By Jake Riedy
On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 18, students of St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s sat anxiously by their phones and computers waiting for the administration to decide on whether or not to open school on time (if at all) the next day.
After about an hour of public speculation on Twitter, word finally came through: school would open ON TIME. There was no delay before the opposition made their discontent well known. @STCVA’s tweet sparked 37 replies within a matter of minutes, all from outraged students criticizing the decision. th
One sophomore tweeted “#STCLogic Slight sleet/rain, 36 degrees: School Closed. 6 inches of snow, black ice on roads, -6 degrees: Open on time,” while a senior tweeted “time to readjust my sleep schedule...orrrr maybe I’ll just sleep through classes tomorrow. yeah that’s a better idea #silentprotest”.
The most notable response of the many came in the form of a senior class petition, a method of protest tested earlier this school year in an effort to unblock Netflix from the school’s WiFi. (A change has yet to be seen in this case, despite participation and support from nearly the entire senior class)
Regardless of one’s stance on whether or not the roads were safe to drive on, the central controversy that has arisen is whether this sort of student response is effective in changing the way decisions are made by the administration, and furthermore, whether or not it is frowned upon. Free speech is a right granted to all citizens of the United States, so how does it apply to this situation? Should students be allowed to publicly voice their opinions of administrative decisions, negative or otherwise?
On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 18, students of St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s sat anxiously by their phones and computers waiting for the administration to decide on whether or not to open school on time (if at all) the next day.
After about an hour of public speculation on Twitter, word finally came through: school would open ON TIME. There was no delay before the opposition made their discontent well known. @STCVA’s tweet sparked 37 replies within a matter of minutes, all from outraged students criticizing the decision. th
One sophomore tweeted “#STCLogic Slight sleet/rain, 36 degrees: School Closed. 6 inches of snow, black ice on roads, -6 degrees: Open on time,” while a senior tweeted “time to readjust my sleep schedule...orrrr maybe I’ll just sleep through classes tomorrow. yeah that’s a better idea #silentprotest”.
The most notable response of the many came in the form of a senior class petition, a method of protest tested earlier this school year in an effort to unblock Netflix from the school’s WiFi. (A change has yet to be seen in this case, despite participation and support from nearly the entire senior class)
Regardless of one’s stance on whether or not the roads were safe to drive on, the central controversy that has arisen is whether this sort of student response is effective in changing the way decisions are made by the administration, and furthermore, whether or not it is frowned upon. Free speech is a right granted to all citizens of the United States, so how does it apply to this situation? Should students be allowed to publicly voice their opinions of administrative decisions, negative or otherwise?
Editor's Note: Below is the petition to cancel school on thursday written by David Ballowe '15. It was submitted to Change.org and garnered some 440+ signatures and many passionate responses. You can view the original petition using this link.
Petitioning St. Christopher's School: Cancel School on Thursday, Febuary 19th
By David Ballowe via Change.org
We the Students of St. Christopher's High School, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Petition to Cancel School.
Four Score and Seven years ago plus four score and almost seven years, we were ravaged by one of the worst snow storms in the history of Richmond, Virginia that coated the entire city in blankets of oppressive white snow. This caused great emotional distress throughout the various Richmond communities, including our very own, inclusive community of St. Christopher's School. On top of the emotional toll and the physical taxation of plowing our own driveways and lawns, we now are facing the great toils of sub-zero temperatures. I speak on behalf of the people of STC when I say that I don't want to end up frozen to my desk in AP Stats.
Following a very productive string of days off, where one spent his or her days studying by the fire with a warm cup of hot cocoa, a harsh toss back in to the reality of eternal damnation that is school will prove unfathomably difficult. At the very least, allow the students time to gather their emotions for two measly hours in the morning, if it is even possible to do so in such a short span of time.
We appreciate your consideration, and hope that you have reevaluated your decision to the fullest of your abilities.
Remember Jack Nicholson in The Shining? Pepridge Farms Remembers... Don't let that happen again...
With Love,
A very displeased community of Seniors
P.S. a quote from an emotionally tormented Senior... "We can't all be scholars, but we can all crash on the way to campus"
Four Score and Seven years ago plus four score and almost seven years, we were ravaged by one of the worst snow storms in the history of Richmond, Virginia that coated the entire city in blankets of oppressive white snow. This caused great emotional distress throughout the various Richmond communities, including our very own, inclusive community of St. Christopher's School. On top of the emotional toll and the physical taxation of plowing our own driveways and lawns, we now are facing the great toils of sub-zero temperatures. I speak on behalf of the people of STC when I say that I don't want to end up frozen to my desk in AP Stats.
Following a very productive string of days off, where one spent his or her days studying by the fire with a warm cup of hot cocoa, a harsh toss back in to the reality of eternal damnation that is school will prove unfathomably difficult. At the very least, allow the students time to gather their emotions for two measly hours in the morning, if it is even possible to do so in such a short span of time.
We appreciate your consideration, and hope that you have reevaluated your decision to the fullest of your abilities.
Remember Jack Nicholson in The Shining? Pepridge Farms Remembers... Don't let that happen again...
With Love,
A very displeased community of Seniors
P.S. a quote from an emotionally tormented Senior... "We can't all be scholars, but we can all crash on the way to campus"
Below is an article entitled "The Winter of Our Content" by Jack Holdaway that originally appeared in the February '14 edition of the print Pine Needle. It takes a look at the school's decision process school cancelations due to snow.
