Hot or Cold? Wouldn’t YOU Like to Know!

…before you go to class!

Molly Olschewske, Staff Writer

Hot and then cold, Bel Air High School can never get their temperatures right. If you go to Bel Air High School, you should know that the temperature is never comfortable. One minute you are in first period wishing you wore a t-shirt, next, you are in second period trying to fit your whole body into your sweatshirt. Whether you are hot or cold, it can be extremely distracting during school time to be progressive when you are sweating or shivering.  

Julie Wenckowski, who authored an article titled “Do Classroom Temperatures Affect a Student’s Ability to Learn?” shared that classroom temperatures do affect test scores, memory ability, lack of energy and struggle to stay focused. In classrooms that were cold, the average test result was 76%; warmer classes were 72%, and temperature-controlled classrooms had the average of 90%.  

Personally, as a senior, I only have four classes, and out of the four, there is only one room that is comfortable, which happens to be Ms. Laura Willhelm, my Journalism teacher. Mr. Andrew McDonnell’s room is quite warm (English), but Ms. Jennifer Mayo’s is a bit cold, and finally, Mr. Nathan Jourdan’s classroom is freezing. At times it can be a bit distracting and feel overwhelming, which is an understatement. While this may be due to an old ventilation system, it is putting kids’ learning at risk. 

Work Cited 

Wenckowski, Julie. “Do Classroom Temperatures Affect a Student’s Ability to Learn?” Screenflex Portable Room Dividers, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.screenflex.com/classroom-temperatures-affect-students/#:~:text=Lower%20test%20scores%2C%20decrease%20in,what’s%20the%20best%20feasible%20solution%3F