This winter started out in an unusual way; there was no snowfall in Abington until the end of January. However, when the snow finally began to fall, it seemed as though it would never end. As of March 15, the Weather Channel reports that Boston Logan Airport has received 108.6 inches of snow, officially making this winter the “alltime snowiest” in recorded history, dethroning the former record of 107.6 inches from the winter of 1995-96. The abundance of snow has taken its toll on the people of Abington and the surrounding towns. School closings have been very common throughout the past few months.  In Abington, school had to be canceled six times between January 27 and February 10.

Students and faculty members have had to figure out ways to persevere through these unexpected days off.  Academically, the lack of school during the month of February caused a few issues. In a recent interview, Mr. Lanner, a history teacher at AHS, voiced how the shortened term has affected his ability to compile enough assignments that accurately represent students’ understanding of the subject. He states that as far as grades are concerned, he is “definitely short compared to past years at this time.”  However, he found that “students fully participated” and were “on top of their game,” despite the spotty school schedule the snow has caused.

Although from a teaching stand point, it may have appeared that students were handling the random school weeks quite nicely, this was not always the case. When asked if following lesson plans from week to week proved difficult, freshman Autumn LaPointe agreed that she occasionally struggled to keep up. “If I needed to ask the teacher a question about an assignment and there was no school the next day, I usually forgot,” said LaPointe.

Outside of the classroom, students’ extracurricular activities were impacted as well. According to Mr. Shannon, director of the Drama Club’s musical (“The Addams Family”), he was forced to cancel six practices in the months leading up to their show’s debut in March. However, the performers’ morale has proven to be more forceful than the snow. “The students worked hard to make up the time,” said Mr. Shannon.

Due to the performers’ dedication and flexibility this season, the show went on as planned and was as successful as ever.  The onslaught of snow has also affected sports since many games have had to be rescheduled, and spring sports will have a tough start because of the snow that has accumulated on the fields and courts.

With the exception of a few minor set-backs, students and faculty have found a way to carry on with everyday life. Any problems that arose were quickly resolved by the dedication of the school community. After all of the unprecedented snowfall this winter, one can be very happy that spring is right around the corner!