Community Corner
No School…Again!!!
Columnist Christine Wolf plans to make the most of her kids' school cancellations.
Just like those days during the Blizzard of February 2011, my kids will celebrate at least one blessed day off of school this week. This time around, though, the sub-zero temperatures are the reason. These are no Snow Days -- they're true Emergency Days. Instead of the end of winter vacation and "back-to-school week", it’s become extended time home and "wait-and-see week".
I don’t even want to know how this might alter the course of my son’s finals schedule at ETHS or what this might mean for summer planning and the last day of school. Those details will come in due time. For now, I plan to spend at least one more day of winter break with my family. Even my husband’s office is closed due to dangerous temperatures.
I’m going to spend Monday hunkered down with the four people I love dearly and make the most of our time together.
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Usually, by the end of winter break, I’m ready to send the kids back to school. Maybe I’m just getting sentimental in my old age, but I was as thrilled as they were when the emails and voice mails rolled in about school cancellations. We all high-fived and laughed and cheered. News of a school cancellation has the power to unify even the most combative of sibling relationships. It bonds teens and parents like nothing else. Suddenly, you’re all on the same page. There’s pure joy when you learn school’s closed – particularly in Evanston. It signals A REALLY BIG DEAL, right?
During the days leading up to the announcement, we had several discussions about whether “it” would even happen.
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“They’re not gonna close…”
“We never close…”
“We closed in the 2011 Blizzard…”
“Yeah, but that was different. That was snow. This is just cold. We never close just for the cold…”
We all reflected on how much fun that was…and how rare it was…
“People said it was the first time in 25 years that school was closed. Man, were we lucky then.”
“It could happen this time…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It won’t happen for another 25 years. This is Evanston.”
We certainly won’t be throwing snowballs or building igloos like we did during the Blizzard of 2011. This time around, I think we’ll just cozy up to a fire, work on our long-overdue Christmas cards, and cherish an extra day of togetherness…that is until we all drive each other completely crazy.
