In recent years it hasn’t been so true, but not so long ago, Central New Yorkers could count on the first month of the new year bringing lots of snow. On average, Januarys used to produce the most snowfall of the winter months. Take 2010, for example. Our region was experiencing a snowy cycle that began in late December 2009, and though it was felt in many parts of the United States, my hometown of Fulton made national news. On January 6, ABC’s World News Tonight reported on our five feet of snow from a nonstop storm that had begun nine days earlier. For a glimpse of what our city looked like city, check out this YouTube clip ABC News Fulton snowfall footage

Lots of us laughed at the idea of a major TV news program visiting us because of a little—okay, a lot—of snow, but it did generate some memories for Fultonians. Like with every winter storm, our memories often center around how it affects our daily life, and for many of us that means school. John Mercer, who taught 32 years in the Fulton schools, recalls many times when the Central New York weather gave students and teachers a special gift: snow days.

“When I was a kid, we all listened to the radio to see if our school was going to close,” John explained. “In later years, it was watching the TV scroll the names by alphabetical order.” John spent some of his youth in Phoenix, New York, and “it never failed,” he said. “When I turned on the TV they’d be at the Rs or Ss and I’d have to wait for them to start over again.”

Snow days are so important that Central New York school districts build five of them into the calendar each year. Now, school administrators don’t think of that number five as something that needs to be reached each year, but kids (and many teachers) do. Especially after the New Year, in January and February, a snow day is a happy surprise. “After the holidays, the school days can run together, one after another,” John said. “A snow day gives you a chance to feel refreshed or to catch up on things. No extracurricular activities, no homework. It’s a break and a chance to relax with your family.”

We hope, of course, that those snow days show up just when we all need them, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our wishes. Like when that January 2010 storm hit. “We were at the end of our Christmas vacation,” John remembered, “and it just kept snowing every day—a lot! We hadn’t even gotten back from the Christmas break and the storm gave us another week off. By that point we were looking forward to going back and getting started, but it was like, ‘Oh, another snow day?’”

Over the years, so much has changed with how weather is predicted and reported; so has how schools operate. I asked John, who’s retired from teaching, if he thinks snow days still have the same impact. “School districts are being a little more proactive when it comes to calling a snow day,” he said. “If there’s a threat of severe weather, schools now often close down ahead of time.”

I see the logic behind that kind of thinking, but it does take the spontaneous fun of a Central New York snowstorm. And modern meteorology isn’t the only thing messing with a surprise snow day. Modern technology is playing a role, too. Schools now have the capability to conduct remote learning, where kids “meet” with their teacher and class from their home computers, to keep education going through even the worst snowstorm. After the COVID pandemic, schools learned that, though it certainly wasn’t ideal, remote learning kept students connected to their studies while stuck at home. It was only logical, I guess, for schools to ask during snowstorms, Should schools call for a remote learning day rather than a snow day?

From what my grandson tells me, teachers are now reminding students to take their school materials (which includes a Chrome tablet) home every day. If a predicted big storm comes and the plows just can’t keep up with the mounting snow, out come the computers, leaving all the sleds, skis and ice skates sitting idle in garages and basements.

After discussing the shift in snow days with John, I spotted an article in a December 2020 issue of Syracuse’s Post-Standard that addressed this very issue. It seems that some schools had indeed done away with snow days during the pandemic. It is now becoming school policy for parents, students and teachers to have their remote learning tools in place. This sure sounds to me like the end of snow days.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope. The Post-Standard article ended by mentioning that a few Central New York school districts have decided to keep their snow days intact, believing that the tradition might help some children feel some normalcy in an ever-changing world. One school superintendent even announced a recent snow day with a taped message sent to every home with school-aged children in her district. Her message was performed in the spirit of “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Here’s part of what East Syracuse-Minoa School Superintendent Donna DeSiato mused:

“Twas the night before a snowstorm
 and all through the land,
curiosity was peaking,
what might be at hand?

Spartans were wondering,
what would the superintendent do?
What would Dr. DeSiato decide, we need a good clue.
Their homework completed,
they slept in their beds,
while visions of a play day danced in their heads.

When out of the blue,
notification came through:
Thursday’s a snow day — you know what to do!”

Imagine the smiles on the faces of those lucky children, not to mention the teachers, when they heard that message after one of big snowstorms. Doesn’t every Central New York kid deserve that once in a while?