Is the Administration a Thief of Joy with Snowdays?
By Dylan Volk ’28
Recently, the words “check Remind” have filled Saint Ignatius group chats, leaving students with bated breath in hopes of a day off school. But here are the real questions people are wondering: What do students do with this free time? Who has the final say in Snow Day calling (and who’s to blame if we don’t get one)? And, what will happen if a Snow Day falls on a highly-anticipated advisory day?
Brief interviews with students reveal some common themes:
Sophomore Isaac Leopold “slept in till 1 P.M., caught up on work that he was drastically behind on (thanks, Math Department), and played video games for the first time in a while.” Sophomore Tommy Wallace “Played video games, hit the sledding hill, went skiing, and slept.” Senior Nolan Hura “Catches up on sleep, locks in on homework, and goes sledding with his friends.”
As for who calls the Snow Days, Dr. Fior and the Principal’s Office has the final call, although “significant administration and presidential consultation” goes into making the ultimate decision. Essentially, they consider weather from the West, East, and South, with driving conditions playing a vital role. Another driving factor is that the school has only a set amount of “calamity days” mixed into the curriculum, and missing a certain number of days could create extensions into the summer or shortening of breaks. Dr. Fior also “calls the calamity day as soon as possible,” but as Mr. Sheridan chimed in, “With the weather, timing is everything.”
Lastly, one might wonder what happens on advisory days. As we saw on January 22, no one shall be distressed to hear that advisory will be rescheduled for a later day that week, usually Thursday, if an event was planned for advisory that day.
Still, some frustration has risen from cold days not given, especially when a rival school in Lakewood was not in session during blistering cold. While communication from the Principal’s Office once described snowdays as being a source of joy, one might wonder if some of these decisions therefore position the administration of a thief of joy.
