Photo by Morgan Berk
For high schools, the beginning and ending time is 65 minutes later than it was last year. Middle school starts at 7:30 a.m. and high school starts at 8:55 a.m., after much debate on the subject.
BearingNews surveyed 200 students, approximately 10 percent of the school population, about their feelings toward the time change. Of the students surveyed 33 percent said they like both the current end and start times while another 33 percent said they like either the start or end time but do not prefer the other. Meanwhile, 29 percent of those surveyed said they like both old times better, while only 5 percent answered they like the alternative start time, which allows for an early block class.
What students said they liked most about the late start times was the ability to sleep in or wake up early and finish homework left over from the night before.
“I’m in favor of [the current start times] because I feel more ready and awake for school,” freshman Paul Kindling said. “If it’s late and I’ve been doing a lot of homework, I’ll just wake up early and do the rest.”
Senior Whitney Cravens, however, said the change in start times has not allowed her any extra time for sleep.
Homework and R.E.M. are not the only aspects of students’ lives that changed. The school start times also had an effect on some clubs.
The current beginning of classes “makes people less likely to stay after school for clubs. People want to get home. And it makes it harder to do things in the community getting out so late in the day.” Cravens said. “For instance, my RBRO core, The Humane Society, can only meet Wednesdays now because the Humane Society closes at five on other days, except on Wednesday it closes at seven.”
By Graham Ratermann
