Three-quarters of high school students in America do not get enough sleep, according to USA Facts Team in May 7, 2024. To address this, Campbell Hall has implemented a late start on Wednesdays since 2011. The goal was to have students sleep in, but students use this extra time in a variety of ways.
NewsWire in October 15, 2019 found that Campbell Hall was one of the first schools in the country to have a late start. In NewsWire’s article about sleep benefits for students, Head of School Julian Bull observed a dramatic shift with late starts in 2011: academic achievements and emotional well-being increased at Campbell Hall. Psychologists commonly say that sleep is directly related to better academic performance, according to Kirstein Weir from APA in 2024. Leila Rubinstein ‘28, a freshman, agrees that there is a change in her mood with extra sleep. With multiple extracurriculars and a heavy workload, she likes to sleep early and wake up early, She notices how important sleep is for her well being and late start provides her with an opportunity to sleep when her schedule becomes busier.
“Sleep heavily affects my mood,” Rubinstein said. “When I don’t feel motivated [because of tiredness], I really struggle to engage with lessons. I always try to get as much sleep as possible, but life gets in the way.”
As a morning person, Rubinstein enjoys waking up earlier on Wednesdays than weekdays. Instead of sleeping in, she uses the extra hour and wakes up earlier. She feels more productive and uses her time well by doing homework and working out.
“I love having late start,” Rubinstein said. “I love getting things done because of late start, and I prefer working in the mornings when I have the chance to. Even though I’m waking up earlier, I still get ten times the amount done.”
However, late start can affect the entire community and not only students. Parents have to take children to school later, student drivers rush to school, and teachers have tardy students. Steven Wachs, psychology teacher and Campbell Hall parent, finds that students may have to rush places after school since Campbell Hall starts later throughout the week and ends later. Compared to other schools, 3:40 pm is a late dismissal time for Dr. Wachs.
“Late start creates a late dismissal,” Wachs said. “Our students in after-school activities, that are not Campbell Hall activities, are left often sprinting to them. That can involve unsafe driving. So while I agree that we need to get students the chance to sleep, it’s not without consequence.”
Additionally, not everyone uses late start to their advantage. Ezra McCullers ‘27 believes he only feels a small difference in his performance at school with a late start. He sleeps even later the night before Wednesday, compared to other school days, leaving him to sleep the same seven hours and not being more productive.
“Overall, it’s pretty similar,” McCullers said. “I’m a little more energized after sleeping an extra hour. Sometimes I’ll wake up [early] on late start days at my normal [weekday] time and then have an extra hour, just in the morning and just do nothing. I feel like I want to stay in bed more.”
Steven Wachs believes that to address sleep deprivation, we should find other creative ways to do it and not just start later. He notices that there is not one perfect solution, but Campbell Hall can continue to improve.
“There are going to be challenges with anything that we do,” Wachs said. “I want our students to sleep properly and I want our students committed to their wellness. If we are going to continue late start, I’d also like to see us maximize our classroom time and do less homework outside of the school day, really focusing on completing work in class.”
