With the passing of winter vacation, the season is in full swing, and the subject of snow days has come into question. Are they worth it?

Although snow days initially seem exciting and very fun to students at Hingham Hingham High, taking days off from school can make it very difficult for teachers, parents, and kids alike.

To begin, this seemingly harmless day off can become a massive challenge for parents trying to find childcare for kids in younger grades. Often, parents have to go to work early in the morning, regardless of whether or not their kids attend school. It can be very frustrating to parents when a snow day is announced very late, a usual occurrence inpast years here in Hingham, and childcare cannot be arranged due to such short notice.

The actual academics can also be hard for students and teachers to adjust to when missing a day from school unexpectedly, especially with midyears right around the corner. Already teachers are cramming in the last final lessons included on these stress-inducing tests.

However, with a snow day, teachers are forced to push back lessons only to rush them even more upon students’ return. Not only does this make kids more unprepared for their exams, but it leaves teachers scrambling to reconfigure their plans.

Along with schedule readjustments, many students find it difficult to acclimate to the stress of school when they come back, and oftentimes they barely remember what their homework was, or what they were even studying at all.

Thus, that first day back can be a nightmare upon realization of the endless homework assignments, abundance of quizzes, and multiple projects that are due. It definitely sends most kids into a panic after being in a relaxing state for the past 24 hours without school.

Although snow days have many downsides, they are definitely favored by most for the relaxation and playful aspect of the experience.

Freshman Anna Wagner explained, “Snow days are really needed for most of us [at Hingham High]. Especially coming back from vacation, I was really overwhelmed, and I just needed a little break to ease back into the demanding school year.”

Having some time to reorganize and catch up on some much-needed sleep after hours of homework can definitely be beneficial when students come back to school feeling well-rested and energized to dive right back into the rigorous coursework and midyear prep.

The quality time spent with family during snow days is also priceless. From the beginning of the school year in September to the slow approach of summer in June, students are constantly busy with school in one way or another. It becomes such an issue that students seldom have time to be with their friends and family.

However, with a snow day, that is all kids can do because they are stuck inside. It creates an opportunity to catch up with family members and spend some important time with them that is missed during the busy rush of the school week.

Whether or not snow days are good or bad is debatable,  most people think they’re nice to have once in a while as long as it doesn’t interrupt students’ education. That being said, shoveling three feet of snow to catch the bus the next morning almost makes it not worth it.