Many staff and students in Fluvanna found themselves having to go with the flow of things due to the third round of snow days Feb. 19-21. Fluvanna students have missed a total of 11 days of spring semester due to snow.
The first storm took place Jan. 5-6 with a total snowfall of 2-3 inches, taking students out of school for four days and leading to a 2-hour delay the following Monday. The next storm arrived on Feb. 10-11 made residents have to dig themselves out of 6 inches of snow, resulting in a second school closure from Feb. 11-14. Finally, on the morning of Feb. 19, another 2-3 inches of snow fell, leading to another three days of school closures.
With the end of the school year coming up fast, some FCHS teachers say they are worried they won’t be able to get through all the material they need before testing. This especially affects those in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. While tests for regular or Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) classes can be moved back, AP test dates are set in stone. As a result, some teachers have admitted to students that students will have to study some material on their own.
“I’m going to be really stressed out when we go back because the snow days are setting my classes really far behind, and I feel like my teachers are going to throw a lot of work at us,” noted junior and current AP student Sophia Pace during the last closure.
Pace’s father, FCHS teacher Mitchell Pace, teaches both AP and non-AP classes. He acknowledged that the impact of closures does vary by class type. “I posted notes, recordings and held a live, virtual session for my AP class during the snow days, but with my other classes, I have more freedom within the curriculum,” he said.
He also admitted that the chances of AP teachers getting through all their curriculum at this point is slim. “I’m still hopeful about completing the full course material, but it will be very difficult. I will likely have to make tough choices about removing certain topics from the usual information,” he said.
As for SOL, MAP, and other tests, FCHS Testing Coordinator Angie Blevins has a plan. “At this point, the SOL writing for grade 11 students and Integrated Reading and Writing test for grade 8 students has been moved from March 11-12 to March 18-19. The end-of-year exams and SOL tests should remain on May 13-21. I had to move the ASVAB test from Feb. 19 to April 14,” she said.
Some students have expressed concerns about how many more days the school can miss before having to start adding days to the school year, but Blevins says not to worry.
“We are okay right now. Our district staff is working on a plan in case we miss more days due to weather. I am sure they will send that out when they are ready,” she said.
