Opinion
12 The Voyager
December 2021
School or Sleep? A later start time would benefit both
T
he phone alarm plays the melody of choice at 6:00 am. You just lay there, eyes closed, and think, “Dreams, please take me back. Waking up is the last thing I want to do.” Don’t worry. You’re not the only one. The Voyager staff also dreads that melody as well. Sleep research suggests teenagers (13–18) need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day, but teens actually average 5-6 hours. At lunch, stories circulate of how friends got “three hours of sleep,” or “pulled an all-nighter” to complete school work. All they want to do is go home and sleep; it’s not uncommon. Most American adolescents aren’t getting enough sleep, and for high school, that number is over 70%. A lack of sleep impacts overall student health, well-being, and academic success, even contributing to longterm health consequences. It all chalks up to the very thing we wake for — school. Homework for school, clubs for school, sports for school. Trying to squeeze in quality time with friends and family because you’re busy with school and extracurriculars. And all for what? Wait for it — to get into another school. Trapped in this endless whirlpool, vortex, tornado only adds on to the disorientation of waking so early for school; every day is another “Wow, another day of quizzes, talk and then test, and sitting dormant for abnormally long periods of time. Occasionally, a good ‘ol fight finds its way in there, making a day, a class, interesting, but generally it’s just an endurance of pain. Not to say that learning can’t be fun, but precalc is hard enough. Why start at 7:30am?
Eastern starts earlier than the country’s average of 8:00 am. Our start time is earlier than many schools in the country, but even then the national average is still too early with both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending that high schools begin no earlier than 8:30am. Most of the Voyager staff goes to bed from 10:30 PM to 1:00 AM, so delaying the start time of school even just one hour at 8:30 AM would give students six hours in the worst case scenario; already a step up from our typical 5-6 hours on a good day. Not only that, but students will have more time to get things done in the morning. Right now, that’s severely lacking. The majority of the Voyager staff doesn’t even have breakfast, because what time is there in our hectic morning vortex? This jarring wakeup leaves many students struggling to pay attention in class and thus, making them more likely to have lower grades. There is a gap in grades and overall GPA between students with sufficient sleep and students without it, but there are so many other factors affected by sleep that schools don’t take into consideration. These include an increased likelihood for risk-taking behaviors such as bullying and fighting, a greater chance of unhealthy behaviors including alcohol and drug use, and a higher risk of athletic injury. Perhaps even more vital is the
Eastern Regional High School 1401 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-784-4441 www.voyager-online.org YouTube: ehs voyager Twitter: @ehsvoyager Instagram: @ehsvoyager
Advisors:
Walter Bowne and George Kemery
increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, due to the fact that we wake up when it’s still dark outside. Sleep is also seriously connected to emotional wellness, with studies proving that an earlier school start time increases depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Sleep deprivation stresses our developing bodies. This is not helpful to our overall well being. Making the learning environment happy and productive is such an important aspect of teaching in the first place. If you want to get the best results, you need a receptive audience. Giving students more breathing room to get all the things they need to do finished, and maintain a good sleep schedule will increase overall student happiness and improve so many aspects of school simultaneously. It’s not just students’ attitudes that a later schedule would be helping; Eastern itself will be benefited with better attendance, lower tardiness, and an increased school-average GPA due to well-rested students being more productive. It’s honestly a win-win situation that the administration should take advantage of. The main concern many people have would be with bus scheduling, but if the school is really dedicated to its students’ well-being, this will be an imperative adjustment to make for future students. Eastern students work day and night to develop their futures, and it all starts with getting out of the right side of the bed.
Staff Editorial
Madison Jolley: News Editor Cassidy Golin: Features Editor Matt Chowansky: Entertainment Editor Joseph Loverdi: Sports Editor Tiana Cyrelson: Media Editor Alana McLeod: Art Editor Mahawa Bangoura: Arts and Culture Editor
Staff Reporters
Editorial Staff Andrew Shinkle: Editor-in-Chief Leah Snyderman: Co-Editor-in-Chief Arianna Morales: Co-Editor-in-Chief Jenna Preston: Associate Editor-in-Chief Antonia Zong: Managing Editor Laura Silenzio: Opinion Editor
Dawn Betner, Basirah Corbett-Collier, Maya Dunkelman, Kyle Goldstein, Jacob Gollin, Miraal Halim, Shreya Komar, Jordan Kramer, Aiden Kremer Olivia Marcantuono, Anna Langan, Lan Anh Nguyen, Rylee Pearlman, Molly Smith Michael Sorenson, Alanna Stein, Kaitlin Swift, Marcela Torres, Nick Vitale, Mark Wang, Timur Markowitz, Julia Zeidler
Cartoon by Sophia Gambescia ‘23
Short-e-torials
After deadly Michigan school shooting, change is neccessary On November 30, 2021, Ethan Crumbley, a 15-year-old sophomore, opened fire on his peers and teachers at Oxford High School in Michigan. With four dead, this is the deadliest school shooting in the US since May 2018. That morning, Crumbley and his parents met with administrators at the school to discuss his behavior. He sat in the office with a loaded gun in his backpack and was allowed to return to class with no disciplinary actions being taken. Crumbley sent multiple other warning signs before the shooting that had members of the community concerned for their safety. He posted a picture of the gun he would use, an early Christmas present from his parents, to his Instagram, writing “Just got my new beauty today.” Videos were found of him talking about the shooting the night before it happened. Teachers also saw him researching ammunition and found graphic drawings in his journal depicting the shooting. There were multiple signs sent, so why was nothing done? Seven minutes after reports of the shooting were first made, Ethan’s mom sent a text to him saying “Ethan don’t do it.” This shouldn’t have happened. These signs should have been taken seriously; they were right in front of us. Gun control laws are necessary. We need to stop saying “change is needed” and actually make change happen. - Leah Snyderman ‘22
Omicron is the newest addition to the COVID family As the fall holidays came to a close, the chatter of Covid-19 that died down months ago rose again with new vigor. On November 24, 2021, South Africa reported its first case of the Omicron variant: the newest virus to join the Delta variant as a Variant of Concern (VOC). Omicron was named a VOC on November 30, 2021, due to its presumed increase in infection rates and possible resistance to current vaccines. Unique aspects of this variant include more mutations to its spike protein than seen with any other variant; the spike protein is the primary target of current vaccines. Although this variant runs the risk of a more rapid transmission rate, no symptoms have been reported to be more severe than Delta. But according to the CDC, there aren’t enough cases or data to provide an accurate response for the virus’s severity. The fact remains that each individual must stay vigilant, as Omicron’s alarming transmission rate could create new Covid surges during the holidays. - Antonia Zong ‘22
Major League Baseball enters first work stoppage since 1995 The MLB has entered into a lockout, as the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) and the team owners failed to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. This means that teams cannot make trades, sign free agents, or even talk to players, leaving stars like Freddie Freeman, Nick Castellanos, and Kris Bryant without a team until the stoppage ends. Major League Baseball’s last work stoppage was the 1994 strike, which canceled the second half of that regular season, the entire postseason, and the beginning of the 1995 regular season. This season’s lockout looks likely to last until spring training as issues such as service time manipulation and salary drops look unlikely to be resolved or addressed. It’s hard to see owners and players negotiating any time soon, as there’s a stark divide between the two. Prepare to wait for our nation’s pastime for quite a while. - Joseph Loverdi ‘22
