summer assignments for students

8 Engaging Summer Assignments Your High Schoolers Will Actually Want To Do!

Have you ever assigned summer artmaking activities to your high schoolers only to come back in the fall to hastily thrown together, subpar work? Unfortunately, we have all been there!

One solution is to get rid of summer homework. While this makes our grading life a lot easier, it is not in the best interest of our students. Another solution is to accept crummy artworks, but compromising our standards is also not in the best interest of our students!

Summer assignments are beneficial for many reasons. They prepare students for the upcoming school year and course. The work keeps students’ creative critical-thinking brains fresh and their habits disciplined. It gives your students time to chew on certain ideas, even if it’s not the primary focus of their thinking all summer.

Let’s explore 8 low-pressure summer assignments your high school students will be pumped to complete!

As you read through the following ideas, think about which ones your students would be most excited about!

1. Visit a museum or gallery.

Nothing beats seeing art in person, especially for a generation of students used to viewing everything on a screen. Students can make a day trip to many large art museums —alone, as a group, or with their family. If you do not have any close by, smaller art galleries are another option. If in-person art viewing is not available, many museums are creating interactive virtual spaces where students can participate.

Provide students with a “cheat sheet” of museum choices, visitor information, and key artworks to investigate so they get the most out of their visit. Assign nothing but visiting the museum and looking at artwork. If you require “proof” from your students for a grade, have them take a selfie in front of their favorite piece.

Check out this podcast for  5 Ideas and 5 Museums for Virtual Tours. 

2. Interview an artist.

Students can reach out to an artist through a local gallery, college or university, email, or artist website. Students can also reach out to an artist via social media and direct messages! Let students select the communication channel to keep it stress-free.

Give students a list of tips for reaching out to an artist. As a class, students can brainstorm a list of suggested questions before parting for the summer. Students can present what they learned in various formats—video reflection, interview video, written format, podcast, or a formal presentation.

3. Destroy a canvas.

This is an unusual one, but it creates an opportunity for innovative artmaking in the future! Invite students to destroy a canvas, board, or piece of paper. Then, when students come back in the fall, they have to use the destroyed material and transform it into a new artwork.

Check out this portrait lesson that synthesizes media for ideas on incorporating and manipulating materials in new ways. Just make sure students practice safety when destroying their canvas!

4. Write a movie review.

Who doesn’t love sitting around and binge-watching a good movie or show? Students select an art-related movie or show to watch and write an informal movie review. Check out   24 Movies to Show in Your High School Art Room for title ideas.

Or peruse this list to get you started!

• Black Art: In the Absence of Light
• This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist
• Saving Banksy
• Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski

5. Participate in the Getty Challenge.

The Getty Challenge was an amusing form of entertainment and way of experiencing famous works of art during quarantine last year. People recreated artworks with household items, pets, and family members from the comfort of their own homes. The results were hilarious !

Prepare a list of famous artworks for your students. Alternatively, allow students to select their own artwork based on their body of work. Students recreate the artwork using found items in their homes. This is a great opportunity to discuss appropriation with your students!

6. Attend a conference.

While our students love us, sometimes they enjoy hearing from others, too. Other artists, teachers, and students can share things in new ways. They can also teach content outside our personal expertise. Ask students to attend a conference or workshop over the summer. They could also sign up for a class at a local community college, arts center, or arts council. Preemptively reach out to these institutions and see if they will offer your students a discount. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

Have you thought about hosting a few speakers for your students to learn from this summer? Listen to A Conference to Inspire Your Students to hear how Lena Rodriguez created a conference for her students.

7. Curate a virtual exhibit.

Virtual art shows are all the rage right now! Have students curate a virtual exhibit and then “tour” each others’ spaces when they return in the fall. Students often surprise themselves as they get sucked into designing their gallery spaces. It’s a lot of fun to see what quirky items and props they include.

The work showcased can fit one of these parameters:

• Student’s theme of their body of work
• A specific era, time period, or art movement
• Common subject matter
• A specific culture or group of people
• Student’s portfolio of artwork
• Similar mediums or use of materials

For more information on platforms to use, take a look at  Creating a Virtual Art Show: A Time Capsule of Student Success and 6 Online Platforms to Showcase Student Art .

8. Read 10 children’s books.

Many high school students do not enjoy reading—except when it comes to children’s books! They get excited when a children’s book gets pulled out in the middle of a lesson.

Invite students to find and read ten children’s books on a topic or theme of their choice. The topic or theme can be based on their artistic journey and interests. Students can create a reverse mind map showing how the books stem from the core concept. If that last step seems like a lot of homework, table it for when students come back to class in the fall. Have students snap photos of the books they read so they won’t forget. This activity introduces how to brainstorm with mind mapping. It also starts a conversation about creating a body of work that explores different facets of one focused intent.

As you plan, keep in mind that for summer assignments to be successful and beneficial, they must be fun, low-pressure, accessible to all, and allow choice. 

• Fun—We want students to be intrinsically motivated to get the most out of learning. The work shouldn’t feel like work but lean more into exploration and investigation.
• Low-pressure—When intensive homework is given over the summer, students do not have a chance to have a real break. Just like we want to prevent teacher burnout, we also want to prevent our students from burning out.
• Accessible—If assignments have too many requirements, not all students may have access to complete the work. Summer homework can also be optional instead of mandatory. Students should not be penalized for not having transportation, supplies, or the financial means to complete the assignments.
• Allow choice—One way to make summer assignments accessible to all is to provide choice. Students can select an assignment based on their resources. Choice also allows students to select what speaks to their interests and passions, tying it back to the fun component!

For even more summer assignment ideas, check out  Fantastic Summer Homework Ideas for High Schoolers . 

What is a summer assignment your students love doing each year? 

How can you use summer assignments to bridge the end of the school year with the start of the next one?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Lindsey McGinnis

Lindsey McGinnis is AOEU’s Media Content Manager and a former high school art educator. She is passionately equipping art teachers to be successful in their classrooms and firmly believes that art is a safe place for students to explore and process the challenging topics and concepts around them.

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Summer homework may start as early as elementary school, but you don’t have to do it the way it’s always been done! Veteran educators like third-grade teacher Alycia Zimmerman have spent time thinking about how to make summer homework meaningful and interesting enough that students buy in—and even want to do it.  

Read on for Zimmerman’s summer homework game plan and ideas for how to make summer assignments more fun for everyone.

1. Try a New Student Meet and Greet

If possible, meet your incoming students before summer break (even if it’s virtual!) to instill the importance of summer learning.

At the end of the school year, coordinate with the teachers of your incoming students to swap classes for a period. Introduce yourselves to your future students and build excitement for the fun and challenging learning ahead and the very “grown-up” summer homework you will assign.

“We’ve been far more successful in instilling the importance of our summer assignments when presenting about it face-to-face rather than just sending a packet of directions home cold,” says Zimmernan. “The students sit on the edges of their seats as we talk about the importance of summer reading and our certainty that they will do everything they can to 'keep their brains healthy, pink, and strong’ over the summer.”

2. Emphasize the Importance of Summer Reading

Talk about the best summer assignment of all: diving into books!

Reading should be a treat, not a menial assignment, so Zimmerman doesn’t feel guilty about making reading the bulk of her summer homework. Here are some of her most effective strategies for promoting summer reading:

Have students fill out a log  to keep track of the books and other texts they read over the summer. It isn’t necessary to require a certain number of books or specific titles. Simply ask that they find books they love and spend lots of time reading them.

Have your current students write book reviews of their favorite titles to send home with your rising students. Invite your current students to serve as reading ambassadors and speak to the younger students about the importance and joys of reading. When coming from slightly older peers, the message is very well received.

And of course: Sign your students up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Program ! From May 9 to August 19, your students can visit Scholastic Home Base to participate in the free, fun, and safe  summer reading program . As part of the program, kids can read e-books, attend author events, and keep Reading Streaks™ to help unlock a donation of 100K books from Scholastic – distributed to kids with limited or no access to books by Save the Children. 

3. Share Fun and Educational Activities

Direct your students to fun (and educational) activities.

When considering other homework, the best options are activities that students will be motivated to do because they’re entertaining. 

Give your incoming students the “everything is better in moderation” speech so they understand that they shouldn’t play hours of computer games every day this summer. If possible, send them home with printable and book-based packs to polish their skills for the year ahead (you can even pair these with your own assignments): 

4. Connect Through the Mail 

Stay connected with your students over the summer through cards.

Giving incoming students the opportunity to connect with you and with each other can motivate them to complete summer assignments. Here’s one plan for connecting via letters:

Have your incoming students mail you a letter of introduction. Explain that you want to hear about their summer activities, their hobbies, their families, and anything special they want you to know before the school year begins.

When you receive letters from your students, send a postcard back with a brief response. Tell them a bit about your summer plan, and let them know you can’t wait to see them in the fall. 

Encourage them to write again!

You can also pair up students and have them write to each other over the summer. In September, they can bring their pen pal letters to class to display on the bulletin board.

Take advantage of everyone’s increasing familiarity with virtual resources by connecting online, too! Post a short video, article, or question once a week on your classroom's online platform, and invite both incoming students and rising former students to write their thoughts in the comments section. Be sure to moderate their comments and enjoy their back-and-forth dialogues as they engage with each other.

Get started by shopping the best books for summer reading below! You can find all books and activities at The Teacher Store .

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How To Finish Summer Homework Assignments: 14 Tips To Save Your Child’s Summer

• July 19, 2018

Many schools assign homework for students to complete before they return to class in September. This results in both parents and students having to learn how to finish summer reading and homework while balancing fun summer activities.

This summer, school is out and homework is in.

If your child has been putting off a pile of summer homework and reading assignments—he or she is not alone.

Reading books and writing assignments during the summer may not sound appealing to many students—or parents. Students can also get UK homework help if they need the some help with completing their assignment! But summer assignments are a great way to combat the effects of Summer Learning Loss and keep your child’s brain active over the break.

The Facts On Summer Learning Loss

Six weeks in the fall are spent re-learning old material Two months of reading skills are lost over the summer One month of overall learning is lost after summer vacation

With the right mindset, goals, and structure, you’ll have no problem finishing summer reading and homework between BBQ’s, ball games, and beach trips.

Follow these 14 steps to learn how to complete summer homework—without sacrificing summer fun.

14 Tips For Finishing Your Summer Homework Assignments

Make a game plan, tip 1: take a (quick) break.

It’s hard to go from a full year of schoolwork to tackling summer homework right off the bat. Let your child take a week off of homework at the start of the summer. This will give his or her brain a chance to relax and reset, and enjoy taking part in fun summer activities like sports.

Tip 2: Review Project Requirements

Don’t have your child dive head-first into his or her homework assignments. Review the expectations of each project with your child and discuss how much time he or she will need to complete them.

It would be a shame to waste time redoing a project because your child didn’t understand it initially. Reviewing all requirements is an important first step to starting off on the right foot.

Tip 3: Break Down Each Project Into A Series of Goals

Think about which assignments will take the longest and what your child will need to complete them during the summer. Break these larger assignments into a series of goals that need to be met to complete the project.

Examples of goals include “read 2 chapters per week” or “write essay introduction by July 15th”.

Set Aside The Right Amount Of Time

Tip 4: plan a weekly summer homework schedule.

This should be similar to a school year homework schedule, but altered for the summer. T he ideal amount of time to spend doing summer homework per week is 2-3 hours , so figure out where that time fits into your child’s average summer week.

