portsmouth abbey news
The Blizzard That Brought Us Together, Again
Left: Student walks to class. From the 1978 "Gregorian" yearbook. Right: Students in front of Stillman Dining Hall.
Nearly fifty years ago, the “Blizzard of 1978” brought Rhode Island to a standstill. Accounts from the April 1978 edition of “The Portsmouth Newsletter” describe a campus suddenly cut off from the rest of Aquidneck Island, where deep drifts erased familiar paths and normal routines vanished overnight. This past week, history repeated itself as another blizzard dropped 28.2 inches of snow on Portsmouth Abbey, again bringing activity to a halt. In its wake came a quiet peace that revealed more than just snow; a community united by a shared mission.
Left: Students walk to class. From the 1978 "Gregorian" yearbook. Right: Lorenzo Munda '27, Maitea Abdallah-Doukkara '28, and JJ Servidea '27 enjoy hot chocolate and pastries.
For a time, phones and laptops faded away, replaced by timeless joy. Students who would normally hurry between obligations ventured outside to throw snowballs, dig out doorways, or simply enjoy hot chocolate together. The community’s response to being snowbound together this year shows that while weather apps may have replaced radio reports, the essential values of the school remain the same.
Many scenes could have been lifted straight from the 1978 “Gregorian” yearbook: bundled students forging through knee-deep drifts, faculty children shoveling out cars, houseparents feeding students who couldn’t safely cross campus at the height of the storm. Students borrowed shovels and pitched in to clear 4-foot drifts and push out buried cars.
Left: Student shovels ice off a pathway. From the 1978 "Gregorian" yearbook. Right: Brian Lim '27 shovels the walkway and stairs outside his House, St. Aelred's.
The community had to extend itself in hospitality and service in both cases. The Blizzard of ’78 struck in the middle of Monday’s classes, and without sophisticated weather predictions, it caught Rhode Island unaware. At Portsmouth Abbey, day students were stranded on campus for several days, and a visiting hockey team from St. George’s even had to spend Monday night. Boarding students lent clothes to the unexpected guests, the dining hall ran out of milk, and students nervously wondered if their much-anticipated long weekend, due to start on Thursday, would be delayed or canceled. (It was.)
Left: Tony Rego brings heavy equipment. From "The Portsmouth Newsletter," April 1978. Right: Sean Morrissette and Armando Sousa bring heavy equipment.
Getting back into the classroom was the priority after ensuring everyone’s safety following both storms. The Blizzard of ’78 quite possibly marked the first time that classes were cancelled for weather, but only for one day, former faculty members recall! Although the campus was entirely isolated from the rest of Aquidneck Island by snow drifts, classes recommenced on Wednesday morning. After all, the day students were already here. Faculty members who lived on the edge of campus used cross-country skis and snowshoes to get to class. In 2026, with day students and off-campus faculty snowed in at home, it took three days to get back to class as normal, with dress code slightly relaxed to permit sneakers and boots as a small acknowledgement to the icy walkways and piles of snow.
Side-by-side, the photographs from 1978 and today tell the same story. Nearly half a century later, different people, different technology, but the same mission of growing in knowledge and grace. Portsmouth Abbey is a place that pays more than lip service to community, service and academics.