January Storm Also Hits MPS Programs

 

Unexpected. Unusual. And, most of all, record-breaking. The January winter storm that hit the nation hit the Moore Public Schools (MPS) district with the snow we'd been waiting for all winter. Amid the stir and concern over canceled sports games, kids out of school, and when it would be safe to go out, families across the country experienced the storm in unique ways. On the MPS side, storms led MPS to use five snow days across the district. Families across the district tuned in to the news stations, worried about what the snow would look like.

 

"Nobody expected this. Our yearbook staff was set back, but we worked over the days we were out to meet our deadline, even from home," said Westmoore Yearbook Teacher Jana DeLong.

 

The storm warnings triggered the expected school outages. Students spoke with high expectations of missing school, with media reports estimating 10-12" in certain areas of the state. Fear spread among many Oklahomans, and mass panic led to big grocery hauls. Stores were wiped out nationwide, with Oklahoma being no exception.

 

"For me, the storm didn't affect my school work much because I did some classes online, but for the others, I was worried about the workload after coming back," said Southmoore Senior Kenni Easley.

 

"Workwise, I was stressed about transportation safety and the money I missed because of the storm, since I have responsibilities. Though it was nice to have snow days and actual snow in Oklahoma, it was different from snow days when I was in middle school with no responsibilities," said Easley.

 

Once the storm, named "Fern," hit on the night of Jan. 23, people woke up the following Jan. 24 to a winter wonderland. The first day of the five-day break was announced on Friday and students across MPS got to jump headfirst into the snow. However, the side of canceling school took into account far more than people may initially think.

 

"We take many factors into account before deciding to cancel school. Our parking lots may be clear, but are our neighborhoods? We prioritize the safety of our students, from walkers to our high schoolers who may be driving to school. We don't want any risk of students slipping and falling in the cold environments," said MPS Director of Communications & Community Relations Anna Aguilar.

 

As the storm raged throughout the week, the MPS Administration acted quickly to inform families about the days canceled for safety. Along with classes, sports games across all middle and high schools were also not off the table for cancellation. Athletic directors and facilitators worked to reschedule games to later dates, coordinating with the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), to ensure games were completed before state and regional competitions.

 

"Our school was clear, but other schools weren't. We had to do basketball games back-to-back and move a wrestling meet to the following weekend," said Westmoore Athletic Director Chad Mashburn.

 

"It's unfortunate, but we work closely with other directors to ensure we finish these games, as we cannot reschedule important matches, like our state wrestling match. It was next week, and we had one more meet we wanted for Monday, but OSSAA told us Saturday," said Mashburn.

 

While spring sports were affected, MPS cheer teams were the hardest hit. Families of cheerleaders were deeply stressed about Cheer Nationals, scheduled to be in Dallas, the largest and most important competition in cheer year-round. Set to take place the same week as the storm, coaches and players anxiously awaited to hear whether they would still be able to compete in Fort Worth.

 

As the date approached, the decision was made to compete virtually by recording a performance for judges to view. Schools across the nation decided to pull out completely, while Westmoore, as a team, decided to still compete. The seniors, who have been cheerleaders for four years or more, unfortunately missed the chance to compete at Nationals. As a senior, the years of training and effort ultimately all funnel into senior competitions.

 

"Not being able to compete in Texas was disappointing. It felt like we did this all for nothing. We still gave it our all and found fun, even if it wasn't what we expected," said Westmoore senior Shae Lira.

 

"The change in what we had to work with was hard and felt rushed. I didn't feel super confident like I usually do, but I'm glad it's over now."

 

The Jags Cheer squad ultimately finished in the top 10 at the National Cheer Association Championship in the Virtual Advanced Performance Medium Division.

 

Learn more about how MPS makes winter weather decisions at www.mooreschools.com/WinterWeatherInfo.