How Blair students are adding structure to their summers

The end of the school year marks an exciting holiday for students across Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), when the rigorously structured school day comes crumbling down in favor of…what? 

Summer learning and reuniting with friends in the heat

The allure of summer to most students is the freedom to spend time in their communities with friends, which can be difficult during the school year. To junior Serena ‘Siri’ Laney, that means checking out local stores. “There’s a coffee shop near [Rockville] called Java Nation that I really, really like, the vibe of it is so cool,” Laney says. Her summer plans include going to Java Nation, the Barnes & Noble in Rockville, and the National Aquarium, as well as being a junior camp counselor at the YMCA’s Camp Letts. 

As a camp counselor, Laney states that summer camps are a wonderful way to find new activities. “People get to try new things and enjoy new experiences,” she explains. Camp Letts includes a variety of activities which are more difficult to participate in, including a sailing program. 

Specialized programs are quite common when it comes to summer camps because people are more willing to commit their free time to learn specific skills that they might not have time to commit to during the school year. These specialized camps often take the form of day camps. Junior Luca Horiuchi plans on participating in a weeklong orchestra camp at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, and talks about prior experience with music camps. “I did this one music summer camp [at the Strathmore], where I was a counselor.” Horiuchi says. In addition to learning something new, day camps can be a good way for parents to keep their children cared for while working during the summer. 

Serving the county some veggies

As a farmer, Blair ninth grade history teacher Marc Grossman is always willing to offer opportunities to introduce others to the wonders of farming. “[Farming] gives students a sense of helping their community…we feed [Montgomery County], that's what we do. And we take it seriously,” Grossman says. In order to help his students be proactive about their graduation requirements, Grossman offers them Student Service Learning (SSL) hours in exchange for time spent working on his local community farm. 

However, SSL hours aren’t his only incentive to students. Grossman hopes that by teaching students how to farm, they’ll want to build a career in agriculture. “The average farmer in this country is aging... and no one in schools are being taught how to do this,” he explains.

Furthermore, he believes that farming teaches crucial life skills. “It’s honest work. There’s no shortcuts and we live and die by the sweat of our brow… there’s just engraved in you this deep sense of responsibility, and deep sense of work ethic,” he says. 

Sophomore Toftaa Fedhaa, looks forward to her time working on the farm. “I have literally nothing to do during the summer… and I really need SSL hours,” she explains. “I think it would be like a really good experience, because I think it'll teach about manual labor and how important agriculture is.”

From rigorous summer camps to quality time in the community , Blair’s students clearly have big plans for the summer. However, not everyone needs to make a million plans to learn a thousand different skills. Sometimes, the best learning moments in life come from spontaneous moments with family or other loved ones. School can be a major source of stress for many students, and summer can provide opportunities to take time to yourself and decompress. Ultimately, the most important part of summer is to spend time doing what matters to you.