On Monday Nov. 23, students likely noticed that one of the trees in the courtyard had literally split down the middle. The damage had been caused by the snow that fell over the weekend, which mounted to roughly seven inches in the Hinsdale area.

The weight of the snow cracked the tree branches, resulting in the tree completely collapsing. According to Buildings and Grounds, a tree removal company will likely get hired over the break to remove the dead tree.

“When I first saw the tree, I was bewildered,” said Lauren Excell, senior. “Then I became I worried about what would happen to the courtyard and what would go in its place.”

Currently, B&G has not shared what will replace the tree, only that the dead one will be removed.

Chicago experienced the heaviest snowfall in November in more than 120 years. Not only did the snow cause damage in the school’s courtyard, but many suburbs had downed power lines and street closures. Both airports also canceled more than 130 flights.

Since the snowfall, temperatures have gone back into the double digits melting most of the snow; however, temperatures are expected to fall again after the Thanksgiving holiday.