Students’ moods often reflect the weather.  When the weather looks up, even for a day, the students get excited. On Friday, it was nearly eighty degrees and sunny. Earlier in the week, it was snowing. Welcome to central Pennsylvania.

“[The warm weather] makes me feel pretty good,” said freshman Noah Patterson. “To dress down and lose some layers. It seems as if everyone else is happier or in a better mood.” 

The student body of CHS was very excited for the warmth. It brought many students out of their winter funks.

“It makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning,” said Patterson.

Many students suffer through the winter, but few realize there is a name for that. The brain disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that arrives in the fall when it starts getting cold and departs in the spring when it starts warming up.

It tends to come and go at the same times every year. Symptoms are consistent with normal depression or just sadness, so it can be difficult to diagnose.  

“It [the cold weather] makes me feel so constricted,” said freshmen Kiley Barnhart. “I don’t want to go outside and be miserable.”

Warm weather makes everything easier. It means that the school year is coming to a close and everyone is free for three months. It motivates students to do better in class and when the students are in a good mood, teachers are in a good mood. The school environment brightens and makes it more enjoyable for everyone.