ST. ANTHONY, Nfld. — It was a snow day gone terribly wrong. Instead of staying home from school, 47 students and 29 staff members had to spend the night at St. Anthony elementary school as a storm battered the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland on Wednesday night.

"Six parents who came to get their kids yesterday got stranded here as well," principal Nelson Pilgrim said in a telephone interview.

"It's not the kind of snow day we like."

The provincial weather centre issued a blizzard and wind chill warning for the peninsula, where frigid Atlantic winds gusted up to 90 kilometres per hour.

The entire area was paralyzed by three-metre drifts of snow, and Environment Canada forecasters said the harsh weather wouldn't let up until Friday.

School children from the town were able to get home from their school, but those who live in outlying communities were stranded.

"It's the worst I've ever seen," said Pilgrim, adding that the people of St. Anthony are used to bad weather.

"My office window ... the top of the window stands about 14 feet off the ground and the snow is above that."

Paths to doorways had been cleared in the town, "but other than that we're snowed in," Pilgrim said.

Staff and students at two other area schools were also snowed in and the local health centre had to set up beds for visitors and staff.

Staff members at St. Anthony collected gym mats, carpets and fire blankets from around the school to set up sleeping areas in classrooms.

Food was brought in Thursday and prepared in the school kitchen.

"It's still not ideal but the kids didn't seem to mind," Pilgrim said.

The five- to 13-year-olds played in the gym, watched movies, read stories and played games.

"They're with their friends and they're having a ball," said Jackie Matthews, the school secretary.

Pilgrim said staff members didn't get much sleep but the kids had a good time.

"It's starting to wear on them a little now but last night was a lark for them," he said.