What don’t Stone Ridge girls do? Between AP classes, Social Action, SCGs, sports, arts, college applications, drivers ed, SAT prep classes, and managing social lives, 83 percent of Stone Ridge girls also manage a job outside of school at some point in the year.
According to a survey conducted by Here and Now staff, the majority of Upper School respondents who held jobs worked as lifeguards or babysitters; other jobs included work as referees or coaches, in restaurants, and in retail. In addition, 51 percent of SR girls who responded to the survey work only in the summer, while 44 percent work both in the summer and during the school year.
Maddie Shrout ‘17, had a paid internship at a biotech research firm called Novavax this past summer. She made $12 an hour to shadow in the lab and work with documenting projects as well as data transfer. Her older sister, Elizabeth Shrout ‘15, recommended the job to her after having done the internship in past summers. An opportunity like this worked well for someone like Shrout, who loves math and the sciences and could make far over minimum wage to learn about something that interests her.
There is large variation between the minimum wage rate in different parts of the D.C. metro area, and numbers vary by state. Currently in the state of Maryland, minimum wage is $8.25 per hour, with some variation by county. In D.C., minimum wage is an even higher, at $10.50 per hour. In contrast, Virginia’s minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour.
At Stone Ridge, 47 percent of girls who took the survey said they receive an hourly rate between $7 and $10. However, 35 percent of girls say they receive between $10 and $15, numbers well above the minimum wage.
Julia Burns ‘18 worked as a lifeguard at Riverbend Country Club in Great Falls, Va. this past summer. She made $8.25 an hour, but was given a raise to $8.50 per hour. “I think I made about $1,000 in total for the summer,” says Burns, who worked about three times a week, on average, in July and August. Her workload, however, increased at the end of August when she was working just about every day.
“It was extremely exhausting,” she said. “It’s typical for lifeguards to receive low salaries, but considering how much time I spent there, I think that I should have been paid more.”
A job can be a great way for students to make money, and it is also beneficial to put on a resume when applying to colleges.
Ms. Carly Authement, administrative assistant to the college office, says that having job experience in while high school “shows that you are willing to go above and beyond what is called of you.”
“What colleges want to see is you participating in things, even when you are not forced to,” Ms. Authement said. “To have the extra responsibilities when you could be off on the beach all summer shows integrity and resilience and grit…good character qualities that they’re looking for.”
In comparison to the 51 percent of Stone Ridge girls who only work during the summer, only 5 percent of students have a job solely during the school year. The issue of managing time between, school, friends, and a job is no easy task, but it is doable.
Maddie Smith ‘16, an SR girl who graduated last year, worked consistently throughout the school year as a tutor, babysitter, and a soccer referee. During her senior year, she had a year-long research fellowship at NIH. She says working helped her to master the skill of time management.
“The way I managed my time the best was getting as much work as possible done before school and during breaks in the school day,” said Smith. “I also worked ahead as much as possible on my assignments when I had free time during the evenings and weekends, which really helped me to be able to get through especially busy days.”
Maddie Notarianni ‘19 was an assistant stand-up paddleboard instructor in Ocean City, New Jersey this past summer.
“My mom is completely certified to teach yoga on the paddle boards,” Notarianni said. “There are usually a lot of people in the group to keep track of so I would be there to help out.”
Notarianni said that she really enjoyed the experience and plans to do it again in future summers.
Another Stone Ridge girl with unique work experience is Megan Lydon ‘17.
Lydon worked as a barista last spring and summer at Quartermaine Coffee Roasters in downtown Bethesda.
“I started working there when I saw they were hiring and knew this job would be the perfect match to my love of coffee,” said Lydon. The job came with many perks, according to Lydon.
“I really liked working as a barista because I got to learn how to make the lattes, espresso, and cappuccinos that I and so many others enjoy,” she says. “It’s really cool that I can go to any coffee shop and know the steps that barista is taking to make my drink.”
In addition, Lydon hopes to use her new skills in future jobs.
“I know I can take the skills I learned at Quartermaine and possibly work as a barista in college,” she said. “It also didn’t hurt that Bethesda Bagels and Sweet Green were right next door for my lunch break.”