Oat-Standing Breakfast! 🥞

Published on April 27. 2026

by Maysa Davis

Between late-night study sessions and the early morning bell, the traditional family breakfast has shifted. It has been replaced by cafeteria apples and a generation of students who say they would have to wake up at 3:30 a.m. just to have time for a bowl of cereal.

As the sun rises over Nevada, 56% of freshmen at South Career and Technical Academy are racing against the clock having snoozed their alarms four times on an empty stomach. For the remaining 44%, a morning meal is coded into their routine, though many fight for the extra minutes of sleep needed to get through the school day.

Photo Taken By: Sarah Ritsos ❤️

National Trends and Time Pressures ⏰

According to National Youth Health surveys, approximately 60% to 70% of teenagers report skipping breakfast primarily due to a lack of time. This national trend is mirrored by Sarah Ritsos, a freshman who said she would be more likely to eat if she had "extra time". Ritsos highlighted the pressure on student schedules, noting she would need to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to prepare a meal before school. According to National Youth Health surveys, approximately 60% to 70% (aha) teenagers report skipping breakfast primarily due to lack of time in the morning. This national trend is mirrored by Sarah Ritsos, a freshman who states would be more likely

to eat breakfast if she had “extra time” highlighting the extreme pressure on students' schedules by noting that she would wake up as early as 3:30 AM to make breakfast before school. For the 60-70% of students, this is the norm. Which only fuels the 7AM fatigue felt by a majority of enrolled students.

Photo Taken By: Tyler Swick (Film Studies/Percussion Ensemble Teacher) 🎶

The "Night Owl" Reflection 💤

In addition to the 7AM fatigue, research into adolescent “chronotypes” show that most students in high school have a biological shift that makes them “night owls” making early hunger rather a task than something that is essential to youth growth. With this biological data, identifying as a night person over being a morning person. When asked why she skips breakfast, Ritsos clarifies it isn't a struggle of willpower, but a lack of desire, stating “I don't think it's hard” to go without food early in the day. The truth of the matter is, these biological shifts suggest that many of our freshman students WHO skip breakfast in the morning is less a matter

of poor discipline, and more of a natural byproduct that aligns poorly with our 7:00AM-1:11PM schedule. So, until the school bell starts honoring the “night owl” internal clock, it looks like more students will keep choosing to snooze that bell over a bowl of oats! If you can help it, let this be a little wake up call.