Students on snow day follow school leader’s instructions: They went outside to play

FORTVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Students in the Mt. Vernon Community School Corp. woke up Wednesday to a special surprise, and it wasn’t just the snow.

Not only did they get a day off school, but also an assignment to play.

Superintendent Jack Parker said students in the district east of Indianapolis have missed out on so much this year during the coronavirus pandemic that he wanted to make sure they didn’t have to add the first snow of the season to their list.

Parker sent families an email instructing them to use the “scientific process in planning appropriate clothing to remain warm and dry while spending time outside. Once this hypothesis has been identified, and appropriate attire has been secured, students will be expected to test their theory by going outdoors and playing in the snow.”

Parent Toni Dekeyser said, after a tough several months, the “scientific process” was just the break she and her son needed.

“It was so much relief and then to wake my son up this morning and say, ‘Hey, not only do you not have to get up right now, but you have a snow day and we get to go outside and play in the snow,’ and he was ecstatic,” Dekeyser said.

Her son Lucas said, “I didn’t have to really do school. I didn’t have to do all my work and get stressed about it.”

Stressed is a feeling Dekeyser never imagined her 10-year-old would know, and, for Parker, finding ways to ease that burden is what’s most important.

The superintendent said, “I really felt a need for them to get out there and exercise outside and recharge their batteries both physically and emotionally.”

He said students took his message seriously. He drove around the community and saw more kids playing outside than he has in months.

The school shared a post on its Facebook page asking families to show how they spent their day off. Nearly 150 people by Wednesday evening had shared photos and videos, and thanked the school district for a fun snow day.