Tip 5: Make A List Of Supplies & Resources

Your summer adventures could take you and your child to a wide variety of places. Make sure you both know what to bring with you so your child can tackle homework when not at home.

Examples of supplies include:

• Textbooks or Assigned Novels

Tip 6: Choose Assignment Topics Based On Interest, Not Length

Sometimes students are given options when it comes to topics to research or books to read over the summer. Encourage your child to make these decisions based on the topics that interests him or her most—not which is “easiest”. This will result in your child enjoying his or her work, and allow him to benefit more from it.

Help Your Child Do Work On-The-Go

Tip 7: adjust your homework schedule for trips & vacations.

Exploring new places is an amazing learning experience, so don’t feel like you should sacrifice them for more homework time. Instead, plan your child’s homework schedule around these day trips and vacations.

If you know your child won’t have time to complete work while you’re away on a longer trip, make up those hours in the weeks before and after your trip.

Tip 8: Tackle The Work Your Child Can Do On-The-Go

While writing an essay is a project to save for when you return home, there are assignments that your child can tackle from just about anywhere. Options for homework to do on vacation include projects that are doable in small chunks—like reading a book or completing a math worksheet.

Tip 9: Bring Your Child’s Supplies With You

Remember that supplies list you created? Make sure you pack that backpack and bring it with you on your trip! It’d be a waste to find a spare hour to finish that math assignment, only to realize your child left his or her calculator at home.

Tip 10: Capitalize On The Quiet Times

Even the busiest trips include some quiet time. If you’re early for a dinner reservation, have your child complete a chapter of reading while you wait. Or, encourage your child to wake up 20 minutes early to answer some math questions without disruption.

Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 11: schedule a weekly workdate for your child & a friend.

There’s no reason your child has to work through summer homework alone. Make a weekly work date with a friend where they can tackle summer assignments together. If that friend is in the same class as your child, they can even discuss questions and challenges together. Build A Support Team For Your Child

Tip 12: Review Your Child’s Progress Every Week

Each week, speak with your child about the work he or she accomplished, and what is planned for the week ahead. If you know your child will be busy soon, work together to reorganize his or her homework schedule.

Tip 13: Touch Base With a Tutor (Or Enrol In Summer Learning Program)

A new set of eyes can make all the difference in making sure your child gets his or her summer assignments done efficiently and effectively. Your child’s tutor will be able to give constructive feedback and turn this feedback into goals for the upcoming school year.

If you want an extra head start for your child this school year, enroll him or her in a Summer Learning tutoring program to get started on the right track.

And Most Importantly…

Tip 14: reward your child with summer fun.

While schoolwork is important during the summer, it doesn’t have to come at the sacrifice of having fun. Whenever your child completes a new project or achieves a goal, reward him or her with a treat or fun summer activity.

Work Hard—And Play Hard—This Summer

Summer might seem like it will last forever, but the school year will be here before you know it. Don’t let your child fall into the habit of procrastination—instead, make a plan together and stick to it.

If you follow these tips, your child will finish summer homework and summer reading in no time…and develop great learning and study habits that will already be in place for next year!

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Free end-of-year letter templates to your students 📝!

57 Fun End-of-Year Activities and Assignments

Wrap up the year on a happy note.

As the school year draws to a close, it’s important to plan end-of-year activities that help bring closure to your time together with students. Talk with your students about what made this year special, recall the good memories, and reflect on all you’ve learned. After all, you’ve all put in a lot of work to get to this point. Have fun with these end-of-year activities and assignments, and let the countdown begin!

1. Hold a class family circle

A family circle is a great way to wrap up a terrific year. Prepare a set of reflection questions, then allow students to take the mic and ask a friend one of the questions. Continue around the circle until every student has had a chance to answer.

Learn more: Class Family Circle

2. Solve a mystery together

Awesome for building reading comprehension skills, whodunits are also a hoot for students to solve! Students must read the clues and collaborate to solve the mystery. Try this one:  Who Freed the Fish?  And pretty soon your students will be tapping into their inner Sherlock.

Learn more: Class Mystery at Minds in Bloom

3. Create blackout poetry

It’s amazing what beautiful poetry can come from just about any piece of writing. All you need is a photocopied article, essay, or book excerpt and a Sharpie marker.

Learn more: Blackout Poetry at Just Add Students via YouTube

4. Let students teach

Have your students sign up to teach their classmates a 20- to 30-minute mini-lesson about something they’re passionate about. Some examples include leading the class in a game, song, or other group activity.

Learn more: Let Students Teach at Minds in Bloom

5. Hold a friendly competition

Kids love a little friendly competition, especially when it’s quick and easy. Sneak in rounds between activities and hold the finals on the last day of school.

Learn more: Rock, Paper, Scissors Bracket

6. Have a class “snowball fight”

Split your class into two teams facing each other. Have each student write three things about themselves and wad it into a snowball, then let the snowball fight commence! Set a time for a few minutes of “fight” time, then have students each grab a snowball and read the items listed, guessing whose paper it is.

Learn more: Snowball Fight at TeachStarter

7. Create memories that stick

Commemorate the memories that “stuck” with your students this year with this fun end-of-year activity.

Learn more: Cactus Memories

8. Serve up a scoop of memories

Here’s a sweet way to celebrate the end of the year! Make paper ice cream sundaes with a different memory on each scoop. You can have kids draw these themselves or buy a printable version at the link below.

Learn more: Ice Cream Scoop Memories

9. Post Flip farewell videos

Flip is one of our favorite classroom tools , especially when it comes to end-of-year activities. Post topics like “What did you learn this year?” or “Share your favorite memory from the past year.” Kids post their video responses and check out other students’ contributions too.

10. Create a collaborative puzzle

Give each student a piece of the puzzle and let them get creative! Suggest a theme such as best memory or most important thing I learned or I’ll never forget, etc. Students can write on their puzzle pieces. Once the puzzle is done, you can take a picture and make sure every student gets a copy.

Learn more: Collaborative Puzzle

11. Compile an end-of-year playlist

Songs are like smells—just hearing one can bring back all kinds of memories. Ask students (as a class or individually) to compile a list of songs that relate to the past school year and have them write about why each tune has a place on the list. Celebrate the last day of school by listening to songs from the playlist as you reflect on the year gone by. And while you’re at it, check out 85 Awesome Songs for Your End-of-the-Year Playlist .

Learn more: End of Year Playlist at Reading and Writing Haven

12. Fill up a memory bag

Give each student a brown paper bag, then ask them to decorate the front and add some reflections about the year on the other three panels. Then, each student adds 10 items from the year to their bag, with notes about why each is important. Finish up by having each kid lay out their items on their desk. Have a gallery walk around the room for everyone to see one another’s selections.

Learn more: Memory Bags

13. Write commencement speeches

Commencement speeches aren’t only for graduations! Finish out the year by reading or watching other great commencements speeches (the web is full of them). Then challenge students to write—and deliver, if you like—their own speeches for the year they’ve just finished.

Learn more: Commencement Speeches at 2 Peas and a Dog

14. List what they’ve learned from A to Z

What a great way to look back over what kids have learned! For each letter of the alphabet, have them write and illustrate something they learned or did throughout the year. Hit the link below to get a free printable template for this project. Learning virtually? Have students create a Google Slideshow instead.

Learn more: End of Year A to Z

15. Send thank-you notes

This is a skill every kid should learn: writing and sending thank-you notes. So why not incorporate it into your lineup of end-of-year activities? Have kids write a note to someone who made their school year special, then seal them in envelopes, address them, and deliver them by hand or mail. And while you’re at it, why not write a thank-you note to your own class ?

Learn more: Thank-You Notes at Cult of Pedagogy

16. Post best-of-the-year snapshots

Ask your students to sum up their favorite school-year memory (Science fair? Field day? Creative class presentations?) in one snapshot. Younger kids can draw pictures of the event, while older kids are likely to have a photo on their phone they’d be willing to share. Assemble them on a bulletin board—real-world or digital—with a few words from each student about what made that moment so special.

Learn more: Snapshots of Our Year

17. Count the days

Instead of counting down the days until the end, count up the days from the year behind you! Get students counting by having them use a calendar to figure out how many Mondays you’ve had this year, how many Fridays, how many P.E. days, and how many Jell-O-in-the-cafeteria days. Then work together to make a bar graph and hang it on the wall.

Learn more: End-of-Year Countdown at Teaching Made Practical

18. Let the students become the teachers

Take a break and let the students lead the class for a change. If you’re reviewing material for finals or another end-of-year test, have each student (or a group) lead the review session on a particular topic. You can also have your students create their own lesson on a topic they’re passionate about. Or have kids in one grade make and present lessons on what students in the grade below them can expect to learn the following year. There are a lot of options here, and all of them give you time to take a breather!

19. Talk behind each other’s backs (really!)

Have your students help tape a piece of lined paper to one another’s backs. Have each student get out a felt-tipped marker (not a Sharpie—it may bleed through). Set a timer and put on some favorite music. Let the students mix around the room and write a positive message on each student’s paper. For example, The best thing about you is …, What I appreciate most about you is …, I remember …, etc. After a set amount of time, have students stop, remove their papers from their backs, and enjoy reading the words of love from their classmates. (For a socially distanced spin, create a Google Slide or Padlet template for each student instead.)

20. Coast into summer

So fun! These DIY memory coasters are easy to make and give kids an end-of-year souvenir to take home. Get the free printable templates and complete instructions here.

21. Read end-of-year books

Little ones especially have a hard time with the end of a school year. Next year lots of things will be different, and that can be a sad and even scary thought for some. Read-alouds are simple but powerful end-of-year activities. Check out these 11 End-of-Year Books To Bring Your Class Closure , like The Egg by M.P. Robertson, to spark conversations about what kids have learned and what lies ahead.

22. Dream about the summer ahead

Here’s an end-of-year assignment that includes both art and writing. Have kids draw a portrait of themselves, then use the template at the link below to cut out and decorate an enormous pair of sunglasses. On the glasses, have them write about their summer plans (or the things they’d like to do).

Learn more: End-of-Year Writing

23. Raise a glass and toast your class

Students get a chance to practice public speaking in a very meaningful way with this end-of-year activity. Get a few liters of ginger ale and plastic champagne flutes from a party store, arrange your students in a circle, and have everyone say something—maybe a goal for the next school year, well-wishes for their peers, a favorite memory. After everyone has spoken, lift your glasses with a cheer and celebrate to end the school year.

24. Author a six-word memoir

This project has taken the world by storm. In six words, can you capture the essence of your school year? Kids can spend a little or a lot of time on this one, refining their words and even illustrating them. Collect them all into a slideshow (anonymous, if kids prefer) to share on the last day.

Learn more: Six-Word Memoirs

25. Take a field trip to the next grade

This is one of the most exciting end-of-year activities for students. Take them to visit the classrooms they’ll be in next year. Arrange to spend some time with the teachers, talk to the students, and hear more about what they’ll be learning. This is a good way to allay fears many kids have about moving on from a classroom where they’ve been comfortable. (You can do this as a Zoom tour and meet-and-greet too.)

Learn more: Next Year Classrooms Tour at Inspire Me ASAP!

26. Design a school seal

In this fun end-of-year activity that’s perfect for social studies, have your students design a “Great Seal” for their school. First, break them into groups to talk about what makes your school special and memorable for them. Then, have each kid (or group) create their own “seal” based on the ones used by states and cities. This project is especially meaningful for kids about to move on to another school like junior high.

