High schoolers have to endure an early start every morning to get to school. Having to be at school by 7:15 a.m., some students might lose a “good night’s sleep.” This could make it difficult for students to concentrate in class and retain the information they are given.

 “[School should start later so] I can get enough sleep. I need to concentrate in school, otherwise I will be sleeping in school. My concentration feels like it is drifting off [during the school day],” Kelly Nguyen (10) said.  

  Scientists recommend students getting eight to 10 hours of sleep every night for a healthy lifestyle, but that’s not the case with high school students. Juggling AP class after AP class, some high schoolers stay up all night, often only getting around only four to six hours of sleep.

  “By the time I get home from extra curricular activities and [then] do homework it’s around 12 a.m. I then have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to catch the bus at 6:15 a.m.,” Nguyen said.

 Lake Central’s fieldhouse, being the only facility available in the winter for indoor practices, only has limited times for student athletes to practice. This is the cause of ever dreadful morning practices.

 “If we started [school] later, we could wake up later [for sporting practices] to not come in at 5 a.m. in the morning. For tennis, we have to wake up at 4 a.m. to get here at 5 a.m. to play in the fieldhouse,” Isabella Watts (9) said.

  On the other end of the spectrum, many people believe that starting school early is beneficial. This would give students more time to relax after school and more time for student athletes and club members to do their work either before games or after practice or meetings.

 “I agree with school starting early. It gives you more time later to do your homework and do all the things you want to do, rather than waking up late because you will have less time in the day [to do your work],” Sydney Batnick (11) said.