Artwork by Sean Mayer

Josi Patti '27

RIPE EDITOR

A normal eighty-degree weather day calls for outfits including tank tops, t-shirts, and shorts. But let’s address the elephant in the room: if you’ve smartened up on the school's air conditioning problem, then you’ve probably just resorted to the more comfortable option. Trying to plan a practical outfit turns to absolute mayhem when there’s no way to gauge what temperature your classrooms will be for the day. Let’s be real: a sharp chill to the bone does remotely nothing to promote attention during instruction. One would think that dressing in tasteful clothing could encourage the school’s appeal to others, but instead, kids arrive wearing their finest pajamas and hoodie uniforms. So, does anybody wonder why students enter the building on hot, sunny days dressing in sweats and snowsuits? Is anyone slightly concerned when kids frantically rip off their jackets in the sweltering heat of a stuffy classroom.

These questions remain unanswered, but no matter which way the dial is cranked, the student population has had enough. Does it have anything to do with a type of clothing policy, a ploy for focus, or is it just a plain issue? Either way, it raises inquiry amongst the student population with their beckoning cries from day to day. From a snug bed to bickering at 8AM, attentive is definitely one adjective to describe kids. One could wonder: what’s the ploy behind hiking up or down the numbers on the thermostat?

It’s plain psychology; aversive events trigger aggression when a person is influenced by unpleasant stimuli such as temperature. Suddenly, psychology class gets more interesting when you can apply the topics to your daily life in school. You’ll find yourself nodding in agreement to the idea that hotter temperatures increase aggression and chillier climates are a source of negative mental health. It’s a little hypocritical when these topics are taught in school, but enacted in different ways. Where are our mental health advocates when the building is the same temperature as the tundra? Together, we should cultivate ways to mediate this chronic AC issue, preventing the spread of frowns across the school. Ultimately, it comes down to one question: how long can the student body withstand these uncomfortable environments until we break?