“Snowzilla” traps students in Washington D.C.
When senior Alain Marquez stepped outside of his Washington D.C. hostel on Jan. 22, he was met with nearly two feet of snow left from Winter Storm Jonas.
“We just decided to go outside make a snowman, have a snowball fight or just have a race in the snow,” Marquez said. “We tried to help people who drove in the snow, if they got stuck we decided to help them out for a while.”
Marquez and his youth group were in D.C. on a church trip to support the March of Life and tour monuments in the area.
“We went on [the] March of Life Parade … it was a parade against abortion, stuff like that,” he said.“It was pretty awesome to see all these people from our religion to be here with us even in the cold.”
Sophomore Morgan Wright went along with Marquez and the Saint John’s youth group.Wright, who has been on a similar trip two years ago, used the snow as a way to see more of the city.
“Most of … the city shut down [so] we did a monuments marathon, where we went out through the blizzard and visited all the monuments by foot,” Wright said. “We ended up getting to go to the National Basilica. We wouldn’t have been able to do that if we [weren’t] snowed in.”
It was pretty awesome to see all these people from our religion to be here with us even in the cold.
— Senior Alain Marquez
Since most of the city was shut down, the youth group’s options for food were very limited.
“A lot of the places were closed but … the Hard Rock Cafe stayed open, so we could go there a lot,” Marquez said.
Although Wright and Marquez travelled to Washington D.C. together, their travel plans changed after their train was cancelled.
“The snow affected our stay by planes being cancelled, trains being cancelled buses even being cancelled … so we just decided to rent two cars,” Marquez said. “Some people stayed in DC while some chaperones and students left because of school and work .”
Marquez enjoyed his time in a new environment and would visit again in similar conditions.
“I would go back. I [had] fun in the snow, but then again it would be a delay for trains [and] planes,” Marquez said. “If I had to do it all over again [and] I knew the storm was coming–I would do it again.”
![After receiving advice from her students, orchestra director Judy Erpelding marks her music. Although the director normally makes the artistic decisions, Erpelding will often consult her students and hear their opinions on what sounds good and what they should try out. “[The students] are the heart of the program, not me,” Erpelding said. “I know they will carry that on and I will miss them. Making great music with them, being able to challenge them, taking their inspiration.”](https://www.fsfreepressonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Roust_Erpelding_5_11_23-317x475.jpg)