Learn more: School Seals

27. Determine your “People of the Year”

Time magazine can’t have all the fun! Help your students compile a list of the “People of the Year” for your class. Include people important to your classroom (the custodian, the principal, everyone’s favorite “lunch lady”) along with classroom visitors and speakers from the year. Add in some people from current events and pop culture (the current president, a favorite musician) and even folks they studied throughout the year (Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart). Try to take or draw portraits of each, and assign each student to write a brief bio of one of the people included.

28. Write letters or tips for next year’s class

Who better to advise next year’s class on what they’ll need to succeed than the kids who’ve just finished doing it? They can write letters on their own or work together to create a master list of what it takes to make it in the next grade.

Learn more: Survival Guide

29. Create science-inspired art

Ask your students to create a wall-worthy piece of art that reflects something they learned in science. Did you study plants? Maybe a watercolor of flowers. Or if you studied space, a cosmic-inspired number. Send their work home to help them remember, or collect them to create a bulletin board that will inspire next year’s class about what they’ll be learning.

30. Host an open-mic night

Encourage kids to share the writing they’ve done in (and out of) class with an open mic event. Set up a stage complete with microphone and stool—get great tips for this at the link below—then bring kids up to tell a story or recite a poem. Overcome stage fright with a cool casual vibe and plenty of snacks. Invite friends and family to attend or watch virtually via Zoom.

Learn more: Poetry Cafe

31. Compose an end-of-year continuing story

Write several story titles like “The Great Summer Adventure,” “How My Teacher Lost Her Mind,” or “My Teacher, My Hero” at the top of blank pages. Then, have each student start a story and, after five minutes, pass the story to a neighbor who will continue writing. (Do this digitally on Google Docs if you’re not able to share supplies from person to person.) Continue writing round-robin style until you have several stories to read aloud to the class.

32. Publish a year-end newspaper

You can do this one as a group or individually. Create a basic newspaper template and have the class fill in the front page news. Recap the year, offer advice, illustrate favorite memories, and more. Then, pass these on to the grade below to give them an idea of what lies ahead.

Learn more: Class Newspaper

33. Perform a high school (or middle or elementary school) musical number

Break your students into groups and have them create (and perform) musical numbers commemorating the year. They can write new words to existing tunes, choreograph a lip-synch performance to an inspiring or memorable song, or even come up with something entirely new. Invite parents or other classes to a final-day performance, in person or online.

34. Assemble a Book Hall of Fame

Have each student write (or draw) a reflection on the best book they read during the year. Then, save their reflections and post them on a bulletin board or Padlet so that next year’s students can glean reading ideas.

Source: Book Hall of Fame

35. Play end-of-year charades

Looking for game-based end-of-year activities? Play charades! Have each student write out one memorable moment from the school year on a slip of paper. Collect all the slips in a bag, hat, or the like. Divide kids into teams and have them come up one team at a time, choose a slip, and act out the memory for the group. No need to keep score—the goal is just to relive all the happy memories from the year.

36. Start a school graffiti wall

Choose a wall in your school or classroom and encourage kids to sign their names and date with a quote or other memory. Use permanent markers or small paintbrushes. Each year, photograph the wall and then paint over it to start anew. If you have enough space, these walls can last longer and only be painted over every so many years, creating much more enduring memories. No wall room? Try a bulletin board or large sheet of paper instead.

Learn more: Graffiti Wall

37. Hold a “Stuff You Should Know” event

Take a day or a week to pass on important things you want your kids to know as they move on in life without you. Share poems, songs, TED Talks, quotes, books, and tips that you think will help them along the way. Don’t forget to include simple life lessons (registering and preparing to vote, protecting yourself online, how to behave on an elevator) that school usually doesn’t teach you. Learn more about this end-of-year activity here.

38. Print up a growing tree

Capture each student’s fingerprint as a tree leaf. Label them with their names, then hang them in your room from year to year so kids can see who’s come before them.

Source: End-of-Year Fingerprint Tree

39. Build a portfolio showcase

Throughout the year, have students save their best work in a folder or box. At the end of the year, each student chooses their favorite items to display in a portfolio like a binder or display board. Invite parents and friends to come to view everyone’s achievements.

40. Put together time capsules

Time capsules are classic end-of-year activities. Students will have so much fun assembling time capsules to be opened someday in the future. These can be as simple as a plastic water bottle filled with written memories or a shoebox stuffed with items to represent what kids did and learned over the school year.

Learn more: Class Time Capsule

41. Draw a school-year timeline

Classroom walls can start to look empty at the end of the year as you take things down to prepare for summer. Temporarily fill in the space with a long strip of butcher paper, then have kids create a timeline of the year. Break it down by month, then ask kids what they remember. Prompt their memories by having them look over their work (what a fun way to review!), and don’t forget to include events, speakers, and holiday celebrations.

42. Fill out an end-of-year roundup

Sometimes you just need a quick activity that doesn’t take a lot of prep, and that’s where this free printable comes in. Personalize it by taking and printing a photo of each student, or have them draw their own portrait in the space provided.

Learn more: End-of-the-Year Roundup

43. Go outside!

Build in time to celebrate the end of the year with some fun outdoor activities. Rotate teams for each activity so your students get a chance to mingle with all of their classmates. Here are 25 Clever Outdoor Games to choose from.

44. Put on a show

This is a fun end-of-year activity that could be presented to parents, a younger class, your whole school, or just for your own class. Students can perform skits, dramatic readings, act out a story, showcase a talent, or read a favorite piece from a book they read.

45. Create an end-of-year ABC book

You use them for novel studies, so why not create an ABC book for highlights of the school year? For each letter, students come up with one memorable event or lesson, write a few sentences, and draw a picture. Think of it as a literacy lesson/memory book activity.

Learn more: ABC Booklet

46. Hold a book museum walk

One of our favorite end-of-year activities is a book museum walk. Students choose one of their favorite books and create a poster, diorama, trifold, or even dress up as a character. They can work on their projects at home or at school, and their project should provide a sneak peek or trailer of the book. When the students are ready to present, invite another class or grade level in to view the “museum.”

Learn more: Museum Walk With Favorite Books at Teaching With Jennifer Findley

47. Create your own iPads

End-of-year activities can help wrap up subject matters like geography. For this fun assignment, have your students research different symbols that represent something unique about your state. Each symbol they discover will become an app for their homemade iPad. Have them draw the symbols on the outside of each app, and then write a brief summary about the symbols on the inside.

Learn more: Geography iPad apps

48. Go on a virtual field trip

Traditionally, one of the classic school end-of-year activities was field trips. But sometimes budgets don’t cooperate, so why not take it virtual? They’re fun and easy, and no permission slips, chaperones, or packed lunches are needed! Check out our favorite Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips .

49. Pump up the school spirit

From dress-up days and community-building activities to outreach and volunteer projects, Spirit Week activities are a great way to end the year on a high note. Check out our massive list of School Spirit Week Ideas .

50. Story writing

Have each student start a story and then leave it on their desk. At your signal, have students rotate to the next desk, and give them a minute to read the story there and then add to the story. Keep rotating, giving students the chance to add to as many stories as you have time for. Let students know when you’re on your last rotation so they can wrap the story up.

51. Make a wearable keepsake

Mark your time together by making fun tie-dyed bandannas or decorating T-shirts with everyone’s signature or handprint. Or try making friendship bracelets or necklaces. Every time your students wear one of these items, they’ll fondly remember your year together.

Learn more: How To Tie-Dye Shirts With Kids

52. Set up a photo booth

Photo booths are a great way to start the school year, but they’re also terrific for the last days of the year. Help kids capture memories with their friends before they part for the summer.

Learn more:  Photo Booth

53. Plan a dream vacation

Kids are already dreaming of how they’ll fill the summer hours, so this last-minute math activity will be pure fun! Give kids a budget (say, $2,500), then send them off to research whether their dream trip can be accomplished. Make sure they include airfare or gas money, lodgings, food, spending money, and all the incidentals that add up when you travel.

54. Host a book tasting

Expand your readers’ palates with a book tasting and set them up for summer reading. A book tasting gives students the opportunity to sample some juicy reads in a short period of time and come away with a wish list of titles.

Learn more: Book Tasting

55. Create a summer bucket list

Provide kids with lots of options, then have them compile their own bucket lists for the summer days ahead. In addition to fun items, encourage them to add ways to help others or learn something new too.

Learn more:  Bucket List

56. Focus on kindness

Add a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge to your lineup of end-of-year activities and make it all the way to the finish line with good vibes. To get started, check out Random Acts of Kindness: 30 Activities for Elementary Students from American Montessori Society

57. See who knows you best

Challenge your kiddos to show who knows you best. Record your students’ answers on chart paper with markers or use Google Slides. It’s amazing how much kids pick up on our likes and dislikes!

Learn more: Who Knows Teacher Best

What are your favorite end-of-year activities? Come and share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out end-of-year student gifts that won’t break the bank .

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Extracurriculars.

82 Summer Activities for High School Students

What’s covered:, what types of activities should you do over the summer, how do summer activities impact your admissions chances, summer activity ideas for high schoolers.

Summer is a time when you can get some much-needed relaxation, but it’s also a great time to work towards your goals. Admissions committees like to see that you’re being productive and accomplishing something during your breaks. At a loss for what to do this summer? Here are 82 of our favorite ideas. Do one, five, ten—or come up with your own original ideas!

It might seem a bit overwhelming with the number of different things you could do during the summer, but there are some ways to narrow the list of possibilities down to good, productive choices.

First of all, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin by committing to too many activities. Rather than devoting a few minutes here and there to 50 different things, consider setting aside a larger amount of time to just two or three substantial activities.

Second, think about extracurriculars that can either help you develop or hone a skill, and those that might boost your admissions profile. Of course, don’t do something solely because it looks good, but try to find an activity that’s also meaningful or useful to you . When we talk about extracurriculars, we often refer to finding your spike —a particular passion or interest in a specific area. Ideally, the activities you engage in over the summer should contribute to your spike and show your commitment and dedication to that interest. 

Extracurriculars you might want to consider include things like research projects, self-driven projects, internships, jobs, community service, and selective summer programs that offer financial aid. While formal research projects and jobs may be a little difficult to find, there are plenty of ways to volunteer and give back to your community. You can also conduct a self-driven project from the comfort of home !

Since just about every student applying to college will submit transcripts, grades, and test scores, summer activities can be a good way to show admissions officers something unique about yourself that isn’t captured by those academic indicators. Who are you outside of the constraints of a busy school week? How would you ideally spend your free time? Your summer activities provide insight into these questions.

These activities can influence your chances at college admission, but the scope of that influence depends on many factors, which include:

• What the activity is
• The activity’s difficulty
• The activity’s prestige/if the activity is offered by an organization or institution
• Your individual role and performance in the activity
• The activity’s relevant connections to or sponsorships by certain colleges
• How much weight a college places on extracurricular activities in general

That said, colleges do care a good deal about summer activities. Everyone in high school gets a summer break, and colleges like to see students who fill that time with productive, high-impact extracurriculars.

Needless to say, if students have family responsibilities and, therefore, lack the time for traditional extracurriculars, colleges will understand. If those are your circumstances, be sure to note that on your application. Unless you explicitly tell colleges your situation, they won’t know your reasons for not having as many summer extracurriculars under your belt as your peers.

