At the end of November,  USD 232 decided to make a greater effort to enhance the learning of their students. They did this by implementing a 30-minute delayed start every Wednesday where students can get extra sleep and teachers are required to meet with their peers who teach the same subject.

For most students, the 30 extra minutes of sleep has been a refreshing little break in the middle of their week. In fact, Junior Zac Smith feels more prepared for the day, and even the rest of the week.

“They are good for getting a little more sleep on Wednesday mornings. I feel more ready to learn when we have them,” Smith said.

Although the students are grateful for extra 30 minutes of sleep, some feel they could be even longer. Sophomore Phoenix Thompson is a fan of the current late starts, but feels it wouldn’t hurt to start school a little later even.

“I love them and they should stay or even get longer. I feel like I would benefit from getting even more extra sleep,” Thompson said.

Students are already benefiting from the delayed starts in multiple different ways. As a CTEC student, Smith gets even more extra sleep with a shorter drive to the CTEC campus.

“I feel like I have benefitted from these late starts, especially with CTEC. I don’t even have to get up until like eight in the morning,” Smith said.

Students like Thompson choose to use their extra time in the morning in different ways. He will occasionally pass up on the extra sleep and go to the gym instead.

“I use the time to get more sleep in the morning, or go to the gym and get a workout in,” Thompson said. 

However, the core purpose of having these delayed starts was not for the students to get extra sleep. The district wanted to provide teachers with extra collaboration time in the morning to further expand their ability to ensure student success.

The teachers of the district have been meeting with their respective departments over the last few months with the goal of identifying the most effective teaching strategies and lessons. Smith has noticed the difference in the classroom and believes he is learning more as a result.

“I feel like the teachers have been doing great and I am getting taught better from them having more meeting time during the week,” Smith said. 

The general consensus is that the collaborative team time and late starts should stick around for the improvement of the district. Overall, students and teachers have benefited from delayed starts.