Furniture out in the streets where cars were recently dug out were a common and frustrating sight during snow days. Staff Photo

PHS endured much more snow this winter than in any recent memory. Snow days, shoveling, trying to park, and more shoveling grated on everyone’s nerves. However, we are tough here, and we can take it. But our school break has been shortened and our school year has been pushed out to the last day of June. Here are some thoughts from students about this winter and its affects.

Winter 2013-2014
By Gabriela Martinez

The winter of 2013-2014 has not been good in New Jersey. We’ve received way too much snow and we have been barely able to handle it. The snow has stopped this school in its tracks. People have been unable to go to work and school. There have been six snow days used already and most years we use none. The worst part is that the school board has a problem with all the days we students have been missing, just sitting around at home and watching television or playing video games.

In order for us to have a full school year this year the school is going to have to cut our spring break and even though we were home on our winter break, we really weren’t on vacation. Some students had to shovel and help their families with snow removal, and I feel bad for them. That is hard work. As a student I don’t think that it is fair that we have to go to school until July and it is not the fault of the students that we got 2 to 6 inches of snow every other day for weeks. As a student we deserve to keep our spring break and I feel like we do spend enough time in school. We need a break.

Snow Matters
By Ana Velasquez

The weather we’ve been having? It has been crazy on the streets. People have been trapped in their homes with nothing to do. Even though there have been days off from school we all know that we will have to make all these days up, eventually. These snow days are crazy and the school years going straight to the end with hardly a day off is crazy for the students and teachers alike. I think we need to contribute to global warming so that we can get out of school before the Fourth of July.

I hope that next year we get an easier winter. We never know what the weather will be, but I hope for everyone’s sake that next year will be just a little warmer. Let’s go spring!

Saturday is a day of the week
By Gianfranco Ccencho

How do we as a school deal with all these snow days? As sad as it may seem, Saturday school days are probably the best of all the bad ideas. We would be able to catch up with all the lost days fairly quickly, and we could possibly have some fun activities planned as a school too. The other thing that can be done to help with Saturday school is to allow students to wear their normal clothes. No uniforms on Saturday would be very popular.

A Modest Compromise
By Carlos Corona

I think that the school should deal with the loss of days due to the snow days, by simply making activity days instead of just school days. Students would not complain if there were a field day, or some other educational activity, instead of coming to a regular day of school. If a way could be found to have fun at school, and learn, at the same time. If some interesting things could be planned then students will not complain about coming to school, and won’t mind coming to school, and also learn something at the same time. In this way we can make a negative into a positive and everyone would benefit.

Weather Conditions
By Norma Maldonado

As we know, in Passaic, we can experience any type of temperature and weather. It goes from freezing cold to hot summer days. Lately, we have had a lot of snow storms, which not only brought disadvantages to the citizens of Passaic, but also to the students. Unfortunately, we have been facing schools that were closed, due to the weather, and while it was fun on those days not having to go to school, we are facing a shortened spring break and a school year that is ending on the very last day of June! We students are not to blame as the weather cannot be controlled. But it definitely feels like we are being punished with no breaks between now and the end of the year.

Ivan Baez digs out on Broadway, by the Dollar King. Staff Photo

For a Snow Shovel
By Jesus Lopez

I see the snow falling and piling up. People are excited at first, but then as the snow builds they get more and more angry. I just wish I had a snow shovel around so that I can make money shoveling people out. I could have made a fortune this year! I don’t think that I have ever seen this much snow!

What’s more, I have to share my Netflix account with my sisters and they each  get one television, so I don’t get to log into that account. I was so bored that I actually did my homework.

Unfair snow?
By Parth Patel

Is the school board being unfair to us? The latest news about our vacation time is that they are taking away two days from our spring break. This surprised me because I had no idea that the two extra days that we have at Passaic (182) were that important.

I hold that the break that students deserve this year is more important than the two extra days we have at school anyway.

There are things other than school
By Lorena Pichardo

We have school right through June 30, and we also have a shortened spring break. I know that the weather is out of everyone’s control, but having no breaks is also unfair to everyone. It is nobody’s fault that there was so much snow this year. School is important but students also need to spend time with their families, especially if they have already made spring break plans. People plan for the scheduled days that we have off and if then we do not have those days off, then we all lose out.

What else could we do?
By Edwin Isias

There really is not much that can be done in this situation. There are so many snow days this year. Many students would rather just stay home if it snows at all, and others would like to stay home if it is snowing or not. The Board of Education has a responsibility to make sure that we are given as much time in school as possible. This is for us, the students, to get the best education possible. So here we are, to make up the days that we need.
Personally, I would rather be in school anyway (most of the time).

Students are funny
By Jason Hernandez

This year it certainly has snowed a lot. Remember the first storm and everyone was mad and complaining that the school didn’t close down because of the snow storm? Now that we have had some major storms and we used all of our snow days and then some, well, the idea of keeping the school open for a couple of more minor storms seems pretty smart.

Yes, the school year is going to be longer this year and we are not going to get our full break. But there is always an upside. I made a ton of money shoveling all that snow. I just wish we still had a spring break for me to spend it.

Snow totals like this were a daily occurrence during this long and snowy winter. NJTV screen shot

SNOW
By Isabel Mendez

The snow has affected all of us, but I am furious that our spring break is being shortened and our school year lengthened because of all this snow. I wish there wasn’t snow at all. At first I was excited like everyone else about the pretty snow and an extra day off from school, but as the winter days dragged on and it seemed likely that our spring break was gone. I was so mad.

I get bored at home, and even though I am often asked to shovel, I rarely do. I did have the chance to play with my little nephew, and I stayed in bed and watched Netflix all day.

I just don’t want any more snow.

Dealing with the snow this year
By Luz Piscoya

Obviously, it has snowed a lot this year, and this massive amount of snow has caused some changes to our schedule. The real question is how are people dealing with all this snow? If we just relax and look at the facts, I think that you’ll agree that most of us are dealing with these circumstances quite well.
I love snow and I am not ready for spring yet. The only downside to all this snow is that we are going to miss some of our spring break. I would much rather be in school now though, when it is cold, rather than at the end of the year when it is hot.

What is in a couple days?
By Alyssa Valenzuela

I realize that the school really cannot do anything about the weather, but I also know that we have 182 days of school, more than other districts. Perhaps, just this exceptionally snowy year, we could have the state mandated 180? Maybe we could just have a regular spring break and have 180 days of school this year? I hope the powers that make these decisions can consider the students and what a couple days with our families actually mean to us.

A few other thoughts on the weather this winter is that this year’s weather was really awful. Having so many snow days is so bad for us. Remember the first snow day and we were all so happy; and we didn’t even miss school. Now the snow and the snow days really needs to stop. We need spring. Now if we have another snow day we are just bored in the house, unable to go out because the weather is so bad. If I spend just one more day just eating and sleeping I think I will just scream.  For me, spring can’t come quick enough.

Ridiculous Policy
By Levi Albenis

Recently, our city and school has been enduring severe weather conditions, which has forced this district to extend the school year and remove some days from our spring break, to meet the required district policy of a 182 day school year. Personally, I believe that the students should have the full spring break. The freakish winter weather of the winter of 2013-2014, should not be a factor in whether we get to have a spring break. We should, as a school and a city, make the best of this situation. The whole idea of making up a day of school sounds ridiculous to me.