The Teacher Behind “MoCo Snow” Blog (PHOTO)
With a winter storm predicted to hit Montgomery County this week, the question on everyone’s mind is, will there be a snow day?
The “MoCo Snow” blog is one way residents can find aggregated weather predictions, and students can gauge if winter conditions will cause school closings or delays in Montgomery County.
Founder of “MoCo Snow” Alex Tsironis says that the site is celebrating five years, “it’s the biggest it’s ever been, we have 1,000 subscribers on the site, almost 9,000 Twitter followers, and over 6,000 Facebook likes.” Tsironis, a high school physical education teacher at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Blair Ewing Center, started the website initially to share predictions he provided to students.
“I would always have predictions for my middle school health students and I would put them up on a bulletin board for my classroom and they wanted to share them with other people. They told me I should make a site. So, I ended up making a Google blog, it became a Weebly site, and now it’s the site it is today.”
Tsironis is a Montgomery County native and was an MCPS student throughout his elementary and secondary education. He used to stay up late to watch the weather forecast and wake-up early to see if schools were opened or delayed.
Now, Tsironis keeps tabs on winter weather updates and creates posts for followers.
“For a storm like this, it’s like once a day, twice day on the site, on the Facebook page three or four times a day, and then, on a busy night for tweeting, there could be hundreds of tweets,” he said.
He even has his own pencil rating system, which predicts whether or not there will be school closings or delays.
“There’s a rating system, it’s one pencil to five pencils. Five pencils would mean it’s a virtual guarantee there’s not going to be school the next day…four pencil’s is like a 75% chance of no school and almost a certainty of at least a delay,” Tsironis said. “But obviously these are just predictions. So, I always tell everyone to always be prepared, even if I predict there won’t be school,” he said.
Popularity of the site increases when there is a storm predicted. Just in the past few days Tsironis has seen an uptick in followers.
“I think I’ve had 500 new follower maybe in the last three days since the hype with this storm has come around. That’s on Twitter. On Facebook I think I’ve had, maybe about the same number of new followers,” he said. His goal is to hit 10,000 Twitter followers and 7,000 Facebook likes.
Tsironis also says that not all students are excited for the storm to hit this Friday.
“I noticed that a lot of the high school kids are kind of disappointed that the storm is coming on Friday, rather [than] on a Monday,” he said.
Younger students are more enthusiastic, “because it’s a regular day at school for them. They’ve been asking non-stop,” he said. They are even performing unconventional rituals to make sure it snows, like flushing ice cubes down a toilet and wearing pajama’s inside out, he said.
Tsirnois has already posted his prediction for Friday.
1/22/16 11:15am There are a lot of questions about when this storm will makes its way into the area. Capital Weather…
Posted by Mocosnow on Thursday, January 21, 2016
For more information about “MoCo Snow” you can visit its website or follow on Facebook and Twitter.
MCPS Announces Two-Hour Delay Wednesday
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials have announced a two-hour delay Wednedsay, Jan. 8 because of weather conditions affecting roads. According to the MCPS website, bus service will be provided on a two-hour-delayed schedule. All field trips are canceled Morning prekindergarten, morning half-day Head Start, other morning half-day programs are canceled. Other activities and programs […]
Student Member of the Board Proposes That School Sports Count as P.E. Credit
Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Nate Tinbite proposed that Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) give high school students the option to get half of their physical education (P.E.) requirement by joining a school sports team. https://twitter.com/NateTinbite/status/1177315198815940608?s=20 Maryland requires high school students to get at least one half-credit of P.E. in order to graduate. Prince […]
No School on Wednesday Because of Snow
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials announce schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 20 due to the winter storm. According to the MCPS website, all school and community activities in school buildings are also canceled Wednesday. Childcare centers located in school buildings will also be closed. IMPORTANT: Montgomery County Public Schools and offices […]
MCPS Announces Two Hour Delay Monday
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials have announced a two-hour delay Monday, Feb. 11 because of weather conditions. According to the MCPS website, bus service will be provided on a two-hour-delayed schedule. All field trips are canceled Morning prekindergarten, morning half-day Head Start, other morning half-day programs are canceled. Other activities and programs that begin at […]
Update: Schools are Closed Wednesday
UPDATE: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials have announced schools are closed Wednesday, Jan. 30 due to current travel conditions in some portions of the county and anticipated emergency weather conditions this afternoon. All school and community activities in school buildings are also canceled. Childcare programs in school buildings may open after 10:30 a.m. MCPS […]
MCPS Announces Two Hour Delay for Tuesday
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) officials have announced a two-hour delay Tuesday, Jan. 15 because of weather conditions. An announcement will be made by 7 a.m. if the school system decides to close. According to the MCPS website, bus service will be provided on a two-hour-delayed schedule. Morning prekindergarten, morning half-day Head Start, other morning […]
NWS Issues Winter Weather Advisory for Snow in Montgomery County
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Montgomery County, effective from midnight tonight to 4 p.m. Saturday. According to the advisory, accumulations of snow are expected from one to three inches. A winter weather advisory means that periods of snow may cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibility, […]
NWS Issues Winter Weather Advisory for Northwest Montgomery County
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for northwest Montgomery County, effective from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday. According to the advisory, accumulations of snow are expected from one to three inches. Winds are expected between 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. A winter weather advisory means that […]
UPDATED: Montgomery County Prepares for Snow
UPDATED Montgomery County highway crews are preparing for some snow later today. According to a post on Twitter, the Storm Operations Center is activating at 4 p.m. so crews can prepare for Winter Storm Helena. So far, the county’s winter storm information portal has not been updated. Montgomery County spokesperson Esther Bowring said crews have […]
UPDATED: NWS Issues Winter Weather Advisory for Montgomery County
UPDATED The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Montgomery County, effective now thru noon on Saturday. According to the NWS, sleet is the main concern with a possibility of one to two tenths of an inch from freezing rain. The sleet is expected to change to rain around noon as temperatures […]
Engage us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Tweets by @mymcmedia