by Sanae Ittu

The hardest part of school isn’t the homework — it’s the early time that forces teens to function on almost no sleep. The CDC reports that 7 out of 10 high school students don’t get enough sleep. When teens are tired, we don’t learn well, and early bells make the problem worse.

Studies consistently show that early start time leads to more stress, lower attention, and high chances of students drifting off in class. The American Academy of Pediatrics confirmed that early time causes chronic sleep loss which links to higher stress, irritability, and difficulty paying attention in class.

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just make teens feel tired, but affects our academic performance. Oxford academic researchers using EEG data from high school students found that students in early morning classes had lower attentiveness and performed worse than mid-morning students. Teachers noticed right away that students have unfinished assignments, slower participation, and struggle to stay alert during instruction. Early start times make learning feel harder than it should be.

The main benefit of starting school later is better attendance and grades. The University of Washington Study decided to test out starting school later to see the effects  it has on students. In the same study, after school start times were pushed back, final grades were 4.5 percent higher and first period absences dropped. There are also more benefits like improved mood and fewer car crashes among youth.

Early start times also take a toll on students’ moods. When teens don’t get enough sleep, it shows through low energy, irritability, and difficulty staying positive throughout the day. In early classes, it’s common to see students with their heads down or barely awake, but in later classes those same students are noticeably more alert and engaged. When someone starts the day exhausted, it becomes harder to focus, stay motivated, or complete work until they feel fully awake again.

Some may argue that teens can just go to sleep early, but this would not work because teens can’t just go to bed early; our bodies naturally stay up later at night. 

Dr. Mary Carskadon stated during a PBS Frontline interview, “there is another part of their brain..the biological timing system, or the circadian clock… But when they start the day with the empty bank…they really should be home in bed sleeping, not sleeping in the classroom.”

by Cylie Ross

School uniforms, such a picky topic. Either people are really against them or love them. Let’s talk about it. 

At JHS we don’t have specific pieces of clothing that we have to wear to school everyday, but we do have a dress code. Some of the policies in the dress code include no inappropriate signs or words on shirts or hats. No mini skirts, or revealing shirts. But I believe uniforms would make everybody’s school life easier.

Teachers wouldn’t have to worry about sending kids home or to the office to change. They also wouldn’t have to worry about watching everybody in the halls to make sure their appearance is appropriate for school. The students wouldn’t have to worry about what they’re gonna wear to school in the morning, which some of the time causes the teenage girls to be late. And it would also be a good idea because students are always worried about what their peers are wearing and that wouldn’t happen if we had school uniforms.

This would also be ideal for busy parents because they would only have to buy three shirts, two pairs of pants and a pair of shoes for their kids because they would only have to buy the uniforms that are assigned by the school. Having uniforms would also increase our focus in class — everyone would be worried about the assignment and not what people are wearing.

School uniforms would also prevent students from falling for trends, or thinking they have to have the newest clothes or they’re not cool enough.

School uniforms should be mandatory for students, as they promote equality, enhance focus on academics, and save parents money.