As a little kid, many of us would get overjoyed and excited when the first snowflakes began to fall.  If the weatherman predicted a huge blizzard, that was even better because that meant school might be cancelled.

Now as a high school student driver, those same feelings come back, and you feel like you’re five years old again. Only, this time around, another emotion comes into the equation: fear of getting in a car wreck.

Here at Hammonton High, we all know that a school day isn’t going get canceled for a little snow on the ground (or even a lot for that matter). How does that affect the lives of those students here at Hammonton, and is it a safety hazard?

Senior Louis Corgliano would rather be safe than sorry.

” I fell we should have snow days because when driving, people are sliding,” he said. “[The fear is that] one day someone’s going to get severely hurt.”

Another perspective was from senior Kelsey Peterson, who felt very strongly about the issue.

” We should have off! It’s dangerous!”she said.

For senior Joe Pinto, it’s especially important for the school to be mindful of student drivers at the high school when there is heavy snow falling.

” If there’s snow on the ground and icy roads, we shouldn’t need to be drug here and herded like cattle into the school,” he said.

Now for those who don’t have a year of driving under their belt, they fell nervous and almost scared to come to school because they have never experienced a heavy snowfall on the road. Junior Jonathan Triboletti explained this experience.

” It’s dangerous. [At a minimum], I feel we should get like extra time or a few minutes to get to homeroom, he said. ” Especially for those of us who are inexperienced on the road. ”

Safety is obviously the main issue when it comes to snow days. These same student drivers, though, do have some tips for their classmates when it comes to driving in this weather, which are summarized in the list below:

1. Drive slow and be aware of your surroundings and just be cautious (from L. Corgliano)

2. Slow and steady wins wins the race (from J. Triboletti )

3. Get up early and start your car ( from K. Peterson )

4. Four-wheel drive is the best key (from J. Pinto)

The district administration must look out for the best interest of students and staff. Some students are afraid to drive to school on snow days, accidents are more likely, and car troubles may happen.  Perhaps a mass amount of students may not show up because they don’t feel like going through the struggle of driving through the snow. Or the main office will be filled with students mid-day being picked up by concerned parents and guardians.

Based off of the way the last snowfall was approached, the next time students see snow on the forecast, they shouldn’t get too excited.  The message they received was to bundle up, start the car early, and grab your book bag because Hammonton was having class.