Four days a week, I sit down in my usual spot in the back of room 800, by the door, and open my Chromebook. As I sign in to Google Classroom, I hear another bell ring in the distance. 9:13 am. Grizz Time has started.

  What I do with the next 28 minutes typically varies, but most of the time, I’m finishing homework I didn’t finish the night before, or homework I am completing ahead of time to save myself from stress later on.

  As an athlete with a schedule filled with practices, workouts and tournaments, my time is very limited. But for this stretch between first and second period, my sole focus is my schoolwork.

  I’m not the only one. According to a recent poll I conducted through Instagram, 69% of students use Grizz Time for schoolwork. This means almost 1400 people at Granite Bay High use it for schoolwork related purposes.

  During my freshman year, my schedule was almost identical to those of my peers. I took the usual four required classes of freshmen plus a few electives that seemed “fun.” By far the easiest year of high school, academically speaking. My GPA sat at 3.5 at the end of the school year.

  The following year, a priority period was implemented into the daily schedule. During my sophomore year, I had an average of 3.94 per semester. I owe this success to Grizz Time.

  Not only does Grizz Time offer more time for independent study, it also provides opportunities for students to get a second opinion on assignments they are struggling with from other students. According to Adam Newman, a junior who is enrolled in four AP classes this semester, having Grizz Time has made it easier to get more help on his assignments from classmates.

  “During Grizz Time, we’re able to collaborate on things,” Newman said. “If you didn’t (understand) one part of (an assignment), you’re finally able to get another opinion.”

  For Newman, Grizz Time has helped make some of the harder classes easier. According to Newman, classes like AP European History were flooded with around 45 people every day.

  “We needed the time to talk to each other and digest what we had learned,” Newman said. “There are many groups that form (…) They host mini study sessions.”

 I feel that Grizz Time gives us an extremely valuable opportunity that we don’t learn by sitting in class for that extra 28 minutes, doing the same thing as everyone else. Grizz Time gives us an opportunity to take it upon ourselves to find where we need improvement and seek help.

  By taking this away, we would be limited to time outside of school to get help. We would be limited to spend the time that we currently spend doing homework, attending practices and competitions for sports or band or other activities and time spent sleeping.

  A study done by Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows that the average teenager sleeps 2 hours less than the recommended amount each night. All this stress for 28 more minutes of class time.

  I finish another assignment and the bell rings. 9:41 am. Priority period is over, and it’s time to head to class. I rejoice in the fact that I have no more homework for the rest of the day.