Unlike what the popular children’s cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, may lead many to believe, there are not 104 days in summer vacation. Rather, Newsome students enjoy 74 days in the sun before returning to school on August 10 each year. With such a gap between education days, many wonder what to do with themselves, so the Wolf Tracks newspaper ran a poll in search of student-favored activities to help narrow it down. 

   The poll, taken via the newspaper’s instagram, asked students their favorite outdoor activity, indoor activity, and favorite part of summer as a whole. Unsurprisingly to most, sleeping took the popular majority in two of the three coming out to a staggering 36 percent of overall responses. 

   For indoor activities, one student answered that they enjoyed arts and crafts during the summer months. Arts and crafts are a fun way to get out of the house but still away from the Florida heat. Places like pottery shops or art studios host events and activities all throughout summer for those who enjoy all sorts of art related activities from painting to pottery. 

   The outdoor activities section of the poll showed that many students enjoy the beach. Florida, being a peninsula, has many beaches in almost all directions for students to enjoy. With the coming summer months, beach activities along with the visitor population will begin to increase, so students may want to hit the beaches in the early months or even at early hours of the day to avoid crowds. The outdoor activity poll also showed that students enjoy picnics during the summer months. Tampa boasts some of the best  beach and lakefront sights for picnics, such as Tampas Lettuce Lake Park just half an hour from Newsome. Make sure to wear mosquito or bug repellent as bodies of water tend to be popular areas for mosquitoes to breed. 

   One interesting poll result was the activity of “sun-gazing” which one student answered as both a favorite outdoor and indoor activity. If other students wish to see the sunrise or sunset this summer, one good lookout point is the ever popular Clearwater beach, just make sure not to stare directly into the sun. With all these great activities in mind, have a great summer, stay safe, and wear sunscreen.