Almost all students agree that there’s a difference in classroom temperatures, and it’s never more noticeable than when they’re stepping into a theology class. In a KE poll, 32.5% of students stated that they thought the theology classrooms were the coldest in the school. They’re right; the average theology classroom temperature is just 65.5°F on November 6.

“[In the coldest rooms], you just start shivering and only focusing on how cold you are,” senior Julia Duda said.

In order to focus on class, students often have to bundle up, putting on jackets and sweatshirts in some periods. “I always just keep an extra sweatshirt in my locker in case I need it,” junior Alexa Field said.

In contrast, some classrooms are uncomfortably warm. According to the poll, 44.4% of students believed the English classrooms were the hottest in the school. In reality, they average a temperature of 67.8°F, nowhere near the 70.8°F of the math rooms or 70.5°F of the science rooms (though the English rooms get much hotter on sunny fall and spring days).

The temperature gap between classes forces many students to make trips to their lockers to change into more fitting clothes. “In one classroom, I feel like I need a mom coat, and then I’ll go to the next one, and it’s like I need a tank top, the difference is so big,” said senior Paige Greeley.

Natalie Ramier, BSM’s Chief Financial Officer, explained the cause for the temperature differences throughout the school. “We have a decentralized heating system, which means that we have different heating and cooling units all over the building,” Ramier said.

Most of the school’s heating units are on the roof, but some rooms have furnaces controlled by whichever teacher the room belongs to. These teachers may have a different temperature preference than the people in a neighboring room. BSM is in the process of replacing and upgrading many of these furnaces.

Slide to see how different the classroom climates can be.