Heat Wave Sizzles Student Body and Staff

California was seared by a heat wave in early September that surpassed even the hottest days of summer. It punished many Bay Area cities with record high temperatures and led to rolling blackouts, health emergencies, and business closures.

It hit the Campo community hard, challenging students and staff to stay hydrated and focused, conserve energy, and alter typical agendas.

Throughout the 10-day ordeal, the heat dominated school conversations; it was impossible to ignore the impacts of global warming right here in Moraga. Climate change got real, and so did our awareness of its consequences.

The internet is a necessity for Campo’s student body and teachers. Power outages shut it down in some places, making it nearly impossible to complete homework, update Canvas, and enter grades.

Junior Katie Feldman felt frustrated with how the blackouts and heat affected her personal life. “I (couldn’t) do my homework without my computer, since it’s all online,” she said.

Along with the academic battle, Campo athletes also experienced issues with the heat. Outdoor sports’ practice times were moved to times when temperatures were friendlier to competitors, altering personal schedules.

Junior Daisy Penney, a member of the cross country team, was concerned about the change in practice time from right after school to 7 p.m. “For the first couple of days it was really nice,” Penny said. “I got a lot of homework done, and it was fun to run in the dark. But by day 3 I was just really, really tired. We would get home at 9:30 p.m., and I didn’t have much opportunity to get to bed early.”

Football teams moved practices from after school to as early as 6:15 a.m. Football coach Kevin Macy said that “morale actually went up with the morning practices, because it was something new to [the athletes], even though we had to shrink our practice time down. We ended up being less prepared for our opponent at the end of the week. If we were practicing in the heat, we probably would’ve been even worse off.”

Given global warming, this struggle with the heat is guaranteed to continue, and the Campo community will have to become better equipped each year to face the challenges and consequences.

Ever-persevering, students, athletes, and staff will continue to work to get through the most intense times, coming out stronger on the other end.