How we weathered the weather at PHC

A major winter storm was the talk of campus. Weather reports flooded in from the city, warning about road conditions, freezing temperatures, and frostbite. Patrick Henry College did its part, sending emails to the students, offering survival tactics for the storm ahead. Rather than being afraid or resentful of the possibility of a blizzard, students glowed with excitement, making plans for the days of ice and snow.

Preparing for the Storm

Patrick Henry students felt well-equipped for the storm at hand. Last-minute shopping sprees were organized for extra blankets, bottled water, batteries, and fun snacks from Trader Joe's. Students dutifully charged their laptops and phones, in case the power went out, and that last-minute Latin vocab sheet still needed to be submitted. The men on campus conspired about the snow battles and sledding. The women on campus planned to make snowmen and devised winter-themed movie nights to host. But above all, every student prayed the snow would last through the weekend so classes will be cancelled for a day or two.

Surviving the Storm

Morning dawned, and at least 6 inches of snow smothered the ground. Soon, footprints and snow angels checkerboarded the Farris Wheel. A hearty crew of student workers armed themselves with shovels, struggling to keep sidewalks cleared and salted as the sky showered sleet. Groups of guys from D5 (Red Hill dorm) began what was considered an epic football game, slipping and sliding through the snow. The entrances of dorms were soon guarded by snow creatures before their creators abandoned them, retreating back inside to blankets and hot tea. 

In the evening, soaked jackets and frozen socks were peeled off, and chattering students assembled in dorm lounges for a game of Uno or Codenames. Someone brought a bin of extra snacks, and a Lord of the Rings movie (the extended edition, of course!) was turned on.

Conquering the Storm

Because of the road conditions, all nearby churches canceled their Sunday services. But that did not stop the students from gathering in Town Hall to worship together. Students found this a very special time to meet outside of classes and social events. Freshman Brayden Braun said it is crucial for students to make time to worship on Sunday.  “If we use the snow as an excuse to not worship God now, how easy will it be for us to make an excuse in the future? You have to be working very hard to ignore God on this campus.”

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Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.