Freezing Outside, Scorching Inside: The Masterman Heaters

Clarity Kapur '28 and Harper Weidner '28

It’s the holiday season and temperatures are finally dropping. However, as winter break approaches Masterman students and teachers are beginning to notice one of the most notorious aspects of the building—the heaters. Several members of the Masterman community shared their opinions on the heaters and the results have been overwhelmingly negative.

Everyone mentioned the excessive heat. “They’re really hot,” said Nikken Santoso (‘28). Jonathan Schick (‘28) commented, “I've been singed—like I’ve had marks on my hands.” They mentioned that in certain rooms the heaters seem too strong, specifically Madame Heimann’s room (214) and Mr. Gilligan's room (104). Madame herself agrees that the heaters are scorchingly hot sometimes. “It’s extremely hot.” She said, “I [have] to wear a t-shirt inside the building… to be comfortable in the winter.”

The age of the heaters were also a concern. “I have been told that the heating system is very old…I don’t remember it being this hot everywhere when I was a student,” Madame said. When asked if the heaters should be replaced, Jonathan declared, “Definitely. This school needs more modern everything, to be honest.” In short, the heating system carries steam through pipes that stems from a central steam great; there is a valve that turns the steam on and off throughout the building. Lack of funding was cited as the main reason why the heaters were not being fixed. “It would probably cost a whole lot,” Madame admitted.

Teachers are resorting to different ways to try to cool down their rooms. “You need to have the windows open to counteract the heat. Teachers even have air conditioning on because [the heaters] are just too intense,” Annabelle Sali (‘28) remarked. Oftentimes air conditioners are turned on to regulate the temperature of the room because there is no way to control the heaters. Yet air conditioners pose their own problems, as students have noticed—when they are turned on it is often hard to hear inside classrooms. As Madame put it, “We have to decide if we want to be cool or if we want to hear what's going on.”

As the days grow colder, the heaters are becoming more and more essential. Since currently some rooms are sweltering and others feel glacial, students look forward to a day when the heaters are shiny, brand new devices that supply warm air at just the right temperature – however impossible it seems. They dream sweet dreams of better days when the temperature inside Masterman is exactly 70 degrees.

Page updated

Report abuse