DJDS to Start Later Next Year

For many years, the DJDS upper division has started at 7:55 and ended at 3:25, however this may soon change. 

Earlier this year, Upper Division Principal Dr. Jeremy Gulubcow Teglasi announced that beginning next school year DJDS will start and end 15 minutes later. It will start at 8:10 and end at 3:40.

According to Dr. G.T., since he began at DJDS he has overheard a plethora of complaints from students regarding school starting too early. By taking on the role of principle, he thought it would be time for a change. 

The new upper division start time will now align with the lower division, an aspect that Dr. G.T. wanted to fix years prior. This would also help parents who have children in both the lower and upper divisions.

While this may be a relief to many students there lies a problem. Students, parents, and Dr. G.T. are all worried about after-school activities and how DJDS starting later will affect sports and other out-of-school activities.

With this problem comes a simple and easy solution. DJDS Upper Division Athletic Director Josh Lake was able to move all games and practices up 15 minutes. 

While 15 minutes may not seem like a lot of time it would be a struggle to start any later. “What would be most helpful for teenagers is if we started much later, 8:30, 9:00, 9:30, but that is much more challenging for us to make that kind of change,” Dr. G.T. said. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, middle and high schools should start at 8:30, 20 minutes before DJDS is planned to start next school year. 

According to a 2022 study by the Centers for Disease Control, “starting school later can help adolescents get enough sleep and improve their health, academic performance, and quality of life.”