It should be noted that not all extracurriculars carry the same weight with admissions officers—there are four tiers of extracurricular activities that colleges think about when reviewing applicants’ activities. More selective, competitive, and prestigious activities are often found in the top tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Tier 1 includes accomplishments like being a highly recruited athlete or an award-winning national science fair competitor. Tier 2 is for more common activities that have a similar level of prestige or rigor like student body president or being part of an all-state band. Tiers 3 and 4 are reserved for the most common extracurricular achievements, such as holding school leadership positions or being a member of a high school club, respectively.

Curious how the summer activities you’re doing impact your admissions profile? CollegeVine can help you figure that out. We’ve created a free chancing engine that factors in your high school GPA, course rigor, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, and more, to estimate your odds of getting into over 1,600 colleges and universities around the country! It even provides feedback on how you can improve your profile.

Take Classes

• Enroll in college classes: Just because you haven’t matriculated at college yet doesn’t mean you can’t dabble in the coursework. If you take classes now, you may get a head start on credits when you start your college career, which could save you time and money in the long run. Community colleges and some state schools will allow you to enroll in individual courses at a low cost. For more information, check out our article, Should I Take College Classes Over the Summer?
• Take online courses: If you’re unable to take classes in person, there are still plenty of opportunities to learn online. Many online course databases, such as LinkedIn Learning and Skillshare, offer online subscriptions that allow you to access thousands of courses with video tutorials, teaching important skills like coding or SEO.
• Participate in pre-college programs: Colleges and other institutions across the country offer summer programs to high school students looking for a taste of college life. In most cases, students live in dorms and take classes, much like they will when they matriculate as college freshmen in a few years. In some cases, you might even be able to earn college credits that you can apply to your degree later on.
• Attend an academic STEM camp: Similar to pre-college programs, academic camps often allow students to live in a dorm and participate in a college-level curriculum. However, these camps are generally focused on a specific niche or talent, such as science, as with the National Youth Science Camp . These camps are ideal for high schoolers who have a specific passion or definite idea of the discipline they want to pursue.
• Attend an academic camp in the humanities or liberal arts: The same idea as STEM camps applies, but different subjects appeal to different students. Again, this kind of camp is ideal for high schoolers with specific interests already in mind that they want to expand upon.
• Attend performing arts classes or camps: Future actors will enjoy classes and camps that cater to prospective theater majors. Check out our guide to theater arts summer programs for ideas.
• Participate in visual arts classes or camps: There are several art institutes, such as the Rhode Island School of Design, that offer summer courses and programs for aspiring artists. You can also find art classes in your local community that will give you a chance to express your creativity and grow your portfolio over the summer.
• Study for the SAT or ACT: Summer is a good time to enroll in standardized test or college prep classes, since you don’t have to study for your regular high school tests. CollegeVine’s SAT tutoring program will help you prepare with proven strategies and tutors from top schools.
• Take private lessons in an area of interest: Now is a great time to learn something you’ve always wanted to know how to do—sing, speak French, play the clarinet, sew…whatever you want!

Learn a New Skill or Discover a New Interest

• Study a foreign language : Whether you want to gain proficiency in a language you study at school or learn a new one, summer is a great time for practice. Try an app like Duolingo, or connect with a native speaker online through a language exchange platform like italki (you’ll need a parent’s permission to set up an italki account if you’re under 18).
• OR a programming language: Have you always wanted to create an app or build a website? Learning how to program can set you up with the skills you’ll need. There are countless online resources to help you learn Python, Java, HTML, and countless other coding languages.
• OR sign language: Becoming proficient in ASL will give you a unique, not to mention extremely useful, skill. If you’re really interested in delving into this form of communication, you could even learn a foreign sign language!
• Hone your leadership skills through a program or independent activity: Leadership is an invaluable asset for students to have that colleges place a lot of importance on. There are countless established programs you can attend to grow your leadership skills, or you can develop independently by assuming a leadership role in a local organization or business.
• Take singing lessons: Warm up those pipes and learn how to sing your favorite songs. 
• Take dance lessons: You can pick what style you like and learn anything from ballet to hip-hop to tango to square dancing! You can even do it without leaving the comfort of your home with YouTube tutorials and online videos.
• Take acting lessons: Who knows? If you get proficient enough in singing, dancing, and acting, you might find a passion for musical theater, where those three talents combine to create one wonderful experience!
• Join your local theater group and audition for a local production: For theater kids looking to continue their passion when school’s not in session, local theater troupes are a great resource. Most groups even have behind-the-scenes roles if things like lighting or audio interest you.
• Join a sports team: For just about every spot you might play, there are local, club, or regional teams you can join over the summer to retain your skills. It’s also a great way to meet other students who share a love for your sport outside of your school. 
• Learn how to cook or bake: Julia Child didn’t learn how to cook until she was in her late 30s, so it’s not too late for you to become a master chef ! You can even have a bake sale and raise money for charity or put it aside for your college savings.
• Pick up a musical instrument: Playing an instrument is a fantastic way to work your brain over the summer, plus you get to enjoy some music. If you already know how to play an instrument, summer is a great time to learn a new one.
• Speaking of music, join a community or school orchestra: Playing an instrument on your own is fun, but playing with others can be so much more enjoyable. Go out and join an established band in your community, or get together with other students from your band class and practice over the summer and play at gigs.
• Study a visual art discipline, such as painting or photography: Whether you want to try your hand at watercolors or perfect the art of the perfect photo, getting creative with visual arts is a great hobby to pick up over the summer.
• Learn to play chess: In the last few years, chess has grown exponentially and is now a more popular game than ever!
• Take up knitting or crocheting: With some basic knitting skills, you can make clothes for yourself, your loved ones, or even your pets! 
• Become proficient in a marketable skill, such as using Photoshop like an expert: Skills that you can put on your resume that will differentiate you in the job market in the future are so important. Depending on what you are interested in, knowing how to use Photoshop, Excel, Google Analytics, etc, will be incredibly useful in the long run. You can teach yourself or find a private tutor or class to help you learn these skills.
• Start a garden: Summer is prime time for gardening because everything is in bloom. You could even help out your community by creating a community garden, and you might learn a good deal about food cultivation while you’re at it.
• Learn basic car maintenance skills, such as changing a tire or checking oil: You never know when you might need to put those skills into practice!
• Learn to do basic home repairs, such as fixing a leaky faucet or a squeaky hinge: Just as knowing how to fix a car is useful and can save you money in the future, becoming handy around the house will pay off as well. You can even sell your services and make some extra cash.
• Learn a martial art or self-defense: Not only will you get a good workout from practicing martial arts and self-defense, but knowing how to defend and protect yourself is always a good thing.
• Learn to swim: Besides being a fun recreational activity, swimming is an important skill that may help you save your own life or others’ lives!
• Get CPR certified: Sometimes, jobs like lifeguarding or childcare will require you to get CPR or First Aid certification, but even if you aren’t required, knowing how to save a life is extremely useful. It’s pretty easy to get certified, but the knowledge you learn will stick with you forever.
• Write: One of the best ways to maintain your skills over the summer is to simply write . Try exploring different kinds of writing—like poetry, short stories, and essays. You could also enter writing contests and try to get your work published. 
• Start journaling: Writing in a journal has incredible benefits for your mental health and can alleviate stress and anxiety. Not to mention, it’s great practice for getting in touch with yourself and understanding who you are—skills you will need to write your college essays!
• Practice interviewing: Draft lists of questions you have about topics you’re interested in and email college professors who specialize in those topics. While many professors may not see their emails during the summer, a large number do and would be happy to help! Also, conducting an interview from the interviewer’s point of view can help you when you eventually do college interviews.
• Learn about another culture: It’s important to broaden your perspective and expand your worldview, and learning about other cultures is a great way to do that. Read books about that culture and its history, watch movies and documentaries about that culture, and even take trips to local restaurants or cultural centers.
• Shadow a professional in a field you’re interested in: Granted, this can be hard if you don’t know someone in that industry, but you have nothing to lose by reaching out and asking! Getting professional experience in high school is an amazing way to show your dedication to your interests and start building connections for future internships and jobs.

Practice Leadership or Work Toward Personal Growth

• Practice mindfulness or meditation: Life as a high schooler is undoubtedly stressful, so having techniques to manage life when it gets too hectic is very important. Especially once school starts up again and you eventually enter college application season, you’ll thank yourself for building mindfulness habits over the summer. 
• Practice role-playing exercises: These can help you think on your feet more quickly or creatively. It’s never too late to work on your decision-making or problem-solving skills!
• Join a public speaking workshop: Do you get stage fright, or do you find yourself stumbling over your words more than you’d like to? Practicing presentations or speeches can help boost your confidence and increase the ease with which you speak publicly.
• Look into mentorship programs : Everyone has different experiences in life, and we all have something we can teach somebody else. In fact, it’s a great idea to learn from both older and younger people , as their amount of life experience and outlook on things can be very different!
• Write down and accomplish personal goals: Make a list of goals for yourself and try to meet or exceed as many of them as you can during the summer. They can be anything you want, from reading a book every week to mastering a song on the piano to doing 20 pushups by the end of the summer.
• Consider joining a team-building retreat: Although these are usually offered to companies, there are some retreats for high school students designed to improve how they work with peers.
• Create a personal budget and learn about money management: While this might not seem like the most important thing to know now, it will become absolutely essential very soon in life!
• Learn about investing: Just as it’s important to know how to save, it’s also good to know about how you can make your money grow. While you have to be 18 to start investing on your own, it’s never too early to start learning about the stock market and investing strategies. Also, you can invest before your 18 with the help of a parent or guardian.

Get a Side Hustle

• Find a side job and earn some cash to put aside for college: Having a job can be an impressive extracurricular activity ! 
• Be a camp counselor at a local or sleepaway summer camp: If you love going to camp and are sad you’re too old to be a camper, why not be a counselor? It’s a nice way to keep doing what you love while getting paid, not to mention it’s good practice for working with kids and taking on responsibility.
• Start your own business : This shows colleges that you have many of the skills they’re looking for—leadership, innovation, and gumption. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what your business could be!
• Land an internship : Internships are incredible opportunities to get exposure to industries you want to work in. They can be challenging to find, especially since many internships go to college students, so a good place to start is asking family friends or teachers if they have anyone you could contact.
• Perform services and chores for others : Ask your family, friends, and neighbors if you can be of any service with things like babysitting, lawn mowing, or car washing. Services like these that don’t require hard skills are easy for high schoolers to pick up, and if you charge less than professional services, you could gain a lot of business.
• Sell old clothing: Summer is a great time for a closet cleanout, but don’t throw away all the clothing you no longer wear. Instead, sell your clothes on apps like Poshmark or Depop, or bring them to a second-hand store and see if you can get any money for them.

