HIGH LIFE : Why Summer School Helps Make the Grade

Summer school classes offer students a variety of educational options. Many sign up for that “extra” class they couldn’t fit into their regular schedule. Others may enroll in remedial or makeup classes, while still others may take classes now so they are not too busy from September through June.

Though its four- to five-week session does cut vacation time in half, there’s not too much homework, the atmosphere is generally more relaxed and the classes end around noon, meaning there is still plenty of sunshine time left each day.

Here are some responses to this week’s hot topic: “What do you like most about summer school?”

“It allows me to take classes I can’t take during the normal school year because of academic requirements.”

--Mat Chase, 16, senior, Brea-Olinda

“I like the last day of summer school.”

--Carry Kolseth, 16, junior, Brea-Olinda

“I get to see my friends during the summer.”

--Lance Christoffersen, 16, sophomore, Brea-Olinda

“I get to see different faces from other schools besides Cypress.”

--Esther Kim, 16, senior, Cypress

“You can get ahead in credits so that you can kick back your senior year.”

--Rochelle Clark, 17, senior, Dana Hills

“You get full credit for a course you take for six weeks. It’s a lot more laid back, also.”

--Caine Moss, 16, senior, Dana Hills

“The fact that I’m not in it.”

--Chris Oprison, 17, senior, Dana Hills

“I’ve never been in it, but the advantage is that you can improve a grade by retaking a class.”

--Brandy Elser, 16, senior, Dana Hills

“Using my time constructively and getting to meet new people makes summer school special.”

--Alice Ho, 16, junior, Estancia

“Commercial art is fun, it sure beats five hours of chemistry, and since it’s ROP (Regional Occupational Program), the hours are flexible.”

--Valerie Wong, 16, junior, Estancia

“It is better to take 48 hours of a more challenging, intense, college course for the same credit as a high school class.”

--Stephanie Hammond, 17, senior, Estancia

“It’s an easy way to learn a year’s work in six weeks. You learn just as much, but in less time. Plus, there is an air-conditioning system.”

--John Tsai, 17, senior, Estancia

“Nothing; I would rather be playing baseball.”

--Colby French, 15, sophomore, Estancia

“The thing I like most about summer school is that it ends at 12:15 p.m. There’s also only one subject so I can concentrate more.”

--Suzie Phung, 16, senior, Fullerton

“I enjoy being able to see people I normally wouldn’t see over the summer.”

--Aarti Srinivasan, 16, senior, Fullerton

“I like my teacher, Mr. Henderson. He is very motivated and great to be with for four hours. I can handle him for four hours better than I could some teachers for one hour.”

--Erik Jarvi, 17, senior, Fullerton

“Summer school has its advantages and disadvantages, its advantage being that it helps prepare you for college, while its disadvantage is that you lose a lot of your free time.”

--Renzo Bernales, 18, senior, Ocean View

“I like summer school because you usually don’t have as much homework.”

--Jennifer Rosenberg, 17, junior, Ocean View

“Summer school is a big help for me because I can take classes that are required without having to deal with the tougher honors classes I take during the normal school year.”

--Steve Chow, 17, senior, Ocean View

“I

think it’s good that summer school is only a few hours a day so that you still have plenty of time to either work or just enjoy the summer.”

--Mike Chen, 17, senior, Ocean View

“The thing about summer school that I like most is that it enables students to accelerate further for knowledge of their favorite subjects.”

--Uienli Bui, 16, junior, Trabuco Hills

“Summer school is OK. It’s something to do. During the school year, I don’t have room for electives, so in the summer I take classes that I normally wouldn’t take. Right now, I’m taking a creative writing class.”

--Kristen Nakazawa, 16, junior, Trabuco Hills

“I feel that you get a better grade because it’s the only thing you concentrate on and you don’t have any other classes to worry about.”

--Francine Rudametkin, 16, senior, Whittier Christian

“I

really like the school.”

--Susan Rudametkin, 17, senior, Whittier Christian

“It ends early, you can go to the beach afterward and you don’t have a lot of homework.”

--Natasha Petakoff, 16, senior, Whittier Christian

“I enjoy summer school because I am able to get a class out of the way, which means I won’t need to take it next year. Another reason is you get to meet a lot of interesting people. It makes for an interesting summer.”

--Eric Muratalla, 17, senior, Whittier Christian

Next Week’s Hot Topic: “What do you procrastinate most about?”

Hot Topic responses gathered by Stephanie Jeffers, Lynda Kim, Jason Loeb, James Peterson, Hai Pham, Elena Rego, Lara Voloshin, Tina Wheatley.