By Dahlia Deener
What did you do this summer? Did you go to sleepaway camp like you have for the past ten years? Did you get an internship? Travel? Work? Volunteer? Various TLS students describe what they did over this past summer before school.
The summer is a time for students to unwind from the long school year and spend two months to themselves. Sometimes this can be something academic that students find interesting and want to explore in the future, and sometimes the summer is filled with pure fun with friends. Many people find different activities fun, exciting, and productive to do over the summer.
As someone who has gone to sleepaway camp since he was eight years old, freshman Brady Schreiber describes his summer at Ramah Berkshires as incredible.
“So far, it’s the best way I would spend my summer,” Schreiber said. “Shabbat at camp is magical, it’s the best thing ever.”
On a different note, senior Shira Perler spent her summer on a hiking trip in Sweden. Although this was a completely new experience, Perler describes her trip as an exhilarating and exciting way to spend your summer.
“There were mountain huts, we had to cook our own food, and there were showers at only some of the campsites, ” Perler said. “We also woke up early one morning to watch the sunrise and we had to milk the cows which was really cool.”
In addition to a very adventurous summer, Perler says, “It was also good to get out of the Jewish community because [the people I was traveling with] weren’t all Jewish and it was cool to hear about their traditions and their different perspectives.”
Similar to an outdoor trip, freshman Alana Katzen explains her summer experience in Costa Rica volunteering. Katzen spent time cleaning up a neighborhood and someone’s house.
“There were some days where we did white water rafting, and some days where we went to schools around Costa Rica to help refurbish the schools,” Katzen said.
In addition to her teen tour, Katzen also worked as a camp counselor at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, along with many other members of the Leffell community.
“My whole bunk was Leffell campers,” Katzen said, “It was a good experience and it helped me learn leadership skills.”
From a different perspective, junior Eva Taub spent her summer working in a science lab at Queens College for the Independent Science Research class, taking a summer science class at Columbia University, and working with little kids at an arts school.
“I started by working in a neuroscience and physiology lab that looks at how different stresses affect babies when they are in utero as they go into adulthood and the possible negative effects,” Taub said. “I also took a one week course at Columbia in a neuroscience and psychiatric disorders class.”
Taub enjoyed doing activities this summer that helped her consider her future.
“I’m thinking of going into neuroscience as a career and it was actually interesting to be working in a lab with babies as something I might want to do,” Taub says. “It was nice to do something I liked academically.”
Along the lines of a summer class, Junior Eliana Pell participated in an internship trip to Israel.
“I was able to experience the tech startup community in Israel,”Pell said, “I also got to learn more about daily life as an Israeli.”
In the spirit of being a part of a startup and learning something new, freshman Annie Katz describes her summer at M.I.T as a student who participated in engineering courses to create a new and improved product.
“My program was called E-Textiles and you make wearable technology like smart clothes,” Katz said. “Mine was a wearable bandage for your stomach so it can detect infections so it’s good for senior citizens.”
Students of the Leffell School spent their summer in many different ways that almost always included something light and fun, while preparing them for the future. As high schoolers get older, their summers are sometimes filled more with internships or engaging classes that interest them. Each summer, whether it’s filled with sports, classes, friends, or relaxation, it is enjoyable in a different way for every student.
