School’s Out: For a Day

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Photo Credit: Hailey Nirenberg

Were students productive on their day off?

by Hailey Nirenberg, Staff Writer

“This is a message from the Honeywell Instant Alert System.”

These words are music to the ears of all students at Glen Rock High School. Once the phone rings and these ten words are heard, students know that nothing but good news is to follow.

Whether it’s a delayed opening, early dismissal, or the much anticipated snow day, this call means more to students than one would expect.

When the delayed opening call comes in, students can switch their alarms from 6:00 am to 9:00. These extra three hours of sleep are much needed, especially when students have to stay up late doing homework.

According to News 2 in Nashville, Tennessee, neurologist and sleep specialist Dr. Michael Yu says early school start times aren’t beneficial to students. “Waking up at 6:30, 6 o’clock or even earlier, just effectively makes them sleep deprived,” said Dr. Yu.

Early dismissals on the other hand, are the exact opposite of delayed openings. Students go to school at the same time, but instead of getting out of school at 3:07, school ends at 12:25.

When students are able to leave earlier, they get the opportunity to start their homework just about three hours earlier than normal. With these extra hours to do work, students can finish their homework early, and get the chance to go to sleep earlier than normal, and get the amount of sleep they need for the next day.

However, even though delayed openings and early dismissals are great, there is one type of day that is a strong favorite with students not just in Glen Rock, but across the country… the snow day. This day allows students to sleep as late as they want, and gives them a stress free day to relax and spend with family.

In Glen Rock, snow days don’t come often. So whenever this rare phone call is made, students everywhere become overjoyed with excitement.

With a day off, there are many things that a student can do, such as catch up on make up work, sleep the day away, or watch movies in bed. During these days is when students appreciate things like Netflix, which carries thousands of movies and TV series that can be watched straight off the Internet.

“All I did on both Monday and Wednesday was catch up on my shows that I recorded but never got to watch,” said Glen Rock High School Sydney Struble. “It was really relaxing and a nice break from all the work, especially since midterms just ended.”

Even though things like delayed openings, early dismissals, and snow days are extremely rare, know that students at Glen Rock High School don’t take them for granted, and are sure to make the most of them.