Have you ever found yourself sweating in class when you were just sitting there? Or walked into the science building and felt like you were in an ice box? Only at SCH can it be a freezing twenty degree day outside while inside the Wissahickon Inn feels like a sauna.

Throughout the winter in the SCH upper school, students and faculty inside buildings experience extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, impacting their choice of clothing, and sometimes their ability to concentrate, as well.

Students around the upper school have expressed concerns about the buildings’ inconsistent temperatures because, in part, it affects how they dress. Senior Zayd DeVeaux said that he has to wear different clothes according to the constantly changing temperatures. “When the classroom is freezing, I need to throw on a coat, but I’ll get dress-coded for it,” commented DeVeaux.

DeVeaux brings up an important point for upper schoolers: the dress code. If a student receives three dress code violations they will get detention. This puts students in a dilemma. Is it more important to be comfortable and stay focused in the classroom or stay out of detention?

Michael McMullen, a senior, usually wears “a few layers to school” in the winter. When McMullen gets to class, however, he’s found himself “distracted from learning because of how hot it is in the classroom.” Then, because of the heat, he has to “get off task [again] to take off [his] sweatshirt and jacket.” McMullen added that “even after I take [those layers] off I continue to sweat just sitting there.”

Students aren’t the only ones who are suffering due to the extreme temperatures. Teacher Sra. Dionne often finds herself struggling to deal with the extreme heat in her room, which is located on the third floor. “My room is extremely hot in the winter. I always wear sleeveless shirts to teach because the temperature in my room is just unbearable.”

Mrs. Lanzetta, who teaches chemistry, described the temperature in the science building as “incostent…. Sometimes it’s freezing, which is not great, but sometimes really hot, which is also not great. We know the facilities team has been working to fix the problems and have been communicating when they have news to share, which we appreciate.”

“Going from hot to cold makes my head hurt,” commented junior Audrey Flanagan. 

“It’s a very old and touchy building,” said Ben West, the school’s new director of facilities. As for fixing the problem? “It’s definitely a priority for us. We’ve just got to find the right way to do it, and how to pay for it.” Mr West continued, “We are currently in the process of a feasibility study to determine what is needed, how much it will cost, and when it’s possible. This is the first major step to take in a project of this magnitude with so many variables.”