Local students enjoying spring break at home or away

Tyler Herrin, 16, says if his competitors are smart they'll be practicing this spring break.

The Lodi High School junior will use the majority of his vacation to work on the five events he competes in for the Flames' track team. The rest of the time, he said, will be split up between cooking — it relaxes him — and working on his family's ranch.

While some students are taking trips as far away as China and New Zealand, others, like Herrin, are using the break to get ahead in school and plan the next step in their lives.

Students in Lodi Unified School district are enjoying the second half of their break, which runs from March 12 to 23.

Tokay seniors Anhthu Do, 17, and Kim Phan, 18, will balance spring-break fun with a trip to the University of California, Davis before making their final decision on what school to attend. Both girls will also use the extra time to plug away at their senior project, a prerequisite for every graduating high school senior.

What are you doing on spring break?

“

Going to my friend's to ride four-wheelers.

”

Jacob Cotraro
Lawrence Elementary

 

“

Hang out with my friends.

”

Dustin Didreckson
Jim Elliot Christian High

 

“

Simply nothing.

”

Elizabeth Medina
Lodi High

 

“

Worked at Wienerschnitzel.

”

Fabiola Medina
Lodi High

 

“

Went to a party in Fresno.

”

Alejandro Rodriguez
Lodi High

 

Phan, who is focusing on oncological nursing for her project, will spend the remainder of her break making jewelry to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Sophomore Kayla Carter, 16, said that while Lodi high teachers have spared students the burden of doing homework during vacation, she still plans on boning up on some European history. Carter, who will be taking the advanced placement on the subject soon, said she hopes the extra studying will earn her an "A" in the class.

But not all students are strictly business during break.

Carter noted that one of her teammates on the track team had already left for China, but unlike sophomore teammate Shannon McElligott, 16, she's not jealous or anything.

"I want to go to China! Who doesn't want to go?," McElligott said.

But starting next week, McElligott will have little cause to complain. She plans to visit New York, where her sister is studying at Cornell University. McElligott hopes to score some tickets to "Wicked" between sightseeing at the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

Other students are planing trips closer to home.

Sophomore Mark Sieglock, 18, said his family is taking a break from big trips this year — past spring break trips have taken him to Hawaii, Europe or the Bahamas — and heading to Tahoe to snowboard for a few days.

Harrison Meyers, also a sophomore at Lodi High, said he prefers bodyboarding and surfing. He and 14 of his closest friends will be in Santa Cruz for the break.

Although neither Meyers nor Sieglock said they haven't done anything significant for break yet, Sieglock said the extra time has allowed him to catch up on his hot-tubbing.

"I've hot-tubbed every day for two hours this whole spring break," he said.

Still others will be traveling to Modesto to compete at the speech and debate state qualifiers on March 17. Matt Bacon, 16, and his partner will be performing a "Baby with the Bathwater," an original dialogue about two newlyweds that are unable to determine the sex of their baby.

"I think we have a pretty good chance (in qualifying) because it's a script that we've done all year," Bacon said. "But I can't say that we'll be No. 1 because we have some pretty good competition."

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.