An Unexpected Snow Day

This winter has turned out to be a rather snowy one, and January was no exception. As snow fell across Philadelphia on Monday, January 6th, students were safe at home, excited about yet another day of winter break. After recovering from a drought in the fall, it was considered unlikely that Philly would see snow this year. On Sunday afternoon, the School District of Philadelphia announced that all schools and offices would be closed on Monday after Philadelphia was put under a winter storm watch. Three to six inches of snow was expected, just enough to give students one final day of winter break. 

A snow day leaves students with a universal feeling of comfort, and this one was no different. For some people, snow means a cozy day inside their house, tucked under a blanket with a book. For others, snow leads to intense snowball fights and energetic sledding on the steepest hills of mostly flat Philadelphia. When he heard the news, Jonah Smith Posner (‘25) said he was “...really happy. The previous week was super stressful because of college applications, and it was nice to have a day to just spend with my friends.” The special day forced people to come together and put aside their worries. Ishaani Sheth (‘28) expressed feeling “a huge boost to my mental health. It felt really nice to have a break.” The snow day boosted morale across the high school and uplifted spirits after a stressful couple of months.

Although everyone was grateful for the additional day off, some wondered if the day could have been used more carefully. Snow days are a rare occurrence in Philadelphia, and only a single snow day was accounted for by the school district this year. This means that any other days deemed under a winter weather advisory, with unsafe traveling conditions, will be virtual days, one of the things left behind from the pandemic. Annabelle Sali (28’) explained, “Overall, I was very pleased and excited to stay home for another day, but I was definitely wondering if the one day of no virtual school was wasted. Maybe it could have been used for more dire weather, although I was still thrilled for a snow day.” By the time students woke up in the morning, the roads were already clear. Regardless of the weather, students still made the best of their day.