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School, Hoover close in cold
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · January 16, 2015
Intense cold and two snowfalls — one five inches deep — kept schools and the Hoover Complex from returning to a regular schedule last week after the holidays.
On Monday, West Branch Community Schools did not conduct classes but buildings opened for a teacher inservice and some team practice sessions, yet the administration ordered the buildings shut down at 4 p.m. to get people home before heavy snow that began that day and brought five inches before dawn Tuesday. High school Principal Shannon Bucknell said the anticipated harsh weather prompted coaches to call teams in for earlier practices. The morning temperature started around zero degrees and the high hit about 14.
On Tuesday, schools started two hours late — at 10:20 a.m. — due to sub-zero cold and continued plowing efforts of fallen and still-blowing snow by the city, and the Hoover Library-Museum and the Hoover National Historic Site opened two hours late — at 11 a.m. — for the same reasons, Library Director Thomas Schwartz and Acting Site Superintendent Mike Wilson said. The high hit about 10 degrees. Late starts at the school also canceled “early bird” classes and team practices. That night, a boys freshman/sophomore basketball game was cancelled and the remaining junior varsity and varsity game schedules rearranged to get them started earlier. The games concluded about 8:30 p.m., Bucknell said.
On Wednesday, with a predicted high of -2 and a low of -14, both the school and Hoover Complex closed for the day. Schwartz said the National Weather Service called it “life-threatening” cold, which prompted the decision.
Thursday morning, the city awoke to -5 degree temperatures, so the school announced another two-hour delay. Temperatures reached about 19 degrees at the high. Due to dropping temperatures, Bucknell said, the varsity wrestling meet started an hour earlier that night, and concluded before 8 p.m.
Friday morning, temperatures started at about -8 degrees, prompting another two-hour delay for the school. The high hit about 22 degrees.
Saturday, the day started about -8 degrees but quickly rose above zero on its way to a high of 22. This did not affect school activities, like the wrestling tournament the Bears traveled to in Highland, nor the open hours of the Hoover Complex.
Wilson, who is also the chief ranger, said that other than extra time spent on clearing snow, the weather did not cause any other problems for the park service, like equipment failures or water line breaks.
West Branch Middle School Principal Sara Oswald said the school, while running on a shortened schedule, still had pupils attend each class “so that the teachers see all of their students.”
“All of the periods are not ‘normal,’ but we’re trying to normalize it as much as we can,” she said.
The school district typically releases pupils early on Wednesdays so the teaching staff can meet for training and planning, but Oswald said some professional development plans were “bumped back.”
“It will cascade it back a little bit, but we’ll get caught back up again,” she said. “Fortunately we did not have any outside guests (coming in) or anything beyond our own building.”
Bucknell noted that the high school is “out in the country” and gets “a little more drifting” on campus.
“The custodial staff and S&S Flatwork, which is contracted to do snow removal, do a great job keeping ahead of it,” he said. “We shoveled the front area a couple of times so it’s safe and people are not slipping.”
The drifting snow meant extra work to keep exterior exits and sidewalks cleared in case of emergencies, he said.
“We try to communicate with staff and families and students about what’s happening and try to be proactive to keep students safe,” Bucknell said.
While this past week’s temperatures were extremely low, the Hoover Library tends to avoid hosting many events geared toward school groups during winter months since those groups also want to tour the park, which most do in warmer months.
“Traditionally, weather at this time of year makes things problematic,” Schwartz said, “and this is kind of a lull period for us.”
He noted that the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Michigan closed on Wednesday and that the Franklin D. Roosevelt Museum in New York had a late opening.
“As the front moves across the country, other libraries get impacted,” he said, noting that the most important objective for the libraries in harsh weather is “to look out for the safety of staff and visitors.”
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