Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

here are many new things this school year, like new admins, new rules, and new ideas. This year the district decided to add virtual snow days. Virtual snow days are a way for students to work on assignments that are posted on canvas, so they can work on a said assignment at home when there is a snow day, and school is canceled. Students have differing thoughts on whether the virtual snow days are a good idea or not. “I think it can be a good idea but at the same time, it could also be bad. The reason why it’s good is that kids who like to go outside and have snowball fights usually go do it in the mornings which means that they have time to do stuff later in the day. The reason why it’s bad is that kids think that snow days are a day of no work so they think they don’t have to do anything,” freshman Brooke Rasmussen said. Having too many tasks on snow days could become hard for students to keep up with. Students often are usually given assignments on Canvas but if there is a paper handout that day the teacher would be unable to give it to the students. “I think 2-3 assignments at the most for all classes because being at home you tend to get off track, especially if all your siblings are home,” sophomore Megan Brose said. While keeping track of assignments could become a hassle, some students may find it beneficial to have work while they are home. Working at home reduces the risk that students will fall behind. “Normal snow days affect my school work because we get less time to work, final dates don’t ever get moved, and teachers rush to get through lessons, so we can get to our finals. We don’t have time to fully understand, and I feel rushed to finish work and get caught up on things,” sophomore Sydnie Nielson said. Students have to be able to adjust to the way teachers assign work when we have no school. If a snow day were to happen students can get frustrated if there is a miscommunication. “Snow days can affect your schoolwork in many ways. It pushes due dates back but it can give you more time to work on homework. Snow days also push units back and it can put you and teachers off track,” Rasmussen said. Understanding assignments and the lack of communication could be something that some students struggle with. It could cause confusion and more stress for the student than if they had the assignment during a normal school day. “No, I am not looking forward to virtual snow days at all, It may help some kids with schoolwork, but it will also add more stress because it just adds more assignments on top of the things students already have, so no I don’t think virtual snow days are a good idea,” sophomore Issac Howerton said. “I’m not on that particular committee but I have been given the opportunity to give some feedback. As an admin team, we’ve all had some insight into that. We’re readily cognizant of the fact that on a snow day a lot of things take place. Some high school students are responsible for younger siblings on a snow day. So you don’t have the same time to sit in ‘class’ if you will the way that you would on a normal school day. I mean we’ve had days when we were out due to ice and people lost power. So you might not have online as an option for you if you don’t have electricity. So part of what’s going to come out of the team that’s crafting what virtual snow days look like, there will be some consideration for school days missed, plus some additional time to get assignments and things made up. Those things would still be counted as grades. So it’s still important to do that learning. But again it’s about the learning being extended not creating fake work to fill up time,” Assistant Principal Dr. Rosemary Camp said. Virtual Snow Days written by: Megan Wright T

“I think it can be a good idea but at the same time, the reason why it’s bad is that kids think that snow days are a day of no work so they think they don’t have to do anything,” freshman Brooke Rasmussen said. graphic by: Braden Clapper