Every Who down in Whoville loved Snow Days very much… but Corona, who lived just West of Whoville, DID NOT! Corona hated Snow Days! The whole snow seasons! Now please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and other video conferencing apps have made it very easy to stay connected in this time of separation with family, friends, and school, but it has also given schools an excuse not to keep kids on school in some way. Let students take a day away from school and just be kids in the greatest of all school traditions: the snow day. While the freshly fallen snow, perfect for sledding, is just waiting for us outside, we are stuck inside still in class.

Students of all ages need time outside of school to socialize and take a break and find joy in fun experience that every child of every age should be able to experience. It is very hard for many students to socialize in school now more than ever which is why snow days are so important. They give children the ability to socialize and make friends outside of school which help with their character and development and social skills. In school now we have minimal social time to meet new people which is very hard for primary school kids and transfer students to meet new people. Snow days are essential to the development of character and to help socialize in this pandemic.

Snow days are also a much-needed mental reset between stressful school days. Think of an old tablet or phone that if you run too long and with too many apps going, it slows down and starts acting weird so you have to restart it. That’s exactly how students feel. They need a metaphorical “power off.” This is very important to keep students active and engaged in class.

At Regis Jesuit, tradition is a huge aspect of our culture and remembering  who we are and where we came from is important to us. Regis was founded in 1877; which is about 144 graduating classes. Before 2020, there were no Zoom classes, so at least 143 groups of students graduated with snow days and they went on to do amazing things. The tradition of snow days, like all our traditions, makes us who we are.

Beyond the emotional appeal, snow days also serve a practical purpose. Taking care of children or younger siblings are hard, but trying to work at the same time is almost impossible. In a school setting its distracting for both the teachers and students. It is very hard to take care of younger siblings and children while in remote school. It is shown both parents are employed full-time in almost half (46%) of households that include a mother and father. 72.3% of all women with children under 18 were in the labor force in 2019. In the same year, 93.4% of men with children under 18 were in the labor force, Catalyst, a global nonprofit organization to build better workplaces for women, reported last October. This proves that either children are left at home to do remote learning by themselves that also have to take care of the home (pets, chores, etc.) by themselves and that children with siblings have to take care of them while trying to learn. Neither of these are productive because they cannot focus on just school and thus don’t learn as well.

Some say we’ve lost too many days to Corona and that the number of snow days in Colorado detracts from student learning this is responding to this issue indifferently, you should be looking at it sympathetically. Yes, these student might be behind a lesson or two but the break does more help than harm. These kids need a reset that helps them refocus   and continue to learn productively. These students need the break.

Students need time the snow day tradition to have an unscripted break to reset, spend time with friends, and come back to school ready to learn. So instead of making weather conditions bring a miserable day of remote learning, let’s all have a happy day of fun. Regis Jesuit, will you be the Cindy Lou Who that saves Snow Days, or the Grinch who stole them?