Blogs - Challenger Blog
Hoover high school, home of the next ice age
It’s Monday morning and one of the cruel first few days of winter. A student is walking into school at 7:40 a.m. after it snowed profusely the night before. They have spent the better part of their morning scraping and warming their car in what felt like arctic temperatures.
After the tedious ride to school, where spinning and sliding cars can be seen at every corner, they are wishing to be inside a 21st century building complete with the miracle of indoor heating.
Upon entering the front doors they head straight for their locker where they dump their backpack and dig out their necessary materials. A few acquaintances pass by where the small talk mainly focuses on the relentless winter weather and their desires to go back to sleep.
The student knows the final bell will ring in a few minutes and they need to pick up the pace if they want to be on time. They collect their things and slam the locker door, but they dare not leave their winter coat because this student knows better than to go into an 83 minute class unprepared. Yes, I know better.
All over the school, students like myself can be seen wearing multiple layers of clothing in a classroom where coats are usually prohibited. Lately winter coats with big furry hats have not been a distraction in learning environments but instead a necessity.
I doubt that faculty members have not noticed their students’ fingers turn into icicles as they write papers or work on assignments. Cold classrooms do not encourage success, they encourage hibernation.
Students and teachers alike have, on many occasions, commented on the low indoor temperatures but have still been forced to work in the same conditions day in and day out. The rule is that the temperature must be 68 degrees in the classroom and 65 degrees in the hallways. I refuse to believe that I can be wearing a sweatshirt and a winter coat in a classroom that is sitting pretty at 68 degrees and still be cold. High school should not require a dress code of numerous sweatshirts and coats.
Every degree warmer the school district allows the building to be heated means spending big bucks. Raising the temperature, even slightly, would unfortunately cost more money than the school is provided with. But what will the cost be if students are not able to stay focused or engaged because of cold rooms? The cost is too high.
There are many ways that schools could save money in order to pay for better indoor heating. Utilities such as vending machines, mini refrigerators, coffee machines and microwaves require large amounts of energy and money. A mini fridge may be convenient but when it is the same temperature as the classroom a teacher educates students in, it is doing a disservice.
The bottom line is students should feel comfortable at school; they should worry about an upcoming test, not how cold their next class will be. I have lost track of how many times I have been told to just “dress warmer.”
Well, a girl only owns so many sweatshirts.
Haha, that’s great. Seriously the temperature at that school is out of whack!