Dear FCCPS, 

I’ll keep it plain and simple. Thank you for, weirdly enough, a virtual snow day.

Nothing will ever beat waking up to a white-coated world outside on a school day. And an added plus, all classes take a day off extra lessons and schoolwork. This happened this past week, with the FCCPS schools shutting its doors (virtually, of course) for the day and letting all students have the day off. Because a vast majority of students have the ability to complete school online, this snow day did not need to happen. But everyone is so happy it did. Students look forward to and love these snow days.

So what makes these days so special? 

I pinpointed it down to three things that stem from one central idea. The idea is this: when you are anticipating something that you may not enjoy, but then this something is taken away, it turns to joy and relief very quickly. This is what makes a random snow day so much more special than a planned holiday from the beginning of the year. You aren’t looking forward to it, but then this weight is lifted, and relief ensues. The specialness of a snow day stems from this central idea.

A snow day is a break that you didn’t know you needed. High school students find themselves drained mentally almost every week, almost constantly in need of a break. The reduced hours of school with the virtual schedule is nice, but not going to class for a day is downright refreshing. And unlike a sick day, you don’t need to make anything up, as it is like the entire class is sick and no material is covered. It is a true break.

The second reason is sleep. This may sound like a first world problem, but having to wake up before 8 a.m. and be ready for school is exhausting. Students go to bed late because of workload or procrastination, or inability to sleep. Because of this, many students resort to naps throughout the day which throws off sleep schedules even more. Though students are able to wake up minutes before class starts with virtual school, it is still exhausting. A snow day is an ability to throw your sleep schedule back on track; a gift you didn’t expect to receive, once again stemming from the idea of an expected weight to be lifted.

The third and final reason is that students with swamped schedules are given the ability to get outside in the snow, and everyone can feel like a kid again. Many students are pushing for the IB diploma, which takes up a massive amount of time. But this snow day allows students, kids really, to get outside and feel like a kid again. Students are allowed to let loose and enjoy the snow, whether that may be sledding, walking, or even just playing football in the snow.

Snow days allow students to be kids again. So on the behalf of myself and most likely literally every other student in the system, thank you for the virtual snow day.