Heating issues in The Cube have prompted all classes to be temporarily relocated elsewhere across Fauquier High School (FHS). While maintenance teams have worked to resolve the issue, the disruption has affected both students and teachers.
Since the start of the new school semester, there have been multiple heating failures in The Cube’s HVAC system. While the cause of the issues is unknown, it is most likely linked to the extreme cold that Virginia, and Fauquier County especially, has experienced during these abnormally cold winter months.
HVAC Specialists and contractors have responded promptly each time an issue arises. “They’ve always been quick to respond and get here early when we are having issues,” stated Assistant Principal Nicholas Brousse.
To minimize the impact on instruction, administrators have temporarily relocated affected classes throughout FHS, moving them into unused rooms like the Distance Learning Lab (DLL), the Theatre Room, the Auditorium and classrooms that are empty during teachers’ planning periods.
“I’m very appreciative of our World Language and Business and Marketing departments, that those teachers have been so flexible in understanding,” Brousse shared.
Teachers noted that while the moves are manageable, they interrupt routines. French teacher Nicole Goepper, whose class has been displaced, said this is the first time her students have had to relocate because of the heating issue.
“I am a very flexible person and I understand why we had to move, but it is definitely disruptive to the way I teach,” Goepper expressed.
Some students have expressed mixed feelings about the relocation, saying that it is a change in scenery from their regular schedule.
“It’s affected the amount of work we can actually do in person, and it [led] to interacting rather than just doing sheets of paper and different worksheets. I appreciate having heat and not being in the cold, and I hope it will be fixed soo,n but if it’s a long-term thing, it’s cool to be in a new class every day,” senior Luke Grim pointed out.
The heating issue seems to have been fixed; school administrators have stated that it will remain a priority to keep it that way.
“Students and their parents should know that we are doing the best we can to give students and teachers a comfortable learning environment. What’s most important is that teachers and students have a safe and comfortable environment to learn in,” emphasized Brousse.
