From September 29th to October 1st, students and staff struggled and sweltered through the heat due to the air conditioning going out in the E-wing. This sweaty situation affected learning, teaching, and feelings since the HVAC system broke.
“It’s just really hot,” Spanish teacher Christine Peters said. ”It’s hard to hear students when fans are going. There’s also construction going on outside, so I can’t even have the windows open for a breeze or fresh air. It’s such a distraction.”
Classrooms got hotter and hotter as the days passed and outside temperatures climbed. AC is often something people do not pay attention to, but its absence is so not cool. When people lose climate control, they also lose their chill.
“It’s been challenging to focus because a lot of teachers have been really irritable, and they don’t want to teach in the heat. None of the students want to be there either,” sophomore Gianna Pannebianco said.
The challenges that a stuffy room can cause are evident, but this is not the first time the AC has gone out. In the E-wings history, the AC has stopped many times before, disrupting the learning environment time and time again.
“I believe it was an issue with the initial construction of the building,” teacher Mark Nuismer said. “We have had this problem ever since the E-wing was built.”
Persistent attempts to beat the heat have not been entirely successful. With the school’s fluctuating climates, finding a comfortable solution is a challenging feat, but some students started to return to a much cooler wardrobe.
“A lot of people have started dressing like it’s summer instead of wearing sweatshirts ’cause it’s normally cold in the building,” Pannebianco said.
Luckily students can go back to cold classrooms and sweatshirts because they are no longer sweating. During 6th hour on October 1st, a cold gust of air began to blow through the E-wing. The AC had returned.
“A warm teacher is a cranky teacher, and a cranky teacher doesn’t do their job as well as a happy one,” teacher Jamie Mosby said. “I’m thankful for the people that worked hard to fix it.”