Teachers Unite Amid Crisis: How Collaboration Cooled the Chaos During AC Outage
By Daniel Valdes 

Although the events that occurred on September 4th created chaos in the school environment, there is no doubt that our administration and teachers worked extremely hard to keep all the students safe.  

There were many challenges with how to continue academic instruction, as these events were going on, but all the staff and teachers were extremely cooperative and quickly found a solution.  

Ms. Fernandez, Spanish teacher here at MAST told us “I saw Dr. Gould being very proactive. He took the time to walk around with the technicians around the building and came to ask if everything was good”. This demonstrates that our captain is firmly devoted to our school.  

As you walked along the school property, there were teachers imparting instruction in the cafeteria, auditorium, library, and even in the hallways. This reflects teachers being dedicated to students receiving the best instruction possible. Without a doubt, we can see how the MAST teachers and staff are a true example of determination. 

Challenges of Teaching and Learning in Sweltering Classrooms
By: JC Nadal, Ananya Motiani , Lucia Heredia 

Handling the chaos wasn’t the only thing that teachers and staff had to manage. While the temperatures were rising, so were the emotions.  

Soaked in sweat as they sat in their classrooms that felt like saunas, students and teachers continued to try their best to make the day feel as normal as possible. But, with temperatures rising up to 93* F outside, the heat and humidity building up in the classrooms started to cloud some students’ ability to concentrate on school work.  

Aliza Aksoy (9th) stated “I think it was definitely challenging, seeing as though every piece of work we couldn’t complete in class due to the high heat we had to complete at home.”  

Frustration echoed from students throughout the school, hoping to go home or to be relocated to building 1 with AC, which did not officially happen until the last block of the day (1:14 PM – 3:00 PM). Teacher Ms. Ganuza stated that “Yes, there were challenges teaching when it was 100 degrees in the classroom when you can see students actively passing out in their chairs it hard to get their attention. So, it definitely has its challenges, but we pulled through.” 

The AC malfunction also led the freshmen to have their school pictures postponed up to a month, which left many upset. Student Issabella Lascano (9th) stated “I am a little mad because I have swimming for 1st period, and we got to have a free day to not go in the water because everyone was ready to take their picture. Everyone’s makeup was done, and everyone looked good and now we just can’t do it! Meaning we won’t get another excuse.”  

Everyone that attended school that day were all hoping for a quick resolution to the AC outage, but the official word of a working AC did not come until later that evening after school had concluded for the day. 

THE INSIDES: What was the cause and solution of this blistering day? 

After an entire day of scorching heat, the ac was back to normal by September 5th. As everyone returned with apprehension, wondering if the AC would malfunction again, the school community couldn’t help but wonder:   

What caused this breakdown in the air conditioning?  

One student told us the AC issues have been reoccurring in the school for years. A 4-year student at Mast Academy, states that “It happens often”.  

Dr. Gould spoke exclusively to The Beacon to reassure us that the issue has been identified and is being monitored by the school.  

Dr. Gould explained to us that the chillers (a crucial part of the AC unit that generates chilled water to absorb heat from the air in a building) weren’t responding.  

He also explained to us how the computer system was telling the AC that the building was unoccupied, meaning the AC thought no one was in school, when in fact, we were all here sweating through the day.  

Once the issue was identified, we were able to resolve it. To ensure that this doesn’t happen again, Dr. Gould has had a mechanic on site every morning at 6:00a.m. standing by to catch any glitch in time to ensure our classroom temperatures remain nice and cool.