From alarm to first class: How students start their day

By Sean Bursk
As Rockets brace the fall and prepare for the winter season, days become shorter, and the night grows longer. The ending of the night and beginning of the day becomes blurred, and many wake up far before sunrise to prepare for the day.

In a recent survey, McNicholas students were asked what their morning routine looked like. About 50% of students said they woke up between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., with most waking up with an alarm of some kind. A notable 10% claimed they woke up on time with zero outside assistance.

Another 50% said they do not eat breakfast, while there was no firm consensus on what students like to eat. Many students said they don’t have an appetite shortly after they wake up, and therefore never eat breakfast.

Senior Jackson Homan said he wakes up at 5:45 a.m. so that he has plenty of time to have his favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “I have it [Cinnamon Toast Crunch] almost every morning,” he said.

Another almost perfect split occurs in the bathroom: Almost 50% claimed they showered in the morning. One unifying trait was that practically all students brushed their teeth every morning.

For many students, the time they wake up is primarily dependent on how far away they live. Two-thirds of students live less than 20 minutes away. Senior Will Homan said he wakes up at 6:40 a.m. and leaves home around 7:15 a.m., allocating for an average 15-minute travel time.

Another key factor is the method of transportation. Almost all students use a car to get to school, with 3% who walk and another 3% who use the bus. Freshman Lydia Woodburn said she catches the bus at 7:00 a.m., pushing her wake up to 6:00 a.m.

McNicholas allows seniors to have a Senior Study Hall, where the first period of the given four bell day is subtracted from their schedule, pushing their otherwise normal morning schedule back an hour and a half.

Whether students have to wake up early to drive far, or stay up and wake up late, senior Alex Stewart stated this about mornings: “Going to school on Monday mornings almost always sucks, but having a short and simple morning routine allows me to forget I’m going to school. It’s like ripping off a band-aid quickly so before you can think about it, you’re already done.”