On January 25th, Hingham was hit with a heavy snowstorm that resulted in two snow days for Hingham High School students. Other public and private schools around the area also granted their students a day off or a delay. In the state of Massachusetts, many areas received between 15 and 27 inches of snow. In Hingham, 13.5 inches of snow was welcomed with open arms by students who were ready for the brief break from school.
Since then, it has snowed four more times in the Hingham area, although none of these occasions brought forth another snow day. While many students embraced the snow, it is important to recognize the impact that these weather conditions have on other individuals.
The Town of Hingham facility workers’ (responsible for maintaining town infrastructure) workloads were heavily affected by the snowstorm. Workers who plowed the snow in the streets were up from as early as 3:00am to as late as 12:00am. These workers were also faced with the fact that all fast food restaurants closed during the storm. After the facility workers had been plowing, shoveling, and fixing appliances, they had nowhere to take their lunch break.
A facility worker for the town of Hingham, Kevin LaPlume, reported that food service workers in the school cafeteria had given him and other facility workers school pizza. LaPlume also stated, “The storm on January 25th and 26th was brutal. I worked a total of 30 hours plowing the schools, with a four hour break from 3am to 7am. Rooftops were filling up with snow and causing floods throughout schools. Snow makes maintaining the schools much more difficult in all aspects.”
The snowfall presented a workload challenge for more than just the plowers; school teachers and students’ schedules were set back after the snow day. This resulted in cramming or rushing through topics in order to catch up to predetermined schedules.
HHS sophomore Ellie Rogers stated, “I felt like I had to catch up on a lot of work after the two snow days. A lot of my classes fell behind schedule, so we moved very quickly through topics.”
Workloads were not the only aspect of the snow days that raised a challenge for students. Students who are not assigned a bus rely on either walking to school or getting a ride from somebody else. With the snow and ice on the ground, as well as the added factor of unplowed sidewalks in some areas, several students have found it difficult to get to and from school.
HHS junior Tilly Kenny mentioned, “Because I live so close to the school, I don’t get a bus. That means that I either have to get a ride or walk. After it snows, it’s impossible to walk to school because of unplowed areas.”
From facility workers to teachers and students, heavy snow raises many issues for the Hingham community. While many are grateful for the days off from school, it is important to recognize that the snow brings forth challenges for many people, whom we must find ways to support.
