Brigitte Doan (’18) wraps herself in a blanket as the temperature in the classroom is too cold for her preferences. Photo by John Le.by John Le and Anju Ito, Staff Writers
Air conditioning is always nice, especially in warmer climates, but is it always the best? Though both students and teachers agree that air conditioning helps out a lot on those hot days, there are also times where it is bothersome.
According to maintenance mechanic Patrick Taylor, Fountain Valley High School’s air conditioning is controlled by an Andover continuum program, which allows for a certain range of temperatures to be inputted and maintained within that range throughout the days. Usually, this temperature ranges around 70 to 75 degrees, so the heater or cooler would come on when the temperature goes outside the range. This means that the indoor temperature generally stays the same throughout the year despite the weather outside, which, to students and faculty, has both its positive side and negative side.
Taylor also explained that there are certain classes who have control over their classrooms: the bungalows and the 500s. These classes have individual thermostats that the teachers can use to adjust the temperatures of their classroom.
The classroom temperatures are often set on the cooler side, and some teachers even complain about the temperatures of their classrooms. These complaints are notable to those in classrooms in which teachers can’t control the thermostat.
“It gets super cold in fourth period to the point where my fingers go numb,” said Lehua Werdel, accelerated biology and physiology teacher.
Students are also complaining about the air conditioning in the classrooms. Some even bring blankets to classrooms where they find the cold unbearable.
“The classrooms are way too cold, especially when it’s already cold outside at points,” said Dorothy Au (‘17).
Although the teachers may be able to experience a comfortable, cool temperature throughout the day, students would have to change classrooms every hour many times on a daily basis. An article written by Nicole Gobart for the Global News mentioned that the sudden change of being in an air-conditioned room to the hot stuffy weather outside creates stress and uncomfortable feeling for the body as it has to adjust to the sudden temperature change, which can even lead to heat-related illnesses.
However, some people actually don’t mind the temperature differences at all.
“I do not feel uncomfortable when I step outside after being in a cold class. In fact, it feels very refreshing,” said Jessica Dang (’17).
Air conditioning is a great advantage to have itself, but depending on how temperatures are set, it may not be the best. Teachers and the district would need to make sure that the temperatures are warm enough for both students and teacher to be comfortable with, as it affects all the students at the school.
