By ETHAN BROWN
Last summer, 96 new air conditioner units were installed in Jericho High School classrooms, practically completing the years-long project of making our school fully air-conditioned.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Affair Mr. Victor Manuel said, “This summer was the final push for the classrooms in the high school and middle school.”
He added, “At this point, every single instructional space in this building is air-conditioned, which is great news.”
Prior to the final push this summer, the district had made air conditioning available in many parts of the building, such as the library, cafeteria, Little Theater and auditorium.
All of the A.C. units are controlled centrally. Mr. Manuel said, “There’s a system that we use for all of our HVAC (Heat Ventilation and Air Conditioning), and we’re able to set the temperature globally for all of these units. We set them initially at 72ºF.”
During cooler weather, the air conditioning units will only perform the task of keeping the classrooms warm.
From measuring the temperature in multiple classrooms, we found that the school was accurate in saying that the universal temperature is 72ºF-73ºF.
Teachers notice the new air conditioning in their rooms. English teacher Ms. Hederian said, “I think that it’s a fabulous change, and I think it improves the functioning of so many classrooms.”
Math teacher Ms. Badalian said, ¨”I think it’s been great. I think students have been able to focus better. I remember years ago it was so hot in all the buildings and students couldn’t focus as well. Now at least everybody can concentrate, and I think everyone just as a whole is a lot more comfortable.”
Students feel air conditioning contributes to a more enjoyable school environment. “It makes me more productive because I don’t have to worry about the temperature,” said sophomore Jaden Y.
While the majority of the building is air-conditioned, there are still some aspects of the project that are yet to be completed. “The wing that leads to the swimming pool, as well as all the tech labs down there, are going to be upgraded and redone this coming summer,” said Mr. Manuel.
Mr. Manuel and Director of Buildings and Grounds Mr. Michael Hahn have been actively supervising the project to install air conditioning.
Mr. Manuel is proud of his work and said, “The auditorium and the Little Theater, the lighting and ceiling throughout the building, the air conditioning throughout the high school–there have been so many upgrades throughout the district that we’re proud of. We’re happy to see that we are providing a better environment for the students to learn.”