After months of planning and years of waiting, the seniors were informed at 4:36 p.m. on Thursday that their last day of high school would be canceled. CESJDS decided to close school on Jan. 22 because of the anticipated snow from Winter Storm Jonas.

Just minutes after the decision was made, Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus came out of the front office to explain the school’s reasoning for the cancellation to the cluster of waiting seniors. Many seniors shed tears after realizing that there would be no prank, senior run or dancing in the alcove after the final bell rung.

“It feels like everything in high school has led to this day, and now it doesn’t get to happen,” senior Evie Kraner said. “We’re really angry.”

Malkus listed two main reasons for the closure. First, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) decided to close on Friday, and according to school policy, JDS follows MCPS’ decision on the first day of a storm. Second, as there is a declared state of emergency in Maryland, Virginia and D.C., Malkus is worried about the hazardous road conditions.

Malkus said he would have loved to make an exception because of the seniors’ last day of school, but that the school makes decisions based on safety. Malkus’ biggest concern is that the snow will start much earlier than expected, which would put students and faculty in danger.

“The seniors will get over it,” Malkus said. “I feel bad for them as well, but you have to make decisions based on safety, not on ‘let’s run the hallways.’”

Much of the seniors’ anger came from the forecast for Jan. 22. The Weather Channel predicts that there will be no precipitation until 5 p.m. Friday, more than two hours after school ends, and even at 5 p.m. there is only a 50 percent chance of snow.

Kraner believes that with this forecast a half-day would be a safe alternative, and would allow the seniors to still enjoy their last day of school.

“I think [Rabbi Malkus] is new to the school, and he doesn’t understand how meaningful this is,” Kraner said.

Every year on the last day of the first semester, the seniors prank the rest of the school. The prank is a highlight of senior year that will not be enjoyed this year.

“This is a moment we’ve been looking to since seventh-grade,” senior class president Naomi Cohen-Shields said. “A lot of work went into preparing the prank we were going to do, and now we’re not going to have a chance to do that.”

Cohen-Shields said that she does not think the closure is justified based on the forecast. Senior Brian Shorr, however, disagreed with Cohen-Shields and Kraner in regards to the legitimacy of the closure.

“I understand Rabbi Malkus’ decision, and wholeheartedly respect it,” Shorr said.

Many seniors tried to email the school to protest the decision, which Shorr thought was “immature and childish.” He noted that the seniors still have prom, graduation and the Israel trip to look forward to.

Right after the cancellation announcement, while many of the seniors consoled one another, seniors Shorr, Yaakov Bellas and Aviv Assaraf took the opportunity to dance in the alcove and have a three-man senior run, in lieu of the canceled festivities for Friday.

Additionally, the seniors danced and partied in their alcove Thursday night after the winter concert. They also did a grade run around the building as a consolation for missing their last day of school.

“Nothing’s going to compare to what would’ve been,” Cohen-Shields said.

Kraner said that the seniors would have settled for a half-day, but feel that the administration did not give them the opportunity to compromise. Kraner acknowledges that they cannot control the weather, but she said the weather is not to blame for this cancellation.

“When the weather doesn’t start getting bad until three o’clock, we think that it’s [the administration] and not the weather that’s attacking us this time,” Kraner said.

Editor’s note: Since posting the article, The Lion’s Tale has been informed that Interim High School Principal and Dean of Students Roz Landy gave seniors the opportunity to do their senior run on Thursday, Jan. 21 during school, with the understanding that if there was school on Friday the seniors would not be allowed to do it again.