Eighth-graders from Hoffman Estates school stranded in D.C.

The itinerary for Saint Hubert Catholic School's Washington, D.C., trip didn't include three days of watching movies, playing games, and riding up and down their hotel's glass elevator.

But that's pretty much all the 33 eighth-grade students have been able to do since Friday afternoon, when a record-setting blizzard dumped 32.4 inches of snow on the area, stranding the Hoffman Estates school group in the nation's capital.

Originally scheduled to return to Chicago Saturday, the class was expecting to fly home this morning - that was, until they got a call Sunday afternoon informing them the flight was canceled.

"We don't know when we're going to get out. They can't tell us anything now," said eighth-grade teacher Deb Larsen of Elgin, one of the three chaperones.

The students couldn't be happier, however. To them, the blizzard has made the trip even more memorable, and they seem to be bonding and making the best of their situation.

"At first, we were upset about it. But then, we just started to have fun," said eighth-grader Kayla Schaefer. "It gets a little bit dramatic at times, because, you know. Teenagers. But it's been really fun."

The students saw a man skiing down a busy street, took pictures of cars buried in snow, and stared in awe at busy highways that were literally empty. The Embassy Suites Hotel where they're staying has fed them "like kings and queens," Larsen said, and converted the banquet hall into a room full of games and activities.

"This is a tremendous group of kids," she said. "They're going with the flow ... and having a ball."

Even by Chicago standards, this was a pretty bad storm, the students said.

Schaefer and Becky Carbonara, both 14-year-olds from Schaumburg, needed some fresh air so they went outside and played in the snow Saturday.

On Sunday, the hotel shuttle took the group to the only place that's open in the area - the Pentagon City Mall. Even though most of them live a stone's throw from Woodfield Mall, they were thrilled at the chance to leave the hotel, walk around the mall, and window shop.

For the past two days, the chaperones have managed to entertain the 33 13- and 14-years olds with trivia games and a variety show, which was judged by the bus driver and the hotel security guard.

"Our teachers are being really cool about it," said Molly Ziegler, 13, of Hoffman Estates. "They keep finding new stuff for us to do."

"We've never been sitting around and doing nothing," added Carbonara. "I don't think anyone's having a bad time."

After hearing that the storm was on the way, Larsen said they sped up their schedule and packed almost everything into two days. The only things they weren't able to do was attend a play at the Kennedy Center, visit the National Cathedral, and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Larsen said the students have been "amazing," but worries that the longer the trip drags out, the less fun it will be. Originally a three-day trip, it's now stretching into day five, and a little bit of homesickness is setting in.

"I miss home ... so I've called home a lot just to hear their voices. I know they miss me too."added student Kathryn Sajardo, 13, of Schaumburg. "We were just one big, happy family when we came here, and we became even more than a family because of this."

The snowstorm made their class trip even more memorable, the students said.

"I think we'll remember this trip forever," said Ziegler. "It's been a really great time."

"I'll be telling my grandchildren stories about this, when I'm old," said Laura Candre, 13, of Schaumburg. "Even in the worst times, you have to make the best of it."