Teh One Who Knocks
01-08-2014, 12:36 PM
GAIL SCHONTZLER, Chronicle Staff Writer
http://i.imgur.com/o70SPCL.jpg
Students in balmy Bozeman may be feeling a bit left out as schools across the nation are closed in the face of a massive arctic cold front.
The governor of Minnesota closed all kindergarten to 12th-grade schools. Virtually all public schools were closed in Chicago, where a low of 16 below zero was recorded. Schools closed in Cleveland and St. Louis.
Even in Atlanta, where it only got down to 26 above zero, schools were closed because the novel snow, icy roads and wind chill were considered treacherous conditions.
In Bozeman, the last time schools closed because of bad weather was about 20 years ago, when the governor declared a state emergency because of prolonged subzero temperatures, said Steve Johnson, deputy superintendent of operations.
There have been a few times over the past two decades when the buses have run early or been canceled because of cold weather, but typically Bozeman's schools remain open, Johnson said.
That was true even last December when temperatures in Bozeman sank to around 19 below zero.
“We live in this environment, we're better prepared,” Johnson said. “It's a way of life for us.”
On Monday, the first day classes resumed after winter break, it was about 4 degrees when Bozeman children bundled up to head to school.
The school district's old rule of thumb was that buses won't run when it's 20-below, without counting wind chill, Johnson said. That's because diesel fuel tends to gel when it's that cold.
But the new propane-powered buses operated by First Student are working “great,” Johnson said, even in frigid temperatures, so it may be time to reconsider that rule.
Outdoor recess is canceled when it's 10 below zero, he said. Bozeman students were kept indoors for a day or two in December.
Meadowlark School Principal Sharon Navas said children were let inside the school early Monday morning. Once it gets colder than 10 degrees, she said, principals make a judgment call about whether to keep students indoors or let them go out for recess.
“I'll usually go out with the kids if it's below 10 degrees to make sure things are OK,” Navas said. “We tell everybody to be prepared. We try to go outside.”
Kids tend to go stir crazy when kept indoors all day, and the teachers can see a difference, she said.
“The kids were whooping and hollering to get outside,” Navas said. “The boys play football – they love it.
“This is not cold,” Navas said of Monday's temperatures. “Early December – 20-below – that was cold.”
Navas said she noticed that her old school in Lincoln, Neb., was closed Monday because temperatures were expected to be 35 below zero.
“No one likes to cancel academic time,” Navas said, “but it's safety first.”
http://i.imgur.com/o70SPCL.jpg
Students in balmy Bozeman may be feeling a bit left out as schools across the nation are closed in the face of a massive arctic cold front.
The governor of Minnesota closed all kindergarten to 12th-grade schools. Virtually all public schools were closed in Chicago, where a low of 16 below zero was recorded. Schools closed in Cleveland and St. Louis.
Even in Atlanta, where it only got down to 26 above zero, schools were closed because the novel snow, icy roads and wind chill were considered treacherous conditions.
In Bozeman, the last time schools closed because of bad weather was about 20 years ago, when the governor declared a state emergency because of prolonged subzero temperatures, said Steve Johnson, deputy superintendent of operations.
There have been a few times over the past two decades when the buses have run early or been canceled because of cold weather, but typically Bozeman's schools remain open, Johnson said.
That was true even last December when temperatures in Bozeman sank to around 19 below zero.
“We live in this environment, we're better prepared,” Johnson said. “It's a way of life for us.”
On Monday, the first day classes resumed after winter break, it was about 4 degrees when Bozeman children bundled up to head to school.
The school district's old rule of thumb was that buses won't run when it's 20-below, without counting wind chill, Johnson said. That's because diesel fuel tends to gel when it's that cold.
But the new propane-powered buses operated by First Student are working “great,” Johnson said, even in frigid temperatures, so it may be time to reconsider that rule.
Outdoor recess is canceled when it's 10 below zero, he said. Bozeman students were kept indoors for a day or two in December.
Meadowlark School Principal Sharon Navas said children were let inside the school early Monday morning. Once it gets colder than 10 degrees, she said, principals make a judgment call about whether to keep students indoors or let them go out for recess.
“I'll usually go out with the kids if it's below 10 degrees to make sure things are OK,” Navas said. “We tell everybody to be prepared. We try to go outside.”
Kids tend to go stir crazy when kept indoors all day, and the teachers can see a difference, she said.
“The kids were whooping and hollering to get outside,” Navas said. “The boys play football – they love it.
“This is not cold,” Navas said of Monday's temperatures. “Early December – 20-below – that was cold.”
Navas said she noticed that her old school in Lincoln, Neb., was closed Monday because temperatures were expected to be 35 below zero.
“No one likes to cancel academic time,” Navas said, “but it's safety first.”