*Hiller Days Every Friday for 2019-2020 School Year
A group of students spend their Hiller Day time doing homework and conversing.
This October, the tradition of Hiller Day’s is continuing as each student at Hopkinton High School has an extra hour before class starts on Fridays. This has sparked conversation about the benefits of Hiller Days and how every student uses their time differently to prepare for the rest of the day.
Senior David Quinoñes sleeps in on Hiller Days to keep himself rested for football practice after school.
Senior David Quinoñes took full advantage of the later start time by using the hour to catch up on sleep.
“I got to sleep in until 7:30 instead of waking up at 6:30. I feel a lot better and more rejuvenated than I usually feel,” Quinoñes said.
Senior Ben Morey-Beale went with a similar plan for the first Hiller Day of this school year.
“Today I woke up late. I was going to come in for AP world history extra help to get ready for a test, but I don’t have enough specific questions to ask him for it to be beneficial to my time,” Morey-Beale said. “For further Hiller Days, I’ll probably come in to get ahead of work.”
Vinny Sales, a senior who recently moved to Hopkinton from Brazil, found his first Hiller Day experience confusing, though beneficial.
“I would have time to prepare my stuff, actually wake up, or have a little bit of time for myself to give to my studies,” Sales said.
Sales also said that he spent the morning getting breakfast with his friends. With their help, he was able to finish some homework he was having trouble with.
Senior Nora Drechsler approached her Hiller day similarly taking the time to get ready for the day, rather than sleep in.
“I went out to have breakfast, but I did get to have a lot of time with my friends. I did get to catch up on a few things like homework,” Drechsler said.
Senior Nora Drechsler (top) and junior Casey Pratt (bottom) used the hour to their advantage. Pratt got some extra work done while Dreschler decided to spend the first Hiller Day of the year at the Spoon with friends for breakfast.
Using the time to wake up gradually, rather than jumping right into the school day, helped her in class as well.
“I woke myself up so I was able to stay awake in class and pay attention,” Drechsler said.
Junior Casey Pratt decided to come in at the regular time and unwind at school before class started to stay alert and prepared.
“Even if I come in at the same time, I’m able to let my brain rest for an hour. Then I get more time to wake up. When classes start, I’m more awake and I can pay attention more,” Pratt said.
Every student has found their own way to use the extra time to their advantage, whether that is sleeping in, doing homework, or hanging out with friends.
