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WIN (What I Need) time is not a right but a privilege- one that not all high schools offer. There have been several changes with the new school year at Clarkstown High School North. New York implemented a statewide ban on cell phones in schools, covering grades K-12, for the 2025-2026 school year. In response, Clarkstown North has enforced this by ensuring students keep cell phones in lockers throughout the school day. This changes things for the school schedule. In prior years, WIN time took place after third period, but since the cell phone ban, WIN time has been moved to accommodate students’ need to retrieve their cell phones from lockers. WIN time is now held after eighth period, during the last eight minutes of school. This time is repurposed for North students to use their cell phones to have time to arrange plans or attend to any business they may have before school ends.
Not everyone is happy with these changes, as expressed by multiple students. “WIN time is like a break for students from school as a whole,” said Charles Bakers, a junior at North. “Why put that time at the end of school when we’re pretty much out anyways?” This demonstrates how WIN hasn’t been as effective as it should be. This claim is furthered by the concerns of another junior, Anant Patel, who states, “I feel like WIN earlier on in the day was useful because students who don’t have lunch, like myself, can use this time to get lunch.” This is seen among numerous students who have a rigorous schedule, as WIN is their only chance to eat lunch.
Beyond student frustration, research backs up the idea that mid-morning breaks are more effective than end-of-day ones, with the claim that high school students’ sleep schedules are shifted later into the day. According to the article “Why Sleep is Important for Teens” by Johns Hopkins Medicine, teenagers are built to stay up later and thus wake up later. Considering the recommended amount of time of sleep is 8-10 hours, and that the average teenager goes to sleep at 11 p.m. or later, they wouldn’t be fully awake until about 9 a.m. The school day officially starts at 7:25, where we see more groggy North students than students who are fully awake and ready to learn everyday. Between the foggy focus and mental overload, WIN is seen as a much deserved break, as advocated by sophomore Dhev Nair. He gives his insight saying, “I usually used WIN as a mental break, just to relax with friends or finish some work up.”
Thankfully, North will revert to its old WIN schedule after third period in the upcoming weeks. This was confirmed by the school on October 14th–a relief to many in the school, faculty and students alike.