High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : What Do You Think Are the Summertime Blues?

For the 10 months of the school year, the sunny sands of summer--and the attendant bliss of sheer mental shutdown--seem like an unattainable paradise. But often the occasional boredom and monotony of summer is only marginally better than the boredom and monotony of school, and some teen-agers end up parched by summer disillusionment.

Hot Topics wonders, “What don’t you like about summer vacation?”

“I don’t like not being with my friends every day. Or when good friends go on vacation, you miss them.”

Nicole Scott, 14, freshman, El Toro

“Most of the time there’s really nothing to do. It gets boring.”

Nicole Caser, 14, freshman, El Toro

“I don’t like missing the people you’ve known all your life who you see during the school year.”

Shanna Brown, 14, freshman, Mission Viejo

“Forgetting everything you learned the year before and then having to go back to school and not know what you’re doing.”

Jennifer Curlett, 16, freshman, Capistrano Valley

“There aren’t enough guys. There isn’t enough money to go around. There’s not enough time. I’d make summer twice as long if I had a choice”

Jenny Edwards, 14, freshman, Trabuco Hills

“Summer school.”

Scott Gerber, 16, junior, Capistrano Valley

“Boredom. When I’m not at football practice and have free time, it’s usually unused time.”

Louis Pavlovich, 17, senior, Santa Margarita

“Finding a summer job. It’s awful.”

Tammy Talvanoni, 16, senior, Santa Margarita

“I don’t like getting bad grades and then having to pay for it over the summer.”

Dana Sestito, 14, freshman, Trabuco Hills

“There aren’t enough parties.”

Corey Ricketts, 15, sophomore, Mission Viejo

“You don’t see a lot of the people you normally see. You lose touch with them.”

C.J. Copkash, 15, sophomore, Mission Viejo

“Being forced to go to summer school.”

Clint Grucky, 15, sophomore, Capistrano Valley

“The problem with summer is that there are too many reruns on TV. And the surf is too small.”

Shaun Faircloth, 15, junior, Mission Viejo

“Working.”

Shane Morgan, 17, junior, Trabuco Hills

“I love all of summer.”

Trang Tran, 16, senior, Silverado Continuation

“I don’t like not being able to drive because you can’t do anything without a car. It’s just the same thing over and over again. It gets monotonous.”

Kim Laakso, 15, sophomore, Mission Viejo

“It’s too short. Two months’ vacation to 10 months’ work isn’t cool.”

Kara Hart, 15, sophomore, El Modena

“The social life is really different. You get used to things, and then summer comes.”

Frank Morgan, 16, junior, Capistrano Valley

“Nothing.”

Scott Coata, 15, sophomore, Trabuco Hills

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

What would be “heaven” or “hell” for you?

Responses gathered by Justin Chan at the Mission Viejo Mall.

DR, EFRAIN ISLAS