As soon as the clock ticks to the right moment, students dash into the hallways and flood the sidewalk. Even with the few hours left of the day, there are endless possibilities for what someone could be doing. Clubs, jobs and hobbies: at school, each student has something different they could be doing after school.
Usually, we have something to focus on at the end of the school day, programs, clubs, jobs, and many hobbies that keep us at bay. Not only do these activities motivate and give us a sense of accomplishment, they keep us out of trouble. We gain skills, learn, and experience new things instead of lazing about or getting into things we shouldn’t be in.
Freshman Diana Granados has a unique after-school activity. Much of her time after school is spent indulging in her hobby, art.
“I usually have like an hour or two to do my homework or work on a project, like an artwork or whatever,” Granados said.
Granados is currently in the school’s Art Club, where she is working on a project about double sided artworks, which are known as agamographs.
“We were working on this project, which was basically like–you make two different images look like one when you flip it to one side, it’s one image. And then when you flip it to the left, it’s like the other image,” Granados said.
Granados is not only involved in the school’s Art Club, but she is also in an extracurricular program called Ryman Arts. She takes a trip each Saturday to California State University, Fullerton, where she takes time to improve her art.
“So Ryman, it’s basically you take college-level art classes. So right now I’m working on my foundation drawing skills, working with graphite and pencil,” Granados said.
Although some students spend their time doing things they enjoy, others might have more of an academic appreciation. Senior Paola Sanchez has an incredibly busy schedule. We talked about her after-school activities.
“Yes, so there’s a trial, I am part of the Nicholas Academic Center, sometimes there’s also Speech and Debate—then I’m also part of the Art Club,” Sanchez said.
NAC, or Nicholas Academic Center, is an educational center in Santa Ana that helps support many students. They motivate and strengthen students’ skills.
“It’s just a place where they support students,” so I have to go there for three hours every week minimum,” Sanchez said.
At NAC, students do a variety of different things, which includes a monthly MLA, which is a mentor learning activity where they teach students on different topics. These activities help students re-group themselves.
“So it’s just a one-hour fun, like–teaching session. So the topics can range from mental health, movies, driver’s licenses, just random. And they also have us do tea time, which is just one hour, where we can de-stress,” Sanchez said.
Her schedule also depends on the day. Not all students have a consistent everyday schedule, and Sanchez is a busybody.
“Depending on whether it’s a Monday, I would go to Big Brothers, Big Sisters after school and do one hour of tutoring. If it’s a Wednesday, I would stay at school until 7:30 p.m., which is the time where my geology lab class finishes. And any other day, there’s a high chance of me going to NAC and leaving at seven.” Sanchez said.
In the end, students need to spend their afternoons in the way that works best for them. Although Sanchez spends her time on academic activities, she shares what she would really like to do in her afternoon.
“I would play Roblox all day. It’s something I enjoy, and I play with friends. I don’t have much time for that now, so I really wish I had more time for it,” Sanchez said.
