Should We Get Unused Snow Days Back for Longer Breaks?

This winter’s unusual weather patterns are not leaving much hope for a three day weekend.

Why is it that it always snows on Saturdays so we never get a snow day? Why can’t it snow any other day of the week, preferably a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? This unusually warm winter has not been giving us many opportunities for snow days, but when it does snow, it almost always falls on a Saturday. Snow on a Saturday is just a burden; it makes the roads slippery, it’s cold, and it is just really inconvenient because as high schoolers we want more from snow than just sledding and snowmen! Especially towards the end of a marking period when teachers are cramming in the last quizzes, tests, and all other work imaginable, students could really use a day off to just relax, catch up on sleep, and not have to worry about their work overload. Because we haven’t been using any of these snow days that are built into our school year, doesn’t it make sense that we should get these days back? When we use too many snow days, we have to take days off of our breaks to have the minimum number of school days required, so why don’t we get to add days onto our breaks if we don’t use them as snow days? Madison Dodger Online (MDO) walked around the school asking students and teachers if they think that we should take these days off of school for a longer break if we do not use them as snow days. 100% of the respondents agreed that if we do not use them as snow days, then we should take days off of school. Here are some remarks from some students/teachers who wish to remain anonymous:

“It makes no sense! They build them into our school year so if we don’t use them, we should get to add them onto our breaks to make them longer.”

“If they can make us go to school in the middle of break because we used too many snow days, they should give us back these days if we don’t use them.”

“Of course I think we should get these snow days back if we don’t use them. I’m an advocate for anything to get out of going to school!”

To try and understand the logic behind why we do not get unused snow days back, MDO tried asking people for possible reasons as to why they think that we do not get these snow days back (also anonymous):

“Maybe they think that we need the extra days to prepare us for final exams and AP tests and stuff like that, but they’re supposed to be able to teach us all that in four days less so we wouldn’t be doing anything on the four built in snow days anyways.”

“I really don’t know. I can’t think of any good reasons…”

“They hate us.”

Whether the school district just hates us or thinks that we could benefit from four extra days of learning, we do not get these snow days back if we do not use them so everyone put your pajamas on inside-out, flush ice cubes down the toilet, put a spoon under your pillow, and pray that we get a snowday.