Wintry weather that swept across the South brought a blanket of snow over Texarkana and caused students to wake up to another snow day, the third in less than a month.

Senior Griffin Bentley’s first reaction was disbelief.

“I woke up scared and thinking I was late for school,” Bentley said. “I ran to the door, but then I saw my mom and two sisters sitting on the couch, and my mom said that school had been canceled. I didn’t believe her, so I had to look outside.”

Thinking she overslept, freshman Lindsey Gore had a similar reaction.

“I had a mini heart attack,” Gore said. “I woke up at 8, which is when track starts, so I immediately started to get ready. I’m glad I finally saw the snow out the window.”

Other students worried that the snow would make them late.

“My first reaction was, ‘Aw man, now I have to walk through snow at school,’” junior Erica Mcvay said. “But within 2 minutes the school called and said we were out. After that, I let out a big ‘Woohoo!’”

Teacher Debbie Nicholas was just as shocked.

“I could not believe it when I got the call this morning,” Nicholas said. “I looked outside and everything was covered in white. The snow began after the newspaper was thrown because I had to play ‘Which lump is the paper?’”

Superintendent James Henry Russell said he hopes the district doesn’t have to make up the day.

“The state of Texas requires you to include two bad weather days in your typical calendar, and of course, we missed two already,” Russell said. “I believe beyond that you can request a waiver. If it was a storm that has affected a large number of schools, generally that is granted, and you don’t have to make up more than the two that are built into your calendar. So we are all keeping our fingers crossed that it will be granted, and we don’t have to make up today.”

Many students planned to spend their day off by playing in the snow and seizing the usually rare opportunity.

“I was like, ‘Hey, it snowed. Awesome,’” junior Sam Vaughan said. “I proceeded to frolic in the snow.”

Sophomore Matthew Cantin was glad to have the extra time out of school.

“I thought, ‘Yes, my date with destiny is finally here’ and went out to play in it,” Cantin said. “I was very excited about being out of school because it gives me a long weekend.”

Some students felt the snow day gave them a much-needed chance to catch up on schoolwork.

“I was very puzzled and excited,” freshman Ella Williams said. “I need this because I was dreading a geography test.”