It’s finally December, days are getting shorter and lights decorate houses. Most importantly in December, pearly white snow falls from the sky. For most people, snow is a beautiful and heartwarming part of the winter season. But regardless of this reservoir’s attributes, it can cause some serious issues for commuters. For example, English and Mythology teacher Harry Campion spends around 2 hours of his day driving to and from school, and that’s without the effects of snow.
“I used to live about 3 and a half minutes away, but just last April I moved to Shelby Township,” Campion said. “Now I leave the house almost an hour earlier than I used to, bright and early.”
Since Campion has only lived out in Shelby for about a year, he has yet to experience the severity of a Michigan highway at the lovely hour of six in the morning. Although he anticipates having a run-in with the fresh powder soon, that doesn’t scare him.
“If I got up and there was some unexpected snow and ice, I would just condense my morning schedule and get going as soon as possible,” Campion said. “To be completely transparent, I’m not afraid to drive in bad conditions. As weird as it sounds, I enjoy driving in the snow and risking my life.”
So far, Campion’s plan has served him well, but some teachers don’t have the privilege of leaving their houses as early as they want. Aside from carrying out her morning routine in Northern Troy, Math teacher Jacqueline Shelson is also responsible for three other people’s mornings.
“I get my kids up at six-fifteen every morning and then try to get out of the house before seven so I have time to drop off my kids before their school starts,” Shelson said. “So there is a limited window of time that I can leave my house, which makes it kind of tough to get here on time some mornings.”
Luckily, Shelson tends to be driving in the opposite direction of traffic, so she rarely has to plan for long backups, regardless of the weather, unlike Campion who tends to be less lucky.
“I try to get to school before I know traffic on the highways gets bad because I would rather be productive here than just sit in traffic,” Campion said. “But I’m not always that fortunate.”
Regardless, Campion’s effort for his commute does not go overlooked. Many students, including Sam Turner ’26, who has the pleasure of being taught Mythology by Campion, value his effort.
“It’s the connection he makes with his students that makes his class such a special experience,” Turner said. “I couldn’t be more glad that he’s the guy who sacrifices an hour every morning to come teach us, and if I had the choice, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
