By: Shirley Snyder (282) and Andrew Row (282)
For many students, the summer can feel like a time for endless possibilities. Without the daily trek to school and the late nights studying for tests, the summertime gives many students the freedom they do not normally have the other nine months of the year. To many, this summer may be the first summer in two years that they will be able to experience that freedom again without as many COVID-19 concerns. But what do the students of Central do during the summer? We decided to put all speculations to rest and ask them ourselves. We interviewed five central students to see what summer in Philadelphia is really all about!
Interviewee #1: Moss (281)
Q: What are your plans for the summer?
A: “Originally my plans for the summer were gonna be, like, work a lot so I can move out of my parents’ house and actually go to college and stuff, but then I was thinking about how I actually have no life outside of work, so I think I will take a lot of morning shifts as a compromise.
Q: What are you most looking forward to this summer?
A: “Working on myself and having fun and doing things that I don’t usually do and not staying in my house.”
Q: What are your favorite things to do in Philly during the summer?
A: “You know, I’m not really a summer person because it’s really hot, but I guess having little summer parties in the yard in the nighttime and enjoying all the people spending time outside.”
Interviewee #3: Talia, 282
Q: What are you doing this summer?
A: “I’ll be in the UK for a few weeks with my family, I’ll spend three weeks in Glasgow, Scotland, three weeks in London, and one week in Ireland. And then we’re flying to Oregon for a wedding the day after I get back, so it’s gonna be a lot.”
Q: What are you most looking forward to?
A: “Probably the UK thing.”
Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Philly during the summer?
A: “Normally I’m not in Philly during the summer, but I used to go to Chill on the Hill a lot in Chestnut hill. I take a lot of walks.”
Interviewee #4: Jordan, 282
Q: What are your plans for the summer?
A: “I’m working at a summer camp for a couple weeks, and then I’m going to NYC for a college audition intensive with Broadway Artists Alliance, which is a professional theater training program in the heart of New York City, and then I am doing a show at the Walnut Street Theater.”
Q: What are you looking forward to this summer?
A: “I’m looking forward to starting the college audition process because it’s such a stressful thing. But I feel like once I get going with it it’s gonna be less stressful and it’s really exciting to get into the next step of my life.”
Q: What are fun things to do in Philly during the summer?
A: “I feel like there’s a lot of good public spaces that people like to use, like Rittenhouse and Spruce Harbor and Cera Green and “the Riv” and like stuff like that. And I think that some people think they are overrated but I like being outside in the summer so I think people should utilize more outside space in the summer and like hang out.”
Interviewee #5: Sonja, 284
Q: What are your plans for the summer?
A: Going on a ten day trip across Europe, maybe working at a summer camp, no other strict plans but I’ll probably go swimming a lot and hang with friends.
Q: What are you looking forward to this summer?
A: The Europe trip definitely, a bunch of people from my middle school are going
Q: What are fun things to do in Philly during the summer?
A: Going swimming, exploring places, and hanging out with friends
Interviewee #2: Morgan, 283
Q: Are you doing anything fun this summer?
A: “No”
Q: What are your plans for the summer
A: “I’m going to get a job”
Q: What are you most looking forward to this summer?
A: “Money”
For Central kids and other teenagers, staying in their house is a perfectly fine option for the summer, especially as temperatures rise. However, as Jordan pointed out, Philly has tons of amazing outside space which is fun to hang around in. Rittenhouse Square and the Waterworks are personal favorites, especially with Rittenhouse’s proximity to basically everything (including Mr. Wish). If your friends are around, you could grab some bubble tea and sit by the river. Another bonus to summer in the city is that many more people are out. In the city community gatherings are rare, but in the summer it’s easy to get a feel for the other people in the city, especially on the more temperate days. And it’s never not a good time to grab an ice cream at your nearest store!
Everyone’s summer looks different and everyone prepares for summer in their own way, whether that be signing up for different shifts at work, planning vacations and trips, joining programs to learn or prepare for college, or simply staying home and relaxing. Whatever you decide to do this summer just remember to have fun, stay safe, and enjoy living in a city with as much opportunity as Philadelphia!
The Centralizer 