Following the heavy snowfall Sunday night, January 31st, Dr. Alan Addley, the Darien Superintendent of Schools, informed all parents that Monday would be a remote learning day.  This included a modified schedule where students would learn from home.  The same day, school for Tuesday was announced to be remote again.  These events give rise to a question: Will we ever have a real snow day again?

The phrase “Snow Day” is a universal feeling that provokes fantastic imagery.  Imagine waking up and realizing you slept in two hours and look outside your window to see a bright and silent winter wonderland.  Living on the East Coast, it has become a part of our culture.  From performing rituals such as flushing ice cubes down the toilet to putting a spoon under our pillow to improve the outcome of a snow day.  It is sad to think that from now on they could no longer exist.

In the fall, the town had a huge windstorm causing many trees and power lines to falter.  Since Darien Public Schools rely on electricity for their facilities to run efficiently, school was cancelled and it was deemed a “Snow Day”.  At the time, the idea of a day off from school was great; it wasn’t as pleasant when we were informed that this day counted as our one snow day for the entire year.  This “one day snow day” was put in place to ensure that the legal number of days in school is met without having to stay in school too long in the summer.  With COVID, schools have been under more stress to meet this guideline with all the unknowns for the safety of in-school learning. It is unclear whether in the future, schools will convert to e-learing days rather than typical snow days.

Neighboring towns, such as New Canaan, did have regular snow days with no school.  This could have been because of the layout of the town, which has more remote areas.  Or it could have been the town keeping the magic alive.

Some students here at Darien High School have different ideas on the topic:

“I was disappointed; because especially for younger kids, it’s something to look forward to.  It would be really unfair if we no longer got to experience them.” Freshman Ainsley Glenday

“Originally I was upset when I heard about his because it is a very memorable experience.  Staying online definitely takes away from the excitement but I understand why we have to have online days.”  Freshman Annie Genovese 

“You can’t have winter without the fun of a snow day!” Sophomore Victoria Caruso

Whether you enjoy a break from school in the middle of the year or would rather have summer start earlier; it is safe to say that students and teachers alike love snow days!