As the school year winds down and summer gets closer, students at River Hill High School are making the most of Memorial Day weekend with trips, celebrations, sports, and time spent with friends. Whether they are heading to the beach, traveling for warmer weather, or celebrating graduation season, students are all ready to kick off summer in their own ways.
For some students, Memorial Day weekend means sunshine and plane rides. Junior Alexis Fath and Senior Samantha Wu are both escaping Maryland for trips to Florida. Alexis will be spending the weekend at her house in Naples, Florida, soaking up the warm weather and relaxing before the end-of-year events begin.
“I’m really excited to unwind and spend time at the beach,” Fath said. “It feels like the perfect way to start summer.”
Samantha Wu is also heading down south and says that she is looking forward to taking a break from school.
“Florida was just the best escape from school and the best way to reward myself after AP season.”
Closer to home, Sophomore Olivia Creighton plans to spend part of her weekend lifeguarding. While many students are relaxing, Creighton has begun training to keep others safe at the pool as summer begins.
“Memorial Day weekend is always one of the busiest times for lifeguarding,” Creighton said. “It can be super hectic, but it’s still fun because everyone is ready for summer.”
Graduation season is also in full swing, and several students are spending the weekend attending grad parties. Sophomore Fiona Devine and Senior Sofya Agrawal both said they are looking forward to celebrating with friends and seniors before the school year comes to an end.
“Grad parties are one of my favorite parts of this time of year,” Agrawal said. “It’s really fun seeing everyone together and celebrating all the seniors, and even more fun now being a senior. All of the parties are for my closest friends.”
Devine has a different perspective; being a freshman last year, she didn’t get to attend very many grad parties.
“I am just so excited,” Devine said. “This will be my first year going to grad parties and celebrating all the seniors.”
While some students are partying, Sophomore Elsie Hagstrom will spend the entire weekend focused on her club soccer team, SAC, tournaments and games.
“It’s definitely a busy weekend, but I love being able to compete and spend time with my team,” Hagstrom said. “Tournaments are always intense but really fun.”
Junior Stacy Flores originally planned to spend Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City with friends, but unpredictable weather may change those plans. With colder temperatures expected, Stacy said she may stay home instead and invite her friends over to swim at her pool.
“We were all excited for Ocean city, this whole week was 90 degree weather, however, this weekend it drops down 50 degrees.” Stacy said, “My pool is heated though so it should still be a good time.”
Meanwhile, Junior Ester Balakirsky plans to spend part of the weekend shopping at Tysons Corner Center and preparing for summer.
“I want to find some new clothes and get ready for summer,” Ester said. “It’s kind of the perfect weekend to shop and reset before finals.”
No matter how students are spending the holiday weekend, one thing is clear: Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer for students at River Hill. From beaches and grad parties to sports tournaments and pool days, students are ready to enjoy a well-earned break before the final stretch of the school year.