If December went out like an angry snowman for Monongalia County Schools, then May’s conclusion is going to hit it just like Santa on a Jet Ski.
District Superintendent Eddie Campbell Jr. announced this week that the last day of school for the county will be Wednesday, May 31 — given the relatively mild winter, that meant no deluge of snow days to make up.
While snow wasn’t an issue, a bomb cyclone did cause some drama when the mercury underwent dangerous, life-threatening plummets of 30 degrees in 30 minutes in most parts of Mon, and it wasn’t snow — it was the vortex of wind driving it sideways.
More than half of Mon’s buildings sustained damages of varying levels due to the unprecedented weather pattern. Pipes burst and cafeteria freezers clunked out.
Water damage to the gym floor at Ridgedale Elementary was so pronounced that the wooden surface had to be replaced.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Campbell said in the aftermath — and he once served as principal at a high school just below the Arctic Circle in Alaska.
These days, he said, the current academic year is running at a normal temperature.
Graduation for the county’s collective class of 2023 is the weekend before summer break.
University High sends its seniors forth May 26.
Morgantown High grads walk across the big stage the next day, May 27.
And Clay-Battelle’s 12th-year sojourners say goodbye May 28.
Look for the extracurricular learning opportunities to heat up after that, the superintendent said.
The “Summer Sizzler” enrichment camp is set for June 12-15.
Then, the county’s acclaimed “Summer Avalanche” rumbles in from July 5 through July 27, with diverse offerings that will explore everything from arts and crafts to computer coding.
“We hope each of our families have a wonderful summer and enjoy being lifelong learners,” the superintendent said in a message to Mon parents.
For more immediate, in-the-moment weather in the meantime, look for sunny skies and a high of 73 today, AccuWeather said.
Thursday could deliver a near-record high of 87, the forecaster predicts, with rain falling Friday and Saturday.
A couple of calendar pages over, Aug. 22, might not be so bright and sunny for some of Mon’s students.
That’s the first day of school for 2023-24 in the county.
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