Between a generic “beep” of an analog clock, a classic phone alarm or a fun customized song to wake up to, everyone has a different morning alarm and routine they follow. CHS students and faculty expand on their “simple” daily routines, starting from the very beginning of their mornings.
3:00: Kevin Davis Pacific Rim Theme Song
Staff member Kevin Davis starts the morning with a brisk 2 a.m. walk outside. His alarm, set for 3 a.m. on weekdays, is an extra measure to make sure he is up by his target time. After his walk, he gets dressed and makes himself a quick breakfast. Davis aims to be at school by 6 a.m. to ensure he has enough time to work out the kinks for any absent staff members and their substitutes before students arrive, and to double-check that the building is in order.
“Normally, the 3 a.m. alarm is the one saying, ‘Kevin, you overslept,’ because I don’t sleep much and when I do, I’m usually up by two o’clock anyway,” Davis said. “I’ve been like this for years.”
Davis’ weekend alarm, set for 4 a.m., is his version of sleeping in. On average, he gets roughly three hours of sleep per night.
Davis’ alarm is on his phone.
5:15: Jessika Whiteside
Radial Alarm Sound
English teacher Jessika Whiteside is nothing short of a morning person. At 5:15 a.m., she wakes up and immediately feeds her dogs and guinea pigs. After that, she prepares lunch for herself and her kids. Whiteside’s wake-up time has gotten later in the morning since the pandemic, at which point she was out of bed by 4:15 a.m. to work out and get ready before the school day started. Having a child who attends CHS has also impacted her wake-up time.
“Because I have a kid who comes to school here now, he doesn’t want to get to school early,” Whiteside said. “I used to beat Kevin here some days,but [my son]doesn’t want to be at school at 6:00. So now we settled for leaving at 6:30 each morning.”
Additionally, the time Whiteside gets to school each morning depends on whether she has to drop off her other kids at their school beforehand.
Whiteside’s alarm is on her phone.
6:00: Thea Soendergaard
Radial Alarm Sound
At 6 a.m., Junior Thea Soendergaard wakes up momentarily before rolling back to bed for five more minutes. Soendergaard makes sure to allow herself plenty of time to make her bed, pick out an outfit, take out her sock curls and get ready for the day. After her early morning coffee, Soendergaard departs for school.
“I don’t want to feel rushed when I do my makeup and stuff, because it takes me so long,” Soendergaard said. “I like to wake up and take my time.”
Soendergaard’s alarm is on her phone.
6:00: Helio Fong
Birds Chirping Sound and Digital Clock Mechanical Bell Sound
As a CHS Senior, Helio Fong’s wakeup call is far from peaceful. At 6 a.m., his phone and clock go off simultaneously to ensure he wakes up on time instead of going back to sleep. His phone is set to birds chirping while his digital alarm clock plays a brutal mechanical bell.
“The mech bell is the most harsh one, so that’s why I chose it,” Fong said. “They play at the same time, and it’s really annoying.”
After waking up, he brushes his teeth, gets dressed and double-checks his backpack. Before taking off for school, Fong always makes sure to eat a nutritious breakfast so he has enough energy for his morning classes.
“I live slightly farther away from school, with a 20-minute drive,” Fong said. “So I gotta get up earlier than I’d like to.”
Fong’s alarm is on his phone.
6:00: Lacey Nielsen
My Little Pony Theme Song
Sophomore Lacey Nielsen sets four alarms to keep her time blocked out and organized. Her Hatch alarm clock is programmed to go off in intervals playing the nostalgic My Little Pony theme song. Nielsen’s first alarm sounds at 6 a.m. as pre-wake-up preparation. Nielsen usually gets out of bed to her second alarm at 6:30 a.m., so that she has enough time to shower, freshen up, get dressed and talk with her siblings. In an orderly fashion, Nielsen’s third alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m., giving her 15 minutes to eat breakfast before she’s out the door at the ring of her 7:45 a.m. alarm.
“I set my alarms for when my dad can drive me to school because I can’t drive yet,” Nielsen said. “But sometimes I wake up whenever my cat wakes me up because she likes to be in my room.”
Nielsen’s alarm is on a Hatch alarm clock.
6:00: Kaylin Grant
Silent Buzz
It doesn’t take a lot of effort for CHS senior Kaylin Grant to wake up in the morning. As a result, her cell phone only buzzes at 6 a.m. rather than playing a traditional alarm sound. Since she usually wakes up on time, Grant sets only one alarm and depends on it to get her up and moving each morning. Soon after waking up, Grant showers and gets changed before meeting her friend at the bus stop to get to school.
“I usually go early because [my friend and I] like walking around places together,” Grant said. “It’s a good way to start my morning.”
Grant’s alarm is on her phone.
6:00: Easton Welch
National Public Radio (NPR)
Sophomore Easton Welch awakens to the sounds of the Morning Edition, an NPR news show that plays off of his radio alarm clock. He takes the news as a wake-up call and only sets one alarm as a result. Welch’s news station isn’t the only thing that stays the same day to day. His morning routine, consisting of taking a shower, brushing his teeth and getting ready for school, is timed out perfectly to catch the bus.
Welch’s alarm is on an analog clock.
6:00: Levi Holkeboer
Chrono Trigger Theme Song
Senior Levi Holkeboer wakes at 6 a.m. to make the bus on time. He gets dressed and brushes his teeth before breakfast, per his dentist’s recommendations. Occasionally, he will do his makeup and hair, but only if he feels like it. Rushing out the door, Holkeboer grabs a quick breakfast to eat on the way to the bus stop. Holkeboer’s bus arrives at 7:15 a.m., and it is usually the main motivator in his routine, however other factors play in as well such as getting ready for school, or sleeping in.
“It depends on the day, or how long it takes me to get ready,” Holkeboer said. “Sometimes I’ll sleep in a bit if I feel like I don’t want to do as much.”
Holkeboer’s alarm is on his phone.
6:00 – 6:15: Ripley Huffman
Digital Clock Sound
Sophomore Ripley Huffman’s first alarm forces her to get out of her comfortable loft bed at 6 a.m. After climbing down the ladder, she turns it off, climbs back up and falls asleep again until her next alarm at 6:15 a.m. After Huffman is awake for sure, the first thing on her agenda is to shower.
“I like to shower in the morning because I don’t like feeling stinky at school,” Huffman said. “School’s stinky enough, I can’t contribute to that.”
After she’s showered, she makes her way to eat breakfast, washes her face and then she’s out the door for school.
Huffman’s alarm is on an analog clock.
7:00: Leaf Meisler
Dad’s Wakeup Call
Freshman Leaf Meisler uses an internal alarm clock to wake him up in the morning. If not awake by 7 a.m., his dad will usually come in to make sure he has time to get ready. Meisler generally tries to wake up before his brother, beating him to getting dressed and eating breakfast. Getting to school takes a little longer than usual for Meisler because construction has disrupted his usual route.
“My dad drives us, and it’s usually really slow because he insists on taking a weird route because of the construction,” Meisler said. “I’m either really early or pretty late to school.”
Meisler relies on the people around him for his wake-up call.
7:00: Jules Gates
Radial Alarm Sound
At 7 a.m., Junior Jules Gates wakes up to begin his morning routine. Gates has a more leisurely routine than most, due to the fact that he can walk to school rather than drive or take the bus. As a result, he can leave at his own pace and has plenty of time to get dressed and brush his teeth.
“I usually eat a muffin or a bowl of cereal for breakfast before leaving,” Gates said.
Gates’ alarm is on his phone.
