It’s only 5 o’clock??? It’s that time of year again: daylight savings. The clock fell back one hour on November 5th at 2 a.m, and things are already looking different, with more daylight during the morning commute but darker skies shortly after school lets out.

“I only like daylight savings in the fall because we gain an extra hour,” said senior Leah Cunningham.

But why exactly does daylight savings even exist? In the early 1900s, the United States adopted the policy to conserve energy during World War I, but now it has stayed in most states to maximize the amount of sunlight during daytime hours in the summer and spring.

Arizona and Hawaii do not participate in daylight savings. Arizona, for instance, is often hot and sunny, and the extra hour of daylight is not necessary as it would cause energy consumption to rise. Due to Hawaii’s tropical latitude, there is little variation in daylight length between winter and summer, making daylight savings unnecessary. 

But the topic remains controversial among Americans. A March 2023 YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans want to end the practice of changing clocks.

“I don’t like how it gets dark really early, and I can’t sleep in because the sun comes out an hour earlier,” said junior Annalise Rearick.

On the bright side for those who support daylight savings, there is an effort being made by the federal government to pass the so-called Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent.

Ava Mutsavage, a junior, has a love-hate relationship with daylight savings. 

“I only like daylight savings for the extra hour of sleep and more sun in the summer. Other than that, I can’t stand it getting darker earlier. It makes it hard for me to stay motivated after 6pm when it is dark,” Mutsavage said.

Avery Richard, a senior, does not like it too much but does like one particular thing about it.

“I like the lightness in the morning because it makes me feel more awake to go to school,” said Richard.

Stella Payne, a junior, just hates it and wishes it was not a thing anymore.

“I hate daylight savings. I find it so annoying that the sun sets at 5 because it feels like midnight. I’m already tired after school and that makes it worse,” said Payne.

Love it or hate it, daylight savings will not be changing anytime soon in the US. So perhaps the best attitude is the simplest one.

“For the first few days, I didn’t really like it, but I got used to it over time and came to love it,” junior Gavin Slade said.