If you were driving around Kalamazoo today, you may have noticed an unusual number of children sledding down hills. That’s because Kalamazoo Public School students were enjoying a second day off school today.
A snow day was called for Thursday. By Thursday night, the district’s website announced that 20-bus routes were cancelled for Friday because of staffing shortages. So perhaps it wasn’t a big surprise when KPS sent a text message that read “closed due to staffing shortages” to families at 5:31 Friday morning.
Twelve-year-old Olivia Samis was happy to hear the news.
“I was really excited not to have to wake up early for school.”
How did Samis spend her morning?
“I slept for like the whole morning,” the Hillside middle schooler said laughing.
Olivia Wade, 12, didn’t mind missing another day of school either.
“My friends and my mom told me that we didn’t have school very early this morning,” Wade said, “so we decided to come and enjoy the weather and sled.”
Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts may have been closed for reading, writing and arithmetic, but the hill was open for business. That’s where the best friends met for a day of sledding.
“I’m excited about the four days off,” said mom, Renee Samis. “I mean we can hang out with the kids and sled. We skied yesterday and that was awesome.”
Samis added that she is a stay-at-home parent and that makes it easier for her to adjust to sudden school closures that are more difficult for working parents, like her friend Sarah Wade, who works from home.
“I took this afternoon off because we were going a little stir crazy with the two days off,” said Wade. “I took the afternoon off to hang out with the kiddos and enjoy the snow that we are having.”
What’s better for the two Olivias, going to school or sledding?
“Definitely sledding, especially with my best friend,” said Olivia Wade.