Snow Days Through Students’ Eyes

By Emmalyn Hill

What are snow days like for a teenager in high school? In Colorado snow days occur pretty often in the winter. When there’s enough heavy snow on the ground or it’s just too icy to drive, the district will call a snow day. Teachers and students use these days differently. How do BHS students approach snow days?

Junior Nautica Lessley says she likes to build igloos on snow days and avoids doing homework if she can.  Lessley says she avoids the roads: “I don’t drive in the snow because I have a dodge charger.”

 Freshman Maddie Bernard says she uses snow days to hang with her friends and also tries to avoid homework.  “I love fraulicking in the snow,” adds Bernard.

Sophomore Ciaran Smith does not go outside and play in the snow like other students commented on doing.  “I sleep the **** in,” Smith said.  Smith will hang out with friends if they are in a close distance to him, and Smith avoids work if possible.

Through these interviews we’ve gathered information on what snow days are like from a student’s perspective, and from this we have learned that a variety of students take snow days like a day off of school.    

Staff take on snow days, virtual learning

By Alexandra Bolis

This year, Berthoud High School has had many snow days. It is not surprising given that Colorado’s average snow rate a year is 67.30 inches. To go along with that, some schools have turned snow days into an online learning experience, but not at Berthoud High School. The question is why? Does the district or school feel it is unnecessary or do they just overall disagree with the subject? 

Both science teacher BriAnna Morel and social studies teacher Dylan Owens don’t have issues on their way to work when it snows but they know that many teachers and students have troubles doing so.  This may be one reason why the district decides to call snow days on particularly difficult weather days.

When a snow day occurs the school has a default schedule that they use. Morel states, “It doesn’t change what I do.” Morel has a pretty flexible schedule but she also understands some teachers could have a hard time when the schedule changes for a snow day. 

Owens agrees with the fact that it doesn’t affect his teaching and he’s just happy to have a snow day whether the schedule changes or not.

Most people agree that virtual learning is hard for both the student and the teacher. The teacher never completely knows if the student will really pay attention or if the student has the proper resources to partake in online school. Owens strongly believes that snow days should remain just that, snow days. He likes to take those days to go snowboarding and he knows that he can quickly catch back up on his work. Owens states “Brick and mortar” as in teaching should be done in the building and people should take snow days as a win. 

Morel thinks that virtual learning would make it on her and says “it would be nice to supplement.” Although she knows it would make it easier for her, she also recognizes its not always fair for the kids.

Many agree that there shouldn’t be online school on snow days and that it would be unfair to do so. Missing one day do to a snow day overall does not seem to affect the administrator schedule, and it is simple enough for teachers and students to make up. So far the school simply thinks supplementing snow days for online school is unnecessary. People enjoy being able to get a day off and take a break. Especially the teachers. Many think it should stay that way.