Can Z's lead to A's? West Chicago students want later classes

Like most kids their age, the youngsters in Patricia Macko's language arts class at West Chicago Middle School often find themselves wide-awake when they should be sleeping.

And vice versa.

"How many of you have ever fallen asleep in class?" a visitor asks.

Immediately, 26 hands - in a class of 28 - shoot up.

"Last week, I was just out cold," one girl admits.

Most of these kids are sleep deprived, getting six or seven hours a night when they should be snoozing eight and a half hours or longer.

For the most part, they can't help it. At puberty, the body's internal clock reboots. Teenagers' bodies don't start secreting melatonin - the brain chemical linked to sleepiness - until approximately 11 p.m. And it stays in their bodies until 8 a.m. or so, which is why teens are so notoriously difficult to drag out of bed.

Macko's class studied the effects of sleep deprivation on teenagers, which range from lower grades to being more likely to smoke or drink alcohol.

"Fifteen minutes of extra sleep can raise a B to an A or a C to a B," said eighth grader Quinton Letts.

Three of the youngsters - Letts, Nathan Nyberg and John Maguire - spoke at recent West Chicago Community High School District 94 school board meeting to propose a solution: Start the school day later.

"It's something we all really believe is a change that should happen, not only in our community but across the country," Macko said.

After a high school district in suburban Minneapolis changed its start time from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30, students reported earning higher grades. Fewer kids were depressed and fewer kids dropped out of school.

Sleep deprivation is a personal interest of Macko's. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

"Now I sleep with a machine, and I'm a happy camper," she said.

West Chicago Community High School starts at 7:55 a.m., a pretty standard start time for area high schools. That's not likely to change.

"The (middle school) students did an excellent job presenting their information, and there's certainly a lot of validity to what they say," said District 94 Superintendent Lalo Ponce.

The problem is, a later start time means a later dismissal, which would conflict with after-school sports and activities. Students might not get home until 6 or 7 p.m., cutting into family time and homework, Ponce said.

Good habits can offset the early start time, Ponce said.

"If students have a regimen of school, study and sleep - and of course, dinner in there also - I think they do pretty well," Ponce said.

The middle school students say they've also learned what they can do to try to get to sleep earlier, such as exercising regularly and ditching the caffeinated energy drinks.

"I'm not sleeping in as late (on the weekends)," Maquire said.

The sleep deprivation study was part of a unit on persuasive writing, but the students also learned about participating in the community.

"This is an exercise for them in being civically competent," Macko said. "It's up to them to take the ball. I'll stand behind them if they want to continue."