From Jan. 6-8, Parkway students and staff received three snow days due to Winter Storm Blair, as well as a virtual learning day on Jan. 10.
The storm brought ice and snow to several states, especially those in the midwest and the east coast. 8.5 inches of snow was measured at the St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The last time St. Louis experienced over eight inches of snow was in 2019. Maryland Heights received 7 inches of snow.
The ice and snow that coated the streets closed the majority of schools for Monday, which for many was supposed to be the return to winter break. Numerous other schools and districts, Parkway included, extended school closure through Tuesday and Wednesday.
Students and teachers alike enjoyed extra time off as well as the snow that came with it.
“It barely snows here, and it was amazing to get at least some snow at the end of winter break,” said sophomore Toobaa Khan. “I mostly just spent some time with family. We got to play board games and drink hot chocolate, and me and my siblings went out and had a snowball fight.”
“On my days off, I spent time with my puppy and read some books,” said junior Abigail Schaefer.
While some enjoyed how the snow days caused an extension of winter break, others wished the snow days were more spread out.
“I enjoyed the snow days, but the timing isn’t ideal – we just had two weeks off of school. I always prefer to have snow days later in the year when I appreciate a day off more,” said social studies teacher Andrew Rudolph.
Parkway has three snow days built into the school calendar, and if that is exceeded, the district will institute virtual learning days. This is so there won’t be extra days added onto the end of the school year.
One downside of having the snow days, however, is that they occurred on the week before finals. This left students with three less days to prepare for finals in school. This initially sparked worries within the student body.
“I like snow days, but these ones made me more worried for finals; it made me more stressed because we have less review time and less chances to ask teachers questions,” said Schaefer.
“I think it kinda made me a little more stressed, but at the same time I got to study at home,” said Khan.
On Jan. 8, the school announced that North’s finals would implement a “hold harmless” policy to finals. This means that final exams can only help a student’s grade, not harm them. There are exceptions to this including any project-based finals that were started before the snow days.
“I felt happy because we had more days of school off, but I also was scared that we wouldn’t have time to study for the finals, but I’m so relieved that they don’t harm our grade anymore,” said freshman Avika Trivedi.
“I feel like it took stress off for me,” said Khan. “I feel like we have a fair chance to redeem ourselves… we get a chance [even] without the week of preparations.”
This was the first time in years where Parkway experienced so many snow days in a row. While snow days are usually welcome, this storm brought mixed feelings, with many students excited for the extra rest but also ready to return to finish the semester.
