Last week, NASH students and teachers got very excited when they heard 18 inches of snow were coming to the Pittsburgh area. Everyone had their fingers crossed for a day or two off school. We got a week.
Some students, like junior Nathan Phillips, approached the week out of school as an opportunity to study and do their FID work.
“I took the week to catch up on my work and get ahead of the second semester to attempt to set myself up for success,” Phillips said.
The record-setting snowfall was an opportunity for some students to get outside and enjoy the intensity of winter.
“My buddies and I saw the snow and knew it was the perfect time to hit the hills of Ingomar Middle to sled,” junior Preston Howard said. “We had a blast in the snow, even making a giant six-foot-tall snowman that still may be standing at this moment.”
For some who thrive in the snow, like junior Nicky Vaccaro, it was the perfect time to hit the slopes up at Hidden Valley and Seven Springs.
“I did not leave my cabin up at Hidden until Sunday afternoon,” Vaccaro said. “I lived and loved my time up there with some of my closest friends on the slopes. We never left the lift!”
Back at NA, the routine never stopped for the boys’ basketball team. Junior guard Ben Coffman exclaimed that he and his teammates were “in the gym constantly.”
For others, like junior Arjun Puri, the week-long break from in-person school provided an unexpected benefit.
“I binge-watched shows with my family and made food with them,” he said. “The time spent with them I will never forget.”
The break was awesome for our NASH teachers, as well. Social Studies teacher Mr. Schall, for instance, took his time off from the bell-to-bell routine to get in better shape.
“I spent most of my time at the YMCA running on the treadmill,” Schall said. “I got up to around 85 miles by the end of the break. It was an awesome break where I could snap loose and run.”
Schall also used his time to organize his Canvas pages and set up for his classes.
“I love answering questions from my students about the concepts we are learning,” he said, “so I took a deep dive into Vietnam and its history to get a better understanding.”
By the end of last week, the official snow totals sat at 11.2 inches over the Pittsburgh area, resulting in what nearly every NASH student would say was an awesome break from the demands of the school commute and the daily bell-to-bell routine.
