Let it Snow!
Panthers vs. Cancer postponed, and how the district makes decisions regarding extreme cold weather...
Heavy snow and the postponement of Panthers vs. Cancer was the big news last week. There was no school on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and the annual Panthers vs. Cancer games have been rescheduled to Monday, January 22nd.
The night will include a JV game at 5:00 pm and a varsity girls game at 6:30 pm. After that, the honoree ceremony will take place, and the boys’ game will wrap up the evening. Quilt raffle ticket sales will take place between now and January 22nd. You can pick up tickets for $1 at either the middle school or high school office during business hours, and the winner will be drawn on the night of the 22nd.
The silent auction is officially closed. Knoxville Panthers vs. Cancer wants to thank the community for their continued support and flexibility.
Ann Kingery and Mary Miller are finishing hanging the quilt in the Middle School above. Mary made the quilt and Ann explains:
Every year Mary Miller makes a quilt from T-shirts coaches and sponsors give her from different sports and she donates that to the Panthers versus Cancer event. It takes her many, many hours to put these quilts together. She's done this for probably 15 years. This will be her last year doing it. So the torch is going to get passed, but she puts together the quilt based on T-shirts from all of our school activities. And so we have the quilt on display right now at the Middle School you can buy raffle tickets. They're a dollar each or you can get five for 20.
I shot the above video on Wednesday as school staff removed snow. I asked Troy Pearson, Facilities and Operations Director, about the level of effort required to move snow.
We have a crew of four guys that move the snow. Kelby Hollingshead, Ross Dennison, Ross Iddings, and myself. The time depends on the amount of snow and the type. Heavy and wet or dry and fluffy...Typically a 2-3" snow takes about 20-30 man hours. This past snow was about 42 man hours and then another 20 hours the next day to clean up anything thing we missed or got drifted over. We have about 3.25 miles of sidewalks and 14 acres of parking lots and playgrounds.
With three snow days last week and heavy snow on Saturday, the effort may have taken more than 200 man-hours to get the snow cleared by Tuesday morning, if my math is correct.
Thanks guys!
Superintendent Cassi Pearson shared the following message regarding the decision making process during extreme cold:
The safety and well-being of students and staff is our top priority and the decision to close, delay, or release school is a difficult decision. Before deciding to modify the school day due to extreme weather conditions, the Superintendent consults with a variety of local and county authorities. Our commitment is to keep students, families, and staff safe, as well as keep the community informed of weather-related school delays and/or cancellations.
Please note that we continually monitor the forecast from the National Weather Service in order to make the best decision for students, staff, and families in a timely manner. The District utilizes information from the NWS for Knoxville, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wind chill chart is utilized in the District’s decision making process for extreme cold weather decisions. The NOAA wind chill chart can be found above.
For extreme cold weather situations, school will typically be delayed if the forecasted wind chill from the NWS at 7:00 am is at or below -25°F. Generally, school will be canceled if the forecast for 10:00 am shows potential frostbite times in 30 minutes or less according to the “windchill chart” above.
Unless otherwise noted, all activities are canceled when school is canceled or dismissed early for extreme weather.
Basketball players Sienna Scott and Ana Buttell were working out during one of the snow days.
I asked them how the season was going.
Anna: I think the season's going pretty well so far. I don't know if we're necessarily at the point we want to be, but I don't think it's impossible to get there.
Sienna: Yeah, I agree. I think that we have some improvements to do but I think we're doing pretty good overall.
How old were you when you decided you wanted to play basketball?
Anna: I was young. I think like our second-grade team. My dad was the coach and I just loved playing the sport.
Sienna: We had a travel team in third grade and I've just played ever since then.
What does Panthers versus Cancer mean to you?
Anna: It means a lot to me. I'm a past survivor and I've been honored twice at the honoree ceremony and the event has always meant a lot to me, but this year being my senior year and like the last time I get to wear the pink jersey, it just means a little bit more.
Sienna: I think it's a really special event and really important to Knoxville and the whole team.
Can you share what your plans are after school after high school?
Sienna: I’m not sure.
Anna: I’m headed to the University of Kansas and I’m planning to major in biology.
Want to join the Panther team? There are more open positions here.
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