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Melrose High School Start Time Essay

506 Words3 Pages

I am the sibling of a student currently attending Melrose High School. I am contacting you to request that the district implement healthier start times for middle and high school students attending Melrose Public Schools. Currently, Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School and Melrose High School have a start time of 7:45 a.m. Studies show there should be a delay in morning classes until 8:30 a.m. or later. Doing this will maximize the intellectual potential of the students in our district. Are you and the School Board aware that Melrose High School is apart of the 40% of U.S. schools that start before 8 a.m.? Are you aware that this early start time is harming the students at Melrose High School? After countless studies, sleep experts have determined a shift in adolescent sleep cycles. For a typical adolescent, their sleep cycle begins round 11 p.m. and continues through 8 a.m. With the early start times in place; adolescents are getting a 5 or 6 a.m. wake up call to get to school without being tardy. This only allows students to get 6 or 7 hours of sleep every night. During the time of adolescence, student’s brains …show more content…

Students are being woken up in the middle of a deep sleep. Being an alumnus of Melrose High School, I also remember the exhaustion I felt during the week. This can be detrimental to not only the learning but also their health. Sleep deprivation increases risk taking behavior, substance abuse, and impedes judgment and decision making ability. Many districts have taken part in this time shift. Teachers have reported academic improvements, better attendance, and students that are less moody and less likely to fall asleep in class, and I know you care for each student in the district and want the best for each individual. A simple change in the school schedule can decrease these risks and result in successful

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For example, a school in Minnesota pushed back its start time from 7:15am to 8:40 am and saw improvements in attendance, academic performance, and student well-being. Similarly, a school in Virginia pushed back its start time from 7:20 am to 8:45am and saw a decrease in student tardiness and an increase in academic achievement. These examples demonstrate that later start times can be successful and beneficial for both students and schools. However, some may argue that early start times prepare students for the "real world" and that they need to learn how to function on limited sleep.

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Mary A. Carskadon, investigated what would happen to sleep rhythms in a group of teenagers for the transition from middle school to senior high, the starting time from the late 8:25 am to very early 7:20 am. The students went about their usual schedules, wore monitors on their wrists, and kept diaries of activities two consecutive weeks. Carskadon found that the 10th grade group woke up significantly earlier for school. These students recorded that they felt tired and groggy throughout the school day. In addition they also received substantially lower test averages than the previous year.

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“...Teens to show up to class before 8 a.m. start time beginning is not good for their health or their report cards.” This was once stated by scientists. Many schools in Seattle believe that later start times in schools will lead to better grades on report cards. Associated Press has written an article called “More zzz’s can lead to more A’s: Seattle schools move start time for teens” to inform people about what is going on in Seattle about the later start times in schools.

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starting times begin at 7 A.M in the morning, making teenagers wake up around 5:00 A.M to 6:30 A.M. causing teenagers that stayed up last night weary and fatigued when they arrive at school. Sleep is an enormous part of growth, health, and prevention of stress, think about what happens when you lack sleep. Almost anybody that is exhausted will have lack of focus throughout the day. 28% of tired students tend to fall asleep in their first class causing a harmful grade. Some sleepy students do not even bother to show up to school, contributing to drop out rates and damaging grades to rise.

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BUZZ!! BUZZ!! It’s 5:00 am on a school day, you hit the snooze button, and go back to sleep. Twenty minutes later your alarm goes off again. You finally have the urge to get up and get ready for school.

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