Should PEA Have Snow Days?
By JOHANNA HILLMAN ‘28
There is almost nothing that rivals the sheer joy of waking up late to a world covered in fluffy snow and bedecked with icicles, perfectly cooked pancakes with gooey chocolate chips already on the stove, and the softest corner of the couch waiting for you to curl up with a good book and a steaming mug of hot cocoa. However, this past week as snow piled down on campus, covering pathways with treacherously slippery slush and sending fierce, icy gusts hurtling through the air, Exonians did not have the choice to curl up on any couch. Rather, they had to brave the snow, sleet, and sub-zero temperatures to haul themselves to classes – or risk receiving a dreaded unexcused absence. While some day students did have the option to stay at home, they too suffered, missing their classes’ riveting discussions and crucial moments of learning.
While day students do have the option to stay home on a snow day without penalization, they still must miss a day of school. As most students know, missing a day of class has the potential to set a student back tremendously, especially if the class in question covers a new topic or an important chapter. Furthermore, it is difficult for teachers, as the responsibility to catch the students up may fall on them. And it’s not just day students who could benefit from snow days — snow days have the potential to benefit the mental and physical health of the whole student body.
Just a single day without school allows students to catch up on sleep, and a surprise day shaved off the week can help alleviate stress. This is especially important during winter term when H format classes push into the evening and seasonal depression is ever-present — according to the National Library of Medicine, it’s estimated that up to 5.5 percent of teens have seasonal affective disorder. Between the schedule, lack of sunlight, and cold temperatures, winter term brings low morale among students. Further still, snow days offer an opportunity to go outside and play — something that most Exonians simply do not even consider working into their busy schedules.
PEA doesn’t have many days off built into the schedule — we have school on MLK Day and Presidents’ Day. While some may argue that taking additional, unplanned days off could mess up syllabi and schedules, the benefits massively outweigh the disadvantages. Snow days would also benefit teachers, who would be able to utilize their snow days to catch up on grading papers and tests without having to stress about meetings or classes.
Our new Student Council president Lauren Lee has promised to improve students’ wellbeing. Fighting for snow days could be the wellness boost that our school needs.
