WOODBURY — Not everyone goes on vacation while off from school. Some students would much rather work their vacation away and make money.

Some students have big goals and dreams that come before things like going on vacation and relaxing. 

“I worked every day for about 10 hours each day,” Nonnewaug sophomore Chase Soto said about his spring break. “I’m trying to grow my horseshoeing business and be as successful as my dad is in the trade.”

For many kids, working over spring break and summer vacation is their main priority. 

“I would rather work and make a name for myself,” said Nonnewaug sophomore Mason Thomas, “and make some money over going on vacation.”

Nonnewaug sophomore Joseph Bernardi has similar plans this summer.

“I need the money, so I would rather just work and try to make some money,” Bernardi said, “instead of spending it on vacation.“

It’s not only the students getting in some extra work outside of school. Nonnewaug School Resource Officer Chris O’Toole also put in some work over break.

“I had some overtime this break,” said O’Toole. “I moved 90 bags of mulch by myself.”

With summer just around the corner, many students are already making their goals for the two-month break from school. Nonnewaug sophomore Connor Evans has big planss for this summer.

“I’ve got a lot of goals this summer,” Evans said. ”One of them is to make over $60,000.”

Students’ work ethics are driven by their own goals. 

“My goal is to be working 70-hour weeks to save up for a nice truck,” Thomas said. “With me having my license, a big goal of mine is to have a nice truck or maybe build one the way I want it.”

For most kids at Nonnewaug, their trucks are a large inspiration for their hard work and it is their driving force in making money: to afford to buy a new one or buy parts to build one for themselves.

“The money is the reason I work,” Nonnewaug junior Cameron Frazier said, “but the reason for wanting money is so I can finish my turboing my Ford Ranger and building the fastest, most built Ranger around.”

Although a lot of kids spent their time over spring break working hard, some others took this time to relax or enjoy themselves on vacation. 

One student who enjoyed themselves was senior Brady Cordova, he spent his spring break in Florida, sightseeing all of what Disney World has to offer.

“It was a good experience,” said Cordova. “It was the first time I visited and I would do it again.”

Whether students work on their vacation time or not, most people they do what makes them happy — and for some people that’s working.

“I would rather work,” Evans said. “I don’t like going on vacation and the people I work with are fun people to be around.”