Over the week of January 24 to February 1, heavy snow hit Virginia, leading to Manassas City Public Schools being closed every day of that week. Additionally, the following week was also impacted by what was left of the snow, causing several two-hour delay days. Students and staff also had an unrelated snow day on Monday, February 23, because of light snow. It was definitely less snow than a few weeks prior, though.

Snow is a cold precipitation that forms ice crystals in clouds where temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or freezing, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Snow days divide people. People who like cold weather and winter will often like snow, while people who like hot weather and summer will usually think otherwise. A lot of people have mixed feelings about snow. Nevertheless, most people enjoy having school days off, so they can concentrate on things they find more entertaining. “I have a love-hate relationship with the snow, because the snow is pretty to look at, and it gives us days off from school. I don’t like it otherwise because the roads and sidewalks are icy, so we can’t go anywhere, and we have to stay stuck inside,” said freshman Kiara Rosales Funes.

Many students spent the snow week doing fun snow day activities, such as sledding or playing in the snow with friends. “I went sledding and played a bunch of Roblox over our snow week,” stated sophomore Briy Moody. “During the snowstorm, I stayed inside for the most part, but I watched movies with my mom, I baked cookies, and played on my iPad,” said freshman Kendal Metz.

Some students had mostly negative reactions to the snow days, because they couldn’t drive anywhere and were stuck inside. “I was sick during the snow days, but it ruined my plans. I was setting up my new fish tank, and I needed to buy more plants and hides to get it going. My car is a mustang and it couldn’t handle the snow,” stated senior Ian Knox.

Shoveling is a big responsibility when snow days do occur. It is a tough task, but it needs to be done to clear the sidewalks so people can walk. “I helped my neighbors shovel out their cars, and I got 50 dollars,” said freshman Allyson Fernandez. “I shoveled the snow all by myself. I did the front pathway and sidewalk area, then I did the area near the garage, and finally, I dug out my boyfriend’s car, because he was in Florida. I got all the snow out from behind it. My technique for shoveling was to use a metal shovel to smash the ice and then layer, then using a plastic shovel to scoop it up,” stated Journalism teacher Ms. Miller.

Some students expressed that they tried to take their pets outside during the snow week. “During the snowstorm, I tried to take my dog out to play in the snow, though he turned out to not be the biggest fan of it,” said freshman Paola Hernandez. This is not uncommon among pets, though, as many were made uncomfortable by the snow. “Animals feel scared and overwhelmed during the storm as they don’t like the feeling of snow. My dog got used to it,” stated freshman Meyli Gomez.

When Osbourn finally reopened after the snow week, many students were still uneasy about coming to school due to all the snow still on the ground. Whether it was walking to the bus stop, riding the bus to school, or driving, students expressed that they felt somewhat unsafe. “I didn’t feel very safe riding the bus home, because it felt dangerous with the large snow piles on the side of the roads,” said Moody. “Getting to school with all the snow that was left was definitely a challenge. The sidewalks were not clean, and the snow piles made it difficult for the buses to drive,” stated sophomore Steffany Torres.

Overall, the snow came down hard on Manassas this year. It didn’t top 2016’s ‘Snowzilla’, but it did cancel an entire week and add two-hour delays to the week following it. There will likely be no more heavy snow days as we had in late January, but next year is always a possibility. Students at Osbourn have mixed feelings about snow days. Some students like sledding, while others like sitting inside, making hot chocolate, and watching movies.

But almost all can agree on one thing: they enjoy the days off from school.