sNOW Habersham has come and gone, but not before children and adults got to delight in its wonders. Jessie and Mike Owensby carried their two children, 8-year old Jake and 4-year old Savana, out to the big hill by Clarkesville Elementary School today where they joined other families for sledding. Family friends Mallory Leary and Sean Viola helped with the kids and had plenty of fun.
The Owensbys came well prepared. They shopped before they dropped their sleds. “We went to the store and bought waterproof gloves, rainboots and all that kind of stuff. Our kids have had the cotton gloves in the past and they weren’t enough so we had to get something better,” explains Jessie Owensby.
Habersham County students have been out of school eight out of the last nine weekdays and they’re going to be out again tomorrow. It’s been stressful on parents, including the Ownesbys. Both Jessie and Mike attend classes at Piedmont College. They’ve only missed one day due to the snow and they’re finding it hard to juggle. “I have had to take my son Jake to school with me since his school has been closed. When Mallory gets out of class she comes and gets him and then when I’m out of class I have to go and get him again. We’ve been doing this for two weeks,” Jessie says.
When asked what other things have been challenging during this unusual winter Jessie states, “Keeping clothes dry and clean have been a challenge. We have to dry the clothes constantly because our kids want to go back out eventually and play and their clothes must be dry when they head back out.”
For those who think kids are content being out of school, it’s quite the opposite for Jake who attends Cornelia Elementary. “He hates being out of school and actually called his teacher and talked to her on the phone about how he misses her. Jake has also been talking about his friends, he tends to get bored easily when not occupied,” says his mother. She says he created a “snowsketball” – a basketball made out of snowballs – that’s kept him entertained.
Hopefully it won’t melt, Jake’s going to need the distraction: He and his parents have three more days to go until he finally returns to the classroom.
