The introduction of a late start to school on Wednesdays has made room for both positive and negative changes to the schedules of all members of the Gulliver community. Having followed the new schedule for more than half of the school year, initial opinions have changed and students wonder as to whether the schedule will remain the same next year.

Opinions vary just as greatly as they did at when the new schedule was first implemented. Some students, like sophomore Lauren Bartel, enjoy the schedule’s benefits to their sleeping schedules, but would prefer if “late day” remains only once a week.

“Getting two extra hours of sleep a week lets me stay up later and work more, so I have more time to be efficient and for my after-school hobbies,” said Bartel. “But I don’t think the schedule should be every day.”

Meanwhile, other students believe that the late schedule is difficult for students with after-school activities, because ending school at 3:45 pushes sports practices later and leaves less time for homework.

“The Wednesday schedule doesn’t take into account other schedules, like people with siblings at the Academy and people with after-school activities,” said sophomore Jacob Gelrud. “It’s also difficult for families with two working parents to shift their schedules once a week.”

Teachers and faculty members also must make changes in their own schedules to give students an extra hour of sleep once a week.

“I think it gives teachers a chance to breathe halfway through the week,” said English teacher Erick Consuegra. “Most students can wake up an hour later, but for teachers it means morning meetings. But I think the schedule is ideal for students to reset halfway through the week.”

Instead of holding large faculty meetings after school on Wednesdays, teachers now meet before school on Wednesdays.

The new schedule was part of a decision by Prep Principal Jonathan Schoenwald, with the goal of benefiting as many students as possible. However, with every big decision comes challenges.

“I think that more students like the new schedule than don’t, and people did their research into why sleep is important,” said Schoenwald. “Whenever a school makes a decision about something, it always is going to affect students differently. But what a school always tries to do is think about what is going to be best for the biggest group of people.”

According to Schoenwald, it would be a challenge to implement the later schedule every day next school year, due to the impacts it poses on sports practice, after-school tutorials, and extracurricular activities. However, most students can agree that it gives them a much-needed extra hour of sleep that they did not have last year.