Have you ever woken up for school and not despised the idea of having to get up and leave your comfortable bed? Teens everywhere face that struggle of not being able to get up for school and lucky for them, and maybe you, things might be changing.  

Tracy High, and many other schools, have been considering changing the normal schedule. Instead of the usual 8 am to 3 pm, the school board is thinking about starting at 8:30-9 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. While our schedule is planned to change next year, other schools around the county have put this plan into effect.  

One school in particular, Lathrop High, has already changed their school’s schedule. This new change has not only affected school hours but has also affected the lives of many students. Today I sat down and interviewed a couple of students from THS and LHS on their opinion. They shared their negative and positive attributes to the school-wide difference. 

Jordan Rezab is a 16-year-old junior at Tracy High in almost all advanced classes. She is a well time managed student and spends most of her free time doing homework.  

“Advanced classes mean piles of work, piles of work mean more free time spent at my desk working,” said Rezab.  

With the new schedule, students like Rezab are excited about the extra time to sleep in and eat a balanced breakfast in the morning. 

Dr. Micheal Breus, a sleep doctor, explains how our brains are at full abili

ty to learn during the times of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. With added time to sleep in, Rezab believes we would be at a higher functioning level and would be ready to learn by first period. 

When having to choose between the new schedule, or the schedule we have now, Rezab likes what we have now. “It’s what we’ve become used to. If we had a new schedule, it would take a while for us to get used to it.” 

Dacey Hagin is a sophomore at Lathrop High where they have already put the new schedule into place. Hagins school begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.  

She likes to not have stressful mornings and likes having the time to get ready. Hagin states that she’s a morning person but can always appreciate extra sleep. 

The amount of sleep you get can alter and affect your mental health and your mood. The less sleep you get, the worse you’ll feel. Vice versa. High school kids are lucky enough to get 8 hours of sleep on a school night. Whether they’re up late doing homework or playing video games. 

Hagin explained, “The good thing about starting school earlier is that you become prepared for life.”  

Since most jobs require you to clock in from anywhere from 7-9 a.m., adapting to this lifestyle wouldn’t hurt you in the future. 

It’s normal for human behavior to accustom and adapt to your surroundings. Waking up early, falling asleep early. Waking up late, falling asleep late. Whatever it may be, we become used to these feelings. Have you ever woken up early on a weekend even without an alarm? That’s because your brain is so used to this daily routine that it wakes you up to start the day. 

Hagin states that she wishes she were back to the old schedule. “I’m always worried about my future. I want to be as prepared as possible. If starting school early will help me, then I’d rather do that.” Plus, she hates having to get home at 4 p.m. Hagin would like to get home early and relax from a stressful day at school. 

Both high school students, Rezab and Hagin, agree on having and keeping the old school schedule, where we start at 8 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. I’m sure some students could not care less when they start, they would just rather get high school done with. Some like the extra sleep and some would rather get the day over with. Ending your work late, or early, can affect your social plans either positively, or negatively.  

It’s important to reflect on how we as students feel about these upcoming changes in our school. As it does not just affect our hours, but our mindsets as well. Each of us has an opinion and a voice, whether you want the new change or don’t.