Brooklynites Enjoyed an Official Snow Day in Prospect Park

by Gabriele Holtermann, Brooklyn Paper

After a blizzard dropped nearly two feet of snow on parts of New York City from Sunday into Monday — making it the ninth-largest snowfall ever recorded in the city — kids and parents celebrated the first official, traditional snow day for public school students in seven years with an afternoon of sledding, snowboarding, and skiing in Prospect Park.

The hills near the park’s Prospect Park Tennis House and the 9th Street entrance were packed with families and budding Olympic-hopeful snowboarders racing down slopes covered in heavy, powdery snow — perfect conditions for sledding.

Jamie Courville and her 9-year-old daughter Opal spent the afternoon in the park with their friends Eleanor Vierling and her sons Fern and Otis.

Courville told Brooklyn Paper that Opal didn’t even know official snow days existed until Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that public schools would be closed Monday due to the storm.

“I was actually really excited, because I have never had [an official snow day] before,” Opal proclaimed, adding that it was great to have a day off without anything school related.

Courville said she had already broken the news to Opal that school would resume Tuesday and admitted she felt relieved, saying the timing of the blizzard and snow day — immediately after winter recess — was “a bit torturous.”

“You’re ready to get back to it. And then I saw the blizzard warning, and I probably had a mild temper tantrum, but this is very nice. I’m so happy to be here right now. I mean, look at this,” Courville said, gesturing toward the winter landscape.

Vierling, a Brooklyn high school teacher, admitted to Brooklyn Paper that she had hoped the mayor would declare another snow day on Tuesday.

“My joke is I was hoping that the elementary schools would be open but the high schools will be closed, but we’re having a great day,” she said.

She was also concerned that some teachers who used last week’s winter break for short trips wouldn’t make it back in time due to widespread flight cancellations at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday and Monday. According to FlightAware, hundreds of flights were also canceled Tuesday.

“I think it’s gonna be a messy week, but it’ll be good. I’d rather have in-person school than Zoom school,” Vierling said, noting that in-person learning is far more productive for students.

“It’s fun. I’ve never taken a day off to just go sledding during a school day,” Otis added.

Elana and her friends marked her 26th birthday with a day of snow play in the park.

“We’ve been sledding. I grew up sledding here, so it’s always fun at any age. Twenty-six, still going strong — it’s always fun, no matter the age,” she said.

The Kensington resident said she was thrilled for the kids enjoying their official snow day, noting they “wouldn’t be productive in school anyway right now.”

“I’m so happy for them; the kids need this. It’s such an important part of childhood to frolic outside in the snow,” she said.

Elana’s friend Dax Clark, who grew up in Arkansas and has lived in Brooklyn for more than two years, said this winter brought his first real snow experience.

“This is the most snow I’ve ever seen in my life,” Clark told Brooklyn Paper. “I love the snow. So I always love to go out and play like I’m 12.”

Clark visited snowy scenes in Central Park and Bushwick before heading to Prospect Park. When asked which was best, he didn’t hesitate: “Prospect Park, absolutely.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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