Volunteer or Do Community Service

• Do a service project, such as Habitat for Humanity : Get out and help your community. You can also find countless community service projects you can do online now, too.
• Tutor peers or younger students at your school or within your community: Tutoring is a great way to help others in a subject you excel at. You can join existing tutoring programs through your school or a community center, or offer up your services independently.
• Visit a senior center: Your youthful energy can bring so much joy to senior citizens. You can read to them, play games like chess or cards, play an instrument, or just sit and talk with them. 
• Volunteer with your library: Libraries are always looking for volunteers to help out, whether that’s with working at the desk, organizing and shelving books, or helping out with youth programs where you might have the chance to read to little kids. 
• Visit a soup kitchen or homeless shelter and help people in need: Helping the less fortunate is an incredibly rewarding way to spend your summer. If you like to cook, volunteering to make and serve food for a soup kitchen is a great idea. Or, you can organize drives to collect items for shelters.
• Work with animals at an animal shelter: For those of you who love animals, volunteering at an animal shelter would be a great summer activity. 
• Write a column for your local newspaper : Getting involved in your local community and supporting small media is a great option for any student, especially those who like to write. You could ask your newspaper for a column to write about whatever you like—sports, movie reviews, political debates, best local restaurants, etc—or you could submit opinion pieces every few weeks.
• Volunteer with a local campaign: Depending on if it’s an election year, summer is a busy time for political campaigns, and they are always looking for more help, especially from younger generations. You could reach out to candidates running for anything as small as the school board up to the president.

If service is important to you, check out our list of colleges for people who want to make a difference .

Check out these posts for more info about volunteering:

• Finding Volunteer Service Activities: Tips for Freshman & Sophomores
• Can I Volunteer If I’m Under Age 18?
• Study abroad : Studying abroad is one of the most rewarding experiences of your life as you get to fully immerse yourself in another culture. There are numerous programs that give high schoolers the opportunity to spend a summer in another country, where you will not only learn about the culture, but also take classes to expand on your academics.
• Spin a family trip into an extracurricular : Just because your family is going away for a few days or weeks doesn’t mean you have to put all your extracurriculars on hold. You might take classes on your trip, learn a new skill, or volunteer.
• Tour colleges : Now that you have extra free time, it’s a smart idea to tour colleges , especially those farther away from you. It’s normally not essential for you to visit a college before applying, but be aware that some colleges consider demonstrated interest to be important and prefer for students to physically visit.
• Engage in service opportunities abroad: If you want to go abroad, but don’t want to spend your summer taking classes, you can volunteer! You can find organizations that have international branches and sign up for service trips.

Check Something Off Your Bucket List

• Train for a marathon: Summer is a great time to get outside and go for a run in nature. If you like having something to work towards, turn your recreational running into a training routine for a 5K, half-marathon, or full marathon.
• Tackle some books you’ve always meant to read: Summer is prime time for reading; you don’t have to worry about required readings for class and you can take a book to the pool or beach and just relax.
• Hike a mountain or embark on another adventure you’ve always dreamed of doing: Let your adventurous side run free! If you’ve always talked about a certain hike or camping trip you want to go on, why not do it now?
• Plant a tree: You could even turn it into a community service project by gathering a group to plant trees across your neighborhood.

Do Something Informative/Productive With Your Friends or Community

• Document your summer through photography, film, or a scrapbook: What better way to record and look back on the adventures you had this summer than to make a photo album, video, or scrapbook with fun moments and memories.
• Host a trivia night or karaoke night: A fun way to bring your community together would be to organize and host a trivia or karaoke night at a local restaurant, bar, or community center.
• Start a book club: Book clubs aren’t just for adults! You can start one with your friends to stay connected over the summer, or start one with your family. It’s a nice way to check some books off your reading list while also staying in touch with your loved ones.
• Create a podcast: Get your friends together and talk about a subject you’re all interested in. This can be anything really—a video game, a sport or sports team, an academic subject, history, art—the sky’s the limit!
• Start a YouTube channel: Just like the podcast, you can start a YouTube channel on a topic you find interesting. If it becomes successful, you will even be able to make money from it!
• Challenge your friends to join you on a particular fitness plan: Whether it’s a complex workout challenge or something as basic as jogging or biking regularly, this is a great way to bond and hold one another accountable on their fitness journey.
• Start a band: If you and your friends are into music and play instruments, a band is a great opportunity. Nowadays, it’s even easier to learn, create, and publish music than ever before.

Plan for Next Year

• Brainstorm your college essays: If you’re a rising senior, developing essay ideas now will help you during the busy application season, when you’ll also need to study for your classes and exams.
• Narrow down your college list: When it comes to building your college list, it requires a lot of time and research to figure out which safeties, targets, and reaches are right for you. Start thinking about what you want now and find schools that match your criteria.
• If you’re a rising senior, start working on college applications: The Common App officially opens August 1st, but you can actually start filling out your personal and extracurricular information prior to that. Check out our complete guide to the Common App to help you navigate applications.
• Research and apply for scholarships: In the same vein as the previous point, many scholarships and grants will be published prior to the fall, so summer is a good time to get a headstart. Do this with a parent though, as financial endeavors can get a bit tricky.
• Plan a club to start: For younger high schoolers, you can continue to grow your extracurriculars throughout the year by starting a new club. Here are some ideas .
• Brainstorm new ideas for your existing club: Come up with a schedule for club meetings, figure out philanthropy events and fundraisers, research competitions and conferences you can attend, and so much more.
• Connect with teachers to ask for advice or college recommendations: Teachers are also incredibly busy during the school year too, so summer is a good time to maintain relationships from the previous year by asking for advice or help with the college process. Just remember, teachers need a break too and might not answer during the summer which is okay.
• Create an action plan for the coming year: What better way to set yourself up for success than taking time to plan out your goals and how you will achieve them for the upcoming school year? 

And don’t forget…

• Relax: Just because you want to show colleges that you’re being productive and not wasting the summer doesn’t mean you can’t take some time to relax and recuperate. 

Check out these posts for more advice on summer activities:

• What Do I Do If My Summer Plans Fall Through?
• Seven Important Tasks to Complete the Summer Before Sophomore Year

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ChatGPT for Teachers

Trauma-informed practices in schools, teacher well-being, cultivating diversity, equity, & inclusion, integrating technology in the classroom, social-emotional development, covid-19 resources, invest in resilience: summer toolkit, civics & resilience, all toolkits, degree programs, trauma-informed professional development, teacher licensure & certification, how to become - career information, classroom management, instructional design, lifestyle & self-care, online higher ed teaching, current events, writing into summer: creative assignments can keep students academically engaged.

Many students see the summer break as a time to put off their studies and stop thinking about school for three months. Yet parents and teachers alike know that summer also lets students backslide in their academic development.

Summer writing projects offer a chance to slow the slide — letting students dive into subjects they care about but might not get a chance to explore during the school year. The key is to avoid tedious academic assignments and focus on projects that are fun, engaging, and developmental.

Here are two ways to make that happen:

Vacation journals

Many students get a chance to travel in the summer. Whether the trip is foreign, domestic, or a staycation, travel helps students experience and understand different parts of their world which, in turn, provides opportunities for research and academic development.

Think about giving students a travel-writing assignment with journal entries made up of three parts: research, note-taking, and reflection.

Before going on their trip, parents and their kids should make a list of locations they aim to visit. This enables parents to help their children track down resources about their destination. Students can write down interesting aspects of the location or jot down historical facts.

Note-taking

While at the location, students should write down the most memorable things they notice. They can keep track of information they read, note new facts they learn, or sketch the things they see. The idea is to get students actively engaged in the discovery process.

After visiting each location, students should reflect upon what they’ve seen. They should think about how it related to what they read beforehand, how the place looked different than what they imagined, or anything significant they noticed while there.

One benefit of this writing assignment: Students who keep their journals over the years may find they enjoy reading about and remembering their early travel experiences.

What about students who can’t travel during the summer? They can do the same assignment for trips to the zoo, local museums, or even hikes in the mountains.

Creative writing

Many students join summer reading challenges or use their vacation to read a new series of books. One way to encourage creative thinking in students is to have them write about characters from the books they are reading — essentially creating amateur fan fiction.  Parents can make a list of cards about scenarios students might write about and let them select new cards as they progress through the book.

For instance, the cards might challenge the student to write an alternative ending, to rewrite a hero as a villain, to tell a scene from a different character’s perspective, and so on.

This process helps students develop important storytelling and creative-thinking skills. And because it pairs well with reading, students will develop their reading and writing skills simultaneously.

Fun writing tasks will pay off

While summer should be a time for fun and adventure, it doesn’t have to be devoid of academic progress. Students will have plenty of time on their hands; parents should use it to help them see how writing can be a key part of fun assignments.

Assigning enjoyable activities might also help children get more invested in the family’s travel plans. While they’re strengthening their academic skills, they might also uncover creative writing skills they never knew they had.

 Caitrin Blake has a BA in English and Sociology from the University of Vermont and a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Colorado Denver. She teaches composition at Arapahoe Community College.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, what should high school students do over the summer.

Extracurriculars

Are you a high school student or the parent of one and are wondering how high school students should spend their summers?  Summer is a great time to relax and recharge, but it’s also an excellent chance for students to get work experience, do an activity they enjoy, and boost their chances of getting into a top college.

Read on for everything you need to know about summer activities for high school students and how to choose the best option.

Why Is It Important for High School Students to Keep Busy Over the Summer?

While you may want to spend your entire summer sleeping in and hanging out with friends, it’s important also to spend part of the time being productive and preparing for your future. Participating in an activity over the summer can help you get a great job or get accepted to a top college in the future, and being productive over the summer doesn’t have to take up all your time or be boring!

Colleges and employers love seeing applicants who are motivated and interested in learning more. By keeping busy over the summer, you'll show them that you have what it takes to be a great addition to their school or workplace.

There are a lot of ways high school students can spend their summer; read on to learn what your options are and how you can choose an activity that you will find useful as well as enjoyable.

How Can You Decide What to Do Over the Summer?

You probably have a lot of options for how you can spend your summer: you could lifeguard at your local pool, take some summer classes, attend a summer camp near you or in a foreign country, and more. How can you decide what you should do?

Read through the list below and ask yourself these three questions:

#1: What Are Your Goals for the Future?

Do you want to get a good job? Get into a dream college? Think about ways you can spend your time over the summer to make yourself a strong candidate. Will getting work experience help? You may want to consider a job or internship. Are there classes you can take to strengthen your transcript? Summer school may be a good idea.

#2: What Do You Enjoy Doing?

You shouldn’t spend your summer doing something that makes you miserable. Are there certain extracurriculars, such as a club or sport, that you enjoy and want to continue over the summer? Is there a summer job that sounds interesting or fun? Try to find activities that will be both useful and enjoyable for you.

#3: How Busy Do You Want to Be?

It’s absolutely possible to do more than one of these activities during the summer. If there are multiple activities you’d like to do, feel free to do them. However, make sure you don’t become too busy or overwhelm yourself. Remember, summer is still about taking a break from school, and you don’t want to return to classes in the fall feeling burnt out and exhausted.

While it may be great for your tan, you don't want to spend all summer lounging at the pool.

6 Great Summer Activities for High School Students

Below are six of the best activities high school students can participate in over the summer. For each one, potential benefits and drawbacks are given, as well as examples and ways to get more information. Under the “How to Stand Out” heading, I’ve also included ways to make this activity particularly impressive to colleges and employers.

Description: It’s common for high school students to work over the summer. Having a job is a great way to get work experience that you can include on your resume and college applications, and it will earn you money that you can use to help pay for college or just for fun. Many summer jobs for high school students are part-time, but full-time jobs are also available, especially if you’ve already worked at that place before. Common summer jobs that high school students have include being a lifeguard, cashier, or camp counselor.

Pros:  Make money, gain work experience for your resume and college applications.

Cons: Some high school jobs can be tedious and not very interesting, your job may not relate to the career you want.

