The View 38002 02-2020_Feb The View 38002 | Page 3

theview
February 2020
Lakeland School Start Times
education.
Lakeland Preparatory
School will become one of these schools
We all know that children need
with a later start time when it begins
adequate sleep to function well every day. receiving ninth graders in August of 2022.
Teenagers are often the ones that struggle Every year after this, the school will take
with this issue the most, since many junior on the next grade level until the once
and high schools have a start time around Lakeland Middle Preparatory School
seven o’clock or earlier every morning.
houses all children from grades five
However, the Board of Education for
through twelfth. This means tenth graders
Lakeland School System wants to change will join the new school in 2023, eleventh
that with their new school. The committee graders in 2024, and finally twelfth graders
recommendation to start school at 8:15 was in 2025. The start time of 8:15 AM means
approved unanimously at the meeting that Lakeland Preparatory School will be
took place on Monday, January 13, 2020. included with other public high schools
The school board, which has maintained
that have latest start times. The current start
the dedication to encourage healthy start
times for Arlington High School, where
times for high school students, made the
high school students presently attend, is
determination to alter the bell schedule two 7:00 AM.
years preceding the start of the new high
The American Academy of Pediatrics
school. This demonstrates the dedication to and the Centers for Disease Control and
fostering what the community’s children
Prevention both recommend later start
need most to better their health and
times for teenagers, particularly high
Special to The View 38002
.com
schoolers. This age group needs nine hours
per night to improve their cognitive
function. Sleep deprivation can also lead to
the forming of dangerous habits, such as
drug usage and aggressive behavior, as
well as developing mental illnesses, like
anxiety and depression. The sleep cycle of
teenagers prevents them from feeling tired
until around midnight. To form better sleep
routines, teens should go to bed at a regular
time and turn off their electronics earlier.
Organized by the Board of Education in
February of 2019, the High School Start
Time Committee is comprised of parents,
administrators, faculty members, school
board member Deborah Thomas, and
Superintendent Dr. Ted Horrell. Together,
they voiced concerns for a later start time
centered on the recommendations from the
American Academy of Pediatrics and the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, which suggest that schools
should begin the day as close to 8:30 AM
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as possible. In establishing the new start
time, school board chair Kevin Floyd said,
“This decision reflects our board’s belief
that adequate rest is in the best interest of
students and should be a priority in
planning for our new high school.”
“Countless studies have supported
benefits to physical and mental health as
well as academic performance in
adolescents. The Lakeland School System
is setting the standard for schools in the
Mid-South to adhere to these health
recommendations,” said Dr. Valerie
Crabtree, who is a pediatric sleep
psychologist and chief of psychosocial
services at St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital. She is a parent serving on the
High School Start Time Committee.
Starting in August of 2022, Lakeland
Preparatory School will open its doors
each day at 8:00 AM for fifth through
ninth grade, with grades ten to twelve
joining one year at a time until 2025.
call‭‭901-517-7750‭‭for‭FREE PICK UP & DELIVERY
The Arlington Middle School Dance Team Champions
By Tyler Hill
The Arlington Middle School Dance Team
returned home from the UDA National Dance
Team Championship as WORLD CHAMPI-
ONS in the Hip Hop division. The Lady Ti-
gers competed in two days of extremely tough
junior high divisions during the competition
in Orlando, Floriday. The AMDT’s outstand-
ing performances landed them in the finals for
both pom and hip hop, placing 5 th and 6 th ,
respectively. They then earned the World
School Champion title during the World
School Performance. The girls brought home
three trophies, 1 gold medal and the coveted
white championship jackets! Congratulations
to these athletes and their coaches and spon-
sors – Wendy Wissman, Candace Wright,
Marilyn Goad and Nancy D’Surney.