Ethan Brown, a 16-year-old junior at Jericho High School, who...

Ethan Brown, a 16-year-old junior at Jericho High School, who lobbied for extra time off from school. Credit: Family photo

The Jericho school district will have a four-day Memorial Day weekend, and students can thank classmate Ethan Brown for that.

Brown, a 16-year-old junior at Jericho High School, lobbied at a March school board meeting for the administration to consider giving students additional time off, since snow days were scarce over the winter. He said it started with a snowy day in February that he believed should have been a snow day, but schools remained open.

“The roads were icy,” Brown said. “I thought it was unfair for the students, teachers and custodial staff to go into school like normal with these conditions.”

After hearing Brown’s remarks, Superintendent Henry Grishman granted Brown’s request at the next board meeting and chose Friday as a new snow day, according to Denise Nash, the district’s director of public information.

“I was thrilled about that,” Brown said. “I feel joy that they listened to my suggestion, and many students and teachers are happy, too. This is one of the highlights of my high school experience.”

Schools already were scheduled to be closed Monday for the holiday. And now the district has deemed Friday “Ethan Brown Snow Day.”

“Everybody is so excited,” Nash said. “Ethan is a celebrity around here.”

Nash said the district is scheduled to have the Friday before Memorial Day off next year, so it will remain as “Ethan Brown’s Day” in 2024, too.

While some districts across Long Island have the Friday before Memorial Day off, Jericho did not this year, officials said.

“Everybody is so proud of Ethan for taking the initiative, having an idea, coming and presenting it to the board and superintendent, taking a chance and seeing the process through,” Nash added.

Shawn Brown, Ethan’s father, lauded his son’s determination. He added that Ethan is active with the school’s publication, JerEcho, and started attending board meetings to learn the workings of the district so he could report on them to his classmates.

“I’m extremely proud of my son for advocating for the students and himself,” Shawn Brown said. “And for going to the school board meetings to practice his public speaking and for really being assertive.”

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