While participating in the weight lifting program at PV, students in their junior and senior year will either be enrolled into an early bird 6:30 AM or 7:30 AM class. Dreading the early morning, many participating students dislike this early time.
At 6:30 AM, juniors and seniors in lifting are required to be present at the high school lifting room, switching on/off days Monday through Friday. These early morning classes have presented many issues, including student’s declining performance levels and numerous absences. As studies show, the suggested school start time should be after 8:30 to acquire the proper amount of sleep teenagers need.
If this change were to be implemented, students have reported it would improve their attendance and the amount of effort they give at school.
Students at PV have questioned if this could be changed and why they view a later lift time as necessary. Sophomore Molly Butcher has never participated in early bird lifting and hopes to never experience it at all. “It would help me a lot if I did not have to go to early bird lifting next year because I am definitely not a morning person,” she said. “I wouldn’t have any motivation to lift if I am waking up that early in the morning to lift and then go to a full day of school.”
Although waking up early and exercising has many benefits, getting enough sleep is often sacrificed, especially for high school students who have homework and tests to study for. The requirement to wake up early to be at school to lift takes away from the self motivation that many feel when choosing to wake up early on their own accord. Those who are not intrinsically motivated to do so may not be at their full potential to work out that early, taking away from the whole purpose of early bird lifting.
This is particularly harmful to junior and senior students, as those years are often the busiest in a high school student’s life. This means that those in early bird lifting often do not get to bed at a reasonable time, especially when considering the time they have to wake up.
Kylie Crome has been in lifting for all four years, but during her last semester of high school, she decided it was not the best choice for her. “As my competition season for dance begins in the second semester, I knew I was going to be missing six Mondays out of the week due to traveling or long Sunday nights that I would want to sleep in,” she said. “I am also not a morning person, so waking up at 5:30 AM two out of the five days a week was not something I ever enjoyed.”
Students’ opinions, however, is not the deciding factor that could make a change. For some students, waking up early and getting a lift in at the school may just have to be a part of their weekly routine. However, if something changes in the future, juniors and seniors will be able to sleep in like they have wished.
