New Start Time For Central Regional High School Students

by Patricia A. Miller

Central Regional High School students will get to sleep in a little later this year, thanks to new start times, Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said.

“We are starting the high school later...to help students get more sleep, which leads to increases in academics and safety,” he said. “Students will no longer be at bus stops in the dark and will be more visible to drivers.“

The old start time was 7:05 a.m. The new time is 7:45 a.m. Central Regional Middle School students will start at 8:45 p.m., Parlapanides said.

Enrollment in the high school this year is roughly 1,300 students. Middle School enrollment is about 645 students.

Central Regional recently completed the cell tower, which will bring in a monthly fee of $2,000 for the district. The high school faculty rooms were renovated, to help teachers recharge, which will help students in the long run, Parlapanides said.

“That’s the theme for this year - to make a difference for our students,” he said.

Central also has a new Central Regional Charter Bus, parked in the lower parking lot of the middle school. It will be used to transport all athletic teams, band, Army ROTC and clubs to events throughout the state, Parlapanides said.

“We also have new juke boxes in the middle school and high school cafeterias,” he said. “For every dollar earned... 20 cents is going to ITunes, 40 cents is going to the vending company and 40 cents is going to Central Regional.”

The Board of Education decided to give the Senior Class the jukebox money in the high school and the 8th grade class in the middle school.

The money will be used to offset costs of the yearbooks, proms or class trips, Parlapanides said.