Back in the day, summertime for area kids was not only longer by several weeks, it was full of gleefully idle hours spent barefoot in the sunshine, hanging out by a pool, wetting a line in a lake, playing ball on a dusty sandlot and chasing after the ice cream truck. Today’s kids still have fun, even if more of it is spent in the den battling pretend aliens in hi-def. But many others, facing a time when competition for spots in college or the workplace are harder to come by, are using their time productively to better themselves and their community, as chronicled in a few recent stories on our pages: • Last Saturday, Gainesville High students joined Generation Inspiration in efforts to “untag” the city by painting over graffiti in areas around town.