The Beginning of Summer

Lizzy Ryan

(5/2010) Before school ends everything is hectic. Everyone just wants to leave. The last week of school consists of last minute learning, an occasional movie and step-up day. Step-up day is when each class goes to the classes that they will have when they are in the next grade. The teachers give us a list of supplies and talk about what we will be doing the next year.

Then we clean the classroom. Yes, we each get a job, like sweeping, mopping and washing the boards. The chairs are scrubbed and stacked, books are looked through for any markings and erased. Everything is ready for the next school year.

As far as the kids in the class, everyone is talking about what they are doing this summer. Some are going to the beach and some aren’t going on vacation at all. Such as my family and I.

Our summer consists of no long vacations. Basically the only time we’ll be leaving the house is to go on this "Fun Week." My family and I will be going to different places around here – like day trips. Like last year one day we went antique shopping in New Oxford. Another day we went to the Smithsonian of Natural History in Washington. The last day we went to Park City Mall. We are doing the same thing this year. So far we know what one of the days is going to be, which is the Baltimore Aquarium. I am really excited for that.

Another thing I am doing this summer is volunteering at Catoctin Zoo, which will be fun! My mom and my dad will be the ones driving me there. It is only 25 minutes away. Hopefully while I am there I will be working at the petting zoo but I will be doing also other work like helping at the gift shop. I decided to volunteer at the zoo because I love animals and would like to work with animals one day.

We actually just got some new chickens from Murray McMurray Hatchery. They are all exotic. This summer I’ll get to watch them grow up! We got some silkies, which are chickens that their feathers feel like fur, a phoenix chicken, which get twenty foot long tails, and cochins, which are chickens that have feathered feet plus many more. There are twenty-six total. Everyday I go out and hold them and take their pictures to see how they have progressed. The two adult chickens that we have now are doing fine with the new chicks. The chicks are in a large box in the chicken house, so they are kind of protected from the adults.

Another thing I am doing is volunteering as a camp counselor at a camp called Ag Explorers Day Camp. This will be a one week thing. Both of those things, a volunteer at the zoo and a camp counselor, I can use for my service hours. Since I am going into eighth grade, the service hours will be for my Confirmation.

I am also doing another camp called Fiber Camp in which we knit, crochet and needlefelt (which is taking wool and a needle and making different things.). This camp will be three days, and I’m looking forward to it.

One other thing I will do in the summer is visit my friend in Manchester. It’s always nice visiting them, but in the summer, it’s even better because they have a pool! Since we don’t have a pool, I appreciate it even more. Throughout the summer I will probably have friends over at my house to play. Usually when friends come over we go on walks around our property. We look for treasures along the stream, including golf balls, and broken pottery.

Yes, I’m looking forward to the end of school and, yes I am looking forward to summer!

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