Addy Stupin:

I work at the Hingham Centre Pharmacy and consider my job to be enjoyable. I’ve been working at the pharmacy throughout high school, working around 2 days a week during the school year. In the summertime, I have a lot more flexibility in my schedule and tend to work different days and hours for several days each week. As an employee of the Hingham Centre Pharmacy, I manage the cash register and perform activities such as cashing out, taking the order, helping customers, filling vials, organizing sections, filing away prescriptions, answering calls, and tagging new items.

If a high schooler has an opportunity to hold a summer job, I absolutely believe they should take it! One can learn a lot from something as simple as a summer job. Many of the skills I’ve picked up at the pharmacy are applicable to my eventual professional life, such as how to successfully work well with other employees, how to organize effectively, how to appropriately deal with customers over the phone, and how to manage money. Summer jobs also keep kids from entirely zoning out during the summer, giving them a little bit of structure to their schedule and a boost to their brain.

Isabel Allen:

This summer, I was fortunate to be a volunteer at Hingham’s Su Escuela. The school has a great summer program and runs throughout the school year, teaching Spanish to kids ages four to nine. It is a full immersion setting, and all of the kids’ classes are taught completely in Spanish. There is also a daycare system for children as young as three months, where Spanish is also the primary language.

When I arrived on my first day, I couldn’t believe how much the kids already knew, since they rarely had to ask for clarifications with difficult words. As a volunteer, I had to help out with arts and crafts and teaching lessons, but mostly I kept the Spanish conversations going and attempted to stop the kids from using English. Even though most of them could speak Spanish very well, they often defaulted to English since it was more natural to them.

All of the teachers were super sweet and enthusiastic. Most of them were native Spanish speakers, and I, personally, got to work with a teacher named Romina, who is originally from Chile. I had never worked with little kids so closely before, and I learned that patience is key and that kids learn very quickly. Overall, the experience was enjoyable, interesting, and often quite entertaining. I think volunteering in a school setting would be valuable to any high school student since it is very exciting to be able to teach others, and you can learn a lot about yourself while doing it.

Matt Dwyer:

The Emilson YMCA in Hanover is a great place to work over the summer.  I worked three days a week, switching between the outdoor and indoor pools. However, as a first year lifeguard, most of my scheduled shifts were inside. Generally, older guards get more outside shifts, which is great motivation to stay at the Y. The staff I worked with was responsible, friendly, and considerate, and over my first summer I forged many close friendships. The management is friendly and approachable, as well.

A coworker at the Y who also attends Hingham High, senior Collin Parker, just finished his second summer at the Y. He said, in regards to his job, “The Y is a great place for high schoolers to step into the real world and experience things that can happen in the future, like job interviews, bank account management, and getting to interact with people.”

If you’re interested in working at the YMCA, go to the Emilson Y’s website and look under employment. Whether you are looking for a summer job, or a steady job year round, the Y is a great place to work.