You may want to think of it as a sort of gap year and fully embrace the possibilities.

Have you seen this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-Education/dp/0962959170?

Or the Davidson guidebook on gap year http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Resources_id_15662.aspx? Although a break at this time is not the typical gap year between high school and college, it could be put to similar good use.

PM'd you.