As a sophomore at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, I would like to respond to the recent proposal for a later start time for Camden, Rockland, and Medomak middle and high school students. Last weekend an email went out to parents describing the possible changes, which essentially consist of bumping the start time of the middle and high schools an hour later and that of the elementary schools a half hour earlier. The email also summarized the thinking behind the shift, referencing the research on adolescent sleep patterns. Personally, I find the initiative incredibly exciting. I could cite dozens of statistics about the downsides of teens getting up while it's still dark out, but you can find those numbers anywhere. I'd rather explain my support of the change from a student's perspective.

First things first: sleep. With the current 7:40 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. schedule, I'm not getting enough of it and not at the right time. Sleep is thus often the most pressing matter in my brain from when I first get out of bed to when I climb back into it, which is not ideal by anyone's standards. My parents would rather I be thinking about cleaning my room and paying attention to my sister; my teachers would rather I be thinking about engaging in class and completing my homework; and I would rather be thinking about going for runs and inventing bad puns (and possibly writing poetry?). I admit that it's not entirely the schedule's fault; I procrastinate as many other high schoolers do. But also like many of my classmates, I have a full load of homework and extracurriculars to juggle. Rarely do I get even eight hours of sleep, much less the recommended nine and a half hours for adolescents. Here's where the inherent flaw in the current system comes in: even when I do get enough rest, my sixteen-year-old sleep cycle works against me. It has been scientifically proven that I cannot be fully awake until well into my first period class. Where does that put me given that I go straight from homeroom to woodworking every other day? Quite likely with fewer than ten fingers by the end of the semester.

Next is the weekday morning scene at my house. If I had to describe it in two words, I would use rushed and calculated. Rushed because that twenty minute period is a complete blur. If you were to film it, I'm pretty sure it would replay in fast forward. Calculated because every minute counts. I know I can safely "sleep in" until 7:05 a.m., but 7:06 is pushing it. I should be getting dressed and de-zombifying myself at 7:11, finishing my cereal at 7:18, and brushing my teeth at 7:21. Then I have four minutes to drag all my stuff downstairs, find shoes and a coat, say goodbye to the dog, grab my lunch, and be pulling out of the driveway by 7:25. With luck, I can be in homeroom before the 7:40 a.m. bell. Unlike my Latin charts or pre-calculus formulas, I don't have to study these numbers. I don't write them on my wrist like I do my splits in a track race. No, they've been drilled into my head from years of practice ever since the first day of fifth grade. And I'm one of the lucky ones; many of my peers must rise more than an hour earlier than me to catch their buses or drive from Hope, Appleton, and Lincolnville. If this whole process could take place just an hour later, I know the chaos would be largely eliminated and I could arrive at school feeling, well, conscious to say the least.

I should also address what seems to be the most common critique against the later start time: a later release. As a student athlete, I understand this concern. During cross country and track seasons, I get home from practice late enough as it is. I usually shower and then don't have the energy to begin homework until after dinner; from what I've heard, I'm in the majority. Who would want to push all of that an hour later? But then I thought about it and realized a later start wouldn't actually take away from my afternoons. If school got out at 3:15 p.m. instead of 2:15, practice would probably run from 4 to 6 p.m., instead of 3-5 p.m. Instead of getting home after 5 p.m., taking a shower, and procrastinating until dinner at 6:30 or so, I would get home after 6 p.m., take a shower, and promptly eat dinner.

Wait...did my day just become more efficient? And I get more, better quality sleep? And early morning chaos is reduced or even eliminated? Yes, please. This proposed change makes so much sense. I'm sure there will be issues that arise along the way, but I'm willing to help figure them out if it means enjoying these benefits. If you ask me, the new start time can't come soon enough.

Or maybe I should say late enough.

A sophomore at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, Augusta Stockman lives in Camden