With the winter season in full force, everyone is bundling up to leave their house, ready to be embraced by the toasty heating in whatever building they may enter. However, this consistent heating is not guaranteed here at Bob Jones. One morning, you may enter the building and pull your jacket closer, chilled to the bone by the frigid air blowing through the halls. Other days, you find yourself shedding as many layers as legally possible in an attempt to escape the suffocating heat that blasts around you. Unfortunately, this isn’t an issue that one or two people have made in passing comments; multiple people across the building, students and staff alike, suffer everyday in these drastic conditions.

When asked about this blaring issue, students had many comments. Senior Sarah Miller wrote, “Making the trek from my freezing upstairs B hall class to my incubation chamber downstairs S hall class has taken at least 10 years off of my life.” Due to the often extreme changes in classroom temperatures, it can often be difficult for students to “dress accordingly” as people so often suggest. Sure, you can pack a jacket or hoodie, but sometimes that’s not enough to ward off the cold. Conversely, if you wear a sweater, then you’ll feel as though you’re melting before second block has even begun. Junior Eric Joy wrote, “I’d much rather it be too cold than too hot. You can always put on more clothes to warm yourself, but if you take off clothes, you’ll find yourself in Mr. White’s office.” Everyone undoubtedly has their opinions on whether it’s better to be too hot or too cold, but Junior Emma Cooper sums up everyone’s main concerns, writing, “I think the worst part is that students and teachers will constantly complain about it but nothing changes.”

Although this issue may seem like a trivial matter, this runs deeper than simple discomfort. Many teachers have had persistent issues with the temperature in their classrooms. One of these teachers, Ms. Coker, wrote, “I do think [the temperature of the classroom] impacted instruction. If it is very hot or cold in the room that is distracting. When it was hot, I had 4 to 5 fans running. The noise made it difficult for students to hear.” Mrs. Murray dealt with an unbearably hot classroom as well, stating that “it was difficult to think” in the room due to the heat. She also wrote that she “had reported the issue on numerous occasions and had not received any feedback” until Mrs. Lambert observed Mrs. Murray’s class as they worked in the hallway. 

This is more than just a small discomfort. Work and education at Bob Jones face a major hindrance until this horrid air conditioning issue is addressed.