UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WLUC) – With Friday being opening day of gun deer season, some Upper Peninsula schools are preparing to give students and staff a day off, and public schools of Negaunee join this tradition.

Superintendent Dan Skewis says this is the first time in a long time the school has offered a day off. He says since opening day falls on a Friday, it makes sense.

“We said if the plane ever landed on a Friday or Monday, that would be a scheduled break day,” Skewis said. “That way, teachers can take it off without having to spend a day, students can take it off without having to worry about doing homework, and principals won’t be tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to fill out a timetable. »

Skewis says it’s not just student attendance that fuels this decision, but also teacher attendance.

“We have a lot of teachers who like to hunt. They want to be there for the first sunrise of opening day,” Skewis said. “And we don’t want to take that away from them.” So in the past we did a lot of jamming.

Although this is the first time in years that Negaunee has been closed for opening day, Bark River-Harris has done so for more than 30 years. Superintendent Jeremy Pach says closing the day is about participation in culture, not just attendance.

“I asked three students this morning what they would tell TV6 News about why we are removing November 15,” Pach said. “They were very adamant that this is ingrained in our culture, that these are things that Yoopers do, it’s just a normal thing and it would be abnormal if we didn’t remove it.”

For those heading into the woods Friday, both superintendents are recommending a safe opening day.

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