As students get ready for the school day ahead of them, many have different ways to prepare themselves before school.

Junior Andy McEwen wakes up at 3:45 some mornings, heading to check fishing lines that he sets on the Missouri River in St. Charles.

“Three nights of the week, I set lines out on the river for catfish,” McEwen said. “I have to go check them every morning because it is a state law.”

McEwen has a process he likes to go through in the morning, which includes getting all his supplies ready for both school and fishing. He also goes through the everyday tasks of showering, getting dressed and eating breakfast.

“I fish because it’s fun to go up there in the morning, and you never know what’s going to be in there,” McEwen said. “It’s been sitting there all night, and you don’t know if you are gonna pull up nothing or something that’s 45 pounds.”

However, McEwen doesn’t always wake up before four in the morning. On days that he doesn’t have to check his lines, McEwen still prefers to wake up early and walk through his morning.

“5:30 is when I wake up on any other day,” McEwen said. “I shower and then watch TV and just kind of chill.”

McEwen hits the hay earlier than most, as he often goes to sleep around 9 p.m.

“I usually get six hours of sleep,” McEwen said. “That’s enough sleep.”

Similar to McEwen, senior Katie Grossman wakes up fairly early because she enjoys taking her time in the morning.

“I typically leave before 7 a.m. because I like to be in the parking lot before everyone else is here,” Grossman said.

For Grossman, waking up early lies not only in her extracurricular activities, but her schoolwork as well.

“I’ll do homework that I didn’t do the night before because I like to go to bed really early,” Grossman said. “After a certain point I can’t do homework anymore, so I just do it in the morning.”

Grossman appreciates being able to go to sleep no later than 10 p.m. but would rather go to bed around 9:30 p.m.

“I think waking up early makes me less tired,” Grossman said, “because once I get to school, I’m already awake, and going to bed early I get a good night’s sleep.”

Sophomore Matthew Whay represents the majority student population, waking up at 6:30 a.m. Whay goes through his routine every morning, beginning by showering, getting dressed and then eating.

“I think I should actually wake up earlier because sometimes it feels a little bit crammed,” Whay said.

Whay is sometimes frustrated that he is tired during 1st block because he goes to sleep a little later than most.

“I would like to go to bed earlier,” Whay said. “But I have homework and stuff, so sometimes I can’t go to sleep until 11 p.m.”

Senior Connor Whalen is a late riser. He attempts to get out of bed around 7 in the morning and leave his house no later than 7:20.

“This year I’ve been doing better with it,” Whalen said. “But in years past it just didn’t happen.”

Whalen attempts to go to bed around midnight, solely because he isn’t the best time manager and isn’t afraid to admit it.

“I procrastinate on my homework, and I stay up late,” Whalen said. “Then one thing leads to another and I’m exhausted, and I just can’t hear my alarm or I oversleep.”

Knowing that Whalen will be in a time crunch, he showers the night before in order to save time in the morning. After he gets up, all he needs is to get dressed and grab a banana, and then he is out the door. However, sometimes it is a struggle for Whalen to get to school on time.

“It sucks when I miss a class and then I have to try to figure out what I missed,” Whalen said. “If it was a test, then I have to make that up. Just don’t be like me.”