This is Spitfire, a new style of head-to-head debates between The Accolade’s two Opinion editors. Kayden is blue. Aashna is green. Here are the rules:

1. No profanity.
2. An editor attacked by the other will be given three sentences to respond.
3. The readers will decide who wins through a poll at the end of the article.
4. Once a rule is broken, the debate ends. 

As I aimlessly walked around my house at midnight on a Thursday night after finishing the draining amount of homework I received during the school days and throughout the week, only my inner voice in my mind kept me going: Aashna, keep your head up — tomorrow is Friday. Honestly, I think of Friday as more of a comfort blanket than just another day of the week. For me, Friday means freedom. 

Freedom, for me, is being able to sleep for another hour on a school day. Late Start days arguably have much more intrinsic value because they let students have a more relaxed school day with one more hour before they have to set foot on campus. I see students take their extra time as a chance to visit Amerige Heights Town Center and its fast-food restaurants and coffee shops, holding a beverage or a sandwich as they walk to school at 8:30 a.m. for those who have zero period — when on a regular school day, they would be in their zero period class doing an assignment or listening to a teacher’s lecture.

But throughout the week, students are bombarded with homework from all of their classes and struggle to find the time to finish all of it amid the other extracurricular activities that also take up their time. The school week — including Late Start days twice a month — does not provide us with restorative time for ourselves to spend with our family or even secure some much-needed alone time. The only perk of a Late Start is the one “extra” hour of sleep that we get, but that all depends on our workload of the night before; if it ends up being a large amount, then that surplus amount of sleep is also compromised.

The weekend does provide “restorative time…to spend with our family,” but Friday isn’t the day to give that extra leisure. Fridays and late start days are, in the end, both school days; even though it marks the coming weekend, Friday is a literal part of the week, which doesn’t feel as special. And since we have late starts randomly, it’s a pleasant surprise when I hear my teachers reminding their students about tomorrow’s late start — a feeling I’m sure many students can relate to. 

Kayden, don’t get me wrong — not having to get to campus until an hour later than usual is great. However, isn’t it just a breath of fresh air when you realize that you have two free days to catch up on schoolwork, hang out with friends or just cash in on that cumbersome sleep debt? Friday sets the stage for a blissful weekend — time away from school and the hustle and bustle of our daily lives is something we all need to prevent from burning ourselves out with work, and lucky for us, this day provides us with just that.

How refreshing really is that breath of fresh air when you know it’s coming over and over again? Friday is still a school day, and Late Start days are more valuable because of its leisurely campus schedule and the joy it brings with its inconsistent occurrences throughout the school year.

Because of the violation of rule No. 2, Spitfire ends by default. Who do you agree with?

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AASHNA DIALANI (green): Friday means freedom. Don’t you love to see the weekend coming?

KAYDEN KIM (blue): Friday still isn’t the weekend — late starts’ inconsistencies are its greatest strength.

Vote