MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. XLVIII, NO. 7
March 28, 2013
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Investigative Report: HVAC Revisted By Grace Wu & Anna Zeng Staff Writers
0%
45%
of classrooms investigated reach the set temperature
of rooms investigated read more than two degrees below the set temperature
*9 randomly selected classrooms were investigated before and after school from 3/4-3/8
22%
of rooms investigated inconsistently measured above and below the set temperature
In 2009, the Smoke Signal conducted an award-winning investigative report on the condition of MSJ’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). In a survey we conducted for the 2009 investigation, more than 63 percent of responding MSJ teachers said they had problems with their AC units. The article stated that the district had just switched from a classroom-controlled system to a district-controlled system in response to malfunctions and complaints. Now, the Smoke Signal follows up by examining how the conditions have changed over the past four years; we discovered that conditions have improved but occasional severe malfunctions are still common at MSJ. The most serious problem discovered was that many components of the HVAC systems were breaking because they are so outdated; most of them are at least 15 years old. In February, severe malfunctions with parts in the C-120 boiler forced the district to shut it down for repairs. Normally, the boiler mixes hot steam with the outside air to reach the optimum temperature. The C-120 boiler failure left many classrooms in the BWing without heating, since only outside air, not the hot steam, was being brought to the classroom. By state law, certain public buildings are required to have constant circulation, so the fans blowing air inside the classroom contributed to the chilliness. Many students felt the effects of the boiler failure and some say the chilly temperatures affected their ability to learn. Junior Brijen Thananjeyan, who has classes in B-35 and B-33, says, “It was extremely difficult to learn when we were stuck in the freezing cold for a week, especially because it was in the winter.” On March 13, half of US History Teacher Tony Bellotti’s room B-35 was drenched with water due to the room’s leaking HVAC system. When he arrived to school in the morning, he found the side of the room under the HVAC system completely covered in water; electrical power outlets and desks were drenched. Bellotti was forced to move his first period class to a different classroom
March 29April 5 Spring Break
22% 11%
of rooms investigated read more than two degrees above the set temperature
of rooms investigated reported inconclusive data due to nonoperational hvac systems
and continued moving to different classrooms that were available due to teacher prep periods. FUSD maintenance department workers promptly cleaned up the water and brought in two fans to dry the classroom. Students were allowed back in the classroom by fourth period. Junior Joshua Lu, who is in Bellotti’s second period class, says, “I was very disillusioned with the quality of our air conditioning system after being forced to relocate at a moment’s notice to a completely different classroom when it broke down.” The department workers are ordering new parts and have shut down Bellotti’s system until the broken part can be replaced. Bellotti’s classroom was not the only one impacted: Social Studies Teacher Tori Ha found that the water from B-35 had seeped to the far side of B-34. “When I got here, the maintenance guys had cleaned most of it... There were puddles,” says Ha, but adds that the maintenance staff also left her with fans to dry out the water. Ha, too, held class in different classrooms for a few periods before returning to her own classroom. On the evening of March 14, Math Teacher Kevin Mallon discovered that B-2 had flooded. During a routine HVAC inspection that night, maintenance workers discovered that the ventilation system had been filled with water when they opened the metal encasing. They inadvertently immersed the floor of B-2 with several inches of water, but dried up the water with heaters and fans by morning, with minimal water damage. “I was kind of pleased – we ran first period, there’s no problem,” says Mallon. The HVAC unit itself was left open to dry for the day. Sophomore Annette Cheng says, “It smelled terrible in that room on Friday and we all wanted to barf.” Other students can’t wait for the maintenance workers to return. Sophomore Katherine Tsay says, “I really think they should fix the broken heating system. We won’t be able
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April 27 Junior Prom 7 PM- 12AM
Charging for school supplies
School supplies and activities hampered by new law By Vivian Jair Staff Writer Funding for school supplies, field trips, and other activities all across California may become more difficult as a result of a new law that reinforces free public education. The California Assembly Bill 1575 (AB 1575), which has been effective as of Jan. 1, 2013, now bans public schools from charging students for any school supplies or activities. Its rules will directly impact MSJ and all other schools surrounding our area. AB 1575 originated from an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit, Doe v. California, in September 2010. The ACLU intended to protect low-income students and their constitutional right to free public education by opposing fees for academic activities. In March 2011, a survey by UCLA showed that 19 percent of California high schools require students to pay for their instructional materials. Last year, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the predeces-
sor of AB 1575, but decided to amend the bill to address the problem. In August 2012, AB 1575 was passed to completely eliminate school-related involuntary fees. AB 1575 bans a wide spectrum of edu-
“I think it’s fair that kids shouldn’t be denied access to something if they can’t afford it. We don’t often think that this is a problem here at MSJ, but sometimes kids are just embarrassed to admit it.” -Jeff Evans, US History Teacher cational fees in all public schools, including charter and alternative schools. Schools cannot charge students for any class or extracurricular activities, security deposits for textbooks or other properties, and school supplies. Teachers are also prohibited from
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Changes to the curriculum
Common Core replaces California State Standards By Lindy Zeng Staff Writer Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is an education initiative that unites all Common Core states under a single set of standards. CA adopted the Common Core curriculum in 2010 and joined the group of 45 states and several territories in the education reform. Common Core standards were determined by a range of researchers, experts, and teachers from across the nation, including the College Board and ACT, Inc. The standards outline what students are expected to learn in order to succeed and thrive in the future. In CA, Common Core will replace the traditional CA State Standards and STAR testing by the 2014-15 school year. English Language Arts/Literacy In ELA/Literacy, Common Core will place an emphasis on nonfiction, higher reading levels and thinking skills, and argument writing. However, the English curriculum at MSJ will not shift drastically, because “by and large many of the things that the California Standard’s have asked teachers and students to do are the same,” according to FUSD Secondary Literacy Coach Corey Brown, who supports the teachers in the transition to Common Core. Schools will be piloting the new English tests in May 2015 with a new test designed by Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortia. Many assessment items in the test will be administered with a computer and will contain Short and Extended Constructed Responses,
questions that require typing explanations, in addition to multiple choice questions. A new writing assessment, the Performance Task, will also be included. A selection of articles, videos, and other sources will be presented to students all involving a common theme and students will develop and support their opinion on the subject, drawing upon the information presented as sources. Mathematics Common Core Mathematics standards will involve more critical thinking. “There will be more in-depth questioning, explaining the reasons, the why, the how, and ‘justify your answer’,” says Math Department Head Scott Sugden. This instructional shift is being handled by FUSD’s Secondary Math Coach Amy Kwon, who, like Brown, helps teachers understand the new standards through Common Core Study Groups. The Common Core test in Mathematics will also be implemented during the 201415 school year by Smarter Balanced. Instead of four-option multiple choice questions with only one correct answer, the new test questions may contain two or three correct responses. The Smarter Balanced tests will also have Short and Extended Constructed Response problems as well as a Performance Task which involves analyzing data and graphs. The tests are designed to be taken entirely on the computer with computer adaptive testing (CAT), where the difficul-
bowl for fcc The FCC Dollars for Scholars program held its annual Bowl-a-Thon to raise money for scholarships. News
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