Written by CNN Staff
Eighth-grader Marquise Davis said it’s hard to focus when the wind is blowing. But when that wind blows outside, and school goes on as scheduled, it doesn’t really matter whether Marquise is hard-pressed or not.
A few minutes into the open-air lunch plan Wednesday, the wind was churning up a chill in the air that reached to the upper 30s Fahrenheit. That’s actually warm for mid-November, but enough to bring on some bitter temperatures.
A culinary lesson on how to cook with sous vide methods went by in the car park.
Classes in parents and children, physical education — and even academic study — continued outside, despite temperatures dipping into the mid-30s in New York City
Meals aren’t the only reason why, some said, they went outside. Some students said they like being able to talk to the oncoming wind, others are afraid of their climate and keep indoors, while others said it’s probably best to ignore the freezing weather altogether.
But people’s zeal for social distance persists no matter how low temperatures are.
By 9:45 a.m., the school bell had faded through the high, gray clouds that had closed the sky as the sun began to peek through the drizzle.
Tater tots doused in ranch dressing and sausage patties in a barbecue sauce were served from grills in the grass, with chili powder splashed on the tops and bottoms. The elementary schoolers knew exactly where the meat was.
Battered chicken and spaghetti were the lunch fare.
The grills were usually lit for the lunch-hour blitz that happens every Wednesday, due to the school’s weather policy, and school staff arranged little flags for the grills to point toward. This Wednesday, the school’s several lights continued to be out, from the door of the cafeteria to the picnic tables set up on a hill. But despite that, signs put up by the school throughout the campus with the words “Happy meals” were still visible — like a visible smiley face.