The Winter of Our content
As the snow begins to fall, families gather around the television. Reports of school closings come in droves and are displayed at the bottom of the screen. Speculation begins to rise as to whether school will be canceled or if we will receive the anti-climatic two-hour delay. Many refresh the school website constantly to see if a notification has been posted, as others keep an eye on the school twitter page’s activity. While we all wait anxiously for the final decision, what is going on behind the scenes?
The responsibility of making the call rests solely on Headmaster Charley Stillwell’s shoulders. However, it is one he does not look forward to. “I will say that, while we all dream of having the power to call a snow day when we are students, the reality is that this responsibility is no fun at all,” he said.
Mr. Stillwell takes several steps to assure that he makes the correct decision. He believes that school should be closed when snow or ice is detrimental to road conditions and traveling to our campus is unsafe. In addition, school is closed when campus cannot be sufficiently cleared.
When the possibility of a winter storm is first broadcast on local news, Mr. Stillwell begins to follow the weather report. When the threat grows, he contacts faculty at Collegiate School and St. Catherine’s along with the division heads here at St. Christopher’s to get wind of their opinions.
“Typically we make the same decision for all three schools,” Mr. Stillwell said. “Sometimes Collegiate may be slightly different. It depends on campus conditions.”
After the storm has hit, the road conditions must be assessed. That also usually falls under the responsibilities of Mr. Stillwell.
“The unfortunate part of being in charge is that I am often up at 4 or 4:30 a.m. driving around on the local roads to check on conditions,” he said.
In addition, the school receives information from families at St. Christopher’s, St. Catherine’s and Collegiate about the conditions across the greater Richmond area.
With all of that, Mr. Stillwell believes he can accurately make his verdict. However, no one is perfect; sometimes the decision may be controversial when parents feel uneasy about driving on the roads. Nonetheless, Stillwell credits the parents for their diligence.
“Our parents are overwhelmingly patient and supportive. I do have parents who send supportive messages and some parents who will send questions if they are concerned about a decision.”
Over the past few decades, the administration has become more lenient in closing school for weather. School used to never close for snow.
“If you couldn’t drive, you walked,” said Upper School chaplain Melissa Hollerith.
Rev. Hollerith recalled an instance when Mr. Boyd couldn’t pull out of his driveway because of ice, so he walked. The math teacher made the trek from his home near the University of Richmond to St. Chris only to find out that school was canceled.
Rev. Hollerith believes the schools’ new found mentality towards closing school runs parallel with their desire to enroll students from all over the area. The student body has stretched across 25 zip codes, and decisions can no longer be made an hour before school starts. They need to be made the night before.
“What the school has done is to try to make the decision the night before so working families can plan accordingly,” said Hollerith.
Snow days have certainly had an effect on school this winter, as the past month has been littered with days off due to weather. St. Christopher’s has been closed five times; January 21, 22 and 29 and February 13 and 14 with a few other days requiring delays. It seems every week has been effected by the elements. With more snow possible, Mr. Stillwell will be plenty busy. At this point, days off are losing some of their luster, but students certainly will continue to welcome them with open arms.
The responsibility of making the call rests solely on Headmaster Charley Stillwell’s shoulders. However, it is one he does not look forward to. “I will say that, while we all dream of having the power to call a snow day when we are students, the reality is that this responsibility is no fun at all,” he said.
Mr. Stillwell takes several steps to assure that he makes the correct decision. He believes that school should be closed when snow or ice is detrimental to road conditions and traveling to our campus is unsafe. In addition, school is closed when campus cannot be sufficiently cleared.
When the possibility of a winter storm is first broadcast on local news, Mr. Stillwell begins to follow the weather report. When the threat grows, he contacts faculty at Collegiate School and St. Catherine’s along with the division heads here at St. Christopher’s to get wind of their opinions.
“Typically we make the same decision for all three schools,” Mr. Stillwell said. “Sometimes Collegiate may be slightly different. It depends on campus conditions.”
After the storm has hit, the road conditions must be assessed. That also usually falls under the responsibilities of Mr. Stillwell.
“The unfortunate part of being in charge is that I am often up at 4 or 4:30 a.m. driving around on the local roads to check on conditions,” he said.
In addition, the school receives information from families at St. Christopher’s, St. Catherine’s and Collegiate about the conditions across the greater Richmond area.
With all of that, Mr. Stillwell believes he can accurately make his verdict. However, no one is perfect; sometimes the decision may be controversial when parents feel uneasy about driving on the roads. Nonetheless, Stillwell credits the parents for their diligence.
“Our parents are overwhelmingly patient and supportive. I do have parents who send supportive messages and some parents who will send questions if they are concerned about a decision.”
Over the past few decades, the administration has become more lenient in closing school for weather. School used to never close for snow.
“If you couldn’t drive, you walked,” said Upper School chaplain Melissa Hollerith.
Rev. Hollerith recalled an instance when Mr. Boyd couldn’t pull out of his driveway because of ice, so he walked. The math teacher made the trek from his home near the University of Richmond to St. Chris only to find out that school was canceled.
Rev. Hollerith believes the schools’ new found mentality towards closing school runs parallel with their desire to enroll students from all over the area. The student body has stretched across 25 zip codes, and decisions can no longer be made an hour before school starts. They need to be made the night before.
“What the school has done is to try to make the decision the night before so working families can plan accordingly,” said Hollerith.
Snow days have certainly had an effect on school this winter, as the past month has been littered with days off due to weather. St. Christopher’s has been closed five times; January 21, 22 and 29 and February 13 and 14 with a few other days requiring delays. It seems every week has been effected by the elements. With more snow possible, Mr. Stillwell will be plenty busy. At this point, days off are losing some of their luster, but students certainly will continue to welcome them with open arms.