Learn More: To learn more about jobs high school students can get, read our guide on the eight best jobs for teenagers , as well as this guide that will help you decide if getting a job is a good decision for you.

How to Stand Out: Like any other activity, your job will impress colleges more if you stick with it and increase your responsibilities. If you can work at the same job over multiple summers and get promoted or have your responsibilities increased, that will make the job look stronger on your college applications. If you are able to find a summer job that relates to a subject you want to study in college or get a future job in, that will also help show colleges what your interests are and that you can commit to them.

Description: Like a job, an internship involves working for a company or organization. However, internships are often more closely related to your career interests, and you may not always get paid to be an intern, especially as a high school student. If there’s a place you’d be interested in working at or learning more about, you can contact them directly and ask if they hire interns. Your high school’s career center will also likely have more information about internships you can apply for.

Pros:  Gain work experience, learn more about careers you may be interested in.

Cons:  You may not make money, some internships involve mostly grunt work that doesn’t teach you a lot about the specific career field.

Learn More: For everything you need to know about getting and doing well at an internship, check out our guide.

How to Stand Out: If you can get an internship that relates to a future career you’d like to have or subject you’d like to study, that will show colleges that you have a real interest in that field. Schools like students who are passionate about something, and showing your passion in your internship will help boost your application. For example, if you are planning on majoring in English, getting an internship at a publishing company or newspaper, along with strong English classes and related extracurriculars, can show schools that you’re serious about that field and motivated to learn more about it. Schools will see that as an indicator that you’ll be similarly dedicated to your college classes and activities.

Description: Taking classes may not be the most fun way to spend your summer, but they can help you stay on track in high school and prepare you for college. Some students take summer classes to improve their grades in a class they didn’t do well in the first time, some do it to take a class they wouldn’t have time for during the school year, and some use summer classes as a way to take college courses or advanced high school classes. Summer classes can be taken in a variety of ways, either through your high school, at a community college, through an academic program at universities, or even online.

Pros: Strengthen your transcript, take classes you’re interested in, can help prepare you for college.

Cons: Might be harder to motivate yourself to study during the summer, not the most enjoyable way to spend the summer.

Learn More:  For more information, check out our guide to summer classes for high school students. We also have guides for several university academic programs, including Stanford EPGY , the Boston University Summer Challenge , and the National Youth Leadership Forum .

How to Stand Out: If you’re able to, taking college classes over the summer can be a great way to become a stronger applicant. Having college classes on your transcript, even if they are only introductory classes at a community college, can boost your application by s howing schools that you’re able to handle the rigor and workload of college. This is an especially good option if your high school doesn’t offer a lot of advanced classes and you want to strengthen your transcript.

Hobbies or Talents

Description: This is a broad category that can include sports, clubs, or other activities that you do either through school, with a local group, or on your own. Some examples include sports teams, clubs, or a hobby you do in your free time, such as painting, working on computers, or creating a small business. Colleges and employers like to see applicants who have outside interests and can commit themselves to a particular activity. Continuing your hobby during the summer is a great way to show that.

Because you don’t have classes to attend, summer is an excellent time to spend more time participating in an activity you enjoy. Use this time to think about how you can become better at the activity or increase its impact. For example, if you love baking, is there a way you can expand that hobby? Perhaps you could take a pastry course, have community bake sales, see if local bakeries are interested in working with you, or something similar. If you do your hobby with a group, such as a school club or sports team, and they don't meet over the summer, you can still become better at it by practicing on your own or joining a community group, if one exists.  

Pros:  Can do an activity you enjoy, possibly move into a leadership position, show colleges that you can commit to an activity and have interests outside the classroom.

Cons:  This may not be the best way to strengthen your resume or college application if you don’t plan on continuing the activity throughout high school or aren’t spending a lot of time on it.

Learn More: If you need help deciding which activity to pursue, check out this guide to hundreds of extracurricular examples.  We also have a guide to starting a new club if your school doesn't offer an activity that you're interested in.

How to Stand Out: Your hobby or talent will be most impressive to colleges if you have participated in it for an extended time period, have achieved a leadership position or more responsibility, and are passionate about it. For more information on how to do this, check out this guide with four examples of amazing extracurriculars.

Summer can be a great time to get better at a sport or other activity you enjoy doing.

Summer Camp

Description: Summer camps aren’t just for making s'mores and going on nature hikes anymore. More and more summer camps for high school students are being created that have unique focuses such as cultural immersion, performing arts, wilderness skills, and more. For this article, summer camps differ from regular extracurriculars because, even if they focus on the same area such as a sport, camps offer a more intensive, structured experience over a set period of time.

Many students attend these programs to learn new skills or improve skills they already have. For example, if you want to get better at a certain sport or start to learn a new language, a summer camp can help you immerse yourself in that subject and really focus on learning it since there are fewer distractions, and you’ll be surrounded by people with similar goals. Participants may receive academic credit if they attend a program that includes coursework. Most of these programs are in the US, but there is a growing number of international summer camps for high school students.

Pros: Can give you a unique experience, you may get the chance to travel, can focus on a skill or topic that’s important to you, chance of getting college credit.

Cons: Can be expensive, the number of academic credits you receive is usually not very much, you may get homesick if it’s a sleep-away camp, some programs are poorly put together and may not be very beneficial or enjoyable.

Learn More: Check out our guides for sports camps , medical programs , and study abroad programs to learn more about some of these opportunities.

How to Stand Out: Summer camps can vary widely in terms of quality and the activities that participants do, so it’s important to research a program before you enroll in it . Look for programs that reflect your interests, whether academic or otherwise. For example, if you want to be a doctor, try to find a science-based summer camp or a program that lets you learn more about what it’s like to study and practice medicine. This will help show colleges that you take your career path seriously and are genuinely interested in learning more about it.

Volunteering

Description: Volunteering is when you do work that benefits others without receiving payment. There are many places where you can volunteer including schools, animal shelters, retirement homes, museums, and more. Most volunteer work is done near where you live, but there are also opportunities to do volunteer work abroad during the summer. This can be done through your school, place of worship, or an organization that offers these programs. In addition to the benefit of helping others, it’s often possible to choose volunteer work that relates to your interests. If you enjoy working with children, love spending time with animals, or want to work outside, you can often find a volunteer opportunity that allows you to do just that.

Pros:  Knowledge that you’re helping others, can include it on resumes and college applications, may be able to volunteer at a place where you’d like to work in the future, can fulfill a volunteer requirement if your high school has one.

Cons:  You won’t get paid, some volunteer work can be repetitive and tedious.

Learn More: Learn about the nine best places to do community service as well as the best volunteer abroad programs. We also have a guide specifically for students trying to decide if they should attend a volunteer abroad program.

How to Stand Out: Just completing a few hours of volunteer work won’t impress colleges very much. In order to make your volunteer work stand out, you’ll have to work at the same place over a long period of time, obtain a leadership position, and make your passion and interests clear. Check out this guide for a more in-depth look at how to make your volunteer work impressive.

• It’s important that high school students spend part of their summer actively working or learning in order to be well prepared for the future.
• Fortunately, there are many activities to participate in over the summer that will fit your interests and circumstances.
• Think about what you enjoy, what you could improve in, and what your goals for the future are in order to decide what to do over the summer.
• Regardless of the activity you choose to participate in, you can make it more impressive to colleges by connecting it to your interests, gaining new responsibilities, and sticking with it for the long term.

What's Next?

Want to know how to make your extracurricular stand out even more? Check out this guide to four amazing extracurricular activities and learn why they're so impressive to colleges.

Wondering when to start applying to colleges? We have a guide that will give you a complete college application timeline to follow to make sure you're on track!

  Thinking about summer school? Our guide explains what summer school is, what you'll be doing, and who should be enrolling in it. Summer school has more uses than you may think!

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Summer Assignments

Baltimore city college summer assignments 2023.

Please review this page first for the 2023 summer assignments  for Social Studies, English,  World Languages, and Math: 

Looking for Spanish or Arabic Translated work? Click here

Required Summer Social Studies Assignments ​

Incoming 9th Grade:  Students should make a copy of the assignment page

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FWKp680k6AYnHF1YYPG8gh_XwVwEtuReuzHKdV3OFpQ/edit?usp=sharing ​​

Rising 10th Grade AP US History:  A Little History of the United States

Task Description

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mTZfURzJmU8N9qYhVYrE4t8j6LZHAbPu/view?usp=sharing

11th Grade IB World History

Students should create their own copy of the Google Document linked below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wv7JIwevSU-24W1U30Zq0_j0Qbu5q9dkR3ZXpiLdibU/edit?usp=sharing

11th Grade Anthropology 1:  Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Task Description:  Read chapters 1-6 and be prepared for reading check quizzes.

PDFs of required chapters available on Schoology

Required Summer English Assignments

9th -12th grade summer books and assignments can be found in this slide show:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1c1eJlNC-KeA3zq7N2satq5AoH7Y3zn4gZzhJujrnHw0/edit#slide=id.p ​

Required World Language Summer Assignments

Spanish & French Level I - 1000XP Duolingo points by 8/27

Spanish II -  III Summer Assignment - due 8/27

Mis VLOGS de verano - Rubric and prompt can be found here: https://flip.com/52bdb426  

French II, III, IV Summer Assignment- due 8/27

Mes vlogs d’été - Rubric and prompt can be found here:  https://flip.com/75d2f668  

Required Summer Math Work Assignments ​​

Non IB DP Math Courses

Students in all grades will be required to complete summer work assignments.  The assignments will serve to help students stay abreast of the important foundational and prerequisite skills needed for their mathematics class in the Fall.  Completion of the assignments is mandatory and are required formative assessments for first quarter summative assessments. 

The deadline for submitting the assignments is Sunday, August 27, 2023 at 11:59 PM.   If students need additional assistance with completing their assignments, office hours will be available by appointment only and students must complete a Summer Math Assistance Request Form .  Be advised that the last day to submit a Summer Math Assistance Request Form is Friday, July 28, 2023 at 12 PM noon.

Students must select their assigned DP math course below to access the link appropriate summer assignment.

Delta Math: Algebra/Geometry Review

Ninth graders entering without Algebra I credit, ninth grades with Algebra I credit

Delta Math: Math Analysis I Prep

Rising sophomores, qualified ninth graders entering with both Algebra I and Geometry credits, and eleventh grade transfer students needing an Algebra II credit are assigned

Delta Math: AP Pre-Calculus Prep

Assigned rising juniors and seniors

Khan Academy: AP Calculus AB

Khan Academy: AP Statistics

For further clarification and guidance, students should email Ms. Moore, the mathematics department chairperson, at [email protected] . 

IB DP Math Courses

All rising seniors assigned in a DP math course are required to complete a full draft of their Internal Assessment (IA) as their summer assignment.  The IA is an individual exploration that allows students to apply their mathematical skills and knowledge as they investigate topics of personal interest.  To understand how the IA is scored, students can review the IA Scoring Rubric for DP Maths

For the summer, all students must join the assigned Google Classroom for their DP Math course to access the instructions and scoring rubrics needed for IA drafting. 

Students must draft their IAs in a Google Document using their Baltimore City College Google account.  All IA drafts must be submitted to the assigned Google Classroom.

The deadline for submission is Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 11:59PM.  Failure to submit a full IA draft will result in a failing grade for the first quarter.  Assistance with IA drafting is available July 10th through August 10th; email Ms. Moore for further information.

