As students, there are days we hope for and days that we dread. We hope for a blizzard to sweep through town, leaving us trapped in our homes with no possible way of getting to school. We pray for a day off in the middle of the week just to sleep in, go sledding, or build a snowman. We are content with these days until months pass and the end of the school year nears. The sun comes out and we are itching to leave crowded halls that have confined us for nine months. For a moment we have hope, until we realize that we have to make up these days. These are the days that we dread.

Unfortunately, the students at Joliet West are in this unlikely predicament, having to delay their summer by nearly a full week due to the infamous winter of 2014. Freezing rain, fierce cold fronts, and abundant amounts of snow have delayed Joliet schools for four days, leaving students to face the dreaded hallways in June that are a bore. Rumors have circulated the halls that the administration is trying to alleviate this prolonged school year by taking away second semester holidays such as Presidents day, Casmir Pulaski day and others so that students will still end the school year on track.

While this rumor is entirely false, being that the proposal to take away our holidays in exchange for a longer summer break would need to be passed through many meetings which will have been completed long after the holidays have passed, the idea is actually very effective in thought. I, along with others, would vote for a longer summer than a few three-day weekends during the school year. Who doesn’t want to soak in the sun for a few days longer instead of staying inside?