Picture this, you wake up and you peek outside your window to see a winter wonderland. The trees and bushes are covered and the road still has fresh snow on it, seemingly untouched by any car yet. The 7 a.m. newscast is on in your parents bedroom. You walk into their room, still barely awake as you read the names of schools as they pan across the screen. “Fishers…Closed…Franklin…Closed.” You wait impatiently until you see that one name you were looking for and you celebrate like you’ve just won the jackpot.

It’s a snow day. 

But nowadays, snow days seem to be something of the past. The implementation of e-learning days has become the new solution for when weather interferes with students getting to school. Teachers can assign schoolwork for students to do, so schools do not fall behind schedule and kids can do work on days stuck at home. Often, teachers will even plan e-learning work beforehand on days where snow is expected. 

However, many students would agree that when school is canceled, it feels like a mini “holiday” and would much rather prefer having a traditional snow day over e-days. On these days, we get to sleep in, go out and play in the snow , and not have to worry about school for at least another day. But on e-days, students can have multiple hours of schoolwork to do, which can jam a stick in the stokes in trying to go out and enjoy the weather during the limited time available. 

In the world today, the amount of snow days we get are thin, often only one or two a year. Global warming is the main culprit of this, as studies show that Indiana has progressively gotten less and less snow every year. As of February 7th, 2022, we’ve only gotten one snow of more than two inches and are behind pace on average snowfall throughout winter. So with there being so few snow days every school year, students should be able to go out and enjoy them, and not have to worry about any school other than the amount they’ve procrastinated. 

While schools may view e-learning days as an opportunity to not miss school time, a day missed won’t hurt anyone. Noblesville has built in days on holidays where if we have to miss a day at school, it can be made up without having to add extra days at the end of the school year. They are often found on Mondays for holidays like MLK day or President’s day where we can add in a day of school if needed.

Furthermore, snow days carry a nostalgic feeling that cannot be matched. When I hear we could get snow at some point of the week, I find myself checking the weather app on my phone multiple times a day to see if the chances of snow have gone up or down. Waking up to a text from my mom saying “School is canceled” starts a celebration, often followed by going back to bed. Even though snow days are few and far between, schools should prioritize students’ desire for free time and allow them to have a day where they can go sledding at Forest Park or just sit at home and binge all day. After all, who doesn’t enjoy playing in the snow?