NOTE: Each quarter, students in the eighth grade yearbook class will write an article for the Hilltopper Online.
Woken up by the sound of birds chirping outside, with the sun at the brink of the dawn. Opening the window brings in the fresh morning air. Smelling of newly cut grass and lemonade from the stand next door. Many students will begin to plan what they are doing throughout the day but sometimes run out of ideas.
As students start to get ready for the end of the year, most of them begin to think about where they will spend their break. Fortunately, Fort Thomas has many places to spend long summer days and HMS students have found the best places to spend their time.
According to a poll given to the students at Highlands Middle School, they were asked what the best hangout spots during summer were.
Overwhelmingly there were about 324 responses. And the results of the poll are shown below.
The most popular option for student summer hangout spots was Kings Island.
“I love Kings Island. My favorite ride is Orion, because I like going upside down and I also like how high it is because you get a really good view of the park,” Carmela Lindsay (6) said.
A top priority for many students when choosing a hangout spot is somewhere with lots of fun activities and things to do and Kings Island checks all those boxes. Similar to this, the hangout spot coming in second place is other peoples houses.
“I like other people’s houses probably because that’s where you have the most fun,” Boone Burkhart (7) said.
In a close third is tower park. Tower Park has many fun activities. Including basket ball, pickle ball and tennis courts, as well as playground equipment.
“I think that there are more things to do at the park because you could sit there and chill or walk around and do activities,” Samantha Go (8) said.
It has also been shown that significantly more students would rather hangout with their friends outside than inside. There are many reasons why this could be. Amusement parks and playgrounds are all outside which were in the top 4 popular hangout spot picks.
“There are a lot of cool parks. There’s three of them so it makes it easier for a lot of people to be there at once and there is also the armory which is good for basketball,” Jack Weaver (7) said.
Other outdoor summer activities could be local pools.
“A lot of my friends go up there [pools] and I feel like a lot of people have a fun time swimming,” Cecily Fennell (7) said.
The form also depicts a difference in hangout spot preferences between the grade levels. Most eighth graders enjoy going to King Island, while seventh graders enjoy a mixture of all, but sixth graders mostly like to spend their free time at Fort Thomas Coffee.
“I chose Kings Island because I love roller coasters and it’s really fun whenever I go there,” Oliva Fromm (8).
“I like the swim club. Mostly because I like the pool and to hang out there. But tower park can also be fun to hangout at with friends,” Stella Thomas (7) said.
“FTC because everyone goes there,” Harper McDowell (6) said.
Common hangout spots such as Tower Park and FTC get more crowded with students with summer nearing. At FTC, there are lists of rules and guidelines all guests should follow. Those of which include being respectful to other patrons to keep it a relaxing place for people to enjoy.
As the school year ends and summer approaches, students choose which summer spots they want to hangout at. But when choosing these spots it is important to consider the rules that each location may have to be respectful to others.
