Whether you are in second grade or a senior in high school, finding out that you are having a snow day is thrilling. It may only come a couple times a year, and some years it never comes, but the anticipation of waiting on your school to call and give you the news almost compares to Christmas morning.

According to senior Sean Kilroy, getting the call “means we get to stay up late, sleep in and in most cases do whatever we want the next day.” For some, the joy is just getting a break from school for one day to stay inside, or if you’re a cold weather fan, heading outside to enjoy the beauty of the winter season.

Kilroy’s family, which includes two sisters in Pre-K, another sister in 3^rd grade, and a brother in 4^th grade, fall into the latter category. Kilroy spent the first free day with his twin sisters at the Shedd Aquarium, while his other siblings enjoyed the day playing in the snow at their friend’s house.

Despite temperatures dropping into the low single digits, there were some Mount Carmel students like junior Matt McKay who seized the opportunity to make a little extra spending money. But on the eve of the first “cold weather” free day, his initiative led to an “interesting” outdoor experience.

“I had been out shoveling snow for a couple hours when everything happened,” recalled McKay.  “I was shoveling my neighbor’s house, on the corner of the block, when a car rolls up to the stop sign with his hazards on. (The driver) gets out and tries to push the car; seeing he was getting nowhere I run over and help push the car to the curb.”

But while McKay assumed he had done his duty as a “Man of Carmel,” it wasn’t quite over yet.

“I’m thinking all is well so I walk back down to my house to shovel out our parking spots,” continued McKay.  Then I hear the same guy’s voice yelling ‘Hey, can you give me a hand here?’   Turns out he got the car started, but only enough to get it around half the block.”

So showing the character of a Carmel guy, McKay repeated the same procedure, this time pushing the car onto the opposite side of the block.”

Having gone above and beyond the call of duty, McKay was walking back to finish his shoveling when “I pull out my phone and see something no teenager ever wants to see: I have nine missed calls from mom.”

Apparently she was worried about her son being out in the cold too long.  But what started out as concern now had morphed into anger at his lack of response.  “Let’s just say she wasn’t exactly happy when I returned retuned her calls.”

In the midst of all this one of McKay’s neighbors had paid him $20 for shoveling, a tidy sum that in part made Matt feel better about his frozen fingers and toes.  But even that compensation was destined to be stripped away, for “When I finally walked into my house, I realized I had lost the money.”

So to sum up his day:  two hours shoveling in the bitter cold, two “assists” of the same stranded driver, one angry mother, “and I’m out 20 bucks.  Let’s just say it wasn’t the best day off I‘ve ever had.

While some like McKay braved the bitter chill and blowing snow, the majority probably didn’t leave their homes.

As senior Cullen Walsh observed, “I bet half of the student body slouched down on the couch and watched their favorite TV shows, especially with Netflix recently adding the hit series ‘Friends.’   At least I did when I wasn’t at practice.”

For Walsh, the extension to the just concluded Christmas break offered a chance to relax, and being able to sleep in during the middle of the week was “a great feeling.”  Going back to school on a Friday and then having the whole weekend to recover, also “made waking up for one more day that much easier.”

But while most MC students appreciated the unexpected break, and found ways to enjoy themselves, the bitter cold also presents challenges to many. As snow covers the city, pedestrians vie with cars and trucks to maneuver through the streets. Building engineers and maintenance staffs face the additional burden of shoveling everyday due to the constant snowfall.  The elderly or disabled may find themselves immobilized for days, while the homeless seek shelters just to stay warm.

Eventually, even those of us who are sheltered and warm will have to deal with other consequences of the polar vortex, as gas bills will rise due to the continuous usage of heaters and stoves. While this may not occur to most MC students, the reality is that many in our society don’t have enough to make ends meet, and the same extreme weather that causes joy in the hearts of school kids can cause dread for the lonely, the poor, and the homeless.

I the midst of the ongoing debate over the causes and implications of climate change, the recent extreme winter weather continues to both delight – and challenge – Chicagoans and MC students alike.

Contributing to this article were Cullen Walsh, Matt McKay, David Tabb and Sean Kilroy