EIBHLEANN HINRICHS
Dear Mr. Jaurigue, Ms. Specter, Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Colgan, Ms. Wyman, Mr. Payne, and Ms. Guy,
My name is Evie and I am a completely over-committed junior at LAHS. I am involved in a dance studio outside of school as well as hold numerous positions in clubs at the high school including student council and hip hop club; all while taking multiple advanced (AP) classes. The reason I am reaching out is on account of the calendar options A, B, and C for the upcoming school year. Despite the fall break proposed in Calendar C, Calendar A is the most beneficial to ensure the success of over-committed students such as myself.
Obtaining an employment position as a teenager is nearly essential for success in the modern era. A 2021 report by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions described that in 2019, about 25% of New Mexicans 16 to 19 years old (enrolled in school) were also employed, “a rate 3.2 percentage points lower than the national rate of 28.2 percent.” Since the youth employment rate in New Mexico is already so low, it is not ideal to infringe on summer break as this is a time that many teens engage in work. Especially in Los Alamos, many high school students apply for summer LANL internships and work throughout the break. Therefore, Calendar B is the worst option for students who are involved in many activities during the school year and are over-committed. Additionally, Calendar C adds an excessive amount of days onto the end of the school year, not ending until June 7. Some may argue that the fall break offered in Calendar C will make up for the lost vacation time in summer, but for overworked students who do not travel in the summer and instead look for employment, Calendar A is the better option. The later end date and shorter summer in Calendar C would lower student’s meaningful job experience and make it harder for them to attain a full-time, significant occupation. Consequently, students’ chances at success would be thoroughly hindered without the proper opportunity of teenage profession.
Furthermore, students who are busy, high achievers, and over-committed are often enrolled in AP classes that take a tremendous amount of time, effort, and preparation. The AP Exams are held in May, and according to the LAHS AP Program Website, “over 300 students have participated in AP courses each year.” While Calendar A may end earlier giving students more time in the summer, Calendar C offers a week-long fall break that can be used by students to prepare for the AP exam and give them more time prior to the exam. However, this argument does not take into account the time wasted in the added hours after the exams extending school into June. Calendar C will add time onto the school year moving into summer - time that will not be beneficial for AP students as they will have already taken the exams. Therefore, this time should be spent prior to the AP exams held in May, as provided by Calendar A with the elimination of a fall break, allowing over-committed students to be more successful in their AP courses and academic journeys.
Mental health and sleep deprivation are major factors that need to be taken into account when choosing a school year calendar. An article on the importance of schedules / routines for children by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explains that students feel “more confident and secure when their daily activities are predictable and familiar.” If we are to set up students for success, we need them to have adequate sleep and stable mental health, which can be achieved through keeping a moderate and consistent schedule. Thus, the most beneficial calendar option would be the one that offers the most consistent schedule, Calendar A. People might claim that less breaks would mean less sleep and lower mental health for students - assuming students would sleep more and better quality. On the contrary, keeping a consistent school schedule with a constant bedtime is more beneficial for students than fluctuating breaks and sleep schedules (since students may actually stay up later on breaks). Additionally, with the longer summer break students will still have time to relax and unwind while also having longer periods of consistency. Although this would mean less breaks during the school year, the consistency of Calendar A is much more beneficial for the success of overworked students than the irregular schedules of Calendars B and C.
While Calendars B and C possess numerous breaks for over-committed students to relax and take time off, Calendar A is the most beneficial for these students to succeed and should be the option chosen for the coming school years. One possible reform to the calendar options may include beginning the school year a week earlier, in order to meet the instructional hour requirement. However, this alteration would maintain the fall break, giving over-committed students a chance to jump ahead in school work and be extra prepared for difficult and demanding courses. If action is not taken to provide over-committed students with proper conditions to be successful, then those students who are most likely to be successful will be less likely to do so. This prospect will lower graduation rates, test scores, youth employment, mental health in teenagers, and have many more negative impacts.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my proposals.
Best regards,
Eibhleann Hinrichs
This email has been sent from a verified laschools.net user.