After-school hours are filled with a variety of different activities that range from academics to socialization. The hours after school ends offer a look into the various roles teens play as they balance academics, personal lives, and relaxation. These moments reveal much about the lives of high school students beyond the classroom.
The standard routine of many students usually goes as follows: go home, take a nap, eat, doom scroll, and then homework.
“After school when I’m at home I usually eat and then take a long nap,” said junior May Wang.
“I usually go home and try to watch a movie or something. Then, I take a long nap and do my homework,” said junior Chloe Htut.
Before going home though, many students go to the Arcadia Public Library or the school library as they wait to get picked up.
“After school, I typically walk to the library to do homework or go get boba somewhere around the area with my friends,” said junior Celine Liao. “After I go home, I take a nap and then start my homework, although most of the time I procrastinate and end up going to sleep late in the morning.”
For student athletes, the routine has some variation.
“If I’m in my off-season from tennis, then I typically walk home and relax on the couch before my SAT prep class that I have online,” said junior Emma Wang. “After class, I procrastinate on my homework for a bit while I scroll on my phone or text my friends…On some days I put on music and clean my room. When I do play tennis, my routine is pretty much the same with a few games and practices in between. If I’m lucky, then I go to sleep by 11:30 p.m., if not, then you can probably tell by my eye bags.”
Like Wang, people commonly have tutoring or online classes after school. Some even use their time after school to take AP classes outside of school.
“When I took AP classes outside of school, my routine would be to go to the ACI Institute afterschool every week. I would also have tutoring for 3 hours per day,” said senior Cat Le.
These people usually have classes and tutoring everyday after school. However, an exception is usually made on collaboration days.
On collaboration days, many go to The Shops at Santa Anita. A short 15 minute walk from our school, the mall offers a wide variety of food choices, shops, and safety from the heat and rain.
“I go to the mall with my friends on collaboration days if I’m not too busy. It’s a short distance but walking there feels like it takes a long time. When I walk there, I usually see a lot of people walking there too and the sidewalks are always really crowded with other people going to the mall,” said Liao.
After school, students have the opportunity to relax and pursue their hobbies.
“When I go home, I like to draw or take my neighbor’s dog on a walk to relax,” said sophomore Guadalupe Hernandez.
The after school lives of high schoolers are shaped by a variety of factors as students navigate their lives based on their interests, commitments, and friendships. Despite some variation in these routines, most Arcadia High School (AHS) students follow the same schedule. These hours outside of the classroom play a key role in shaping the students’ everyday lives as they explore their interests, build relationships, and expand their knowledge.
