BEAUTY SLEEP

Later school start times next year will allow students to sleep longer, improve overall well-being

On May 18, the Carmel Clay Schools (CCS) school board passed the resolution to move CHS and all CCS middle school start times from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The school day will end at 3:45 p.m. instead of 3:05 p.m. As numerous studies have shown, later start times are associated with several benefits, including improved grades, and fewer car accidents and absences. As a result, the HiLite staff fully commends the district for its decision to implement these changes to the school day.

In the current school system, most students are unable to balance their workload and extracurriculars while HILITE STAFF EDITORIAL

our stance We commend the school board for pushing back start times to benefit students

still getting enough sleep. In fact, a survey conducted in 2017 by the CDC found only two in five high-schoolaged adolescents reported sleeping the recommended eight hours each night. On the other hand, in school districts with 8:30 a.m. start times and later, two-thirds of students reported getting eight hours. With the board deciding to pass the resolution to move start times later, more students can get the necessary hours of sleep per night.

That extra time students have for sleep comes with a plethora of benefits. It has been proven later start times also improve students’ academic performance and attendance. An experiment conducted by Seattle Public Schools alongside the University of Washington found moving start times from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. improved students’ grades by 4.5% and noted that tardies and absences during the trial period of eight months decreased by 44%.

This report highlights a direct correlation between start times, attendance and academic performance. When school starts later, adjustments allow

by the numbers 20% of schools nationwide start at 7:45 a.m. or earlier increase in sleep can result in better grades 30 MINUTE

30% of students admit to falling asleep in class

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What is your opinion on school start times getting pushed back next year? SPEAK UP!

h students to wake up well-rested, decreasing the amount of students who arrive late or don’t attend school.

According to Superintendent Michael Beresford, the board’s decision to pass these changes stems from the decreased rates of adolescent depression, anxiety, obesity, and drug and alcohol use associated with later start times.

The National Sleep Foundation supports this, reporting in 2016 that districts with start times 8:30 a.m. and later saw a 23% decrease in automobile accidents among students. Additionally, they found teenage depression rates were 2.9 times lower in districts with later start times than neighboring districts. According to the Institute of Mental Health, adolescent depression rates are currently at an all time high. We commend the district on its efforts to decrease these rates among teenagers.

Due to improvements later start times bring to students’ overall wellbeing according to research studies, the HiLite staff commends the district’s decision to push start times later during the day for CHS students.

Sophomore Ayaan Abbasi “I think while the intentions are good, it could be counterproductive with students staying up later instead of using the extra time to sleep. The later end times may also conflict with students’ extracurriculars or push the school day back if kids have to go to clubs or sports.”

Junior Nitya Sandadi “It’s a good idea that the time is getting pushed back. I don’t really want for school to end at a later time but, if it means students are getting enough sleep, then it might be worth it. I wish they made these changes earlier.”

From a Distance

Students should actively reach out to friends through virtual platforms despite increased physical distancing

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say we’re living the Great Depression right now, and not just economically. We—as human beings, also known as highly social creatures— are in the midst of a social recession. There is no school or work to facilitate human interactions, so the responsibility falls upon you, the individual, to actively reach out to your friends.

Because by giving in to the isolation, you are not only harming your personal well-being, but you are also harming the well-being of others.

Research, in addition to good old common sense, has proven that humans need social interaction— not just for the sake of mental or emotional health, but also for the very foundations of physical health. During these trying times, it’s especially important for everyone to T HEY

make their best efforts in maintaining (virtual) social contact. Maybe even a simple “hey” will do. (Provided that your friend naturally texts back with “is for horses,” you now have an entire conversation going where you may debate the merits of spelling and homophones.)

After all, with the proliferation of technology today, you very likely have no excuse to not reach out. To start off with, you can send a simple message (see above), or perhaps try a phone call, if you’re feeling up to it.

You could use Houseparty, an app that functions like group-Facetime but is accessible for more smart devices. You can also try Netflix Party, so you can vent to your friends while simultaneously watching some trashy show that’s only satisfying when you can rant about how the script reads like it was written by 12-year-olds (“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo.”).

