Good Ol’ Days

By Julia Woodlief

What does a snow day look like at a boarding school? It would mean students could go sledding with their friends, right? Or have snowball fights in front of the school? Nothing could go too wrong when all of the students live there. Food is provided, there is talk of a generator, the school is in the middle of Durham and everything would be fine if something were to happen. The worst thing that would happen is that classes would still meet remotely, right?

In the olden days, before AI and technology took over the world, snow days meant freedom for anyone still in school. They were filled with whimsy and—the most important part—no school. Many current high school students remember the good ol’ days when snow meant no work and lots of play, and many juniors at NCSSM had heard the wonders of the winter wonderland that was J-Term 2025. Fear of ice chased most students away from campus. Hope remained that those who remained would be able to witness those beautiful water crystals fall from the sky once again. 

January 24th was the magical day. The snow drifted towards Durham, along with the ice. The students on campus were prepared to sled their snow days away, even with a majority of friends home and safe from the storm. The lights stayed on, the heat never went off, and students were able to see their beloved SSM as what Dean Martin may have called a “marshmallow world.” It was the second session of J-Term when the snow came through, but the students’ workload didn’t disintegrate with the marshmallows in their hot chocolate. 

Where did the good ol’ days go? “Going into it, especially after hearing about last year’s J-Term snow situation, I expected something more fun,” Italy Anguiano Franquez, a current Junior at SSM stated. “There were definitely fun moments, like everyone going outside together and sledding but it still felt very serious and since everyone thought it was gonna be a really bad snow.” What had the potential to be a beautiful, fun-filled week ended out to be what is now considered to be a normal occurrence: remote school. Students forced to go home and students staying at school alike found themselves on zoom and participating in unexpected remote activities. But at least students were able to let off any steam collected through snowball fights, and it’s not like snow can grow legs and walk away. There was plenty of time to enjoy the freezing weather.

Despite the unfortunate weather, a lot happened during J-Term. Students were able to experience a different variety of classes and meet new people. They also got to experience getting stuck on a computer, staring at a screen and stuck wherever the snow put them. “I will say,” Italy added during her interview, “it was still a fun experience. I just wish more people were there to enjoy it.” The snow may not have lived up to January ‘25, but everyone will remember the mixed experiences that were the winter wonderland of 2026.