Between sports, attending classes, completing assignments and getting sleep, most Saint Stephen’s students live fast-paced, study-centered lives. However, juniors Katie Siegel, Taylor McCart and Grace Horn have given up what little free time they have throughout their week and replaced it with a paycheck and an addition to their high school résumé. These girls understand how difficult it is to balance school work with the demanding hours of their employers at local businesses.

Junior Grace Horn works in customer service at a Publix, servicing her local Anna Maria Island community. Sporting the classic green shirt and black-apron uniform since last June, she works every Wednesday, five hours-a-day, as a cashier and bagger. She earns $8.05 an hour, though it doesn’t always seem like work. “Everyone there is really friendly,”she said. Horn’s reason for the part-time job, along with demanding sports and a heavy homework load is pretty simple: “It’s hard when there’s something really important to do, but its important because of gas money”.

Even when days get demanding, and Grace says that working at Publix is an invigorating experience. “It has really good benefits for the future,” Horn said, referencing how she can add her employment at Publix to her résumé or partake in a Publix-sponsored program involving tuition reimbursement.

The monetary compensation isn’t the only benefit from working where shopping is a pleasure. Publix offers discounts on local events, Grace particularly enjoys getting discounts on tickets to Rays baseball games.

Additionally, Publix has a policy of championing their younger workers. The store was eager to accommodate Grace’s request to work hours that coincided with her block study hall, in order for her to be able to do well in school and still service with a smile. At the end of the day and vey importantly, “it pays well,” Grace added, referencing her first paycheck, for $108.

Taylor McCart, also a junior, is employed at a chic clothing store, Shore, on St. Armand’s Circle. She chose to work there because it’s so close to her house and it’s a store she’s really familiar with, having been a regular customer before joining as part-time employee.

McCart makes $8.00 an hour and has been working at the boutique for the past six months. She’s been able to regulate her hours too, for the sake of stress and time management. “I only work on Sundays,” McCart explained, ”so it doesn’t interfere with my schoolwork.“

She admits that it can be difficult maintaining employment and being a full-time student, but ultimately it has been worthwhile. Her advice to anyone with reservations to applying is to think about how having a job can postively affect teenage life. No longer in the same dull routine of going to school, she’s happy to have expanded her social circle to people other than Saint Stephen’s students: “It’s getting me out of my bubble.”

Katie Siegel, junior, is a teacher’s assistant at her local synagogue, Temple Sinai. For the past four months, she’s been aiding the Kindergarten religious school teachers from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays. Siegel has been on both sides of the classroom at Sinai: “I’ve been there [as a student] since I was in Kindergarten. There have always been teacher’s assistants.” Her previous connection to the temple as a student has helped her become an effective aid in the Kindergarten class’s success.

For Katie, the upside of the job has been rekindling her involvement in her community. “Last year was the first year I wasn’t a student.” Staying involved has been easier and more rewarding than she could have imagined. She works hard for her $12 an hour, but “It doesn’t feel like work. All of the kids are really cute.”

Students who benefit the most from having a high school job are those who view working as an outlet to gain real world experience, rather than just a means to an end. Siegel spoke on behalf of McCart, Horn and students employeed everywhere when she explained why she tries so hard to balance work and education: “I enjoy what I do.”