Across the state, as soon as most high school students confirm that tomorrow will not be a snow day, they lose all interest in the weather report. West Ottawa students watch the weather report differently than students from other schools because of the fact that we have to walk between buildings.

Sr. Katherine Hoekstra also tells about a time when ice became a problem. “I was super excited to wear my new shoes, and they had been fine all day until I walked to sixth hour and wiped out on the ice because of them. The worst part, though, was that my friends didn’t even notice that I was gone, and they kept walking. So after picking myself off the ground, I had to run to catch up with my friends, in the same new shoes that had just put me on the ground,” Hoekstra said.

The weather wasn’t the only problem for Jr. Justin Anair. A faulty backpack was more to blame. “It was an absolute downpour when my umbrella broke. I just about made it inside, when I heard a loud tear. I turned around to see what the noise was, and that’s when I realized everything from my backpack was lying in a trail behind me. My AP Lang and World books were ruined and I ended up having to pay for most of the damages,” Anair said.

Although winter storms cause inconveniences for most, others turn the bad into something humorous. Jr. Kieley Wheeler remembers such a time. “One of my worst walks was in freshman year. We had just had a big snowfall and it was fresh snow, but underneath there was ice. Somehow I didn’t fall but I noticed that a girl fell and she got up and said: “I am fine and still have my coffee”. It was one of the funniest things I have ever heard walking between buildings,” Wheeler said.

Sr. Storm Weeks also remembers such a time. “One day in freshman year, my boyfriend and I were walking between buildings and he got pooped on by a bird. He was so embarrassed that he started crying. I felt bad for him, but I couldn’t help but let out a few giggles,” Weeks said.