Students must select their assigned DP math course below to access the link appropriate Google Classroom.

DP Math Applications SL A

Assigned seniors who completed Math Analysis I, assigned seniors who completed Pre-Calculus

DP Math Applications SL B

Assigned seniors who completed AP Statistics

DP Math Analysis II SL

Assigned seniors who completed Math Analysis I (math department approval required) or AP Calculus AB

For further clarification and guidance, students should email Ms. Moore, the mathematics department chairperson, at [email protected]   

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SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS

On this page you will find required summer assignments for almost all academic classes., most of the assignments are brief, and some are longer but you can take your time and research the answers. remember the teachers want you prepared for the first day of school. , when you come back to school you will have completed your first assignment for credit . , we wish you all a terrific summer vacation and look forward to seeing everyone back at saunders in september. , assignment list: click on incoming grade level for list. assignments are organized by department..

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Summer Assignments

Summer 2023, incoming freshmen.

Welcome to STA! Please see below for summer assignments for all classes you will be taking.

Advanced English I & English I – Welcome to STA!  As an incoming freshman at St. Teresa’s Academy you must complete a Summer Reading Assignment by the first day of school. Your assignment contains two parts and is worth a possible 20 points. Read the novel The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Then, complete the following attached assignment.  A digital copy of your typed questions is due the first week of school. You can bring these to class on a flash drive or on your tablet.  Students who attend STArt Week will be provided a copy of the summer novel. See additional information . 

College French III –  Create a postcard (either drawn or purchased) and discuss a trip or event from your summer in French. Use the past tense and describe as much as you can. Write 7-8 sentences.

Spanish I  – No summer assignment.

Spanish II – Use Duolingo to complete this assignment .

Spanish III or College Credit Spanish III – See assignment  

Spanish IV or College Spanish IV – Complete this packet . 

Algebra I & Support Algebra I  – This assignment is not mandatory and will not be counted for a grade. This is to assist you in preparing for the upcoming semester in Algebra 1. You should not need to create a Nearpod account to complete this assignment. 

Honors World Literature and World Literature – Sophomores will read and annotate Mohsin Hamid’s novel 2018 titled Exit West (ISBN-13: 978-0735212206) . While reading, students should write in their texts: noting themes, highlighting significant passages, and asking questions, preparing themselves to take a check-for-understanding quiz and engage in student-led discussions once school begins. For the course’s first summative assessment, students will use the annotations and discussed material to compose a critical analysis essay responding to a specific prompt that will be provided at a later time.

AP World History – Students in AP World History will complete the attached worksheets in preparation for the Fall Semester. These activities will be due the first day of school, printed out and ready to discuss . This will form the foundation for the beginning of our course – providing historical context for AP curriculum. See assignment .

Spanish II  – Use Duolingo to complete this assignment .

Spanish III or College Credit Spanish III – Complete this assignment .

Spanish IV, College Spanish IV or Spanish V – Complete this packet .

Mandarin II  – (Optional) Review Lesson 1-3 vocabulary, watch Chinese TV, and listen to Mandarin music. (Extra Point) Blog with Lin laoshi/Ms. Lin. See attachment . 

College French III  – Create a postcard (either drawn or purchased) and discuss a trip or event from your summer in French. Use the past tense and describe as much as you can. Write 7-8 sentences.

College French IV  – Select and watch a French language film (please select a film that is rated PG or lower) and write a film review about it in French (minimum 50 words, double-spaced).

College Precalculus  –  See attachment .

College Counseling (all juniors) – Explore Scoir .   If you have not yet registered with Scoir, you may do so here . 

• “Follow” schools in the College section of Scoir and add to My Colleges. 
• Complete On-Net career interest profiler in Scoir (takes approximately 15 minutes)
• Shadow &/or volunteer in possible career interest area
• Take a virtual college tour (on college website under Admissions or Prospective Student page) of at least three colleges of interest (also check out the Academics and Student Life sections of college websites)
• Follow College Counseling on Instagram at sta_college_counseling

Service Projects (all juniors) – Complete a total of 10 volunteer hours and record them in the Helper Helper app by junior orientation day. Hours may be completed with an agency of your choice. However, they must be unpaid service hours with a non-profit organization. You may also choose to complete your service hours at St. Teresa’s Academy.

AP English Literature – As an AP Literature student at St. Teresa’s Academy, your assignment is to read The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and one novel of your choice  from this list . You should read these works well, annotating along the way. Students should be prepared to take a quiz over both works with some character and quotation identification. In addition to the quizzes, the class will engage in discussions, so be prepared to talk about passages that you found significant and what themes they reflect.  

American Literature – Read and annotate The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. You should read closely, annotating along the way. Students should be prepared to take a quiz over both works with some character and quotation identification. In addition to the quizzes, the class will engage in discussions, so be ready to talk about passages that you found significant and what themes they reflect.

AP US American History – See attachment . Students will  read  both the historiographical essays and the readings from the online textbook. They will complete a short open note essay exam the first week of class. Students will also select a historical secondary book on a topic related to American History. This will be for your fall semester project. See attachment.  

Spanish III or College Credit Spanish III – See assignment .

Spanish IV, College Spanish IV or Spanish V – Complete this packet . 

College French III – Create a postcard (either drawn or purchased) and discuss a trip or event from your summer in French. Use the past tense and describe as much as you can. Write 7-8 sentences.

AP Psychology – See attachment .

AP Physics – No assignments at this time.

AP Environmental Science – See attachment .

AP Biology – See attachment .

AP Chemistry – No assignments at this time.

Mandarin III

• (Optional) 复习第五、六、七、八课日记生词和.
• (Required) 第八课一封信(L8P2)作业本和写字本. See attachment .
• (Extra Point) Blog with Lin laoshi/Ms. Lin. See attachment .

College European History I – Review at this brief optional readings list for for summer readings opportunities . 

College Precalculus – See attachment .

AP Calculus – See attachment .

College Counseling (all seniors) – Complete the   Scoir College Self-Inventory  located under My Profile>Surveys>2024 Self-Inventory. This is mandatory . Remember to save periodically so you do not lose your responses. The Class of 2024 Self-Inventory is available from May 1 to September 1.  Parent brag sheets are also due on September 1 (available in Scoir and emailed to parents). Continue to work on your college portfolio: resume, possible college essay topics/drafts, college major exploration, and your college list. Remember to “follow” colleges on Scoir &/or add to My Colleges in Scoir. 

• College App Work Day – Monday, August 7, 3-6 p.m. in Windmoor . If you would like to work on the Common Application or institutional applications  before the school year begins and receive assistance from College Counseling, bring your laptop, snacks, and resume to campus. We will be available from 3-6 p.m. to assist you, come if and when you please (this is only for STA students). The Common App is typically used by more than 70% of the class and will roll over for your class on August 1.
• Brainstorm on college essay topics and read a few sample college essays. Use the brainstorming exercises discussed in your April seminar, the handout is in MyDrive on Scoir (left side menu).
• Class of 2024 College Application Kick Off Night (seniors & parents) – Wednesday, August 16, at 7 p.m. in the STA Auditorium. This is mandatory .
• Follow College Counseling on Instagram sta_college_counseling 

Service Projects (all seniors) –  Complete a total of 30 volunteer hours and record them in the Helper Helper app by senior orientation day in order to be eligible for Senior Privileges. Ten hours were to be completed during junior year with your service agency through your CST course and 20 are to be completed this summer. Of the 20 summer service hours, up to 10 can be completed with St. Teresa’s Academy.

Contemporary Literature –  As a Contemporary Literature student at St. Teresa’s Academy, you must read Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro this summer. Read this work closely, annotating along the way; annotate for themes related to artificial intelligence/technology, socioeconomic status, and what it means to be human.  Be prepared to take a test, short answer, with character and quotation identification related to theme. Paperback:  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593311299 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593311295

AP English Language/College Composition – This summer, AP English students at St. Teresa’s Academy are required to read Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro . Read this work closely, annotating along the way; annotate for themes related to artificial intelligence/technology, socioeconomic status, and what it means to be human.  Be prepared to take a test, short answer, with character and quotation identification related to theme. Paperback:  ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593311299 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593311295

Also, students must read two chapters from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden : “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” and “Solitude” (please use this FREE ONLINE edition of The Project Gutenberg eBook of Walden , by Henry David Thoreau . Additionally, read the essay: 11. Marilynne Robinson, “My Western Roots.” Please read the texts closely and annotate them. On the first day of school, all students must be prepared to take an assessment over the texts. The class will also devote the first few weeks of school engaging in discussions and essays centered on complementary and contradictory thematic elements within these works, especially views on the environment, nature, solitude, community, hope, despair, what it means to be human.

Studio Art – Summer assignments help alleviate the pressure during the school year of producing the many quality pieces needed for a successful portfolio. There are 3 categories: 20 sketchbook assignments, two life drawings (this means you draw from real life, not a photo), and two Projects. Completing more of these pieces than required will put you that much further ahead when school starts. See assignments . Assignments are due on the second class meeting of the 2023-2024 school year.

Honors Mandarin IV

• (Optional) Watch Chinese TV, listen to Mandarin music, sing Chinese songs, and read Chinese news.
• (Required) Blog with Lin laoshi/Ms. Lin. See attachment .

College French IV – Select and watch a French language film (please select a film that is rated PG or lower) and write a film review about it in French (minimum 50 words, double-spaced).

AP U.S. Government & Politics – Complete a packet and current-events journal by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 13, 2023, and submit via email to Mr. Flynn . See attachment .

College European History I – Please review this brief optional readings list for summer reading opportunities .

Fun Last-Day-of-School Activities to Wrap Up the Year

Hooray, you’ve made it to the end of the school year! With all testing and grading out of the way, it’s time to think about planning some fun last-day-of-school activities. The final days of school are a time to reflect on the year’s accomplishments, celebrate, and say goodbyes. Make your last day together extra special with one of these fun activities that are sure to send your students off to summer vacation with a smile on their faces.

Fun Last-Day-of-School Activities to Kick off Summer Break

Here are some engaging last-day-of-school activities you can consider adding to your repertoire.

Write letters to next year’s students

Are you looking for a last-day-of-school activity that will engage students in a productive writing task and meaningful reflections? Try having them write a letter to next year’s class! In these letters, current students can share their memories from the past year, give a sneak peek of what next year’s class will learn, and give them advice for the school year ahead. Your students will love being able to share their thoughts and advice from their own experiences in your class.

Words of Wisdom – Letters to Future Students by Life with Mrs Wasik Grades: 1-6

End of Year Activity – Letter to A Future Student – End of Year Writing Project by The Creative Classroom Grades 5-9

Create a memory book

End-of-year memory books are a great activity for students of all ages to reflect on their progress and memories from the past school year. Plus, they make for a great keepsake to take home on the last day of school. Check out one of these fun, no-prep memory book activities to get you started. 

End of the Year Memory Book {Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade } by Haley O’Connor Grades: K-2

End of the Year Memory Book {Not Grade Specific} by Michael Friermood – The Thinker Builder Grades: 2-6

END OF YEAR ESL Memory Book Activities PRINT and EASEL by Diana Bailey Grades: 5-8

End of the Year Writing Activities and Memory Book EDITABLE Distance Learning by Tracee Orman Grades: 7-12

Set goals for the summer

With summer vacation (literally) right around the corner, you can use the final day of school to get students thinking about some of the goals and activities they’d like to accomplish this summer.

