Graci Vlattas
Junior Editor
What exactly institutes the grounds of a “snow day”? Truly it is something every kid wished for during elementary school, so much so they had us flushing ice down the toilet and wearing our pajamas inside out. I am not entirely sure that worked, but who knows! These antics, however, always incited a snow day, where the ground is covered in a delicate blanket of white. Sewanee experienced its own snow day recently, one where the snowflakes just happened to be invisible. Consequently, we at The Sewanee Purple decided to delve deeper into this question with our own diary entries regarding the recent “snowed-in” weekend.
The past few weeks have been building up to the momentous occasion of a winter storm hitting the hidden peaks of the Mountain. Classes and campus dorms have been raving about the heat, stacking up piles of food, and preparing for a possible power outage, in a way nostalgic of the 2020 pandemic. A full-on frenzy has occurred, to the point where our student body has been causing a “goblin-problem” in the words of Opinions Editor, Harper Rzepczynski (C ‘29). She said, “The goblins have returned and are invading more and more rooms in Ayres as we speak. The generally timid creatures usually stick to themselves and dwell in the woods of Sewanee, but, due to extreme weather conditions this weekend, they are taking shelter wherever they please.”
On Thursday, we were all sure we would get a foot of snow, and the university would become a sealed fortress until it all melted. The moment came a lot quicker when the snow forecasts turned into rain over the weekend. In an interview with the Editor-in-Chief, Chloe Wright (C ‘27), she recalled her reaction to the weather: “I expected ice, snow’s uglier little brother. But what I got was, to put it in a more silly way, a poorly powdered donut.” This donut, indeed, barely had any flavor. Even Executive Editor Sanjana Priyonti (C ‘28) recognized the betrayal of the weather app in her entry: “Either I was blind or the snow thought better to hide away from someone who comes from a South Asian country.”
A dusting would be more appropriate of a term for the weekend, opening up the opportunity for more exciting activities than sledding (forget your snow boots, bring your Brat costumes, and watch out for the mud at Fiji). The storm did inspire many writers with its true intensity, a lost winter spirit skipping over our school. Contributing writer Loren Watson (C ‘27) wrote in a lovely poem,
“In hopes that Snowpocalypse soon would be there;
The Snus were nestled all snug in their capes;
While visions of keg stands danced in their dreamscapes;
And Fijis in their kilts and I in my gown,
Were laughing and joking
About a porch burning down.”
Of course, we are glad that everyone turned out alright, maybe a little more soaked then frozen, but the experience will be important to keep in mind for the future. Maybe raiding grocery stores and calling for all class cancellations makes nature change its mind. But do not fret! Those snow boots will get some use soon–at least we hope! Have a positively cold winter–in a negative temperature!
Wait, what? It has to start snowing now on Jan. 25 at 5 p.m.? Oh, well. Be safe!