community, while DC Central Kitchen focuses on providing food and working in the kitchen. Another place I volunteered at was the Fransican Monastery Garden, which is one-acre long and had some huge fruits.” Charlotte Walbank (‘29) also spent their summer volunteering. “I spent most of my summer doing an IOP program (Intensive Outpatient Program),” they noted. “It’s a group therapy program, so you’re in there with other kids and learn anxiety-managing skills, and then I volunteered at the FPCA, which is an animal center located here in DC. Then I spent a week in Tucson. I visited friends and tried new foods.” Similarly, Zola Handy-Kanegis (‘29) also volunteered over the summer, “I volunteered at my middle school for community service hours at the beginning of summer, then I visited my Grandma in Cape Cod. After that, I went on a New York trip with friends. I concluded my summer with completing summer homework for AP Latin.”
Some students spent their summer abroad, such as Emma Stotts (‘29). "It was very fun,” she stated. “I spent a month in France, which was really nice. We visited museums and did a bit of cooking. I also took courses in French, so we were learning day to day language, slang and expressions." Emma Voyles (‘29) also traveled abroad after completing some community service hours within the DMV area. “I went to Scotland around the end of summer break and got some nice things, tried new food and also went to Cape Cod to visit family.”
Other students used the opportunity to embark in paid endeavors, such as Anna Elizabeth Martinez-Graham (‘27). “I spent my summer doing a paid internship with a program via. the DCPS CEO program named School Talk DC. The goal was to create a student album, so there were some rising seniors, graduates and people who returned to the program. Some of us composed music and I wrote a poem for one of the tracks and worked on some of the cover art. The album was about growing up and at the end, we livestreamed it onto YouTube and people seemed to like it.” Max Jordan (‘30) also did a paid program within the city: the MBSYEP program. “In that program, I was helping create a musical and I was working in costume design.” she remarked.
As the new school year starts, students are welcomed with a variety of new changes; a new principal, technology policies, staff members, lunch options around the area and clubs. Undeniably, many students were able to enjoy their summers, mostly stress and homework free. Hopefully, students are prepared for the new school year– academically, mentally and physically.
