Campbell High to rally for relief from the heat

Students, staff, school band plan to march on Capitol STORY SUMMARY A push to get Campbell High School air-conditioned is heating up.

[jennifer]

Could the students find another green way of cooling off? Not only will cost more electricity and ozone to the environment. Have they ever think of Solar power?

[clayton lum]

I think the State Senate should get on this problem. It isn't easy for students to concentrate on their studies with heat near 100 degrees and jet noise daily during the class hours.

I feel sorry for them, for I remember how hard it is to be in those situations. It's especially hard after lunch and in the heat of the day to concentrate.

Have some Kokua for your students at Campbell High

Aloha,
Clayton Lum

[UHstudent]

The aircraft noise at Campbell is worse than the heat. If you've ever been out there, the jumbo jets fly directly overhead the campus not more than a couple hundred feet above the air. The worst offenders are military aircraft and Aloha airlines 737s which do not meet federal noise standards. State could immediately remedy the problem by tacking on a noise abatement fee to commercial aircraft landing movements. That money can be used to soundproof Campbell and all other schools affected. This should've been done decades ago.

[Dave Benson]

Instead of spending money on sending
400 students and staff to Washington to
ask for Air Conditioners, why don't
they spend that money on air
conditioners. Why in the world would
Washington want to set a precedent in
Hawaii and begin funding
air-conditioners in the rest of the
South that gets much hotter than 90
degrees and then how about all the
schools that get cold in the winter....
lets get our tax payer dollars to
fund heaters for all those schools.
Don't these students realize the
bigger picture. Why doesn't each
class that wants an air conditioner
have a car wash and earn the money
for one. They should take a trip to
Honduras and sit with the kids on
dirt floors to get an education while
the temperature swirls around 100 and
the humidity is almost as high.

[Cheryl in Florida]

Dave Benson wrote:

Instead of spending money on sending
400 students and staff to Washington to
ask for Air Conditioners, why don't
they spend that money on air
conditioners. Why in the world would
Washington want to set a precedent in
Hawaii and begin funding
air-conditioners in the rest of the
South that gets much hotter than 90
degrees and then how about all the
schools that get cold in the winter....
lets get our tax payer dollars to
fund heaters for all those schools.
Don't these students realize the
bigger picture. Why doesn't each
class that wants an air conditioner
have a car wash and earn the money
for one. They should take a trip to
Honduras and sit with the kids on
dirt floors to get an education while
the temperature swirls around 100 and
the humidity is almost as high.

Get a grip, Dave. The Campbell High students and staff are marching on the STATE Capitol, in Honolulu. And yes, children in third world countries certainly do suffer privations much worse than a hot, noisy classroom. But if Hawaii's public school students are to compete academically with students from the rest of the US, they need conditions conducive to learning. And by the way, most schools in the American South are air conditioned.

[public school teacher]

YEAH To Campbell! The legislature works in air conditioning. Why don't they go green. All of these people the majority of all workers aside from construction workers work in air conditioning and yet you tell our students to suffer through the heat? I don't understand? It is so difficult to concentrate. Air conditioning won't solve all the academic problems in the world, but it will show the students that they are valued. Most of the administrative offices are air conditioned at public schools, but the students are left to suffer. Good job to stand up and rally!

[hisensei]

Personally, I think all public schools should:

1) go to solar powering to cut down on electrical costs

2) find a better cooling system for all schools

However, those thoughts and ideas will take forever to reach the State, as it appears the priority continues to remain focused elsewhere and education continues to lack in funding and support, year after year.

[Likelike]

The Govenor want to purchase a piece of land in turtle bay. Maybe she should use that money for upgrading all the school AC. Why should we bail out a developer.

[Benny]

That's why there are fights in Campbell and Ilima Intermediate because the students are hot, restless, irritated, and frustrated.

[Benny]

I not from Pleasant Hill, CA.

[vikingswarrior]

Imagine being a classroom teacher during the summer months trying to teach, while the students are not receptive to learning because of the heat and low-flying aircraft? The teacher would be doing more classroom management than teaching. If we truly believe in investing in our kids' future, then our state government will have to step up in a big way.

