Walking in a winter wonderland

The weird weather patterns happening in North America have been the talk of news stations all over the world. In Mexico, a rare dusting of snow has occurred in Ciudad Juarez. In Canada, a total of more than 8 feet have covered the country in a blanket of white. And here in the United States, the southern countries are getting more snow then they have ever seen before. Mississippi has received a few inches snow and so have parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and Arkansas.

Elsewhere in the rest of United States, snow has been a headache–more like a migraine. In Chicago, for the first time in 12 years, their public school system shut down because of the snow. As beautiful as the snow is, it can turn treacherous  in a matter of seconds. In New York and Boston, snow seems to be a huge problem. With up to 19 inches of snow, one can only wonder how they can drive through it –if they can at all.

So what is causing all of this snow, sleet, and rain? Some scientists have said that global warming is the cause and that the Earth is trying to cool down according to CBC News.

The winter weather had kids running around in the hallways saying that school would be closing early.  Paying attention in class was difficult as kids were intrigued by the snowflakes falling from the sky. One would think that we would be used to all this commotion by now- seeing as how we have been out of school three times due to the inclement weather. But there is something about snow that gets students in a happier mood.

Getting out of school seems to be the main reason why students and teachers like inclement weather. There is the feeling of going back home to sleep and possibly– if there is enough snow– snowball fights!

“I love snow, so snow days are great..while they last. I like getting out of school and having epic snowball fights, but I hate it when we have to go back to school or make up days. Its a love/hate relationship,” senior Emily Ward said.

Yes, school gets canceled two hours early but do we have to make this day up? “Until the window passes for snow days, the board will not make a decision until after spring break,” assistant principal Jane Gatewood said.

The possibility of snow leaves some people in awe. “I love winter and I love getting out of school early or completely off,” senior Alicia Manley said.

On Feb. 9, around  noon snow came falling from the sky. It started to pile up on the streets and impacted roadways very quickly. A total of 2-4 inches came down in the Memphis area.  Schools let out at 11:30 in preparation for the inclement weather.

If one was to look at the week of Feb.20-26 and compare it with the coming week, Feb. 28-March 5, they would notice a significant change in temperatures. With highs being in the upper 60′s for the coming week, it gives relief from the cold that was hard to bare last week.

With Spring just around the corner, it has become apparent that rain has taken over the snow. On Feb. 24, a severe thunderstorm crossed into the Mid-South area. It caused power outages and tornadoes. The storm started around 7 pm and was a fasting moving one and left the Mid-South area around 10 pm. Although it was a scary night, a clear forecast came the next day. Temperatures are in the high 60′s-70′s now but a 70% chance of rain is expected on Saturday, March 5.

Make-up snow days might melt summer

Frosty the Snowman might have been a jolly happy soul, but he melted before he had the chance to go back to school.

This past Monday was Snow Day #5 for the Shelby County School system, and while most students (especially seniors) jumped with joy, others worried about having to make up for these days.

Though the Shelby County School calendar has four additional days of school intended for make-up days, the school board is still deciding on how to incorporate those days into the school year.

This year the board is debating among the ideas of holding Saturday school, lengthening the school year, or adding 45 extra minutes onto the day for a certain period of time.

However, this decision will not be made until March.

“It really would be premature to even place this item on the board agenda for consideration in February because we very likely could have much more inclement weather facing us,” SCS Board Chairman David Pickler said, according to FoxMemphis News.

Memphis weathermen are expecting more snow Sunday of this week.

Vice Principal Jane Gatewood suggests that “until a final decision has been made, after winter weather has passed, parents should keep the final days of May open for school and exams.”

While the recent snow days may seem like a decent break from school, these days of winter wonderland might cause a cut in the sunshine summer.