Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Cleaner Air Means Happier, Healthier Students

  • 08/01/15
Cleaner Air

Cleaner air means students will be healthier, and absent less, as was the case at Community Consolidated School District 181.

Nothing gets A principal’s attention quite like a parent or teacher concern. If it’s a health-related issue tied to air quality, the facility manager is also in the hot seat.

That’s where Mike Vilendrer, facility coordinator at Community Consolidated School District 181, found himself after a teacher and a parent voiced concern about air quality situations in separate classrooms.

Vilendrer’s IAQ to-do list included:

  • Science lab: A student with sensitive allergies had persistent health problems because of suspected air quality issues in a science room. The child’s parent asked that a HEPA filter purification system be installed.
  • Art room: Art supplies were sending lots of dust and other particles into the air, creating an uncomfortable and unhealthy environment.
  • Classroom: A teacher reached out to the principal about consistent problems with the air quality in her classroom.

Vilendrer quickly realized that the HVAC system for the 108,000-square-foot school was not equipped to handle the air quality problems he faced.

He installed four AeraMax Professional commercial-grade air purifiers — three for the main problem locations and one in the band room.

Another reason Vilendrer decided to take a targeted approach. The unit is designed to turn on and off on its own and remain quiet in public buildings.

“As far as the operational side, they’re quiet as can be and don’t impact teaching at all,” Vilendrer says.

Eight months after installing the units the difference was clear. “The issues we were having completely went away,” he notes.

More remarkably, the art teacher told Vilendrer that there had been a noticeable drop in absences compared with past school years.

www.aeramaxpro.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Washington State University Debuts New Engineering Hall

    Washington State University recently celebrated a dedication ceremony for the new Schweitzer Engineering Hall on its Pullman campus in Pullman, Wash., according to university news. The facility measures 66,288 square feet, and its completion marks the first milestone in a larger university effort to modernize the engineering and design district.

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.