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By Mary Jo Scalzo, PhD.
As Oakwood families and school district staff enjoy Winter Break this week, I must admit that I am enjoying a break from winter weather decision-making. Old Man Winter and Mother Nature conspired to make the last two weeks difficult for all of us when they unleashed a formidable arctic arsenal that included frigid temperatures, wind, snow, and ice.
The fact that winter weather causes interruptions to the schedules of area school districts is not an unusual occurrence. These districts rely upon bus transportation and their routes cover many miles of city, suburban, and rural terrain. It is unusual, however, when the weather closes the Oakwood Schools because our students are not bussed to school and many live within a 20-minute walk to school.
So, it is a fair question to ask, “How do you determine when to close school?”
As much as an answer that quantifies the exact amount of snowfall or a precise temperature might be welcome, it would not be accurate. When deciding if conditions are compromised to a point that it is better not to risk travel to school, I have not yet found a one-size-fits-all formula for making the decision.
The timing of the storm in relation to the start of school, amount of snow and ice, temperature, wind chill factor, ability of the road crews to make headway in clearing the streets and sidewalks – these and other variables come into play when deciding if conditions will permit safe passage to school. Before finalizing the decision, I typically walk and drive in different parts of the community and check-in with the Safety Department and our Groundskeeper.
Some calls are more difficult than others. I received the most feedback regarding my decisions on Feb. 5 and Feb. 15. You may recall that Monday, Feb. 5, was the first day of frigid temperatures in the - 22º range and Oakwood was one of two school districts open. Thursday, February 15, two days after the snow and ice storm, our schools were closed because some sidewalks were impassable. In revisiting my decisions, while I stand by my decision of Feb. 15, I am not as confident about my call on Feb. 5.
Our status as a walking community poses some unique challenges during the winter months. You should expect your superintendent to take extreme weather conditions into account when making school decisions and your superintendent respectfully requests that our students dress for the weather.
In the winter days ahead, safe passage to our schools and respect for the importance of the work that occurs in our classrooms will continue to guide my weather-related decisions. Feedback is always welcome but, to be honest, so is Winter Break.
Alejandra Iberico-Lozada has been named to the dean’s list of St. Louis University’s John Cook School of Business for the ’06 fall semester.
Leslie Jacobs was named to the deans list at Ohio University for the fall quarter.
Arlene Zelinskas was named to the dean’s list at Liberty University for the fall 2006 semester.
The following students made the dean’s list at the University of Cincinnati for the fall quarter:
Veronica Court
Theodore Leakas
John Lee
Samantha Messer
Erin Rankine
Emily Rogers
Nicolas Collucci
Brian Duncan
Jill Farris
James Glatz
Andrew Heintz
Paige Lipowicz
John McCarty
Brianna McSemek
Allyson Moyer
Leah Ritter
Adam Wald
The following students made the dean’s list at Denison University for the fall quarter:
Margaret Ambrose
Jonathan Green
Christopher Luther
Krista Rieger
Christilyn Nailing
Brittany Brock
The following students made the dean’s list at Miami University for
the fall semester:
Jonathan Ashley Tomo Duxbury
Amanda Lehman Hahn
Emma Louise
Leah Jeanne Ippisch
Samuel Travis Jones
Wesley Francis Kim
Robert Edward Kimmich
Caitlin Meredith Newman
Justin Scott Quenneville
Kathryn Marie Quenneville
Paul David Rudwall
Rachel Ann Rudwall
Vanessa Annice Russell
Jonathan Alistair Schnader
Erin Elizabeth Schumacher
Margaret Robin Slivken
Brian Nicholas Steiner
James Maben Tolles
Anne Elizabeth Towne
David Albert Vanderburgh
Sara Anne Werst
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