Hot and Bothered
Hundreds of students from James Campbell High School marched around and into the Capitol yesterday to demand air conditioning for their school. “Air-conditioned classes are more convenient for my personal preference and for learning needs,” student body president Evelyn Obamos said in a speech she gave in the Capitol rotunda. Protest organizer Corey Rosenlee, a Campbell history teacher, said that temperatures in his classroom have exceeded 100 degrees.
Sen. Will Espero, pictured above, commended the students’ efforts to participate in government. Espero’s district includes Campbell, and he pointed out that the school also lies in the flight path of Hickam Air Force Base and Honolulu International Airport. “The heat and noise are a serious hindrance to learning,” he said.
After the protest, Campbell students flooded into legislators’ offices. Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser explained to them that the legislature often faces difficult decisions when prioritizing the needs of the Department of Education that also include other school facility and program needs.