As I walk into Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School at the ripe morning hour of 8:00 AM, I am hit with a blast of sickeningly cold air. Struggles with the air conditioning and heater at Maggie Walker are a constant fight for all. Nonetheless, it has become an important aspect of life as a Dragon and a connection between students that will never go away.

Traveling through the hallways of Maggie Walker, students often pass through many different air masses: the warm air front of the downstairs math and health hallways, the cold front of the high-end classrooms of both the 2nd and 3rd floors, and everything in between. If you happen to see a student or teacher in repose, maybe just let them be. They might be attempting to enjoy a sweet moment of that rare temperature bliss—the few minutes when they neither feel too hot, nor too cold.

More commonly, however, a look to the left brings a sight of a student shivering, hoping for a respite from the endless, arctic tundra. A look to the right, and you will see another peer fanning their face, begging someone to please crack open a window. To battle this conundrum, we always have our creative teachers. Take for example, Ms. Lemco, a Spanish teacher at MLWGS who offers blankets and hot tea for cold students. Through this experience, students will never forget how to say, “I’m so cold,” in Spanish (“tengo frio,” for those of you looking for a little Spanish enrichment). In another room, Ms. LeCroy, a World Literature teacher at MLWGS, lends thick winter jackets to students while they read the treacherous tales of Oedipus and Macbeth along with their classmates. 

Maybe our problem with the air conditioning isn’t so bad after all. It might even be a problem worth keeping around. Who knows, you might make a friend or two in your connection over the tragedy of the air conditioning at MLWGS.