9/13/10 — In the daily commute to the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, many students travel from more than a hundred cities in Southern California. Not only does the school offer eleven different arts conservatories to engage their varying interests, but it also offers a variety of transportation options in acknowledgment of students’ varying commutes. The train is a perennial favorite for students whose homes are farther away.
“Choo-choo! Here comes 10th block! It’s like another block of class,” Alice Lee, a junior, said while waiting at the Buena Park station. Train commuters ride Metrolink or Amtrak at the Santa Ana station near OCHSA.
Junior Jean Kim has been taking the train since seventh grade. She says she has three options on the train: “Talk, sleep, or do homework.” It is not so surprising that her preference is to talk with friends since “they live far away.”
While the train speeds toward the students’ last stops after conservatory, most of them take the opportunity to spend time with fellow commuters.
“I see the same things everyday when I’m on the train,” Kim said, “[but] I still get to listen and communicate with my friends, and that’s always different.”
Students keep the daily journey to school from becoming boring by taking a healthy dose of “connection” during their twice-a-day routes. Buses and carpools provide open arenas for making friends.
Some students drive themselves to school, enjoying the newly won independence that comes with the ability to cover the car with bumper stickers and make coffee stops in the morning.
Whether going wild on the train, scrambling to catch the bus, driving, or biking, student commuters keep the potentially stale journey to school fresh and exciting.
