School Starting Time

Have you ever gone to school tired and unmotivated?  Well, you’re not alone. It’s hard having to wake up earlier than 7:30 every morning, then immediately having to start learning. WRMS students have to get up early because they have to have enough time to get ready, eat breakfast, and to get to school. In fact, WRMS starts earlier than any other school in the district.  WRMS students have many opinions on this issue.

A survey conducted among WRMS students found the overwhelming response was that school should start later. But both sides had good arguments and could back up their opinions.

Someone with a strong opinion is WRMS 7th grader Emery Simonson who believes that early starts have negative effects. “It makes school much more stressful. You have to get up super early. It makes you drained for the first half of the day and it’s harder to focus,” said Simonson. This is true, and could be backed up by science. There have been multiple studies saying that the less sleep you get, the harder it is to pay attention and learn. The Department of Health recommends teenagers get between 8 and ten hours of sleep.

Another opinion is from 8th grader Miles Cavitte who said, “People complain about not getting enough sleep, and if you don’t get enough sleep, go to bed earlier.” This was a frequent suggestion, and sure, it is a good argument, but some people aren’t able to go to sleep early because of homework or personal stuff. Along with that the high school and elementary schools start at different times, so it could be hard for people with siblings to get to school on time.