As the town lay under a blanket of snow for an entire week, everyday routines transformed into wintry adventures filled with unexpected joys. Snow days can be fun but can also be a lot to handle with the shoveling and the icy roads.
The week back from winter break took an turn when Kansas City was hit by a snowstorm that began Saturday, Jan. 4. About 6 p.m. Saturday, the Kansas City area met a snowstorm starting with freezing rain transitioning into snow and continued snowfall till around 3 a.m. Sunday, totaling around 11 inches of snow.
This led to the cancellation of school for the NKC School District on Monday, Jan. 6, and resulted in four virtual days from Tuesday to Friday, Jan. 10. Since the storm teachers and student have gotten a week of snow days.
The snow days were hard for some and easy for others, given that the snow days landed on the beginning of the second semester right after winter break.
Administration required the state-mandated AMI, alternate methods of instruction, days include either review or enrichment. Teachers tried to figure out how to conduct the online classes and what to assign to make it easier for students as they start a fresh semester.
Students said snow days were best for sleeping in. With virtual learning, students were able to sleep in as late as 7:50 a.m., because the school day started at 8 a.m. from home, instead of 7:43 a.m. in the building.
Junior Grant Ritz said, “I just slept the entire time, and did nothing else.”
The workload was reported as pretty easy and most could be done within a half hour allowing kids to relax for the remainder of the day.
“It’s been about the same, for me. It’s a little different but other than the virtual meetings, it’s the same work,” junior Kris Miller said.
As far as attending, anyone feeling under the weather could participate and not have to affect their attendance rates.
“I was talking to some of the other teachers earlier, and we were all guessing how many may come,” art teacher Tina Rumsey told her Creative Design III class Tuesday in a video chat.
Other teachers reported good numbers of students attending the synchronous video chat classes held on Teams or Canvas’ Blue Button.
“I played Roblox over the break with my cousin,” freshman Halima Mohamed said.
There were a variety of activities students might engage in at home, ranging from homework to playing games. A lot of kids stayed indoors as well, watching Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or playing video games.
“Over the snow days I have started and finished playing ‘Resident Evil 2,’ which is a super fun and engaging game, perfect for cold weather,” junior Sophia Giggy reported.
Other students said they sledded at Roanoke Park, which ranks on top sledding spots in city lists.
“The snow was very deep, and we almost got stuck in a snow drift, but we were able to get out of it,” freshman Leona McCarty wrote in. “Once we finally parked, it was hard to get out of the car because of how tall the snow was. We found a hill where the snow was more compact, and we could speed down it. The air was very thick and we got tired pretty fast so we didn’t spend a lot of time there, but it was overall a fun experience.”
Other students turned the snow into financial opportunity.
“I’ve been shoveling driveways for extra money while studying in my classes through my laptop at home,” junior Wyatt Whitten wrote. “While this is not usually done compared to the typical school, I’m still getting good progress on my work, even for my ACT, since I’m a junior.”
As the week wore on, the neutrality began to wear off. Many students posted on the district’s snow day posts with captions like, “I can’t believe we have another one, just cancel Friday already.”
While adding another snow day may seem like a good alternative, any snow day beyond the initial snow day and five AMI days could mean adding extra days at the end of the school year. As of publishing, NKC schools have only one more AMI day available this winter season.
- Journalism 1 students collaboratively reported this story from home this week. Contributors included: Khadija Abukar, Shukri Bashir, Sophia Giggy, Leona McCarty. Rebecca Thomson and Wyatt Whitten. Journalism 1 Photography student Will Sprouse also reported for this story.
- Journalism 1 Photography students provided the photos and captions. Credits given on the images.
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“I like online days a lot, they allow us to review topics and have more chill days,” freshman Noah Boswell said.
Plus, this unexpected change gave students more time to enjoy with family and friends at home. The snow week turned into a unique opportunity for connection and creativity.