A letter from Jefferson County’s superintendent of schools announcing a snow day for her county went viral on Twitter and even made the website of PEOPLE magazine.
It was also recognized by the West Virginia Board of Education during the December meeting Wednesday.
Superintendent Bondy Shay Gibson sent a letter to parents, teachers and staff ahead of Wednesday’s blanket of snow that swept across parts of West Virginia and up to Maine.
In her letter, Gibson chose to completely close schools for the day, including virtual. She encouraged everyone to get away from the sorrow of a difficult year and enjoy a snow day.
“It has been a year of seemingly endless loss,” Gibson wrote. “For just a moment, we can all let go of the worry… So, please, enjoy a day of sledding and hot chocolate and cozy fires… We will return to the serious and urgent business of growing up on Thursday, but for [Wednesday]…go build a snowman.”
The letter has been celebrated by many Twitter users locally and in other states and called “heroic” and “compassionate” online.
West Virginia Board of Education President Miller Hall called the letter “touching.”
The letter was shared by local news outlets, Eyewitness News in Charleston and Huntington, and NBC Washington, along with PEOPLE.