Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Lena Pearson

For the Clemmons Courier

It has been a freezing couple of days here in the village of Clemmons, with the winter storm providing a few inches of snow, as well as five extra days off of school for the Titans.

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board ruled that due to unfavorable weather conditions, school would not be in session on Jan. 6, 7, 10, 13, and 14 to ensure the safety of all students and staff, as roads were still icy. The cold weather-induced days off have been met with a variety of responses from the students, with some thankful for the extended winter break and others eager to get back to work.

It’s been a couple of years since Clemmons has received a significant amount of snowfall, leaving many students excited about these rare weather conditions. Many are enjoying their days off by spending time outside in the snow or cozying up indoors.

“It’s uncommon to see this much snow in North Carolina, so I’ve been taking advantage of the time away from school. It’s nice to be outside and enjoy the snow while we can,” senior Carmyn Litchfield said.

The time off, however, feels like a too-long winter break for some, as students only returned back to school for two days of the new semester. As school was cancelled on Jan. 10 leading into the weekend, many felt bored and restless at home.

“I’ve been spending my days off scrolling through my phone and sleeping, which is one of the reasons why I don’t like having snow days. The past few weeks with days off have been fun, but I’ve grown to not like them since I’m basically wasting my days away and not doing anything productive,” junior Abbie Leonard said.

Others recognize the importance of these days off in regards to safety, as roads were slick and dangerous for those on their routes to school. While some roads in the county weren’t hazardous to drive on, other areas were still affected by the ice for days after the storm, leading to the school cancellation as a safety measure for all.

“The snow days are necessary due to how icy the roads are. A lot of students are new to driving, so it’s risky for us to drive in these conditions. It doesn’t just apply to teen drivers, but it’s important for everyone else to be safe as well,” junior Amanda Ramjeet said.

While school was cancelled out of concern for students, staff, and parents, there are downsides to the missed education days. These days will now need to be made up in order to meet state attendance requirements, decreasing the length of West’s spring break and other previously scheduled reserve days.

“I would actually prefer to be at school because we’re now having to make up our snow days during the spring break week,” Leonard said.

Whether students are in support of the snow days or not, the second semester is without a doubt off to an interesting start. If the ice continues to melt, the Titans should be back on track to ditch their snow boots and put on their backpacks in preparation for their long awaited arrival on campus.