Since late November of 2018, the weather in Fairfield has been a series of extreme ups and downs. For the first time in a while, when Warde students say that it’s freezing outside, they’re actually telling the truth! It’s not often that someone can say they feel like they are getting frostbite in our moderately temperatured town, but over the past couple of months it has been possible. One student from the Stratfield district reported being so cold after walking to school in the morning that they literally had icicles hanging from their backpack!
According the the CBS News article, How Long Does It Take To Freeze To Death?, Lee Norman, a physician and senior vice president and chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Hospital, says that “when it comes to coping with cold weather, a lot of it is common sense.” He said, ‘The best way to prevent cold-related injuries is to not get oneself into compromising circumstances in first place. We usually see cold-related injuries in people who don’t exercise good judgment.’’
Taking Lee Norman’s advice, Dr. Toni Jones called an early dismissal on January 31, not wanting to risk putting Fairfield students in “compromising circumstances.” Students were ecstatic to be getting out of school early, and cheers of delight could be heard ringing through the halls of Warde. Truthfully, nothing makes students happier than a surprise half day with only an hour left of school.
The snow that was originally forecasted to be a quick, but large, white-out didn’t end up falling until after schools would have been let out anyway. The afternoon leading up to the flakes was sunny and of moderate temperature. In fact, many of the kids that were out of school early could be seen playing outside. However, some elementary school buses may have been caught up in the storm if we were not given a half-day.
As demonstrated by the sunny day before the storm we were given an early dismissal on, the weather this winter has been rather unpredictable. A senior went as far to say that “Lately, warm to me has been 40 degrees!”
With temperatures below freezing in the morning before school and warmer temperatures around 50 degrees in the afternoon when classes are let out, Warde students have commented that it is very difficult to dress for these extreme schools days. Winter coat, or fall jacket? Fuzzy socks and slippers, or flip flops? How does one decide?
One student suggests that “the key to dressing for school is layers. I regularly wear two sets of clothes to school- shorts and a t-shirt under my sweatpants, sweatshirt, and my winter coat for those days when the weather changes completely while we are inside Warde from 7:30 to 2:10. This way, I’m warm while waiting for my bus in the morning but have another option so I’m not sweltering while walking home later.”
Students of Fairfield Warde High School, please take caution when dealing with this weather and erratic temperatures, and do heed the warnings given to use common sense and to exercise good judgement. And remember, layering is key!