St Mary school benefits from AC units

Rock River, St Mary

After enduring extremely humid conditions over a prolonged period, which triggered levels of discomfort and unease among teachers and students at Rock River Primary school in St Mary, the institution is now benefiting from newly installed air conditioning (AC) units.

Monique McKoy Walker, principal of Rock River Primary, said the classrooms were very hot, and the body heat produced by students in an enclosed area made it rather difficult for them to relax. She said that as a result, the humid condition caused unease and levels of discomfort among students and teachers.

According to Walker, the newly installed AC units have now brought about a much cooler environment for students and teachers, who are now better able to operate in a more comfortable space, where they are a lot more settled and better able to produce high-quality schoolwork.

“The classrooms were very hot, and although we are on the hill, the heat was sometimes unbearable,” she commented.

She added, “When there is more than one person in an enclosed area, it tends to get hotter than usual. The teachers often complained, and so we placed some fans in the classrooms, which made it somewhat cooler, especially during the mornings. But when the sun is out, the fans only circulate the hot air. The AC units were installed through an initiative between the school and the member of parliament, Dr Norman Dunn, who visited the school and decided to assist.

More AC units needed

“The students in grades four and five are rather pleased and excited, and they are a lot more comfortable. However, there is some level of jealousy among other students. Only students from grades four and five have benefited from the installation of the AC units, and we are trying to see how best we can get additional help to install more AC units to ease the discomfort being experienced by students from grades one, two, three, and six.”

According to the principal, so far the cool condition in the classrooms hae resulted in students producing more academic work, and that the once-miserable and restive attitude has ended among students in grades four and five.

While Rock River Primary is benefiting from the installation of AC units, other learning institutions, including St Mary High, St Mary Technical High, and Zion Hill Primary, which are closest to the Rock River community-based school, are still contending with the humid condition in the classrooms, which, for the most part, is unbearable.