Almost every teenager begins their summer with the same ritual: a celebration of their victory over the long school year and a resolution to make their summer months as memorable as possible. We plan to embark on adventures that will yield unforgettable memories and to make new friends who will make us laugh on those carefree summer nights. With each day or week that passes, we convince ourselves that there is still plenty of time left before the start of the school year. But sometimes we will stop and experience a sobering revelation - the summer months are slowly slipping away and the inevitable return to school in September is nearly upon us.

With each snap of their camera or moment of laughter, young people are attempting to grasp those summer moments and save them forever. If we could, we would slow down time for those weeks. For some teenagers, it is not uncharacteristic for them to ignore their calendar in the summer or forget what day of the week it is. This could be due to the fact that some simply refuse to recognize that this precious season of summer is passing and there is nothing to be done about it. In fact, the mentality of teenagers towards the end of the summer could be analogized to a horse frantically digging its hooves into the ground to stop itself from falling off the edge of a cliff.

The season of summer is not unworthy of such devotion and value. Without the strict schedule of school, a young person is free to explore and try new things. One can obtain a job to learn a new skill and meet new people, or perhaps take time to lie in the grass and dream about what the future may hold. The freedom and opportunity that summer offers can seem invaluable to a teenager who may not always have a chance to make their own decisions. With all of its potential adventure, summer also boasts the ability to change a young person for the better.

Perhaps the life-changing experiences of summer could sculpt an insecure teenager into the confident person he or she wishes to be. At a time in our lives when we may feel very unsure, summer might provide the opportunity for us to decide who we are. Nevertheless, each season of summer must face its end. All efforts to elude or deny this season's end - no matter how valiant and determined - are in vain. Every teenager must submit to the start of another school year in September, but most do so only with the help of an important fact: there is always next summer.