Summer is in the air at Ames High. AP tests are over, new student body presidents have been elected, and Mr. Evans’ first year as principal is almost finished. For janitors, this means getting ready to do a whole lot of cleaning; for teachers, only a few more papers to grade; and for students, three whole months spent doing absolutely nothing. However, some students will be deviating from this norm of lazing around at the pool and sleeping in until noon. These students will instead spend their three months of freedom in a different way, spending long hours gaining those all important life skills adults are always going on about at a summer job. Whether it’s returning to a job they have had for a while or just starting out after getting hired, a summer job is a fun and exciting way to get a small taste of what the “real world” is like. “They have awesome people [at my workplace],” said sophomore Michaela Haferbier, who has been working at Movies 12 for a couple of months, on why she likes her job. As in the “real world,” students meet plenty of new people working at a summer job, and fortunately in Haferbier’s case, they are nice. While she doesn’t always like the hours she works, her experience has been good, because as she put it, “I like the people, and they like me.” For most students, working at a new job can be a scary but rewarding experience. But most like the opportunities work provides. “I love my job, it’s fantastic,” said junior Adam Hanson, who works at a general contracting company where he does landscaping-related jobs. Even though the work is hard, Hanson enjoys it. “It’s like hard manual labor,” he said, “but it’s rewarding because I get to see physical results.” For both Hanson and Haferbier, working at their various occupations will happily keep them busy over the summer and beyond. Haferbier hopes to work at Movies 12 until she graduates, while Hanson has a slightly different plan. “This is the profession I’m going into, so I’ll have experience when I start my own business,” Hanson said. Summer will be here soon, and before we know it school will be here again, with students once again walking down the halls trying to find their classes. So enjoy the summer while it lasts, whether by the pool or working. Either way, the things students do this summer will at least keep them busy for the 100 or so days of vacation, and just maybe make them some money for the months and years to come.