by Kyndal Tillman | Staff Writer

Summer is a busy time for Johnson High school, even though school is not going on at the time. Students come in for last minute requests and needs, while staff members take care of those needs and make sure the following year will go smoothly.

“The school will be open this summer from June 16th to August 1st from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm. The week of July 4th is a little different. We will be open from 8 am to 4:30 pm June 30th through July 3rd. So for the majority of the summer, we will be available for students to come by and ask questions or anything else they need during the summer,” secretary Connie Barton said.

Not only are the office staff and counselors at school during the summer to accommodate students, but also for planning ahead and taking care of the things that students never see.

“Many people in the office usually stay throughout the day and take care of supplies and maintain the way the school runs. A lot of hiring goes on during the summer for potential teaching jobs, cafeteria staff, and other positions. We also plan all of our meetings that we will be having throughout the upcoming school year. Every day, the school receives at least 25 to 50 boxes in the summer.  We are always receiving different deliveries and supplies for the upcoming school year. Summer is also very busy for the custodians because they like to get most of the cleaning and preparing done before the school year starts. We also get many students coming in for transcripts, VOE forms, and a lot of parents looking at the school for future students,”  Barton said.

Figuring out schedules and reviewing for next year can be a difficult task for staff members, and often makes summer a stressful time.

“The part of the preparation for next year that takes the longest is probably figuring out schedules, resolving issues regarding schedules, and that sort of thing. Creating schedules and trying to meet student requirements is difficult, and pretty stressful at times,” Barton said.

Students may think that the Johnson faculty members get a nice summer vacation, but this is not true. During the summer, some of the staff members experience fast paced and busy days, much like during the school year.

“Much of the day is busy, but the most busy time tends to be around 11 am and 3:30 pm. Student like to come in between these times while they are out and about. Throughout the whole summer, we are pretty busy and are on our toes, but we enjoy it,” Barton said.