Winter storm creates snow day shenanigans
Snow covered alder tree (Alnus glutinosa) branch against defocused background.
As reported by local weather stations, 12 to 18 inches of snowfall are expected in the Champaign-Urbana area on Wednesday, Feb. 2 and Thursday, Feb. 3. Timed perfectly with Groundhog day, this heavy winter storm will sweep through much of Central US, causing snow days for local schools.
Unlike pre-pandemic snow days, schools will not cancel classes and will simply shift to e-learning over Zoom. According to a recent email from Uni Director Elizabeth Majerus on Jan. 31, Uni will follow the remote learning schedule instead of canceling school. Majerus cites make-up days and changed teaching schedules for this change. However, there are still many things to do during your remote snow days on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sophomore Knox Mynatt suggests sleeping in.
“If I had a snow day, I would catch up on sleep,” he said. “The remote learning schedule allows for students to sleep in more and have more free time during the day.”
Senior Jake Regenwetter would “wake up forgetting the day was a snow day, relax, and then build a snowman.” In Champaign-Urbana, large amounts of snow are hard to come by, and building snowmen would be a great way to take advantage of this opportunity. Besides snowmen, Regenwetter also suggests making mini snow hills to slide on.
“As a child, I would always make [hills] but they would end up being a foot tall,” Regenwetter added.
A snow-oriented photoshoot could also turn out well.
However, other students enjoy staying in.
If Senior Ian Evensen had a snow day, he would “stay in and bake cookies.”
Some hate snow altogether. Freshman Josh Persiani mentioned he would “cry, because [he] hates snow. It is cold and wet and slows me down”. Freshman Meher Ghotra said she would “stay in, do homework, and watch a movie.” Finally, Sophomore Xenia Mongwa stated she would “play video games, build a snowman, and sleep.”
Overall, these are some possible things to do during this online snow day. If you’re ever bored at home these next few days, locked in by the snow, feel free to try some of these activities and let us know how it goes!