[Christine Villaflor]

I went to Campbell (Class of '91) and I can totally understand and sympathize with these kids. It gets unbearably hot and it's very hard to focus with all the planes zooming overhead. I thought we should have had air-conditioning way back then, and still do. How long should we wait? I'd be surprised if the air-con is up and running by the time my kids are high-schoolers. They're 7 and 8.

[Christine Villaflor]

Dave Benson wrote:

Instead of spending money on sending
400 students and staff to Washington to
ask for Air Conditioners, why don't
they spend that money on air
conditioners. Why in the world would
Washington want to set a precedent in
Hawaii and begin funding
air-conditioners in the rest of the
South that gets much hotter than 90
degrees and then how about all the
schools that get cold in the winter....
lets get our tax payer dollars to
fund heaters for all those schools.
Don't these students realize the
bigger picture. Why doesn't each
class that wants an air conditioner
have a car wash and earn the money
for one. They should take a trip to
Honduras and sit with the kids on
dirt floors to get an education while
the temperature swirls around 100 and
the humidity is almost as high.

Yes, let's take them to Honduras. That makes tons of sense. Everything's relative, Mr. Benson. Telling me that it's worse in 3rd world countries won't make it anymore bearable. It won't make the air cooler or the planes quieter.

[Mei Ling]

Can they provide some of the power for A/C units with solar power units?

Coming from a cold, snowy area in AZ, we know that you wear hats to keep from losing 50% of your body heat out the top of your head. Maybe they should have the kids take their hats off in class. Would help on an individual level.

[Keoki]

I think that the state should really look into this big problem. Not only for Campbell high School, but for all schools in the state of Hawaii. I know when I was going to School in Hawaii it was very hot and humid in class so a whole bunch of us did not attend class. We stayed outside, which was very wierd because outside of the class was much cooler than the classroom it's self, due to we could feel the breeze.
I now live in the mainland. I see pretty much all the schools here has aircondition / heaters through out all the classes including the gym. and the student rates are good here. The reason I say this is because, there are a lot of drop out's in Hawaii, leaving Hawaii one of the highest rates of drop outs. Don't you think that one of the most reason for the kids nowadays drop out of schoold because they feel uncomfortable in class. where in means it it too hot and or humid in class.
It is very irresponsible for the State of Hawaii as well as the Board of Education in Hawaii is very selfish to help with the education for our future leaders.

[Joe Blow]

If the DOE administrators had to work in those conditions they would demand air conditioning -- but they already have it, so let the teachers and the public school kids suffer!

Lucky live Hawaii! NOT!

[Imua]

before, long time ago when i went to school, the schools had lots of big, beautiful trees that provided shade to the buildings and cool breezes. the trees and the campus was well maintained. what happened to all of the trees? now all i see is dead grass/weeds and hot buildings/sidewalks. what a shame!

[Brown man]

By all means get the kids some relief out there. That place is hot.

[loganz]

i went to Campbell (co 2000). In a few of my classes i sat upfront (the long desk in front of the chalk board) just so i could be in front of the fan, which just put me to sleep most of the time.

I was also glad to be in band, i spent most of my time in the band room since it was air conditioned.

[HCF Approach]

If you want a quick solution without tacking on noise abatement fees, they should have all interisland arrivals from Kauai, Asia arrivals, and US Mainland arrivals to use the Runway 4R approach. This approach to the airport is completely over water.

Interisland flights from Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and the Big Island already fly a close-in approach to Runway 8L over the Pearl Harbor channel (or sometimes the 4R over water approach), so they do not have to fly over the populated west end.

Unfortunately this is easier said than done. Simultaneous arrivals and departures are necessary in order to maximize runway usage, and ensure flights are on time at HNL.

UHstudent wrote:

The aircraft noise at Campbell is worse than the heat. If you've ever been out there, the jumbo jets fly directly overhead the campus not more than a couple hundred feet above the air. The worst offenders are military aircraft and Aloha airlines 737s which do not meet federal noise standards. State could immediately remedy the problem by tacking on a noise abatement fee to commercial aircraft landing movements. That money can be used to soundproof Campbell and all other schools affected. This should've been done decades ago.