WARREN DILLAWAY/Star
BeaconBRANDI MONTGOMERY is not only a full-time Edgewood Senior High
student, but she works about 25 hours a week at Wal-Mart.
By MANDY WHITE
Like millions of other teenagers, Edgewood junior Magen Plants gets up
before
the sun shines to catch the school bus.
After trudging through eight periods Magen gets back on the bus, her day
by no
means over. Some high school students choose to spend their evenings and
weekends on extracurricular activities or hanging out with their friends.
Magen
however, has different ideas.
Namely, ideas involving dollar signs. Like many teens at Edgewood and other
schools, Plants is learning to balance the responsibilities of a part-time
job with
those of high-school.
And those responsibilities most high schoolers know only too well. Homework
slices off a few hours each night, and if you're in extracurricular activities
it
takes more time, let alone time for rest and relaxation. Yet being a junior,
let
alone a senior, is a huge expense in itself. So how do students cope?
Plants, who works at Mike's Farm Market, says that for her schedule, it's
tough.
"Sometimes it gets really hard if I get a lot of homework. I'd say
that has to be
the hardest part - keeping up."
Most teens interviewed for this article work between 20 and 30 hours a week,
some of that time on weekends. Most said they felt like that many hours
were
just enough work to still leave a little time for homework and recreation.
Brandi Montgomery, a 17 year old senior from Edgewood, has been working
at
Wal-Mart's shoe department for the past year to save for college. Working
about 25 hours a week, she manages to just keep up with her fast-paced life.
"My dad's birthday is coming up and I'd like to take him out out eat,
but I don't
have any openings until next Wednesday," she said with a laugh. "Finding
the
time to do something after school and work is really hard."
However, Montgomery says her homework load isn't too heavy, so working at
Wal-Mart doesn't really affect her schoolwork as much as it does her sleeping
pattern.
"I have a really hard time getting up in the morning," she admitted.
(Teens
unanimously agreed on this point.)
All interviewed teens seemed to agree that a key factor in whether teens
are
able manage is the size of the homework load.
With Magen Plants, her time-consuming classes make it difficult. For seniors,
with less intense classes, it may be a little easier. Shari Sawicki, a senior
at
Harbor High School, works two part-time jobs - the Golden tree in the
Ashtabula Mall and the Edgewood Dairy Queen for a total of about 40 hours.
She says that though her homework isn't suffocating, she still has little
time to
do it in.
"I try to do some on break, or during slow times at work," she
said. "I only
work until nine, so I can do some afterward too."
Jackie Hudson, a Harbor High School senior, has just started working as
a
cashier at Finast. Already she has a plan for tackling homework - be firm
on
how much she can work.
"When I started working I told (my employer) that I couldn't work after
a
certain time. I put that time aside for homework and that's when I get it
done,"
Hudson said.
And of course homework doesn't pay minimum wage. The paycheck of course,
is the most attractive part of a part-time job. Most of their money seems
to go
for college, a car, or expenses like the prom, said the interviewed teens.
How do parents feel about their teenagers working to pay for their ever
increasing expenses?
The working teens said that for the most part their parents thought it was
great
- as long as they kept their grades up.
Josh Haight, a senior at the Ashtabula County Joint Vocational school, works
to pay his car insurance and make repairs to his car. He said that even
though
his parents don't completely approve of the late hours he has to work, they're
glad he works.
"I think they really appreciate it. They like that I'm not freeloading
off them
and I'm paying my own insurance," Haight laughed.
Plants said her parents were the ones who wanted her employed.
"Over the summer, they told me 'Get out there and get a job,' so I
did."
Parents likely appreciate other benefits their teenagers will receive besides
the
paycheck. Charlie Deck of Deck Vending in Conneaut hires local teens and
works with their sometimes difficult schedules. He says that employment
is
important for a sense of responsibility, but schoolwork is number one in
importance. Deck Vending doesn't employ students with a less than C grade
average.
"I think there are a lot of good students out there willing to work.
They have to
start getting working skills somewhere."
That somewhere translates into an after-school job for a lot of youths.
Getting
valuable work experience and a good reference is important to teens, pointed
out Hudson.
"I think my job is a really good learning thing for me. After all it
teaches you
what you'll be doing after high school."
An Amber Thompson column
High school is hard enough, let alone being a freshman mixed in with
the all-
knowing underclassmen.
I often look at an occasional wandering, confused freshman and think, "How
did I survive my first year at Ashtabula High?"
I answer immediately, band. I've never been in band prior to that. I just
tried
out for AHS flag line and _ poof _ I heard masses of band jargon swarming
in
my confused head.
The good part was, I had a group, 70 of them to be exact, of ready made
of
friends that could guide me, a befuddled freshman, into the "Bando"
lifestyle.
I had the best time at flag camp, pep rallies and of course, performing
every
Friday.
The shows ranged from the best cartoon themes to a booming "Big Band"
show. It was a lot harder to memorize four new routines each show than I
thought it would be, yet well worth it.
Eventually, it was time to kiss my flag goodbye. December started symphonic
season. I didn't want my schedule changed, (I was a freshman, I was just
getting used to my regular schedule), but most of all, I didn't want to
leave the
band atmosphere. I loved it! I had three years on the piano (thanks, Mrs.
Montgomery) so I knew music notes, yet what could I play?
Our band instructor agreed to let me play mallet percussion (thank you,
Mr.
Sims).
I soon found out it was going to be a challenge. I had to relearn music
basics
that I'd forgotten. I got help from a girl who is now one of my best friends,
Sarah, who invested many hours after school to help me.
I finally was considered a Temporary Member of Bula's "Dark Corner"
percussion section. (Hee, hee, I even know their "4P's" motto!)
As a junior, I am eagerly looking forward to lettering in band _ whoa, me,
lettering in band. I've got a positive outlook on the upcoming symphonic
season
with all 100 of us, and soon after, flag captain tryouts. All that and I
never
picked up a horn!
Our band is playing the music that they love to play and put many hours
into.
They practice and memorize all our selections. Me? I'm busy giving respect
to
my flag.
When Thompson graduates, we expect her to be waving the flag at traffic
construction sites.
This is Geneva seventh grader Naomi Ramos. At 13, she's just
entered the
exciting, wacky world of teenagerdom. (How's the water, Naomi?)
Naomi thinks math is easy. Someday she wants to be a lawyer so she can go
to
court and hang out with judges and other attorneys, just like on TV.
While actor and rapper Will Smith is cute, Naomi says Michael Jackson has
turned kind of strange. She prefers the Spice Girls.
Her best friend is Vanessa Rogue, also a Geneva seventh grader. Vanessa
can
often be found passing notes to a boy Naomi likes. Naomi's favorite guy
plays
quarterback on a certain football team. That's all we can tell you. (We
don't want
to embarrass Naomi too much...)
On right track
If you live near Conneaut Town, think about volunteering for Right Track
afterschool program. (Are you thinking?)
Adults too can lend a hand at the program, which meets four times a week
at the
Conneaut Human Resources Center, 327 Mill St.
It involves older kids and adults helping younger ones after school with
projects
and homework and all. Right Track has recruited volunteers from Conneaut
High School, Rowe Middle School and St. Frances Cabrini Community School.
Contact Gail Castrilla at the center for details. (We keep track of those
who do
and don't.)
Northeast Ohio Teen-to-Teen Helpline Inc. will start its fall volunteer
training
Saturday at Bethany Lutheran Church, 933 Michigan Ave., Ashtabula. The
training consists of 10, four-hour sessions starting 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A small
fee is needed for training materials. Contact the helpline for more information
at
P.O. Box 2881, Ashtabula.
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