Every single student at Eastern has one classroom they call a “hotbox.” Even freshmen have been waiting (for what feels like decades) for a reprieve from the abominable April heat.

   Yet, after so many promises for AC, there seems to *finally* be progress. Still, seniors will not have the chance to see these changes made to their beloved school. But, juniors are keeping their fingers crossed. The project has taken so long that previously hopeful students have become skeptical. 

   The good news, however, is that there are signs of long-awaited developments. After so much anticipation, Eastern students will at last obtain what they have been waiting for. Student President of the Class of 2024, Aden Falk, explained that by 2024, the hope is that most of the school will be air conditioned. 

   Currently, only about a third of the school is air conditioned. This third consists of large group areas, computer labs, and a few classrooms here and there. Come next fall, all classrooms will have a new heating ventilator with an air conditioning compressor. This work is expected to be completed over the summer, if all goes as planned. 

   Originally, this installation plan was intended to be completed last summer, but due to many issues, the project was delayed. “The delay is mostly due to the costs involved. We’ve only recently secured the funding to get it,” Falk explained. 

   Mr.Verrill, the Business Administrator here at Eastern, disclosed that the cost of this project is just five thousand dollars short of ten million. Mr. Cloutier, Eastern’s superintendent, continued that this project is being funded with a combination of state aid and funds from Eastern’s capital improvements account. This combination allows this project to be accomplished without the need of additional taxes from the community. 

   Ms. Bradley, one of Eastern’s math teachers, is hoping to get air conditioning this fall. She said that working in such warm conditions is difficult, explaining that she “… just thinks it makes it harder to focus when it gets really hot, for both the students and myself.”

   Currently, every math test in Bradley’s classroom is accompanied by sweat— and not just from the stress. Students are extremely eager for a change for it is nearly impossible to focus on 90 degree angles in 90 degree heat. 

   Having air conditioning, on the other hand, will “make the room more comfortable if/when we have really hot days. I think it will be easier for the students to focus and engage when the room isn’t uncomfortably hot. Plus, I won’t have to listen to the students complain about how hot the room is,” Bradley continues.

   There are several different classrooms that get far too warm in the summers and too cold in the winters. This causes students to be distracted, whether it be during a lesson, test, or free period. 

   Every student can name classes in which they are never able to focus. This issue is extremely prevalent during the months of May, June, and September. 

  In agreement with our stance, Mr. Cloutier also stressed the impact that the complete installation of air conditioning will have on students’ education. Our superintendent explained that he felt a controlled climate within the school would create a safer and healthier environment, which would allow students to be more prone to learning.

   All sources are excited for this change. As Bradley says, “Who wouldn’t be?”