Picture this: you walk into your favorite classroom only to get hit by a waft of warm, sweaty, sock scent. At times, this odor resembles feet, perspiration or even a smell oddly similar to broccoli.
One of the most prominent parts of high school, where students learn, study, socialize and spend most of their day, is the classroom. Every day, hundreds of students walk from class to class in the 22 Tappan building, entering their own classrooms and greeting their friends in other rooms. But there is something that lingers in the background: the smell. From personal experience and conversations with friends and classmates, it is clear that these smells have become a problem in high school.
I have seen students walk into their average classroom ready to learn and leave with headaches, frustration and/or a lower ability to focus due to the stench. For example, while my math teacher was providing important information about an upcoming test, my classmates and I struggled to focus due to smells of sweat and something burning. Around a third of the class developed headaches and were more focused on the pain and finding Tylenol than the subject at hand. This left me feeling unproductive and annoyed.
Distractions from smells like these occur in many classes all around 22 Tappan. For instance, one day in November, there was a pungent sour smell on the fourth floor of the freshman building. This derailed my classes’ conversations from physics to how bad it smelled. This included comments pondering where it was coming from, such as, “Ew, what is that?” and “That’s nasty.” Students have tried to take action by spraying perfume to act as an air freshener. One of my friends has consistently sprayed Sol De Janeiro 62 in her classrooms to make it smell better. This, however, is not a long-term solution sweet smell.
Although it is clear that poor hygiene is a factor in this, the problem can also be attributed to ventilation, or lack thereof. In the freshman building, windows don’t open enough to allow very much wind or air flow. The restriction of airflow consequently prolongs bad scents.
As a school, we need to fix this small but significant problem. One way to remedy the issue is to increase the use of air purifiers to help improve air quality. Using fans in the hotter months to increase air circulation could also help when temperatures are so extreme that windows are difficult to keep open due to discomfort. These options are also more efficient than air fresheners, which can worsen the smells and be more costly over time.
Ensuring that students are healthy and happy should be a top priority for our school, alongside providing a good education. Improving the air quality is a necessary step toward creating a healthier, more productive and overall better learning environment.
