Photo by Josh Spano ’18 | Commuters make their way towards the West Valley on December 1 2017 via the I-10.
By Alex Kirshner ‘18
THE ROUNDUP
Brophy has a diverse community of students coming from all different parts of the valley.
The school’s campus, which is located in central Phoenix, lends itself this vision and leads to a wider variety of students enrolled.
But, while Brophy may be centrally located, the rapid expansion of Phoenix has led to the population being more spread out and, therefore more difficult to get to for those who live far away.
Many students who live in some of the far corners of the valley must drive almost an hour to get to school each day, and as a result must wake up extremely early if they want to get to school on time.
Brent Harding ’18 lives in Paradise Valley, and he said that it normally takes him 20-30 minutes to get to school in the morning.
“I enjoy getting a fresh start by checking emails and planning out my schedule for the rest of the day,” Harding said. He said he often wakes up between the hours of 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning, even though he does not leave for school until 7:15.
Harding also said that he does not get enough sleep, and that he usually gets between six and seven hours per night.
Lucas Grennan ’18, who lives in Ahwautukee, echoed this sentiment, saying that he goes to sleep around midnight and wakes up at 6:25.
“I’m in a carpool with two of my friends, Stephen Buckel ’18 and Merrick Martin ’18,” Grennan said. “We take turns driving to school, and I always try to take a nap on the way to school on days that I’m not driving.”
Grennan also plays Varsity Baseball, and he said that it has an impact on the amount of sleep that he gets, especially during the season.
“Playing a varsity sport is a big time commitment, so this makes it more difficult to get a lot of sleep on any given night,” he said. “When I get home after practice or training, I’ll usually only have a couple of hours to get my homework done and spend time with my family.”
With one to two hours of homework a night, Grennan said that he often feels tired or sluggish at school, which causes him to drink coffee before school just so that he is able to stay awake during classes.
John Ferrara ’18 echoed this sentiment, and said that coffee is essential for him to remain awake at school.
“I drink black coffee every morning,” he said.
Ferrara lives in North Scottsdale, and he said that it takes him 40 minutes to get to school.
Much like Grennan and Harding, Ferrara carpools to school with people who live near him.
All three say that being in a carpool allows them the opportunity to get a few extra minutes of sleep on the mornings where they do not drive.
