By Ryan Burnett, Staff Writer
When thinking of autumn, many things come to mind: the changing leaves, a new NFL season, pumpkin spice lattes, and the MLB postseason. However not many people think of Daylight Savings Time.
Daylight Savings Time is the annual shifting of the clock forward or by one hour. This was originally started to allow farmers to get another hour of sunlight to continue taking care of their crops. In 1918, it was found that farmers do not really benefit from Daylight Savings Time since they rely on the position of the sun rather than time when farming.
In the government every U.S. president has a say in what they want to do with Daylight Savings Time. For example, in 1942 president Franklin D. Roosevelt, for three years, reintroduced Daylight Savings Time and it was referred to as “War Time.”
Today when people, especially high schoolers, think of the end of Daylight Savings Time, they think of the extra hour of sleep that they receive. Alongside extra sleep there is a downside: darkness. When waking up for school, students are able to see the sun fully risen. However, with Daylight Savings Time students are forced to commute to River Hill in the darkness, whether it be by car or bus. Junior Clara McKnight explains “I think waking up and it being light outside definitely helps me stay awake during the day.” Senior Seth Wettstein agrees saying “it is easier to wake up because the sun is up early when I am about to go to school.”
Although some may enjoy the extra hour of much needed sleep, some students believe that the costs outweigh the benefits. Wettstein explains, “it gets dark really early and that makes me sad because there is no sunlight.” Senior Avery Birsak discusses “it ruins every clock in the house and it confuses our pets.”
Even Though Daylight Savings Time may seem perfect, there are some large risks. These risks include decrease in public health, increased crime, and higher energy use. Clara stated “it is kind of weird that it gets darker during the day, that is strange.” Birsak argues “it is kind of annoying and it depends on the time of year, sometimes it is really dark in the morning.”
As long as Daylight Savings Time continues, high schoolers everywhere will always enjoy not having to get up an hour early for school every day.