Summer Bucket List: Last Day of School & End of the Year Fun Activity by Enhance SEL Grades: 1-8

Summer Bucket List End of the Year Activities by The Scholar’s Source Grade: 3-11

End of School Year Reflection Pages and Goal Setting for Summer and Next Year by Success in Special Ed Grades: 7-10

When the tests are all taken, and the assignments all handed in, it’s time to get crafty! These end-of-school year craftivities are a great way to engage students and to sneak a little more writing and fine motor skill practice into the last day of the year.

End of the Year Sunglasses Bulletin Board Craft and Writing Activity | Last Day by Sweet for Kindergarten- Kristina Harrill Grades: PreK-5

Last Day of School Activities | Last Day of School Crown Craft | End of Year by Second Grade Smiles Grades: K-3

Activities for the Last Week of School

Need activities to cover the entire last week of school? We’ve got you covered. To make your life a little easier as the school year comes to a close, check out these low-prep activities to help you get through the last week!

Last Week of School Activities for Second Grade (2nd) by Cara’s Creative Playground Grades: 2

End of The Year Activities – Last Week of School Resource by Addie Williams Grades: 6-8

End of the Year Activities – Last Week of School Fun for Middle and High School by Cara McLeod Grades: 5-10

End of the Year Activities for Seniors High School Playlist Last Week of School by The Supported Teacher Grades: 11-12

Other Ideas for End of the Year

For more ways to end the school year on a high note, browse end-of-year resources on TPT or check out these posts for more ideas:

• End-of-Year Review Activities for Elementary and High School Students
• Celebrating Student Success: End of the Year Awards for Students
• Escape Room Ideas and Templates for Every Classroom

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How to make the most of your summer as a college student

Internships, study abroad programs, road trips and creative tasks are all great options to enjoy an energizing summer break.

By Caroline McDonald

Most colleges have wrapped up their spring semester, leaving students to face the task of figuring out their summer plans.

As a kid, I always loved the summer. There was absolutely nothing I needed to do — no intimidating deadlines or rent to be paid — and I spent most of my days chilling in the pool, eating popsicles or going on road trips.

As a college student, I’m usually swimming in a metaphorical pool of responsibilities even when I’m not enrolled in a full load of classes. I’ve often wondered to myself, how can summer still be fun — even with all the busyness?

Everyone’s summer situation is different. Some students go home, some work, some take summer classes and others really don’t have much to do.

No matter your situation, there are ways to make the most of your summer before the next school year begins.

What should I do in the summer as a college student?

Harvard University says college students should think about this list of questions before they plan for the summer:

• What are my overall academic goals?
• What are some interests I have yet to explore?
• What are some interests I want to explore further?
• What programs, companies, organizations or institutions align with my values?
• What opportunities can I pursue now and which ones may be for term-time or future summers?
• What do I need for my health and well-being?

“Ask yourself questions,” Harvard tells its students. “Narrow down your interests, and seek out more information about opportunities that interest you.”

Consider these opportunities:

Study abroad . Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience. Not only do you complete college credit in a foreign country, you experience new cultures and customs along the way.

Do an internship . An internship provides experiences that contribute to your learning and professional development. Connect online or through your university to secure an internship in a field of study you enjoy.

Create your own project . If you’re itching for something new, create your own project. According to The Princeton Review , you can “turn your interests and talents into your own summer-long project.” There are a variety of things you can do that don’t require college credit or experience.

Find creative ways to celebrate holidays . Memorial Day, Juneteenth and the Fourth of July are all holidays you can celebrate in fun ways. According to the University of Arizona , graduations, birthdays and anniversaries are additional occasions to commemorate. If you’re feeling creative, think of new ways to spend the holidays.

How can college students make money over the summer?

If money is particularly tight this summer, consider a few creative opportunities to earn some extra cash.

Build an online profile . LinkedIn, Handshake and Indeed are a few of the many online networking platforms that can connect you with potential employers and recruiters. Take some time to build your profile.

Do something simple . Summer jobs range from the office to the yard to a restaurant. According to Forbes , you can find a job that works for you based on your interests. Check out their list of factors to consider as you search.

Connect with your adviser . Your campus adviser may let you know of potential student job opportunities.

Network within your community . Your community can be a great resource for connecting with professionals who work in your field of interest.

Scot Scoop News

Summer activities heat up with student applications.

As summer approaches and the school year comes to an end, many students increase their productivity during the summer. 

Although waking up late and spending time with friends may be an ideal break for some, many students find themselves with immense amounts of free time, which most students usually choose to fill with either summer jobs or activities.

One student who has taken this path is sophomore Avi Dhamija, who will be working at Camp SOAR in Belmont over the summer. This job allows him to work with and mentor local children, similar to many other jobs Carlmont students tend to apply for.

Dhamija wanted to spend his time during summer in a productive manner while also making a salary to pay for his hobbies and interests.

“I’m really happy to be working over the summer, and I’m excited to see what I experience,” Dhamija said.

Another student who shares the same rationale for getting a job over the summer is junior Colin Edwards. He plans to work at In-N-Out Burger in Redwood City for most of his break.

I am excited to be working over the summer because I will be working with my friend, get new experiences, get paid, and get free food from one of my favorite restaurants.

— Colin Edwards

Edwards decided to work over the summer to get work experience for his college application and a salary to pay for the car he wishes to purchase, a common motivation for many other Carlmont students.  

“I am excited to be working over the summer because I will be working with my friend and get new experiences, get paid, and get free food from one of my favorite restaurants,” Edwards said.

Even though jobs are quite a common activity for students during their break, other students opt to spend the summer pursuing their hobbies through camps and programs.

Sophomore William Stanton intends to attend a multitude of soccer camps this summer to pursue his passion for soccer while meeting new people and gaining new experiences.

“Soccer has always been my favorite activity, and during the summer, my main goal is to improve, meet new people, and have fun, so these camps are perfect for me,” Stanton said.

Summer break also creates a perfect time for students to learn new things and develop new hobbies. 

Sophomore Maksim Lukoianov has decided to take up the violin during the summer because it provides him with an exciting and fun way to take up his free time.

He also decided to learn the violin because all students must complete a minimum of two semesters of performing or visual arts to graduate at Carlmont. Lukoianov decided that summer would be the perfect time to learn and comprehend the basics of the instrument, allowing him to enroll in Carlmont’s orchestra eventually.

“I’m going to be getting a tutor over the summer to help me learn the basic scales and stuff, but I hope that the violin is just a fun hobby I can have and spend my time improving on during the summer,” Lukoianov said.

Carlmont students intend to fill their calendars with different activities. Whether a job, a camp, or even a new hobby; students plan to stay productive during their summer breaks.

“If I don’t have any work, I will probably pass the time by spending it on my phone, so I’m trying to fill up my schedule and stay productive,” Dhamija said.

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Digital humanities summer fellowships awarded to four doctoral students.

3 days ago · 3 min read

Digital Humanities Summer Fellowships awarded to four doctoral students

The Center for Digital Research in the Humanities announced its 2024 cohort of Digital Humanities Summer Fellows.

“This year we had the highest number of applications we’ve ever received, with lots of amazing, meritorious projects,” said Carrie Heitman, associate director and fellow of the CDRH and director of the 2024 Digital Humanities Summer Fellowships.

According to Heitman, the selection process was extremely difficult, but she had help from the other members of the CDRH’s Student-Centered Committee who reviewed the applications with her. Kevin McMullen, Katrina Jagodinsky, and Laura Weakly helped Heitman bring together a dynamic group of young scholars who will continue to push the field of digital humanities forward.

The 2024 Digital Humanities Summer Fellows are:

Akua Agyeiwaa Denkyi-Manieson , Ph.D. student in English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, received her master’s degree in English from the University of Ghana and her bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Her project, Digitizing Gold Coast Novels, focuses on four novels written by African authors during Britain’s colonial occupation, 1821 to 1957. Because of the relative inaccessibility, these novels have been left out of the literary canon. Her goal this summer is to digitize and make them available to scholars and readers.

Andrea Wagh , a third-year Ph.D. student in history at UNL, received her master’s degree in history from UNL and her bachelor’s degree in history from Sam Houston State University. Her project, Hidden Histories, aims to create interactive maps to visually trace the lived experiences of Jewish children and the network of French orphanages that hid them during the Holocaust.

Héctor Palala Martínez , a Ph.D. candidate at UNL in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education, received his master’s degrees in educational studies from UNL and the Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala, and his bachelor’s degree in educational studies and languages from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. His project focuses on building a digital platform to feature trilingual poetry by Mayan heritage students in Wakefield, Nebraska, aiming to enrich educational curricula and celebrate cultural diversity.

Rasaq Malik Gbolahan , a third-year Ph.D. student in literary and cultural studies in the Department of English at UNL, received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in English from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This summer, he will work on Translating African Women Poetry in the Digital Age to translate selected English poems of African women poets published in online literary magazines and in print into Yoruba. These translated poems will be published on Atelewo , a decolonial project/initiative cofounded by Gbolahan in 2017.

The fellowship begins on May 28, and runs until Aug. 16, and each student will receive a $4,500 stipend. The students will spend the first half of the fellowship working on their projects in the Dinsdale Family Learning Commons. There they will have access to technology and the expertise of faculty and staff with the CDRH. The fellowship program is designed to support the students’ research, scholarship, professional development, and creative production skills.

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Plenty of options to keep youths busy this summer.

School for most southwest Minnesota students will be ending soon and a lot of youths will have extra time on their hands for a few months. Unfortunately, many youths will fill that extra time with screen activities — TV shows and social media outlets.

While we are not advocating against social media time — some of it is educational — we know too much of it can be harmful. Health News reported back in 2022 that new research confirmed the dangers of too much screen time for kids and teens.

“Screen time, where you are sitting and watching TV or playing computer games or scrolling social media for hours on end, is so detrimental because it’s sedentary and usually not engaging,” said study author Rosa Virgara, a research associate at the University of South Australia.

The research in the study claims youths do better when playing sports, take music lessons or just socializing with friends. They are happier than children who are glued to a screen for hours.

Which leads us to the Summer 2024 catalogue put out by Marshall Community Services.

The catalogue is full of summer activities such as summer hockey, cheerleading gymnastics, golf, basketball, etc. There are 40 pages of activities.

And there’s alternatives to sports activities. Inside the catalogue we found art-related camp and classes. There is also baking activities, movie making, wood carving — even welding.

According to an introduction signed by Marshall Community Services staff, “summer is a great time to check out newly opened facilities completed last year, including a new 18-hole disc golf course at Independence Park.”

If your kids start complaining they have nothing to do, we suggest you log onto https://bit.ly/marshallregistration

Get your kids involved in something fun this summer.

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King University to host summer nursing camps for high school students

by Ashley Hoak

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WCYB) — King University in Bristol is hosting two special camps for high school students.

Two nursing summer camps for juniors and seniors in high school will take place in June and July.

Students will have a chance to participate in hands-on activities, simulations, and scenarios.

One of the goals of this camp is to encourage high school students to consider the healthcare field.

"We want to open that pipeline and get people moving towards these healthcare careers -- these nursing careers," said Alex Moore, a School of Nursing faculty member at King University. "Regionally, we have a nursing shortage -- nationally, we have a nursing shortage. We just wanted to invite rising juniors and seniors and high school students to participate in two nursing camps over the summer."

The day camps will take place June 10 and 11 and July 10 and 11.