It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that kids stumbling into school at 7 am, barely conscious, are not ready for optimal performance. We’ve all heard our teachers snap at the class, desperately trying to wake us up long enough to retain a single word they are saying. Junior Austin Smith agrees, saying, “Sometimes we have to stay up late for homework. A later starting school day would benefit us by allowing us to get some extra sleep.” The reasons why high school should start later on in the morning are virtually endless.
Ideally, since the teenage body is in a developmental stage, teenagers need about 9.5 hours of sleep a night. Any less can impair memory, increase stress and have dire effects later in life. However, because melatonin, the chemical that triggers your body to want to fall asleep is released later on in the night for teenagers than adults, teenagers naturally tend to sleep later. This should be offset by a later awakening time in order to reap the full benefits of sleep. The time period when teenagers are asleep is a restoration phase for their bodies, a time period in which they fight off sickness, recuperate from the day’s stress, and rejuvenate for the following day. A decreased time period to do this ultimately adds more stress to the body and leads to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the cause for many teenagers to turn to caffeine as a solution. Caffeine is no substitute for sleep.
In addition, a later start to school would improve academic performance on the part of both teachers and the students in many respects. Julia Messineo ’16 states, “Kids don’t get enough sleep. Therefore it becomes hard to focus, especially early in the morning.” The newfound ability to focus would increase academic performance and the retention of material taught in class. Not only on a subconscious level, but also consciously, students would be more willing to learn, when every muscle in their body is not telling their brain to shut down and take a mid-lecture nap.
On the other hand, math teacher and tennis coach Mr. Griffiths prefers the current schedule, saying, “the athletes that participate in sports need time after school to participate in extra curricular activities.” A later start to school would disrupt the currently established schedule of activities and sports that schools like Ridge have established. This is the most salient flaw in the argument for a later start to school. Maybe teams could have practices in the morning before school? As with most cases, there is an opportunity cost at hand; either sleep gets sacrificed, or Ridge has to re-think their scheduling. It depends on how late a “later start” really is.
In conclusion, a later start to the day is necessary because the teenage body is still developing and needs a decent amount of sleep to function properly. In terms of Ridge High School, our community could significantly benefit from starting school later, even if some extra scheduling complications are present along the way.