Currently, at Rocky Mountain High School, everyone from incoming 9th graders to future seniors are planning their schedules for the following year. Now, more than ever would be the perfect time to pivot schedules back to starting at nine in the morning. There are a number of benefits, from career readiness to extra curricular availability.

At the present moment, RMHS starts at 9:05 on most days and ends at 4:05, the exception to this rule being Wednesdays, where school begins at 9:35 and 4:05. One of the benefits of the current schedule is that students are able to sleep in more, especially on Wednesdays.

The first issue with this start time is that most of America starts their day between the hours of six and eight O’clock in the morning, meaning that they are waking up at least an hour before that. Most RMHS students are not able to wake up early enough for a normal school day such as this. The school, in this instance, is doing a disservice to its students. An earlier start time would prepare students for the workforce and even for college, where classes can be at any time of the day.

An earlier start time would be hard to adjust to at first, but if the school starts two hours earlier, it also ends a whole two hours earlier. Getting out at 4:00 pm for the average student means that there is already little time for homework and enjoying their personal lives. Add extracurricular activities that can add anywhere from two to four hours to every single day.

However, if students get out at 2:00 pm and have to remain at school for an extra four hours, they would still have extra time that they simply aren’t allowed. And for the students who don’t have things taking up the time for school, these people can invest in themselves and get a job or have enough time to do the things they want to do.

The effects of having extra free time and lowering the stress for our actors and athletes would improve the high school experience for everyone. When every single student is able to spend their time the way they want, they can focus on the time that they are at school.