For superintendents, announcing a snow day isn鈥檛 just a logistical chore. It鈥檚 an opportunity to demonstrate humor and creativity to eager students waiting for the invitation to sleep in.
In some cases, it鈥檚 even a chance to show off musical talent (or to expose a lack of it).
Long gone are the days of kids sitting in front of the television during a winter storm, watching a slow scroll of closures at the bottom of the newscast, waiting for their district鈥檚 name to show up so they can break out the cocoa and sleds the next day. Today鈥檚 students refresh social media instead (and their parents get automatic notifications).
Many superintendents have taken advantage of the shift in format in recent years, eschewing staid written announcements in favor of music videos, parodies of popular movies, and elaborate sketches recorded with students in anticipation of those first falling flakes.
After a winter storm pummeled much of the United States over the weekend, district leaders from Texas to Maine had their moment in the snow day spotlight.
Here are five of our favorite announcements.
1. A movie trailer complete with (bad) rapping
In this movie trailer spoof, Montgomery County, Md., Superintendent Thomas Taylor dons a long coat and a fedora and raps his way through a parody of 鈥淪till D.R.E.鈥�
2. Country comparisons: 鈥楾his is T-shirt weather!鈥�
Alpine, Texas, Superintendent Michelle Rinehart joked about making the call for a Monday snow day while experiencing what would be considered 鈥淭-shirt weather鈥� in Canada, where she was born and raised.
3. A Britney Spears parody
Decked out in a Britney Spears shirt, Terry Dade, superintendent in Falls Church, Va., made a snow day announcement to the tune of the singer鈥檚 smash 1998 hit 鈥淏aby One More Time.鈥�
An Important Announcement from Superintendent Dade: Oops It鈥檚 Snowing Again! 鉂勶笍鈽冿笍
— Terry J. Dade (@TDade)
4. An over-the-top infomercial
But wait, there鈥檚 more! In Hamilton, Mich., Superintendent Brad Lusk to call off classes and encourage kids to enjoy a day of rest, sledding, and hot chocolate.
5. 鈥楳aye-Day': Some good-natured sports humor
In Rochester, Mass., district leaders made a good-natured jab at the struggling Kansas City Chiefs (who missed out on the NFL playoffs this season) in their snow day announcement, and joked about whether to make the call before or after the New England Patriots鈥� playoff game on Sunday. (They posted the video well before game time and the Patriots鈥� win over the Denver Broncos, which earned them a spot in the Super Bowl. Despite the timing, the district leaders projected almost prophetic confidence about a Patriots win.)
Watch the video on Facebook .
