At 8:30 in the morning, most student’s school days have just begun. And while 8:30 in the morning seems like a normal time to start your school day, some students begin their day at a brisk 7:30. Sequoia High School offers a class block, named zero period. But how does zero period impact the students taking it? How does it help them? Zero period, running from 7:35 to 8:20 every school day of the week, is a big ask for some students. 

“They just kind of gave me a zero period. I didn’t have much of a choice” said Junior Colby Manrao. 

But this raises the question of whether or not a zero period can benefit students. On one hand, zero period is an opportunity to allow students to take more classes. For example, students taking the IB diploma can take Theory of Knowledge (TOK) during zero period. However, zero period also raises questions on the wellbeing of students with a class during this time slot. According to Manrao, he is at school from 7:30am to around 4pm every day. He also added that once his school sport starts, he will arrive home at around 10:30 every night. 

“Once sports start, I’m going to be getting home at around 11, then I have to go to school at 7:30 the next morning”, Manrao said. 

Schedules like this pose the question of whether or not students are able to get their work done while simultaneously having a reasonable sleep schedule. In general, zero periods are a great way to get more out of your school day and a way to be able to take more classes during the day. However, they are not for everyone. People with sports and other extracurricular activities may find the demanding wake-up time too hard to handle. This is an important fact to consider when planning future schedules.