This is the first batch of essays that The Signal has received for the summer vacation question.

First place
This summer vacation I am going to go to Egypt. I am going to Egypt because almost my whole family is from Egypt — though I myself am not. I am very excited to go there because new places inspire me. We are going to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, like Sacramento for our state! When in Cairo, I am going to see my uncles, aunts, cousins and mostly the rest of my family. After I go to Egypt, I am going to go to France where some of my family is. In France, we will take a train to an island. At the island we will camp in a trailer. What a fun summer break!
Chris Badroos
Grade 4
Rio Vista Elementary School

Second place
This summer I would like to go to Arizona, Disneyland and Hawaii. I would like to go to Arizona because I want to visit my cousins. I have not seen them for a long time, and I could do stuff over there. I want to go to Disneyland because I could go on cool and scary rides, like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Indiana Jones. I could eat good food, and maybe even get souvenirs. Lastly, I would want to go to Hawaii. I would like to go to Hawaii because my grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunt and cousins live there. I would want to see a play, go to the beach, or go fishing. So these are all the places I want to go to for this whole summer. it would be like a wonderful dream.
Lindsay Hiura
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

Third place
This summer, I would like to go to many places. The three places I want to go to the most are Hurricane Harbor, Magic Mountain, Jackson and the beach. I want to go to Hurricane Harbor and Magic Mountain because they are fun. At Hurricane Harbor, you can swim and play in the water. At Magic Mountain, it’s fun to go on roller coasters. The roller coasters are thrilling. I want to go to Jackson, because it is a city that is special to me. Jackson has a camp that is full of wonderful memories. At the camp there is a huge swimming pool. I love swimming in that pool. I love the beach. I collect seashells and all sorts of things from the beach. I play catch, tag, and make sand castles. It’s such a fun place. I love the beach.
Katarina Bozic
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

What I am doing this summer is Summer Childcare with my dad and my mom. The thing I would like to do is, I would like to go up to my aunt and uncle’s house. At my aunt and uncle’s house, we go tubing and fishing, and we watch wakeboarding, and scuba diving. Also we can drive my uncle’s rover golf cart. Also we can go to my cousin’s house and sometimes we go camping. Well, that’s mostly it. Thank you!
Brandon Davis
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

School is almost out! That means the summer is coming. During the summer I’m going to the Philippines for two weeks. This is going to be my first time there. I’m so excited. I have six cousins who live there in Manilla. Before I am there, I have to go on the airplane for a long time. I can’t wait until the summer comes.
Lauren Ordonez
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

This summer, I would like to take the awesome Disney cruise. I would like to do this because from the reviews, it looks great. It has all kinds of fun games for kids and their families. There are tons of different water slides, and everyone loves it! On the cruise, you will also see many Disney stars like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I really do hope that I can go on the Disney cruise!
Megan Meacham
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

What I will do this summer is going to Florida with my family and friends. First, we will stay at a hotel for two days. Then, we will go on a cruise to the Caribbean and stay there for a week. On the last day, all of us will sail back to Florida. Lastly, we will stay in Florida for two days. We will fly back home at night on our last day there. After that, my friends and I will have everlasting playdates, fun and more. It will be the greatest summer of my whole entire life!
Shaina Latuno
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

For summer, I will be going to Washington, D.C. and the Grand Canyon. I hear they made a bridge made of glass. We will be going to walk on the bridge. My mom is afraid to walk on it. In Washington, D.C., we will be going to the White House. We will go to a really nice hotel. I am not sure what it’s like in Washington, D.C., but I am excited to find out. The Grand Canyon seems very scary since I’m afraid of heights. I am looking forward to it.
Yonghee Shin
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

This summer I’m going to Minnesota to help my brother, Maverick Ahanmisi go to college. We are not going to stay there for a long time, just staying for a week. After coming back from Minnesota, I get active outside my house, by playing tennis at my tennis court, and playing basketball with my brother Jerrick. When I have time to spend with my family, I make time to just sit down and relax with them. Then when there’s other days, I swim laps in my pool with my cousin Allyssa Feria. There are many more things in store for me to do but these are things I would rather do.
Mylenne Ahanmisi
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School

The main thing I am going to be doing this summer is go to my grandmother’s house in Gainesville, Virginia. I will be visiting her for about a month and a half. When I was there last year, I went swimming and bought new clothing articles so I’m hoping I can do that this year as well. I will be able to play with my uncle’s old legos. I can go swimming whenever I want. Also my grandmother and grandfather are really nice people. Last summer, she bought my sister and me each $300 worth of clothing. She spent $1000 on us total that summer, because she bought us other things. That’s what I will be doing this summer.
Zack Parker
Grade 4
Charles Helmers Elementary School