By Natasha Randeniya
Staff Writer
Costa has modified its bell schedule for the 2022-23 school year. First period now begins at 8:30 a.m. rather than 8 a.m. Additionally, office hours have been changed from one day a week, on Wednesdays, to two days a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students now have the opportunity to be better rested, improve their mental health, and have sufficient time to finish their work, catch up on assignments, meet with teachers, and make up tests.
In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 328 into law, ordering that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Up until this year, school began at 8 a.m. with zero period starting at 7 a.m. Additionally, during the 2021-22 school year, students had two one-hour periods on Wednesdays for both AM and PM office hours. Students are now given one office hour period every Tuesday and Thursday to utilize. On Tuesdays, students can visit the Foreign Language, English, History, and Visual and Performing Arts departments. On Thursdays, Math, Science, Tech, and Athletic teachers are available.
According to the CDC, students ages 13-18 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night in order to be fully rested. Lack of sleep can result in worsened mental health symptoms, weight gain, poor performance in school, and increased abuse of alcohol and drugs. With school days starting at 8:30 a.m., students are better rested and prepared for their day. The 30 minutes added to students’ sleep schedule results in a much more rested mind, prolonging attention spans throughout the day and improving decision making.
Mental health plays a huge role in teenagers’ lives. According to Health Harvard, sleep and mental health are closely connected. Sleep deprivation affects teens psychological state, and those with mental health problems are more likely to develop insomnia or other sleep disorders. Therefore, the new schedule for this school year has a positive impact on how students function.
According to Costa counselor Chloe Pines, the schedule is a more effective way for students to get work done. According to Pines, it gives students who have extracurriculars ample time to finish their work. Many argue that students did not use Wednesday afternoon office hours, proving that this change allows students and staff to be more efficient.
However, since the days are longer, after-school sports have minimum free time. With 30 minutes added to the beginning of the day, sixth period ends at 3:19 p.m. However, students have more time to sleep in the morning, aiding them in their school endeavors. According to Oxford University’s sleep experiment, teenagers’ brains are most engaged between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Moreover, the extra sleep in the morning proves to be beneficial.
With extra time to work, along with 30 minutes of extra sleep, students are given the chance to fulfill other hobbies and extracurriculars outside of school. This new change serves as motivation for students at Costa and also improves their efforts in school. Students are given this new schedule as a way to improve their academics to their full potential, especially since they get sleep and another day of office hours, unlike previous years.
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