Munster High School - Paragon Yearbook (Munster, IN)

Page 33 text:

Juggling school, work students struggle to keep up grades, job responsibilities while earning spending money It ' s 2:45 p.m., the bell rings . . . there is exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to run home, grab a quick bite to eat, get ready, and dash out the front door for work. After facing an exhausting day of school, some students found that their work had not ended. Jobs took up any free time they had. During the school year, many students chose to juggle the pressures of a job as well as homework. “My job interferred with school because it took away a lot of study time, so I asked my manager to cut my hours. Still, it interferes, but I On the way to his first million, junior Jamey Volk, owner and manager of the Skatehut, gives change to a customer for his purchase of a new skateboard. Income covered expenses of the ' hut ' while the profits served as pocket change . guess I ' ll have to live with it,” senior Robin Fandrei explained. School was not the only thing that jobs interfered with. “On the nights I have a chance to go out and do something really ex- citing, I have to work,” senior Laura Mcgill said. “I don’t go out much on weekends any- more because my friends don’t want to wait until 9 p.m to go out.” Despite a few setbacks, jobs proved to be helpful in many ways. “The major advantage of having a job is having money. I’m always broke, but when my paycheck comes I have lots of money to spend for the week- While working at Citizens Federal Savings, senior Debbie Koepke pro- cesses a check for the customer by punching in the account number on the computer. Students jobs gave them the experience as well as training they will need to be able to handle the responsi- bilities of the working world. end,” said senior Denise Calla- han. For some, jobs were actually an improvement. “My job helps me to develop communication skills because I meet many peo- ple while I work,” junior Bryan Kasper added. Students’ jobs proved to be more than just a place to earn money. “I’ve learned the value of the dollar and that you must work hard to move ahead in the business world. I’ve also learned how to handle pressure on the job,” senior Matt Sobo- lewski said. Although there were disad- vantages when it came to jug- gling work with school, the ad- vantages that a job provided eventually paid off in the long run. Students learned to handle responsibilities, not to mention money, from taking part in the working world. T rying to earn some extra spending money junior Renee Meyers babysits her niece Maigen Pawlowski after school. Delivering newspapers, shovel- ing snow in the winter, and mowing lawns in the summer were some other ways students found to earn that extra buck. Working and Jobs 29

Page 32 text:

Catch of the day Hut pays off as profits roll in When a seventeen year-old decides to go out on a limb, it usually entails something a little less drastic than opening a business, but junior Jamey Volk decided to try a new twist and opened the profitable Skatehut. The Skatehut contains paraphernalia ranging from clothes to snow and skateboards that a per- son would need to be an expert at either sport. “I go to the Skatehut whenever I have some money, because I can always increase my stock of snow- boarding equipment,” said freshman Joe Janu- sonis. Numerous decisions are involved in opening a business, but there is always a method to one’s madness.” I decided to open the Skatehut back in July because I felt that the general area needed a place for boarders to buy stuff, and I thought it would be a good investment,” stated Jamey, own- er and manager of the Skatehut. The money coming in pays the expenses and some profit is always left over.” Most employers would agree that hiring em- ployees is a tedious job, but for Jamey the task was more pleasure than pain. “I hired my friends to work at the Skatehut mainly because they wanted to and it would be a lot easier on me. Working for me are sophomore Adam Rothschild, juniors Alan Dillard and Brian Darnell, and occa- sionally senior Jeff Kwasny. Ditching class and going out to lunch may be big risks for some high schoolers, but Jamey decided to ‘go for the gusto’ and opened a business be- coming a teenage entrepreneur. .... 28 Working and Jobs

Page 34 text:

From cleaning house to running errands, students learn to face up to their Driving into her garage after a long day of school, Janet sud- denly backed out remembering that her mother had wanted her to go to the store for gro- ceries before she came home. Students such as Janet found themselves in this same posi- tion at times. Doing errands seemed to be an active part of students ' lives as soon as they were able to handle the work. “When I reached the age that gave me the ability of doing things around the house and making my parents work a little easier, they put me to it,” said fresh- man Cari Ugent. Upperclassmen often found themselves doing errands out- side of the house because they were able to drive. “I really didn’t do that many errands be- fore I got my license. Now, I al- ways do little things for my par- ents,” said junior Mark Gon- zales. On the other hand, some took a disliking to the whole idea of housework and running errands. According to junior Steve Konkoly, “I take movies back to the video store, drop things off at the post office, and go grocery shopping. At times it just gets to be too much be- cause my parents don’t seem to realize that I have other things to do.” Almost finished with doing the dishes, sophomore Jen Gershman dries the last plate from her family’s dinner. Students found that by only do- ing such duties they could get to their homework on school days. As Janet pulled back into he garage with three bags of gro- ceries, she realized that al- though she really didn’t care much for running to the store and back, it was just something she had to do. Like many stu- dents, Janet actually remem- bered a time when she loved running errands. After giving it a thought, she realized that it was not as fun and exciting as it was madetobe in thefirst place. After coming home from a rough vol- leyball practice, junior Sharon Pavol takes care of one of her chores by va- cuuming her living room floor. Many students found housework to be a regu- lar part of their schedule on weekdays after school. Sent to the grocery store late on a Monday night, senior Pablo Bukata pur- chases milk for his mother. Running to the store was just one of the many er- rands students had to complete. 30 Doin n nds