MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Following last winter’s two-hour delay, which forced 38 Capstone moms to reschedule hot yoga, Pilates and “at least one very important lash appointment,” the Cappa Cappa Capstone sisterhood has launched an aggressive campaign to make sure Superintendent Christopher Queen fully understands what is at stake every time he looks at a weather map.
“We’re not saying the children aren’t important,” said PTO President Blakely Whitmore-Vance, standing on the school steps in a puffer vest and leggings while a light dusting of snow melted on contact with the sidewalk. “We’re saying Vinyasa Flow is at 9:15, and it fills up. Those are two different things, and we can hold space for both.”
The campaign, titled Snow Is a Mindset, began with a 14-slide presentation delivered to Superintendent Queen’s office in a monogrammed leather folio. Slides include “What Is Ice, Really?”, a side-by-side comparison of Mountain Brook and Minnesota, and a pie chart showing that 91 percent of PTO members drive vehicles with heated seats, all-wheel drive, and “at least two kinds of cameras.”
The PTO has also formed a Weather Advisory Committee, which meets at 4:30 a.m. on any morning the forecast mentions precipitation. Committee members are assigned to drive the carpool route in pajamas and report road conditions to the group chat using an approved set of emojis. A single snowflake emoji means “school should open.” Two snowflakes also mean “school should open.”
As a gesture of partnership, the sisterhood presented Superintendent Queen with a $900 weather radio, a custom snow gauge engraved with “It’s Just Pretty,” and a standing invitation to the 9:15 class, “so he can see what he’s taking from us.”
Members of the Cappa Cappa Grammas weighed in as well. “I drove to school in the Blizzard of ’93 in a Volvo station wagon with three children and a casserole,” said Mitzi Whitmore, 74. “Everybody turned out fine. One of them is a dermatologist.”
Chad Whitmore-Vance, a CrossFit dad, offered to clear the school parking lot himself with a shovel “as a WOD,” and has requested that it be timed. Several moms volunteered to watch.
When Becca, a mom from the zoned district, asked during the planning meeting whether the main concern might be whether the buses could get up the hills safely, the room went quiet. Her question was “held for a future agenda,” and she was thanked for “bringing such a unique perspective.”
For his part, Superintendent Queen released a brief statement saying he would continue to make weather decisions based on student safety and road conditions. The PTO has responded by scheduling a second presentation, this one with a balloon arch.
At press time, the forecast called for a 20 percent chance of flurries on Thursday, and three moms had already pre-booked the 9:15.