Temperature in classrooms transports students to questionable degrees

Ash Chang | Conant Crier

As the temperature outside transitions from fall to winter, Conant students expect the temperature inside the building to remain comfortable. This expectation might be setting the bar too high, given when someone steps outside of a classroom, they are often greeted with a drastically different temperature than the one they were in. To prevent this event from occurring, the Conant community should have preparations and accommodations for students in place to limit the temperature’s effects. 

Several of the discrepancies in temperature at Conant stem from issues with its controller, which indicates the temperature throughout the building. According to Assistant Principal Jeannette  Ardell, it has been out since the summer, and the old AC unit was replaced around the same time. The temperature discrepancies are also influenced by outside factors such as the weather, the age of the building, the atrium window, and the size of the building. 

To account for these temperature inconsistencies, the school should invest in portable heaters or coolers. That way, even if the temperature is influenced by outside forces, it could still be constant in most parts of the building. 

Placing these portable heaters or coolers throughout the building – especially the Science and English wing, which are notorious for fluctuating what seems like 20 degrees every day- would take care of minimizing the effects of different temperatures. The need for these devices in areas of the building, where the temperature isn’t drastic, could be based on availability in a weekly voting count in each department. For example, if the Social Studies Department wanted an extra heater/cooler, they would need 15 votes, but if the World Language Department had more votes, then they would get the heater/cooler. 

Another way to minimize the degree of temperature would be to open the doors if the temperature is “too cold” or the reverse if it’s “too warm” in a particular classroom. This would allow for cold air to build up inside the classroom to let the cool air out into the hallway. That way, we’ll be able to control classroom temperatures, even if we don’t have access to heaters or coolers.  

Some people may argue that we should just “adapt” and “deal with” the temperature varying drastically throughout the day. While that could be a small piece of the puzzle, we shouldn’t just have to “deal with it” when it makes us uncomfortable to the point of being unable to focus in class with a room either too cold or warm to perform well on tests, according to easybreezyac.com. 

In my nearly four years at Conant, I have always been annoyed that I never knew what the temperature was ahead of time in parts of the building. The temperature has affected my concentration during class and, in turn, it affected my ability to perform well on tests.

To help us prepare for Conant’s climate, we should at least have an app that tells us the different temperatures in classrooms throughout the day. Then, we can prepare what clothes we must wear to make ourselves “comfortable”. If we’re well-informed as a community, it will make us more prepared to face any temperature in the building. Then, we can take action in the face of unpredictability. 

Another way to manage this would involve thermometers in every hallway and classroom so that the temperature could be watched and prepared for. Then, the Conant Community can be aware of what temperature they are entering. 

Conant having measures in place does affect the outcome of how we respond to changes in temperature and the unknown of the factors that aren’t controllable. We must be proactive in handling the temperature because if we don’t, the drastic changes in temperature will cost students their ability to perform. 

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