You could even set up a Zoom meeting with a group of friends— perhaps as a surprise birthday party, by telling the said-birthday celebrator that you desperately wanted to video call and Zoom was the only possible alternative to your obviously broken Facetime (which you most certainly did not fake)… a devious scheme that one of my friends employed with great success.

The bottom line is we are social distancing…but only physically. So make sure you’re doing your part by staying home to flatten the o be quite frank, I’m a massive introvert. If there were a kitchen in my room, I’d probably never leave—and what’s more, I’d be content with not having to leave. So when this quarantine started, I was, of course, disheartened, considering the global crisis we’re currently in and whatnot, but social isolation wasn’t exactly the top of my worries—at first. So not at the top of my worries, in fact, that I actually started neglecting social contact completely, for a while. And yet, I don’t think my experiences were entirely unique, nor unwarranted, unfortunately.

app happy

GRACE XU COLUMN

Here are some fun apps you can download to improve your time in quarantine

Airtime is an app where you can watch YouTube, TV shows or movies, or listen to music with friends over video chat.

Houseparty is a video-chatting app where you can make new friends and play games from your phone or desktop.

Headspace

Headspace is a meditation app that can help you relieve stress and find peace and quiet during the crisis.

YouVisit is a virtual reality app that lets you travel the world with your friends using a headset and a phone.

Fiton is a fitness app that offers free cardio, yoga and muscle workouts from home to do with your friends.

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Scan to read a column about social distancing

h The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Grace Xu at gxu@hilite.org. curve, but also make sure you’re doing your part by virtually reaching out to others—for both your sanity and theirs. Because while we are humans and not horses, a “hey” every once in a while still sounds like a pretty good idea.

Think Big, Shop Small Consider supporting small businesses by purchasing gift cards during pandemic

WENDY ZHU COLUMN

love shopping. Though I will admit that I spend most of my time browsing rather than actually making purchases, shopping has become a way to cope with stress or sadness. Although retail therapy may not be the most effective long-term solution to negative emotions, a study published in Psychology & Marketing found it can temporarily improve psychological well being. In these uncertain times, shopping can help people feel like they have more control over their lives.

During this pandemic, I can’t help but feel incredibly selfish when browsing through stationery products or eyeing a new pair of shoes. Frontline workers are sacrificing their lives to help others, thousands of people are dying every day yet all I’m doing is thinking about buying things I don’t even need. For me, shopping during quarantine has raised some important concerns. Companies are struggling to supply people with necessities, and I’m potentially putting delivery workers at an even higher risk of being exposed to COVID-19: should I really be turning to retail therapy in a time like this?

While it seems logical to stop making unnecessary purchases entirely, it’s also important to consider the repercussions on businesses— particularly the smaller ones. This isn’t to say large businesses aren’t grappling with the economic effects of the stayat-home orders as well, but small ones are especially experiencing the brunt of COVID-19.

According to Main Street America, almost 7.5 million small businesses in the United States may be at risk of permanent closure if COVID-19 persists for several more months. Furthermore, about 35.7 million Americans employed by small businesses are at risk of unemployment; clearly, these businesses are struggling to stay afloat in current conditions. Major retailers may not be going out of business I by the numbers 87% of businesses are hurt by COVID-19 WALLETHUB

SOURCE of businesses seek government relief funds 63% SHOPAHOLIC screen times two

*sigh* okay, I should take a break...

any time soon, but that is a very real possibility for businesses with only a handful of employees.

To help these businesses without perpetuating the spread of COVID-19, see if they offer gift cards or certificates that can be used at a later time. By purchasing these gift cards, shoppers can provide businesses with some cash inflow for the time being. While this does take away some of the excitement and instant gratification of retail therapy, try to find ways to support small businesses without putting anyone at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. Down the road, once it’s safer for delivery workers, those gift cards can be used for a retail therapy session: it’s a winwin for everyone.

Of course, no one should feel obligated to spend their own money in a certain way, but for those who do have the ability to support small businesses, please consider doing so—and not only during this pandemic, but also once this is all over. h The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Wendy Zhu at wzhu@hilite.org

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*flips over to laptop*

SCREEN TIME REPORT: AVG. 12 HOURS