With the school year coming to a close, many students are devising plans to keep their summer from being boring. However, other students are prepared to do nothing all summer long.

Students should spend their summers working to build up their bank accounts for future spending, learning things they’ve been wanting to learn but “never had time to,” spending quality time with family and friends or trying new things completely out of their comfort zones.

There are plenty of places willing to hire teenagers to work during the summer. Teens have a lot of things they should be saving for: college, if not college, a house, a car or just spending money that they can use for dates or hanging out in Wichita with friends.

The more work experience teens can get when they’re young, the more they’ll have to put on their resumes when applying for “real-world” jobs. Getting a summer job also allows teens to meet people from other schools and make connections. In addition, with a job, teens will learn how to file taxes while they’re still in high school.

Summers should also be spent on learning interesting subjects most likely not taught in school. Teens can pick up on things they always wanted to learn, but never had the time while school was in session such as: playing guitar, learning sign language, cooking a certain dish or working on a drawing skill.

Teens can also knock off a few college hours by taking a summer course over the break. Both Midwestern State University and Vernon Junior College in Wichita Falls offer online summer courses to high school students. Taking college courses now can reduce the number of hours students need to complete while in college.

Summer should also be a time to grow closer to family and friends. There are so many ways for teens to hang out and connect with classmates, siblings and parents.

Instead of just sitting around the house while parents are at work, teens who babysit younger siblings should attempt to take them on a picnic at the park or the lake for something new to do or organize a “stay-cation” around the house.

Summer is the main season when teens have the time to try new things that they’ve never done before, whether it be facing their fear of heights on a roller coaster at Six Flags or taking one of the several interesting classes offered by the Wichita Falls Parks and Rec summer program such as drawing classes, zumba, social dance classes or enjoying the City of Wichita Falls skate park.