Snow provides opportunities for work, play among students

From sledding and building snowmen to shoveling to looking out a window in the morning at a world that has been transformed into a white wonderland, snow can bring excitement and beauty, as well as extra work.

Another thought connected to snow in the mind of any student, from elementary school to college, is the cancellation of school or class. For Eastern students, however, the recent snow accumulation only amounted to the cancellation of evening classes for one day.

But students did not let this get them down. They made the best of the situation and braved the elements to sled, throw snowballs and play football. Students used the steep hill behind Kea-Guffin residence hall to sled, using anything that would get them down the hill, from plastic saucers to inflatable tubes to grill lids to trash bags.

“I thought my mattress would work [to sled with], and I tried to take it outside, but my R.A. wouldn’t let me,” said first-year Steve De Hart.

A few students, getting quite serious about sledding, built sledding paths and ramps on the hill to enable sled-riders to “get air,” as sophomore Jared Krupp put it.

The snow was not all fun and games, however. Although plows cleared the various Eastern parking lots, there was still snow directly around parked cars and on top of them. Students had to shovel out their cars to be able to use them. First-year Stephanie Moyer had to shovel 15 inches of snow from around her car, which she parks at the Valley Forge parking lot. “I was frustrated because it was so time-consuming, but I had to do it,” she said.

But shoveling can also have benefits. Instead of playing in the snow, sophomore Jay McClelland opted to go from house to house in the neighborhoods surrounding Eastern to shovel driveways.

“Three friends and I went shoveling and made over $500 between all of us,” McClelland said.

Other winter activities students can do to remain active in the winter months are ice-skating, ice hockey, skiing and snowboarding. There are many skating rinks in the Philadelphia area, most charging around $10 for admission and skate rental.

Skiers and snowboarders can look online to find a plethora of slopes close to Eastern. Costs vary according to the place, time and whether or not equipment needs to be rented.