Snow days allow students to catch up

Grayson Walker ’21 approaches Wilson Hall after a recent snowfall – Gabe Gowen ’21

On the evening of January 31, students received word that the following Monday would be a snow day. As many rejoiced, the snow continued to fall, leaving students with a variety of potential activities. 

     For most, the snow day provided an opportunity to step back from the stress of their school work and outside obligations. 

     “I just relaxed. Took a little break from everything,” Fourth Former Arnav Sardesai said. “It was good to take a break.” 

     Third Former Render Ford had a similar experience.

     “I definitely played quite a bit of video games,” Ford said. “It was pretty relaxed. There wasn’t much work, which was good.” 

     Other students, such as Fourth Former Jack Suter, were able to get outside and have fun in the snow. 

    “We went to Valley Forge to go sledding there,” Suter said. “We went skiing for a little bit. It was a fun day.” 

     Still, many students used the snow day for additional work and studying for upcoming tests.  

     “I feel like I had a lot of work to do on the snow day, even though we didn’t have physical school,” Fifth Former John Zhang said. “It did help me get caught up with my classes—especially getting some studying done for my history test [and] biology quiz.” 

     The snow day also provided extra time to complete assignments.

     “I did a lot of homework,” Sardesai said. “Caught up on some past assignments that I needed to do.” 

     Towards the end of the snow day, students hoped for another day off school on the next day—Tuesday. Yet to their disappointment, Haverford notified upper school students that school would be in session virtually, ultimately sparking conversation amongst students. 

     “I disagree with the fact that we had virtual on that day,” Suter said. “Any other year it would’ve been a snow day.”

“It’s very important for the mental health of students to have a moment to relax.”

John Zhang ’22

     Regardless of students’ individual experiences with the snow day, there seems to be an overall agreement that days that would’ve been a snow day should not be replaced with virtual class.  

    “I think there’s many variables, but the underlying thing is that snow days are pretty important. and they shouldn’t be taken away from the students. Especially in high school when you have so much work, tests to study for, and obligations,” Zhang said. “I think it’s very important for the mental health of students to have a moment to relax.”