Every day of this past winter appeared to be filled with snow, either falling from the sky or sticking to the ground. It seemed to be fun at first; but to many, it has become a nuisance: one which sticks along and never seems to leave.
In February alone, there have been a total of seven out of twenty-eight days in which snow has fallen, and on average, snow depth was around ten inches for the month, according to Wunderground.com. Schools resorted to cancellations and delays and airlines canceled more flights than ever before, forcing schools to cancel tests and break up school weeks.
Most would consider these snow days a great bonus, but not everyone feels as strongly. “Looking back, I don’t think the snow days were worth it because I sat inside on my days off,” junior Ryan Plaia said. “I would rather have enjoyed four more days to enjoy the outdoors in the nicer spring weather.”
These are some of the many troubles which students and staff face because of this winter’s constant snowfall. The five-day Memorial Day break has shrunk to a mere three days, and the April recess has lost its two tail-end days of the break.
These delays and days off have also proven to be a loss of valuable time for Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Being that most northeast schools in the United States start in September, they are a month behind most other schools that start in August in the race to prepare for May’s AP exams. With the addition of snow days and delayed openings, students and teachers are facing a curriculum that is being rushed through to make up for lost time and fragmented school schedules. Even with the makeup days instituted in May, AP students will not be able to put them to good use since the AP exams will have already ended.
Besides curriculum and tests becoming a problem, drivers education students have found themselves unable to gain their licenses until the middle weeks of June. Some students can expect to finish their driving instruction as late as June 12, delaying their access to a driver’s license by more than two or three weeks.
Snow has had its fun, and it’s time for it to go. The massive amounts of snow have caused confusion and inconvenience for everyone, and people are ready for the warmer spring weather vacations — or at least what’s left of them.