When people think of Key West, they usually think of the nightlife, beaches, and tourist destinations. However, there’s more to Key West and the rest of the keys than just the common tourist attractions. There are three major high schools in the Florida Keys: Key West, Coral Shores, and Marathon, Key West High School (KWHS) is the biggest, with about 1,300 students. When the students are not in school or doing extracurricular activities, there’s not much else to do on the island. 

As I am a senior at KWHS and have lived here since first grade and as I grew up I started to realize there were activities for younger children and adults but not as much for teenagers, especially in high school. Though, most of us don’t have a lot of free time due to school, sports, or work. We still need a trampoline park or laser tag to unwind and have fun when we can. After all, we are still kids. 

Sure, there are museums, playgrounds, and splash parks, but playgrounds and splash parks aren’t generally for teens, and as most of my friends have lived here for most of their whole lives, we’ve already seen or already know what’s in the museums. So, instead, we end up going to the movies, looking around in stores like TjMaxx or Ross, or going to an artisan market downtown. However, all of those activities, including the museums, involve money in some way. To be able to hang out, a lot of teens I know, including myself, get jobs. Some as hostesses or waiters and some in retail. A few local teens start their own businesses by selling art pieces or using their skills to help others such as car detailing, photography, fishing, and boat repairs. 

As the KWHS class of 2025 gets closer to graduation, a lot of seniors are excited to go to their college town because there’s more to do than the same thing they do every weekend. Many college towns have a mall and other activities that are not bars or playgrounds, so their weekends vary more than weekends in the Florida Keys. Although having a trampoline park, laser tag arena, or go-kart track, could not only allow teens to hang out somewhere other than the movies and stores, it would also let them move around, release some of their school stress, and enjoy their teenage years. 

After all, the teenage years are the most stressful because school treats you like a kid, and society treats teens like young ‘adults.’ Sometimes, teenagers need to relax and play a game of laser tag or race each other around a go-kart track. For now, though, I would gladly go to the beach or for a drive down Duval Street.