AVA CARLSON
Dear Mr. Jaurigue, Ms. Specter, Ms. Bernstein, Ms.Colgan, Ms. Wyman, Superintendent Guy, and Assistant Superintendent Payne,
I am Ava Carlson and I am a Junior here at LAHS. I do many extracurriculars such as dance (both outside and inside LAHS), roller derby, choir, student council, and work every summer while not in school. Although Calendar A and B may cater towards the younger and less busy students here at LAHS, Calendar C gives the best option to the majority of involved and working students.
Many students who work over the summer do so because they cannot during the school year. For me personally, I cannot work over the school year because of extracurriculars that I have already made a commitment to. Many students at LAHS are also in the same boat. Whether that be Track and Field, DECA participants, Speech and Debate captains, or any other extracurriculars they may choose to do, they cannot make a commitment to a job while juggling school and extracurriculars all at the same time. While some students may not need to get a job--such as Freshman and some Sophomores who do not need to think about driving, paying for gas, and saving up for college--calendar C is still the best option for the majority of students because it keeps the summer almost exactly the same length. If students do not have that summer in full, it is going to be very hard for them to commit to a job and earn a good amount of income before the start of the next school year.
In addition, many students who are taking on a bunch of commitments also struggle with their mental health. I know that sometimes if my AP classes and dance collide--meaning they both have something big happening at the same time, like a performance and a paper being due in the same week-- it can be very stressful. This exact situation happened to me last semester. I had dress rehearsal and performances for The Nutcracker while simultaneously having to write and edit a big paper that was due that week for AP Lang and Comp. In turn, I ended up not getting enough sleep for the amount of time I spent dancing, and was very tired as a result. These breaks would give many students a chance to meet their own needs, relieve their stress, get on a better sleep schedule, as well as offer them a time for more self care. All things that I needed during that stressful week. These breaks are also short enough that students will not need a refresh of information, and can come back to school rejuvenated and ready to learn.
Choosing to prioritize students' mental health as well as supporting their summer jobs will make students less tired, more focused, and relieve a lot of their stress that they may have now or in the future. Choosing Calendar C will show the students that the school does care about how they are and what they are doing to prepare for the future. It will show the students that you are here for them, not just for the education. Adding in school instructional days where students can work on their homework without the stress of class would be a good way to start. This way, students can get more of their homework done and relieve some of their stress from school work. However, if calendar C is not chosen, many students may have their summers cut short ultimately stunting their income and preparedness towards college. They also would have an inefficient amount of time to take off for their own mental health which in turn would keep them stressed and burnt out.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email, and I sincerely hope you consider calendar C as an option for the upcoming school year.
My deepest regards,
Ava Carlson
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