NW Indiana Students Return Home After Bus Gets Stuck In East Coast Blizzard

(CBS) -Eighth graders from a Catholic school in northwest Indiana finally returned home early this morning after their charter bus was stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in that massive snowstorm for almost a full day.

Eight chaperones and 28 eighth-graders from Saint Mary Catholic School' from Griffith, Indiana were in DC for the annual March for Life. On the way back home, the charter bus got stuck on the turnpike with hundreds of others who had attended the march.

With hours on their hands, they held Mass. The group worked together to shovel and create an altar of snow. Mass was led by more than 500 Catholic students and others from churches across the country.

Witnesses say several drivers also joined in.

Gina Derousseau, parent of an eighth grade boy at St. Mary's in Griffith Indiana, says they kids kept busy and never complained.

"We played games together, we also had some movies to watch," Derousseau said. "They got out and played, stretched their legs and they did have a saint report that is due this week so quite a few of them wanted to work."

There has been some blowback on social media, criticizing the group for heading into the area, knowing the storm was coming. Derousseau defends the choice, saying it's an annual trip for the school and they left the rally early.

While she says she would have liked to left even earlier, but the decision wasn't up to her and in the end, it all worked out.