FIRST FLURRIES OF THE YEAR

By BROOKE HARTLEY

If you are reading this article from the comfort of your home, it could be because the long awaited first snow day of the school year is finally upon us. If that is the case, grab your cup of cocoa, sit by the fire, and read about how the day has impacted the student body and faculty of Washingtonville High School.

Mrs. Thirsk eagerly anticipates her first snow day.

While snow days, in the moment, are magnificent most people do not think about the repercussions that taking too many of them might bring.  In the 2017-18 school year, the Washingtonville Central School District used up all of their allotted snow days which, in turn, shortened spring break by one day.  Needless to say, students and faculty alike were not thrilled.

From students to faculty, members of the Washingtonville community are constantly refreshing their twitter feeds for an updated percentage on the delays, early dismissals, and closings of school from an alleged weather specialist: Ben Noll. Ben Noll is an intellect that sends out tweets on his account to inform people about the upcoming weather advisories and his opinion about the chance of closings and delays.  He has become somewhat of a celebrity in the neighboring communities because of his, usually pretty accurate, predictions.

This past week, Ben Noll tweeted that there would be a “40-50% (low-medium) chance for early dismissals Thursday” and this was all people needed to become extremely excited.  That same day, Ben sent out a tweet proclaiming that there was a “60-70% (medium-high) chance for school closures or delays Friday."  To add even more fuel to the fire, Ben updated his percentages which sky rocketed the excitement from his followers. He just recently tweeted, “With a late-week winter storm on deck, #HudsonValley impact %’s continue to slide up."  According to him, “Thursday 35% early dismissal, 90% activities cancelled” and on Friday “70% closing, 90% delay."

As these numbers continue to increase, students are getting more enthusiastic and plan ahead for how they will spend their day watching the snow fall. Vincent Martello, a senior at Washingtonville High School, expressed his favorite part of snow days are “waking up to the phone call from the school, or my mom letting me know there’s no school and then looking outside to see everything covered in white.” Vincent spends his snow days shoveling and snow blowing for two to three hours, followed by resting and watching movies.

BROOKE HARTLEY FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

Mrs. Thirsk, an English teacher at Washingtonville, exclaimed her eagerness for this snowy day off.  She expressed that she has as much excitement as the students do because, “What’s not to love?” Mrs. Thirsk spends her days reading books by the fire and enjoying her time off while she can.  

Students and faculty continue to buzz about this upcoming Thursday and Friday’s winter weather advisory. Put on your snow boots, Wizard Nation, and get ready for a crazy winter season. Hopefully you truly will be reading this article from the comfort of your home.  Stay warm Wizards!