Caption: The increasing heat in classrooms at the beginning of the school year is affecting the ability for students to learn in a comfortable environment. photo courtesy of storyblocks.com
As temperatures continue to rise, schools are having trouble combating the heat.
As the first grading period rolls to an end and the school year comes with full force, summertime temperatures still linger. The district, however, lacks proper air conditioning for the faculty and students. Over 60 schools in the Denver Public Schools district are in need of air conditioning. Thomas Jefferson High School is just one of the schools beginning to receive the help it needs, but the issue continues to grow. This has been one of the hottest years in history and the years will continually keep breaking records. With that type of heat, students are faced with the challenge of staying focused in classrooms that are unbearably uncomfortable.
As time goes on, climate change will continue to get worse. NASA predicts an average temperature rise of anywhere from 2.5 to 10 degrees over the next century. So, if students and faculty members think it is hot now, imagine the future when it could be ten degrees warmer. Classrooms will physically be too hot to facilitate learning. Victor Godoy, a social studies teacher at TJ, observed: “this is definitely the hottest start to the year. This is my sixth year here at TJ and I’ve never felt the heat this bad to start the school year.” He is not the only one, however. The entire school is feeling the effects of the heat. People have described feeling symptoms of fatigue, dehydration, and a lack of focus. Science teacher Carlie Frydman has seen the effects of the heat firsthand, especially with her students. “The first couple of days in school, before I got my new machine I was literally sweating, people were dripping sweat in my classroom. I found that students in my afternoon classes were very sleepy, and they seemed like they were having trouble focusing,” explained Frydman. For a hard job that is not always properly appreciated, teachers should not have to endure that kind of heat. No faculty or staff member should have to work through an eight plus hour day in blazing temperatures.
For TJ however, there is hope. Air conditioners are becoming more popular in classes. Teachers are trying fans and portable AC units to cool down their classrooms. Two companies donated a total of five AC units. All of this is thanks to one of the assistant principals. Paula Hammel turned to the community for help after learning how difficult it is in DPS to get a portable AC unit. To obtain one portable unit, one has to go through three DPS departments, so providing for multiple rooms is not economical or efficient. “They were 400 dollars a piece, so about 2,000 dollars. I had five of them and I went to a different company because I had to get hoses, and the school paid for four hoses, and we got one donated, and the five clamps donated,” mentioned Hammel. The school can thank the two companies, Hercules Industries and Supporttek, Inc. for those donations. In the end, TJ is lucky to have an administration that is always looking out for all of their community needs. Also, a big thanks to the companies who donated.
