[JSRC 학생기자] A Later Start to School Can’t Hurt

A Later Start to School Can’t Hurt
Shin Young ‘Grace’ Yu (12th grade, Adlai E. Stevenson High School)

Sleep is vital to our well-being. Sleep allows our bodies to undergo many important processes, such as the repair of our heart and blood vessels. Studies show that teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. But new research presented last week at the Australasian conference Sleep DownUnder found that putting kids to bed early is key to a happy, well-rested family. An earlier bedtime for kids allows parents to have more time of their own, whether they spend it catching up on chores or relaxing with a good book. “This study observed 3,600 Australian children during their first nine years of life. Results showed that the mothers of kids who went to bed before 8:30 p.m. had better mental health than mothers of kids with later bedtimes.” Conner Herman, co-founder of Dream Team Baby, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Those last moments of the day are such intense family time, and you’re using so much of yourself to be present for your child, but after bedtime the night is yours.” Herman indicates that many parents try to stay up late along with their kids who have a late bedtime. This can impact the parents’ own sleep and health.
This finding gives further reason to push back school start times. Sleep deprivation is a serious issue for many adolescents, as it affects mental functioning and proper learning and development. Challenge Success, a research and intervention project based at Stanford University, has found that high school students from high-performing schools across the country report an average of 6.8 hours of sleep. 43% of high schools in this country start before 8 a.m., a clear obstacle to ample sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Teenagers desperately need sleep to fully function in school, retain knowledge, and prevent physical and mental health problems such as headaches and depression. School boards should seriously consider the idea of pushing school start times to 8:30 a.m. An extra 30 minutes of sleep has the potential to make a huge impact on students and families.

Amending qualifications of Housing Reverse Mortgage to reduce risks

Yeon Su Song (12th grade, Xenia Christian High School)

The number of people participating in the Housing Reverse Mortgage program is increasing. While the average annual participation from 2007 to 2012 was only about one thousand members, over three thousand people joined the Housing Reverse Mortgage program in the first half of this year. The Housing Reverse Mortgage program allows for elderly people to receive monthly pensions by drawing down the equity on their houses while they continue to live in the house. Even though elderly people own their houses outright, it is not easy to live independently without receiving any monetary support from their sons and daughters. As housing prices and the anxiety of the middle-aged continue to rise, and as more people recognize the advantage of the Housing Reverse Mortgage program for ensuring elderly people’s income, more and more people are sure to join this program.
According to the Korea Housing Finance Corporation (KHFC), South Korea is the fastest aging country in the world. Also, 45.6% of elderly people in Korea suffer poverty, since they do not usually work. In order to reduce poverty among the rapidly aging population, the Korean government has proposed an amendment to the Housing Reverse Mortgage program. This amendment will benefit both young and elder generations; not only does it lighten the young generation’s tax burden and obligation to support their parents financially, but also it helps the elderly have abundant lives and increase their consumption. In short, this amendment will improve the whole economy of South Korea.
The government presented an amended bill to the court in August to encourage people to join the Housing Reverse Mortgage program. If the court passes the bill by the end of the year, the amended law will go into effect at the beginning of next year. The main contents of the amendment are summarized below:

Kiwanis and Key Clubs Meet in Rockford

Hyun Jie Jung(11th Grade, Rockford Lutheran High School)

On November 10, the Kiwanis Club of Rockford and the Key Clubs from Rockford Lutheran High School and Boylan Catholic High School met at Stockholm Inn.
The meeting started at noon with an introduction and report from the president of the Kiwanis Club, Jane Austin. Following this, brief committee reports were presented, covering member committees, community services, fundraising, and so on. The celebration of the Kiwanis Club’s 100th anniversary made the meeting even more special: attendees enjoyed a fine dinner and then a cello performance by Julian Willette, an Illinois All-State Musician from Rockford Lutheran High School.
The meeting’s main event was a bake sale. Members of the Rockford Lutheran Key Club prepared many baked goods, such as cookies and brownies, for auction at the meeting. Key Club members were profoundly grateful that all the baked goods sold. The money that this auction raised will be donated to UNICEF to help Rockford’s community, particularly its children.
The meeting was very successful. "I was nervous since I’m the one who’s in charge of a lot of people, but I’m glad that meeting went so well," said Jensen Buelte, the president of Key Club at Rockford Lutheran High school. "I really enjoyed the meeting today. I’m especially proud that the bake sale raised so much money.
Key Club members envision themselves as “caring and competent servant leaders transforming communities
worldwide.” The meeting at Stockholm Inn certainly lived up to this expectation.