During the summer, many high school students try to find jobs at local businesses and camps. However, this 2020 summer was quite unusual, as the highly infectious COVID-19 virus caused many camps and other summer job opportunities to close down or be delayed. Some job applicants worried that with the number of COVID-19 cases in Westchester, it could be a risk to work during this time, a risk that some students may not be willing to take. And though some were willing to take the risk, with a number of local businesses still closed, the opportunities proved limited, leaving many in the lurch. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the number of young people with summer employment dropped a whopping 9.5% from last year’s youth employment rate.

Many of the PMHS students try to work at camps over the summer. Tiny Tots is one Pelham camp that generally employs many students of PMHS. However, this year the camp was canceled due to the pandemic. Staff members of the camp were notified of the cancellation back in mid-spring, leaving students just a few months to scramble to find replacement positions before the summer started.

“Unfortunately, I received the news of the cancellation in April, and it didn’t give me enough time to line anything up,  making it very difficult to find work,” junior Dean Shannon said.

Dean was one of the many who lost out on their summer jobs. However, there was a solution.

In early June, Clayton Bushong, co-owner of local Mexican restaurant Cantina Lobos, bought the Double Rainbow ice cream store. This was great news for the PMHS students who were otherwise without work. Bushong hired many students for his new ice cream shop, while also helping others find work at other local restaurants.

Junior Jackson Shampanier-Bowen was one of the camp counselors who lost their job due to Tiny Tots’ cancellation who lucked out due to Double Rainbow.

“I found out that Clay Bushong was hiring, and I contacted him. He told me that I was ineligible for that job, but pointed me in the direction of GoGreek, where I ended up getting the job,” Jackson said.

Even though Clayton Bushong and others helped students find work, there were still many who weren’t so lucky. If the pandemic continues, students will find that the job search this year will need to begin even earlier than before. However, as more business have begun to reopen, there might be a few more opportunities.