On Friday, June 8, Arrowhead students will take their last exams of the year and be released for summer break. Many students are hunting for jobs to make some spending money. Other students are looking to save up for college.

Because they are teenagers in high school, many of Arrowhead’s students have limited options for jobs. It is common to work at fast food restaurants, like junior Emma Hooge who works at McDonald’s. Grocery stores are also a popular workplace for high school students.

Freshman Jaedyn Eschelweck works at the Hartland Sendik’s, along with a handful of other Arrowhead students.

“Somewhere around ten Arrowhead kids work in customer service with me,” says Eschelweck. “There’s more Arrowhead people working in the produce, grocery, meat, and deli departments too. I’m just not sure how many. A solid chunk of the Sendik’s staff is Arrowhead kids.”

Eschelweck says she believes Sendik’s is such a popular place to work for the student body because it’s so nearby and the pay is good compared to minimum wage. Eschelweck’s starting pay was $8.50 an hour, and Wisconsin’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

Some students, like junior Martha Kobiske, are looking for new jobs over the summer.

Kobiske currently works at Shopko in Sussex making $7.35 an hour, and is looking for new employment opportunities. She is considering Kohl’s or Target because the pay is better.

“I’m also looking into working at a golf course as a caddy. It’s a seasonal job, and I’ve heard it pays really well, so it would be perfect for summer,” Kobiske says. “I just really need to get serious about saving for college.”

Junior Andrew Mahaney is currently unemployed, but he’s looking for a job. He says he wants some spending money for the summer so he can go out with his friends, and a job would also be a great way for him to stay busy.

Mahaney says he hasn’t sent his applications out to many places yet because he’s focusing on finals, but once school is out, he will start getting more serious about his job hunt.

“Honestly, if worse comes to worst, I’ll just work at Pick ‘n Save,” says Mahaney. “I know they have walk-in interviews, and I always hear that they’re really desperate, so it would probably be pretty easy to get hired.”

Eschelweck says she likes her job most days because her coworkers help make working fun. She admits this is probably because many of them are teenagers, but says that even the adults she works with are very kind and she enjoys the conversations she has with them.

“Even if I hated my job, I think it’s still really important for teenagers to get a first job at some point in high school,” says Eschelweck. “It’s made me a lot more responsible and punctual, and I’ve learned some new skills. On top of that, I’ve made some friends along the way.”