Sammie Hardy ’11
Staff Writer

Recently, the weather of Westport has thrown most residents off-guard. From the sudden snow-days in almost March and the surprising warm afternoons in late February, the weather really does have a mind of it’s own.

Besides the obvious benefits like, cancellations due to snow, and the summer tan due from the warm weather, is there a specific relationship between weather and the brain that triggers why we love certain types of weather?

More and more people begin to hold weather responsible for what happens during the day, and for high school students the weather can affect the smallest of things.

“Since I do not have a junior parking sticker, I have to walk from Wakeman every morning. When the weather is warm, I don’t mind walking for the five minutes, and it starts my day off better,” Katie Saveliff ’11 said.

However, recently there of been several vague sciences studying the relationship between atmospheric conditions and human beings. One of which being, ‘Human Biometeorology.’ There are all sorts of indisputable and obvious connections between weather and health. Some of the more obvious ones include, the dramatic pains like frostbite in the winter, and heat stroke during the summer.

But, there are also significant but less direct connections between how weather affects such person’s mood, which is what Biometeorology focuses on. The difference here is that the symptoms for the ‘rainy day blues,’ are not as obvious and aren’t known.

Staples students expressed how the different types of weather affected them, and how it positively or negatively gets them through the school year.

“I get my best grades usually in the spring. Since the weather is nicer I do not want to be inside at all, and do most of my homework so I can get outside,” Lucy Stanley ’11 said.

But besides the motivation to get good grades, most students told Inklings that it just isn’t fun to be in school when there is bad weather.

“Being in school on a rainy day is the worst. It affects my mood, and makes me tired, and all you can do is stay inside and sleep,” Ricky Snyder ’11 said.

Another way that the weather can affect your mood that has been documented and proven is called SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a syndrome characterized by depression during winter months when there is less daylight. However, most students expressed their liking for the season.

“I always check the weather during the winter. I like the snow, and I always check weather.com to see if it’s going to snow, or how high our chances are of a snow day,” Kelley Hussey ’11 said.

“I enjoy the snow because it makes the town look more beautiful, it covers all the dead tree’s from fall,” Amanda Stewart ’10 said.

Besides the science behind whether weather makes people happy or sad, the commentary from Staples students has kept opinions individual.