Cold spell calls for creativity
Sarah Schwarz
As the second trimester of the school year began, students were ready for their new classes, but not necessarily for the cold temperatures of the classrooms.
“It was unbearably cold last week to the point that it was kind of dysfunctional in terms of getting anything done educationally,” art teacher Amy Dubin said.
From December 7 to 11, the outdoor temperature lingered in the teens and twenties and the temperatures in most classrooms did not seem much warmer. Teachers all dealt with the challenge of keeping themselves and students warm. About 10 space heaters were distributed by the facilities department to the classrooms facing the coldest temperatures. These were primarily in the high school, though a few were distributed at McMurray.
These temperatures affected the students’ ability to focus, to benefit from the information their teachers were giving them, and to participate in class.
“It is harder to do art because their basic needs haven’t been met,” Dubin said.
Dubin has been teaching in her room for 11 years and said this year is the coldest for the longest time she has ever dealt with. Students also said it is the coldest they have ever experienced at the school.
