“Good morning, Eagles! This is your weather announcement.”
Weather people are the ones delivering our daily forecast. They are the ones who broadcast events such as drought-breaking snow or apocalyptic-like hazy skies of smoke. This need-to-know weather news helps make February 5 National Weatherperson’s Day, which recognizes the people who deliver our “sunny skies” and “torrential downpours.”
National Weatherperson Day was developed to commemorate the birthday of John Jeffries, who was born in 1744. A Boston physician and one of America’s first weather observers, he began to note the daily weather in 1774. In a hot air balloon 9,000 feet high with a thermometer, barometer, and hygrometer in hand; he was the first to observe the weather over London in 1784.
At Edison High, we have our own weather people who deliver our daily forecast to all of EHS. Our current weather person is Stella Wong ‘25, who filled the empty post after EHS’ first weather person, Avinash Aravind ‘23, graduated.
“Avinash’s position always made my day. When he was [absent] it felt like the school was missing something, so I wanted to step into the role. I really loved public speaking as well,” said Wong.
The job of a weatherperson at EHS is not merely looking at their mobile weather app, nor is it entirely dependent on their forecasting skills. The opportunity brings other experiences that may assist students as they navigate the announcements that start the school day.
“Being the weatherperson has taught me forecasting, as well as how to speak more confidently,” Wong said. “I still struggle a little bit with public speaking, so by practicing I’m also building my social skills.”
Wong thanks Mr. Ross for the opportunity, as well as the other announcement speakers for being a “positive vibe” in the morning.
The reason our own EHS weather forecast exists, Aravind created this role through his passion that may seem unassuming—even unusual— to high school students. Though his weatherman job began in high school, his interest in meteorology began much earlier.
“At some point in 4th grade, I suddenly became obsessed with it and it never went away. The more I learned by reading online and watching the Weather Channel just made me more and more curious,” said Aravind. “Trying to forecast the weather is my favorite part. It’s like a puzzle, and fitting all the pieces together is both challenging and interesting to me.”
The experience reinforced Aravind’s decision to pursue meteorology, which he now studies at Cornell University.
“Being the weatherman at EHS was honestly the best part of high school, and while it didn’t make me choose to go into meteorology, it definitely reinforced my decision by being able to share my passion with others,” said Aravind.
Our weather people not only continue to educate us about the ins and outs of our forecast, but also symbolize the potential a student has to pursue their passions.
So whenever you hear the EHS morning forecast, remember that the Edison exclusive weather report was made possible by a 1784 hot air balloon piloted by a man with similar passions to EHS’ own Wong and Aravind.
