Late in January of this year, the students and staff at Hempfield Area were met with some adversity as large snow storms swept across Pennsylvania.
The storm, which started January 25, dumped about 11.2 inches of snow according to the Pittsburgh National Weather Service. Areas surrounding Pittsburgh noted that they received between 16-23 inches of snow! After the record-setting snow fell, extremely cold temperatures followed, adding onto the already difficult situation.
With travel restrictions in place, it was no surprise that schools would be affected by the snow and chilly temperatures. The students started their week with an actual snow day, a rare occasion since virtual learning had been increasingly popular among school districts. Then, the next day an Virtual Learning occurred, followed by another, then another, until it became evidently clear that the students and staff would spend a full week of learning from home on the computer!
This decision was not taken lightly as parents/guardians of students now had to help their children log onto classes, help with assignments, communicate with teachers, and, not to mention, balance their own work schedule along with having their child at home. For students, online learning is a difficult task. Many had to brave new subjects or challenging topics on their own without the in-person assistance from their teacher or peers. Nonetheless, everyone made it through the week together.
Despite the hardship from home, some students actually found some benefits from this new change in learning. Many appreciated the extra sleep they could get now that they didn’t have to wake up early for the bus or drive to school. Additionally, this gave students an opportunity to spend a bit more time with family now that they were home. The resilience from the student and staff could not be mentioned enough!
Once more, much props go out to the students, staff, and family members of students for managing to work through the difficulties that came with virtual learning. It’s safe to say that the next time a major storm impacts the area, the Hempfield Area community will be more than ready to brave through it.
