It’s one of the most annoying things for a teenage high school student: having to wake up to the sound of your alarm and resenting yourself not pressing the snooze button. Looking at the time and reading 7 am on a Monday morning. So, you get up and get dressed, get a bite of your mom’s homemade waffles, get in your car and drive the 5 minutes to your school.  

What if I told you that some people have a different experience? That some have a different schedule? Well I’m here will tell you that not all people of Park High are residents of Livingston. A pretty good number of students must wake up earlier and drive a long way to get to school.  

Senior Kaylyn Kuehn lives up in Springdale and must travel 25 minutes to get to school, she’s also Involved in after school activities such as BPA and NHS. To top that off she must give her little brother Dylan a ride to school and home. “It’s hard because my brother and I have completely different schedules,” says Kuehn.  

Junior Sage McMinn lives in Wilsall and drives 35 minutes to school every day. He plays baseball for the Livingston Braves after school and doesn’t get home until late sometimes. To look on the bright side, he loves to drive. “I like to watch out for deer and listen to music on my way home,” says McMinn. 

Senior Brandon Coody moved to Gallatin Gateway earlier this year, and he estimated his drive at 35 minutes. He likes to listen to music on the way to school.  

You may think it’s just students who commute to Livingston, but there are some teachers who do the same thing. Science teacher Becky Ayler lives in Belgrade and it takes her up between 40 minutes to an hour and a half to get to school, depending on road conditions. She is also involved in after school programs as the NHS advisor and peer tutoring director. On the way home from school Ayler listens to podcasts and occasionally talks to her mom (hands free, of course). “Podcasts are my thing,” says Ayler. 

All those interviewed said that it is indeed difficult to wake up earlier and they must drive a long way to go take a test or grade a test.  

I live in Bozeman and I have been driving to Livingston every day for the past four years to get to school. I have seen and experienced things on the I-90 that I wish were unseen to this day. When people graduate, some are excited to not wake up so early and some don’t like to do tests and quizzes. For me, I can’t wait to stop driving on Interstate-90.