Whiteout

Although many recent Kansas winters have been fairly mild, this year the weather has been much more extreme. In an uncharacteristic happening for Kansas, almost all the schools in the area and KU classes were canceled for a day by a blizzard in November. Although forecasts are not always particularly accurate, it looks like Northeastern Kansas will see a good deal more of snow this winter. While many people enjoy this wintry weather, and are of the opinion that the holiday season would be incomplete without a significant amount of snow, to others the snow, and the cold and wind that invariably accompany it, are more of an annoyance than a plus.

Generally, most of the Seabury community seems to be in agreement that having a lot of snow in the winter, and in particular snow days, are pretty cash money. For instance, seventh grader Grant Bryan says, “I prefer snowy winters, because it makes the cold less of just a major annoyance and something that you just have to deal with.” Having lived in Lawrence for the whole of his life so far, Bryan says that he overall enjoys winters such as this one and is enjoying the weather so far.

For people who have lived in particularly snowy places, cold weather is often an especially welcome event. One such person is science teacher Eric Nelson, who was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in Arizona but has enjoyed skiing as a hobby since high school and spent some time making a living off of it in Colorado. On colder weather in Kansas, Nelson says, “I like it when it snows. I like it to last about two or three days, and then I like it to melt and go away and be mild.” In a similar vein, Nelson adds that “Kansas is very beautiful in the winter when it's snowed, and I really think our environment looks just stunning after a snow.”

Sophomore Sophie Chindamo, meanwhile, says that while she likes there being a lot of snow in the winter, “[she] doesn’t think the cold is worth it unless it is snowing.” Generally, while people seem to appreciate the amount of snow lately, cold without any snow or with hardly any snow seems to be much less liked, probably because it makes being outside pretty uncomfortable.

One part of having very snowy weather at this time of year that seems to be more or less universally loved is having snow days. Although many recent years have passed without Seabury receiving any snow days, school has already been canceled by snow once this semester, and pretty much everyone seems to appreciate the extra day of relaxation. Bryan, for one, states, “It’s like another weekend. I usually just chill, and since it’s a snow day, I usually go out and play in the snow.”

Chindamo, meanwhile, describes her appreciation for the rest that comes with snow days: “Snow days mean sleep, and lots of it.” As the semester wears on, and many students and teachers no doubt become tired out by school, sports and other extracurricular activities, an extra day off can be very welcome.

In addition to being a day off of school for the student body, snow days also mean an extra day off of work for the faculty, which may be just as welcome. Nelson, for one, who is an avid outdoorsman, also enjoys having snow days. In addition to being an additional day off of his work, snow days also give him some time to enjoy his hobbies, many of which rely on or are facilitated by heavy snow. He says on the matter, “I like the snow because you can see deer tracks in it really easily. When we have a snow day, I don't stay home; I go outside and I tromp around in the woods and go hunting or go [cross-country] skiing, so for me, it's just an extra day of outside activity.”

Overall, Seabury seems to appreciate snow during the winter, and the snow days that often come with it. Hopefully, we will continue to see what is (by Kansas standards, which are very different from most of the rest of the country’s) a substantial amount of snow this winter, and maybe even a couple more snow days.