We are wearing our pajamas inside out and have carefully placed spoons under our pillows to appease the “snow-day gods.”
When, oh when, we think, will a click on the “L” in the alphabetized list of closings on WMUR announce that Londonderry schools have a snow day?
4 a.m. and Nashua has called it. Salem is next. Then Hudson. Merrimack.
Derry is closed? YES! It will be only a matter of seconds now, we think.
Wait for it. Wait for it. And there it is.
Right after Litchfield:
Londonderry schools are closed today .
Alarm clock. Off.
Eyes. Closed.
Bed. Warm.
Best. Day. Ever.
And I’m not talking about the students.
For us teachers, a snow day is often a sweet, wonderful gift, too.
Time to be with our kids. Time to catch up on grading, cleaning, laundry, life. Time to read a book or actually watch a complete movie without falling asleep.
Of course, we teachers do worry when there are too many snow days. The randomness of them can interrupt the flow of a unit or even cut in on how much we can cover, which can be stressful.
But that hasn’t been a problem this winter . . . I mean spring . . . I mean winter.
So Friday’s snow day was a glorious treat.
Here’s how we spent it.
English teacher Mr. Paone: “I’m spending my snow day playing outside in the snow with my one-year-old daughter [Zoey]. She likes waving at the snow but doesn’t like her snowsuit very much.”
Mrs. Rocheleau made snow gouls with her grandson Jayden.Math teacher Mrs. Sharp and her daughter Bella made a snowman.Phys. Ed./Health teacher Mrs. Lafore set up “Ninja training” in her house for her daughters Ella and Avery.
English teacher Ms. Murphy spent the day “reading, playing and snuggling” with her daughter Maya.Transition program counselor Mrs. Rivet said her kids and their friends spent time trying to catch a mouse that just had just run across the room. “I’m too paralyzed to move,” Rivet said. “Happy snow day to me.”
English teacher Mrs. Currier‘s son Easton was a big helper shoveling the walkway to their house.
Spanish teacher Mr. Rosa: “No hair gel, no bow tie, lots of cooking.”
Science teacher Mrs. Sohm spent her snow day looking through old photos.
Mr. Rosa said he also spent time “hanging with my BFF,” math teacher Ms. McMahon.
Accounting teacher Mrs. Young said she took a nap with her dog because it looked “too cold out there.”
Math teacher Mrs. Chisholm spent her snow day snuggling with her cat.
Tree branches outside history teacher Mrs. Mee‘s dining room window began to sag under the weight of the snow.English teacher Mrs. Rich said she “found some color in this winter wonderland” when she captured bright red berries against the calm white snow.English teacher Mrs. Currier noticed her apple trees, which were bare only the day before, now have soft, white snow outlining their beauty.
House 3 AP Mrs. Ferraro‘s daughters Chloe and Rowan enjoyed sledding yesterday.
Science teacher Mrs. Kerns said she spent her day “shoveling and trying to untangle me and my dog!”
Special education teacher Mrs. Manni said she was “just taking advantage of the fresh powder skiing at Pats Peak” on her snow day.Spanish teacher Mrs. Halpern took her daughter Gabby and her daughter’s friends to Pat’s Peak, so they could spend the afternoon and evening skiing.
Special education secretary Mrs. Myers helped her grandson Sam make an “Olaf” snowman.
Humanities curriculum coordinator Dr. Lindley-Soucy enjoys watching her daughter Malei play outside in the snow.
Bouchard said their dog is the reason they first started making these paths. “Our dog Frankie is only 7 lbs,” Bouchard said, “and we’ve had her for 10 years, and she is not crazy about being wet or cold, so I’ve had to shovel paths for her every winter. Every year it just gets more elaborate because I had the boys, and now they’re big enough to help.” During her son Cooper’s first winter she said she had enough snow to make a tunnel at the end of a sledding hill. “THAT was awesome!” she said.Bouchard’s sons Desmond and Cooper enjoy playing in the tunnels they created in their backyard. Bouchard said, “WE LOVE SNOW!”
Bouchard said her boys will take their trucks and drive them down the paths, and sometimes the dump trucks will “move” some snow. “Every day we go out and add to the paths,” Bouchard said. “[My son] Coop is big enough now that he likes to help. He even designs the paths sometimes by walking where he wants to shovel. Oh yeah, and we have ‘guard’ snowmen.”
Mrs. DeWinkeleer (or DeWinks) has been adviser to The Lancer Spirit since 2004 and has been an English teacher since 1999. Her favorite part of being adviser is seeing her students grow as writers and as human beings.
Comments (4)
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Anne Bartlett
Feb 7, 2016 at 5:21 am
Really nice job! I was hanging out with my dog Bailey!!
Barbara Mee
Feb 6, 2016 at 7:55 pm
Absolutely spectacular Ms. DEWINKELEER! !!
Kim Lindley-Soucy
Feb 6, 2016 at 2:25 pm
Really fun article! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures!
Mrs. Goulet
Feb 6, 2016 at 2:24 pm
And I guess you spent your snow day doing what you love…reporting the news. Great job Mrs. DeWinkeleer.