Do you struggle to stay awake during your favorite class, and fight off the urge to doze off while your teacher discusses important topics? This is the reality for students who underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep.
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is a student club at Bay Shore High School dedicated to promoting healthy decision making among teenagers. SADD is a national non-profit organization that empowers students to make positive choices and avoid destructive decisions like underage drinking and drug use, and violence. It was founded in 1981 by Robert Anastas and his 15 students at Wyland High School in Massachusetts. He started this initiative after the tragic loss of two hockey players from the school due to drunk driving incidents, inspiring Anastas and his students to create a platform for awareness and prevention. It was initially named Students Against Drunk Driving but has be re-branded to its current name in 1997 to reflect the goal of addressing various issues that affect the youth. The club focuses on raising awareness about issues such as the dangers of vaping, smoking, the consequences of drunk driving, eating disorders, and the importance of sleep. To engage the student body, SADD organizes various fundraisers and events that encourage participation surrounding these topics. The club recently held “Sleep Week,” where the club aims to highlight the importance of sleep for overall health.
As part of their activities, the club organized spirit week starting on March 24, which was themed around sleep. The first day encouraged students to showcase their favorite stuffed animals. On the second day, participants dressed up as characters from their favorite bedtime stories. The third day was designated as “Bring Your Favorite Blanket Day,” followed by “Wear Your Favorite Slippers day” on the fourth day. Finally, the last day of the spirit week invited students to wear their pajamas to school. To enhance participation, SADD held a contest after school where participants had to win a $25 gift card. Additionally, on the final day of Sleep Week, the club organized a bake sale to raise funds.
It is crucial to raise awareness about sleep, as it plays a vital role in the health and growth of individuals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the recommended amount of sleep for high schoolers is 8 hours each day. However, many high school students do not meet this requirement, leading to what is termed “insufficient sleep” or “short sleep duration.” Data indicates that the percentage of high school students who do not get enough sleep increased from 2009 to 2021, highlighting a growing concern. Notably, more female students than male students reported experiencing insufficient sleep during this period.
Research suggests that teens actually need about 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal brain development and functioning. Concerningly, studies show that close to 70% of teens fail to achieve this necessary amount of rest. The consequences of inadequate sleep can leave teens feeling sad, disrupt emotional regulation, and overall well-being. This is why initiatives like Sleep Week are important in promoting healthy sleep habits among young adults.
Riley Flynn, a senior at Bay Shore High School, typically goes to sleep around 11 p.m. on school nights, though it sometimes varies depending on homework and extracurricular activities.
“I have fallen asleep in class and witnessed other students as well, it feels so hard to get through the day sometimes,” says Flynn.
Sleep spirit week was eye-opening to her, especially the statistics that highlighted the widespread lack of sleep among teens, and she believes its an important issue to address. During Sleep Week, Riley participated by joining in on pajama day, bring your stuffed animal to school day, and blanket day, as well as making brownies for the SADD bake-sale to help raise awareness and support the club’s initiatives.
Bay Shore High School is lucky to have a club like SADD, as it organizes fun events like Sleep Week. The students clearly enjoyed participating, showing excitement through days like pajama day and stuffed animal day. Beyond the fun, this week raised awareness about the importance of sleep, an issue that effects most teens. The SADD club holds its meetings every Monday in Mr Paleogopoulos’s room, room 237.
