Heated: Lack of Air Conditioning Unsatisfying

One of the best things about Southern California is the warm weather. Kids can go to the beach all summer to escape the heat, but once school starts back up there is no avoiding the uncomfortable temperatures.

Many SDA students find themselves cooped up in outdated classrooms, unable to concentrate on anything but the heat. “None of my classes have air conditioning. It is really hard to focus on class when you are sweating in your seat” said senior Shay O’Laughlin.

The problem of the heat is unavoidable, but the real issue here at SDA is the lack of air conditioning in many of the classrooms. Even in buildings where air conditioning is already installed, like Gail Lee’s math room, the system tends to be broken or malfunctioning pretty often. And everyone knows how quickly an AC repair will get done at SDA, as slowly as humanly possible.

I have actually had experiences last year of sweating in class, from doing nothing but sitting in my chair, due to the immense heat. It hasn’t gone that far this year, but the summer season isn’t over yet. Senior Lucas Vilicich jokes, “It’s annoying that I sweat more in class than when I play soccer.” I guess putting a humorous spin on this tragedy is a way to deflect the pain.

Unfortunately, SDA students will likely have to endure the heat until colder climates arrive. We can all hope and wish to be blessed with brand new AC units for each of our classrooms, but realistically it is a long shot. Part of SDA’s charm, anyway, is found in its older style of architecture and its long history of being a school by the coast. Unfortunately, the lack of certain amenities comes as a byproduct of our unique campus and what we spend our money on here. However, students can look forward to the 2017-18 school year when the new classrooms are finished. They will all have state of the art air conditioning units, to keep the hot southern California weather out of the learning space.