Last spring FCPS unveiled the new 2015-2016 start and end times and left students thrilled at the prospect of extra sleep but fearful of the effects it might have on academic and extracurricular activities. Now, after a few weeks of functioning under these new start times, people have an array of opinions.
Despite the issues bus drivers and riders faced the first few days of school, junior Matt Perez noted that the traffic was “not too much of a problem,” but “the times the bus [has] been getting to the stop has been a little less consistent,” and is “not too comfortable [because] the buses are usually very crowded.” However, he did admit that he can actually “see the benefits,” of the new school hours and that he’s “been getting up easier,” and is less tired.
What about those students who drive to school? Senior Forrest Dipert says “I like it a lot.” One of his reasons for liking it is because “[he doesn’t] have to wake up an hour early to get a parking spot,” which allows him to get more sleep, something the school board would be quite pleased to hear.
However, despite the positives that come with the new start times, senior Kaylie Cooper points out that she’d rather “stick to the old schedule because [she] gets home late,” due to extracurricular activities. People have been concerned about the later end time and its effects on after school activities since the new start and end times were first proposed.
FCPS students often have a lot on their plates; APs, homework, sports, jobs, extracurricular activities, personal matters, etc. and are often up late. This begs the questions as to whether or not the late start time is worth the late end time that goes with it. Freshman Amanda Welch, who participates in marching band, normally doesn’t get home until 5:40 PM due to practice.
While freshman don’t have the same course load, senior Alexandra Van Nederreen commented that her workload is “pretty heavy,” between finishing homework and studying. With that in mind, students can try to combat the homework load by doing their work during Spartan Time, free class time, or opting to take Advanced Academic Seminar, more commonly known as AP Study Hall. If none of those options work, prepare for some late nights.
Like anything the new start and end times have both pros and cons, and in the end we’ll just have to wait to see if this new schedule accomplished the task and whether or not students want to “stick to the old schedule,”.